I'm still REALLY cranky . . .

[LindaBabe]

over the AKL pool being closed during my January visit.

What do y'all consider the best 'hop-able' pool?

 

[daisyduck123]

We greatly enjoyed the pool at Kidani Village this past July.

 

[JimC]

Why not use Kidani Village pool?

 

[bobbiwoz]

January isn't always swimming weather. I would plan on staying at AKV and go to Kidani's pool. It's a great pool area.

Bobbi

 

[LindaBabe]

Thanks That's just what the letter said, with no apology. I am NOT in love with the Kidani Pool and feel seriously cheated that I have to trek half a mile to use a pool that's not as nice as the one at the resort I booked.

I do pool exercise every day in an attempt to stay mobile - and spend a lot of time just hanging out by the pool when at AKL.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Have you considered or tried to go to another resort? This may not be the time for an AKV vacation for you!

Bobbi

 

[lisah0711]

That is a great idea, bobbiwoz! If it were me, I would see if I could snag a visit to BCV and try Stormalong Bay.

 

[forgop]

Thanks That's just what the letter said, with no apology. I am NOT in love with the Kidani Pool and feel seriously cheated that I have to trek half a mile to use a pool that's not as nice as the one at the resort I booked.

I do pool exercise every day in an attempt to stay mobile - and spend a lot of time just hanging out by the pool when at AKL.

Disney obviously closes attractions for refurbishments to perform maintenance and upgrades to maximize the lifespan of their assets and provide guest with more desirable attractions. You have to know that any time you plan a trip there, something is likely to be closed.

The Kidani pool is very nice.

 

[Mom2Four]

Oh no! Our waitlist for AK Jambo House just came thru for January 4th thru the 8th. I didn't know anything about the pool being closed!! Does anyone know the dates of the closure??!!

 

[dianeschlicht]

Thanks That's just what the letter said, with no apology. I am NOT in love with the Kidani Pool and feel seriously cheated that I have to trek half a mile to use a pool that's not as nice as the one at the resort I booked.

I do pool exercise every day in an attempt to stay mobile - and spend a lot of time just hanging out by the pool when at AKL.

Oh come now....it's not a half a mile! If you can't walk a couple of blocks how in the world will you have enough energy to swim? The pool bar at Kidani is very nice, and the water play area is great for young people AND those of us who are "mature".

 

[daisyduck123]

Have you seen the Kidani pool in person?

I have....we stayed in Kidani Village this past July & have stayed at Jambo House on two other vacations.

DH, DD15, DS11, & I all agree that the Kidani pool is better than the pool at Jambo house. In fact, this summer, we were traveling with good friends who were also staying at Kidani with us. Upon our arrival day, while most of us went to Kidani to check out the pool, the mom & her DD18 decided they'd just rather go to Jambo to swim. They went over there, walked around, & then decided to come back to Kidani....they agreed with us that it's nicer.

 

[LindaBabe]

We BOUGHT at AKL to have access to the Uzima pool. I booked the resort at the 11 month window and the 7 month window came and went without any notice the pool was closed.

3 months prior, after follow-on reservations, airline reservations, dining reservations, volunteer committments, etc, I got a letter. Closed, the ENTIRE month.

For a time period that included the marathon, realistically what do you think my chances of getting BVC are? And certainly NOT for the same number of points I'm spending on my value villa.

It "is" a half mile to the Kidani pool. I HAVE seen the pool in person, last Tuesday. I've been doing pool exercises for 1.5 years, working out at the gym for 6 months, energy is not the only issue, so no comments are needed on that, thank you.

But obviously, I'm not going to get any more sympathy from you lot than I did from Disney. Nor any more answers to my question.

 

[Brian Noble]

To be fair, you got an answer to your question---many respondents considered Kidani the best hoppable pool in your situation. You just didn't like the answer you got.

For what it's worth, I agree with them. The other pools are going to be just as inconvenient, if not moreso, and in my opinion aren't any nicer than Kidani's.

 

[JimC]

I understand your disappointment about the pool situation. But I would not get that exercised over its closure that you can not enjoy your vacation. There are alternatives. The general consensus is that the Kidani pool is the best alternative in your situation. It may not be your favorite pool and each is entitled to his/her personal preferences. But if you think going there is inconvenient then no pool is going to satisfy you.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We BOUGHT at AKL to have access to the Uzima pool. I booked the resort at the 11 month window and the 7 month window came and went without any notice the pool was closed.

