AKV first time? or stick with OKW

[luckyman_apd]

So I dragged my feet in booking a Star Wars weekend....but we bit the bullet since airfare is only $112 round trip. Taking the in laws with us since they can get military discount park tickets for everyone. So, since we are getting 2 studios its a good thing I dragged my feet as if I had booked BCV when it was available...I wouldn't have gotten my inlaws a room.

Soooo....with that in mind, We decided to book OKW to save points. Personally I have never been a fan of OKW....I don't like how far everything is from the hospitality house (which I can get only 2 of the 3 nights right now), and with the kids (and my in laws just being the 2 of them) we actually like the sofa bed to close up during the day. Turns out I can get 2 Kidani Studios standard view for 4 less points each. Saving 8 points leaves us enough in that use year to get a 3 day weekend in another time. (total points stretcher here). Soooo....Having never stayed at AKV before, and with Kadani the only option as Jambo is booked for standard view....I need some opinions. I've done some searches...but I'm looking for views from AKV owners/lovers. We WILL be doing the parks...but I need ideas of how long the bus rides are (in comparison to OKW or SSR). I've also read that Jambo and Kidani are very far from each other and the QS is only at jambo. Is there a bus that goes back and forth? Is the pool better at Jambo or will the kids be just as happy at Kidani?

I know what to expect at OKW....but AKV is a total unknown to us.

 

[Kidanifan08]

We own at AKV, and stay there most of the time. Kidani is great! There is a shuttle from Kidani to Jambo, or you can jump on any park bus from Kidani to Jambo or DTD bus from Jambo back to Kidani. The walk is not bad -- 10 minutes lobby to lobby.

The Kidani pool is awesome and the slide is far superior to the one at Jambo. Jambo pool is huge, but Kidani should be more than adequate for kids your children's ages.

The buses to the park are actually quite good. We haven't stayed at SSR or OKW in awhile, but I remember not liking the multiple stops at those resorts. With Kidani, the park buses show up basically empty, then go to Jambo, then off to the park. The rides to AK, HS and Epcot are relatively short, and MK is the longest.

The standard view rooms will face the parking lot/bus station or the pool area. Request pool view and you may get a glimpse of the end of the Pembe savanna. I'm sure your kids (and in-laws) would love the resort!

 

[AirGoofy]

BWV Owner. I've stayed at all the DVC resorts except VGF & Poly. I really liked AKV Kidani. We had a Savannah view, and did enjoy watching the animals. But, there are many places at The resort for great viewing. I probabky would do standard view if booking there again. I think the bus stop is better at AKV over OKW, as there are only the two stops at AKV (Jambo & Kidani). At OKW, it takes several stops to get thru the resort.

You can ride the bus over, but, you can also walk over to the Jambo pool, especially of you are on the side closer to the Kidani bus stop. The Kidani pool has a bigger water slide, great splash park, and small pool. Jambo has a large pool, but no splash area or decent water slide. They even did water games in the splash park with the children.

If you do decide to stay at OKW, we really liked the turtle creek/ turtle pond area. It wasn't near HH, but it has the quiet pool, play area, drink refills, and is one of the bus stops.

Have a great trip.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I much prefer Kidani over OKW, and the fact that I could save points by booking AKV would seal the deal!

If you do stay at Kidani, do look into the "bead activities" for the kids, and there are interesting Cast Member talks nightly.

Bobbi

 

[luckyman_apd]

I much prefer Kidani over OKW, and the fact that I could save points by booking AKV would seal the deal!

If you do stay at Kidani, do look into the "bead activities" for the kids, and there are interesting Cast Member talks nightly.

Bobbi

Well....I made the switch....but I only got the 3 nights for us....After the switch only Friday and Saturday were open for my inlaws so I waitlisted Sunday night. At OKW, we had Fri/Sat near hospitality house, and Sun waitlisted for hospitality house. We definitely wanted to try all the DVC resorts at some point, but we were always wary of AKV because of it's distance....but less stops helps speed up the bus times....so thanks for the tips. Same thing happens at SSR...it takes 4 stops before you even leave the resort. So, Kidani it is....and now we just need to hope for the waitlist to come through for that one night

 

[bobbiwoz]

hope your waitlist comes through!

 

[DisneyfromDeland]

Good luck with your wait list. We are doing a split stay at Kidani and OKW in March due to availability since we booked later. I have heard great things about Kidani. We booked standard (total points stretchers, too)! We are looking forward to both.

 

[delilah]

Our home resort is AKV, and we have stayed there at least twice a year. I like the rooms at Kidani much better than those at Jambo. We have stayed at Jambo a couple times before Kidani was built. We have only stayed at OKW once, the very first time we stayed DVC by renting points. Liked OKW, but absolutely love AKV.

