Pembe Savannah - Reclassified to Standard View?

[fearthisinc]

Just curious.. we recently checked in to Kidani Village.. we booked a Savannah View room and when we got to the room we got the Pembe Savannah.. after 3 days of no giraffes we decided to start researching.. it was at this time we found out that there are no giraffes, zebra, ankole cattle, etc.. instead, for the first 3 days of our trip we only saw some river hogs, vultures, and some okapi.. now, don’t get me wrong, the animals on pembe are nice to see, but in my opinion are not the animals you book a Savannah view room to see.. everything advertised through Disney with Savannah view rooms show giraffe and zebra.. it just so happens that giraffe and zebra are on all other Savannah’s at Jambo and kidani.. pembe is the only one that does not include them..

I also found that a lot of people that book standard view rooms are given rooms with Pembe views.. now in a case of booking standard view where you go in expecting views of a parking lot or something else less desirable, the pembe would be a pleasant surprise.. but when you book Savannah view expecting what is advertised (giraffes, zebra, etc) you can see where disappointment comes in.. and I can see online we are not alone as many people feel the same.. we also found two messages saved on our room voicemail for the 2 previous families that requested a switch in room due to view.. so my question is this, can something be brought up by DVC members where Pembe Savannah rooms get reclassified as standard view? I feel I paid good money for my points.. and I know anyone that is paying cash to Disney for these rooms are paying $400+ a night for Savannah View.. with all the advertising from Disney with emphasis on giraffes and zebra outside your room, I feel that the Pembe Savannah falls short of what they portray you to be paying for..

Needless to say, the front desk at Kidani did accommodate us when we called to change rooms to have view of Sunset Savannah.. and 5 minutes into walking into our room there were 2 giraffe directly outside our balcony.. we don’t always book Savannah.. we normally go with standard, but once in a while we like to surprise the kids with Savannah view (specifically for giraffes, zebra, and the “big horns”).. so the reaction from the kids made up for the hassle they put us through having to check out and wait for the new room which was not ready till 5pm.. We normally also try for Jambo, but once in while get Kidani.. I now know for future reference to request Sunset Savannah, but my argument would be what if they could not accommodate switching our room? We are here for 10 days and booked Savannah view points.. that’s a lot of points to not get what you want.. or to get the same thing that people booking standard view got..

Anyway, just curious if anyone has ever brought this up or looked into it any further then just making a complaint? As far as having Pembe officially changed from Savannah view to standard view, I can see that Disney would be hesitant being that there would probably be a large amount of money lost since a large amount of rooms face out the Pembe Savannah.. the alternative would be to add the desired animals, although I’m assuming there is a reason they didn't put those animals over there..

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Many years ago DVC reclassified a number of savannah view rooms at both Kidani and Jambo. At Kidani I believe it were the rooms that were right on the fence line of Pembe and also in the narrowest section as the animals do not tend to linger there. So yes, they have responded to member feedback in the past. I however do not think they will reclassify all of Pembe savannah to standard view as there's no guarantee of what animals can be seen and it is a savannah. The more likely thing is the animals there would be shipped off or oved elsewhere and giraffees added. Certainly share your opinion with them though!

FWIW - Zebras are very tempermental and have been pulled at various times from both AKL/AKV savannahs and from AK safari. They could be relegated to a backstage location anytime if they start getting mean with other animals.

 

[fearthisinc]

Many years ago DVC reclassified a number of savannah view rooms at both Kidani and Jambo. At Kidani I believe it were the rooms that were right on the fence line of Pembe and also in the narrowest section as the animals do not tend to linger there. So yes, they have responded to member feedback in the past. I however do not think they will reclassify all of Pembe savannah to standard view as there's no guarantee of what animals can be seen and it is a savannah. The more likely thing is the animals there would be shipped off or oved elsewhere and giraffees added. Certainly share your opinion with them though!

FWIW - Zebras are very tempermental and have been pulled at various times from both AKL/AKV savannahs and from AK safari. They could be relegated to a backstage location anytime if they start getting mean with other animals.

Thanks for the info.. again, if it were a matter of animal safety or some other temporary situation, I would understand.. but the norm for pembe is that the “main” animals are not included in that section and you stand no possibility of seeing them from your room.. my main thing is what Disney advertises and portrays as Savannah view and what they actually offer/provide.. for the most part you have a very good chance of getting a view of one of the Savannah’s that include the “main” animals that people look for like giraffes, zebra, etc.. I just think they rushed to capitalize on the Pembe rooms by saying they are Savannah and charging the premium price, but don’t include the most sought after animals.. all of their “images” for Savannah rooms are sure to include a picture of the balcony with giraffe and zebra roaming in the Savannah... I just think that Pembe should be reclassified as standard view or there should be a new room classification specifically for those rooms.. perhaps Standard View, limited Savannah view, and Full Savannah View.. however I think it would just be easier to put them as standard..

