Jambo House Club Level

[FinnFogg]

We’ve booked a club level stay at Jambo House for next March. On the DVC website, it notes as follows:

“Kilimanjaro Club Concierge rooms at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House are available for booking. Note that Club Level Amenities, services, and Cast Members are not currently available. A date has not been determined when those amenities will reopen. Should these amenities remain unavailable during your stay, you will be refunded the vacation point difference between the room type booked and the comparable Standard View room after check-out.“

We are using April UY points for the trip, some 2021 and some borrowed 2022. If Club Level is still not available and we have points returned, we will have passed the banking deadline for our 2021 points and may have borrowed 2022, all technically expiring within days of the end of our trip.

Does anyone have any experience with how DVC is dealing with this? Do they extend the banking deadline/return borrowed points in these circumstances?

 

[Sandisw]

From what I understand they are not waiving the banking deadline and holding will also be back in play by then.

Hopefully you will know before that happens if WDW plans to bring back the services.

 

[Happy2BMommy0812]

I don’t think there are any guarantees, and I don’t think anyone has had a chance yet to deal with the banking and holding deadline being back in place because I think they are waiving the policy until April 30 (or was it March 31). So my guess is starting next month someone will stay in an AKL club level room and be able to tell you how their points refund worked with the policies back in place.


That said, if you signed up for a club level room and showed up, holding your end of the deal, but AKL had not opened club level yet, I would assume an exception would be made allowing your points to be placed back into April 2022 because the refund would be due to Disney and not you. However, by then I personally think club level would be open.

 

[RoseGold]

With how many pennies Disney is pinching right now, I wouldn't be surprised if it stays closed.

Disney removing Jambo reservations after announcing it would reopen is a bad sign for your club level. You need not only Jambo House open, but at the most expensive level of booking, club level.

I wouldn't feel comfortable with this booking, but maybe I'd wait a while before I made a final decision.

 

[FinnFogg]

By way of update, I had a lengthy call with MS today sorting out a bunch of different issues, and raised the question above. The response from MS was that it would be a “front desk” issue at the hotel, and that MS is unlikely to get involved. They said that they only act as the “middle man”, so if Jambo House is not able to provide the contracted services (in this case club level) the hotel would need to compensate the DVC members. As the hotel does not have the power to extend points, we would need to arrange for some other compensation other than the return of (soon to be expiring) points. The MS CM seemed to think that gift cards for the difference in value may have been issued by front desks in similar circumstances. It all sounds pretty complicated and likely to go wrong. While I’d love to stay in club level, I’m not sure that it will be back by March (or even if it is, what form it will take) so thinking we will just switch to SV for this trip and try again for concierge in the future.

Begs the question though - If the front desk will refund DVC members for club level services that have been contracted for but that they can’t supply, would they ever take cash from a DVC member to provide club level services?

 

[Sandisw]

By way of update, I had a lengthy call with MS today sorting out a bunch of different issues, and raised the question above. The response from MS was that it would be a “front desk” issue at the hotel, and that MS is unlikely to get involved. They said that they only act as the “middle man”, so if Jambo House is not able to provide the contracted services (in this case club level) the hotel would need to compensate the DVC members. As the hotel does not have the power to extend points, we would need to arrange for some other compensation other than the return of (soon to be expiring) points. The MS CM seemed to think that gift cards for the difference in value may have been issued by front desks in similar circumstances. It all sounds pretty complicated and likely to go wrong. While I’d love to stay in club level, I’m not sure that it will be back by March (or even if it is, what form it will take) so thinking we will just switch to SV for this trip and try again for concierge in the future.

Begs the question though - If the front desk will refund DVC members for club level services that have been contracted for but that they can’t supply, would they ever take cash from a DVC member to provide club level services?

Sorry, but I think the CM gave you bad information. Disney is not responsible to DVC owners for CL services, DVC contracts with them to provide it. And, at this time, Disney has not decided when it will be offered again for safety reason.

