Mini AKV CC report

dianeschlicht

<font color=blue>DVC-Trivia Contest, Apr-2006: Hon
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Nov 22, 2000
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We have been here at AKV for 4 days now. We were in a Standard view studio the first night. I've got to say, there are "issues" with the functionality of the decor here.

First of all, the decor is a real WOW!, and I didn't mind the dark as much as I had thought I might.

The standard studio though, and significant issues with mirror visibility. There are plenty of mirrors in the studio, but the lighting is so poor, there is no easy way to see amirror for makeup application. I understand this is probably only an issue for those of us who are female and nearsighted, but it IS an issue.

Now for the Concierge 1 bedroom. LOVED the decor , and while the space is cramped compared to OKW, it is certainly big enough, and there was plenty of closet space. The big closet in the entry area holds all the "things" like the vacuum, broom, Pack N Play, etc. The armoir in the bedroom was plenty big enough for our haning things, and we were able to put our suitcases in the front closet. I was expecting small storage space from the reports here, but there were plenty of drawers etc. LOVED the vanity in the bathroom, and there are LOTS of shelves to use for storage as well. Here again though, the lighting in the bathroom is substandard. It is better than the studio, but because the vanity is so high and deep, it is hard to get close enough to the mirror. I ended up using the full length mirror on the end wall for makeup application, and that has one small overhead light above it.

Or balcony is WONDERFUL! I had read about people having these units in CC above the pool and thinking they were too enclosed, but I love the thatch roof coming down, and the balcony is very large, so there is plenty of space that isn't behind the roof. I wasn't even disappointed about not getting the savanna view, because the pool view is very nice as well.

The bed here is VERY comfy!! Even better than the "heavenly beds"!! I could do without the throw pillows though. They look great, but they are so large, and the bedroom isn't really big enough to have places to put them when you go to bed.

Now for the kitchen.....or what passes for a kitchen. We are in CC, so there is really not much need for a kitchen, but this one is VERY inconvenient. The sink is on one end. When I went to get a drink of water, I couldn't find the glasses. They were on the other end of the kitchen near the fridge and coffee maker. Now the cups? Nope, no where near the coffe maker...THEY were above the sink! They definitelhy need a "domestic engineer" to help them plan these things out!

House keeping too was a bit lacking. We have been here 4 days, and have yet to get our turndown service. Not sure why, but the first day, we were in the room changing clothes at about 4:30 when the housekeeper walked in. We didn't hear her, and Dick said we would be just a minute. We left the room about 90 sec. later, but when we returned there was no turn down, and hasn't been since then either. No big thing, just kind of strange.

Also, the fridge had not been wiped out, and had lots of sticky stuff on the shelves. There were also sales slips from a previous occupant under the bench in the main room, and the floor in front of the sink was so sticky, I thought we would pull the soles of our sandals off! I certainly wouldn't have wanted to walk in there without shoes on.

Concierge food is wonderful here! Desserts from Jiko the other night, and lots of nice fresh fruit in the morning.
 
Glad to read you are having a good time!

You really should mention some of your issues about the housekeeping and turn down service. The turn down service is a definate no-no on housekeeping. I can see how the refrigerator wipe down could be missed, but not the turn down service.

We are staying club level in 36 days. :banana: Reports like yours, really have us looking forward to our stay!!!
 
Thanks for the report, Diane. I am soooooo looking forward to the Concierge "treatment" in April! Are you doing the sunrise/sunset safaris?
 
Thanks for the report....can't wait to try AKV.

How do you like being in a "hotel" type atmosphere.....compared to OKW?
Thanks
Kerri
 

Thanks for the report, Diane. I am soooooo looking forward to the Concierge "treatment" in April! Are you doing the sunrise/sunset safaris?

Yes, we did sunset last night, and it was SPECTACULAR!!! We do Sunrise Thursday morning, so I'll let you know which we like best, but I can't imagine it being better than the sunset one!
 
When we stayed at the Poly Con. we did ask at the conceirge desk for nightly turn down service and didn't have to ask again. If that helps. The rest of us a jealous.:flower3: Have a great trip. Can you see if you can put the squeeze on someone for info on the Kingdom Tower thingy?
 
Wow, I'd love to do one of the safaris someday! The Sunset is for anyone staying at AKV, right? Is it less costly if you stay in concierge?

Bobbi:goodvibes
 
We almost overlapped---we checked out of an AKV 1 b/r last Friday....not concierge though! My dh and I liked the squared-off aspect of the unit, so different than the odd angles you usually get at DVC. I missed being able to sit in the tub and watch TV, but found the new tub is very comfy!!! The big vertical shelving unit across from the toilet area was nice for storage--everyone in the family had his own shelf. We tucked those numerous throw pillows from the bed underneath the bed---found they got in the way too. The kitchen was smaller but the big island was very functional. This was our first stay ever at AK (loved the Savannah view with the animals) and overall we gave it a big :thumbsup2
 
Wow, I'd love to do one of the safaris someday! The Sunset is for anyone staying at AKV, right? Is it less costly if you stay in concierge?

