Just for discussion....AKV Thoughts...

[nolanboys]

We have only stayed at AKV once - in a standard room because that was all that was available. We loved it! The points were reasonable, and we loved looking at the animals even though we had to go to the public viewing areas. We choose to stay in a standard room view again for our upcoming trip. Love the resort, love the animals, but too cheap to pay that many points. AKV is one of the best themed resorts - regardless of view from the room.

 

[dianeschlicht]

We love the savanna view rooms, and I don't ever see us going with standard view for any reason. If i don't have enough points to stay Savanna view, I'll stay at a different resort until I DO have enough points for savanna view.

My only regret with AKV is that we didn't buy more points back before it was opening. We really didn't need more points though, so we were only buying enough to "get in" so to speak.

I must admit that like Deb & Bill, I was skeptical about Kidani. That is until we stayed there. Now I much prefer Kidani over Jambo. I can always walk over to Jambo if I feel the need for that environment, but I don't usually feel the need anymore.

 

[ajf1007]

We are AKV owners and believe it or not, have not stayed anywhere else (OKW for less than 24 hrs doesn't count). Our first couple of times we always had a savannah view but we only had 160 pts at the time and we got tired of borrowing so we've stayed in standard views the last few times. I have to say, that I think I kept telling myself that the view didn't matter to make myself feel better. We just added on and I think we'll alternate views going forward. I just love AKV so I'm just happy to be there but now with the add on I have flexibility and I love that!!

 

[Deb & Bill]

I thought all Jambo CL are now savannah views. I've read that several places already.

Those are the cash rooms on the 4th floor of the AKL that are all savanna. The AKV concierge villas are savanna (somewhat blocked) and pool on the 6th floor. A lot of the fifth floor used to be Concierge rooms before they were converted to DVC villas. Now they are not concierge rooms.

 

[DeeCee735]

We own at AKV. We have no children. We don't see any reason to stay there if one does not get a savannah view. Where else in the world, other than in Africa, can I wake up in the morning, look out the window and see a zebra, a giraffe, or an array of other animals? It's so incredibly special and unique that we can sit in our savannah view room and just watch animals without feeling like we should be off doing something, because we are doing something: animal watching. We LOVE the savannah view and if we decide one day we don't want it, we will stay somewhere else and explore what other resorts have to offer. So far, we have no desire to stay anywhere else.

I mean... savannah views are a waste of points. Don't book them. No need to do so. Ever.

- Dreams

I agree. We feel the same way. The savannah view is priority to us when booking here. While we love the feel of the entire resort (and I love the restaurants, even Mara), the savannah view is what sold us in 2007. We own at BWV as well - it is our original contracts from 2000- and then added on (a few times ) at AKV. To us, there's just nothing like it anywhere.
The BWV and AKV are our two favorite resorts for very different reasons.
We usually go with standard view's at the BWV. We used to go for the BW view, but I find the boat horns very annoying in the morning, and we love to save the points on the standard view rooms, which have never disappointed. Whereas at AKV, it's savannah view all the way.

Just OHO. Enjoy planning everyone!

 

[BEASLYBOO]

We're not AKV owners but when booking AKV we had always booked the savannah, until Kidani. We enjoy Kidani because of the lay out and the 3rd bathroom in the 2br, the savannah view is no longer that important. We ses plenty of Giraffes and Zebras to and from the villa!

And then to my surprise, I've booked standard view 3 times and received an extensive view of the Pembeh savannah each time, a view full of animals that I find perfectly wonderful for less points!

I've found room at Kidani when there was none at OKW!

 

[disneynutz]

AKL and AK never met Disney's expectations for bookings/attendance. DVC became a hot money maker for Disney so to reduce cash inventory at AKL and add DVC inventory, they converted AKL rooms to DVC.

Initial sales numbers were impressive so Kidani was green lighted. Later AKV couldn't compete with the sales at BLT so Disney put AKV sales on the back burner. Now that BLT and SSR are sold out, DVD is pushing AKV and as we all know, people will buy whatever Disney is selling.

IMO AKV will have folks that love the place but it will become another SSR with open availability. With SSR and AKV owners booking elsewhere at 7 months, competition at 7 months at BCV, BWV, VWL, BLT and GFV will be off the hook.

The animals at AKV are nice but I can only watch them for so long before I get bored and the drumming a Jambo can get old. We have also had savanna views that barely had any animals visible.

