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

[DVC Mike]

I've had nothing but great stays at AKL/AKV and the Cast Members have always gone above and beyond to make each visit magical!

 

[rashba9]

Last October, our stay in a one bedroom overlooking the savanna went without a catch. I don't recall any cast members being rude. This is the first time of 25 or so visits we did not have a car. I was shocked how efficient the bus service from AKV's was!

As far as rude persons goes... in all of our visits, the guests who drag their kids around from 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM wanting to get every last cent from their park admission (regardless of where they are staying) cannot be topped!

 

[50 years Too!]

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

We stayed one night to check it out before transferring to VWL. We had the same experience with bell services. I called THREE times to have them pick up my owner's locker. Took over an hour and 1/2. If I were stronger, I'd just carry it myself. Note to self: Pack a handtruck next time I stay at AKV!

My room was very clean, however.

Deb

 

[GRUMPY1967]

We stayed one night to check it out before transferring to VWL. We had the same experience with bell services. I called THREE times to have them pick up my owner's locker. Took over an hour and 1/2. If I were stronger, I'd just carry it myself. Note to self: Pack a handtruck next time I stay at AKV!

My room was very clean, however.

Deb

They could have been busy seems that hotel is having higher then normal numbers since the DVC rooms have been opened.

Grump

 

[tjkraz]

They could have been busy seems that hotel is having higher then normal numbers since the DVC rooms have been opened.

I don't see that as a valid excuse.

There are only 134 DVC rooms at Jambo. And those rooms were created by taking about 300 existing rooms out of service.

Even if occupancy is higher, it shouldn't be more than a moderate increase for a resort that started with 1300 rooms. Adding a staff member or two to departments already containing seasoned veterans shouldn't lead to major disruptions in service.

Not to mention the fact that the villas began opening more than a year ago, and has been completely open for 6 months. How long does it take to schedule staff appropriately and remind CMs to smile a little more?

 

[gkrykewy]

I will be sure to take notes of the number of smiles, neutral expressions, and scowls among AKL staff during our August 17-27 stay. I'll prepare various graphs for the board to present the resulting info.

In addition, whenever I see a neutral expression or scowl - I'll say something like, "would you like to trade pins? I'll give you my smiley for your grumpy!"... or "that frown isn't very magical!"... or "looks like someone has a case of the mondays."

Just my way of improving things for future guests . I'll report back.

 

[princessvacg]

In fairness, the only CM that we encountered at AKV that was not great was the one at check in. She wasn't rude, just disinterested. Every other CM, bell services, mousekeeping, maintenance, other front desk staff, and animal guides, were perfect, Disney quality and on a par with other great CMs that we have experienced on other trips.


So I do think that it is unfair to paint a whole resort rude because of one CM.

It was not 1 CM at check in. There were a couple of issues. I did not want to make my post a AKV bashing session. I still had a wonderful time and it is still my favorite resort and it was still absolutly wonderful. My point basically was that BCV had unbelieveable customer service and AKV's had a little work to be done. Instead of reading between the lines of my post for the negatives try looking for the positives.

 

[AKV707]

It was not 1 CM at check in. There were a couple of issues. I did not want to make my post a AKV bashing session. I still had a wonderful time and it is still my favorite resort and it was still absolutely wonderful. My point basically was that BCV had unbelievable customer service and AKV's had a little work to be done. Instead of reading between the lines of my post for the negatives try looking for the positives.

I apologize. I was not responding to the original post. I did read your entire post, and your points are valid and I did see the positives as well.

 

[kimberh]

I get so confused when people post these kinds of responses, remember, just because you never experienced any problems, doesn't mean they can't happen to anyone else. IMHO, it can't be generalized by a simple idea that "Your trip is what you make it!" as certain basic expectations not being met may be a big deal to some - having to sweep up someone else's body clippings, or, scrubbing down a toilet from a previous guest, are two areas that are not acceptable at all for me. I simply call to mousekeeping and get it done, but, I shouldn't have to call in the first place, it should already be done. This may not spoil the trip for me, but it may for someone else and this is all that is important. These are simple and basic housekeeping requirments that should be met each and every time a guest's room is prepared. People need to stop harping on those other posters who have had issues in this respect - it is not resort bashing at all, as it speaks volumes as to quality control issues.

