Animal kingdom Villas

[ScottishDisMam]

Hello,
I've never visited the AKL villas, and wondered if anyone could tell me what the real difference between value, standard etc is. I would be booking a 2 bed Villa, and am really interested to know if 'value' and 'standard' are really lacking anything compared to the others.

Lisa x

 

[DVC Mike]

There are four booking categories at AKV: Value, Standard View, Savanna View and Concierge.

(V) Value: (Jambo House only). Smaller rooms with either a Savanna view or a Standard View (which means pool, garden or parking lot) except that there are no "garden" views at Jambo House, just pool and parking lot. So a Value villa can have a view of the Sunset Savanna, the pool or the parking lot. A Value 1-BR only sleeps 4, versus 5 in all the other 1-BRs, as Value 1-BR do not have the Sleeper chair in the living room.

(SV) Standard View: Larger than Value, with a Standard view (pool, garden or parking lot). At Jambo House only, all of the rooms in this booking category have a pool view. All of the Jambo House rooms facing the parking lot are smaller so they are classified as Value rooms. At Kidani Village, the Standard View villas will have a view of the pool, a garden area or a parking lot.

(SV) Savanna View: Larger than Value, with a view of a savanna (approximately 80% of all rooms have a Savanna View; All Grand Villas have a Savanna View)

(C) Killimanjaro Club Concierge: (Jambo House only). Larger than Value, with Concierge services and either a Savanna or Standard View (but no parking lot or garden views, just pool view). Only 5 Concierge units exist; they are all 2-BR lockoffs, for a maximum of 10 rooms if broken up into 1-BR and Studios. Unlike all other DVC accommodations, these rooms get daily housekeeping service and evening turndown with chocolates.

 

[Janet Hill]

Anyone know what food selections are available with conceirge. I know not to expect full meals, but just wondering what to expect.

Thanks

 

[ScottishDisMam]

That's good to know Mike - thank you. I recently bought points for Saratoga and have booked for October, bur have been toying with chaniging at the 7 month point for AKL Villas, and save a few points for next year into the bargain. Any thoughts from anyone appreciated, as we've never stayed at any DVC, but have enjoyed stays at Poly, Beach Club and Port Orleans Riverside (in fact enjoyed it there the most).


Lisax

 

[drusba]

If you are looking at studio size, the AKV values are going to be close in size to your Port Orleans room, the others will be closer to but not quite as large as your Beach Club room. The 1BR portion of the 2BR (all 2BRs at Jambo House are combined 1BR's and studios) for value will be like two Port Orleans rooms in size and for others like two Beach Club rooms.The rooms have an African decor and are more dimly lighted (as is the whole resort) than others you have stayed in. Closet and drawer space is not that great. AKV has the savannas with African animals (non-predators like zebras, giraffes, wildebeasts, ostriches, others). With savanna view you can see those from your porch. With other room views, you go to various places in the resort to see them. The resort is very impressive. You feel as if you are somewhere far away from anything else and almost feels non-Disney (I am not referring to Disney atmosphere but instead in feeling like you are not in Florida or a busy theme park area) -- outside you have the savannas and pool and front area and bus stops and then forest everywhere else. Bus transportation is very good -- you have one bus terminal at the resort (two when Kidani is done) and thus no multiple stops in the resort area before heading to a destination. Boma buffet restaurant is, in my view, the best buffet restaurant on site. Jiko's is more of an upscale restaurant and expensive. Mara's is essentially a fast food place. Pool is large but slide is fairly small, particularly if comparing to Beach Club, it has a lot more tables with umbrellas than I have seen at other pools at WDW, and easy to find shade even if you do not have an umbrella table. For obvious reasons, it is not the type of resort where you can just go outside and walk or run all around it -- there is no walking anywhere where the savannas are (surrounding 70% of the resort) except for a designated view area in the main savanna -- and thus there is a certain sense of confinement.