Just Back - 10 Days at AKV - Probably Won't Return

[HollyH]

Ok... No flames please from AKV lovers out there. Some good things but I have to say that our overall experience at this resort was disappointing on many levels. Except for BCV we've stayed at all the DVC Resorts and were anxious to try AKV.

First off, The positives. We were in a 2bd lockoff on the Zebra Trail facing the Uzima Savannah. Great views from our 5th floor (5457 & 5459). Extremely quiet. You would never have known construction was going on. Easy access to the pool, jacuzzi & restaurants. Magical Express worked perfectly both from and to MCO. Airport CK-In in the lobby for our return was very smooth. Jikos and Bomas (as expected) were both amazing.

The negitives.
My fault. We had a party of six (all adult) and seemed very tight with space this time. I guess, my fault, I didn't look carefully enough at the floor plan but we had 2 in the studio rm and in the 1bdrm there were 2 on the pull out couch in the living rm and my DH and I in the master bedroom. For the amount of points we were using I just assumed (my fault) that there would be a privacy door to the bathroom from the master bedrm. Nope. Very awkward for my DH & I. Again.. my fault and I should have looked more carefully (or packed a robe).

Their fault.
Mousekeeping: Wow.... this is the first time we have ever come into a room not cleaned properly at a Disney Resort. We had to rewash dishes & pick up trash in the master bedroom. The place looked as if it hadn't been dusted for several turnovers. No spare toilet paper, just what was on the roll and when I approached a CM in the hallway for an extra roll you would have thought I was robbing her especially when I asked for extra garbage bags too!. She never said one word to me. Just handed me the items and turned back to what she was doing. We had to remake the bed when we turned in for the night. They hadn't even tucked in the bottom sheet! Just layed it over the top of the bed!
Bell Services: Overwhelmed is the best word for them. We had a Garden Grocer delivery upon check in and it took 3 calls and 2 hours later to get it delivered. Since we were there for 10 days we had additional items we ordered later so we went down to get them instead of waiting.
CM's: With the exception of Bell Services (who were really nice), we were amazed at what seemed to be a lot of negitivity with the AK CMs in front of guests. We were completely ignored by a CM and her supervisor in the lobby until she was finished discussing how badly she had to pee and hadn't had a break. Zawadi Marketplace CMs complaining to each other about the guest they just had while waiting on us! She then snapped at us that we were too early to pick up a pkg delivered from the parks but she'd ck anyway (it was more than 24 hrs and it WAS there). Mousekeeping seems to be the most disgruntled complaining about shifts, etc. Those are just a few examples. Overall it seemed so many just didn't want to be there and did not want to be helping you. In all our years coming to WDW we have never experienced this. Maybe they've cut back on CMs and those still there are overwhelmed. I don't know but it felt like we were bothering anyone we approached and we are real easy going people!
The Rooms: Maybe this will correct itself when Kidani Village opens but for now... it seems as if the furniture is too big for the rooms. The door to our master bedroom barely clears the bed! The furniture and accessories are beautiful, they just don't seem to fit in Jambo House properly so everything seems cluttered. It almost seems they were trying too hard to get DVC in there when they weren't ready to be a DVC Resort.
Transportation: Just seemed to take forever. Most times it averaged 30 minutes but it was nothing to wait sometimes 45 minutes for your bus to arrive. When you're the farthest resort from the park you'd expect a little longer wait but 45 minutes seemed extreme. That was not a one time thing.

The (gulp) Guests:
OK... I guess we're DVC snobs but at all the DVC Resorts we've stayed (and we've been members since '99) we have had a great experience with our neighbors on property. Most of the guests being DVC members too. Everyone smiles at each other, says good morning, holds a door open, gives up a bus seat for someone more in need. You get the idea. In this case... I did not feel like I was at a DVC Resort. Guests were rude, pushy and no good mornings in the hallways. One example...we were first at the bus stop having just missed one. When the bus finally arrived we were pushed so far back by guests cramming in front of us that we didn't make it on! The entire ten days we were there, only once, did I witness an AK guest give up his seat for a needy passenger. My DH & I never thought twice about it. We always stood if need be. Manners were few and far between. Just didn't feel like what we experience with DVC'ers and we missed that touch. Instead of "Welcome Home" by your neighbor it was more "Get out of my way".

Again... no flames please. I understand that AKV for some of you is a favorite resort and works for you. Based on our trip... it didn't work for us. Just didn't seem like they were ready for DVC yet. This is just our family's overall experience and I'm happy if your experience was better. I'm glad we tried it but I think next time we'll stay at OKW!

Thanks for reading.

 

[wink13]

Thanks for the review. We are staying at AKV in Ocotober so I'm hoping we don't have a similar experience. We'll have a car and drive to most parks so transportation won't be an issue. I've not heard to many negative review but glad to read as many review good and bad.