But If it is not available, then it is up to DVC to reimburse you as you are booked on a DVC reservation.

And they do. They refund the points back to standard and when booking they let members know that is what will happen if by the time the trip comes, CL services are still suspended.

IMO, it is a risk to book this outside of the banking window since DVC hasn’t been allowing late banking.

 

[FinnFogg]

Sorry, but I think the CM gave you bad information. Disney is not responsible to DVC owners for CL services, DVC contracts with them to provide it. And, at this time, Disney has not decided when it will be offered again for safety reason.

But If it is not available, then it is up to DVC to reimburse you as you are booked on a DVC reservation.

And they do. They refund the points back to standard and when booking they let members know that is what will happen if by the time the trip comes, CL services are still suspended.

IMO, it is a risk to book this outside of the banking window since DVC hasn’t been allowing late banking.

Yes - The whole thing sounded off, and I don’t really need to be worrying about it for the next 11 months. Switched to Savannah View. I have another 30+ years of AKL ownership to try to score club level again.

 

[TLPL]

Any update on the Club Level Amenities ? Have they resume them yet?

 

[erionm]

Any update on the Club Level Amenities ? Have they resume them yet?

From the resort web page:

Kilimanjaro Club Concierge rooms at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House are available for booking. Note that Club Level Amenities, services, and Cast Members are not currently available. A date has not been determined when those amenities will reopen. Should these amenities remain unavailable during your stay, you will be refunded the vacation point difference between the room type booked and the comparable Standard View room after check-out.

https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/destinations/list/florida/animal-kingdom-villas-jambo/

 

[HappyDisneyWife]

Any update on the Club Level Amenities ? Have they resume them yet?

With the newest announcement about reopening some resorts’ club level services, but specifically stating AKL would not be resuming yet (with other resort club level reopening dates all the way out to Dec 2021!)... I’d say we have no hopes of seeing it before 2022.

 

[TLPL]

With the newest announcement about reopening some resorts’ club level services, but specifically stating AKL would not be resuming yet (with other resort club level reopening dates all the way out to Dec 2021!)... I’d say we have no hopes of seeing it before 2022.

Wonder why AKL is different? Is hotel side also has delay opening?

 

[erionm]

Wonder why AKL is different? Is hotel side also has delay opening?

Disney has not yet set a date for when the hotel side of AKL will reopen.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

CL for DVC will not resume until Jambo is open. Staffing and service at the lounge is provided by hotel staff. DVC guests to the Lou ge are less than 5% of the service population for club at Jambo, so most of the cost comes from the hotel. There is only so much staff downsizing (for cost purposes) possible, and providing staffed service of any kind based on 5 2BR lockoff units just doesn't make cost sense.

 

[DisneyMountainWoman]

I still cannot believe they will not open Jambo house by 50th... but looks like it will not happen

 

[TLPL]

I still cannot believe they will not open Jambo house by 50th... but looks like it will not happen

Is it because AKL the least popular? What is the reason??

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Is it because AKL the least popular? What is the reason??

I suspect it is more how large it is. Staffing it fully they will want 85% or higher occupancy, I am guessing. And that is a lot of units.

 

[Purplejewel]

FOLLOWING.

 

[HappyDisneyWife]

I still cannot believe they will not open Jambo house by 50th... but looks like it will not happen

I know... I am shocked! So sad. I’m actually starting to wonder if they’ll delay Jambo House opening past the renovations on Kidani’s pool?

 

[wildernessDad]

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge is reopening on August 26, 2021, as is Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Jambo House. That's over 6 months before your vacation in March. I'd be shocked if Club level were not back by then. I also have an April UY and have a Club level 1 bedroom booked for May of 2022.

 

[erionm]

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge is reopening on August 26, 2021, as is Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Jambo House.

Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Jambo House has been open since last July when all of the WDW DVC Resorts reopened.