Jambo! The newest AKL Information thread

Since OP is staying at Jambo, this is correct for her, but for those staying at Kidani, Pembe savanna does not have giraffes (usually it has Okapi, a shy giraffe relative,)
AKL has a small herd of zebras on Sunset Savanna usually (the endangered Hartmann's Mt. zebras - part of AK/AKL's breeding program) from Jambo savanna view you'd see Sunset savanna from Kudu trail (also from Ostrich trail - but no DVC booking category savanna view villas on Ostrich trail.)
Arusha savanna usually has a pair of zebras (Grants.) Uzima sometimes also has a pair of zebras (usually Grants) - both of those savannas are seen from Zebra trail and you can see Arusha savanna from Kudu trail as well.
They do move animals around and even from/to AK park - so it's hard to predict 100% which species will be where, I'd opt for sunset savanna view/kudu trial if I wanted to maximize zebra & giraffe sightings.

I never stay at Kidani so it always escapes my mind that there are differences between Jambo and Kidani. Thanks for providing the clarification :)
 
I am headed to AKL next weekend! Yay! I've always wanted to stay there, so when the AP Pandora preview came up I decided to make it an "AK All Day" weekend. Will be staying in a savanna view room queen + bunk beds because that is all I could get for my dates using the AP discount. This thread has been so helpful :) so I will be sure to report back on room location, thoughts, etc.

Hi all - back from AKL and wanted to share my thoughts. Goal was to enjoy the balcony overlooking the savanna in the mornings with my coffee, use the pool, and head to parks in the late afternoon/evening. Disclaimer – this is meant to share my specific experience in the hopes it might help others so I understand that YMMV :duck:! I really did have a great trip, and I tried to go into it with low expectations because nothing is guaranteed, but it’s tough when you’re paying that much for a room to see animals and you don’t really see any. Also, I’m longwinded so settle in :coffee: :)

The category I booked was “Queen + Bunk Beds – Savanna View” as it was the only savanna view available with the Passholder discount. Used Touring Plans Room Request Fax Service to request room: Jambo; Flr 3; NW-facing room. Example 3507, 3505, 3509, 3503, 3511 - was assigned room 3505 overlooking Arusha Savanna! It was such a hard decision deciding which Savanna to choose, but wanted to see zebras so ultimately went with Arusha as I had read that was the only savanna with them. I was very excited!

Room was a decent size, was clean upon arrival and kept that way by housekeeping. I had Privacy sign on door in the mornings when most rooms around me were being cleaned so before I left room for the parks in the afternoon I made a quick call to housekeeping to let them know I was leaving and asking them to service the room and it was always taken care of. Bed was totally uncomfortable and made a loud creaking noise whenever I got up. Bring a nightlight because I ran into that darn bunk bed all the time in the middle of the night. Room had a coffee maker with the Cuisinart pods but I got coffee from the Mara as it was a short elevator ride away – so convenient! Loved the location of the room as it was close to pool and also on same level as the lobby.

While the location and decor was excellent, I did not have good luck viewing animals on the savanna at all. I was typically on my balcony from 7am – 10am every morning and there were never any animals outside my room. There sometimes were 2 giraffes, 2 zebra and 2 other deer type animals on the savanna but WAY on the other side closer to the Kudu Trail rooms so I really couldn’t see them due to distance and being blocked by trees. I could see kinda giraffe legs, but not heads :laughing: One morning they seemed to be huddled over at the end of the Zebra Trail rooms so I decided to go investigate what was over there. From the outside stairwell at the end of the hall I found all the animals! All pacing by the fence seemingly waiting for a keeper to come. Up rolled a golf cart, opened a fence and away went the animals. I understand that you aren’t guaranteed to see animals, and that they have to be fed and looked over and taken care of, but if I’m being honest it was disappointing. Maybe they are out at different times of day? Or again, just my bad luck, but AKL likely won’t get me to pay for a savanna view again, unless I want to watch the pond being drained, cleaned and refilled every morning *newsflash – not worth the money ;).

Bus transportation was also not great (more bad luck?). Never waited LESS than 15 minutes for a bus from AKL (to AK, Disney Springs, Epcot, MK) and the wait back on Saturday night from AK to AKL was at least 45 minutes – which I understand can happen, but it is very frustrating when you see 2 buses each come and go for Pop Century, Fort Wilderness and Coronado Springs and none for AKL. I had the Uber app pulled up and the next AKL bus showed up.

