AKL LITE unofficial FAQ thread#10 - I believe that's known as a 'Jambo Dozen'

[RachelTori]

I started reading the thread at the beginning and I'm halfway done so I'm still learning. I will be using David's to rent points for next November, I know it says to book at 11 months out but do I have the option to book earlier than that? I don't know much about how Points and DVC work yet. Just by reading about everything AKL has to offer and looking at all the pictures I can tell we would be much happier here VS BWV. So I will be hanging out here for a while!

DVC reservations are not available before 11 months out. David's should have your information prior to 11 months, but the actual reservation can not be made until the 11 month mark. (The furthest out that can be booked today would be December 28, 2014.)

BWV's big advantage is location. If your trip would be mostly Epcot and Studios, BWV would be a better choice.

 

[freewill]

Thanks folks for helping with my questions about movies by the pool!!

 

[dgbg100106]

we'll be there May 10-14! We went in Sept 2012 and stayed at Poly. I've wanted to stay at AKL since they opened. we're staying club level and both grandma's are coming. DD will be 5 and hopefully right over 42".

May
Shaden, 2nd – 6th, AKL Jambo House
Hill6, 5th – 8th, AKL Kidani
RebelSoul, 5th – 11th, AKV Jambo
Hill6, 8th – 10th, AKL Kidani
DevonsDisneyMom, 9th – 17th, AKV Jambo
Zeldot, 10th – 14th, AKL CL
RachelTori, 20th-27th, AKV-CL; Dolphin
Momto8, 23rd – 30th, Jambo House
Vital, 23rd – 31st, Jambo House
Paula Sedley-Burke, 26th – 28th, ASMu
Paula Sedley-Burke, 28th – Jun 4th, SSR
franandaj, 28th - Jun 4th, VGF

 

[dgbg100106]

Our party of 18 will be there August 16-22 Kidani

August
anjalee6, Jul 29th – 5th, AKL
katema52, 16th – 22nd, Kidani
eangel12, 20th – 21st, AKL CL
15isto2, 30th-Sept 27th, Kidani

 

[dgbg100106]

Thanks to other hotel plans falling through (bummer! ) we will be back at AKV Kidani this May! We just stayed there in December and loved it, so I'm really excited to be back. Just a quick trip, May 5 - 8 for us

May
Shaden, 2nd – 6th, AKL Jambo House
Hill6, 5th – 8th, AKL Kidani
CupcakeKelly, 5th – 8th, AKL
RebelSoul, 5th – 11th, AKV Jambo
Hill6, 8th – 10th, AKL Kidani
DevonsDisneyMom, 9th – 17th, AKV Jambo
Zeldot, 10th – 14th, AKL CL
RachelTori, 20th-27th, AKV-CL; Dolphin
Momto8, 23rd – 30th, Jambo House
Vital, 23rd – 31st, Jambo House
Paula Sedley-Burke, 26th – 28th, ASMu
Paula Sedley-Burke, 28th – Jun 4th, SSR
franandaj, 28th - Jun 4th, VGF

 

[dgbg100106]

We'll be there 2/19-2/23, then moving offsite for a week. (Jambo)

Also looking for input on a room request for a pool view room. Are there some better than others? Is one trail better than the other? High floor, low floor?

Thanks!

February
mrsmorgan, Jan 28th-6th, Jambo
MrsK41, Jan 29th – 6th, Jambo CL
Jrj, 2nd-8th, AKL
RachelTori, 3rd – 8th, AKV Jambo
Ashleyrm, 7th – 13th, AKV Jambo
WildGinger, 9th – 15th, Kidani
MSUmom, 15th – 22nd, Kidani
DizDaD7, 15th -22nd, GCV
DisMomAmy, 19th – 23rd, Jambo
MomofDisneyLoversx3, 20th – 24th, AKL CL (Running Princess ½ Marathon)

 

[dgbg100106]

We will be there march 15-march 21. It will be my husband and I along with my 13 yo son.

March
Tonyslady, 7th – 10th, AoA
Tonyslady, 10th – 16th, AKV
Delanemc1, 15th – 21st, AKL
Cheesemouse, 20th – 22nd, AKV
XMom, 22nd – 29th, AKL Kidani
Eacosper, 22nd – 29th, AKL
AlohaAnnie, 28th – Apr 5th, Jambo

 

[tarak]

I started reading the thread at the beginning and I'm halfway done so I'm still learning. I will be using David's to rent points for next November, I know it says to book at 11 months out but do I have the option to book earlier than that? I don't know much about how Points and DVC work yet. Just by reading about everything AKL has to offer and looking at all the pictures I can tell we would be much happier here VS BWV. So I will be hanging out here for a while!

