AKL Concierge

[mastersd]

2 part question:


1) We were very lucky and booked a 1br concierge for Aug 24-27. The only problem is we don't really know what that means. There is some thing about a Sunrise Safari. Anyone who has any info--it would be great. Incidently, the night of the 25th we actually have 2 concierge rooms. We will cancel one. There is hope for others because we had to book 7 months out.


2) We are staying in a Fort Wilderness Lodge Cabin. Should we rent a car? I have read some stuff that says it is very remote and you should have a vehicle to enjoy your stay. Any tips about this resort would be helpful.

Thanks.

 

[AKLFan3]

Regarding your first question, AKV Concierge rooms are on the 6th floor of Jambo House. You have the opportunity to take the Sunrise Safari or Sunset Safari which are only available to concierge level guests. I very much enjoyed both safaris when I was there in December, but the Sunset Safari was far more memorable. The Sunrise Safari is at Animal Kingdom. You go on Kilimanjaro Safari before the park opens so you see the animals when they are very active and there is plenty of time to take great pictures and video. It is followed by a delicious breakfast at Tusker House. The Sunset Safari is a tour of the savannas at AKV. I found this much more interesting because you can get VERY close to the animals and the animal keepers talk a lot about the animals and how they take care of them. You are served a mini snack in the ride vehicle also. The safari is followed by dinner at Jiko.

You have access to the concierge lounge which is on the 6th floor. They serve several mini meals there beginning at 6 or 7 am, and ending at 10 pm with a few 30 minute gaps in between meals. I loved concierge because it saved so much money on meals. If you are a light eater, you will enjoy the light breakfast, snacks and evening appetizers. Even if you are a heavy eater, you can pick up as much food as you want since everything is placed on the counter and you can fill as many plates as you like. All the food and drinks (including alcoholic beverage in the evening) are replenished constantly. Instead of eating lunch, breakfast and dinner in the parks or at other hotels each day, we frequently ate in the concierge lounge. We normally book a 6 or 7 night stay, which means 6 or 7 nights of meals at restaurants. With the concierge lounge, we only booked 1 or 2 restaurant meals so we naturally saved a lot of money. We also saved money on buying water bottles since we drank water in the lounge nearly all the time. They have bottles of Evian water that you pour into a glass or plastic cup. They also have a variety of juice there all the time. Make sure to try the African smoothie, it is wonderful.

 

[rparmfamily]

When you call to make reservations, do you have to specifically mention concierge?

 

[scotttrippett]

Yes you must request it but it is very hard to get a booking as there are not many rooms available to DVC. Also the sunset and sunrise safaries are an additional cost but only available to conceirge bookings.

Scott

 

[drag n' fly]

The sunset safari is available to anyone now at a additional cost if their is space available.

 

[scotttrippett]

The sunset safari is $160 if you are in conceirge and $220 if not per person.

Scott

 

[LisaS]

When you call to make reservations, do you have to specifically mention concierge?

Concierge is a separate booking category. There are four booking levels in Jambo House: Value, Standard View, Savanna View and Concierge. Concierge consists of five 2BR lockoffs. Assuming they keep one or two as 2BR units and rent the others as 1BRs and studios, there could be as few as three Concierge 1BRs and Studios.

 

[SB in KY]

Thought I would throw in my 2 cents worth on the OP's second question about the Wilderness homes and a car....if you are staying in one of the cabins at Ft Wilderness I would strongly suggest you have a car. You can park right by your cabin door and depending on where your cabin is located it can be quite a hike to bus stops. Additionally, at Ft Wilderness you may have to walk to the bus stop, take one bus to a central site and then transfer to another bus to get to the parks....not awful, but just adds a lot of time to every trip. And if you are traveling to another resort to eat then it will be 3 buses each way instead of 2. Also it is really nice to have a car to get groceries. The cabins have nice kitchens but you will need a grocery run to make use of them. There are not a lot of dining options at Ft Wilderness, so the kitchen is a handy feature.

 

[kid-at-heart]

... Regarding your first question, AKV Concierge rooms are on the 6th floor of Jambo House. All the food and drinks (including alcoholic beverage in the evening) are replenished constantly. ...QUOTE]

Do you mean that alcoholic beverages (i.e., wine) are included at not extra fee? Most Concierges I have stayed charged extra for alcoholic beverages.

 

[Inkmahm]

... Regarding your first question, AKV Concierge rooms are on the 6th floor of Jambo House. All the food and drinks (including alcoholic beverage in the evening) are replenished constantly. ...QUOTE]

Do you mean that alcoholic beverages (i.e., wine) are included at not extra fee? Most Concierges I have stayed charged extra for alcoholic beverages.

I've stayed concierge at AK. No extra charge for the alcohol although it is limited choice from what I remember. I'm not a big drinker. I tried an African liquor that was good, don't remember the name though.