 

[amym2]

We have stayed at both OKW and AKV Kidani and love them both! For Kidani, I would request a room near the lobby. One common complaint is the distance between the lobby and many of the rooms. We had a standard room on the 5th floor (I think) very close to the elevator closest to the lobby, and it was perfect since we had my parents with us. We walked to Jambo a few times and also used the shuttle (basically a van). The rides to the parks were quick (MK was 20-25min) and staying at Kidani, my mom was always able to get a seat on the bus. The kids loved the Kidani pool, and we loved Sanaa and Boma. We'd definitely stay there again!

 

[lovin'fl]

We own OKW and AKV and we prefer AKV. We like the busing from OKW but we stay in the HH section (and you know how that works where we can eliminate all the internal stops). Kidani has the van that takes you over to Jambo but you can also jump on the park buses as they stop at Jambo before heading out (or is it Downtown Disney buses???). We didn't find the walk to be that bad but my MIL and FIL did. We liked the busing from AKV as well (not a bunch of internal stops like OKW and SSR or other resort stops like BCV and BWV). For CS, the Kidani pool has a little menu...we ate lunch there one day. And there is Sanaa (a TS)...OMG, my very fave. We did a walk in lunch there one day and it was excellent. The little shop in the Kidani lobby sells hot breakfast sandwiches. I think you will enjoy giving AKV a try.

 

[Splashboat]

I think you made a great decision. When we were looking to add on a couple of years ago we thought we would try AKV to see if we liked it.

I started looking for an AKV resale the day after we came home.

 

[keishashadow]

Well....I made the switch....but I only got the 3 nights for us....After the switch only Friday and Saturday were open for my inlaws so I waitlisted Sunday night. At OKW, we had Fri/Sat near hospitality house, and Sun waitlisted for hospitality house. We definitely wanted to try all the DVC resorts at some point, but we were always wary of AKV because of it's distance....but less stops helps speed up the bus times....so thanks for the tips. Same thing happens at SSR...it takes 4 stops before you even leave the resort. So, Kidani it is....and now we just need to hope for the waitlist to come through for that one night

I was surprised when you first posted that SWW had dates open for studios at AKV.

we absolutely love the resort but typically use our rental car vs waiting for the bus as I'm a type A person.

I think you made a great decision. When we were looking to add on a couple of years ago we thought we would try AKV to see if we liked it.

I started looking for an AKV resale the day after we came home.

I had wanted to add on for years, finally this summer for us!It's one of the few resorts I can actually decompress easily after a long day in the parks.

 

[luckyman_apd]

Thanks all. We are BLT owners, as my wife is a self described "monorail snob". Her favorite parks are MK and Epcot, and you can get the monorail to both easily. It started with our very first trip pre DVC as Coronado folding that stroller everytime on the bus. The monorail you just leave the kid asleep in the stroller.

My oldest is long out of a stroller, and my 5 year old still might use one if we stay out late....but that's where her monorail snobbyness comes from...her hatred of the busses. Her unwillingness to try AKV stemmed from it's distance and her perceived extra time on the bus. I want to make my way to all the resorts (maybe not VGF as I'm not into the posh of the GF and extra points charge) and I've always heard great things about it. When talking about it the other day, I used the angle of "if we stay at AKV we will save 8 points leaving us enough for a 3 day weekend another time". Her response was, "if we are taking a bus anyway, then sure" SCORE!

I'm excited for it. I really hope the waitlist comes through for the one night (i've had 100% success rate for waitlisting a single night so far) because her parents have to be in the same resort as us. They CANNOT manage on their own....and that's putting it nicely.

 

[disneybass]

I'd rather stay at the old folks home. (okw)

 

[ebloom]

Thanks all. We are BLT owners, as my wife is a self described "monorail snob". Her favorite parks are MK and Epcot, and you can get the monorail to both easily. It started with our very first trip pre DVC as Coronado folding that stroller everytime on the bus. The monorail you just leave the kid asleep in the stroller.

My oldest is long out of a stroller, and my 5 year old still might use one if we stay out late....but that's where her monorail snobbyness comes from...her hatred of the busses. Her unwillingness to try AKV stemmed from it's distance and her perceived extra time on the bus. I want to make my way to all the resorts (maybe not VGF as I'm not into the posh of the GF and extra points charge) and I've always heard great things about it. When talking about it the other day, I used the angle of "if we stay at AKV we will save 8 points leaving us enough for a 3 day weekend another time". Her response was, "if we are taking a bus anyway, then sure" SCORE!

I'm excited for it. I really hope the waitlist comes through for the one night (i've had 100% success rate for waitlisting a single night so far) because her parents have to be in the same resort as us. They CANNOT manage on their own....and that's putting it nicely.

