Animal Kingdom Refurbishment 2025

[winnieforme]

The very same from the rooms?? But how! lol

yes, the very same mirror that is in the rooms. I got it at an auction. it is so fun to have a little piece of AKL in my very own home

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Any word on Jambo?

 

[Lolly-lou]

I seem to be reading conflicting information, is AKL Jambo House or Kidani going under refurbishment next year? I was hoping to come across next November for my first DVC stay but I’m not so sure if there will be lots of construction

 

[Hubalorian]

I seem to be reading conflicting information, is AKL Jambo House or Kidani going under refurbishment next year? I was hoping to come across next November for my first DVC stay but I’m not so sure if there will be lots of construction

I believe, only Kidani dates have been announced then Jambo house. So it’s unclear if they will start in 2025

 

[winnieforme]

I believe, only Kidani dates have been announced then Jambo house. So it’s unclear if they will start in 2025

I thought that the refurb was starting with Kidani in January 2025. Did anyone go to the association meeting in September? Maybe they announced something.

 

[pks_domer]

yes, the very same mirror that is in the rooms. I got it at an auction. it is so fun to have a little piece of AKL in my very own home

TheDailyMoo said:
The very same from the rooms?? But how! lol

There are also some businesses local to Orlando that get items from refurbs and sell them. Artwork, lamps, furniture, shower curtains, wallpaper... I've even seen the pull-down beds from under the TVs at some resorts.

 

[muppets3d]

I was staying at Kidani the last week of August this year and they had already started refurbishing the outside of the resort, the area around the animal overlook was under heavy refurbishment at that time.

 

[kristenrice]

Any idea how they do the concierge rooms? They are always booked 100% so does DVC block them off before the 11-month window opens so that nobody can even book one? I ask because I lucked into a 3-night stay in a concierge studio in Oct '25 and I really do not want to get bumped. I mean, if they want to bump me to a concierge room at another resort, I wouldn't raise a stink. I'm just curious how they block out those low-inventory rooms.

Also, on a semi-related note, how long does it take to refurbish a 2-BR L/O? I ask because if they take each concierge 2BR offline for a week, that is over a month worth of points that cannot be booked. I'm sure it's just a blip, but in the overall scheme of things, does the amount of time a resort is under refurbishment effect the "usable" points for the year?

 

[DisnEElove]

I wonder if Disney's having an issue sourcing furniture/decor for the villas refurb? They've even announced the dates of the soft goods reset at CCV, so what would be the hold up for AKL?

 

[Jonnnyap]

From previous experience during past refurbishments, does anyone know the impact on animal visibility on the savanna? I was at AKV a few weeks ago for dinner and thought the animals might be shying away from the exterior refurbishment work, but perhaps they were just doing their typical movements. I wonder if the animals stay away from the construction and thus the savanna will be less active during the refurbishment. This would impact any trips planned next year (beyond just construction noise).

Any thoughts?

 

[TexasErin]

Any idea how they do the concierge rooms? They are always booked 100% so does DVC block them off before the 11-month window opens so that nobody can even book one? I ask because I lucked into a 3-night stay in a concierge studio in Oct '25 and I really do not want to get bumped. I mean, if they want to bump me to a concierge room at another resort, I wouldn't raise a stink. I'm just curious how they block out those low-inventory rooms.

Also, on a semi-related note, how long does it take to refurbish a 2-BR L/O? I ask because if they take each concierge 2BR offline for a week, that is over a month worth of points that cannot be booked. I'm sure it's just a blip, but in the overall scheme of things, does the amount of time a resort is under refurbishment effect the "usable" points for the year?

We had this happen a few years ago (maybe 2019??) We had a 1-BR concierge and they gave us zero heads up. When we got there and checked in, we were told to take the elevator back down, walk across the lobby a LONG way, and take another set of elevators up to our room. There was no apology, no concern, and no attempt to make anything right. To get breakfast every morning meant taking the elevator by our room down to the lobby, taking a walk across Jambo, and then taking the elevators by the gift shop to the lounge. I did stop by the front desk to discuss the issue with a manager and she gave us three free FastPass+ loaded onto the app for every day of our trip...I was very happy with the resolution since we are all about the rides, but if I had not stopped by to talk to management, there would have been no compensation or even any acknowledgement.

We are booked for six days in May and I wonder if we're going to have the same thing happen again.

 

[sndral]

Any idea how they do the concierge rooms? They are always booked 100% so does DVC block them off before the 11-month window opens so that nobody can even book one? I ask because I lucked into a 3-night stay in a concierge studio in Oct '25 and I really do not want to get bumped. I mean, if they want to bump me to a concierge room at another resort, I wouldn't raise a stink. I'm just curious how they block out those low-inventory rooms.

Also, on a semi-related note, how long does it take to refurbish a 2-BR L/O? I ask because if they take each concierge 2BR offline for a week, that is over a month worth of points that cannot be booked. I'm sure it's just a blip, but in the overall scheme of things, does the amount of time a resort is under refurbishment effect the "usable" points for the year?

