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View Full Version : AKV Value Requests...?


Pennyguy23
10-09-2007, 02:49 PM
I tried to put a request in for our value studio to be a sav. view and she said we couldn't do that. Plus values don't have Sav view, they are parking lot views. I felt bad telling her that standard view are parking lot or pool view and value are pool, sav view. They really don't tell there MS very much do they. But back to my question. Are they not letting you request a certain view for them? Not a big deal but I figured if I could ask I would ask. :thumbsup2 thanks

dianeschlicht
10-09-2007, 03:11 PM
You should be able to request, but there is a possibility that rooms of that catagory and view are not yet available for booking. Perhaps Lisa will come on here and shed some light on that.

LisaS
10-09-2007, 04:06 PM
I agree that MS does seem to be confused about the possible views from different room types at AKV. As far as view requests for Value rooms I can't see why they wouldn't accept them unless they figure that 99.99% of the people will request a savanna view and some percentage of those folks will complain loudly at check in when they find they didn't get it! But considering how confused MS is about the room types, I think it's possible they are confusing Standard View where for Jambo House there is no option other than pool view so no point making any requests, and Value where it's possible someone might actually prefer a pool view over a savanna view so why not let them request it?

ETA: Just for clarification, in Jambo House the Standard View rooms are all pool view. The Value rooms will have a view of the Sunset Savanna, or the pool area or the parking lot.

In Kidani Village, the Standard View rooms will have a view of the pool, garden or parking lot. There are no Value rooms.

bobbiwoz
10-09-2007, 04:12 PM
I would send an e-mail to MS and ask if it can be done. I have a 2 bedroom value ressie for June, and it does say "request savannah view." When I asked if I could, the CM hesitated, checked something somewhere, came back and said that I could.

Bobbi:goodvibes

disneymayz
10-09-2007, 08:39 PM
Doesn't the number points depend on the view of the studio?

dvcnewgirl
10-09-2007, 09:08 PM
I may be wrong but from what I have been reading is that you can get a savannah view but they will not take requests for a value room. If anyone finds out anything different please let me know because I have one and I would like to make a request too!:thumbsup2

Pennyguy23
10-09-2007, 09:18 PM
ETA: Just for clarification, in Jambo House the Standard View rooms are all pool view. The Value rooms will have a view of the Sunset Savanna, or the pool area or the parking lot.

In Kidani Village, the Standard View rooms will have a view of the pool, garden or parking lot. There are no Value rooms.

I thought you wrote that Standard were pool and Parking, Value is Sav and Pool. Somewhere. You are who I get all my info from on AKV so thanks for the clarification. So we might get a parking lot view. I guess I might change it because I DON'T want a parking lot view.

Jillpie
10-09-2007, 09:20 PM
I have made a reservation for this coming April for a value studio, with a request for savannah view and had no problem whatsoever doing so. I would call back and ask a different CM to add that request to your reservation. I think it was as simple as a misinformed CM is all.

AKV707
10-09-2007, 09:23 PM
We have a value 1 br booked for next July and we did put in a request for a Savanna view. Not guaranteed of course. Now, I booked at the 11 month window which was in August and maybe they have changed the rules?

Robo-Daddy 3000
10-09-2007, 09:26 PM
When I booked a value studio, I was told no requests were being taken for value rooms. It's okay with me but I wish that there was a reason given.

CarolA
10-10-2007, 08:13 AM
. As far as view requests for Value rooms I can't see why they wouldn't accept them unless they figure that 99.99% of the people will request a savanna view and some percentage of those folks will complain loudly at check in when they find they didn't get it! .

:rotfl2:

Some percentage???. Based on what I read here and see at Disney that's about 95% of those who requested it. The meaning of the word request appears to mean "if you do not receive your request you are now free to release your inner two year old" Whining, lying, crying and physical threats have been used to attempt to make the CM meet your request!