We've stayed at BCV, BWV and OKW and loved them all so we'll see what AKV will be like for us.

Thanks again for your post.

 

[disneynutz]

Ok... No flames please from AKV lovers out there. Some good things but I have to say that our overall experience at this resort was disappointing on many levels. Except for BCV we've stayed at all the DVC Resorts and were anxious to try AKV.

First off, The positives. We were in a 2bd lockoff on the Zebra Trail facing the Uzima Savannah. Great views from our 5th floor (5457 & 5459). Extremely quiet. You would never have known construction was going on. Easy access to the pool, jacuzzi & restaurants. Magical Express worked perfectly both from and to MCO. Airport CK-In in the lobby for our return was very smooth. Jikos and Bomas (as expected) were both amazing.

The negitives.
My fault. We had a party of six (all adult) and seemed very tight with space this time. I guess, my fault, I didn't look carefully enough at the floor plan but we had 2 in the studio rm and in the 1bdrm there were 2 on the pull out couch in the living rm and my DH and I in the master bedroom. For the amount of points we were using I just assumed (my fault) that there would be a privacy door to the bathroom from the master bedrm. Nope. Very awkward for my DH & I. Again.. my fault and I should have looked more carefully (or packed a robe).

Their fault.
Mousekeeping: Wow.... this is the first time we have ever come into a room not cleaned properly at a Disney Resort. We had to rewash dishes & pick up trash in the master bedroom. The place looked as if it hadn't been dusted for several turnovers. No spare toilet paper, just what was on the roll and when I approached a CM in the hallway for an extra roll you would have thought I was robbing her especially when I asked for extra garbage bags too!. She never said one word to me. Just handed me the items and turned back to what she was doing. We had to remake the bed when we turned in for the night. They hadn't even tucked in the bottom sheet! Just layed it over the top of the bed!
Bell Services: Overwhelmed is the best word for them. We had a Garden Grocer delivery upon check in and it took 3 calls and 2 hours later to get it delivered. Since we were there for 10 days we had additional items we ordered later so we went down to get them instead of waiting.
CM's: With the exception of Bell Services (who were really nice), we were amazed at what seemed to be a lot of negitivity with the AK CMs in front of guests. We were completely ignored by a CM and her supervisor in the lobby until she was finished discussing how badly she had to pee and hadn't had a break. Zawadi Marketplace CMs complaining to each other about the guest they just had while waiting on us! She then snapped at us that we were too early to pick up a pkg delivered from the parks but she'd ck anyway (it was more than 24 hrs and it WAS there). Mousekeeping seems to be the most disgruntled complaining about shifts, etc. Those are just a few examples. Overall it seemed so many just didn't want to be there and did not want to be helping you. In all our years coming to WDW we have never experienced this. Maybe they've cut back on CMs and those still there are overwhelmed. I don't know but it felt like we were bothering anyone we approached and we are real easy going people!
The Rooms: Maybe this will correct itself when Kidani Village opens but for now... it seems as if the furniture is too big for the rooms. The door to our master bedroom barely clears the bed! The furniture and accessories are beautiful, they just don't seem to fit in Jambo House properly so everything seems cluttered. It almost seems they were trying too hard to get DVC in there when they weren't ready to be a DVC Resort.
Transportation: Just seemed to take forever. Most times it averaged 30 minutes but it was nothing to wait sometimes 45 minutes for your bus to arrive. When you're the farthest resort from the park you'd expect a little longer wait but 45 minutes seemed extreme. That was not a one time thing.

The (gulp) Guests:
OK... I guess we're DVC snobs but at all the DVC Resorts we've stayed (and we've been members since '99) we have had a great experience with our neighbors on property. Most of the guests being DVC members too. Everyone smiles at each other, says good morning, holds a door open, gives up a bus seat for someone more in need. You get the idea. In this case... I did not feel like I was at a DVC Resort. Guests were rude, pushy and no good mornings in the hallways. One example...we were first at the bus stop having just missed one. When the bus finally arrived we were pushed so far back by guests cramming in front of us that we didn't make it on! The entire ten days we were there, only once, did I witness an AK guest give up his seat for a needy passenger. My DH & I never thought twice about it. We always stood if need be. Manners were few and far between. Just didn't feel like what we experience with DVC'ers and we missed that touch. Instead of "Welcome Home" by your neighbor it was more "Get out of my way".

Again... no flames please. I understand that AKV for some of you is a favorite resort and works for you. Based on our trip... it didn't work for us. Just didn't seem like they were ready for DVC yet. This is just our family's overall experience and I'm happy if your experience was better. I'm glad we tried it but I think next time we'll stay at OKW!

Thanks for reading.

Sorry you had a bad time. People are amazing aren't they.

