Animal Kingdom News

[DBorges]

This is a outrage!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tim from DVC NEWS REPORTED THIS

Wednesday, February 27, 2008 08:00AM
Construction work at Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas has forced officials to temporarily remove animals from the resort's Sunset Savanna. Disney Vacation Club has issued a statement detailing how the situation will impact members.

As the development of Kidani Village continues at Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas, crews are completing the new savanna and acclimating the animals to their new habitat. To accommodate this important, exciting process, the Resort will not be placing animals on the Sunset Savanna until April 15, 2009. Members and Guests who reserve a Sunset Savanna View room before that date will be advised of this process, and confirmations for those bookings will include a notation to that effect. Approximately 30 days prior to Member arrival, the Resort will determine, based on occupancy and booking date order, which Members will be assigned to a Sunset Savanna View room. Member Services will notify affected Members, who will receive a Vacation Point credit after their stay reflecting the difference between a Sunset Savanna View and Standard View. Please note that animals on the other savannas will still be visible from multiple public locations at the Resort.

Effectively DVC is treating the Sunset Savanna rooms as Standard View for the next fifteen months. With the modifications being made according to booking date, those who are among the last to book a Savanna View room for any given date will be placed overlooking the vacant Sunset Savanna and given a credit to reflect the downgraded view.

Note that all Concierge level rooms on the sixth floor have a view of either the resort's pool complex or the Sunset Savanna. This news means that Concierge guests will be unable to obtain any sort of savanna view until April 2009.


They should have disclosed this much earlyer then this

I have a club level room april 18-27 and i get no reduction in points..

 

[spiceycat]

so sorry.

but there are a bunch of places to see the animals. just not the same since you can't see them from your room.

this is going to cost DVC big bucks - because of the paying guest on 2, 3 and 4th floors.

 

[isyt]

I was really looking foward to my concierge room in May and I am really disappointed. I was trying to get past all of the bad reviews of the views of the concierge rooms and now you are guarenteed not to have a view. I would change resorts but my inlaws are booked at AKL concierge also.

 

[podsnel]

I agree- it would have been nice to know this sooner....

 

[abk96]

I'm sorry for the upsetting news on your upcoming trip to AKL. I would be upset too.

But you have to look at it this way. Concierge is not a guaranteed SV catagory. You have a 50/50 shot. And the animals do need to be cared for during the construction and acclimated to their new surroundings. I would hate to hear that something tragic has happened to one or more of the animals during the expansion phases at AKL.

It's better safe than sorry for the animals sake.

 

[pilferk]

While I completely understand their reasoning...

there are still going to be a number of ticked off DVC guests. Honestly, I'll be one of them if they stick me in the "grass view" room this December.

We booked, day by day, savanna view for our December trip. I WANT savanna view, or I want them to acommodate me with a pool view room, or a room at another resort. The balcony "view" is a big part of our trip...and "grass view" isn't going to cut it. We book AKV (and bought AKV) for the savanna view. Refunding me points, which I won't really be able to use for the rest of my UY, doesn't do me any good.

Nightmare, IMHO. And something they should have planned for from the outset.

 

[Disneyhappy]

The ONLY reason I booked AKV in July was for a savanna view looking at the animals. Otherwise, I have no interest in staying in this resort so it is a big deal to guests like myself. I am glad I was given this notice as I am going to try to switch resorts because and wait until I can guarantee a SV. I get it about the animal safety and applaud Disney for this, however, guests are entitled to be disappointed if they specifially booked a view with animals to find out there may not be any. At least we have an option to try to switch.

 

[isyt]

I know in the grand scheme of things its not that big of a deal, but when you book day by day and are really excited you have the right to be disappointed. I also realize that it is for the welfare of the animals but I would have thought that DVC would have known that removal of the animal for 15 months was a possibility. We are not talking a few weeks or a month. I am sure that when everything is all done it will be worth the wait. In the meantime ..... !!

 

[spiceycat]

now that is not a good reason - the animals seem to be very interested in the new construction - not scare.

but they are bringing in new animals - so there might be a fight or two that DVC doesn't want us to see.

now if they had first done this when the heavy construction was going on - then yes definitely reason to move them - then not now.

something is going on - definitely - but the explanation does not go with the facts.

 

[pilferk]

My wife just talked to Member Services and Marty, the MS rep my wife talked to, said the email THEY received this morning said the savanna would ONLY be closed from Jan 15th, 2009 through April 15th of 2009, NOT immediately. The closing was to be in preparation for the opening of Kidani.

