How do you like the Villas at AKL?

[Muslickz]

That is what I was wondering.

My Family and I LOVE AKV. I feel it's the best Price/Value wise..

-Mus

 

[WIDisneyFan]

My family (myself, wife and 3 kids 5,3,and 1) stayed at Kidani in December in a 1 bedroom and really enjoyed our stay. To this point our DVC experience is limited to just AKL and BLT so we don't have too much to compare to.

The only items that I would say you need to be aware of are, as others have pointed out, the bus service which was good but the duration was at times a bit much with the kids, and the general layout. Due to the design of the wings it can be a long walk from the lobby to your villa. This walk is not a problem just something to be aware of as if you were not expecting it to be close and compact you could find it annoying.

 

[pixie08]

We love AKV! We just love the whole resort. YEs it is a little far, but for us that is a plus. You feel totally away from everything and transported. It is a great resort that you can relax at after a long day at the park. We have stayed at every resort on property (minus pop) more than once and AKL, AKV numerous times, so I can say in my experience the bus service at AKL is superior to any on property. Yes the ride is a bit longer to MK but that's it. EPCOt & HS are very close.

 

[Mjasp]

just to clarify that in addition to the standard view option, there is also a value classification of villas - which are in jambo house only and not kidani - that has nothing to do with the view. the value villas are just smaller, but may have a savanna view, pool view or pkg lot view.

i love the theming at AKV and while the bus rides to the MK can be a little long, it's still one of my favorite resorts.

some other things to consider: the 1BRs at kidani have 2 bathrooms (so 2BRs have 3 bathrooms). not the case at jambo house.

jambo house has a limited number of value villas and concierge villas. kidani has none of these types of villas.

jambo house has mara - a quick service dining option. kidani has no QS dining.

also, be aware that the buses stop first at kidani, so they might be pretty full by the time they come to jambo house.

Am I correct in assuming what you said is that the 1 br's at Kidani have 2 bathrooms and the 1 br's at Jambo have 1 bathroom.
What other 1 br resorts have 2 bathrooms.

Also, if you buy AKV resale, how do you know if are you buying Jambo or Kidani? and if you buy AKV thru Disney are you guaranteed to stay in Kidani, traveling with 2 adults and 2 teen girls we definitly need 2 bathrooms

Thanks in advance for all answers

 

[chalee94]

What other 1 br resorts have 2 bathrooms.

BLT is the only other resort that i know of.

Also, if you buy AKV resale, how do you know if are you buying Jambo or Kidani?

it will say on the contract - but AKV is AKV for booking purposes. kidani owners can book jambo at 11 months out and vice versa.

and if you buy AKV thru Disney are you guaranteed to stay in Kidani, traveling with 2 adults and 2 teen girls we definitly need 2 bathrooms

you are never guaranteed that you can stay somewhere with DVC - but as an AKV owner, you will almost always be able to book kidani at 10-11 months out IMO. on the other hand, jambo house only has 5 concierge 2BR villas total...so those are much tougher to book even as an AKV owner.

 

[pixie08]

Also, if you buy AKV resale, how do you know if are you buying Jambo or Kidani? and if you buy AKV thru Disney are you guaranteed to stay in Kidani, traveling with 2 adults and 2 teen girls we definitly need 2 bathrooms

Thanks in advance for all answers

Honestly at the end of the day it doesn't matter too much where you buy. It is considered one resort. Once the 11 month opens up you can book at Kidani or Jambo. We bought at Jambo because we bought when it was first released, and couldn't wait for Kidani but have stayed at both. Never had a problem getting the type of room I wanted at my 11 month window, and that includes hard to get value rooms or concierge.

 

[Disneypapa]

Stayed at Kidani "std" 2 br Villa in summer of 2009.

Positives:

Loved having the extra bathroom.

Liked using fewer points.

The pool is really nice, especially the play area.


Negatives:

Long bus ride to anywhere.

Standard view was of the parking lot.

 

[Mjasp]

Very interesting, I am thinking about DVC, my DH thinks it isn't worth it.
That's an age old debate I'm not willing to get into.

He told me if he finances DVC and pays $200 per month and $800 in MF a year that for $3,200 and he can stay at the All Star Music family suite that sleeps 6 with 2 bathrooms and get the free dining and park tickets included for the same price that is when they offer the free dining.
What to do what to do LOL

 

[AKLFan3]

How were the bus trips? It seems like it takes longer to get to Animal kingdom from the other resorts, so I would assume its a longer bus ride from the AKL to other parks.

I think the buses at AKL are very fast and with a much shorter wait time. It takes 5 minutes to get to Animal Kingdom, about 15-20 minutes to get to Magic Kingdom and 10-15 minutes for Epcot and Hollywood Studio. When I stayed at VWL last year, I found the buses to have long wait times for pickup, and sometimes we stopped at Fort Wilderness to pick up people before heading to the parks.

Are there any good resturants or lounges in AKL?

