JAMBO! The UN-official AKL Thread ~ UPDATED(short film/pg 8 & slideshow/pg 12) Part 2

[BensMom]

...and their 'stinkeroo' Opening Day game...??!?!?



....

...and, in case I don't get the chance later:

HAPPY EASTER!!

Happy Easter to you too!

Yes, Kimmar, that opening day game was SHAMEFUL! Poor Schilling. I think he's feeling the pressure of Dice-K, who was absolutely stellar yesterday. Sorry for the NYY loss last night against TB . Let the games begin!

 

[BensMom]

Here's a list of the construction that will/is occuring at AKL:

2) Interior conversion of 5th and 6th floor rooms into DVC villas. This will not effect anyone's "views" since all the construction is interior. You might HEAR them (depending on where they're currently working) between 9 AM and 5 PM, but I can't see how your view would be impacted. MOST of the conversion is slated to be done, or just finishing, around December of this year. The only thing left SHOULD be the conversion of the rooms around the lobby area and the concierge rooms.

3) The construction of the new Kidani village building. It's being built on the Sunset Savannah side of the resort, but MOST of the construction is a fair bit from the main lodge, across the savannah. You may see, in addition to the savannah view you have, the vertical construction, but I doubt it will eliminate your view all together. I also doubt MOST of the lodge will hear the construction going on...The current "guess" is the building will start construction sometime either late this year or early next, since the phases are not slated to open until sometime in '09.

Absolutely can be heard from Zebra Trail! Wow, and it's long after 5 PM, unfortunately. Forget the mid-day nappy poos. Lots of construction trucks coming in and out at the end of Osceola Parkway. As I said, you can get a good view of the beginning of the construction and all the trailers as you look out on the balcony of that little sitting area to the left of the DVC desk.

I had no idea it was affecting some of the fifth floor as well. Very interesting. We didn't buy AKL points so we probably can't book right away, but as soon as we can book, I can see a good chunk of our 900 points will go to AKLV!!! They just gotta put those neo-angle hottubs in the rooms though!!!

 

[CJsMom]

Absolutely can be heard from Zebra Trail! Wow, and it's long after 5 PM, unfortunately. Forget the mid-day nappy poos. Lots of construction trucks coming in and out at the end of Osceola Parkway. As I said, you can get a good view of the beginning of the construction and all the trailers as you look out on the balcony of that little sitting area to the left of the DVC desk.

I had no idea it was affecting some of the fifth floor as well. Very interesting. We didn't buy AKL points so we probably can't book right away, but as soon as we can book, I can see a good chunk of our 900 points will go to AKLV!!! They just gotta put those neo-angle hottubs in the rooms though!!!

Hmm, I wonder if they will be done in December? Maybe I'll add earplugs to our packing list! I'm hoping to get the kiddos to nap on the days that we will be out late at night - but who am I kidding - they haven't napped in years so they probably won't. It'll turn into tv/rest time. It's my DH who will need the earplugs!! And I'll be too excited to nap.

Bensmom - would you say that hearing the construction affected your stay there? Was it so bad that you considering staying somewhere else? Like your home 8 miles away?

 

[hastrobb]

We are booked for August standard view. I had planned on napping in the afternoons. Do you think this will be a problem?

 

[ang38]

So..is it true that ALL of the deluxe 5th floor rooms will now be DVC? If so..where will a family of 5 stay if they can't get a deluxe room?

 

[RachelTori]

We are booked for August standard view. I had planned on napping in the afternoons. Do you think this will be a problem?

Maybe they'll have all the heavy hammering finished by then?!! (one can hope, but bring earplugs just in case! )

We'll be there the end of May. I'm not going to worry about it because I know when all the work is done, the place will be more magnificent than ever! I'll be sure to post an update when we get home June 5th.

 

[ms_mckenna]

We are booked for August standard view. I had planned on napping in the afternoons. Do you think this will be a problem?

I am right there with you, we are afternoon break people as well. I keep going back and forth about picking somewhere else. Honestly makes me sad to think of moving but I am not sure what to do. My only no brainer switch was Poly and it is booked. So I just do not know what to do. Wishing I had a crystal ball .

