Check In Nightmare

[carlbarry]

Just returned from a wonderful stay at Jambo. But check in was a nightmare:
I had requested a savanna view studio near the lobby, like I had last time.
When I arrived, the room was ready at 10:30 am. Great! But NOT near the lobby. It was in the last bead, almost near the end. I realize that requests are not guraranteed, but getting just the opposite, sheesh.
When I got to the room, I realized that with my meniscus surgery on my knee, it would be a problem. So I went back dragging my luggage to the lobby.
I was told instantly that they had another, closer room--and housekeeping was working on it now, so it should be ready soon and I'd be texted! Great!!!
Never receiving a text, I called at 1.5 hours: room not ready. Two hours and 40 minutes later I went back to the front desk and asked what happened.
A supervisor went to check. Not a minute later I got a text that the room was ready. Hmmmm.
So I drag the luggage up to the room. The key doesn't work! I call the front desk, where I tell them. I'm told they'll send someone up, and they put me on hold. A passing CM let me in.
I leave the room, come back in an hour. The key still doesn't work. I call the front desk. They send up 2 people. They let me in, and one asks me if I intend to leave the room. Ah, yes, I expect to leave the room during the week.
I'm told if I want to leave the room, upon return I should go to the front desk and they'll send someone up to let me in. They'll also send someone to fix the lock; if it can't be fixed, I might have to move again.
Luckily, the lock was fixed later that afternoon.
Not a pleasant way to start a vacation.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm glad your stay worked out fine. I hope your knee is healing nicely.

 

[Arthur27]

Sorry about your knee and hope you are doing well with it. I must say though this isn't what I would consider a check in nightmare. A hassle? Sure, but not a nightmare. To me a nightmare would be getting and upon check-in they tell you that you have no reservations!

 

[dvcterry]

Sorry to hear about your knee. Didn't they show you on the map at check-in where your room would be located before you had to walk all the way down the first time? Sometimes they circle the room. Just thinking because it may have saved you the effort in the beginning. Anyway, glad it worked out for you. Have enjoy the rest of your trip.

 

[carlbarry]

Sorry to hear about your knee. Didn't they show you on the map at check-in where your room would be located before you had to walk all the way down the first time? Sometimes they circle the room. Just thinking because it may have saved you the effort in the beginning. Anyway, glad it worked out for you. Have enjoy the rest of your trip.

Yes, they did. But it doesn't look so long on the map LOL. Once I got there, I realized it was a problem.
As for it not being a nightmare, yes, I guess nightmare is an exageration. Especially since at home a few weeks before I had 5 feet of water in my basement, a destroyed car, no heat, hot water, or electricity!
Which is why I was kind of hoping for a stress-free Disney respite.

 

[dvcterry]

I'm sure it everything will be fine. WDW has a way of healing. Hopefully you can rest and enjoy yourself now after all you have been through.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Yes, they did. But it doesn't look so long on the map LOL. Once I got there, I realized it was a problem.
As for it not being a nightmare, yes, I guess nightmare is an exageration. Especially since at home a few weeks before I had 5 feet of water in my basement, a destroyed car, no heat, hot water, or electricity!
Which is why I was kind of hoping for a stress-free Disney respite.

I think that explains a lot.

 

[carlbarry]

I'm sure it everything will be fine. WDW has a way of healing. Hopefully you can rest and enjoy yourself now after all you have been through.

Oh, it was a great stay. Happiest place on Earth, no doubt aout that!

 

[Simba's Mom]

Just returned from a wonderful stay at Jambo. But check in was a nightmare:
I had requested a savanna view studio near the lobby, like I had last time.
When I arrived, the room was ready at 10:30 am. Great! But NOT near the lobby. It was in the last bead, almost near the end. I realize that requests are not guraranteed, but getting just the opposite, sheesh.
When I got to the room, I realized that with my meniscus surgery on my knee, it would be a problem. So I went back dragging my luggage to the lobby.
I was told instantly that they had another, closer room--and housekeeping was working on it now, so it should be ready soon and I'd be texted! Great!!!
Never receiving a text, I called at 1.5 hours: room not ready. Two hours and 40 minutes later I went back to the front desk and asked what happened.
A supervisor went to check. Not a minute later I got a text that the room was ready. Hmmmm.
So I drag the luggage up to the room. The key doesn't work! I call the front desk, where I tell them. I'm told they'll send someone up, and they put me on hold. A passing CM let me in.
I leave the room, come back in an hour. The key still doesn't work. I call the front desk. They send up 2 people. They let me in, and one asks me if I intend to leave the room. Ah, yes, I expect to leave the room during the week.
I'm told if I want to leave the room, upon return I should go to the front desk and they'll send someone up to let me in. They'll also send someone to fix the lock; if it can't be fixed, I might have to move again.
Luckily, the lock was fixed later that afternoon.
Not a pleasant way to start a vacation.

I've had really bad luck with being close to the elevator or lobby at Jambo. On my last stay the CM at the front desk noted :Since you asked for 'close to an elevator', your room isn't ready. We could give you another room that is ready, but it's not nearly as close, so I'd recommend waiting." Well, at 4:30, when my room was finally ready and I went up, it was 2 beads away from an elevator that went to the back end of the lobby. I couldn't help but wonder-if this is the closer one, where was the other one! Maybe "close to lobby or elevator" translates to "to haycks and back, because that's how it felt. I've found Jambo to be really bad meeting requests for me!

 

[carlbarry]

I've had really bad luck with being close to the elevator or lobby at Jambo. On my last stay the CM at the front desk noted :Since you asked for 'close to an elevator', your room isn't ready. We could give you another room that is ready, but it's not nearly as close, so I'd recommend waiting." Well, at 4:30, when my room was finally ready and I went up, it was 2 beads away from an elevator that went to the back end of the lobby. I couldn't help but wonder-if this is the closer one, where was the other one! Maybe "close to lobby or elevator" translates to "to haycks and back, because that's how it felt. I've found Jambo to be really bad meeting requests for me!

