AKV Mini trip report- UPDATE pics of view and construction

[sajetto]

We just returned from a nine night stay in a 1 bedroom unit at AKV. For this trip it was my husband, myself, and two 13 year old girls (neither belongs to us)

We checked in at 6 am on a Saturday morning. Luckily, our unit was available immediately and we were able to lug all of our stuff up to the 5th floor right away. We were in unit 5426 which is halfway down one of the side hallways. The room did not have a neighbor to the right side because it was connected to one of the glass walkways. The room was very neat and clean, but we encountered one problem...the trap under the garbage disposal was leaking and had a horrible odor. We contacted the front desk and they sent someone to fix it.

I'll go ahead and give my opinions about the resort, but remember these are just opinions and everyone has one.

1. I like the decor of the resort and the rooms
2. I dislike the long hallways and the NOISE. We were lucky not the have a neighbor on the right side, but the echo from the hallway was really loud. I can only imagine how hard it would be to sleep if we were directly above the lobby
3. The pull out bed was very uncomfortable in comparison to those we have used at OKW
4. The room seemed really small, however I'm sure that I won't think that when Kidani opens
5. I didn't care for the food at The Mara. The Falafel was over fried and the cous cous sat in the refridgerated bins so long that the oils and acids were starting the seperate, making it taste strange. My husband didn't like that the chicken nuggets weren't made to order like at Goods to Go at OKW. Instead they made large batches and dumped them in warming pots until all of them were served. Only then, did they make a fresh batch. My husband was the unlucky one every time and got the last of the batch.
6. I thought that the night vision was really cool and really enjoyed being able to see the animals when they are most active


Lessons Learned:

Lesson #1: Traveling with teens is tough!!! We have never been so exhausted after a trip
Lesson #2: We will NEVER use the dining plan again. This was our very first trip without it and we loved having the freedom to eat whenever we wanted and we never wasted any food
Lesson #3: It has been said here many times, but it is always best to get to the parks before opening
Lesson #4: If you're driving a long distance its a really good idea to bring a portable DVD player along...the girls were bored stiff
Lesson #5: Don't buy tickets with the water park option unless you are SURE you will use it. We wasted money on the girls tickets thinking they would want to check out Blizzard Beach, but they weren't interested at all.


To sum the whole trip up I can say that we had a great time, but I really prefer OKW. I like being able to pull right up to my villa and I feel more at home there. It is nice owning points at AKV for Christmas trips and such, but I think I'll still spend the majority of my time staying at OKW. We missed it so much that we went to visit 3 different times during the trip. The girls really loved it too and rented a peddle boat, surrey bike, and tennis equipment.


While we were there I took some pictures of the Kidani construction. It is coming along nicely and I'll post pics later when I get them onto a photo hosting site. If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer.

 

[gkrykewy]

Where are the night vision goggles located?

 

[moredisneyplease]

DVD player is right! I'm sure the girls appreciated the trip even though they were bored on the car ride!

Thanks for posting

 

[Disney_Villain]

Oh, I agree with you about The Mara! We ate there this May, while touring AVL considering an add-on at AKV (which we did not do in the end, we went for more SSR). We expected The Mara to be really good. What we got was heat-lamped burgers, heat-lamped pizzas, chicken nuggets in warming pots, not-so-fresh couscous, etc. It reminded me of the terrible food we have here back at home - something I don't want on vacation!

We gave up a lunch at Artists Palette (SSR) to go there - where they have fresh foods (great flatbreads with many different toppings, salads, wrap sandwiches) all prepared right before you.

What a disappointment The Mara was!

 

[itsreally4mommy]

So were you sharing 1 bathroom w/2 teens? 2 bathrooms are a major DVC draw for me as my 2 tweens were already showing some growing pains of 1 small hotel bathroom, LOL.

I know I see the advice about treking to parks early, but it's VACATION!

 

[dianeschlicht]

Yeah, we didn't care for Mara either. We were in Concierge though, so didn't really need it. We LOVE Jiko, so that is our "go to place" at AKV.

 

[sajetto]

Where are the night vision goggles located?

There is a path behind the pool bar that leads to the smaller hot tub. Night vision is at the very end.

So were you sharing 1 bathroom w/2 teens? 2 bathrooms are a major DVC draw for me as my 2 tweens were already showing some growing pains of 1 small hotel bathroom, LOL.

I know I see the advice about treking to parks early, but it's VACATION!

To tell you the truth it really wasn't that bad sharing a bathroom with them. The girls we traveled with are very athletic and put on their track shorts and t-shirts every day of the trip. They pretty much rolled out of bed, brushed their teeth, put their hair in a pony tail and were ready to go.


In the summer its essential to go early because the heat and crowds are unbearable after noon, but I don't really see the need for it off-season

 

[Monorail Purple&Gold]

We just returned from a nine night stay in a 1 bedroom unit at AKV. For this trip it was my husband, myself, and two 13 year old girls (neither belongs to us)
If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer.

What kind of room did you have--V, S, SV??

How was your view???

 

[UmmGooD]

We have a DVD built into my wife's Honda Pilot and we call it the digital nanny. My 4yo will go on an 8 hour drive no problem but before we had the new car it seemed like a 1 hour drive was impossible.

I am wondering if traveling with a 4 yo is better or worse than traveling with teens.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

I , too find very it hard to give up the spaciousness of OKW. I love the Savannah but I find the decor a little somber for my taste. I don't mind it for a couple of days but for a week long stay it has to be OKW. At AK I've really enjoyed Boma and Jiko and since never having tried Mara, I'll steer clear based on your review.

Thanks, Enjoyed reading you trip report.

 

[sajetto]

What kind of room did you have--V, S, SV??

How was your view???

We had a Standard View room. It was a great view and the greenery around the pool is very lush. Luckily we didn't get the dreaded Boma roof view

I was really surprised at how quiet the pool was during our trip. We saw plenty of people in it, but never heard any noise from that direction. Our noise problem came from the hallway. On our next trip we are going to make sure that we pack a white noise machine to drown it out.

 

[Monorail Purple&Gold]

Thanks for the view info...we're staying standard view in Feb., hopefully we'll have your luck (insert here!).

Enjoyed all your insights/info.

We tried the DDP for the first time this past trip...I agree being tied down trying to get in all the TS meals was a pain. We're giving it another go in Nov. but making more TS meals either 2 credit meals or breakfast plans...not wanting to interrupt everything to make an ADR at midday or dinner. DW and I can split CS meals and be satisfied...so we'll see how it goes this time.

Thanks again, enjoyed!!!

 

[sajetto]

Finally...here are the pics of the construction and our Standard View from room 5426

 

[ldbrown318]

We are making our first trip to our new "home" in december. We cant wait!

 

[Pootle]

To sum the whole trip up I can say that we had a great time, but I really prefer OKW. I like being able to pull right up to my villa and I feel more at home there.

We recently stayed for a few nights at BWV with BW view and just missed OKW too much

I enjoyed your observations and I'm sure I will always come to the same conclusion as you for the same reasons