I too am booked in Oct. 2025 - for a week in one of the 6 grand villas at Jambo. I’m hoping for the best, but in following the debacle of the BWV last minute refurb relocations & reading of other last minute shuffles due to Disney booking snafus through the years, I’m a bit apprehensive. I’m hopeful that if they refurb one floor at a time they’ll either not yet have started the 5th floor or already be done with it. & if not then hopefully they’ll do one trail/hallway/side of the resort at a time & if they are working on say Zebra trail 5th floor when I’m there, the fact that I booked at exactly 11 months out at 8 a.m. will give me priority access to one of the 3 grand villas still open on Kudu trail or vice versa & someone who booked later will be relocated .

We had this happen a few years ago (maybe 2019??) We had a 1-BR concierge and they gave us zero heads up. When we got there and checked in, we were told to take the elevator back down, walk across the lobby a LONG way, and take another set of elevators up to our room. There was no apology, no concern, and no attempt to make anything right. To get breakfast every morning meant taking the elevator by our room down to the lobby, taking a walk across Jambo, and then taking the elevators by the gift shop to the lounge. I did stop by the front desk to discuss the issue with a manager and she gave us three free FastPass+ loaded onto the app for every day of our trip...I was very happy with the resolution since we are all about the rides, but if I had not stopped by to talk to management, there would have been no compensation or even any acknowledgement.

We are booked for six days in May and I wonder if we're going to have the same thing happen again.

I’ve not stayed club at AKV so haven’t paid attention to which elevators go to the 6th floor - but can’t you avoid the lobby by walking over the sky bridge (if on Kudu trail) & along the hallway above the lobby to catch the gift shop adjacent elevators? We often do that when we’re heading to the bus stop, or we walk over the sky bridge to catch the Zebra trail elevators directly down to the pool & Mara when we’re on Kudu trail. Still a hassle w/ club access & no excuse but one fewer elevators to mess w/ & you avoid the lobby. Cash guests booking club at AKL are assigned to 4th floor Zebra trail rooms I believe, so that may explain why the Jambo front desk thought it was NBD?

 

[TexasErin]

I too am booked in Oct. 2025 - for a week in one of the 6 grand villas at Jambo. I’m hoping for the best, but in following the debacle of the BWV last minute refurb relocations & reading of other last minute shuffles due to Disney booking snafus through the years, I’m a bit apprehensive. I’m hopeful that if they refurb one floor at a time they’ll either not yet have started the 5th floor or already be done with it. & if not then hopefully they’ll do one trail/hallway/side of the resort at a time & if they are working on say Zebra trail 5th floor when I’m there, the fact that I booked at exactly 11 months out at 8 a.m. will give me priority access to one of the 3 grand villas still open on Kudu trail or vice versa & someone who booked later will be relocated .

I’ve not stayed club at AKV so haven’t paid attention to which elevators go to the 6th floor - but can’t you avoid the lobby by walking over the sky bridge (if on Kudu trail) & along the hallway above the lobby to catch the gift shop adjacent elevators? We often do that when we’re heading to the bus stop, or we walk over the sky bridge to catch the Zebra trail elevators directly down to the pool & Mara when we’re on Kudu trail. Still a hassle w/ club access & no excuse but one fewer elevators to mess w/ & you avoid the lobby. Cash guests booking club at AKL are assigned to 4th floor Zebra trail rooms I believe, so that may explain why the Jambo front desk thought it was NBD?

We didn't think to check if there was another way to go in order to avoid the lobby...I guess we might could have taken the little stairs in the concierge down a level and then walked to the other elevator. My thing was just that either way it was a hike to get breakfast when we thought it would be super close to our room. And I found the customer service extremely disappointing. We have been fortunate to book concierge about every third year, and we always end up in either the first or second room closest to the elevators and grub, so we had been spoiled. When it was a bit of a distance, it added extra time to get breakfast, and we TRY (albeit, not always successfully) to be at the parks at rope drop.

 

[snacks]

Is it just the DVC rooms at Jambo that are scheduled for refurbishment in 2025, or is it the regular hotel rooms as well?

 

[CastAStone]

Is it just the DVC rooms at Jambo that are scheduled for refurbishment in 2025, or is it the regular hotel rooms as well?

Disney doesn’t usually afford announce hotel side refurbishments in advance to any real extent.

But it was last renovated in 2019-2020 so I very much doubt it gets a renovation in 2025.

 

[snacks]

Disney doesn’t usually afford announce hotel side refurbishments in advance to any real extent.

But it was last renovated in 2019-2020 so I very much doubt it gets a renovation in 2025.

After seeing your reply I went ahead and booked for February. There's no construction warning on the booking page so I'm assuming you are right. Thanks!

 

[ajiuo]

Is it just the DVC rooms at Jambo that are scheduled for refurbishment in 2025, or is it the regular hotel rooms as well?

It’s just DVC. The hotel rooms were just updated a few years ago.

 

[ajiuo]

The hotel rooms look nice after the refurb with hard flooring. Im hoping for similar for the DVC ones.

View attachment 919341

Yeah, I’m hoping they do the same thing… but with a Murphy bed.

 

[TinkB278]

The hotel rooms look nice after the refurb with hard flooring. Im hoping for similar for the DVC ones.

View attachment 919341

These look great! I love how they kept the theming

 

[Leight19]

Yeah, I’m hoping they do the same thing… but with a Murphy bed.

My number one wish on the akv refurb is they put the Murphy bed in for sleeper sofa but also add that single sleeper drop down under tv to increase capacity to 5 in normal studio. This may remove some pressure from value rooms and I think akv normal studio is actually bigger then some of the others that fit 5 with this layout.