AKV fans can you help me?

[yandbfan]

My family has no desire to stay at AKV. I would love to check it out. I am ready to book my 11months out trip. One wife, one son and one daughter all negative and this is what I am hearing : "It's far away from the parks." "You are too close to the animals...and they smell." "Construction noise." "Boring" "Not enough cool places to eat." All I have so far is that these are the newest rooms, there is an an extra full bath in the one bedroom, and it will be fun to check out the animals from the the balcony. We can take lots of pictures. Can any experienced Animal Kingdom folks help me?

 

[Tozzie]

My family has no desire to stay at AKV. I would love to check it out. I am ready to book my 11months out trip. One wife, one son and one daughter all negative and this is what I am hearing : "It's far away from the parks." "You are too close to the animals...and they smell." "Construction noise." "Boring" "Not enough cool places to eat." All I have so far is that these are the newest rooms, there is an an extra full bath in the one bedroom, and it will be fun to check out the animals from the the balcony. We can take lots of pictures. Can any experienced Animal Kingdom folks help me?

I am biased because the reason I bought into DVC was AKV. I stayed at the lodge in June (that is when I purchased ) and I can assure you, there is absolutlely no smell from the animals and they are great to watch. I heard no noise from the construction but I was in the building that currently houses the Jambo rooms. If you are going before Kidani Village before construction is complete there might be noise but I don't know. As far as eating Mara was your typical fast food ala Disney and Boma was fantastic. As for "too far away from the parks" I don't get that , I use disney buses and always have and I go twice a year and have been going twice a year for over ten years, I have never had any problems with waiting for Disney Buses and have never waited more than 15 minutes for a bus. It is just awesome to wake up in the morning and go out on your balcony and watch Zebras and Giraffes or whatever animals are out there. I own at AKV and once I use my developer points that is probably the only DVC resort I will stay at.

Another thing about the restaurants, both Boma and Jiko are award winning restaurants.

 

[JSTX]

We love AKV. We also purchased there because that is where we wanted to stay.

As far as being too far from the parks, it is all perspective. The only parks that can be walked to are Epcot and DHS. This can be done if you stay at BWV or BCV. Otherwise, staying at any other DVC locations requires transportation to the parks. One thing to keep in mind, when you stay at AKV the bus ride might be a little longer to MK, Epcot, and DHS, but the bus goes directly from AKV to the selected park. (Obviously it is the closest property to AK) Whereas, staying at OKW or SSR will get you several stops within the property before heading to the park. If you stay at BWV or BCV you will stop at multiple disney properties before arriving at the parks. So again, even if AKV is a little further away, you may actually arrive faster then the person at the closer DVC location.

As for the animals, we never smelled a thing. It is very relaxing to sit on the balcony and watch the animals on the Savannah.

When we checked in in July, we specifically requested a room away from the construction. Of course there is no guarantee you will be able to do that. But we walked down to see the construction and it did not seem to be a distraction.

Food at AKV is fantastic. We didn't really eat at Mara because we were on the Deluxe Dining Plan, but we went there to fill our cups and it looked pretty nice. Boma is fantastic. Infact, after breakfast there we canceled the other breakfast ADRs we had because we knew from experience that none compared. Dinner is great there too. For a quieter dinner, Jiko is incredible. I don't think any properties really have more food options than AKV.

I hope that helps you justify a stay there.

 

[Launchpad11B]

Book it and you won't regret it. AKL is a resort that will not be done justice by a written description. You need to experience it. It is our favorite resort for many of the previously posted reasons but more so by the "feeling" we get when we are there...which as I said is difficult to describe. I can't recommend it highly enough.

 

[RLRDA]

My family has no desire to stay at AKV. I would love to check it out. I am ready to book my 11months out trip. One wife, one son and one daughter all negative and this is what I am hearing : "It's far away from the parks." "You are too close to the animals...and they smell." "Construction noise." "Boring" "Not enough cool places to eat." All I have so far is that these are the newest rooms, there is an an extra full bath in the one bedroom, and it will be fun to check out the animals from the the balcony. We can take lots of pictures. Can any experienced Animal Kingdom folks help me?

