Animal Kingdom Villas Questions - can you help?

[Robindianne]

Hi, DH asked me to call guest services (we are pretty new to DVC) but I thought you all would know the ins and outs better. Forgive my lack of terminology knowledge please.

1- can you get a 1br club concierge with a view of the savanna?
2- could the club concierge buffet replace breakfast or late night meal purchases or is it mostly fun food (we're taking son on DIL and they want to try to keep their meal costs down)? If so, is it still worth it if we want to do some character breakfasts (thus spending meal money anyway)?
3- with just 4 adults, wwyd for rooms at AKV? We (I) like some privacy re: beds but am ok sharing bathroom and other space.
4- we hope to do a tour that you need to be concierge for, but could put that off for a later visit if necessary.

I'd love to hear any of your experiences, ideas, etc. We need to decide in the next couple of days.
Thanks so much!

Robin

 

[DebbieB]

Hi, DH asked me to call guest services (we are pretty new to DVC) but I thought you all would know the ins and outs better. Forgive my lack of terminology knowledge please.

1- can you get a 1br club concierge with a view of the savanna?
2- could the club concierge buffet replace breakfast or late night meal purchases or is it mostly fun food (we're taking son on DIL and they want to try to keep their meal costs down)? If so, is it still worth it if we want to do some character breakfasts (thus spending meal money anyway)?
3- with just 4 adults, wwyd for rooms at AKV? We (I) like some privacy re: beds but am ok sharing bathroom and other space.
4- we hope to do a tour that you need to be concierge for, but could put that off for a later visit if necessary.

I'd love to hear any of your experiences, ideas, etc. We need to decide in the next couple of days.
Thanks so much!

Robin

1. There are only 5 concierge lockoffs for DVC. Three have savannah view and two have pool view. You can make a request but it's not guaranteed. The 3 savannah views are not the best savannah views because they are back in a corner and there is a roof overhang.

2. For breakfast, it's only a continental breakfast. No eggs, potatos, ham, etc. It's toast, danish, muffins, oatmeal, cereal. The evening food is appetizers, not intended to be a full meal.

3. With 4 adults, I would go with a 1 bedroom in Kidani, you get 2 bathrooms.

4. The Sunrise Safari was the highlight of our trip when we stayed in concierge.

 

[Deb & Bill]

The Concierge villas are only in Jambo House on the sixth floor. There are three two bedroom lockoffs (can be a one bedroom and studio or a two bedroom) with a somewhat blocked (by the roof overhang) Savanna view of the Sunset Savanna. There two two bedroom lockoffs with pool views. At least one or two of these are handicap accessible. If you don't own at AKV and book at 11 months out, they are very difficult to get.

The food in the lounge is pretty much just snacks and continental breakfast type food. Not really enough to replace meals. And when it is gone, it is gone. So if you miss out on being there when it is put out, you might not get any of the offerings.

 

[Robindianne]

Thank you for your replies. We do own at AKV. I just can't decide if view is more important than sunrise safari and some snacks. When we bought, we booked a quick trip in a Kidani studio with a view and that view was the highlight! So fabulous seeing animals while relaxing on the deck.

Some follow-up questions:

"3. With 4 adults, I would go with a 1 bedroom in Kidani, you get 2 bathrooms." Does this mean 1 bdrm in Jambo house does not have 2 bathrooms?

Overall, which feels more luxurious: Jambo house or Kidani? I'd really like to try Jambo for the big lodge feel.
If not staying concierge, is it easy enough to get a 1 bdrm at Jambo?
If not staying concierge, is there a photography type animal tour we could take?

 

[PoohNFriends]

Hi, DH asked me to call guest services (we are pretty new to DVC) but I thought you all would know the ins and outs better. Forgive my lack of terminology knowledge please.

1- can you get a 1br club concierge with a view of the savanna?
2- could the club concierge buffet replace breakfast or late night meal purchases or is it mostly fun food (we're taking son on DIL and they want to try to keep their meal costs down)? If so, is it still worth it if we want to do some character breakfasts (thus spending meal money anyway)?
3- with just 4 adults, wwyd for rooms at AKV? We (I) like some privacy re: beds but am ok sharing bathroom and other space.
4- we hope to do a tour that you need to be concierge for, but could put that off for a later visit if necessary.

