Just Back From 5 Nights at AKV

[famsen]

This was our first trip as members but we did stay as non-members at SSR last October. I am conflicted. I love the atmosphere of AKV but I did not feel "at home" at all. We waited a long time for our room to be ready and once we got into our 1 Bedroom unit, we discovered it was a handicapped accessible room. It was nothing like the demo units we visited at SSR and at Doorway to Dreams. I didn't ask for a different room because we were so tired from driving 1,100 miles and then waiting a few hours for the room and it was HOT last week. We just wanted to put our things away and relax for the evening.I now know to request that we don't get that type of room for future stays.

While we were there on Wednesday, the fire alarms went off intermittently for about a half hour. No one could tell us if it was a false alarm or if we should evacuate. As soon as the alarms went off(ear drum piercingly loud) we grabbed our purses and wallets and went to the hallway. Someone from housekeeping came out of a room she was cleaning and told us "It's alright. It's just a test. You can go back inside your room."
We went back inside our room and within 5 minutes the alarms went off again. We left our room again and this time the housekeeper said "I will call to make sure it's a test." There were many other guests in the hall wondering what was happening. Many people had their bags. I called the front desk and they knew nothing about the alarms going off at all. I asked if we should evacuate and I was told "stay put. We''ll look into it and call you back".At this point I felt a little bit like I was on the Titanic and being told "not to worry".
A housekeeping manager called me back and said it was just a test. I told him that I am all for testing but people need some kind of warning because next time there is a real fire, people will think it's just a test.

Other than that little semi-terrifying moment, everything at AKV went smoothly. To me, the rooms already seemed a little dated. Maybe it's the darkness of the decor. We were very comfortable but the place is very large and the walks could be long. The bus service was pretty bad though. The biggest lines were for the AK and they had only one bus coming every 20 minutes or so. A couple of times the buses completely filled up and we had to wait for another bus. The Mara paled in comparision to the offerings at the quick service food offerings at SSR. The Mara to me also seemed like a cafeteria you might find at a local zoo. I do love Boma though.

Overall, I think I liked our stay at SSR better. I don't like the fact that the rooms at SSR are exterior, but I liked the brighter decor better and the staff was much friendlier. On the other hand, I can't wait for Kindani Village to open.

Does anyone know if Kidani Village will have more than one bus stop? Do non-handicap rooms at AKV right now have a bathtub or just a shower like in the room we got?

 

[gkrykewy]

If you don't want a handicap accessible room, you should always request a non-accessible room with your reservation (even at SSR). We hate them too - got one on our honeymoon at Wilderness Lodge, but fortunately they were able to swap it after a night. The non-handicap rooms have tubs (and whirlpool tubs in the 1BRs, so you really got shafted!).

Your complaints about bus service are a bit surprising - usually the bus service is GREAT, as it's direct and not shared. Kidani will have its own stop, but buses will probably be shared with AKL.

The decor is a matter of preference - we love the AKL theming. In any case, SSR is ENORMOUS, so if you prefer it, you shouldn't ever have problems booking there at 11 or 7 months, depending on where you bought.

 

[LisaS]

The rooms in Jambo House are different from the model rooms which show the rooms they are building in Kidani. The main differences in the 1BRs are that Kidani will have two bathrooms (master plus a small bathroom behind the kitchen) while Jambo has just the master bath. Jambo's master bath has a combined whirlpool tub/shower while Kidani will have a separate shower stall next to the whirlpool tub. The kitchens are laid out differently: Jambo has an L-shaped kitchen with an island, Kidani will have a U-shaped kitchen. Kidani's living area will be wider so overall the room is larger.

If you wouldn't mind, what was your room number? I'm putting together a list of the HA rooms in Jambo House. And just so I understand how the room is set up, there was just a roll-in shower and no tub at all?

 

[famsen]

If you wouldn't mind, what was your room number? I'm putting together a list of the HA rooms in Jambo House. And just so I understand how the room is set up, there was just a roll-in shower and no tub at all?

We were in 5319. We had no tub at all, just the roll-in shower.