(And no, I have not used ANY of these. I make no requests and this past Monday when I checked in and got a handicapped room I did not pitch a fit about my "substandard" accomodation and demand to be moved. There was nothing wrong with my accomodation and I was very happy there. It had a great view and was very quite)

AKV707
10-10-2007, 08:38 AM
:rotfl2:

Some percentage???. Based on what I read here and see at Disney that's about 95% of those who requested it. The meaning of the word request appears to mean "if you do not receive your request you are now free to release your inner two year old" Whining, lying, crying and physical threats have been used to attempt to make the CM meet your request!

(And no, I have not used ANY of these. I make no requests and this past Monday when I checked in and got a handicapped room I did not pitch a fit about my "substandard" accomodation and demand to be moved. There was nothing wrong with my accomodation and I was very happy there. It had a great view and was very quite)

Carol, great point. The only time i everr "complained" was t CR several years ago. We arrived and our room was not clean. Really not clean. We stayed calm and I called. Someone came right up, apologized profusely and told us it would be remedied. We went to the parks, returned to a spotless room and a message from the manager comping us one night.

While I have reuqested Savanna for my value villa but I understand that it is a request. I will just be happy to be AKV in a beautiful new room at the great home resort that we own.

Darthmerideth
10-10-2007, 09:24 AM
I booked 7 nights for March 08 thru the website. It gave me the option of selecting a savannah view for the studio I booked.

CarolA
10-10-2007, 11:38 AM
Carol, great point. The only time i everr "complained" was t CR several years ago. We arrived and our room was not clean. Really not clean. We stayed calm and I called. Someone came right up, apologized profusely and told us it would be remedied. We went to the parks, returned to a spotless room and a message from the manager comping us one night.

While I have reuqested Savanna for my value villa but I understand that it is a request. I will just be happy to be AKV in a beautiful new room at the great home resort that we own.

That's a very valid complaint. The "building" at OKW isn't. (I once watched a member physically threaten a CM because he didn't get "his" villa. I also watched the local police escort him from OKW!)

Robo-Daddy 3000
10-10-2007, 12:36 PM
Y'know it just occurred to me that maybe MS feels that because of the low point required for a value room, it's really not worth the trouble to accept specific requests. Does that make any sense?

spaddy
10-10-2007, 12:41 PM
I have also added the savannah request to my dedicated value studio reservation. I am just as happy to look at the pool but I figured I would give it a try.

LisaS
10-10-2007, 02:58 PM
I thought you wrote that Standard were pool and Parking, Value is Sav and Pool. Somewhere. You are who I get all my info from on AKV so thanks for the clarification. So we might get a parking lot view. I guess I might change it because I DON'T want a parking lot view.They have managed to make this so confusing that it is hard to explain, but here goes...

There are two defined views at AKV: Savanna and Standard. Savanna is obvious, Standard is "pool, garden or parking lot".

There are four booking categories at AKV: Value, Standard View, Savanna View and Concierge:

Value: (Jambo House only). Smaller rooms with either a Savanna view or a Standard View (which means pool, garden or parking lot) except that there are no "garden" views at Jambo House, just pool and parking lot. So a Value villa can have a view of the Sunset Savanna, the pool or the parking lot.

Standard View: Larger than Value, with a Standard view (pool, garden or parking lot). At Jambo House only, all of the rooms in this booking category have a pool view. All of the Jambo House rooms facing the parking lot are smaller so they are classified as Value rooms. At Kidani Village, the Standard View villas will have a view of the pool, a garden area or a parking lot.

Savanna View: Larger than Value, with a view of a savanna.

Concierge: (Jambo House only). Larger than Value, with Concierge services and either a Savanna or Standard View (but thankfully no parking lot or garden views, just pool view).

n2mm
10-10-2007, 03:06 PM
Thanks for the info. We have a standard view for January, so a pool view, which is perfect for us.

dianeschlicht
10-10-2007, 04:00 PM
They have managed to make this so confusing that it is hard to explain, but here goes...

There are two defined views at AKV: Savanna and Standard. Savanna is obvious, Standard is "pool, garden or parking lot".

There are four booking categories at AKV: Value, Standard View, Savanna View and Concierge:

Value: (Jambo House only). Smaller rooms with either a Savanna view or a Standard View (which means pool, garden or parking lot) except that there are no "garden" views at Jambo House, just pool and parking lot. So a Value villa can have a view of the Sunset Savanna, the pool or the parking lot.