We just sold 300 of our AKV founder points because owning there isn't required to book there.

Bill

 

[majortom1981]

AKL and AK never met Disney's expectations for bookings/attendance. DVC became a hot money maker for Disney so to reduce cash inventory at AKL and add DVC inventory, they converted AKL rooms to DVC.

Initial sales numbers were impressive so Kidani was green lighted. Later AKV couldn't compete with the sales at BLT so Disney put AKV sales on the back burner. Now that BLT and SSR are sold out, DVD is pushing AKV and as we all know, people will buy whatever Disney is selling.

IMO AKV will have folks that love the place but it will become another SSR with open availability. With SSR and AKV owners booking elsewhere at 7 months, competition at 7 months at BCV, BWV, VWL, BLT and GFV will be off the hook.

The animals at AKV are nice but I can only watch them for so long before I get bored and the drumming a Jambo can get old. We have also had savanna views that barely had any animals visible.

We just sold 300 of our AKV founder points because owning there isn't required to book there.

Bill

For me BLT Is not worth it. I can stay in AKL 1 week a year for the rest of my life. I live by NYC and I feel BLT looks to much like a NYC hotel. That's why I bought at AKL and not at BLT So to me BLT is boring.

I have seen people stay at kidani once and right away and by points. For every person who thinks kidani is boring another loves it.

The problem is that kidani has soo many units compaired to the others. (except Saratoga) . I do not think its popularity that's the problem

 

[Kidanifan08]

. . . I'm wondering if the standard rooms will increase in popularity over the years and become harder to book...

. . . but after three stays with a savanna view, the novelty of it is already starting to wear off. Around the third morning, I don't get the same "ahhhh" factor as I do on the first two days. I look at the points chart and it is hard for me to justify the additional premium for the savanna view. . .

. . . if the novelty of the savanna view wears off on more and more owners over the next 10-15 years, the demand for standard view may soon outweigh the supply. If this were to happen, would there be a reallocation?

First, we own exclusively at AKV and we love it! We have taken friends and family most of the past 4 year and fortunately, they all have wanted to stay at AKV for part of the trip. We have had 4 stays at "home" so far which include at 2BR Savanna (6/09), 2BR standard (12/10), 2BR standard (10/11) and 2BR concierge (6/12). We have enjoyed all of those stays for different reasons. Our 10/11 2BR standard stay turned out to be awesome, because we had a pool view at Kidani and were on the edge of the surprisingly active Pembe savanna. Our other standard view stay was a bust, overlooking the bus stop on the 5th floor. Fortunately, that was in December, and it was dark and cold by the time we got back to the resort, so it did not matter too much. The CL stay was awesome, but the view was marginal (i.e. terrible). Despite that, I hope to have many future CL stays (we loved the concierge experience).

In the end, I still think our first stay at KV with a savanna view room was the best. I have yet to get tired of watching the animals on the savanna and I love the serenity of sitting on the balcony of my room. We will return in December, and this time I decided I wanted a savanna view for the peacefulness of the resort.

I think the standard view rooms are a nice savings for those who have limited points; but the real novelty of staying at AKV is the savanna view rooms. It is possible that over time AKV owners will use standard rooms as a way to conserve points, but the non-owners will likely gravitate to the savanna rooms, as will most of the AKV owners. I don't think the standard view rooms will ever have much of an impact on changing the points charts. I do think that the value rooms are a best value in DVC, but there are so few of them that even a point allocation that makes them a little more pricey would have a minimal effect on the rest of the resort. We have 2 nights next summer in a value an I appreciate being able to save the points. We will spend part of the rest of the vacation in a savanna view.

 

[keishashadow]

Would like to but don't own @ AKV. For several years we were lucky enough to book the value studio there at 7 month window and luck into a savannah view. Sadly, it hasn't been available for dates i've needed the last few years. I've come to the realization that if we really want the view we're going to have to pay for it in the future, the value rooms are just too popular with home resort owners.

 

[pilferk]

We've been staying at AKL/AKV since it opened (first in the hotel, then, since 2007, as DVC members).

Our upcoming December trip will be, I think, our 9th stay, total. And we've never used our points anywhere else (for anything else).

We're not tired of the savanna view, yet.

We MIGHT "stray" to BLT, ONCE, in 2014...just to do it. We're waffling, right now. We'll have some banked points and are considering a week in an MK 1BR (if we can book it at 7 months) during a slow season (early Jan)...or maybe a split stay...or maybe not.