 

[AKV707]

LisaS, are there HA value rooms as well? Do you know which ones?

 

[famsen]

If you don't want a handicap accessible room, you should always request a non-accessible room with your reservation (even at SSR). We hate them too - got one on our honeymoon at Wilderness Lodge, but fortunately they were able to swap it after a night. The non-handicap rooms have tubs (and whirlpool tubs in the 1BRs, so you really got shafted!).

Your complaints about bus service are a bit surprising - usually the bus service is GREAT, as it's direct and not shared. Kidani will have its own stop, but buses will probably be shared with AKL.

The decor is a matter of preference - we love the AKL theming. In any case, SSR is ENORMOUS, so if you prefer it, you shouldn't ever have problems booking there at 11 or 7 months, depending on where you bought.

I thought we were going to have a whirlpool tub but then I thought maybe they were supposed to be only in the Kidani Village rooms. I REALLY feel let down. Our legs and feet were killing us and any kind of tub to soak in would have been wonderful.

I just want to say that we have never been to WDW during the first week in May and I was surprised by how crowded it was. Some wait times for rides were over an hour. It was also very hot-80s to lower 90s.

 

[Bichon Barb]

The rooms in Jambo House are different from the model rooms which show the rooms they are building in Kidani. The main differences in the 1BRs are that Kidani will have two bathrooms (master plus a small bathroom behind the kitchen) while Jambo has just the master bath. Jambo's master bath has a combined whirlpool tub/shower while Kidani will have a separate shower stall next to the whirlpool tub. The kitchens are laid out differently: Jambo has an L-shaped kitchen with an island, Kidani will have a U-shaped kitchen. Kidani's living area will be wider so overall the room is larger.

If you wouldn't mind, what was your room number? I'm putting together a list of the HA rooms in Jambo House. And just so I understand how the room is set up, there was just a roll-in shower and no tub at all?

LisaS, do you think the rooms in Jambo will be the "value" rooms? I didn't know this about the one bedrooms only have one bathroom. To be honest, I'm not liking that.

 

[RLRDA]

I just want to say that we have never been to WDW during the first week in May and I was surprised by how crowded it was. Some wait times for rides were over an hour. It was also very hot-80s to lower 90s.

We're just back from a 5 night stay at BCV and my DH and I were just saying the exact opposite of this. This is just our perception, though. Yes, in the middle of the afternoon it was in the high 80's but there always seemed to be a breeze, the mornings were nice and the evenings were pleasant/breezy. There was not one drop of rain.

As for crowds/wait times...we walked on quite a few rides. Most rides had a 15-20 minute wait posted (which was actually less). We usually did Fast Pass for the major rides (EE, Soarin, TT) - they may have had the longest wait times but I'd be hard pressed to remember many that topped 1 hour. If we used FP we had to come back 45-60 minutes later but there were plenty of smaller rides to ride to pass the time. My DH and DS9 walked on Rockin' Rollercoaster three times (consecutively) on Wednesday 5/7 - in the afternoon. They were shocked .

We may have been lucky but this is pretty much what we experienced each day. This is the third time we've been in the 1st -2nd week of May.

 

[Starr W.]

We're just back from a 5 night stay at BCV and my DH and I were just saying the exact opposite of this. This is just our perception, though. Yes, in the middle of the afternoon it was in the high 80's but there always seemed to be a breeze, the mornings were nice and the evenings were pleasant/breezy. There was not one drop of rain.

As for crowds/wait times...we walked on quite a few rides. Most rides had a 15-20 minute wait posted (which was actually less). We usually did Fast Pass for the major rides (EE, Soarin, TT) - they may have had the longest wait times but I'd be hard pressed to remember many that topped 1 hour. If we used FP we had to come back 45-60 minutes later but there were plenty of smaller rides to ride to pass the time. My DH and DS9 walked on Rockin' Rollercoaster three times (consecutively) on Wednesday 5/7 - in the afternoon. They were shocked .

We may have been lucky but this is pretty much what we experienced each day. This is the third time we've been in the 1st -2nd week of May.