 

[BensMom]

Hmm, I wonder if they will be done in December? Maybe I'll add earplugs to our packing list! I'm hoping to get the kiddos to nap on the days that we will be out late at night - but who am I kidding - they haven't napped in years so they probably won't. It'll turn into tv/rest time. It's my DH who will need the earplugs!! And I'll be too excited to nap.

Bensmom - would you say that hearing the construction affected your stay there? Was it so bad that you considering staying somewhere else? Like your home 8 miles away?

Wiseguy! NOOO. We wanted to "get away" cuz it was DS's school break, although it was only for two nights. Still relaxing. I think it'll probably be done by then, don't ya think? (Dec)

Of course, I am so used to NOT having construction, it was a bit annoying, but, hey, it's progress. Looking forward to spending some of our DVC points in a villa, so we got over it. We ate at Artist Point last night, and I still say AKL is my fav, although Beach Club and WL are my two backups. I have become a bit intrigued by the Poly lately, but we haven't ventured to stay there yet. We are saving our points for the Disney Cruise overseas at this point. My fiance keeps giving points out and he had given a wedding gift to a relative for her honeymoon...a week at Old Key West. So, I guess we should stay at our house in Celebration more!

 

[CJsMom]

Wiseguy! NOOO. We wanted to "get away" cuz it was DS's school break, although it was only for two nights. Still relaxing. I think it'll probably be done by then, don't ya think? (Dec)

Of course, I am so used to NOT having construction, it was a bit annoying, but, hey, it's progress. Looking forward to spending some of our DVC points in a villa, so we got over it. We ate at Artist Point last night, and I still say AKL is my fav, although Beach Club and WL are my two backups. I have become a bit intrigued by the Poly lately, but we haven't ventured to stay there yet. We are saving our points for the Disney Cruise overseas at this point. My fiance keeps giving points out and he had given a wedding gift to a relative for her honeymoon...a week at Old Key West. So, I guess we should stay at our house in Celebration more!

Believe me, I am just jealous! If only I lived so close to the World! I've just gotta talk my DH into DVC. Then I've just gotta get another job to pay for it!

Glad to see that Dice K is earning his keep so far...

 

[BensMom]

I know. It was a huge decision moving from MA 10 years ago. And then another huge decision to move from the Fort Lauderdale area up to Central FL. It was the best thing I ever did from a kid-raising perspective. So much to do here, even taking Disney out of the mix. Southeast Florida, in my opinion, was not a good place to raise children. Here, it's pretty cool.

DVC is a great thing, sort of prepaying your vacations. Disney has a great product as far as timeshares go. I guess you need to assess what you spend currently on your vacations and then compare to what the carrying costs are (yearly maintenance and financing) with DVC. Resales are a good way to go, but do your homework.

 

[Funniebunny]

I'm now a little concerned about the construction, I thought it may be finished by the end of the year. We travel out to WDW on the 26 Nov for our wedding and will be staying at AKL for a week, my Fiance's brother will also be staying there. We have not been advised about this by our tour operator, do you think we should switch hotels?

 

[johnsonet]

Just returned from AKL; had a standard room booked and we were upgraded to pool view on the 5th floor - Giraffe Trail. Had never stayed on that trail before and it was AWESOME!
Re. construction, never SAW or HEARD anything at all
Place was mobbed with guests, though. Spring Break/Easter week is crazy but Disney pulled it off as usual
From my balcony I could see across to the 5th floor rooms on Zebra Trail and there was plastic on every sliding glass door...
Giraffe Trail was very peaceful, with excellent proximity to almost everything. Loved it!
The resort looked great, the CMs were friendly and Jiko was terrific as always

 

[RachelTori]

Just returned from AKL; had a standard room booked and we were upgraded to pool view on the 5th floor - Giraffe Trail. Had never stayed on that trail before and it was AWESOME!
Re. construction, never SAW or HEARD anything at all
Place was mobbed with guests, though. Spring Break/Easter week is crazy but Disney pulled it off as usual
From my balcony I could see across to the 5th floor rooms on Zebra Trail and there was plastic on every sliding glass door...
Giraffe Trail was very peaceful, with excellent proximity to almost everything. Loved it!
The resort looked great, the CMs were friendly and Jiko was terrific as always

Thanks for the update! That's the reassurance many of us were hoping for! Congrats on the room upgrade. Do you have any pictures to post?

