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

[wen-tom]

we just returned today from a 10 night stay in SSR. We own there but this was our first visit. Last year we stayed at AKV and LOVED every second of it. There were a few teething problems with mousekeeping but they were resolved quickly as soon as we told them.

we found the cm's very friendly and they always managed to help us.

however, SSR was a different story and i'm a little dissapointed to have bought there now.

We arrived early in the morning so didn't expect our room to be ready so went to the parks while we waited. when we returned at 2pm the room was ready and the requests i had made were met which i was really pleased with. being a first time visit i requested a room close to the main pool/dining room etc which we did get - so far so good.

We dropped our cases in the room, al seemed ok so we headed back out for the rest of the day.

when we got back at around 10pm, DH climed into bed and caught his leg on a piece of metal sticking out from the bed! it wasn't safe and so we called the front desk who sent someone over to take a look. when he came to the room he hufffed and puffed and told us it was "only the matress support" and hauled the huge mattress back over the hook as if we should have known that and could have done it ourselves!

we then found that the TV romote control didn't work but decided to srt it out the next day.

when i woke the next day and went to take a shower i noticed nail clippings on the bathroom floor and on the floor of the carpet by the sink. on closer inspection, the carpet had obviously not been vacuumed for some time and there were hairs all over it! YUK!

I was going to hoover it myself but DH said we should call mousekeeping and so we did. they said they would send somene over, we explained that we were just about to leave for the day and they said it would be sorted when we returned. It wasn't and not wanting to be a nuisance i vacuumed myself!

we also found it very frustrating that it was impossible to get a lounger around the main pool unless we wanted to sit there all day! We like to go out in the morning, return at around 2 for a rest around the pool and then head back out later. we couldn't do that at SSR! the pool beds were all full and the majority of the users seemed to be other resort guests pool hopping and/or DVC tour guests who were allowed to remain in the resot following their tour!

I understand that SSR allows pool hopping but we overheard a lot of the people talking about returning to their condo and so they were obviosuly not resort guests at all and were there for the whole day in huge families with family sized coolers for their drinks and snacks! The pool was so full that it was impossible to actually swim. if you could get to the pool you had to stand still for fear of bumping someone!

A few times we took the lengthy walk to one of the smaller pools to be able to relax for a while but felt really let down by this as it is quite a big part of our vacation

this is something that i think they really need to look at.. they should allow either pool hopping to the resort OR allow the tour guests to use it, not both, the pool is not big enough.

the other crazy thing for a resort of this size is the lack of a real indoor bar. we are not big drinkers but on the few nights of rain we would have liked to sit in a bar at the resort as we have done at other resorts (AKV/WL) SSR only has a lounge which although serves drinks, is a little lifeless.

Also, everything seemed to shut down at 11pm. As we dont have children we like to stay at the parks untill late ish and return to the resort at around 10:30pm. we werent even able to get a bottle of water by the time the bus got us back to resort (the vendor was out of stock for the entire time)

again, i'm sorry to any SSR lovers - please no flames. perhaps this was not the norm for SSR but i doubt i will return there in a hurry.

 

[gortman65]

The pool was so full that it was impossible to actually swim. if you could get to the pool you had to stand still for fear of bumping someone!

Did it look anything like this?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1035533/Anyone-seen-rubber-ring-The-worlds-crowded-swimming-pool.html

 

[wen-tom]

OMG!

Honestly, there would have been no room for rubber ings in SSR!

 

[marynvince]

I am going to get flamed, but folks....

What you are expereince with AKL Bell Services is Disney's idea of "DELUXE" service.

I stayed at the "Flagship" Grand Floridian ONCE! Every time I wanted my car it took well over 30 minutes and at least once it took an HOUR! To return the car you went over to the little desk and they SIGHED because you expected them to park your car! ' They didn't want to help me unload my luggage but once I rolled it into the lobby to check in THEN someone waiting in the Air conditioned lobby was more then happy to roll it around for a tip. (No thanks I did the hard part you aren't getting a tip LOL!)


My expereinces at BW and BC have done little to let me think the model has improved.