We've rented points twice to stay at AKV. Both times we decided to go with Kidani village. For us, it was because we needed a 1 BR villa and the ones at Kidani have a second bathroom. One point to consider with the buses, is that they all pick up at Kidani first, then go to Jambo House. Then, at the end of the day, they drop off at Kidani first. So we were always guaranteed a seat at the start of our trip and we knew we'd be at our room sooner at the end of the night. I think the bus to DTD is the opposite and goes to Jambo House first.

My kids prefer the pool at Kidani, so that might be another thing to consider. They can be a bit whiny about the walk from Kidani to Jambo, so it makes for less complaining having the Kidani pool right there. The lobby at Kidani is much smaller and more intimate. They are both beautiful, though. Jambo almost seems overwhelming to us now, having stayed at Kidani twice. But there is no quick service restaurant at Kidani.

We just got back and I booked a bounceback offer for August. For the first time, we'd be staying at YC and I admit I'm a little nervous about whether I'll like it as much.

 

[DizDaD7]

Thanks folks for helping with my questions about movies by the pool!!

No Prob..Thats what we're here for..LoL

 

[DizDaD7]

Yes they both are very nice....But you have to go with what is most important to you n your family...

Will you be eating quick breakfast &/or snacks a lot of the time...?Then The Mara @ Jambo

Does size Matter.......?Of the lobby that is If smaller & quaint then Kidani.

Are you going to be spending time at the pools...Here you can't go wrong with either...Jambo pool is closer to the rooms though..& a much Larger Pool too,, with a smaller slide
Kidani has a slightly smaller pool w/ a separate water play area, & much bigger slide..
Buses were never an issue for us at Jambo....

 

[hemmie]

We will be there May 20-26 (AKL)... very excited! It's my husband & I, plus our two sons, ages 8 & 10.

Does anyone know if the AKL daily activity schedules come out in advance and if so, how does one see them? Or do we just see it when we get there?

Thanks!

 

[Holly Quinlan]

Yes they both are very nice....But you have to go with what is most important to you n your family... Will you be eating quick breakfast &/or snacks a lot of the time...?Then The Mara @ Jambo Does size Matter.......?Of the lobby that is If smaller & quaint then Kidani. Are you going to be spending time at the pools...Here you can't go wrong with either...Jambo pool is closer to the rooms though..& a much Larger Pool too,, with a smaller slide Kidani has a slightly smaller pool w/ a separate water play area, & much bigger slide.. Buses were never an issue for us at Jambo....

I want to be close to the Mara and love the look of the lobby at Jambo. Will probably only spend one evening at the pool so that doesn't matter if my son saw the water play area we would never leave it's only the 3 of us so we only need the small studio. The only thing that still worries me is the bus transportation. We stayed at wilderness lodge last year and I always gave myself an hour to get wherever I needed to be so as long as it doesn't take longer than that I won't mind the busses.

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[DizDaD7]

I want to be close to the Mara and love the look of the lobby at Jambo. Will probably only spend one evening at the pool so that doesn't matter if my son saw the water play area we would never leave it's only the 3 of us so we only need the small studio. The only thing that still worries me is the bus transportation. We stayed at wilderness lodge last year and I always gave myself an hour to get wherever I needed to be so as long as it doesn't take longer than that I won't mind the busses.

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TRUST ME : You won't need to worry bout that..I thought that being so far away it would be horrible..As I stated in the other post....It's really not that bad when you are going to MK..Literally 20 minutes tops...HS, & Epcot are a hop skip n a jump away too...Getting on 2nd guarantees that you'll be headed to the parks immediately after embarking...When at Kidani, you then have to jet over to Jambo & that could add another 3 or 4 minutes to the trip, when staying there...HTH

 

[princessmorgan]

Hi,

Is there anyone who knows the name of a tree statue at the Jambo House that represents a place where warriors stay before battle? Thanks for any help!

 

[tarak]

I want to be close to the Mara and love the look of the lobby at Jambo. Will probably only spend one evening at the pool so that doesn't matter if my son saw the water play area we would never leave it's only the 3 of us so we only need the small studio. The only thing that still worries me is the bus transportation. We stayed at wilderness lodge last year and I always gave myself an hour to get wherever I needed to be so as long as it doesn't take longer than that I won't mind the busses.