 

[jo-jo]

A couple of years ago we booked savanna view and was in the corner of the Pembe savanna , right next to the pool. We were very unhappy, but was told the resort was completely booked. So not only did we not have zebra, etc, we had all the noise from the pool. In previous trips, we'd sit on the balcony, in the quiet, watching animals. Now we had hardly no animals and the music/games from the pool.

I agreed with you, you book standard expecting parklot or whatever and sometime get a view of animals....whoo hoo. But not spend the extra points and get less.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Thanks for the info.. again, if it were a matter of animal safety or some other temporary situation, I would understand.. but the norm for pembe is that the “main” animals are not included in that section and you stand no possibility of seeing them from your room.. my main thing is what Disney advertises and portrays as Savannah view and what they actually offer/provide.. for the most part you have a very good chance of getting a view of one of the Savannah’s that include the “main” animals that people look for like giraffes, zebra, etc.. I just think they rushed to capitalize on the Pembe rooms by saying they are Savannah and charging the premium price, but don’t include the most sought after animals.. all of their “images” for Savannah rooms are sure to include a picture of the balcony with giraffe and zebra roaming in the Savannah... I just think that Pembe should be reclassified as standard view or there should be a new room classification specifically for those rooms.. perhaps Standard View, limited Savannah view, and Full Savannah View.. however I think it would just be easier to put them as standard..

I'm not 100% but I think there was something about the Red River Hogs not mixing with certain other animals? I'd also doubt that Pembe allows enough room for the Zebras - there would be fighting all the time. And we've also seen the Giraffee running on the other savannahs which I think would be a bit restricted on the Pembe but again, just a guess. Something to ask if there is a reason. I've always found the savannah rooms to be a mix anywhere. Even the Sunset can end up not seeing many or any animals. I do like Jambo because there isn't a risk of Pembe (I too would like to see Giraffee) but of course Jambo only has the rooms on the 5th floor which isn't quite as good as a lower floor.

 

[sndral]

...I however do not think they will reclassify all of Pembe savannah to standard view as there's no guarantee of what animals can be seen and it is a savannah. The more likely thing is the animals there would be shipped off or oved elsewhere and giraffees added. Certainly share your opinion with them though!

FWIW - Zebras are very tempermental and have been pulled at various times from both AKL/AKV savannahs and from AK safari. They could be relegated to a backstage location anytime if they start getting mean with other animals.

I'm not 100% but I think there was something about the Red River Hogs not mixing with certain other animals? I'd also doubt that Pembe allows enough room for the Zebras - there would be fighting all the time. And we've also seen the Giraffee running on the other savannahs which I think would be a bit restricted on the Pembe but again, just a guess. Something to ask if there is a reason. I've always found the savannah rooms to be a mix anywhere. Even the Sunset can end up not seeing many or any animals. I do like Jambo because there isn't a risk of Pembe (I too would like to see Giraffee) but of course Jambo only has the rooms on the 5th floor which isn't quite as good as a lower floor.

I’m always concerned that if I book Kidani savanna view I’ll be stuck on Pembe savanna.
My understanding based on several Wanyama safaris & a lunch w/ 2 AKV husbandry CMs is that Pembe cannot have giraffes because their barn is not tall enough for giraffes. However, I suppose since the Sunset barn is fairly close to Pembe, if they built an animal walk from Pembe to the Sunset barn then perhaps there could be giraffes on Pembe?
Re: the zebras on Pembe, we actually saw the Zebra stallion being housed on a subsection of Pembe on one of our Wanyama’s - whereas he’d been w/ the herd on Sunset the year before.

 

[cvjw]

We had the same experience right when kidani opened. I went so far as to contact member satisfaction about it. They said they would look into it and gather member feedback. That was years ago. Pretty sure nothing is being done about it.

My suggestion was to make the Pembe Savannah and the sunset Savannah different booking options. That way you would know what you were getting when you booked.

We had 4 young boys who were so excited to see giraffes and zebras outside their window - they were very disappointed to see river hogs.

 

[fearthisinc]

We had the same experience right when kidani opened. I went so far as to contact member satisfaction about it. They said they would look into it and gather member feedback. That was years ago. Pretty sure nothing is being done about it.

My suggestion was to make the Pembe Savannah and the sunset Savannah different booking options. That way you would know what you were getting when you booked.

