AKL or AKV??

[princessap]

We are doing a split stay and staying at akl or villa at the end of our trip to relax and enjoy the resort. We are a family of five with kids ages 2,5 and 7 at trip time. What does everyone think we should book AKL or AKV??

Besides the room size what are the other differences between the two??

We will be visiting dhs and ak from here.

thanks

 

[Reddog1134]

AKL is the standard resort and comprises most of the Jambo House building.

AKV is the DVC resort and comprises all of the Kidani Village building and part of Jambo House.

KIDANI:
1 TS restaurant
water play area
covered parking
1st bus stop
quieter resort (generally speaking)

JAMBO HOUSE:
2 TS restaurants
1 CS restarant
larger pool
grander lobby
larger gift shop

 

[princessap]

Thanks.

My dh also wants to know if the rooms on the top floor of akl with the canopy like hut on top are special rooms. lol

 

[Deb & Bill]

Thanks.

My dh also wants to know if the rooms on the top floor of akl with the canopy like hut on top are special rooms. lol

All the rooms on the fifth and sixth floors are DVC villas.

 

[princessap]

thank you...I thought I read Kidani was better for the villas?? is that right??

 

[LJSquishy]

Renting points will be less expensive I think under any scenario, but your trip is totally nonrefundable and generally the full balance is due when you receive your rental confirmation (ie: right when you book). Depending on the type of room you want, you need to book at 11 months out (for a Value studio), or 9,8,7 months out for a Standard or Savanna view.

Are you planning to stay in a Studio? The reason I ask is because the studio size AKL rooms have 2 Queen beds, whereas the AKV Studios have 1 Queen bed plus 1 double sofabed. I'm assuming your 2 year old will be okay sleeping in a Pack-n-Play. I believe if you book an AKL room there are some rooms with bunk beds as part of the sleeping arrangement which may work for you.

If you're certain you won't need to cancel or change your dates, and are okay with 1 Queen + 1 Double Sofabed, I would book DVC in a heartbeat -- it's way cheaper. Then you just need to decide between Jambo House and Kidani. With kids the ages of yours, I would personally opt for Jambo House.

 

[princessap]

Renting points will be less expensive I think under any scenario, but your trip is totally nonrefundable and generally the full balance is due when you receive your rental confirmation (ie: right when you book). Depending on the type of room you want, you need to book at 11 months out (for a Value studio), or 9,8,7 months out for a Standard or Savanna view.

Are you planning to stay in a Studio? The reason I ask is because the studio size AKL rooms have 2 Queen beds, whereas the AKV Studios have 1 Queen bed plus 1 double sofabed. I'm assuming your 2 year old will be okay sleeping in a Pack-n-Play. I believe if you book an AKL room there are some rooms with bunk beds as part of the sleeping arrangement which may work for you.

If you're certain you won't need to cancel or change your dates, and are okay with 1 Queen + 1 Double Sofabed, I would book DVC in a heartbeat -- it's way cheaper. Then you just need to decide between Jambo House and Kidani. With kids the ages of yours, I would personally opt for Jambo House.

I priced it out for renting points and a 1 bedroom was 1333 for the 4 nights. if there is a room discount would it still be cheaper to rent vs disney?

 

[LJSquishy]

I priced it out for renting points and a 1 bedroom was 1333 for the 4 nights. if there is a room discount would it still be cheaper to rent vs disney?

I don't know what your dates are, but it is probably cheaper to rent points.

You can go here to look at 2014 room rates: http://www.mousesavers.com/2014-disney-world-resort-room-rates-season-dates/ (I'm assuming you're going sometime in 2014) and then subtract 30% for a hypothetical room discount which is what Deluxe resorts get. I did this to compare my dates for a studio and renting points turned out to be much cheaper (same price as staying in a Mod basically).

 

[POTCfan]

By renting DVC, you do not get housekeeping during your stay. But you can pay for it while you are there as you need it, and it still will probably work out cheaper than going through Disney. The 1 bedrooms are nice, as they give you a separation of spaces in your unit. Also with the DVC 1 bedrooms, you get a washer and dryer in the unit - which we find quite useful.

 

[Deb & Bill]

By renting DVC, you do not get housekeeping during your stay. But you can pay for it while you are there as you need it, and it still will probably work out cheaper than going through Disney. The 1 bedrooms are nice, as they give you a separation of spaces in your unit. Also with the DVC 1 bedrooms, you get a washer and dryer in the unit - which we find quite useful.

Yes, you do get housekeeping by renting DVC. It's just different housekeeping. If you stay seven nights or less, on day four (day one is checkin day) you get your trash removed and your towels and other amenities replaced. If you stay eight nights or more, you get a full cleaning on day four and trash and towel service on day eight. You can pay for extra cleaning, towels and amenities.

