Mini Review of AKV

[MEM]

What was your room number? As far as I can recall, you are the first to report having a view of the Sunset Savanna! I'm just curious which sections of AKV are open now.

It was 5209 and I recall on the map that we had a view of Sunset Savanna - did I mispeak? The cranes and the new building were in plain view and we were visited by giraffes, ankole cattle, red river hogs, a crowned crane and several types of antelope.

 

[LisaS]

It was 5209 and I recall on the map that we had a view of Sunset Savanna - did I misspeak?

No you did not misspeak. You are the first to report back after a stay in a room overlooking the Sunset Savanna! There are a lot of rooms that were scheduled to open Dec 1st but until you reported in, we hadn't heard from anyone who has stayed in that section. It looks like your room was in the lobby area next to the entrance to either the Kudu trail or the Ostrich trail. The rooms along that section are numbered from 5201 to 5209 but I'm not sure which way the numbers run.

 

[MEM]

No you did not misspeak. You are the first to report back after a stay in a room overlooking the Sunset Savanna! There are a lot of rooms that were scheduled to open Dec 1st but until you reported in, we hadn't heard from anyone who has stayed in that section. It looks like your room was in the lobby area next to the entrance to either the Kudu trail or the Ostrich trail. The rooms along that section are numbered from 5201 to 5209 but I'm not sure which way the numbers run.

Our room was right at the entrance to the bridge and there was no room on the right side of our room. We loved crossing the bridge every morning to get over to the elevators. It was surprisingly quiet! The interesting thing is that when we transferred to VWL for two nights, our room was 2509.
A lot of noisy foot traffic past our balcony.

 

[rigsby25]

We have just returned from a 5 night stay in room 5420. That is a 1 br. My daughter's fiance remarked on the smaller size. He had previously stayed at SSR and that is what he based his comparison on. (Just wait until he sees OKW!) I hope we didn't make a mistake in buying in to AKV. I am 5 feet tall and I had lots of trouble getting in and out of the shower. I wish they had grab bars or something. There wasn't a lot of room to put away groceries either. There is just a table in the kitchen with a lower shelf, so we put everything on the lower shelf, but it looked kind of messy. We couldn't find the pots and pans, but luckily, we had the internet, so I got on and asked this forum where they were. We moved the coffee table in front of the connecting door to make more room. Although there is room for 5 to sleep, when we watched a movie we needed to bring a chair in from the balcony. The hotel itself is amazing. We went down to the hot tub a couple of mornings. The one in back of the bar is so secluded. It was heaven. We had a great vacation, but yes, the rooms are smaller.

 

[DVC Mike]

Yes, the rooms in Jambo House are smaller than the rooms at Kidani Village. We were very happy with our 1 BR (5453), despite it being smaller than the typical DVC room. The 1 BR rooms at Kidani are going to be 100 sq feet larger and have a second bathroom.

 

[LisaS]

I am 5 feet tall and I had lots of trouble getting in and out of the shower. I wish they had grab bars or something.

This is the one thing about the Jambo House 1BRs that is a concern for me too. Not only will it be hard to get in and out of, but since only one person can shower/bathe at a time it's going to take longer to get ready. I understand the limitations of converting existing hotel rooms and I knew the rooms would be smaller and compromises had to be made, I just wish this wasn't one of them.

Once Kidani opens DH and I will have to decide which matters more: having a separate shower stall or proximity to Boma!

 

[Pig Pen]

This is very interesting -- the location of the bed and sofa are "swapped" compared with other studios. Usually the bed is near the bathroom and the sofa is next to the sliders. I notice you were in one of the studios that has the connecting door in the living area rather than near the entryway. Perhaps that has something to do with the unusual furniture arrangement. I prefer it the other way around. I would rather have the sofa near the sliders where there is more natural light.

I hadn't realized it, but you are correct. Usually the sofa is near the sliders. I agree that the location of the connecting door caused most of the awkwardness. Without that, a small closet could easily have fit in the space, eliminating the need for the wardrobe.

I must emphasize that this studio would be fine for 2 people with small suitcases! AND, we all enjoyed AKV and think it's going to be a fabulous option for us DVCers!