I'd love to hear any of your experiences, ideas, etc. We need to decide in the next couple of days.
Thanks so much!

Robin

1. There are only 5 concierge lockoffs for DVC. Three have savannah view and two have pool view. You can make a request but it's not guaranteed. The 3 savannah views are not the best savannah views because they are back in a corner and there is a roof overhang.

2. For breakfast, it's only a continental breakfast. No eggs, potatos, ham, etc. It's toast, danish, muffins, oatmeal, cereal. The evening food is appetizers, not intended to be a full meal.

3. With 4 adults, I would go with a 1 bedroom in Kidani, you get 2 bathrooms.

4. The Sunrise Safari was the highlight of our trip when we stayed in concierge.

1. As the PP's said, there are only a small number of concierge rooms. However, MS has not been taking room requests; probably because everybody already was and would be asking for savannah view.

2. I have not stayed AKV CL yet, but did stay Poly CL. If you're not big breakfast eaters, the lounge would probably cover you. Midday offerings are usually just small snacky things, evenings are light apps then later some desserts and drinks.

3/4. You could consider doing 1 or 2 nights in a concierge room, planned around the tour you want to do and spend the rest of the nights in a Kidani 1BR where you will have the extra bathroom and still the kitchen.

We'll be staying AKV CL studio (just 2 of us) this October and can't wait! We've stayed AKL one night years ago so can't wait to spend more time there checking our the resort, Sanaa, and hopefully the Sunrise Safari!

Good luck in your planning!

 

[Robindianne]

1. As the PP's said, there are only a small number of concierge rooms. However, MS has not been taking room requests; probably because everybody already was and would be asking for savannah view. For any rooms? Or just for concierge rooms?

2. I have not stayed AKV CL yet, but did stay Poly CL. If you're not big breakfast eaters, the lounge would probably cover you. Midday offerings are usually just small snacky things, evenings are light apps then later some desserts and drinks. So, it sounds like you'd need to hang at the resort to take full advantage? Maybe best used on a down (non-park) day?

3/4. You could consider doing 1 or 2 nights in a concierge room, planned around the tour you want to do and spend the rest of the nights in a Kidani 1BR where you will have the extra bathroom and still the kitchen. This sounds good!

We'll be staying AKV CL studio (just 2 of us) this October and can't wait! We've stayed AKL one night years ago so can't wait to spend more time there checking our the resort, Sanaa, and hopefully the Sunrise Safari! Are you staying at Kidani or Jambo and can I ask why (maybe it will help me with my decisions)?

Good luck in your planning!

Thanks!

 

[DebbieB]

Thank you for your replies. We do own at AKV. I just can't decide if view is more important than sunrise safari and some snacks. When we bought, we booked a quick trip in a Kidani studio with a view and that view was the highlight! So fabulous seeing animals while relaxing on the deck.

Some follow-up questions:

"3. With 4 adults, I would go with a 1 bedroom in Kidani, you get 2 bathrooms." Does this mean 1 bdrm in Jambo house does not have 2 bathrooms?

Overall, which feels more luxurious: Jambo house or Kidani? I'd really like to try Jambo for the big lodge feel.
If not staying concierge, is it easy enough to get a 1 bdrm at Jambo?
If not staying concierge, is there a photography type animal tour we could take?

Jambo 1 bedrooms are smaller and only 1 bathroom. They are renovated AKL rooms. The rooms in Kidani were built specifically for DVC and have the 2 bathrooms and are larger.

I've stayed at both and really liked Kidani. If you have a car, parking is easier. The park busses stop at Kidani first. The downside is there is no counter service at Kidani, you would have to walk or bus/drive over to Jambo.

 

[PoohNFriends]

Thank you for your replies. We do own at AKV. I just can't decide if view is more important than sunrise safari and some snacks. When we bought, we booked a quick trip in a Kidani studio with a view and that view was the highlight! So fabulous seeing animals while relaxing on the deck.