I am not an experienced AKV folk (only stayed once so far) but I would explain to your family that you'd really like to stay there once and for them to keep an open mind. It really is a stunning resort. Even though we knew that we were at WDW - we felt "transported" somewhere else. After a hectic day in the parks it was nice to get back to AKV and feel relaxed. Obviously everyone's tastes are not the same but you know your family best. Depending on the length of your trip maybe you could book the majority of your trip where your family wants to stay and a couple of days at AKV. It would involve moving (we've done that too and didn't mind) - so your family would have to agree on that as well.

Are you an AKV owner (I'm thinking not)? If not were you booking at your home resort 11 months out and wondering if you should switch to AKV at 7 months? Either way if you are booking for next August the new Kidani section will be complete and construction noise should be gone.

P.S - Do you have more than one wife?

 

[pickles]

can't imagine why they would say the eating choices are few?
You can't beat Boma's for breakfast..one of the main reasons I would consider this resort for a home resort!!
They have fast food, signature places as well
Get a parking lot or pool view and then you don't have any worries if they might smell an animal

AKV would be perfect for me if they had a boat going to one of the parks or DTD..that is one of the main reasons I bought OKW, I love the boat ride
I can't say I felt it was far from any park..ie seemed no different to me.
The bus ride I didn;t like was BCV and BWV...too much sharing and too many people sharing it.

 

[manntra]

I just got back from my August 22-29 trip at AKV and LOVED it! Of course this is why I bought there in the first place. I asked for a room out on the Zebra trail and to be far out and it was a looong walk from the Lobby but we didn't mind. We were rooms 5543(1br) and 5545(studio) 2BR lock/off SV. Never, ever smelled the animals, loved looking at them, baby giraffe and several zebra among others.
The food is great. Boma is wonderful both breakfast (jungle juice ) and for dinner. Mara is very good, great fries, salads, soup, etc. Still haven't tried Jiko but their menu looks yummy.
The bus service was efficient and no long waits. AK about 5 min away, maybe 15 for Epcot and HS and 20 for MK. And like PP said, no other stops.
While we were checking in I sent my niece/nephews to go out and explore and my niece came back and said she found the construction and the buildings looked huge. I never saw it! Not from our balcony, any place I stopped and looked at animals along the way etc.
I just love the feeling of AKV, it does feel like home and it was so much different for me this time going back and being a member of DVC .

 

[DisneyMama27]

I just got back from my August 22-29 trip at AKV and LOVED it! Of course this is why I bought there in the first place. I asked for a room out on the Zebra trail and to be far out and it was a looong walk from the Lobby but we didn't mind. We were rooms 5543(1br) and 5545(studio) 2BR lock/off SV. Never, ever smelled the animals, loved looking at them, baby giraffe and several zebra among others.
The food is great. Boma is wonderful both breakfast (jungle juice ) and for dinner. Mara is very good, great fries, salads, soup, etc. Still haven't tried Jiko but their menu looks yummy.
The bus service was efficient and no long waits. AK about 5 min away, maybe 15 for Epcot and HS and 20 for MK. And like PP said, no other stops.
While we were checking in I sent my niece/nephews to go out and explore and my niece came back and said she found the construction and the buildings looked huge. I never saw it! Not from our balcony, any place I stopped and looked at animals along the way etc.
I just love the feeling of AKV, it does feel like home and it was so much different for me this time going back and being a member of DVC .

Do you have a trip report? We have yet to stay at AKV, though most of our points are there. We were supposed to stay there this summer but had to change dates for a surgery - no more AKV available, so we stayed at SSR (which was great!). We've booked AKV for next summer - Kidani Village - and I am so excited! We have many friends who have stayed in the Lodge and loved it. We've eaten at Boma - yum - and visited the resort, so the kids could see it. They are really excited about staying there next time, so I hope our dates work out ok. It's hard planning 11 months out!