All was not lost though! AKL has an amazing pool, pool bar and Victoria Falls Lounge that I enjoyed quite a bit. Plus the quick service breakfast at Sanaa was delicious (still no animals out over there either). The breakfast was not listed anywhere on any of the Jambo house materials so I walked the 10 minutes over to Kidani to check it out and there is a sign at the top of the stairs in the lobby headed down to Sanaa. I think I sat right next to @ariane37 but didn’t want to interrupt her breakfast, especially not being sure :wave2:. Another note, the lifeguards closed the pool at 10pm every night (I thought I had read they were open 24 hours?).

A major highlight was seeing Joe Rohde in the Victoria Falls lounge late on Saturday night (I needed a drink after the bus fiasco from AK). I thought about walking up and telling him how great Pandora was (I had been there that night), but he was with a big group and I’m not the type to interrupt. A pretty cool memory to have even seen him on that day though.

I still love AKL and might even stay there again (in one of those rooms near the stairwell at the end of the Zebra Trail maybe!). It’s a beautiful resort and was a nice respite after the craziness of the parks.
 
Hi all - back from AKL and wanted to share my thoughts. Goal was to enjoy the balcony overlooking the savanna in the mornings with my coffee, use the pool, and head to parks in the late afternoon/evening. Disclaimer – this is meant to share my specific experience in the hopes it might help others so I understand that YMMV :duck:! I really did have a great trip, and I tried to go into it with low expectations because nothing is guaranteed, but it’s tough when you’re paying that much for a room to see animals and you don’t really see any. Also, I’m longwinded so settle in :coffee: :)

The category I booked was “Queen + Bunk Beds – Savanna View” as it was the only savanna view available with the Passholder discount. Used Touring Plans Room Request Fax Service to request room: Jambo; Flr 3; NW-facing room. Example 3507, 3505, 3509, 3503, 3511 - was assigned room 3505 overlooking Arusha Savanna! It was such a hard decision deciding which Savanna to choose, but wanted to see zebras so ultimately went with Arusha as I had read that was the only savanna with them. I was very excited!

Room was a decent size, was clean upon arrival and kept that way by housekeeping. I had Privacy sign on door in the mornings when most rooms around me were being cleaned so before I left room for the parks in the afternoon I made a quick call to housekeeping to let them know I was leaving and asking them to service the room and it was always taken care of. Bed was totally uncomfortable and made a loud creaking noise whenever I got up. Bring a nightlight because I ran into that darn bunk bed all the time in the middle of the night. Room had a coffee maker with the Cuisinart pods but I got coffee from the Mara as it was a short elevator ride away – so convenient! Loved the location of the room as it was close to pool and also on same level as the lobby.

While the location and decor was excellent, I did not have good luck viewing animals on the savanna at all. I was typically on my balcony from 7am – 10am every morning and there were never any animals outside my room. There sometimes were 2 giraffes, 2 zebra and 2 other deer type animals on the savanna but WAY on the other side closer to the Kudu Trail rooms so I really couldn’t see them due to distance and being blocked by trees. I could see kinda giraffe legs, but not heads :laughing: One morning they seemed to be huddled over at the end of the Zebra Trail rooms so I decided to go investigate what was over there. From the outside stairwell at the end of the hall I found all the animals! All pacing by the fence seemingly waiting for a keeper to come. Up rolled a golf cart, opened a fence and away went the animals. I understand that you aren’t guaranteed to see animals, and that they have to be fed and looked over and taken care of, but if I’m being honest it was disappointing. Maybe they are out at different times of day? Or again, just my bad luck, but AKL likely won’t get me to pay for a savanna view again, unless I want to watch the pond being drained, cleaned and refilled every morning *newsflash – not worth the money ;).

Bus transportation was also not great (more bad luck?). Never waited LESS than 15 minutes for a bus from AKL (to AK, Disney Springs, Epcot, MK) and the wait back on Saturday night from AK to AKL was at least 45 minutes – which I understand can happen, but it is very frustrating when you see 2 buses each come and go for Pop Century, Fort Wilderness and Coronado Springs and none for AKL. I had the Uber app pulled up and the next AKL bus showed up.