I'm not sure that info is accurate or not, but it's what Marty insisted the email she got today said. She actually ASKED my wife to have me post this on the boards, so I'm obliging.

 

[DBorges]

My wife just talked to Member Services and Marty, the MS rep my wife talked to, said the email THEY received this morning said the savanna would ONLY be closed from Jan 15th, 2009 through April 15th of 2009, NOT immediately. The closing was to be in preparation for the opening of Kidani.

I'm not sure that info is accurate or not, but it's what Marty insisted the email she got today said. She actually ASKED my wife to have me post this on the boards, so I'm obliging.

I am talking with DVC right now to get clarifaction>>

 

[todd222222]

What happens if the reduced points can no longer be banked? Wonder if they would allow you to bank them after the deadline? They would have to, right?

 

[Chuck S]

What happens if the reduced points can no longer be banked? Wonder if they would allow you to bank them after the deadline? They would have to, right?

I would think so, since DVC is making the change, not the member. They may even manually "unborrow" any points that were borrowed for that particular reservation.

 

[RLRDA]

I was really looking foward to my concierge room in May and I am really disappointed. I was trying to get past all of the bad reviews of the views of the concierge rooms and now you are guarenteed not to have a view. I would change resorts but my inlaws are booked at AKL concierge also.

But there was never a guarantee that you would have a savanna view with a concierge booking. You may not have gotten one even if the Sunset Savanna remained open. The things that make it a concierge room haven't changed.....concierge lounge, extra services, daily mousekeeping, access to special safaris, etc.

It sounds like there's really no way around closing the savanna - it's what's best for the animals.

I would say the only people that should/could be disappointed are the ones who booked a guaranteed savanna view villa and won't get one as a result of the closure. Hopefully they will allow you to bank the point credit.

 

[themilesfamily]

Just wanted to reiterate that the dates the animals will not be on the Sunset Savanna are:

1/15/09 - 4/15/09

Two DISboarders over on the DVC Planning board called Disney and these are the dates they were given. These dates are 10-12 months out, so Disney seems to be giving themselves a good time frame in which to advise guests.

 

[DBorges]

The post on DVC member site says closed untill April 15 2009 effective now till then

I am waiting for a return call from a dvc suprviser to confirm the time frames and dates.

Here is the link http://dvc.disney.go.com/dvc/member...bersLanding?id=DVCNewsArticle_SavannaViewPage

 

[isyt]

But there was never a guarantee that you would have a savanna view with a concierge booking. You may not have gotten one even if the Sunset Savanna remained open. The things that make it a concierge room haven't changed.....concierge lounge, extra services, daily mousekeeping, access to special safaris, etc.

It sounds like there's really no way around closing the savanna - it's what's best for the animals.

I would say the only people that should/could be disappointed are the ones who booked a guaranteed savanna view villa and won't get one as a result of the closure. Hopefully they will allow you to bank the point credit.

Like I stated in another post I realize that it is best for the animals and that is what matters. I do believe I have a right to be disappointed though. Yes I would have had a 50% chance of a savannah room, now it would be 0. I have stayed at AKL in a Savannah room as well as a concierge room and the savannah room was a much better view (this is way before DVC). Now since this isn't happening until January I won't have to worry about it.

I don't understand why some feel its okay to tell other people how they should feel about it. People are just expressing their emotions. In some cases we booked day by day to get these rooms. I certainly understand the ins and outs and feel bad for the people this will now effect.

 

[Robo-Daddy 3000]

No animals on the savanna, no problem! Perhaps instead of booking a Savanna view room, they can temporarily change the booking category to "Kidani Village Construction View"

 

[wildernessDad]

Right, this is Jan 2009 - April 2009. This has been discussed in another thread.

 

[JsMom2]

I'm very surprised at the folks who are saying "get over it."

I think we all understand that the animals need to be taken care of. However, DVC has not handled this well.

I specifically booked a "guaranteed savannah view" for September, instead of the concierge category. Because I wanted to be sure we had a savannah view for our first stay at AKV. Luckily, my DD and I decided just yesterday to switch to BCV. And to wait another year to stay at AKV until the construction is finished. Thank goodness we didn't wait another day, as I'm sure lots of folks are changing their ressies right now.

I just feel so sorry for all the parents who promised their kids they would be able to wake up and look out at the animals every morning. I'm sure those folks will be stressing about the room right up until they check in. It's just not a good situation.