To the OP... it took a while for DH to warm up to AKV. He thought it was "neat" but didn't want to stay there. The savannah still doesn't light him up like it did me. He is much more interested now that Kidani is opening up. It will have its own pool area, and a restaurant too, IINM. Could just be CS. ANyone know for sure? I can never remember all those things!

If you have never eaten at Boma, let your family see reviews for that. DS10 is in love with that place! As a PP suggested, maybe plan some of the trip at their choice of resort, and the rest at AK. While at the other resort, take them to eat at Boma. They might just fall in love!

Good luck!

 

[wdw1972]

My family has no desire to stay at AKV. I would love to check it out. I am ready to book my 11months out trip. One wife, one son and one daughter all negative and this is what I am hearing : "It's far away from the parks." "You are too close to the animals...and they smell." "Construction noise." "Boring" "Not enough cool places to eat." All I have so far is that these are the newest rooms, there is an an extra full bath in the one bedroom, and it will be fun to check out the animals from the the balcony. We can take lots of pictures. Can any experienced Animal Kingdom folks help me?

Wow - rather than worrying over those silly comments, why not take charge & not put up with the whining??

You adults are paying for dvc & the rest of the vacation. One time your wife picks the resort, next time you pick. The kids don't get a say until they're adults booking with their own dvc. If you want, you can give them choice between the resort you adults picked, or stay with grandparents for the week. I just cannot see skipping a resort I wanted to stay at because of the kids! Your wife is an adult and should be willing to stay there "for you". If she doesn't that surely doesn't look very good for you.

Another thing - they're whining and complaining about a resort they've never stayed at?? And you're giving them credibility?? AKV is a great resort, but even if they hate it after they're there....they should be willing to stay there every other trip if YOU want it!

 

[Laneychris]

My kids love the animals and AKV, I can't beleive that once your children see it they won't love it as well.

 

[Anal Annie]

My family has no desire to stay at AKV. I would love to check it out. I am ready to book my 11months out trip. One wife, one son and one daughter all negative and this is what I am hearing : "It's far away from the parks." "You are too close to the animals...and they smell." "Construction noise." "Boring" "Not enough cool places to eat." All I have so far is that these are the newest rooms, there is an an extra full bath in the one bedroom, and it will be fun to check out the animals from the the balcony. We can take lots of pictures. Can any experienced Animal Kingdom folks help me?

I REALLY don't get the "it's too far" thing either. They make it sound like it's in the next county or something. It's only like another 5 or 10 min. from some of the parks (but not all). Some of the bus rides are only about 10 minutes. I don't consider that a huge distance. And can you really not spare the extra 5 min. out of your day?? That comment always cracks me up! (Staying off property is too far!)

AKV is BEAUTIFUL...it has it's own special character and a personality all it's own and lots of Hidden Mickey's! If you've ever been to VWL or GC it was designed by the same architect - so it's got a fabulous ambiance!! We love the decor. Have they not seen any pictures of it? It's just gorgeous. The grounds are unique and it's actually kind of peaceful. And ummm....hate to tell 'em, don't want to disappoint, but it's not a dairy farm! There's no stinky poop smell. And I think in 11 months you'll be past the construction problems.

Boma is THE BEST restaurant ever! We love Boma! The food is all very different - unlike anything you will eat anywhere else. That's why we love it. I mean, they have SOME of your typical fare for kids...but oh MY are the soups awesome! I LOVE sampling everything - it is the best buffet ever!! It is hard to find a buffet where everything is good - but Boma does it! The Mara also offers its own flare on your typical fast food. Jiko is also very good - but I think for the price I still prefer Boma. But there are currently 3 very unique restaurants to try. How many do they need???

I would suggest a compromise. Personally, I would hate to move mid-week, but maybe you get them to stay there for 3 nights just to check it out then move somewhere else for the rest of your stay. There are plenty of people who do split stays. Maybe that approach would work for you?!

 

[dianeschlicht]

Gorgeous resort, NO animal smells, Lots of things to do, and the BEST food available of all the Disney resorts! Now, I am not usually a fan of the hotel style DVC resorts, but I tolerate that at AKV because I love everything else about it! I can't imagine anyone being BORED there?!?!?!?!?!?!!!

