Having second thoughts about AKL Jambo House stay

[jodifla]

So, we're huge OKW fans and normally stay there.

But for our August trip, DH may or may not be able to come, so I booked us into a place where there's an easily accessible kids' club, restaurants, etc. right in the building.

But as I look at the Jambo House rooms, I wonder: Wil I really like it??

We are staying in a 2 bedroom standard view.

Any AKL fans who can tell me how much I'll love the change of pace?

 

[kristenrice]

You will LOVE it!

The standard rooms at Jambo all face the pool. They are right near the front of the lodge. You will have a short walk to an elevator that will take you straight downstairs to the pool, kids club, restaurants and bus stop. Kidani will be open by then and you will be able to go over there and use the pool/interactive water play area.

The lodge itself is beautiful. It is completely different than OKW, but in a good way. OKW is so light and airy and pastel. AKV is dark, cozy and "earthy". You truly do not feel like you are in Florida when you stay at AKV.

There are places everywhere to see the animals. I enjoyed walking down the different wings of the building and checking out the view from the different floors. I took DD5 for a stroll with me and when we checked out Arusha rock, she was so excited! She saw....bunnies! Of all the "exotic" animals out there, she was the most elated about seeing regular ol' bunny rabbits!

We stayed at OKW twice before we bought into AKV. They are so different that it is difficult to compare them side by side. We opted for AKV since we were buying such a small contract (100 points) and we can stretch those further if we utilize the value accommodations. We wanted the 11-month window at AKV since we figured that OKW would be easier to get a 7 months.

Have a great time!...and watch out for addonitis!

 

[ead79]

AKV has a really neat "exotic" feel to it. You really feel transported to an African safari lodge.

I've stayed at OKW once, and it really is a beautiful resort. Here are some of the main differences you'll likely notice:

--OKW feels like a community, almost like a development where people might live. AKV Jambo House feels more like a resort. The villas at AKV open into interior hallways, and it feels more like a regular Disney resort than like a community. That being said, the resort-like feel can be a real plus. You've got easy access to great dining (Jiko and Boma are both wonderful), a short elevator ride down to the pool area, and plenty of activities for the kids to do indoors during one of those famous late summer Florida rain showers.

--Like the previous poster mentioned, OKW has a pastel, light and airy decoration scheme. AKV's is more dark tones. Neither is really better than the other, it's just personal preference. Just get in a safari mindset, and absorb all the cool details Disney built in--like Lion King tiles in the showers and Simba heads on the back of the dining chairs.

--Jambo House offers valet parking or self-parking. You won't be able to park as close to your unit as you can at OKW, but you can get luggage help or take advantage of the free valet service available to DVC members.

You may also be pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable and relaxing it is to watch the animals on the savannahs. There are tons of public viewing areas scattered around the resort, so just go find a non-crowded one and sit back and enjoy.

Also, AKV has lots of great activities. When we were there last December they had cookie decorating for the kids, bead necklace making, medallion rubbing, and a craft to make Christmas ornaments out of ostrich egg pieces. They'll give you a list of what's available at check-in. They also have night vision goggles you can use to see the animals on the savannahs at night. I haven't tried that yet, but I've heard it's really quite neat to see.

 

[Laurabearz]

So, we're huge OKW fans and normally stay there.

But for our August trip, DH may or may not be able to come, so I booked us into a place where there's an easily accessible kids' club, restaurants, etc. right in the building.

But as I look at the Jambo House rooms, I wonder: Wil I really like it??

We are staying in a 2 bedroom standard view.

Any AKL fans who can tell me how much I'll love the change of pace?

I could have written this exact post, except we are booked into an Jambo House Value room. So way smaller and darker, than the light and airy OKW or crisp and breezy BWV...

But I am looking forward to exploring a new resort, the kids are getting older and I think they will enjoy that too... The pool area is divine and the option to go over to the new Kidnai pool is marvy. We are thinking of this trip as more of a resort vacation, and less of a park vacation.

When in August are you there? We are there 8/1-8/4

 

[BostonDisneyKid]

I could have written this exact post, except we are booked into an Jambo House Value room.

I too could have written a very similar post as we are OKW owners (and also huge fans of BWV) and will be staying at AKV, Jambo House, in August for the first time as well. We have a 2BRV + Studio (both Savannah).