All was not lost though! AKL has an amazing pool, pool bar and Victoria Falls Lounge that I enjoyed quite a bit. Plus the quick service breakfast at Sanaa was delicious (still no animals out over there either). The breakfast was not listed anywhere on any of the Jambo house materials so I walked the 10 minutes over to Kidani to check it out and there is a sign at the top of the stairs in the lobby headed down to Sanaa. I think I sat right next to @ariane37 but didn’t want to interrupt her breakfast, especially not being sure :wave2:. Another note, the lifeguards closed the pool at 10pm every night (I thought I had read they were open 24 hours?).

A major highlight was seeing Joe Rohde in the Victoria Falls lounge late on Saturday night (I needed a drink after the bus fiasco from AK). I thought about walking up and telling him how great Pandora was (I had been there that night), but he was with a big group and I’m not the type to interrupt. A pretty cool memory to have even seen him on that day though.

I still love AKL and might even stay there again (in one of those rooms near the stairwell at the end of the Zebra Trail maybe!). It’s a beautiful resort and was a nice respite after the craziness of the parks.
We are staying there in June. Lately I have read so much negative about AKL particularly the buses. Other than the night you waited 45min did you feel the buses were ok?
 
Hi all - back from AKL and wanted to share my thoughts. Goal was to enjoy the balcony overlooking the savanna in the mornings with my coffee, use the pool, and head to parks in the late afternoon/evening. Disclaimer – this is meant to share my specific experience in the hopes it might help others so I understand that YMMV :duck:! I really did have a great trip, and I tried to go into it with low expectations because nothing is guaranteed, but it’s tough when you’re paying that much for a room to see animals and you don’t really see any. Also, I’m longwinded so settle in :coffee: :)

The category I booked was “Queen + Bunk Beds – Savanna View” as it was the only savanna view available with the Passholder discount. Used Touring Plans Room Request Fax Service to request room: Jambo; Flr 3; NW-facing room. Example 3507, 3505, 3509, 3503, 3511 - was assigned room 3505 overlooking Arusha Savanna! It was such a hard decision deciding which Savanna to choose, but wanted to see zebras so ultimately went with Arusha as I had read that was the only savanna with them. I was very excited!

Room was a decent size, was clean upon arrival and kept that way by housekeeping. I had Privacy sign on door in the mornings when most rooms around me were being cleaned so before I left room for the parks in the afternoon I made a quick call to housekeeping to let them know I was leaving and asking them to service the room and it was always taken care of. Bed was totally uncomfortable and made a loud creaking noise whenever I got up. Bring a nightlight because I ran into that darn bunk bed all the time in the middle of the night. Room had a coffee maker with the Cuisinart pods but I got coffee from the Mara as it was a short elevator ride away – so convenient! Loved the location of the room as it was close to pool and also on same level as the lobby.

While the location and decor was excellent, I did not have good luck viewing animals on the savanna at all. I was typically on my balcony from 7am – 10am every morning and there were never any animals outside my room. There sometimes were 2 giraffes, 2 zebra and 2 other deer type animals on the savanna but WAY on the other side closer to the Kudu Trail rooms so I really couldn’t see them due to distance and being blocked by trees. I could see kinda giraffe legs, but not heads :laughing: One morning they seemed to be huddled over at the end of the Zebra Trail rooms so I decided to go investigate what was over there. From the outside stairwell at the end of the hall I found all the animals! All pacing by the fence seemingly waiting for a keeper to come. Up rolled a golf cart, opened a fence and away went the animals. I understand that you aren’t guaranteed to see animals, and that they have to be fed and looked over and taken care of, but if I’m being honest it was disappointing. Maybe they are out at different times of day? Or again, just my bad luck, but AKL likely won’t get me to pay for a savanna view again, unless I want to watch the pond being drained, cleaned and refilled every morning *newsflash – not worth the money ;).

Bus transportation was also not great (more bad luck?). Never waited LESS than 15 minutes for a bus from AKL (to AK, Disney Springs, Epcot, MK) and the wait back on Saturday night from AK to AKL was at least 45 minutes – which I understand can happen, but it is very frustrating when you see 2 buses each come and go for Pop Century, Fort Wilderness and Coronado Springs and none for AKL. I had the Uber app pulled up and the next AKL bus showed up.