I am not a 'complainer' or 'resort basher', and in fact, in many cases, I find those two terms to be insulting. I purchased a very expensive product from Disney as a DVC member (Canadian dollars that cost more at the time), and I expect my room to be clean, CMs to be cordial and courteous for the most part, and my bags not to be lost within the resort. Is this just happening at AKL? No, it's happening at all Disney resorts. Disney products have all been slipping over the past few years - merchandise, dining, parks and resorts. I have stayed at almost every resort and eaten at all restaurants, and this I can attest to.

As tjkraz pointed out above, Disney seems to be apathetic and this my friends, is very dangerous. If indeed they are at a point of not caring as much, then we are all in trouble. I see this around me everyday that I step out into my community, drive to work, or, turn on the TV. Is it a sign of our times? Is it Disney overload - maybe they are tired of themselves? Not sure, but as someone who has spent thousands of dollars on a product that I and my family will be enjoying for 50 more years, I intend to challenge them to do better. Vacuuming the floor is not doing better, but just doing the bare minimum, of this I think we all can agree on.

As I stated, I have experienced the same inconsistencies at AKL over the past few years, both as a cash guest and DVC. That means it is the resort itself that has work to do. We bought at AKL because my hubby and kids love animals, but it does concern me each time we stay there and see the same things happening. It means they haven't corrected stuff and the status quo is running just fine over there - that will not work for me for any length of time. So, since I am used to assessing and observing all day long as a Special Education teacher (I am very easygoing on vacation as nothing compares to the traumas that my at-risk students experience), I will continue to assess and observe while enjoying the very expensive product that I purchased from Disney. If something isn't up to my standards, then I will communicate it back to the resort, and then again to MS, as I have been doing.

It is very insulting to label posters as 'complainers' or 'resort bashers'. The fact is, everyone's perception is different, but that is not for you or I to decide. It is for MS to decide that - please continue to bring issues to the attention of the resort (whatever resort it is), and then again to MS as a way of double checking on the process. As someone who is part of group membership, I am doing this for me, as well as for all of you. Hopefully, if we all continue to remember that we have a duty and responsibility to our membership, then we can actively challenge Disney to do better. Disney has never been known to just operate in a sloppy or inconsistent manner, or, as per 'status quo' and so as DVC members, we need to continually remind them of this.

Tiger

Well, I've been out of the country for a week, so I feel I have a few things to clear up. Is it ok for you to post what you don't like, but it's not ok for me to post what has went the opposite for me? I have stayed at AKL/AKV's on Numerous occasions. This is our favorite resort. We have always had a positive reaction from the front desk. I have witnessed resort guests yelling at them ( at different resorts) because they did not like their room. When this happens through out the day, what type of reaction would you or I be able to give someone? I just smile at them, tell them how much I appreciate what they are doing. Maybe this is what starts the positive reaction I receive. If you, or anyone else have a bad time, well, I am sorry, I have not had one, I am not going to post that I have. As for saying, your trip is what you make it, well it is. So is Life. I will not retract this. This is how we live. We didn't have the best view in Grand Cayman, did if ruin my trip? No. As for emailing MS all the time, I will leave that up to others. It will have to really be something bad, before I will email MS. I owe 5 contracts, I have a major investment. I assure you that if I see my interest deteriorating, I will notify MS.

 

[snowbunny]

I just smile at them, tell them how much I appreciate what they are doing. Maybe this is what starts the positive reaction I receive.

Or maybe not. I do that too, and the service at AKV was still subpar in some (not all) areas, particularly the front desk.
On the Dis, however, blaming the victim never goes out of style

 

[kimberh]

Or maybe not. I do that too, and the service at AKV was still subpar in some (not all) areas, particularly the front desk.
On the Dis, however, blaming the victim never goes out of style

Heaven forbid, we are to post when we had a good trip. When our pagers work, How is that blaming the victim? Please explain???