Disney "deluxe" means "it's pretty to look at, but don't expect us to provide a real deluxe service expereince"

Thats one of the reasons I own DVC. I am good accomodations without paying for daily "housekeeping" that does a so so job. I have good accomodations without feeling quite so ripped off by the slow valet. (Although I don't use them anyplace. I don't feel like tipping for "slow service" LOL!) I have good accomdoations without realizing I am spending $400 a night for overall indifferent service!

Nothing I have read really shocks me. I doubt complaining will do anything. Disney hotel managemetn KNOWS they don't measure up. (They get the independent rating company feedback. They KNOW what it would take to provide top notch service) They don't feel a need to do that. And in truth why should they? The hotels are pretty full, we still bought (including me!) knowing that we were buying a DVC attached to a three star hotel. To suddenly expect "deluxe" service was probably unrealistic!

and I suspect that carries over to how others treat you. When you greet someone, a CM, a guest, a vallet, with a smile and an upbeat attitude you will find that same smile right back at you. When you wear a permenant scowl and expect the worst, I'm afraid you'll never be disappointed.

I have found that understanding, patience and a well placed smile does wonders for getting people to help you out. Try it and let me know how it works for you.

 

[tjkraz]

and I suspect that carries over to how others treat you. When you greet someone, a CM, a guest, a vallet, with a smile and an upbeat attitude you will find that same smile right back at you. When you wear a permenant scowl and expect the worst, I'm afraid you'll never be disappointed.

I have found that understanding, patience and a well placed smile does wonders for getting people to help you out. Try it and let me know how it works for you.

I can't speak for Carol, but I suspect what she's referring goes much deeper than "you reap what you sow."

In my business travels I've stayed at hotels that cost 1/3 of Disney's "Deluxe" yet have far more amenities (free newspaper, free internet, coctails, continental breakfast) along with a staff that seems more consistently in tune with what the guest expects.

Put in as simple terms as possible Disney resorts seem to be more reactive rather than proactive in their interactions with guests.

They don't see me walk in with two young kids and offer balloons--I have to ask if we can have a couple of the balloons behind the counter. They don't go the extra mile to prevent guests from experiencing problems with housekeeping--they just try to fix the issues when reported. CMs don't seem to seek out guests who look lost or who are carrying too much stuff from their trip to DTD--they wait for the guest to ask for help.

Sure some Disney CMs do these things, but the ones who do seem to be the exception rather than the rule. At other upscale hotels, the employee who DOESN'T offer to help is the exception.

That's not to say that I don't appreciate the Disney resorts for what they do have to offer. The accommodations are generally good and we enjoy our vacations. But from a customer service standpoint, they really don't hold a candle other other hotel chains. If I had to guess, I'd say that many CMs have grown jaded or frustrated from dealing with the sheer volume of guests on a daily basis--many of which are guests with extremely high expectations due to the prices Disney charges.

 

[starbox]

we just returned today from a 10 night stay in SSR. We own there but this was our first visit.

I'm guessing your vacation fell right around the fourth of July.

We've never had trouble with pool-crowding at SSR (or any DVC other than BWV). BUT - we've also not visited the week prior to or following a holiday.

I think pools/restaurants/busses are set up to accommodate normal usage. Unfortunately, holidays stretch these resources to the limit.

 

[vicki_c]

I'm guessing your vacation fell right around the fourth of July.

We've never had trouble with pool-crowding at SSR (or any DVC other than BWV). BUT - we've also not visited the week prior to or following a holiday.

I think pools/restaurants/busses are set up to accommodate normal usage. Unfortunately, holidays stretch these resources to the limit.

Wow - I'm glad you mentioned that 4th of July thing. We were just there for 2 days in June (June 15/16) and used the main pool both afternoons and there was hardly anyone there - there were so many empty lounges both days, I couldn't believe it. Although I would expect all the pools to be packed on 4th of July, because many people might choose not to go to a park that day due to the crowds.

We had a wonderful trip to SSR and I can't wait to go back.

 

[wen-tom]

we arrived on the 4th of July and of course expected it to be busy but actually it was busier for the last week of our trip than on the holiday itself.. our first few days although busy, we were able to get at least a table round the main pool.. afterwards, not a thing!

we have stayed at the same time at other resorts and never had this issue.

as i said, maybe it was just bad luck but it has certainly made me think about where i own!