 

[johnsonet]

I'm glad to reassure people that AKL doesn't look, feel or sound like a construction site! That's not to say that there are not some rooms that might offer a different experience. I hope not. A friend was there with a room overlooking the Sunset Savanna and she had the same experience. No noise and no visible construction. There was a note in our room explaining the construction of the AKL DVC to guests...

Sorry - i no longer post my photos on the Internet

Everything looked really good though. I must say, however, that I can't wait to go back at a less busy time of year It's fine for me b/c I know my way around so well and know the parks, resorts, restaurants,etc. but for a first-time guest and for people with no plan as to where they're going, where everything is, I can imagine that going during Peak season would be frustrating, to say the LEAST.

 

[BensMom]

Well, I think you never heard anything because the standard rooms will not be turned into DVC rooms, which are Savannah rooms. There is certainly construction and you certainly hear it depending on where your room is located. We were in a Savannah room, way at the end of Zebra Trail. So, call ahead and book a standard room. This should cover you. Besides, by November, all the drilling will be done. I can't imagine they'd be still knocking down walls, etc. by then. Hakuna matata!

 

[CJsMom]

This was on another thread:

"well, after all the info about the construction and all the good things I've seen about CSR I've changed our reservation. When I spoke to the CM this morning she said the construction is moving inside the buildings at AKL as of May, into ALL the buildings and you will most definately "notice" the noise and construction equipment. If you're out all day every day she said you wouldnt notice as they're done by 4 - 5pm but if like us you have rest days at the resort it will be something you will see and hear. We live on a construction site and we dont want to see anymore! so - off to CSR we go, she said we'll love it, we'll go back to AKL once the renovations are done, and we've saved $1000 into it as well! from wat I can see CSR is between moderate and deluxe so I hope we'll like it - I'm sure we will."

I don't get it - isn't the construction already "inside" the building?
The OP said she's going in October. I wasn't worried about the construction at all, since we won't be there until December, but now I'm thinking should I be worried?

 

[RachelTori]

This was on another thread:

"well, after all the info about the construction and all the good things I've seen about CSR I've changed our reservation. When I spoke to the CM this morning she said the construction is moving inside the buildings at AKL as of May, into ALL the buildings and you will most definately "notice" the noise and construction equipment. If you're out all day every day she said you wouldnt notice as they're done by 4 - 5pm but if like us you have rest days at the resort it will be something you will see and hear. We live on a construction site and we dont want to see anymore! so - off to CSR we go, she said we'll love it, we'll go back to AKL once the renovations are done, and we've saved $1000 into it as well! from wat I can see CSR is between moderate and deluxe so I hope we'll like it - I'm sure we will."

I don't get it - isn't the construction already "inside" the building?
The OP said she's going in October. I wasn't worried about the construction at all, since we won't be there until December, but now I'm thinking should I be worried?

Good question. But my question would be - who is the CM that gave that info? Often times CMs have mis-information, but then again, often times their info is correct. I do think WDW owes it to their guests to be honest and forthright about any inconveniences the construction may cause. Jeez, there are people on other threads tickled pink that they "got" AKL for next month and how wonderful and peaceful their trip will be. I have a feeling they haven't been keeping up!

You still have plenty of time before your December trip, but I would probably be making some phone calls next week. If you still feel uneasy about it, then maybe you should consider a different resort.

 

[Funniebunny]

I saw a map on another site which shows when construction is happening and that is what concerned me.

The main building has construction until May 2008, which is classed as phase one. It will convert the rooms on the 5th and 6th floors to DVC rooms. From what I can see on the map some of the standard rooms may also be affected

 

[RachelTori]

I saw a map on another site which shows when construction is happening and that is what concerned me.

The main building has construction until May 2008, which is classed as phase one. It will convert the rooms on the 5th and 6th floors to DVC rooms. From what I can see on the map some of the standard rooms may also be affected

I would ask your tour operator to get some definite answers for you. I know this is a very special occasion for you and you're traveling a great distance to even get there. Did you consider other resorts or was it AKL all the way? WL would be cost-comparable. How about the WL Villas?

 

[Funniebunny]

Hi RachelTori,

My Fiance loved the look of AKL so that was the only place we were really interested in. We've just had a look at WL and will call our tour operator tomorrow. We're both a bit sad about the possibility of moving restorts though, but we do want a peaceful holiday