 

[ITGirl50]

I like to read the negatives sometimes, so I can be prepared to react appropriately if they happen to me.

But, bad experiences happen everywhere. We paid big $$ for concierge at WL last December. The concierge CMs were rude and unresponsive. The following happend with the CMs:

1. On our way up to concierge check-in our guide, said "oh, I have guests to bring up" I'm like, "aren't we guests too?" She picked us up instead of another family and kept telling us that over and over again on the way up the elevator.

2. It literally took 15 minutes just to get our park hopper passes. The CM had no idea how to do it.

3. I wanted to change dinner reservations and I had to wait for the CM to help "a guest downstairs" instead helping me standing right in front of him (he said this twice). He left to help his guest downstairs.

We didn't dress poorly and we smiled when we asked for help. Honestly, I shower multiple times a day. I have no idea why they didn't think my family were real guests. Very strange. We weren't staying on points.

I'm a person who doesn't like to get this kind of attitude, but if I got angry with them, I think it would have made me feel worse than being treated like a nobody.

We didn't let it ruin our experience at Christmas, but it did make the whole experience less special (first time to stay concierge). We still want to stay concierge at WL again. The rest of the experience was okay (except boat transportation). All I can say is that it was a VERY strange experience. IMO, I just think they didn't know what they were doing. It was nothing personal.

 

[DeeCee735]

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.

Don't worry.....be happy - you own at AKV! AWESOME! We just added on there and will not regret it one bit. I am very sorry that the OP had such a terrible stay there - that's a bummer, but I'm open to experiencing AKV time and time and time again, and loving it.

We were there for only 2 days this past April - my DH and I, and had a wonderful time.

We had a one bedroom, with the bathroom across the hall from our bedroom, I didn't even think about it, nor would I if I had people in the living room - we don't typically sleep in inappropriate garments anyway, and anyone we'd take with us wouldn't mind seeing us in jammies so that isn't or never will be an issue for us.

As far as mousekeeping - place was immaculate - like eat off the floor immaculate - the bathroom was gorgeous, the kitchen/living room plenty spacious - again it was just the two of us, but easily we could have been 5 and there'd be plenty of space.

Bell Services - they were great! We checked in very early - like 8:30 a.m., put all our stuff in with Bell Services and went to Mara for a bite to eat and then to the pool for the day. I left so much of my "sitting in the sun" stuff in my luggage, I had to go into Bell Services twice to get this or that. Each time they were friendly and accomodating. I did not wait for their attention at all, and since I had no idea where in my bags I had put what I was looking for - flip flops, hat, sunscreen and my book, they took me into the luggage storage area, found my bags right away, lifted my heavy bags on and off the rack (we had a split weeklong stay) and waited for me to find what I needed, walked me back out to the lobby, all the while nice and friendly.

Transportation - we aren't really for the buses at ANY DVC resort - I guess we take "spoiled" one step further. First of all, we usually have our car, but when I travel with friends I fly and we don't have a car. Getting to and from the parks, I'm perfectly fine with waiting on a bus - I've waited up to 40 minutes at other DVC resorts, but never used a bus at AKV so I can't comment on that. Other than going to and from the parks, i.e. other resorts/downtown disney, if I have no car - I use cabs. Quick, easy, comfortable and we look at it as just part of the vacation budget, and we don't drop a bundle taking a cab a few times during the week anyway, so if we have a dining reservation, or plan to go shopping or to see Cirque, or a waterpark for that matter - we'll hop in a cab.

Staff/CM's - this trip especially we found the staff to be very friendly. At Mara in the morning rush, very nice ladies behind the check out stations, in Boma at check in for our ressie, very nice ladies behind the counter and a very nice - and attentive - waiter taking our dirty dishes and refilling our drinks - no complaints. But our best experience was at the lounge before our dining reservation. We sat at the bar and had a couple of drinks and an appetizer and talked to a CM by the name of Patrick. He was very informative, very friendly. We asked specifically about the Disney College Program on behalf of our son and he was filled with information and even offered us his email should my son want to contact him further. The other two bartenders were very funny and friendly and made our time there very enjoyable. The CM's in the store in the lobby (this is my favorite on property store overall) were very helpful, and patient. I purchased some fragile items that needed to be wrapped very well, and the woman took as long as was necessary to wrap everything up really well - while another woman worked the cash register for the other guests.