If only there was a way to switch home resorts ...

 

[ITGirl50]

I don't have the planner with me here in WDW, We are in a 1 br at AKV now. It is a value, but matches the floor plan posted by Lisa S. There is that little hallway and there is no door or curtain at the end. It is just DW and I so there is no problem with this.

I guess I do not understand.

Is there a door for the bathroom?

Is there a door for the bedroom?

If there isn't a door for the bathroom, does everyone take a shower in front of everyone?

We plan to take my mother the next trip. I don't think she will like taking a shower in front of everyone. We may have to change resorts if that's the case. I am so confused. Please help!

 

[LisaS]

I guess I do not understand.

Is there a door for the bathroom?

Is there a door for the bedroom?

If there isn't a door for the bathroom, does everyone take a shower in front of everyone?

We plan to take my mother the next trip. I don't think she will like taking a shower in front of everyone. We may have to change resorts if that's the case. I am so confused. Please help!

Yes there are doors to both the bathroom and the bedroom. The problem is that they are not directly connected to one another. If you look back at the floor plan I posted (post #64) that might help. The bedroom and the bathroom are separated by a small hallway. There are doors to both the bedroom and bathroom but you must cross a little hallway to move between the bedroom and the bathroom. You will be in full view of anyone in the kitchen or the part of the living room closest to the kitchen when walking between the bedroom and the bathroom. This is a departure from other DVC resorts where the bathroom is connected directly to the bedroom. In other DVC resorts you can exit the shower and head for the bedroom without being seen by anyone who isn't either in the bathroom or master bedroom.

 

[DisFlan]

We love our BWV, but I have to say that we knew what we were getting when we bought DVC; that Disney no longer provides the wonderful White Glove service and attitude of the 80's and early 90's at ANY of its resorts - deluxe or otherwise. We knew that we were getting a 3 star villa connected to a 3 star resort, so we don't expect more than that - and we enjoy it for what it is. (And as much as we love owning, it CAN at times be a marginal experience.) It's probably a shock to people who expect more. I wouldn't expect the other DVC resorts to be different - they all have their limitations and problems.

This isn't to say I don't think there's room for improvement or that problems shouldn't be reported - there's a LOT of room for improvement, but with Disney's and DVC's current "corporate culture", I don't think much of any depth will happen. We'll continue to visit and enjoy ourselves as we always have - and not let the shortcomings get in our way. There's too much else to enjoy.

DisFlan

 

[ITGirl50]

Yes there are doors to both the bathroom and the bedroom. The problem is that they are not directly connected to one another. If you look back at the floor plan I posted (post #64) that might help. The bedroom and the bathroom are separated by a small hallway. There are doors to both the bedroom and bathroom but you must cross a little hallway to move between the bedroom and the bathroom. You will be in full view of anyone in the kitchen or the part of the living room closest to the kitchen when walking between the bedroom and the bathroom. This is a departure from other DVC resorts where the bathroom is connected directly to the bedroom. In other DVC resorts you can exit the shower and head for the bedroom without being seen by anyone who isn't either in the bathroom or master bedroom.

That's a relief! I booked 11 months ahead of time for Christmas 2008. I thought we had our Christmas vacation messed up.

 

[graygables]

Is there a door for the bathroom?

Is there a door for the bedroom?

If there isn't a door for the bathroom, does everyone take a shower in front of everyone?

I actually like the set up in that other people can use the bathroom at all hours of the night without disturbing anyone sleeping in the bedroom. Of course, we get dressed IN the bathroom after showering, so don't have any issues of leaving the bathroom in our skivvies...

the other thing we liked was the toilet in its own separate room, someone can be using the sink and someone can use the toilet. If you aren't a privacy fiend, someone can still use the toilet while someone showers, too.

 

[bellazachmom]

I actually like the set up in that other people can use the bathroom at all hours of the night without disturbing anyone sleeping in the bedroom. Of course, we get dressed IN the bathroom after showering, so don't have any issues of leaving the bathroom in our skivvies...

the other thing we liked was the toilet in its own separate room, someone can be using the sink and someone can use the toilet. If you aren't a privacy fiend, someone can still use the toilet while someone showers, too.