Some follow-up questions:

"3. With 4 adults, I would go with a 1 bedroom in Kidani, you get 2 bathrooms." Does this mean 1 bdrm in Jambo house does not have 2 bathrooms?

Overall, which feels more luxurious: Jambo house or Kidani? I'd really like to try Jambo for the big lodge feel.
If not staying concierge, is it easy enough to get a 1 bdrm at Jambo?
If not staying concierge, is there a photography type animal tour we could take?

The 1 BR's in Jambo do not have 2 baths. Since the Jambo DVC rooms used to be just regular resort rooms, they used the footprint/plumbing that was already there.
Haven't stayed Kidani yet, so no help there.
I don't know how difficult it is to get a 1 BR Jambo. I think they tend to go 1st vs. Kidani since they use less points (value size) and obviously a lot fewer of them vs. Kidani.
The Sunrise tour (tour the Kilamanjaro Safari early AM then breakfast at Tusker House[?], cost ~$65/person) is offered Sundays and Thursdays and is only for guests staying AKL/AKV CL;
The Sunset tour (tour the resort savannah areas then dinner at Jiko's, cost ~$190/person) is for all guests staying at AKL/AKV and I think may be offered daily;
Then there's the new Wild Trek Africa tour at the park which is offered several times daily, regardless of where you are staying and the intoductory price is $129 with pricing varying by season. However, I think I read somewhere that no cameras were allowed. I understand it's for safety reasons, but could you imagine the neat pics that could be captured?

HTH, and someone please add or correct something if needed.

 

[PoohNFriends]

Responding to OP's follow-up questions in post #6:

1. I know when we booked and from other posts that they were not taking requests for concierge room views; not sure about the other rooms in Jambo. For Kidani you can book standard or savannah view and from there make further room preferences.

2. When we stayed Poly CL we would catch breakfast and the late evening offerings, but we missed many of the afternoon and early evening offerings since we were at the parks or already had dinner reservations.

4. For our upcoming AKV trip we chose concierge for the whole week since we had the ability to book at the 11 month mark and had the points to use. The next AKV trip, I could see us trying to do a few nights concierge then moving over to Kidani OR stay the entire week at Kidani to get the feel for it there.

 

[Deb & Bill]

...I don't know how difficult it is to get a 1 BR Jambo. I think they tend to go 1st vs. Kidani since they use less points (value size) and obviously a lot fewer of them vs. Kidani.....

Not quite correct. There are value villas at Jambo House. They are about 3 feet shorter in depth than the other villas. So the one bedroom only sleeps four and the two bedroom only sleeps eight - no sleeper chair in these rooms. There are a limited number of the value villas at Jambo. These were smaller to begin with when they began the conversion of the fifth floor at Jambo House. And they do require fewer points than the standard and savanna views. Plus they have savanna, pool and parking lot views. You cannot request a view for the value villas.

But there should be plenty of one bedroom standard (pool at Jambo) and savanna at Jambo House. All the two bedroom villas are lockoff villas at Jambo. So that means a one bedroom and a studio.

 

[wbl2745]

Some follow-up questions:

"3. With 4 adults, I would go with a 1 bedroom in Kidani, you get 2 bathrooms." Does this mean 1 bdrm in Jambo house does not have 2 bathrooms?

Overall, which feels more luxurious: Jambo house or Kidani? I'd really like to try Jambo for the big lodge feel.

We stayed at AKV in December and had a split stay between Jambo House and Kidani Village. I'd really recommend Kidani Village for the 1-bedroom. The rooms are and feel larger. Although you're willing to share a bathroom having two full bathrooms at Kidani is really nice. The people staying in the living room have a little more privacy that way. Trying to get four people through one bathroom in the morning can be a little awkward. If you're concerned about the lack of a food court at Kidani, consider having food delivered by either Green Grocer or WeGoShop. We at breakfast in the room each morning, but other than that we were always somewhere else for lunch and dinner.

Hope you have fun!