As for the distance from the other parks....It is a bit farther, but a bus is a bus, and our experience with buses at AKV has been exceptional! We never had to wait at all for buses in March. The only trip that seemed to take a bit too long for me was to DTD, so for that one, we drove the car.

 

[stopher1]

EVERY resort is "far" from something. AKV is next to AK, so that park is certainly close by, and AKV is not far from BB, the Studios and Epcot ... it's really all perspective.

We love mixing it up and enjoyed trying a different resort each time... our kids think it's a lot of fun to try something new. I say try it - and you all might just like it!

 

[anonymousegirl]

Wow, this is such a good thread!

I am considering buying DVC and had originally said "no way" to AKV as I really liked the large jacuzzi tubs at the other resorts, and was thinking I wouldn't like the food and being so far away from stuff. This thread is changing my mind.

 

[jerseygal]

Seriously, many report here their reservations about AKV being "too far from parks"....RENT A CAR!!! If you book far enough in advance, rental rates are great! I book cars about 6 months out, then watch rental rates RISE!!! For a recent trip to Disney, I booked an SUV 6 months out....I checked for the fun of it close to departure for the trip, and to rent the identical car, it literally was $300 more a week..

My SUV through National for a recent Aug 08 trip was $234 including all tax and surcharges for the week...Not bad in my opinion! Afforded us the "luxury" of not taking any busses..We had ADR's for dinner at various Disney Resorts..jumped in the car and was there in a flash..

So I wouldn't let the AKV supposed bus transportation issues hold anyone back..Theres' always renting a car as an option!

Good Luck!

 

[DebbieB]

I stayed at AKV for the first time in June. I had some of the same concerns before the trip. We loved it! We rented a car but used the busses frequently and they were not bad. It didn't seem to take long to get from anywhere. No animal smells, we noticed that it's someones job to "pooper scoop" in the morning! We only used Mara once and it did have a slow line mid-afternoon. I can't imagine what it will be like when Kidani opens. We did face the construction, that was a minus. But if you are booking for next August, it should be pretty much done, especially the outside work.

 

[ead79]

Back in 2001 I took a trip down to Disney with a friend of mine from college. She was dying to stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge, and I really wanted to try the Poly, so we compromised with a split stay. I'm not much of an animal person, so I was planning to just go in with an open mind and just pass the time until we moved over to the Polynesian. Boy was I surprised! There is just nothing at all like waking up to find a giraffe or zebra right outside your balcony. We found ourselves getting up early (and remember, we were both college students at the time, LOL!) just to watch the animals. That did it--I officially became an AKL fan.

Once DVC announced AKV, that pushed us over the edge into purchasing DVC. Staying at AKV is really like being transported somewhere exotic. As far as food goes, Boma and Jiko are hands down two of the best restaurants on Disney property. Since we drive down to WDW, we usually drive our car to the parks, but I will say that AKV has dedicated bus service, so it doesn't share with other resorts. That helps speed up the bus transit times.

This past March we stayed in a savannah view studio that faced the Kidani construction. We didn't hear a think in the way of construction noise. And there is no animal smell whatsoever.

Maybe you could just explain to your family that this place really appeals to you and that you'd really appreciate it if they could just go in with an open mind and not complain. If they are willing to go in with an open mind, they might just be pleasantly surprised like I was back in 2001. Plus, it's Disney World after all--even if they don't become AKV fans it's not like it would be miserable, LOL.

 

[PinkTink63]

We just had our first stay at AKV. We all fell in love with it! From the moment you step into that spectacular lobby, you really feel as if you are somewhere else. There is such a feeling of warmth you get from it! The architecture is really amazing!
My son loved it even more than I thought he would and he is fourteen. There was such a sound of genuine excitement in his voice when he saw all the animals as soon as we opened the door to our room. He loved going to the different viewing spots, asking questions, and exploring the sites.
Boma's is delicious too! We all loved trying the different dishes they had to offer.
I don't know how anyone could not like that place!