Help with DVC Booking Strategy for large family trip to AKL

[Disney got all my$$$]

Hello,

I hope you guys can help. I am planning a high school graduation Disney trip for my son in June 2026. We plan to stay at AKL – Jambo house on DVC points. I bought a “small” 120 pt AKL contract in preparation and will pool 3 years of points (360 points). I agonized on Jambo vs Kidani (largely because the refurb at Kidani may be finished by then), but most of our group are first time Disney guests and Jambo lobby is impressive! Also, we will have a toddler and the steps in Kidani GV seem dangerous.

I want to book three rooms, a 3-bedroom grand villa SV and 2 resort view studios (4 nights). I don’t have enough AKL points to make all the reservations at the 11-month mark. I will have to use VGF and RR points at the 7-month mark.

What is the best reservation strategy?

Can I reserve 3 nights for each room at 11-months and then at 7 months extend the reservation out one more night using other DVC points? Would that 4th night still be available since people without home resort priority can’t book yet? Or should I just book the grand villa for 4 nights and hope to have studios available at the 7-month window?

Any other general tips would be appreciated. We are a group of mostly siblings, significant others (and their kids).

 

[FlyingDonut]

Can I reserve 3 nights for each room at 11-months and then at 7 months extend the reservation out one more night using other DVC points? Would that 4th night still be available since people without home resort priority can’t book yet? Or should I just book the grand villa for 4 nights and hope to have studios available at the 7-month window?

I'll let other with AKL experience come in with specifics, but the above won't work, at least not perfectly. They won't let you combine reservations booked with home points during the home priority period with points from a different resort. You could make the 3 day reservations, and at seven months (from the fourth day) make an additional reservation for that last day. They wouldn't be able to be combined, and you might have to change rooms, but they can frequently accommodate. If all 4 days were available at that time, you could cancel a reservation and book the full 4 days with all of your points, but there's not guarantee that some of the nights wouldn't get scooped up in the time it takes you to rebook.

If you want to play around, this is a resource I've liked when guessing if I'd be able to book rooms at various times
https://dvcfieldguide.com/availability-tables

 

[MyDogTink]

I was also going to suggest https://dvcfieldguide.com/availability-tables

I am wondering if you should book Kidani and book the full stay for the grand villa now. Then book the rest at 7 months. I think kidani’s refurbishment may be completed by June 2026 and Jambo may be undergoing refurbishment then limiting availability.

Instead of 2 studios, would you consider one 2 BR? Kidani has 3 bathrooms in the 2 BR.

If referencing the field guide, keep in mind AKV will be undergoing refurbishment limiting room availability.

 

[Disney got all my$$$]

I'll let other with AKL experience come in with specifics, but the above won't work, at least not perfectly. They won't let you combine reservations booked with home points during the home priority period with points from a different resort. You could make the 3 day reservations, and at seven months (from the fourth day) make an additional reservation for that last day. They wouldn't be able to be combined, and you might have to change rooms, but they can frequently accommodate. If all 4 days were available at that time, you could cancel a reservation and book the full 4 days with all of your points, but there's not guarantee that some of the nights wouldn't get scooped up in the time it takes you to rebook.

If you want to play around, this is a resource I've liked when guessing if I'd be able to book rooms at various times
https://dvcfieldguide.com/availability-tables

Thanks. I was wondering if I could modify the reservation at the 7 month mark from a 3 night to a 4 night and then be able to combine all my contract points?

 

[Disney got all my$$$]

I was also going to suggest https://dvcfieldguide.com/availability-tables

I am wondering if you should book Kidani and book the full stay for the grand villa now. Then book the rest at 7 months. I think kidani’s refurbishment may be completed by June 2026 and Jambo may be undergoing refurbishment then limiting availability.

Instead of 2 studios, would you consider one 2 BR? Kidani has 3 bathrooms in the 2 BR.

If referencing the field guide, keep in mind AKV will be undergoing refurbishment limiting room availability.

Thanks. I'm afraid of having an 18-month toddler at Kidani with the 2 floors. I was thinking Jambo House would be more "impressive" for first-time Disney-goers?

 

[davidhr]

Thanks. I was wondering if I could modify the reservation at the 7 month mark from a 3 night to a 4 night and then be able to combine all my contract points?

The system will let you add nights with another contract at 7 months. What the system will lock is the contract and points you used from 11 months and won't let you switch those points to another one or remove it unless you cancel that reservation

Of course, this assumes the 4th night is available, which isn't a given. The 4th nigh also needs to be in the 7 months booking window (If you can't book it with anew reservation, you won't be able to do the modification)

 

[TCRAIG]

If it was me, I’d book the GV and 1 studio for the full 4 days (if you have enough points)…then at the 7 month mark, book the second studio if it’s available or at least as much as you can and waitlist the missing days…or see if you’ve got enough points to book a 1 bedroom instead (don’t forget you can buy up to 24 OTU points to help make up the points difference). Unless you’re trying to book Value or Club, AK doesn’t seem to be all that difficult to book at 7 months.

 

[D-Trick]

To clarify: At the 7mo mark from check-in, you can modify your 3 day reservation and add the 4th night using non-home resort points, pending availability.

What will happen though, is ALL contracts (including the non home resort ones) that you chose to use for the 4 nights will be locked from that point forward.

 

[Sandisw]

I'll let other with AKL experience come in with specifics, but the above won't work, at least not perfectly. They won't let you combine reservations booked with home points during the home priority period with points from a different resort. You could make the 3 day reservations, and at seven months (from the fourth day) make an additional reservation for that last day. They wouldn't be able to be combined, and you might have to change rooms, but they can frequently accommodate. If all 4 days were available at that time, you could cancel a reservation and book the full 4 days with all of your points, but there's not guarantee that some of the nights wouldn't get scooped up in the time it takes you to rebook.

If you want to play around, this is a resource I've liked when guessing if I'd be able to book rooms at various times
https://dvcfieldguide.com/availability-tables

This is not quite accurate You can extend a reservation with non home resorts.

The home resort contract will be locked but it will allow you to add the non home resort as an option and extend if there is still availability

 

[Disney got all my$$$]

Thanks everyone for the information and clarifications! I appreciate it.

 

[DebLovesPooh]

Given how few DVC rooms there are at Jambo, I think your best bet will be to book GV for all nights at Kidani, then the studio as much as you can, and then add the rest at 7 months.

 

[Memorymakerfor4]

If it was me, I’d book the GV and 1 studio for the full 4 days (if you have enough points)…then at the 7 month mark, book the second studio if it’s available or at least as much as you can and waitlist the missing days…or see if you’ve got enough points to book a 1 bedroom instead (don’t forget you can buy up to 24 OTU points to help make up the points difference). Unless you’re trying to book Value or Club, AK doesn’t seem to be all that difficult to book at 7 months.

This is what I'd do too.

 

[bianca]

If you’re looking at the Standard View GV at Kidani, you had better book all 4 nights at once, as there are only 2 of them. We stayed in a GV with a baby and toddler a couple of years ago and honestly, the stairs were no big deal. The place is so big that they didn’t explore the stairs area.

As for the other 2 studios, I’d book 2 nights in each at the 11 month window and then come back at 7 and pick up the other 2. If they’re not available, waitlist them, as they’ll surely become available. I employee this strategy frequently. We even bought a small 25 pointer at Poly just to be able to book one night at 11 and fill in at 7.