All was not lost though! AKL has an amazing pool, pool bar and Victoria Falls Lounge that I enjoyed quite a bit. Plus the quick service breakfast at Sanaa was delicious (still no animals out over there either). The breakfast was not listed anywhere on any of the Jambo house materials so I walked the 10 minutes over to Kidani to check it out and there is a sign at the top of the stairs in the lobby headed down to Sanaa. I think I sat right next to @ariane37 but didn’t want to interrupt her breakfast, especially not being sure :wave2:. Another note, the lifeguards closed the pool at 10pm every night (I thought I had read they were open 24 hours?).

A major highlight was seeing Joe Rohde in the Victoria Falls lounge late on Saturday night (I needed a drink after the bus fiasco from AK). I thought about walking up and telling him how great Pandora was (I had been there that night), but he was with a big group and I’m not the type to interrupt. A pretty cool memory to have even seen him on that day though.

I still love AKL and might even stay there again (in one of those rooms near the stairwell at the end of the Zebra Trail maybe!). It’s a beautiful resort and was a nice respite after the craziness of the parks.

Thanks for your review. And now we know why they are called Savannah View and not Animal View.
 


I apologize I am sure this answer is probably somewhere on the boards but I figured I would ask-

We have AKL booked for November this year. I am not currently a member of Touring Plans- If I sign up and pay the yearly dues- THEY will fax a request for specific rooms we would be interested in staying in?
 
We are staying there in June. Lately I have read so much negative about AKL particularly the buses. Other than the night you waited 45min did you feel the buses were ok?

Honestly I found the AKL bus service to be "ok", not good and definitely not great, like a C-. I know that's probably not what you want to hear, but that was honestly my experience. Others will have had the exact opposite experience so there's just no way to tell what you'll get. I've stayed onsite many times and usually the bus waits are an afterthought. This time I felt like the buses negatively impacted my experience (I was aware of this and was trying really hard not to let it!) If all else fails, call an uber - a much more pleasant experience all around. The times posted at the AKL bus stop for when the next bus is coming definitely help a lot to set expectations - it would be so nice if they were able to have that at the park bus stops too! Sending you lots of pixie dust for good bus luck! pixiedust:
 


Honestly I found the AKL bus service to be "ok", not good and definitely not great, like a C-. I know that's probably not what you want to hear, but that was honestly my experience. Others will have had the exact opposite experience so there's just no way to tell what you'll get. I've stayed onsite many times and usually the bus waits are an afterthought. This time I felt like the buses negatively impacted my experience (I was aware of this and was trying really hard not to let it!) If all else fails, call an uber - a much more pleasant experience all around. The times posted at the AKL bus stop for when the next bus is coming definitely help a lot to set expectations - it would be so nice if they were able to have that at the park bus stops too! Sending you lots of pixie dust for good bus luck! pixiedust:
Thank you for your honest review. We have waited so long to stay at AKL and all the negative I have read is making me nervous!!
We will have my granddaughter with us and she would require a car seat so not sure Uber would be a good plan?? Didn't know how that works w needing a car seat. I have only used it once.
 
Honestly I found the AKL bus service to be "ok", not good and definitely not great, like a C-. I know that's probably not what you want to hear, but that was honestly my experience. Others will have had the exact opposite experience so there's just no way to tell what you'll get. I've stayed onsite many times and usually the bus waits are an afterthought. This time I felt like the buses negatively impacted my experience (I was aware of this and was trying really hard not to let it!) If all else fails, call an uber - a much more pleasant experience all around. The times posted at the AKL bus stop for when the next bus is coming definitely help a lot to set expectations - it would be so nice if they were able to have that at the park bus stops too! Sending you lots of pixie dust for good bus luck! pixiedust:
Agreed! Was there last weekend. We did end up taking an Uber to HS, which was very quick and easy for $8 for 4 of us since we had a reservation and just missed a bus. The busses back to the resort seemed to take a while. Had no problem with bus to AK itself.
 
I apologize I am sure this answer is probably somewhere on the boards but I figured I would ask-

We have AKL booked for November this year. I am not currently a member of Touring Plans- If I sign up and pay the yearly dues- THEY will fax a request for specific rooms we would be interested in staying in?

Exactly! They have a map/room finder feature that you can filter by room type, view, etc. You can see what the views are from the rooms (or closeby rooms - I sent them photos from my balcony for their use). They will send you a reminder email that they can send in a fax request if you've selected a room preference. I got the exact room I requested.
 