The first time I went, as a new DVC owner, I requested "near the lobby," and couldn't have been happier. The room was about 3 doors down from the laundry room. Funny thing was, when checked in, he CM said it has a great view, but is not near the lobby. She then directed me to the elevators that took me way away from the room, which I didn't know.
This time I was in room 5435, which was 6 doors down from my previous stay.

 

[lilpooh108]

Our home resort is AKV and I've noticed that their Cms while friendly are not efficient at all. I've never had a hassle free front desk experience at Jambo. My last stay was last week and they told me my ressie was cancelled (not true). They also messed a variety of other things (like telling me at 2am to prepare to change rooms at 7am). They also told me they couldnt refund a dining charge to my CC when the restaurant incorrectly forgot to deduct a dining credit (also not true). Room location requests not met, etc. I LOVE Jambo but their CMs leave a lot to be desired.

 

[heynowirv]

We stayed @ kidani last summer and had a similar experience.We arrived around 1 pm and was told our room wasn't ready yet but would be soon. Got the text after 4 that it was ,and like the op had requested a 3 or 4 floor studio. well of course what they had was a 1st floor ,but when i asked about 3 or 4th floor,it "yes sir but the rooms not ready,just a few more minutes and we'll have something for you". A few minutes was oh about 2 more hours.

IMHO,AKV is beautiful but I don't need to ever stay there again.

 

[carlbarry]

We stayed @ kidani last summer and had a similar experience.We arrived around 1 pm and was told our room wasn't ready yet but would be soon. Got the text after 4 that it was ,and like the op had requested a 3 or 4 floor studio. well of course what they had was a 1st floor ,but when i asked about 3 or 4th floor,it "yes sir but the rooms not ready,just a few more minutes and we'll have something for you". A few minutes was oh about 2 more hours.

IMHO,AKV is beautiful but I don't need to ever stay there again.

When I went to the front desk after 2 hours and 40 minutes and said I was told the room would be ready soon, the CM looked it up and said that the note says "in a while"! So they apparently told me one thing, but covered their backside in the written comment.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Check in is after 4PM. If you get it earlier than that, you are lucky. If you get it later than that, well, you still got your room. Sometimes your room isn't ready until 6PM. For our October trip, I got the text message at 4PM but it said it was sent at 2:45PM.

Everyone wants the villa close to the elevator, with the good view, close to the parking lot, without the connecting door, with the connecting door. Sometimes you just get the crappy villa. And you wait a long time to get that crappy villa.

 

[bwang123]

i had ACL and meniscus surgery a while back and couldnt imagine doing disney shortly after. i feel for you.

on a somewhat related note, we are staying at kidani in a few days and requested near the lobby. if we dont get it, we will be fine because we are on vacation and the amount of walking from the far side of the resort is minor compared to what we will experience in the parks. you wont see me on here complaining about it either.

 

[traceyg]

Check in is after 4PM. If you get it earlier than that, you are lucky. If you get it later than that, well, you still got your room. Sometimes your room isn't ready until 6PM. For our October trip, I got the text message at 4PM but it said it was sent at 2:45PM.

Everyone wants the villa close to the elevator, with the good view, close to the parking lot, without the connecting door, with the connecting door. Sometimes you just get the crappy villa. And you wait a long time to get that crappy villa.

That's funny that you mention that...I guess WE are the family that gets the "crappy" villa. I purposefully ask for rooms as far away from the lobby and the elevators as possible. Unfortunately some people don't consider that's it's 2am and that not EVERYBODY was at MK with them as they are walking past my room talking very loudly and animatedly. 2pm? Talk away! 2am? I want peace and quiet and am fine hoofing it down the the VERY last room in the resort! lol

 

[carlbarry]

That's funny that you mention that...I guess WE are the family that gets the "crappy" villa. I purposefully ask for rooms as far away from the lobby and the elevators as possible. Unfortunately some people don't consider that's it's 2am and that not EVERYBODY was at MK with them as they are walking past my room talking very loudly and animatedly. 2pm? Talk away! 2am? I want peace and quiet and am fine hoofing it down the the VERY last room in the resort! lol

Actually, the room I got was VERY close to the elevators. They were diagonally across from my room, i.e., my room was next to last on that bead.
I could hear the "ping" of the elevator all night. Also, there were strange noises in the room that sounded to me not like the usual water running stuff, but rather the cables associated with an elevator.

 

[traceyg]

Actually, the room I got was VERY close to the elevators. They were diagonally across from my room, i.e., my room was next to last on that bead.
I could hear the "ping" of the elevator all night. Also, there were strange noises in the room that sounded to me not like the usual water running stuff, but rather the cables associated with an elevator.

After being a theme park commando and then listening to that and not sleeping well for a few days I'd have made Malificent look like one of the princesses! lol

 

[Sammie]

Actually, the room I got was VERY close to the elevators. They were diagonally across from my room, i.e., my room was next to last on that bead.
I could hear the "ping" of the elevator all night. Also, there were strange noises in the room that sounded to me not like the usual water running stuff, but rather the cables associated with an elevator.

If you get a room near an elevator you will hear the bell/ping of the doors opening, etc, you will also feel a slight vibration and a humming noise.

I never like to be near the elevators or the lobby because as was stated way too many people that have no idea of what quiet voices are.

 

[davedmaine]

3 things are guaranteed whenever I check in:
1) my room will be a minimum of one mile from the lobby
2) my room key will not work
3) and at that moment my son will announce he has to poop