Absolutely! Jiko at AKL - Jambo House has amazing wine and steaks. It is their signature restaurant, so it is more expensive than the others. Sanaa is located at Kidani Village and has become one of my favorite restaurants. It is a moderately priced restaurant with excellent African and Indian cuisine. I also feel confident in saying it is the most unique restaurant on Disney property because it is the only restaurant with a view of the animals on the savanna. AKL - Jambo House also has Boma, their buffet restaurant and the Mara, their quick service restaurant. Both are good with lots of variety.

In terms of lounges, Victoria Falls is located at AKL-Jambo House. They have tasty martinis, very light snack food. Sanaa has a lounge that stays open much later than the restaurant. They have the same drinks on the menu as Victoria Falls but their appetizers are heavier and are from the main Sanaa Lunch/Dinner menu.

 

[chalee94]

He told me if he finances DVC and pays $200 per month and $800 in MF a year that for $3,200 and he can stay at the All Star Music family suite that sleeps 6 with 2 bathrooms and get the free dining and park tickets included for the same price that is when they offer the free dining.

if you like hunting for deals like free dining and limiting yourself to when those deals are offered...and the value resorts are fine with you, you're probably better off staying with that plan.

might be worth a shot to try to rent a 2BR villa at a DVC resort at some point for comparison though.

DVC is not the best way to go for everyone.

 

[Mjasp]

if you like hunting for deals like free dining and limiting yourself to when those deals are offered...and the value resorts are fine with you, you're probably better off staying with that plan.

might be worth a shot to try to rent a 2BR villa at a DVC resort at some point for comparison though.

DVC is not the best way to go for everyone.

Where do you get DVC rentals from?

 

[chalee94]

Where do you get DVC rentals from?

you can book DVC villas directly from disney (for a lot of money) or book a DVC reservation made by a DVC owner (for a little less money but usually also with no cancellation policy).

you can look for a rental on the rent/trade board here

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=29

or else contact david (site sponsor - see the banner ad on the rent/trade board) to act as a go-between.

 

[wbl2745]

Going back to some of the original questions on this thread, I'm writing a trip report about our stay at AKV from 12/1 to 12/7. You can read why, but we ended up staying in a 2-bedroom value at Jambo House, a 2-bedroom standard view at Kidani Village, a value studio at Jambo, and a 2-bedroom Savanna view at Jambo. The thread is here with a lot of pictures. Each of the rooms had strong points and weak points. Overall we really loved staying at AKV.

 

[DVCMikey]

I booked the weekend of the 4th of Feb for a studio. We will see how we like it and if we want to stay there again at another time.

thanks for all your help.

 

[Tink415]

Standard view at Jambo is of the pool. I've had one studio there and it was a fine view, especially considering the points.

Seems standard view at AKV Jambo is no longer just pool view.

Recently booked AKV Jambo 1 bedroom standard (not value 1 bedroom), expecting a pool view. I booked this category to be close to center of resort and have a shorter walk.

We were assigned room 534x, savannah view. CM checking us in told us standard view is pool, parking lot, or savannah. I protested, CM on phone reitereated what standard view is, I was assigned another savannah view on opposite side of resort.

I called member services and requested help getting a pool view. Member services also said standard view is pool, parking lot or savannah, and views can be requested....they were able to get me an (obstructed pool view) standard 1 bedroom, which was available after 6pm. A short walk was most important so I was very happy with this room.

Did anyone receive notice from DVC of the view change for Jambo standard?
I've booked standard view at Jambo several times in the past and always gotten pool view, so I'm not sure when the change happened???

 

[dgaston]

I believe that some Jambo rooms that had partially obstructed savanna views have been reclassified as standard views. These are rooms that face stairways, for example.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Are there any good resturants or lounges in AKL?

The butternut squash soup in AKL's CS, Mara, is the best!

To me it tastes like warm pumpkin pie filling. The chef insisted it came from the same pot as was served at Boma, but somehow it tastes better to me at Mara-maybe something about paying a lot less? I'll be at AKL in a value studio a month from today and I can't wait!

 

[LvsTnk]

Now I'm getting concerned with this view situation??

I added 3 nights onto an existing reservation in a 1bed Standard, savanna view was not available so I wait listed. I did not request a view because I thought they were all pool views with some savanna. I did request close to the lobby and elevator because my DS uses a wheelchair.

Do I need to call member services and request a view I am less that 2 weeks out so now I'm sure this won't matter. Ughhh I let the whole view thing go, I would have been more than happy with a pool view, now I wish I would have called daily to piece together a savanna view.

My special needs son whose birthday it is will not understand, boy did I drop the ball on this one.

 

[hakepb]

Very interesting, I am thinking about DVC, my DH thinks it isn't worth it.
That's an age old debate I'm not willing to get into.

He told me if he finances DVC and pays $200 per month and $800 in MF a year that for $3,200 and he can stay at the All Star Music family suite that sleeps 6 with 2 bathrooms and get the free dining and park tickets included for the same price that is when they offer the free dining.
What to do what to do LOL

A bit OT, but this is why DVC (and possibly all Deluxes) need to step up their game. Especially before the Art of Animation resort goes online.

The square footage / bang for the buck type arguments go out of the window when family suites offer adequate space and the samebeds and sheets as DVC and Deluxe resorts.