Thank you for your honest review. We have waited so long to stay at AKL and all the negative I have read is making me nervous!!
We will have my granddaughter with us and she would require a car seat so not sure Uber would be a good plan?? Didn't know how that works w needing a car seat. I have only used it once.

I'm almost positive that you can request an uber with a car seat, especially in Orlando, but I've not had to do so so haven't looked into it.

I totally understand waiting forever and looking so forward to staying at AKL since that was me just a week ago! Try not to be nervous and second guess yourself. Disney has so many great options, AKL is in no way a bad choice! I am so glad that I got to stay there - nothing like walking into that magnificent lobby at the end of every day. It's a beautiful resort, tons to do, amazing food choices, the pools are awesome, I could go on. If you go into it thinking that the buses will take a little longer than you'd like, you'll be fine. As with most things, it's all about setting expectations :)
 
I'm almost positive that you can request an uber with a car seat, especially in Orlando, but I've not had to do so so haven't looked into it.

I totally understand waiting forever and looking so forward to staying at AKL since that was me just a week ago! Try not to be nervous and second guess yourself. Disney has so many great options, AKL is in no way a bad choice! I am so glad that I got to stay there - nothing like walking into that magnificent lobby at the end of every day. It's a beautiful resort, tons to do, amazing food choices, the pools are awesome, I could go on. If you go into it thinking that the buses will take a little longer than you'd like, you'll be fine. As with most things, it's all about setting expectations :)
True! We stayed at SSR last October and I had read the buses were terrible but we had a great experience w the exception of one morning and that didn't ruin my vacation.
We switched to AKL from WL villas. With the construction there and a change in our party size we decided to switch. This may be the only time we can stay there.
 
I think I sat right next to @ariane37 but didn’t want to interrupt her breakfast, especially not being sure :wave2:.
Aw, you should have said something!! We met up with quite a few Disers during our trip, neither myself nor DH would have minded one bi!! Was it Saturday morning or Monday? We had breakfast there both mornings. We really enjoyed the food and were very thankful they are serving breakfast there now. Interesting what you say about your experience seeing animals. We did not have a savanna view room so I can't speak to that, but we didn't find the animals as plentiful and as easy to find at Kidani as when we stayed at Jambo. Both mornings we ate at Sanaa we picked a table by the window (same table both days, and you know the location if it was me you saw lol) and the wildest animal we saw was a brown bunny rabbit. We could see zebra and I think wildebeasts? far back in a corral, and maybe 9-9:30 the truck would come along spreading food. About 10 minutes or so after that the animals appeared to be let out, but the still pretty much hung in the back, far from the restaurant. I'm sure where they were hanging around gave people in their rooms good views, or at least better views than we were having from Sanaa. As I said though, very pleased with the breakfast food there!
Buses also weren't as great as on our last stay but the only real issue was getting back from DS on Sunday night. And I do want to say here that we've had both excellent and crappy bus service at other deluxes so I really think it's hit or miss.

A major highlight was seeing Joe Rohde in the Victoria Falls lounge late on Saturday night
Very cool! My Dis friend @MeghanEmily and her DF Nathan, whom DH and I were lucky enough to meet on Friday, met Joe at Boma the following morning! Then the owner of the travel agency I work for met him at the Pandora preview a couple days ago :goodvibes
 
Aw, you should have said something!! We met up with quite a few Disers during our trip, neither myself nor DH would have minded one bi!! Was it Saturday morning or Monday? We had breakfast there both mornings. We really enjoyed the food and were very thankful they are serving breakfast there now. Interesting what you say about your experience seeing animals. We did not have a savanna view room so I can't speak to that, but we didn't find the animals as plentiful and as easy to find at Kidani as when we stayed at Jambo. Both mornings we ate at Sanaa we picked a table by the window (same table both days, and you know the location if it was me you saw lol) and the wildest animal we saw was a brown bunny rabbit.

It was Saturday morning and seeing your photo I'm sure it was you! Next time I'll say hi :)
 
I apologize I am sure this answer is probably somewhere on the boards but I figured I would ask-

We have AKL booked for November this year. I am not currently a member of Touring Plans- If I sign up and pay the yearly dues- THEY will fax a request for specific rooms we would be interested in staying in?