We had 4 young boys who were so excited to see giraffes and zebras outside their window - they were very disappointed to see river hogs.

This is the main reason I think it should be changed.. as I said I believe I paid good money for my points, but imagine a direct cash rental through Disney.. you pay $500+ depending on room category for a Savannah view.. you book a 5 night stay which I believe is average.. that’s $2500 booking at a resort and expecting giraffes, zebra, etc.. maybe you splurged for the trip or only went once or whatever the case is.. then you get Pembe Savannah which is nothing like what is advertised by Disney nor did it match your expectations..

I’d be curious to see what it would take to have them change it.. perhaps a petition among members that own there..

 

[striker1064]

I mean, for what it's worth, the Pembe Savanna is still a savanna view. It does stink if you have an expectation of giraffes and zebras, and AKL is certainly marketed as such with those animals, but the types of animals in Pembe don't change the fact that it is a savanna view and not a standard. You won't find okapi and a couple other animals in the Sunset Savanna, so there is at least some variation. I for one appreciate the choice.

Also, there's no need to petition for a change. I remember reading around 80% of the savanna views at Kidani are Sunset. One merely needs to request it and there will be a good chance of getting it.

My suggestion was to make the Pembe Savannah and the sunset Savannah different booking options. That way you would know what you were getting when you booked.

This actually seems like a pretty good idea but my guess is it would be more trouble than it's worth for DVC.

 

[fearthisinc]

Also, there's no need to petition for a change. I remember reading around 80% of the savanna views at Kidani are Sunset. One merely needs to request it and there will be a good chance of getting it.

The problem is for those that do not know of the existence of Pembe View and the lack of sought after animals such as giraffe and zebra in that area.. as mentioned, AKL (both Jambo and Kidani) are marketed using giraffe and zebra.. pretty much any outdoor photograph of these hotels has those animals present.. and any time a Savannah view is dipicted, it shows those animals.. there is no disclaimer that I could find that says that those animals are not a guaranteed part of your Savannah view.. so people book Savannah view having an expectation of what was presented to them at booking and then receive Pembe, which is classified as Savannah view but nothing like what was advertised at booking.. granted in my case they were able to accommodate and have a room change, however that may not always be the case.. if they were booked to capacity or could not accommodate for whatever reason, I would have been on the Pembe Savannah for 10 nights.. that is a 34 point difference from standard view, which in my opinion I would find no real difference between Pembe and a parking lot view.. sure trees and some animals are nice.. but to look at some hogs and vultures is not worth the point increase to me.. and as I stated, I spoke with people who booked standard and were put on the Pembe.. this is also what I found a lot of online..

like I said, I just feel there needs to be a distinction between them so people know what they are getting ahead of time.. or add the sought after animals that the majority of people are looking for when booking here..

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

The problem is for those that do not know of the existence of Pembe View and the lack of sought after animals such as giraffe and zebra in that area.. as mentioned, AKL (both Jambo and Kidani) are marketed using giraffe and zebra.. pretty much any outdoor photograph of these hotels has those animals present.. and any time a Savannah view is dipicted, it shows those animals.. there is no disclaimer that I could find that says that those animals are not a guaranteed part of your Savannah view.. so people book Savannah view having an expectation of what was presented to them at booking and then receive Pembe, which is classified as Savannah view but nothing like what was advertised at booking.. granted in my case they were able to accommodate and have a room change, however that may not always be the case.. if they were booked to capacity or could not accommodate for whatever reason, I would have been on the Pembe Savannah for 10 nights.. that is a 34 point difference from standard view, which in my opinion I would find no real difference between Pembe and a parking lot view.. sure trees and some animals are nice.. but to look at some hogs and vultures is not worth the point increase to me.. and as I stated, I spoke with people who booked standard and were put on the Pembe.. this is also what I found a lot of online..

like I said, I just feel there needs to be a distinction between them so people know what they are getting ahead of time.. or add the sought after animals that the majority of people are looking for when booking here..

As I mentioned, you should contact DVC with your comments. There are many standard views at Jambo and some at Kidani that have partial savannah views. While I'd prefer Sunset savannah I also agree that Pembe is a savannah and I've long ago learned that all places market with their best views possible or what they have that really stands out as different. You're never shown the room that looks at the side of the building over the roof. I would not sign a petition to change all of Pembe to standard view as I don't see that it is standard view. And I know a few people have posted here about being excited to stay on Pembe to see the Okapi and the River Hogs. I've actually been quite mesmerized by one of those vultures and his nightly ritual on the Pembe to get to his safe sleeping spot. A very amusing bird. Within DVC there are many cases where views are not all created equal but people also have different thoughts on views.