Bobbi:goodvibes

Actually, I think they have opened it up to anyone, but most aren't aware of that. It is less costly for CC guests. It was $160/person for CC guests.
 
Actually, I think they have opened it up to anyone, but most aren't aware of that. It is less costly for CC guests. It was $160/person for CC guests.
I think it's $210/person (ages 10+) for non-Concierge guests and about half that price for ages 8-9.
 
Thanks for the objective reporting. DW has always had difficulty with vision and lack of light. She won't drive at night at all. I know she would be greatly frustrated with looking into a mirror without glasses in dim lighting. Have a great rest of your stay.
 
Actually, I think they have opened it up to anyone, but most aren't aware of that. It is less costly for CC guests. It was $160/person for CC guests.
Well, some of us just found out. I'll call tomorrow to find out for sure what the price is. I think I remember that $210 price, but I hope it's not. Thanks so much for the report-desserts from Jiko in the Conceirge lounge? Please tell us about the sunrise/sunset safaris after you've done both.
 
Yes, we did sunset last night, and it was SPECTACULAR!!! We do Sunrise Thursday morning, so I'll let you know which we like best, but I can't imagine it being better than the sunset one!

I look forward to hearing what you thought of the Sunrise Safari. We are set to do it in April. I was wondering if they have they told you what time you need to gather in the Concierge Lounge tomorrow morning before the safari? I know that it's going to be a very early wake up. It might be hard to get my daughter moving on that day.
 
I look forward to hearing what you thought of the Sunrise Safari. We are set to do it in April. I was wondering if they have they told you what time you need to gather in the Concierge Lounge tomorrow morning before the safari? I know that it's going to be a very early wake up. It might be hard to get my daughter moving on that day.

We did it last week. You check in between 6:30 and 7am. Your passes are swiped then. Shortly after 7am, we were told to head down to the lobby where you check in with the guides who then remind everyone to use the restrooms. Around 7:30 we headed to the buses. A bag check was done as we went down the ramp before boarding the buses.

It was a great experience.
 
I look forward to hearing what you thought of the Sunrise Safari. We are set to do it in April. I was wondering if they have they told you what time you need to gather in the Concierge Lounge tomorrow morning before the safari? I know that it's going to be a very early wake up. It might be hard to get my daughter moving on that day.
We had to check in up in concierge, and after getting our name tags, we went down to the lobby to meet with our guides. We were lucky enough to get the animal curator as our guide! He was fantastic, and the savanna tour included a lot of detail information about the animals, the habitats, and the conservation and breeding efforts.

I'd have a very difficult time deciding which safari I liked better, Sunrise or Sunset. They are similar, but very different. The double cost of sunset over sunrise is mostly due to the Jiko food. We figured the cost of the tour was the same, but the difference was the cost of the food. Since the sunrise cost us $55/person and the sunset was $120 per person. We ate at Jikos the next night too, and the cost was right around $100, so we figured that was the difference. I would NOT take a child on the sunset safari. It really is geared to adults, and the Jiko dinner would be difficult for a group if there were children there as well. The sunrise safari had a lot of children on it, and while some seemed to be a bit bored with all the talking, others thoroughly enjoyed it.
 
Thank you for the TR, Diane. DH and I are staying in a 1 bdrm CC later this month for 1 night, then moving to a 1 bdrm SV. It was good to hear about what to expect.
 
Thanks for the informative and honest mini trip report. Glad to hear from a Dis vet! I would love to do the sunrise one but the time difference would be too much for us as it would feel like us getting up at 3am our time :scared1: I have enough trouble getting to rope drop with the time difference so I am glad to hear the sunset one is great also. We are staying concierge in December and I am taking dh on the sunset one for his birthday!
 
Thanks for the report. We're going to do both safaris on our trip. After reading your report I'm even more excited about them! I stayed in an AKL deluxe room once and it had a magnifying mirror attached to the side wall in the vanity area. I was hoping the Concierge rooms would have those. It was a big help given the low lighting.
 
Thanx for the report, Diane. :)

I'm wondering if you could help me with a question..
My wife and I are doing the sunset safari (Wanyama??) this coming May. We absolutely LOVE Jiko, but I heard when it's included with the safari it's family style.
Can you describe how your safari meal at Jiko differed from a regular Jiko meal? Was it a full menu? Was alcohol included?

We have no problem doing family style, but we're trying to figure if we want to do a regular Jiko meal in addition.

Thanx!!.. :smokin:

MG
 
Thanks for the safari reports, Diane. I suspected that the sunset safari wasn't really something that I would want to take my kids on. We'll do the morning safari with them this time around and then do the sunset safari some other time.
 
















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