3 months prior, after follow-on reservations, airline reservations, dining reservations, volunteer committments, etc, I got a letter. Closed, the ENTIRE month.

For a time period that included the marathon, realistically what do you think my chances of getting BVC are? And certainly NOT for the same number of points I'm spending on my value villa.

It "is" a half mile to the Kidani pool. I HAVE seen the pool in person, last Tuesday. I've been doing pool exercises for 1.5 years, working out at the gym for 6 months, energy is not the only issue, so no comments are needed on that, thank you.

But obviously, I'm not going to get any more sympathy from you lot than I did from Disney. Nor any more answers to my question.

I'm not sure what you want except the Uzima pool to be opened or maybe you want DVC to move you to another resort for the same amount of points?

Bobbi

 

[Dean]

We BOUGHT at AKL to have access to the Uzima pool. I booked the resort at the 11 month window and the 7 month window came and went without any notice the pool was closed.

3 months prior, after follow-on reservations, airline reservations, dining reservations, volunteer committments, etc, I got a letter. Closed, the ENTIRE month.

For a time period that included the marathon, realistically what do you think my chances of getting BVC are? And certainly NOT for the same number of points I'm spending on my value villa.

It "is" a half mile to the Kidani pool. I HAVE seen the pool in person, last Tuesday. I've been doing pool exercises for 1.5 years, working out at the gym for 6 months, energy is not the only issue, so no comments are needed on that, thank you.

But obviously, I'm not going to get any more sympathy from you lot than I did from Disney. Nor any more answers to my question.

I think we are all sympathetic that you are disappointed. However, rehab happens and tends to do so more off season as Jan is for the pool. IMO, it is unrealistic to expect DVC to know specifically the dates of the closer of such items 11 months out as some have suggested in other similar threads. It is also unreasonable to expect them to move you to another location for the same points, IMO. You might try for BLT, BCV or BWV looking at the quiet pools especially. Personally I think Kidani would be the better choice but your impression is that it will not and I respect that. The bottom line is that I am sympathetic to your concerns but do not feel that anything more than a notification or trying to find you something else reasonable at another resort (for the actual points requirement) is necessary on their part. This is NORMAL timeshare stuff IMO.

 

[rigsby25]

I feel sorry for you about the pool. You plan and you wait and all of a sudden the enjoyment is somehow taken away. Please try to make the best of it and just this once, maybe go to Kidani. I'm sure everyone has heard the story of how I was booked for an OKW HA grand villa and 3 days before we left, they called and said they were "upgrading" us to SSR. It seems that HA was booked twice by mistake. I was so, so, so disappointed, but I just decided to make the most of our vacation and have fun no matter what. And to this day, I have never been able to book that OKW grand villa again, but our SSR vacation turned out very well and I was so happy that I wasn't in "the dungeon of resentment" while I was there. Please go and have a good time!

 

[caverill]

Have you tried to move to any other DVC locations?

You might be surprised and you never know until you try.

I do understand your disappointment, but I would think you could exercise in any pool.

Hope you are still able to enjoy your vacation.

Clark

 

[El&Asmom]

I'm sorry about your disappointment. We'll be at Kidani during the closure, and I'm upset that the pool will be more crowded as both hotels will be serviced by a pool that is already too small for Kidani alone.
If the pool is that important to you, I would consider moving to OKW and use a quiet pool where it will be easier to exercise, and the point structure would be similar, or SSR where there are quiet pools as well. Each of those resorts may still have availability.
Good luck and enjoy your trip.

 

[Golden Rose]

I can understand why you would be unhappy about the pool being closed if you were counting on it. I know it will be inconvenient for you having to go elsewhere most days to exercise. Kidani is great for kids, but far from the best for people hoping to exercise in peace.

I will say, the last time we were at WDW in January, earlier this year, the weather was too cold for us to swim the entire week. We might have been able to manage it one day if our room had been really close to the pool, but it wasn't and thought thought of the cold air on our wet bodies as we raced back to the room was enough of a deterrent that we didn't brave it. Of course, I've also been there in January when it was possible to swim most of the week, so you may well get lucky.

In your situation, I think you'd want to find a pool that has close parking, is in a attractive setting if you want to relax near it for a while, and isn't likely to be too crowded even on a warm day in January. I'm not sure which ones are likely to best meet your needs... the suggestion of a quiet pool somewhere is probably a good one. One of the pools at SSR or OKW might meet your needs well.