I appreciate you posting here but I would request that you cut and paste your post and email it to the Member Satisfaction Team. Include your name and phone number and they will call you to discuss your experience. If we don't share our experiences with the MST things will never improve.

dvcmembersatisfactionteam@disneyvacationclub.com

 

[snowbunny]

Mousekeeping: She never said one word to me. Just handed me the items and turned back to what she was doing. We had to remake the bed when we turned in for the night.

No flames here - we found Mousekeeping very nice in the hallways and we did get our trash/towel service on day 4. One question though - were you on full-service mousekeeping?

Bell Services: Overwhelmed is the best word for them. We had a Garden Grocer delivery upon check in and it took 3 calls and 2 hours later to get it delivered.

Bell services was horrible. I've detailed the experience elsewhere here but there was literally no effort made to get a package up to us despite repeated requests (we knew it had been delivered hours earlier). The weakest link in the hotel, and that's saying something.

CM's: We were amazed at what seemed to be a lot of negitivity with the AK CMs in front of guests.

Agree, the front desk CMs in particular are overwhelmed and not real helpful. However - the valet guys (don't even know whether they work for Disney) were simply great.

It almost seems they were trying too hard to get DVC in there when they weren't ready to be a DVC Resort.

Totally agree...the staff seems overwhelmed with the number of guests and not able to deal with issues as they arise. As to the furniture, our 1BR was very comfortable and I liked the layout a lot.

I'm with you though, next trip I think we will head back to the Boardwalk.

 

[dvcdisney]

I can emphathize. We were also really excited to stay at AKV. We had stayed there (AKL) 6 years ago and it was great. The people and CM's were the friendliest I have ever seen. They took the time to speak to my son about the resort and really interesting facts. They didn't look hurried. The bell services has given us a short tour as we were going to our room. She was so friendly and seem genuinely excited to see us.

We were there this past March and we had so many problems, it was unbelievable. Some of the CM's seem a little aloof. Reservations were lost, then the room was not correct and then our DDP was charged twice and no one seemed to understand why it was charged to my credit card again in the middle of my vacation without my authorization. All we got was .

However, I didn't find the guest any better or worse. There will always be very rude guests in every resort. We found some wonderful friendly ones whom we spoke to for a while.

But I did notice a change in service in Boma. We were dining late the night we checked in and the front staff of Boma was thoroughly annoyed that we were there. We had an ADR for 8:30pm and we arrived 8:25pm. All I heard from the two women in the check in was contant sighing. They were also in slow motion. Everything these two were doing seemed like such a chore. I know this was definitely not magical. (By the way, I thought they were just having a bad day and was quite tired. But we were there a few days later and had a very early dinner, and these two women had the same attitude and demeanor. I just ignored it and had a nice meal.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Well, that doesn't make me feel very good about owning at AKV! We bought there specifically because of the good experiences we have had at AKL.

We are leaving for WDW in 3 weeks. Our last 4 nights will be in a studio at AKV. I hope the room is reasonably clean and that we aren't waiting 45 minutes for buses.
I had read some reports about CMs being really indifferent a couple of months ago, but then I hadn't read anything bad lately. Sounds like things are still kind of spotty.

 

[LisaS]

I'm sorry your trip didn't go well!

We were in a 2bd lockoff on the Zebra Trail facing the Uzima Savannah. Great views from our 5th floor (5457 & 5459).

I'm building a database of Jambo House rooms. Do you happen to remember which room number goes with the studio and which was the 1BR? As you walked into the 1BR from the hallway, was the studio to your left and the master bedroom to your right?

I didn't look carefully enough at the floor plan but we had 2 in the studio rm and in the 1bdrm there were 2 on the pull out couch in the living rm and my DH and I in the master bedroom. For the amount of points we were using I just assumed (my fault) that there would be a privacy door to the bathroom from the master bedrm. Nope. Very awkward for my DH & I. Again.. my fault and I should have looked more carefully (or packed a robe).

I agree with you. If you have guests staying in the studio but sharing the kitchen and living area, it's an awkward arrangement because you have no way to move between the bedroom and bathroom without being seen. It looks like they could have put a sliding door across the front of that little hallway between the master bedroom and bathroom, allowing people to close off that area.

Fortunately that won't be a problem in the Kidani 1BRs. Since they will have a second bathroom behind the kitchen, the master bath is only accessible via the master bedroom.

 

[DebbieB]

The negitives.
My fault. We had a party of six (all adult) and seemed very tight with space this time. I guess, my fault, I didn't look carefully enough at the floor plan but we had 2 in the studio rm and in the 1bdrm there were 2 on the pull out couch in the living rm and my DH and I in the master bedroom. For the amount of points we were using I just assumed (my fault) that there would be a privacy door to the bathroom from the master bedrm. Nope. Very awkward for my DH & I. Again.. my fault and I should have looked more carefully (or packed a robe).