But the one difference to both posts referenced would have been - we KNOW we are going to love it !!! We have over researched and planned it (as we tend to do with all things disney) and can hardly wait to get there. Our only experiences at AKL have been dinning at both Jiko and Boma (and wondering around the Jambo house as curious dvc members checking out the place).

 

[KirstenB]

We're OKW'rs too. We stayed in a 2br at Jambo last June, and loved it. It is dark, which took some getting used to. But the grounds are gorgeous, filled with animals, great swimming pool, etc. We liked it so much we booked for June this year too (that may get punted, because I just found out there are no snow days built into our school's calendar this year, and we just missed 4 days of school! ). But, back to Jambo. The rooms are beautiful, I especially liked the artwork, lots of textiles. You definitely feel immersed in the African theme.

 

[RLRDA]

So, we're huge OKW fans and normally stay there.

But for our August trip, DH may or may not be able to come, so I booked us into a place where there's an easily accessible kids' club, restaurants, etc. right in the building.

But as I look at the Jambo House rooms, I wonder: Wil I really like it??

We are staying in a 2 bedroom standard view.

Any AKL fans who can tell me how much I'll love the change of pace?

As others have said, AKV is a totally different feel from OKW but that doesn't automatically mean you won't enjoy yourselves. AKV feels like you've been transported off of WDW property. It's a wonderful resort to "explore" - where else can you walk around and stop to enjoy a giraffe or a zebra? There are many places around the resort to view the animals (since you have a standard view - which I think in Jambo is actually a view of the Uzima pool). The CMs there were great and there were lots of activities for kids to enjoy. Not to mention that in August Kidani Village will be open and you'll be able to use the new pool area and water play area as well as the pool at Jambo House .

It seems like you've given lots of thought to your choice since you want the convenience of Kids' Club and restaurants on the premises. Don't second guess yourself! Even if OKW remains your absolute favorite I predict you will enjoy your stay at AKV!

 

[disneymotherof3]

We're owners at OKW too. We stayed at AKV in Jan. and loved it!!! We stayed in a Savannah View Studio and had plenty of room. The kids absolutely loved being able to see the animals right from the balcony! It was so cool to see their faces light up with excitement when a giraffe came walking by.

There are definitely a lot of differences in the 2 resorts, as the PP's have stated. But I think you'll be very happy there. We're contimplating doing an add-on at AKV. That's how much we loved it!

 

[stopher1]

This is all too funny because we are AKV folks, and my boys and I are booked into a studio at OKW this May/June during Star Wars Weekends. I've been wondering the exact same kind of thing except in reverse since we've never stayed at OKW before...but we're looking forward to giving it a try. My sons both saw the castle slide pic in the planner and want to at least give it a try once.

 

[Anal Annie]

Staying at OKW just feels like any other FL vacation to me. It's just your average tropical looking resort. Staying at AKV feels like I've actually GONE somewhere. It is so beautiful - the foliage is different and the food is so unusual and so good. It's just fabulous. It will really make you feel like you've been transported someplace special.

We like being able to resort hop so that every trip we take is different from the one before. Be open and enjoy it!!

 

[dianeschlicht]

We too LOVE OKW, and we found AKV to be quite inconvenient in January. Now, that being said, we LOVED the savanna view, but I have to say, without it I would have been even more disappointed in the things we did NOT like. We were pretty happy to get back to OKW the second half of our trip. We find we like our AKV trips best when it is just the two of us.

 

[tigger2on]

And I must admit am also a little wary of what to expect. We usually stay at OKW too but have also stayed at BCV and BWV as well, though we own at SSR.
We booked 2 bedroom and 2 studios (Value) for Sept 27 - Oct 2, 2009
Looking forward to reading what you all think after your trips

 

[snowbunny]

We had a 1BR in Jambo House last summer and the room itself was easily the nicest DVC 1BR unit I've stayed in.

 

[ScottOKW2K]

We are owners at both OKW and AKV and have stayed at AKV in a standard 1 bedroom recently, and many times at OKW. We appreciate OKW for the larger space and the community feel. We also LOVE AKL and AKV, and have found it to be our favorite resort outside of OKW. In fact, my wife likes AKV more than OKW, and we are dedicated "key-westers", Disney type.

I think you will enjoy your stay.

 

[jodifla]

As always, my fellow DVC DISers to the rescue!

Thanks!!