I agree, I like the layout in regards to someone in the main area being able to access the bathroom without entering the bedroom. HOWEVER, the Member Guide is VERY misleading as it clearly shows some kind of door/curtain for privacy at the entrance to the hallway, not just to the individual bed and bath rooms ... I would be very disappointed if I were to check-in to one of these rooms expecting to be able to use the bed and bath as a "master" bedroom.

I don't think the OP made a mistake at all, when looking at the DVC literature it clearly shows that you could have privacy in the bed/bath area.

I know that there is a disclaimer that states "floor plans and furnishings are subject to change," but this seems like a BIG oversite. Why would DVC go to the trouble of changing the floorplans at OKW for the newer buildings so that you didn't have to access the bedroom for the bath but still had privacy in the bedroom and then make it this way in the other resorts but not do it in this "remodel"?

This will keep me from booking at Jambo house.

 

[lugnut33]

we just returned today from a 10 night stay in SSR. We own there but this was our first visit. Last year we stayed at AKV and LOVED every second of it. There were a few teething problems with mousekeeping but they were resolved quickly as soon as we told them.

we found the cm's very friendly and they always managed to help us.

however, SSR was a different story and i'm a little dissapointed to have bought there now.

We arrived early in the morning so didn't expect our room to be ready so went to the parks while we waited. when we returned at 2pm the room was ready and the requests i had made were met which i was really pleased with. being a first time visit i requested a room close to the main pool/dining room etc which we did get - so far so good.

We dropped our cases in the room, al seemed ok so we headed back out for the rest of the day.

when we got back at around 10pm, DH climed into bed and caught his leg on a piece of metal sticking out from the bed! it wasn't safe and so we called the front desk who sent someone over to take a look. when he came to the room he hufffed and puffed and told us it was "only the matress support" and hauled the huge mattress back over the hook as if we should have known that and could have done it ourselves!

we then found that the TV romote control didn't work but decided to srt it out the next day.

when i woke the next day and went to take a shower i noticed nail clippings on the bathroom floor and on the floor of the carpet by the sink. on closer inspection, the carpet had obviously not been vacuumed for some time and there were hairs all over it! YUK!

I was going to hoover it myself but DH said we should call mousekeeping and so we did. they said they would send somene over, we explained that we were just about to leave for the day and they said it would be sorted when we returned. It wasn't and not wanting to be a nuisance i vacuumed myself!

we also found it very frustrating that it was impossible to get a lounger around the main pool unless we wanted to sit there all day! We like to go out in the morning, return at around 2 for a rest around the pool and then head back out later. we couldn't do that at SSR! the pool beds were all full and the majority of the users seemed to be other resort guests pool hopping and/or DVC tour guests who were allowed to remain in the resot following their tour!

I understand that SSR allows pool hopping but we overheard a lot of the people talking about returning to their condo and so they were obviosuly not resort guests at all and were there for the whole day in huge families with family sized coolers for their drinks and snacks! The pool was so full that it was impossible to actually swim. if you could get to the pool you had to stand still for fear of bumping someone!

A few times we took the lengthy walk to one of the smaller pools to be able to relax for a while but felt really let down by this as it is quite a big part of our vacation

this is something that i think they really need to look at.. they should allow either pool hopping to the resort OR allow the tour guests to use it, not both, the pool is not big enough.

the other crazy thing for a resort of this size is the lack of a real indoor bar. we are not big drinkers but on the few nights of rain we would have liked to sit in a bar at the resort as we have done at other resorts (AKV/WL) SSR only has a lounge which although serves drinks, is a little lifeless.

Also, everything seemed to shut down at 11pm. As we dont have children we like to stay at the parks untill late ish and return to the resort at around 10:30pm. we werent even able to get a bottle of water by the time the bus got us back to resort (the vendor was out of stock for the entire time)

again, i'm sorry to any SSR lovers - please no flames. perhaps this was not the norm for SSR but i doubt i will return there in a hurry.

Couple of questions:

1. You bring up bad CMs, but only mention the toe-nail incident and bed problem (which they did solve, but did they solve it quickly?). Did you have any other bad CM experiences at SSR like during check-in and check-out?