There wasn't a separate door for the bathroom? You had to enter through the bedroom? I was in a conceirge 1 bedroom 2 weeks ago, there was the door for the master bedroom, a hallway (w/washer & dryer in closet), then the door for the bathroom.

 

[HollyH]

There wasn't a separate door for the bathroom? You had to enter through the bedroom? I was in a conceirge 1 bedroom 2 weeks ago, there was the door for the master bedroom, a hallway (w/washer & dryer in closet), then the door for the bathroom.

DebbieB: Yes you are correct. That was what we had too. The other DVC 1 bdrms we've been in had direct access to the bathroom from the bedrm. That's why I said it was my fault I didn't look at this rm plan closely enough. I didn't want to have to walk through the hallway after taking a shower with our guests in the living room.

Disneynutz: We will definitely email MST. Thanks for the link.

Snowbunny: We were on regular mousekeeping. All the housekeeping issues I stated were when we checked in! The call for toilet paper was a few days later. Unfortunately it never got better.

LisaS: The studio was #5457. The 1 bedroom was #5459. When you entered the 1 bedroom unit, the studio was on the left and the master on the right.

 

[drag n' fly]

Thanks for posting this! Forward your concerns as suggested and keep us posted if you hear anything.

 

[corvair]

I have to agree with bell services...we were there June 25 and 26....I called and called and called and could not get throught to bell services....I called for over 45 minutes...I finally called the front desk...they said I will make sure your luggage is delivered.....One hour later ...no luggage... so it is like 2 hours now and no luggage...I said to my kids lets go get it...we were even on the conceige level...we only had 3 small suitcases... when I got down to bell services...there were 3 people there doing nothing..I said please can I get my suitcases...they kind of looked at me and laughed...they thought it was very funny. They could of cared less....very rude...

I have to say when I called valet...they were very good...car was always there when we got down there..

amy

 

[snowbunny]

I called and called and called and could not get throught to bell services....I called for over 45 minutes...I finally called the front desk...they said I will make sure your luggage is delivered....

I went that same route and then it dawned on me that the front desk calls go to a call center. So I went down to the front desk; they promised bell services would leave the box in my room while we were out to dinner. Back at 11 pm, no box - this was a full 8 hours after it was delivered. I marched back down to front desk and bell services and announced I was not moving from there until they produced my package. Magic, out it came.

 

[MinnieGi]

Thanks for posting and so sorry your stay was not up to par at all. I'm bummed to hear from you and several other posters that the cms were not friendly and attentive. That is such a reversal from our two trips to AKL several years ago where I found the most friendly cm's everywhere at the resort and one of the reasons I was looking forward to trying a stay at AKV. Also the transportation several years ago was great!! Non-crowded buses arrived within 10 minutes or less of each other. Well I hope they work out their kinks because I do want to stay there when Kidani opens.

 

[dizney4us]

Sorry your experience wasn't as good as expected. Hopefully in time things will be running smoothly, maybe there is just too much going on there right now. Just a guess.

 

[CarolA]

Well considering the only time I have seen a guest threaten to break a CMs legs it was a DVC owner... I don't think that we have a lock on being good guests LOL! (As a matter of fact due to some other pretty sad behavior I don't wear or carry anything that identifies me as a DVC member. I don't want to be presumed guilty by association!)

 

[moredisneyplease]

Sorry for your poor experiences. All I can say for the people at the resort, i think things might be a bit different when Kidani opens and its all DVC people

 

[TDC Nala]

I'm afraid if you run into me anywhere I won't talk to you in the hallways if I don't know you, and I've stayed at all the DVC resorts and been a member since 2002. Sorry.

 

[DebbieB]

I think it's kind of strange the way they rushed the renovation of the Jambo House rooms and the setup is different than the other DVC rooms, including Kidani. There is no glass shower like the other DVC's and we found the jacuzzi tub/shower difficult to get into, no second bathroom door as mentioned. I have the feeling that they were not filling the AKL rooms and decided they could make money by making some DVC but the existing construction make it difficult to make the rooms like the other DVC's. I loved the kitchen setup with the island, kind of like OKW. It will be interesting to see what happens when Kidani opens. Since the points are the same, it will probably be first choice because of more room, will they be able to fill Jambo? It seems like it should be less points especially since Kidani has an extra bathroom (1 bedroom and larger).

 

[snowbunny]

I'm afraid if you run into me anywhere I won't talk to you in the hallways if I don't know you, and I've stayed at all the DVC resorts and been a member since 2002. Sorry.

How odd. If someone says "good morning" to me as we pass in the hall, it would not occur to me to not respond, regardless of whether I know the person.

 

[bwvBound]

It seems like it should be less points especially since Kidani has an extra bathroom (1 bedroom and larger).

I agree. Having stayed once -- I will not choose to stay in Jambo's DVC rooms again.