Yes, this is true. After you sign up, you can fill out a room finder fax request, and they will send the info you specify over to the hotel about a week before you arrive. We used them for our last trip, and while we didn't receive the exact room number we requested (long shot, anyway), we did receive a comparable room that we enjoyed even more because of the proximity to the restaurants and pool.

I will most likely use touring plans again for our next trip.

P.S. Please keep in mind that even when using a fax service, you are not guaranteed to get the room you request.
 
Very cool! My Dis friend @MeghanEmily and her DF Nathan, whom DH and I were lucky enough to meet on Friday, met Joe at Boma the following morning! Then the owner of the travel agency I work for met him at the Pandora preview a couple days ago :goodvibes

Does Joe visit AKL often? We saw him on our first trip to AKL in Jan of 2016. We didn't say anything, but it was still fun seeing him there.
 
I've been searching for the WDW resort w/ perfect transportation & have yet to find it (I've tried so far: CBR, POFQ, YC, Poly, GF, AKL) in fact every trip we have at least one memorable transportation glitch, in my case more often than not trying to escape DS (formerly DTD.)
It seems if it's crowded there are more frequent buses but they are jammed (& thus take forever to load/unload at intermediary stops) if it's light crowds there are fewer buses thus you wait forever and forever for your bus. And those new automated signs w/ your bus'es ETA - nothing like watching that sign keep extending your bus'es ETA making what was promised to be a 10 minute wait when you walked up into a 30 min. wait by the time the bus rolls in. You want real confusion, I offer you GF or Poly to get to/from MK when the monorail breaks down (hint, sprint for the boats before the crowds realize that's the only option while Disney decides whether to roll out buses.)
In short, every resort has transportation issues, w/ AKL, IMO it's most frustrating when you are trying to go to AK since you know it's only a 5 min. drive - I say we start a petition to bring gondolas to AKL/AK. Next time someone spots Joe Rhode at Victoria Springs you need to ply him w/ alcohol and persuade him we need gondolas (or a walking path) to AK - tell him we can make the gondolas or foliage along the path bioluminescent!
 
I've been searching for the WDW resort w/ perfect transportation & have yet to find it (I've tried so far: CBR, POFQ, YC, Poly, GF, AKL) in fact every trip we have at least one memorable transportation glitch, in my case more often than not trying to escape DS (formerly DTD.)
It seems if it's crowded there are more frequent buses but they are jammed (& thus take forever to load/unload at intermediary stops) if it's light crowds there are fewer buses thus you wait forever and forever for your bus. And those new automated signs w/ your bus'es ETA - nothing like watching that sign keep extending your bus'es ETA making what was promised to be a 10 minute wait when you walked up into a 30 min. wait by the time the bus rolls in. You want real confusion, I offer you GF or Poly to get to/from MK when the monorail breaks down (hint, sprint for the boats before the crowds realize that's the only option while Disney decides whether to roll out buses.)
In short, every resort has transportation issues, w/ AKL, IMO it's most frustrating when you are trying to go to AK since you know it's only a 5 min. drive - I say we start a petition to bring gondolas to AKL/AK. Next time someone spots Joe Rhode at Victoria Springs you need to ply him w/ alcohol and persuade him we need gondolas (or a walking path) to AK - tell him we can make the gondolas or foliage along the path bioluminescent!

YES, YES, YES!!!! ;)
 
While the location and decor was excellent, I did not have good luck viewing animals on the savanna at all. I was typically on my balcony from 7am – 10am every morning and there were never any animals outside my room. There sometimes were 2 giraffes, 2 zebra and 2 other deer type animals on the savanna but WAY on the other side closer to the Kudu Trail rooms so I really couldn’t see them due to distance and being blocked by trees. I could see kinda giraffe legs, but not heads :laughing: One morning they seemed to be huddled over at the end of the Zebra Trail rooms so I decided to go investigate what was over there. From the outside stairwell at the end of the hall I found all the animals! All pacing by the fence seemingly waiting for a keeper to come. Up rolled a golf cart, opened a fence and away went the animals. I understand that you aren’t guaranteed to see animals, and that they have to be fed and looked over and taken care of, but if I’m being honest it was disappointing. Maybe they are out at different times of day? Or again, just my bad luck, but AKL likely won’t get me to pay for a savanna view again, unless I want to watch the pond being drained, cleaned and refilled every morning *newsflash – not worth the money ;).
I have a question about the location of your room. I have requested almost the exact room on the 5th floor. If you were going to do savanna again, would you request the same location? Or what would you do different? I know you said you wouldnt pay for this view again so hypothetically speaking.
Just curious
 
