At AKV Kidani right now - what would you do?

[lundve]

Let me first say that this is our first trip to AKV. We love our room location, we love our savanna view and all the animals we have seen, and we love this resort. But we have encountered problem after problem in the 48 hours we have been here with several things.

So we checked into a Kidani Village 1 br Savanna view at 9am on Saturday. They said they'd text us when the room would be ready. We decided to go to EPCOT to wait it out. We got the text at 4:05pm. Normally I wouldn't be bothered by this but it was obvious after a day inside that a sub par cleaning job had occurred, the kitchen floor and entry hall had sticky spots that I cleaned up and my family stepped on and picked up a toenail and 4 pieces of dried pasta. I then vacuumed. (This trip was intended to be more resort than park, from the get go)

Then I washed a load of clothes - setting the washer for cold water delicate cycle. When I got the clothes out as soon as they were done I realized they were hot. We found that the supply lines were switched and cold water was hot and hot was cold. Has it been like this the whole time?? Maintenance came and fixed them, confirming what we had found. At home, I'd never have washed these clothes in hot.

This is the first time I ever cooked in a villa. When using the kitchen we found there was still lipstick on a mug that had been put away as well as stuck on food on the silverware in the drawer. Tonight was the last straw. In the middle of cooking the stove went out - like stopped working in the middle of cooking. The corn on the cob had to be finished cooking in the microwave and no mac and cheese tonight. Maintenance came again and said the board was fried and we had to get a new oven delivered. This all has taken over an hour from when it first happened which means the kids did not get to eat until 7pm and we are not going to be able to finish dinner and go back to Epcot for Illuminations. (If it were just adults we might have been better, but schlepping a 6 and 3 year old quickly is not doable.) While yes I could have bought dinner, it defeats the purpose of enjoying our room, and the fact that I already went grocery shopping.

I normally try to go with the flow but my relaxing vacation has not been so relaxing so far. I realize I can take the Member Satisfaction Survey after my trip but is there anything I could or should do now?? I am at a loss and disappointed.

UPDATE: New stove did not work - now it is an electrical problem affecting the vlla below us too...UGGG...

 

[castleri]

You could go to the front desk and ask to speak with the manager and explain the items you have mentioned here. I would do it in a manner that says you are concerned about the quality of mousekeeping and hope that they will be doing better in the future. The issue of the stove is really something that would be hard to predict. If it was not functioning at all I would have been more upset as that means someone else had not reported a problem with it. Hope the rest of your trip is better.

 

[crazybones27]

Ya know it's funny now that you mention it our 1bdrm villa last September had switched hot and cold water lines. I think it was with the washer and dryer also. I forgot we even used it as we were only in that room for 2 days and my husband ran a quick load and not me. I did report it upon leaving since we found it on the day of check out. Oh yes and this was a stay at Kidani.

As for the dirty glasses I've encountered at least one on our last two trips at different resorts, but I always wash everything anyway before using it.

As the PP suggested I'd definitely tell management at the front desk in regards to the cleaning issues. The oven going out I just think was bad luck and the icing on the cake with everything else. Hopefully they'll get a new oven to you asap so you can have a much smoother week with eating dinner .

 

[jerseygal]

We loved our stay in a 2 BR at Kidani last summer...only problem was water leakage out of master shower which I communicated and they resolved...

Hope you enjoy your trip and get your issues resolved!

 

[bfrosty]

I would go down to counterservice and grab some Zebra Domes.

Also, check out the night-vision goggles down by the pool.

Have Fun....6months to go here.

Bfrosty

 

[lundve]

Ya know it's funny now that you mention it our 1bdrm villa last September had switched hot and cold water lines. I think it was with the washer and dryer also. I forgot we even used it as we were only in that room for 2 days and my husband ran a quick load and not me. I did report it upon leaving since we found it on the day of check out. Oh yes and this was a stay at Kidani.

As for the dirty glasses I've encountered at least one on our last two trips at different resorts, but I always wash everything anyway before using it.

As the PP suggested I'd definitely tell management at the front desk in regards to the cleaning issues. The oven going out I just think was bad luck and the icing on the cake with everything else. Hopefully they'll get a new oven to you asap so you can have a much smoother week with eating dinner .