We were down last year in that time frame and loved it. Not long waits, FP the majors with no problem. I remember the "perception" issue last year, I didn't think any of the parks were anywhere near being crowded(Thanksgiving is our usual time) and others saying it was packed and "why weren't these kids in school."

I loved early May,

 

[gkrykewy]

I thought we were going to have a whirlpool tub but then I thought maybe they were supposed to be only in the Kidani Village rooms. I REALLY feel let down. Our legs and feet were killing us and any kind of tub to soak in would have been wonderful.

Just remember to ALWAYS ALWAYS request a non-handicap room in the future. I don't blame you for feeling let down, but look on the bright side - this was only a 5 night stay, and you have 50 years to enjoy your whirlpool tubs from now on.

The handi-rooms really bother me, although I'm not sure what else they can do. The bathroom feels like a hospital, and the lack of tub is a material reduction in amenities.

 

[famsen]

We're just back from a 5 night stay at BCV and my DH and I were just saying the exact opposite of this. This is just our perception, though. Yes, in the middle of the afternoon it was in the high 80's but there always seemed to be a breeze, the mornings were nice and the evenings were pleasant/breezy. There was not one drop of rain.

As for crowds/wait times...we walked on quite a few rides. Most rides had a 15-20 minute wait posted (which was actually less). We usually did Fast Pass for the major rides (EE, Soarin, TT) - they may have had the longest wait times but I'd be hard pressed to remember many that topped 1 hour. If we used FP we had to come back 45-60 minutes later but there were plenty of smaller rides to ride to pass the time. My DH and DS9 walked on Rockin' Rollercoaster three times (consecutively) on Wednesday 5/7 - in the afternoon. They were shocked .

We may have been lucky but this is pretty much what we experienced each day. This is the third time we've been in the 1st -2nd week of May.

Wow! On Monday night, the wait time posted for Peter Pan was 20 minutes and we actually waited in that never ending line for 40 minutes! I have never waited for that ride for more than 10 minutes. At Epcot we got a Fast Pass for Test Track that had a return time of 3 hours later!
I guess I am used to taking our trips during the first week in October. There was such a huge crowd difference from that time of year, it reminded me of when we used to go in July.

 

[LisaS]

LisaS, are there HA value rooms as well? Do you know which ones?

I don't know of any yet. I've been relying on trip reports and so far I haven't seen a report of an HA Value room. Some times I get a hint where they might be from the floor plans but we've had reports of rooms that did not match the published floor plan so you can't really rely on them.

 

[AKV707]

I don't know of any yet. I've been relying on trip reports and so far I haven't seen a report of an HA Value room. Some times I get a hint where they might be from the floor plans but we've had reports of rooms that did not match the published floor plan so you can't really rely on them.

Thanks lisa. If you don't know of any yet, no one does!

 

[locodemickey]

I don't know of any yet. I've been relying on trip reports and so far I haven't seen a report of an HA Value room. Some times I get a hint where they might be from the floor plans but we've had reports of rooms that did not match the published floor plan so you can't really rely on them.

I am staying in three different values this summer. Should I request a non-handicapped room just in case there are these types of rooms in the value category. I am so glad I read these boards. You all keep me well informed

 

[TDC Nala]

There were many other guests in the hall wondering what was happening. Many people had there bags. I called the front desk and they knew nothing about the alarms going off at all. I asked if we should evacuate and I was told "stay put. We''ll look into it and call you back".At this point I felt a little bit like I was on the Titanic and being told "not to worry".

People actually take their suitcases when evacuating for a fire?

If you're actually evacuating, you're not supposed to use the elevators. They're planning on getting the suitcases down the stairs? Evacuees would need to share AKL's "people pens" with suitcases?

I'd think it'd be better to grab the wallet or the bag with the ID and money and good stuff in it and leave the suitcases.