Other Guests - We did not encounter problems with other guests while at AKV or in WDW on this trip, for that matter, but unfortunately sometimems people anywhere forget to just be nice and smile - and unfortunately Disney goer's aren't immune to this. If and when it happens to us, we remember that we are on vacation and having a good time, and we feel sorry for those crabs that don't realize that for themselves - we just blow it off


We hope you have a wonderful time and we hope you love your new home away from home.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Thanks! We're leaving on Friday, and we are looking forward to it. We have always had good experiences at AKL in the past, so hopefully that will continue! I just can't help that little nagging worry that says it is my turn for a not-so-magical visit!

 

[kimberh]

I like to read the negatives sometimes, so I can be prepared to react appropriately if they happen to me.

But, bad experiences happen everywhere. We paid big $$ for concierge at WL last December. The concierge CMs were rude and unresponsive. The following happend with the CMs:

1. On our way up to concierge check-in our guide, said "oh, I have guests to bring up" I'm like, "aren't we guests too?" She picked us up instead of another family and kept telling us that over and over again on the way up the elevator.

2. It literally took 15 minutes just to get our park hopper passes. The CM had no idea how to do it.

3. I wanted to change dinner reservations and I had to wait for the CM to help "a guest downstairs" instead helping me standing right in front of him (he said this twice). He left to help his guest downstairs.

We didn't dress poorly and we smiled when we asked for help. Honestly, I shower multiple times a day. I have no idea why they didn't think my family were real guests. Very strange. We weren't staying on points.

I'm a person who doesn't like to get this kind of attitude, but if I got angry with them, I think it would have made me feel worse than being treated like a nobody.

We didn't let it ruin our experience at Christmas, but it did make the whole experience less special (first time to stay concierge). We still want to stay concierge at WL again. The rest of the experience was okay (except boat transportation). All I can say is that it was a VERY strange experience. IMO, I just think they didn't know what they were doing. It was nothing personal.

You know, who can really explain that? The cast member made a error. I would have felt just as you have posted... I am a guest too. I may have even said it. My goodness how much did you pay? I paid over $ 3000.00 (room Only)for the people pen view, the point I was trying to make(earlier) was, it didn't ruin my trip. It didn't make me cry. I feel we all take things in a different frame of mind. Was I happy over it? No. Did it ruin my trip? No. That was the very same trip where I witnessed the front desk being Yelled at and I mean YELLED at, by a woman that was LIVID. It didn't do a bit of good. The resort was full, they could not move her. She wanted another room. It was Thanksgiving Weekend. This was before DVC. The resort was all cash. I learned a long time ago to pick my battles, and I do pick them. It has taken years for me to get to this point in my life.
On my Concierge stay at AKV, I had another family walk right in front of me while I was at the concierge desk checking in, I looked at them and said," I am checking in" they just looked at me like they did not even see me. I think people are so in their own world. She said," We just have a question." I would have waited and asked my question, never would I have been so rude. It only took a few minutes to check in.

 

[Tiger926]

Heaven forbid, we are to post when we had a good trip. When our pagers work, How is that blaming the victim? Please explain???

It's blaming the victim since each one of your posts talks about how you are cordial and kind, yet you see CMs getting repeatedly yelled at by rude guests; therefore, we should all cut them some slack and should understand why they may be frustrated. You seem to be reminding those of us who have had issues that we need to pick our battles and be nice - let me assure you, I don't ever battle with Disney, as that isn't a worthy battle (we are on vacation for goodness sakes!), and I am always kind and respectful, as that is who I am, yet I have had issues. Since I know that it's not because of my bad behaviour, then it's there because AKL has issues in this respect.