Hi all - back from AKL and wanted to share my thoughts. Goal was to enjoy the balcony overlooking the savanna in the mornings with my coffee, use the pool, and head to parks in the late afternoon/evening. Disclaimer – this is meant to share my specific experience in the hopes it might help others so I understand that YMMV :duck:! I really did have a great trip, and I tried to go into it with low expectations because nothing is guaranteed, but it’s tough when you’re paying that much for a room to see animals and you don’t really see any. Also, I’m longwinded so settle in :coffee: :)

The category I booked was “Queen + Bunk Beds – Savanna View” as it was the only savanna view available with the Passholder discount. Used Touring Plans Room Request Fax Service to request room: Jambo; Flr 3; NW-facing room. Example 3507, 3505, 3509, 3503, 3511 - was assigned room 3505 overlooking Arusha Savanna! It was such a hard decision deciding which Savanna to choose, but wanted to see zebras so ultimately went with Arusha as I had read that was the only savanna with them. I was very excited!

Room was a decent size, was clean upon arrival and kept that way by housekeeping. I had Privacy sign on door in the mornings when most rooms around me were being cleaned so before I left room for the parks in the afternoon I made a quick call to housekeeping to let them know I was leaving and asking them to service the room and it was always taken care of. Bed was totally uncomfortable and made a loud creaking noise whenever I got up. Bring a nightlight because I ran into that darn bunk bed all the time in the middle of the night. Room had a coffee maker with the Cuisinart pods but I got coffee from the Mara as it was a short elevator ride away – so convenient! Loved the location of the room as it was close to pool and also on same level as the lobby.

While the location and decor was excellent, I did not have good luck viewing animals on the savanna at all. I was typically on my balcony from 7am – 10am every morning and there were never any animals outside my room. There sometimes were 2 giraffes, 2 zebra and 2 other deer type animals on the savanna but WAY on the other side closer to the Kudu Trail rooms so I really couldn’t see them due to distance and being blocked by trees. I could see kinda giraffe legs, but not heads :laughing: One morning they seemed to be huddled over at the end of the Zebra Trail rooms so I decided to go investigate what was over there. From the outside stairwell at the end of the hall I found all the animals! All pacing by the fence seemingly waiting for a keeper to come. Up rolled a golf cart, opened a fence and away went the animals. I understand that you aren’t guaranteed to see animals, and that they have to be fed and looked over and taken care of, but if I’m being honest it was disappointing. Maybe they are out at different times of day? Or again, just my bad luck, but AKL likely won’t get me to pay for a savanna view again, unless I want to watch the pond being drained, cleaned and refilled every morning *newsflash – not worth the money ;).

Bus transportation was also not great (more bad luck?). Never waited LESS than 15 minutes for a bus from AKL (to AK, Disney Springs, Epcot, MK) and the wait back on Saturday night from AK to AKL was at least 45 minutes – which I understand can happen, but it is very frustrating when you see 2 buses each come and go for Pop Century, Fort Wilderness and Coronado Springs and none for AKL. I had the Uber app pulled up and the next AKL bus showed up.

All was not lost though! AKL has an amazing pool, pool bar and Victoria Falls Lounge that I enjoyed quite a bit. Plus the quick service breakfast at Sanaa was delicious (still no animals out over there either). The breakfast was not listed anywhere on any of the Jambo house materials so I walked the 10 minutes over to Kidani to check it out and there is a sign at the top of the stairs in the lobby headed down to Sanaa. I think I sat right next to @ariane37 but didn’t want to interrupt her breakfast, especially not being sure :wave2:. Another note, the lifeguards closed the pool at 10pm every night (I thought I had read they were open 24 hours?).

A major highlight was seeing Joe Rohde in the Victoria Falls lounge late on Saturday night (I needed a drink after the bus fiasco from AK). I thought about walking up and telling him how great Pandora was (I had been there that night), but he was with a big group and I’m not the type to interrupt. A pretty cool memory to have even seen him on that day though.

I still love AKL and might even stay there again (in one of those rooms near the stairwell at the end of the Zebra Trail maybe!). It’s a beautiful resort and was a nice respite after the craziness of the parks.
Thanks ceeceegee for the review. Very informative.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top