 

[Robindianne]

Thanks for all the help everybody. We decided to skip concierge, do a studio savannah view in Jambo house for the first part of the vacation with just DH and me. That way I get my lodge experience in. Then we'll switch to a one bedroom savannah view Kidani the day the kids come so we each get our own bathroom and sleeping room. And we'll do the sunset tour so no concierge is necessary - just $ (yikes it's spendy).

I'm so excited I can't stand it. And it's nearly a year away. I have the Christmas tree picked out for our room http://www.laughingplacestore.com/ShowPic.asp?ProductID=14796 , and DS got me some battery operated camping christmas lights last christmas, so they'll fit perfectly on the tree. hee hee. Now to find mini Mickey stockings to sneak to WDW for us.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Thank you for your replies. We do own at AKV. I just can't decide if view is more important than sunrise safari and some snacks. When we bought, we booked a quick trip in a Kidani studio with a view and that view was the highlight! So fabulous seeing animals while relaxing on the deck.

Some follow-up questions:

"3. With 4 adults, I would go with a 1 bedroom in Kidani, you get 2 bathrooms." Does this mean 1 bdrm in Jambo house does not have 2 bathrooms?

Overall, which feels more luxurious: Jambo house or Kidani? I'd really like to try Jambo for the big lodge feel.
If not staying concierge, is it easy enough to get a 1 bdrm at Jambo?
If not staying concierge, is there a photography type animal tour we could take?

I've stayed in CL at Jambo 3 times, and I would say, while the food offerings are nice and convenient, the access to the safari is far more important to me than the view! As others have mentioned, the savanna view at CL is not great, and if you happen to get in the corner, it's non-existent. We much preferred the pool view CL villas.

There are several other tours available even if you are not staying concierge. There is a new one opening at AK that has previews starting this month. There is also the sunset (Wanyama safari) at AKL that includes an open air vehicle ride through all the AKL savannas with an up close and personal look at all the animals as well as some very detailed information about each. It also includes a lovely family style dinner at Jiko.

Correct....1 bedroom at Jambo only has 1 bathroom.

 

[PoohNFriends]

The 1 BR's in Jambo do not have 2 baths. Since the Jambo DVC rooms used to be just regular resort rooms, they used the footprint/plumbing that was already there.
Haven't stayed Kidani yet, so no help there.
I don't know how difficult it is to get a 1 BR Jambo. I think they tend to go 1st vs. Kidani since they use less points (value size) and obviously a lot fewer of them vs. Kidani.
The Sunrise tour (tour the Kilamanjaro Safari early AM then breakfast at Tusker House[?], cost ~$65/person) is offered Sundays and Thursdays and is only for guests staying AKL/AKV CL;
The Sunset tour (tour the resort savannah areas then dinner at Jiko's, cost ~$190/person) is for all guests staying at AKL/AKV and I think may be offered daily;
Then there's the new Wild Trek Africa tour at the park which is offered several times daily, regardless of where you are staying and the intoductory price is $129 with pricing varying by season. However, I think I read somewhere that no cameras were allowed. I understand it's for safety reasons, but could you imagine the neat pics that could be captured?

HTH, and someone please add or correct something if needed.

I read in the All Ears Newsletter a review of Wild Trek Africa and the reviewer said a camera could be brought onto the tour as long as it was a small point-and-shoot that could be clipped to the harness. Hope they keep allowing people to bring their camers.

Not quite correct. There are value villas at Jambo House. They are about 3 feet shorter in depth than the other villas. So the one bedroom only sleeps four and the two bedroom only sleeps eight - no sleeper chair in these rooms. There are a limited number of the value villas at Jambo. These were smaller to begin with when they began the conversion of the fifth floor at Jambo House. And they do require fewer points than the standard and savanna views. Plus they have savanna, pool and parking lot views. You cannot request a view for the value villas.

But there should be plenty of one bedroom standard (pool at Jambo) and savanna at Jambo House. All the two bedroom villas are lockoff villas at Jambo. So that means a one bedroom and a studio.

Thanks for clarifying Deb & Bill !

 

[MrShiny]

2. For breakfast, it's only a continental breakfast. No eggs, potatos, ham, etc. It's toast, danish, muffins, oatmeal, cereal.

Don't forget the hot quinoa!