Standard View: Larger than Value, with a Standard view (pool, garden or parking lot). At Jambo House only, all of the rooms in this booking category have a pool view. All of the Jambo House rooms facing the parking lot are smaller so they are classified as Value rooms. At Kidani Village, the Standard View villas will have a view of the pool, a garden area or a parking lot.

Savanna View: Larger than Value, with a view of a savanna.

Concierge: (Jambo House only). Larger than Value, with Concierge services and either a Savanna or Standard View (but thankfully no parking lot or garden views, just pool view).

Yes, Lisa, I can't figure out why they made it so confusing. If WE are confused, imagine what some of those poor little MS folks are who have gotten hit with this all at once.

Joey7295
10-10-2007, 04:18 PM
Does anyone know how many value studios there are and how many have a savanna view?

LisaS
10-11-2007, 07:55 AM
I have been maintaining a drawing of the declared Units and the number and types of villas each contains in this (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1358162&page=18) thread. The most recent drawing is in post #270.

nboicepardee
10-11-2007, 09:40 PM
I would send an e-mail to MS and ask if it can be done. I have a 2 bedroom value ressie for June, and it does say "request savannah view." When I asked if I could, the CM hesitated, checked something somewhere, came back and said that I could.

Bobbi:goodvibes

The same thing happened to me.

AKV707
10-12-2007, 07:30 AM
As I said in an earlier post, I was able to make the reuest a few days after booking our 1 br value for July. MS took the request without saying there were any issues except for the standard, "it is a request" and I know that it may not happen. But i will still be at AKV!

Pennyguy23
10-12-2007, 10:27 PM
They have managed to make this so confusing that it is hard to explain, but here goes...

There are two defined views at AKV: Savanna and Standard. Savanna is obvious, Standard is "pool, garden or parking lot".

There are four booking categories at AKV: Value, Standard View, Savanna View and Concierge:

Value: (Jambo House only). Smaller rooms with either a Savanna view or a Standard View (which means pool, garden or parking lot) except that there are no "garden" views at Jambo House, just pool and parking lot. So a Value villa can have a view of the Sunset Savanna, the pool or the parking lot.

Standard View: Larger than Value, with a Standard view (pool, garden or parking lot). At Jambo House only, all of the rooms in this booking category have a pool view. All of the Jambo House rooms facing the parking lot are smaller so they are classified as Value rooms. At Kidani Village, the Standard View villas will have a view of the pool, a garden area or a parking lot.

Savanna View: Larger than Value, with a view of a savanna.

Concierge: (Jambo House only). Larger than Value, with Concierge services and either a Savanna or Standard View (but thankfully no parking lot or garden views, just pool view).


:thumbsup2 We are here right now but got a Sav view. Man I am glad we bought here. Its FANTASTIC!!!!

bxmetfan
10-13-2007, 12:56 AM
What is the % of savanna view value rooms?

dvcnewgirl
10-13-2007, 08:18 AM
I did add the request by e-mail.

*NikkiBell*
10-14-2007, 12:32 AM
I just booked a studio for our April WDW trip. I am not sure what view I was given at all as the CM never said anything. If I book Savannah View will it cost more points?

*NikkiBell*
10-14-2007, 08:03 PM
Bump!

LisaS
10-14-2007, 08:40 PM
I just booked a studio for our April WDW trip. I am not sure what view I was given at all as the CM never said anything. If I book Savannah View will it cost more points?What category did you book? If you booked a Value or a Standard View studio then switching your reservation to a Savanna View will require more points. There is a point chart for AKV here (http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/AK-Points.htm). You can look up your dates and see the number of points required for each booking category.

Simba's Mom
10-14-2007, 08:42 PM
All this is so confusing, that's why I decided to book the AKV the way I did for May. I've got 2 nites in a value, 2 nites in a standard, and 2 nites in a savannah (all studios). I know what view I'll get for the savannah, but I'm anxious to see what I get for the views from the other two kinds. I made no special requests, just "luck of the draw".

*NikkiBell*
10-15-2007, 06:16 PM
Thanks, Lisa. I am not sure which it is, but when I went online and used the point calculator, it said 90 points for a studio with Savannah view. I am going to call them tomorrow.