You don't know me, but I can assure you that I am always and mean always kind to CMs, despite having been treated downright rudely by them in the past. As I stated, I deal with student traumas each day, so I know that nothing compares to that, so it takes a lot to get me stressed - when I'm at WDW, I'm not stressed at all. I do cut them a lot of slack as the person before me could have really ripped them a new one, but that being said, it doesn't justify the issues that many of us have had with AKL.

You get what you give, in most cases, but with Disney CMs, sometimes I get stuff that I never gave out. Does this happen just at Disney World? Nope! No matter where I go, I'm met with rudeness and apathy - shopping, restaurants, doctor's office, etc. This is the sad state of our society, but, when I am at the place that used to set the standard for exemplary customer service on a consistent basis, I don't expect that type of behaviour, on a regular basis. I expect the issues would have sorted themselves out by now, and they have not as myself and many others are continually reporting on the same problems. Just because many of you have had issue-free vacations, doesn't mean that AKL is off the hook. Even one issue like some of the ones that have been mentioned are too much, IMHO.

Please don't think I am singling you out - I am just responding to your continual posts about guests abusing CMs. That is not always the case - in my case, it's never the case, yet we have had issues. Issues that I must remind you have been beyond our control. Despite this, we still love AKL, and will do even more in our power to make sure that the proper people are notified if and when problems arise.

Happy vacationing to all, Tiger

 

[kimberh]

It's blaming the victim since each one of your posts talks about how you are cordial and kind, yet you see CMs getting repeatedly yelled at by rude guests; therefore, we should all cut them some slack and should understand why they may be frustrated. You seem to be reminding those of us who have had issues that we need to pick our battles and be nice - let me assure you, I don't ever battle with Disney, as that isn't a worthy battle (we are on vacation for goodness sakes!), and I am always kind and respectful, as that is who I am, yet I have had issues. Since I know that it's not because of my bad behaviour, then it's there because AKL has issues in this respect.

You don't know me, but I can assure you that I am always and mean always kind to CMs, despite having been treated downright rudely by them in the past. As I stated, I deal with student traumas each day, so I know that nothing compares to that, so it takes a lot to get me stressed - when I'm at WDW, I'm not stressed at all. I do cut them a lot of slack as the person before me could have really ripped them a new one, but that being said, it doesn't justify the issues that many of us have had with AKL.

You get what you give, in most cases, but with Disney CMs, sometimes I get stuff that I never gave out. Does this happen just at Disney World? Nope! No matter where I go, I'm met with rudeness and apathy - shopping, restaurants, doctor's office, etc. This is the sad state of our society, but, when I am at the place that used to set the standard for exemplary customer service on a consistent basis, I don't expect that type of behaviour, on a regular basis. I expect the issues would have sorted themselves out by now, and they have not as myself and many others are continually reporting on the same problems. Just because many of you have had issue-free vacations, doesn't mean that AKL is off the hook. Even one issue like some of the ones that have been mentioned are too much, IMHO.

Please don't think I am singling you out - I am just responding to your continual posts about guests abusing CMs. That is not always the case - in my case, it's never the case, yet we have had issues. Issues that I must remind you have been beyond our control. Despite this, we still love AKL, and will do even more in our power to make sure that the proper people are notified if and when problems arise.

Happy vacationing to all, Tiger

I am sorry if I have offended you. You are right I do not know you, as you do not know me. If I have a negative experience, I will probably keep it to my self. I assure You, I will deal with it at the Lodge. I will not leave the Lodge without it being attended to. Here is wishing you many Happy Vacations!

 

[Tiger926]

I am sorry if I have offended you. You are right I do not know you, as you do not know me. If I have a negative experience, I will probably keep it to my self. I assure You, I will deal with it at the Lodge. I will not leave the Lodge without it being attended to. Here is wishing you many Happy Vacations!

No worries - no offence taken! I just wanted to remind people that there are many experiences that happen that are 'beyond our control.' I am someone who lives by the credo: You get what you give, but in many instances as of late at WDW, I find this not to be true and that is what I wanted to clarify.

Happy vacationing to all, Tiger

 

[Kosmc4]

We've been members since 96 and still no tails to tell like this. Sorry it didn't go so well.