Too funny! We own at BCV and consider ourselves lake snobs. We love that we can walk to Epcot, walk through Epcot for the Monorail to MK or jump on the boat to HS. We have walked to HS too, just depends on our mood. We try to avoid the buses and love to walk around Epcot at night. We were so excited to stay at VGF in September because of the monorail and it just wasn't for us. I really wanted to love it, but it was surprising slow it was with the stops. I think we expected more immediate gratification. The VGF were awesome though, but hubby says BCV or nothing. Such a creature of habit. With that said we are staying for a night at AKL in March before our cruise and then back to BCV for 5 nights. Really looking forward to it!

 

[luckyman_apd]

Too funny! We own at BCV and consider ourselves lake snobs. We love that we can walk to Epcot, walk through Epcot for the Monorail to MK or jump on the boat to HS. We have walked to HS too, just depends on our mood. We try to avoid the buses and love to walk around Epcot at night. We were so excited to stay at VGF in September because of the monorail and it just wasn't for us. I really wanted to love it, but it was surprising slow it was with the stops. I think we expected more immediate gratification. The VGF were awesome though, but hubby says BCV or nothing. Such a creature of habit. With that said we are staying for a night at AKL in March before our cruise and then back to BCV for 5 nights. Really looking forward to it!

BCV is my favorite. I'm not dissing my home, as I do love it, but BCV is just awesome for the pool. My grandparents were from Cape Cod, so my summers were spent up there, and the BC theming just screams New England to me. Makes me feel at home. We JUST came back last weekend from an adults only trip. 1 night a BCV, and 1 at BWV. I could live there. My wife didn't love BWV, but if she can't get BLT, or we aren't heavy on the parks....Beach Club is our next choice.

 

[Theaberdeenkid]

Our home is BWV but we recently stayed at OKW and AKV Kidani within the past 18 months (With a trip planned in June, staying at Jambo ).

Firstly OKW is my last choice no matter how many points it saves, I know it has many fans, I'm not one of them.
Kidani is a great lodge but it has a few drawbacks. Firstly there is no counter service if you want a quick bite, you only have sit down. If you want something quick you need to take the shuttle van over to Jambo house (or gasp, walk). The store is small and has limited choices. But the rooms tend to be slightly bigger than Jambo. Of the the pair I would prefer Jambo for the larger choices of food and store. But those are nitpicks either AKV is IMO better choice over OKW. (no rocks and arrows please)

 

[luckyman_apd]

Our home is BWV but we recently stayed at OKW and AKV Kidani within the past 18 months (With a trip planned in June, staying at Jambo ).

Firstly OKW is my last choice no matter how many points it saves, I know it has many fans, I'm not one of them.
Kidani is a great lodge but it has a few drawbacks. Firstly there is no counter service if you want a quick bite, you only have sit down. If you want something quick you need to take the shuttle van over to Jambo house (or gasp, walk). The store is small and has limited choices. But the rooms tend to be slightly bigger than Jambo. Of the the pair I would prefer Jambo for the larger choices of food and store. But those are nitpicks either AKV is IMO better choice over OKW. (no rocks and arrows please)

My wife liked it....as long as we're by the hospitality house. Me....I wasn't a huge fan....and every resort we've stayed at I'd pick over OKW as well. I liked Olivia's a lot and would eat there every morning if we did stay there. Staying there we had the same issue though....would have to wait list sunday night for HH...for both reservations. Saving points is always a plus for me most of the time, but in this case, we only have 1 reservation waitlisted and not 2.

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

Our home is BWV but we recently stayed at OKW and AKV Kidani within the past 18 months (With a trip planned in June, staying at Jambo ).

Firstly OKW is my last choice no matter how many points it saves, I know it has many fans, I'm not one of them.
Kidani is a great lodge but it has a few drawbacks. Firstly there is no counter service if you want a quick bite, you only have sit down. If you want something quick you need to take the shuttle van over to Jambo house (or gasp, walk). The store is small and has limited choices. But the rooms tend to be slightly bigger than Jambo. Of the the pair I would prefer Jambo for the larger choices of food and store. But those are nitpicks either AKV is IMO better choice over OKW. (no rocks and arrows please)

Me too. I don't even check for availability at OKW.
I love, love, love AKV. It is my favorite. However, regarding the store at Kidani vs. Jambo, they both carry the same food items and have the same choices. Jambo store is larger for souvenirs and beautiful African collectibles, etc. But the "food offerings" in the stores are the same at all DVC properties. All resorts on property also have the same medicines, analgesics, bandaids, swim diapers, suntan lotion and gel, etc. The Kidani pool has great theming for younger kids, and both have pool party activities (what's in your beach bag, Disney trivia, etc.) The Maji pool bar at Kidani has some sandwiches and other food too, so that is another option.
http://allears.net/dining/menu/maji-pool-bar/all-day
And Sanaa is something you will want to try, since you will be right there and it is so convenient.
AKV is really such a wonderful emersive resort, you never need to go to the parks at all. Just relax and enjoy and unwind, soak in the atmosphere.

 

[luckyman_apd]

Waitlist came through

Batting 1.000 so far with the waitlist. Always had them come through ......knock on wood.