 

[drusba]

Thanks for the info.. again, if it were a matter of animal safety or some other temporary situation, I would understand.. but the norm for pembe is that the “main” animals are not included in that section and you stand no possibility of seeing them from your room.. my main thing is what Disney advertises and portrays as Savannah view and what they actually offer/provide.. for the most part you have a very good chance of getting a view of one of the Savannah’s that include the “main” animals that people look for like giraffes, zebra, etc.. I just think they rushed to capitalize on the Pembe rooms by saying they are Savannah and charging the premium price, but don’t include the most sought after animals.. all of their “images” for Savannah rooms are sure to include a picture of the balcony with giraffe and zebra roaming in the Savannah... I just think that Pembe should be reclassified as standard view or there should be a new room classification specifically for those rooms.. perhaps Standard View, limited Savannah view, and Full Savannah View.. however I think it would just be easier to put them as standard..

As to Disney greedily capitalizing on Pembe rooms by calling them savanna view the same as Sunset, that describes nothing new. Disney did a like thing at BLT when it originally identified a number of lower floor rooms as highest point cost theme park view when their main view was of the parking lot. It made changes there, but like AKV, not enough changes, as there are still a number of theme park rooms with mainly parking lot view. I consider those a bigger rip-off than the Pembe savanna rooms. Other acts of unreasonable room classifications/points include originally making SSR cost significantly more points per stay than OKW, and calling almost viewless, first floor rooms at Poly higher cost "lake" view rooms,

As noted, DVC made a correction at AKV seven years ago after numerous complaints similar to yours but limited the change to standard view to about 2 1/2 of the six building pods that overlook Pembe. At the same time, DVC also changed numerous savanna view rooms at Jambo to standard because views were not ideal in many of the savanna view rooms. Originally, only the rooms overlooking the pool at Jambo were standard. The change actually resulted in more than doubling the number of standard view rooms at Jambo.

However, there was a serious downside to making those changes, and thus hoping for more changes may not necessarily be the best idea. When you lower the points needed for some of the rooms, you have to raise them for other rooms to keep the total number of points applicable to the resort the same, i.e., the only way you can correct DVD's excess greed is to punish the members who want savanna view. What happened at AKV is that changing many savanna view rooms to standard resulted in raising the nightly cost of the remaining savanna view rooms, particularly the 2BRs which went up year round. A further change would further raise the nightly point cost of the savanna view rooms. So many of us may not be so eager for another change when the chances are currently good that making Sunset Savanna view your main request for a room usually works.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I find the River Hogs amusing!

I tried to get a special designation for the elevator buildings in HH. I was called back by a CM who very clearly did not understand the set up at HH. It was a very disappointing discussion.

By all means, tell Member Services your thoughts.

 

[mousestruck]

I agree with you. There is a big difference between the two Savannas. Seeing river hogs just isn’t the same experience as having a giraffe outside your door. That’s why all the marketing materials feature giraffes and zebras - because that is what people want to see.

We always make requests regarding room location and are usually accommodated. AKV is our home resort so we stay often. Most of the time we’re delighted with our view, but there have been disappointments, too. Usually they’ll switch our room when that happens. On the other hand, we recently booked a standard at Jambo and requested a reclassified room. Boy were we thrilled! The room was near a fence but we saw lots of animals, including giraffes and zebras! I suppose it’s all about expectations.

DVC should reclassify the Pembe Savannah view rooms or find a way to change the animals.

 

[iheartglaciers]

I was disappointed about having a room on Pembe when I stayed in a Kidani 2-BR last year, although the room was amazing nonetheless (can’t beat those huge Kidani rooms with the extra bathroom!). There were actually zebras so I was less disappointed by the animals but by the view of the chain link fence and dirt road in the back. I feel like Disney could do a little more to hide those things to keep with the theming. I did email Disney afterwards to let them know and they said they’d pass along the feedback.

As others have said, they have reclassified rooms in the past, but it would be hard to reclassify every Pembe room to Standard. Also it is still a Savannah view.

 

[crisi]

The could switch out the animals. If the river hogs don't play well with others, pull them. Put in a few Tommys. Most of the antelope do fine pretty much anywhere and are pretty to look at. (I'd rather look at Tommys than giraffes or zebra).

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

The could switch out the animals. If the river hogs don't play well with others, pull them. Put in a few Tommys. Most of the antelope do fine pretty much anywhere and are pretty to look at. (I'd rather look at Tommys than giraffes or zebra).

And they do have herd animals on there. It's not just river hogs.