OP, the villas at Jambo House are converted hotel rooms on the fifth and sixth floors. They do not have a separate shower and tub in the master bathrooms like all the other DVC villas. The two bedroom villas are all lockoffs (meaning a combo of a studio and a one bedroom). They do not have the extra bathroom in the one bedroom and larger at the entrance to the villa. Standard at JH is usually pool view or a partially obstructed savanna view.

All the villas at Kidani Village were constructed as DVC villas, not hotel rooms. The entire building is DVC, not a mix like Jambo House. They do have dedicated two bedroom villas and the master baths have the separate jetted tub and standalone shower. The one bedroom and larger have an extra bathroom at the entrance to the villa. There are no value villas or conciege villas at KV. Standard at KV is pool, parking lot.

 

[princessap]

Debandbill. Thank you. Is there one that is preferred over the other? do I have a choice when booking?? we will have three kids under 7 when we go. thanks

 

[Deb & Bill]

Debandbill. Thank you. Is there one that is preferred over the other? do I have a choice when booking?? we will have three kids under 7 when we go. thanks

Yes, each building is a booking category. You don't just book a one bedroom. You book a one bedroom villa at KV or JH. Standard or savanna (or value or Concierge if you book right at 11 months out and even then not guaranteed).

 

[drusba]

Thanks.

My dh also wants to know if the rooms on the top floor of akl with the canopy like hut on top are special rooms. lol

I believe you are referring to the ones in the center above the lobby which are on the sixth floor of Jambo. There is a sixth floor only in that area and those rooms are the AKV club level rooms (5 2BR lock-offs which can become 10 rooms total, 5 studios and 5 1BRs. To be be able to get those you must reserve exactly 11 months out from date of arrival and even then they are often full before you can reserve. Those DVC rooms have full daily room service including cleaning and turndown service included in the point price and also access to a lounge (with snack like foods and drinks) and other concierge services.

 

[Brandis]

I like to think of Jambo House as the big bustling african town and Kidani is a small quiet village somewhere out in the Savannah. To me, Kidani feels so much more remote and relaxing.

 

[princessap]

Yes, each building is a booking category. You don't just book a one bedroom. You book a one bedroom villa at KV or JH. Standard or savanna (or value or Concierge if you book right at 11 months out and even then not guaranteed).

What is the difference between value and standard??

 

[princessap]

I like to think of Jambo House as the big bustling african town and Kidani is a small quiet village somewhere out in the Savannah. To me, Kidani feels so much more remote and relaxing.

So which one is more geared towards kids, they will want pools, splash pad and lots of activities...is it far between jambo and kidani??

 

[Brandis]

What is the difference between value and standard??

Value studios / villas only exist at Jambo House, as they have been remodeled from standard rooms (as opposed to deluxe rooms that were converted to the standard studios / villas) and are slightly smaller (shorter) and because of that, they cost fewer points. There aren't that many of them and they may overlook the savannahs, parking lots or pool and you can't request a specific view.

 

[LJSquishy]

So which one is more geared towards kids, they will want pools, splash pad and lots of activities...is it far between jambo and kidani??

Your family will probably be happier at Jambo House. It's about a 10 minute walk between Jambo & Kidani I think. There is also a small shuttle that goes back and forth from Kidani & Jambo if you don't want to walk, or if you are at Kidani you can take any park bus which will go by Jambo House to pick people up and you can get off there.

Even as adults only staying at AKV next year, we are choosing Jambo House mostly due to it having The Mara (quick service) so we can easily have a quick (hot) breakfast. With kids, I would probably want to be at Jambo since everything is at your fingertips.

 

[Brandis]

So which one is more geared towards kids, they will want pools, splash pad and lots of activities...is it far between jambo and kidani??

Both have nice pools, I think the kids splash area is nicer at Kidani. They offer activities at both resorts. By the way, you can use both pools when staying either at Jambo or Kidani.

There is only a table service restaurant at Kidani and the drink dispenser is located in the small shop. Kidani also has a pool bar that offers some snacks but for a bigger selection of fast food, you would have to go to Mara at Jambo House.

From lobby to lobby, it's about a 5-8 min. walk but there is also a shuttle bus and resort busses are shared and can be used for transportation between the lobbies as well.

 

[LJSquishy]

What is the difference between value and standard??

Value studios are 3 feet shorter than Standard rooms. That is really the only difference. Also, when booking Value, you cannot request a specific view. Value studios pretty much have to be booked right at 11 months out to even have a chance of getting one.