2. You felt down by walking to the smaller pools, or you were let down by not being able to use the big pool?

3. Did you go to any of the bars acorss the water at Downtown Disney? Raglan Road is really a nice bar. I'm sure though you'd have preferred to walk to a bar close to you room, which is understandable.

4. I think at 11 Downtown Disney is just ramping up. Did you check that out?

 

[Ksp]

I have a question for those of you who have already stayed at AKL
- just how dark are the rooms?

I visited the "sample" room over at SSR at the DVC center, and while I personally like the way the darker color scheme looks, my concern stems from some vision problems that I have in low lighting.

I've heard some people express how dark the rooms seem - is it just that the furniture is dark, or is the lighting an issue in the rooms, as well??

 

[wen-tom]

Couple of questions:

1. You bring up bad CMs, but only mention the toe-nail incident and bed problem (which they did solve, but did they solve it quickly?). Did you have any other bad CM experiences at SSR like during check-in and check-out?

2. You felt down by walking to the smaller pools, or you were let down by not being able to use the big pool?

3. Did you go to any of the bars acorss the water at Downtown Disney? Raglan Road is really a nice bar. I'm sure though you'd have preferred to walk to a bar close to you room, which is understandable.

4. I think at 11 Downtown Disney is just ramping up. Did you check that out?

Hi, hopefully I can answer your questions - maybe i gave the wrong impression of the CM's.. we didn't really have a problem with the CM's. they were always friendly enough although apart from checking in/out and reporting things, we didn't really have any reason to contact the front desk. the CM's around the resort were all very friendly - apart from the servers at artists point who seemed rather upset at having to serve us. they almost threw a flatbread at DH!
they did resolve the bed problem quickly but i did stress that we were waiting to go to sleep!

We were let down by not being able to use the main pool area. we accepted that there were smaller pools and so when we couldn't use the main pool we accepted the lengthy walk but were a little dissapointed as it seemed that the only reason we couldn't use the main pool was due to pool hoping and the fact that the DVC allow all people on the tours to stay at the resort for the rest of the day. these people obviously knew that in advance and so brought their entire families! I just felt that we shouldnt have tio use another pool because of this!

We do visit Downtown disney often which was one one the main reasons we bought into SSR. However, we dont necessarily want the clubs and so wont pay for admission to pleasure island clubs (soon to be closed anyway) but we would occasionally have liked to have 1 drink when we retured to SSR at night. Mostly after the parks as it would ave been too late to make use of DD but too early to go to bed.
There would have been no time to get to DD when we returned from a park at 10pm with the bus service as it was. the boat service was often closed for storms.
Typically in other resorts we sat in the bar until maybe 11:30-12pm and so werent looking for a late night bar as such. It just seemed that if you returned to SSR after 10:30PM you had no choice than to go to bed. The main building (artists pallet etc) seemed a little reluctant to serve us afer this time, maybe they were worried we would overstay our welcome

dont get me wrong, we had a great time, but the resort didn't really add anything to the trip as AKL has in the past.

 

[wen-tom]

I have a question for those of you who have already stayed at AKL
- just how dark are the rooms?

I visited the "sample" room over at SSR at the DVC center, and while I personally like the way the darker color scheme looks, my concern stems from some vision problems that I have in low lighting.

I've heard some people express how dark the rooms seem - is it just that the furniture is dark, or is the lighting an issue in the rooms, as well??

the rooms are fairly dark. there is the usual lighting with many different lamps around the room but it can seem dark if you have the curtains drawn or if it is actually dark outside. we used the bathroom for getting dressed etc as it was the brightest part of the room. I think the decor does make it a little dark but personally i like that. i guess its personal choice.

if you have problems with low light it may be an issue for you.

i hope this helps.

 

[vicki_c]

the fact that the DVC allow all people on the tours to stay at the resort for the rest of the day. these people obviously knew that in advance and so brought their entire families!

Is this true? How do you know this? (I hadn't understood your earlier post about "tour" people using the pool, but I didn't ask). I've been on the tour at SSR and never heard any such thing, nor was anything like that offered to us. I've never heard about anyone on the DVC tour being able to use the pool, but maybe I just never heard about it.

Again, the pool was pretty uncrowded on the days I was there, so I didn't see any families with coolers camping out for the day!

 

[lugnut33]

Thanks for the answers Wen-tom.