 

[drag n' fly]

This was our first trip as members but we did stay as non-members at SSR last October. I am conflicted. I love the atmosphere of AKV but I did not feel "at home" at all. We waited a long time for our room to be ready and once we got into our 1 Bedroom unit, we discovered it was a handicapped accessible room. It was nothing like the demo units we visited at SSR and at Doorway to Dreams. I didn't ask for a different room because we were so tired from driving 1,100 miles and then waiting a few hours for the room and it was HOT last week. We just wanted to put our things away and relax for the evening.I now know to request that we don't get that type of room for future stays.

While we were there on Wednesday, the fire alarms went off intermittently for about a half hour. No one could tell us if it was a false alarm or if we should evacuate. As soon as the alarms went off(ear drum piercingly loud) we grabbed our pursed and wallets and went to the hallway. Someone from housekeeping came out of a room she was cleaning and told us "it's alright. It's just a test." You can go back inside your room.
We went back inside our room and within 5 minutes the alarms went off again. We left our room again and this time the housekeeper said "I will call to make sure it's a test." There were many other guests in the hall wondering what was happening. Many people had there bags. I called the front desk and they knew nothing about the alarms going off at all. I asked if we should evacuate and I was told "stay put. We''ll look into it and call you back".At this point I felt a little bit like I was on the Titanic and being told "not to worry".
A housekeeping manager called me back and said it was just a test. I told him that I am all for testing but people need some kind of warning because next time there is a real fire, people will think it's just a test.

Other than that little semi-terrifying moment, everything at AKV went smoothly. To me, the rooms already seemed a little dated. Maybe it's the darkness of the decor. We were very comfortable but the place is very large and the walks could be long. The bus service was pretty bad though. The biggest lines were for the AK and they had only one bus coming every 20 minutes or so. A couple of times the buses completely filled up and we had to wait for another bus. The Mara paled in comparision to the offerings at the quick service food offerings at SSR. The Mara to me also seemed like a cafeteria you might find at a local zoo. I do love Boma though.

Overall, I think I liked our stay at SSR better. I don't like the fact that the rooms at SSR are exterior, but I liked the brighter decor better and the staff was much friendlier. On the other hand, I can't wait for Kindani Village to open.

Does anyone know if Kidani Village will have more than one bus stop? Do non-handicap rooms at AKV right now have a bathtub or just a shower like in the room we got?

What is your home resort? I was kind of confused about that I believe their is a resort for everyone depending on your tastes and preferences. I really dislike SSR because the buildings look like the agriculture barns up here that we put cattle in however you prefer it. I am glad you found a resort you are comfortable with though

 

[famsen]

What is your home resort? I was kind of confused about that I believe their is a resort for everyone depending on your tastes and preferences. I really dislike SSR because the buildings look like the agriculture barns up here that we put cattle in however you prefer it. I am glad you found a resort you are comfortable with though

Our home resort is AKV. I enjoyed our stay very much and I think I will love Kidani Village. But if I make comparisons of our stay at SSR to AKV, I'd have to say our stay at SSR was more of a "at home" feel with friendlier staff which is what sold us on DVC in the first place. If our first stay was at AKV this time, I don't think we would have bought in. I know staying at Kidani Village will be a different experience than at Jambo House.

 

[TyRy]

If you wouldn't mind, what was your room number? I'm putting together a list of the HA rooms in Jambo House. And just so I understand how the room is set up, there was just a roll-in shower and no tub at all?

LisaS - Have you posted this list anywhere? I've added that to my request, but it would be nice to have the room #'s.

Thanks!

Ty

 

[abbysmema]

What is your home resort? I was kind of confused about that I believe their is a resort for everyone depending on your tastes and preferences. I really dislike SSR because the buildings look like the agriculture barns up here that we put cattle in however you prefer it. I am glad you found a resort you are comfortable with though

I'll never understand how anyone could find these beautiful building unattractive. I love the lovely, open hallways and quiet, peaceful atmosphere of my home resort. Marie

 

[drag n' fly]

I'll never understand how anyone could find these beautiful building unattractive. I love the lovely, open hallways and quiet, peaceful atmosphere of my home resort. Marie

I am glad you like your home resort. That is all that really matters