Resort Thread Jambo! Disney's ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE

[Turksmom]

I never realized that AKL doesn't have quiet pools in addition to the two main pools. I hope it's fixed quickly!

 

[lilwilly]

hey everyone. i have been lurking for a bit but I am finally going to post! AKL is a resort that we are considering for an upcoming trip during the holidays. One of the fears of from the lady is that there could be a smell, which would turn her off. is there a smell (a bad one anyway)?

 

[CarolynFH]

hey everyone. i have been lurking for a bit but I am finally going to post! AKL is a resort that we are considering for an upcoming trip during the holidays. One of the fears of from the lady is that there could be a smell, which would turn her off. is there a smell (a bad one anyway)?

If you mean from the animals on the savanna, no, we've had savanna view villas several times and have never smelled the animals. We've never encountered unpleasant smells at any of the resorts.

 

[brent02139]

hey everyone. i have been lurking for a bit but I am finally going to post! AKL is a resort that we are considering for an upcoming trip during the holidays. One of the fears of from the lady is that there could be a smell, which would turn her off. is there a smell (a bad one anyway)?

The only time I smelled something was near the flamingo pool, which is near the Jambo pool

 

[Doingitagain]

The only time I smelled something was near the flamingo pool, which is near the Jambo pool

Agree, the flamingoes are very smelly. Stay away from that area!

 

[NJlauren]

Has anyone gotten an update or seen an update on the pools? We arrive Wednesday and was hoping to get some pool time on.

 

[EilonwyWanderer]

Thanks to this thread for reminding me that there are rooms that AREN'T on the Sunset savannah. We're staying at Kidani in March the week of my girls' birthdays (2 years, 4 days apart!) and my giraffe loving will-be-8-year-old will be devastated if we aren't able to see them out our window. So I put in a request. I know that won't mean we definitely get it but boy would I have felt bad if we got there and ended up with no giraffes and me none the wiser!

 

[Disney102015]

Also curious about the pool situation, if anyone is there now! Thanks!

 

[Benoit]

Hi everyone, Animal Kingdom will open at 7 a.m. between March 6 and March 12. Does anyone know what time the bus service will start during this week?

 

[kimmar067]

I love happy endings, but I’m so sorry you had to go through all that!....I’m glad you ended up with a great view!

...it wasn't so much the view I was concerned with [we've stayed here at least 6 times] but the distance of our room from the lobby, bus, etc.

 

[DJFan88]

Does anyone know if the Jiko Wine Tasting is back yet?

 

[CarolynFH]

Hi everyone, Animal Kingdom will open at 7 a.m. between March 6 and March 12. Does anyone know what time the bus service will start during this week?

Buses usually start running 60+ minutes before opening time. If you want to be among the first guests to arrive at the park, it’s recommended to be at the bus stop about 90 minutes before opening so that you can catch the first bus.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

We are at Kidani, and just happened to ask at the front desk where the walkway to Jambo was as we were headed to swim, and learned the pool at Jambo is closed, too They offered up going to Saratoga to swim but it's not exactly convenient. I stopped two families headed to the pool so they wouldn't make the trek unknowingly. I wish we had gotten a push notification or something before getting the whole family ready for the pool.

Lifeguard at Jambo said they are waiting on a part. He's hoping it reopens later today or tomorrow. Sadly today is our pool day.

Bummer when things break on warm sunny days!

Just to clarify, the Jambo pool was closed due to an issue of some sort? And the Kidani pool is still closed for refurb? If so, having no pool at AKL during a stay would be a major problem. And Saratoga is not a feasible option from AKL.

 

[monorailmom]

Oh wow! That’s even better than I thought!

Does anyone know if the Jiko Wine Tasting is back yet?

We dined at Jiko on Friday (it was amazing) and actually had a chance to speak with the sommelier! When she came to our table we immediately recognized her as the one who had done the Wine Tastings. We did ask about if they were coming back. She said there is no date yet, but the plan is to bring them back. Here's hoping it's soon!!

 

[monorailmom]

Just to clarify, the Jambo pool was closed due to an issue of some sort? And the Kidani pool is still closed for refurb? If so, having no pool at AKL during a stay would be a major problem. And Saratoga is not a feasible option from AKL.

We were at the pool the day this happened. There was in fact a major problem with the pool, something about one of the larger pipes blew that brings the chlorine and such to the pool, so they had to close it. It took several hours to get the part and then a couple more to install it. People at the pool were being offered to go to Typhoon Lagoon, we hadn't heard of anyone being offered Saratoga Springs. We were allowed to stay hanging out at the pool bar, so that's what we did. The pool opened up as normal the next day.

 

[Sabine W.]

We were at the pool the day this happened. There was in fact a major problem with the pool, something about one of the larger pipes blew that brings the chlorine and such to the pool, so they had to close it. It took several hours to get the part and then a couple more to install it. People at the pool were being offered to go to Typhoon Lagoon, we hadn't heard of anyone being offered Saratoga Springs. We were allowed to stay hanging out at the pool bar, so that's what we did. The pool opened up as normal the next day.

Thank you for the explanation! I'm relieved to hear that it was fixed, but sorry that it affected your trip!

Did you find the pool crowded before this happened?

 

[monorailmom]

Thank you for the explanation! I'm relieved to hear that it was fixed, but sorry that it affected your trip!

Did you find the pool crowded before this happened?

More crowded than we've typically experienced this time of year, yes. Not bad though. There were chairs available though a bit scarce as the afternoon wore on. At lunchtime the tables are the ones that are hard to find. I will say be patient at the pool bar if you are there before 2pm. There is one bartender on until then, and the line gets very long. The bartenders are all super nice people and do as well as anyone could do under the circumstances. At 2pm they get a second person and that makes a huge difference. We still enjoyed the pool every afternoon, so I wouldn't be worried!

 

[DJFan88]

We dined at Jiko on Friday (it was amazing) and actually had a chance to speak with the sommelier! When she came to our table we immediately recognized her as the one who had done the Wine Tastings. We did ask about if they were coming back. She said there is no date yet, but the plan is to bring them back. Here's hoping it's soon!!

Thanks! I’ll keep my eye out, hoping by June!

 

[ppony]

Ok! Good to know. If I’m using a service like David’s, is it still possible to put in requests like this?

The one and only time I used that service, I asked them to put in a request and they said they couldn't do it. I argued because I knew it was possible, they just had to have the owner do it. They relented and had the owner do it. But I don't know if they've changed their stance on requests since, but it was definitely not something they wanted to do.

 

[CarolynFH]

Ok! Good to know. If I’m using a service like David’s, is it still possible to put in requests like this?

I would ask when you book the rental, so that the service can communicate your request to the owner when they communicate the rest of your booking information and the owner can take care of everything at the same time. They want to minimize the number of times they have to contact the owner. Keep in minds that requests are never guaranteed, even to the owners for their own reservations.