Told maintenance man who has been back and forth for the last hour and half what else happened. He said the contractor switched a bunch of supply lines when this place was built and that that is a call they have received a lot from guests over the last two years.

 

[DizGirl20]

I am sorry you are having these issues. We just checked out of Kidani at 10am this morning after a wonderful week. I also had the same issue with our washing machine but someone had marked with arrows on the machine that the hot/cold temperatures had been reversed. Other than that I had no complaints and would give anything to be back there right now. If these issues are going to eat away at you and distract you from enjoying your vacation, I would address them now with the Manager in a firm but nice way... maybe there is something they can do for you that would make you feel better. Good Luck- we had a fabulous week and can't wait to go back next year!

PS: Don't miss the cultural presentations every night at 8:30pm in the Library. They were the highlight of our vacation!

 

[gkrykewy]

I would immediately send some variant of that post to dvcmembersatisfactionteam@disneyvacationclub.com ... Don't wait, send it now. And enjoy the rest of your trip.

 

[cvjw]

We also had issues with Kidani Village. When we finally got into our villa after 5:00, all of the carpet was soaking wet. Then when we were trying to sleep, we noticed how unbearably hot the master bedroom was. Turns out the air conditioner wasn't working in there. They came and "fixed" it the next day. Of course it wasn't really fixed, and we had another sweltering hot night in the master bedroom in June. It was finally fixed on the 3rd day, and all management did was say they were very sorry. But, that won't stop us from going back - we are there again in less than a month. It is one of our favorite resorts, warts and all.

 

[dianeschlicht]

We have had the worst housekeeping issues at AKV. That is where I once paid for a full cleaning, and got far less than that. I did complain right away, and they sent her up to do it again. I had to point out the things that needed to be done. I also saw WHY the carpet was already so filthy. She took a mop and "swept" the dirt from the kitchen onto the rug. She never did run the vacuum. I again complained, and that time they took the charge for the cleaning off my bill.

The housekeepers haven't been our only issues at AKV either. So far we have stayed at AKV 4 times, and we have yet to have a trip where everything was right. I'm glad my contract there is a small one. I LOVE the animals, and that was our main reason for buying there, but the staff leaves much to be desired.

Oh, and should you be making pancakes on this trip, you will NOT have a spatula to turn them with. They only thing remotely like a pancake turner is a skimmer. When I called down AFTER I had the batter made for a pancake turner, they brought me up another skimmer. It's rounded, not flat. I dare anyone to turn a pancake with something that is akin to a big rounded edge spoon.

 

[AirGoofy]

I agree with others, front desk and talk to manager, but have some realistic expectations they can do to accomodate your issues. They may not be able to move you if all the other rooms are booked. Were your clothes damaged by hot water? If yes, then asked for them to be replaced at a reasonable cost. If not, then while it is annoying present it and move on. Since you cannot cook a meal and you already purchased groceries, ask for a complimentary meal and immediate seating at Jiko, Boma, or Sanaa. You can ask for additional Mousekeeping, but if they did not do that good a job in the first place ...

Decide what it is that will attempt to make up for this, ask for it firmly but politely, and then move on and try not to let it ruin your trip.

 

[timandlesley]

I hope you do talk to the manager to get this resolved, please share with us what happens. I am so sorry!
Lesley

 

[lundve]

Update: At 9:30 after 3 hours of electrical problems we were called and told Engineering said problem was worse than they feared. I was told we needed to move rooms. Apparently it was other rooms in our vertical column too. I had just put the kids to bed and when I was told this I burst into tears. I handed the phone to my husband and he listened to the details. She asked if we wanted to move to the other side of the horseshoe, then told us she wanted us to stay in our room if possible because our view is one of the best. So then we were given a standard view for last night on the same floor and someone helped move all the food. Then I was handed a flashlight if I needed to go back for anything as the power was going to be cut. While all the stove issues were happening, we did not realize other electrical problems had happened The lights in the living room, the tv, and the air conditioning were all part of the problem so I realized it was getting hot. By 10:30 we were in our "new" room for the night.

After breakfast I guess we will go find out what is next. We were on the fence about our park plans today so I guess for now we are here.

We were given a monetary room credit for this without asking for one and I got a CM assigned to help us move and even visited the pharmacy for us since one of my children needed something in the midst of all this.