Ratpack
01-03-2008, 12:59 PM
They have managed to make this so confusing that it is hard to explain, but here goes...

There are two defined views at AKV: Savanna and Standard. Savanna is obvious, Standard is "pool, garden or parking lot".

There are four booking categories at AKV: Value, Standard View, Savanna View and Concierge:

Value: (Jambo House only). Smaller rooms with either a Savanna view or a Standard View (which means pool, garden or parking lot) except that there are no "garden" views at Jambo House, just pool and parking lot. So a Value villa can have a view of the Sunset Savanna, the pool or the parking lot.

Standard View: Larger than Value, with a Standard view (pool, garden or parking lot). At Jambo House only, all of the rooms in this booking category have a pool view. All of the Jambo House rooms facing the parking lot are smaller so they are classified as Value rooms. At Kidani Village, the Standard View villas will have a view of the pool, a garden area or a parking lot.

Savanna View: Larger than Value, with a view of a savanna.

Concierge: (Jambo House only). Larger than Value, with Concierge services and either a Savanna or Standard View (but thankfully no parking lot or garden views, just pool view).

Lisa, is this in print anywhere? Not only are they confused at MS, but when you check in and they see the request, they look at you like you are on drugs. We just returned from our value 1BR stay and we had requested Savannah but didn't get it which was fine because I know requests are not guaranteed. But what did get me was they saw the savannah request and told me that savannah was an upgrade not a request. I tried to explain this to them, but they did not understand. And today I changed my summer 1BR to a 2BR and asked for the request again and MS said that there are NO savannah view value rooms, ONLY parking lot.

LisaS
01-03-2008, 02:07 PM
Lisa, is this in print anywhere? Not only are they confused at MS, but when you check in and they see the request, they look at you like you are on drugs. We just returned from our value 1BR stay and we had requested Savannah but didn't get it which was fine because I know requests are not guaranteed. But what did get me was they saw the savannah request and told me that savannah was an upgrade not a request. I tried to explain this to them, but they did not understand. And today I changed my summer 1BR to a 2BR and asked for the request again and MS said that there are NO savannah view value rooms, ONLY parking lot.Yes it's posted on the AKV FAQs page (http://dvc.disney.go.com/dvc/guest/resorts/resortDetail?id=ProspectsDAKVFAQPage#5) on the public DVC website. Here is the information that is posted there. I bolded the text the describes the views available from Value rooms.

What views are available from the rooms?

Approximately 80% of all rooms have a Savanna View.
All Grand Villas have a Savanna View.
Approximately half of the Value Accommodations and Kilimanjaro Club Concierge rooms have a Savanna View. The rest have a Standard View, which includes a view of the pool, garden or parking lot. While Savanna View or Standard View room categories are confirmed at time of reservation, please note that Standard View room view preference requests are noted but not guaranteed.
Most Studios, One Bedrooms and Two Bedrooms have a Savanna View. The rest have a Standard View, which includes a view of the pool, garden or parking lot. While Savanna View or Standard View room categories are confirmed at time of reservation, please note that Standard View room view preference requests are noted, but not guaranteed.

Ratpack
01-03-2008, 02:13 PM
Thanks Lisa, I think I will print that out so that it has the webpage visible as well and take that with me. Again, I know it is not guaranteed and doesn't bother me at all to not get a savannah, but when they say the request is invalid as it is not possible, that is when I want proof of what I am saying.

LisaS
01-03-2008, 02:38 PM
Thanks Lisa, I think I will print that out so that it has the webpage visible as well and take that with me. Again, I know it is not guaranteed and doesn't bother me at all to not get a savannah, but when they say the request is invalid as it is not possible, that is when I want proof of what I am saying.In addition to bringing the information from the website you can try pointing out the Ostrich Trail on the AKV map and ask about the rooms on that trail that do not face the parking lot. (That's where the savanna-facing Value rooms are located.) If they tell you those are Savanna View rooms, remind them that they are the smaller rooms, so they must be Value rooms. Maybe a light will go on at that point, though it's possible they will continue to argue that they are Savanna View rooms.