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I would vote for Jambo, in that case. Our youngest daughter (22 months) didn't want to leave the splash area. Even when it was 50 degrees outside. And I've never found the buses to be problematic, whether we stayed at Jambo or Kidani in terms of the time it takes to get from the resort to the parks and back. And as DizDaD7 points out, you'll be on the bus for less time if you board at Jambo House. My husband went to Disney every summer growing up. They always stayed at the Poly or the Contemporary (which were the only resorts at the time). We've stayed together at the Poly, the Wilderness Lodge, and AKL. AKL is the only resort he will go to now. The only reason I booked a bounceback for YC is I'll be going with my older kids and my mom (whose favorite park is Epcot).

 

[RachelTori]

We will be there May 20-26 (AKL)... very excited! It's my husband & I, plus our two sons, ages 8 & 10.

Does anyone know if the AKL daily activity schedules come out in advance and if so, how does one see them? Or do we just see it when we get there?

Thanks!

Congrats! The Activity Schedule for each month isn't released in advance. The advantage you have is that, by going closer to the end of the month, someone here who has been earlier in May should be able to post the schedule!

We will be there about the same time you are so I can't help you. That's where Brandi's list comes in handy!

From the most current May list: Shaden, Hill6, CupcakeKelly, RebelSoul, DevonsDisneyMom and Zeldot will all have been at AKL/AKV prior to your trip.

Maybe 1 of them will be willing to post the May information.

 

[zeldot]

Congrats! The Activity Schedule for each month isn't released in advance. The advantage you have is that, by going closer to the end of the month, someone here who has been earlier in May should be able to post the schedule!

We will be there about the same time you are so I can't help you. That's where Brandi's list comes in handy!

From the most current May list: Shaden, Hill6, CupcakeKelly, RebelSoul, DevonsDisneyMom and Zeldot will all have been at AKL/AKV prior to your trip.

Maybe 1 of them will be willing to post the May information.

yes, I will bring back any info I can! I expect DD will do a few resort things with the grandma's!

 

[smellyia]

We are taking a surprise LAST MINUTE trip for DD's 4th bday on 2/24-2/27 and opted to go with AKL CL. We will also have DS 4months, DH and myself. I'm trying to learn everything I can about the resort given such a short trip. We will do mornings with long afternoon break and evenings at parks. I *might* try to schedule a early character breakfast before leaving on Thurs morning.

1. Do all CL rooms have savannah views? Are they the Arusha view? What is the difference? Is there a good/great chance we will see plentiful animals in afternoons/early mornings?

2. Does the CL offer light lunch/dinner items? Does anyone have a run down of what type of offerings? Is there bottled water offered?

3. Is AK accessible by bus only still?

Any other tips would be SPECTACULAR as it's our first CL and AKL experience.

 

[think-like-tink]

We are taking a surprise LAST MINUTE trip for DD's 4th bday on 2/24-2/27 and opted to go with AKL CL. We will also have DS 4months, DH and myself. I'm trying to learn everything I can about the resort given such a short trip. We will do mornings with long afternoon break and evenings at parks. I *might* try to schedule a early character breakfast before leaving on Thurs morning.

1. Do all CL rooms have savannah views? Are they the Arusha view? What is the difference? Is there a good/great chance we will see plentiful animals in afternoons/early mornings?

2. Does the CL offer light lunch/dinner items? Does anyone have a run down of what type of offerings? Is there bottled water offered?

3. Is AK accessible by bus only still?




Any other tips would be SPECTACULAR as it's our first CL and AKL experience.

1.Cl rooms are on either Kudu or Zebra trail

2. From 11:30-3 they set out african snacks and drinks. For kids I believe it's goldfish, gummys etc. From 5-7, they set out wines, appetizers and such from Boma and Jiko.
Sorry I can't be more specific, this will be our first time staying here as well. These are some notes I have taken from the start of this thread.

3.and yes, AK is only accessible by bus, or your own car, taxi

 

[linseyjo26]

We will be there May 20-26 (AKL)... very excited! It's my husband & I, plus our two sons, ages 8 & 10. Does anyone know if the AKL daily activity schedules come out in advance and if so, how does one see them? Or do we just see it when we get there? Thanks!

I was hoping to find an activities schedule from last May to get an idea of activities and times. Did find one for the current month , which gives me a good idea of the activities they have. You can find it at themouseforless website. Under activities on the resort's page. Hope it helps!