I guess what I am left wondering though is how badly was Disney taken advantage of during construction of this place. These issues should not happen in a two year old building, in my opinion.

 

[disneyfam27]

I am so sorry to hear that you had so many issues at AKV.

I stayed there last year in a standard view 2 bedroom lock-off and everything worked perfectly, and I'm pretty sure I used every applicance (tv, washer/dryer, microwave) etc that was in the two rooms. We even visited the pool and fitness center during our visit and loved everything.

I hope that this is just a anomaly for this resort, because you are absolutely correct that a building this new should have be having any issues. Maybe you will give AKV another try someday.

 

[TisBit]

All construction projects have problems and they are usually handled in the warranty phase of the building. The contractors come back in or make monetary compensation for their mess ups.

I am sorry to hear about all your problems, I would have probably called for a full cleaning after I realized that there were problems with the initial cleaning. As for the 4:05 text....that was inline with the current check in procedures.

Unfortunately, maintenance issues can't be forseen and even things like the supply lines to the washer, until someone reports it, they don't know. If there was damage to the clothing, definitely report it.

I would also make sure that member satisfaction is aware of the problems. We sent an email for some problems one trip and I had someone call while we were still there to try to fix the issues. Sounds like AKV already has tried to help compensate you with the room credit.....but following up is also a good thing. Use clear rational language like you did in your posts here!

 

[utahkennedys]

After some not so great experiences at OKW this past week, DH and I decided next time we would ask for our points to be returned. That is what I would suggest. Disney usually makes things right so I hope they do for all of your troubles!

 

[castleri]

After some not so great experiences at OKW this past week, DH and I decided next time we would ask for our points to be returned. That is what I would suggest. Disney usually makes things right so I hope they do for all of your troubles!

Just curious about what type of issues you had that would require that level of compensation. We were there a couple of weeks ago and every CM went out of their way to be helpful. We had one issue in that the room we were originally assigned which did meet all our requests was not ready although they did say it was. They very nicely found us another room and really tried to meet both the original requests ( I told them I no longer cared which floor I was on which helped in their search). They could just as well have said - sorry about that, we'll call you when it is cleaned since it was 11:45 in the morning. We reported a light bulb out over the dining table and one other issue to the mousekeeping/maintenance person outside the room as we were leaving and he wrote them down to have them taken care of. Don't know if he did but at least he listened politely and made it seem that he was glad we reported it.

Hopefully your issues were dealt with when you reported them and that it did not completely spoin your trip.

 

[dianeschlicht]

After some not so great experiences at OKW this past week, DH and I decided next time we would ask for our points to be returned. That is what I would suggest. Disney usually makes things right so I hope they do for all of your troubles!

You don't get by posting something like that without details. What kind of issues did you have?

 

[princessdawn2011]

Members Satisfaction will only address MEMBERS. OP you didn't mention if you are or not. But definitely email them if so, very nice & helpful. I got points back for a reservation I made for someone else @ OKW. Their room wasn't ready for check in until after 10 pm, they were fed & transported to MK for wishes also.

If you are NOT a member, I would make sure that credit is for the going rate for that night & season. Yes, it's generous of them to help you out, BUT you paid good money for a great hotel that should be perfect. Disney is the Gold Standard. They train the rest of the industry. End of story.

Someone else commented on the warranty on the building, etc. Of course there will be problems, but we didn't pay for problems, whether cash or membership. Water should be hooked up properly & the expectation should be that people need to be compensated if there is a large problem. Poor housekeeping is unacceptable. They provided extra cleaning for me for free once @ AKV.

OP, hope it all works out! And please don't let this ruin your magical vacation.

 

[utahkennedys]

You don't get by posting something like that without details. What kind of issues did you have?

I had them in more detail in another post, but a very dirty room including the kitchen (fridge, stove, counters, sink -- ewww) and little bugs EVERYWHERE! The bath was equally gross and I'll spare some details and probably should have taken photos! Then the sprinkler in the hall closet had been leaking all week and ruined DD's expensive backpack with mildew and her activities for the plane inside. We found this the night before we were leaving and trying to pack. I would have asked for one night points back had I thought quicker on my feet. Instead we got a credit for the backpack. We didn't complain about the room because we had traveled 14 hours from Seattle with a delay and were just happy to get in our room, but next time I won't be so shy.