By the way, which view did you get on your recent trip and how was it?

Ratpack
01-03-2008, 02:54 PM
We had a 1BR with a parking lot view which wasn't bad. We use our balcony more for fresh air than a view. The view is just an added bonus if there is one. I have to say I don't think I can go back to regular resort rooms now. Having the extra room was great. This summer we have a 2BR. My biggest fear is that will nix the 1BR's for us in the future once we have that much room.

AKV707
01-03-2008, 03:11 PM
We had a 1BR with a parking lot view which wasn't bad. We use our balcony more for fresh air than a view. The view is just an added bonus if there is one. I have to say I don't think I can go back to regular resort rooms now. Having the extra room was great. This summer we have a 2BR. My biggest fear is that will nix the 1BR's for us in the future once we have that much room.

When you say it wasn't bad, what was it like? Does being on the 5th floor give you a look at the horizon and not so much at cars? We have a 1 br value booked for 11 nights in July. I have made the savanna view request, but just in case, I am curious about the parking lot view. Do you have any photos of the view?

Thanks.

Ratpack
01-03-2008, 03:16 PM
Can't say for all parking lot views, but if you look straight out, you can see above the trees for the most part and see the horizon, but if you look down at all, you see a sea of cars.

AKV707
01-03-2008, 03:22 PM
Can't say for all parking lot views, but if you look straight out, you can see above the trees for the most part and see the horizon, but if you look down at all, you see a sea of cars.

So it looks like if we get the parking lot view that we should keep our heads up!

How did you find the one bedroom value villa? Good for two people? Any comments would be welcome.

Ratpack
01-03-2008, 03:46 PM
We liked the 1BR and had plenty of room for our family of 5. Really spacious, so if you only have 2, then it will be more than enough. Having the full size fridge and the extra TV were really nice. Our youngest is only 1, so we could get a full gallon of milk and anything else we wanted in there. The W/D was also a real nice thing. No more walking to the public one that is always the furtherest point from the room we are in. We were able to wash all our clothes and repack so that we did not have to worry with it when we got home. Just start them in the morning and dry them in the afternoon, fold in the evening.

We really liked the lodge as well. We were concerned since we have usually stayed near MK about transportation but it was probably the best so far. You knew when the bus left that the next stop was your destination and not another resort. The biggest drawback to the resort, at least for us, is when you need to go to Mara (counter service), pool or the bus stop, which are the three main places for us to go at the resort, you had to walk through a smoking area or take a much out of the way route. Why they practically force everyone through the smoking areas is beyond me, they should be "off" the beaten path. If you have specific things you would like to know, please ask. Not sure how much I can answer as we were only there for a few days and not a lot of free time to explore the resort, but I'll try.

BigBahamaDada
01-07-2008, 09:04 PM
After reading this thread, I called to reserve 2 bedroom value at AKV this morning anticipating having to convince the CM to put in the savannah request. Before I could even ask, CM volunteered that he had reserved the room AND put in a request for a savannah view.

So very excited for our first stay at AKV and first holiday time trip to WDW.

BigBahamaDada
01-07-2008, 09:05 PM
After reading this thread, I called to reserve 2 bedroom value at AKV this morning anticipating having to convince the CM to put in the savannah request. Before I could even ask, CM volunteered that he had reserved the room AND put in a request for a savannah view.

So very excited for our first stay at AKV and first holiday time trip to WDW.

dvcdisney
01-08-2008, 09:08 AM
When I originally booked a 1 bedroom Value, they told me that they will put in a request for Savannah view if I'd like. Then we changed it to Standard view and she mentioned that they would have to remove the request for the Savannah view because there isn't any. I think it may depend on who you speak with. Sometimes when I don't get the answer that I think is correct, I call back and most of the time I get it then. In most cases when they are not sure, they usually go and ask someone.

Ratpack
01-08-2008, 09:16 AM
I never had any problems with MS putting the request in. In fact they were the ones that told me that value had the chance for a savannah view. However, I don't think they have trained all the members at the lodge itself. They are the ones that told me that value had no savannah view at all and that to get a savannah view you had to upgrade to a savannah view.