poll-will AKV standard view be more/less popular?

[Dean]

I learned this the other day for those who do not know that concierge is NOT a guaranteed SV. It's the "service" you are booking.

Yes, the units are split 3 and 2.

 

[lmogs]

I don't feel like I am losing anything by not having a SV. Plus, with a value 2 bedroom I have a 40% chance of a SV. I like my odds. I doubt we will ever do a SV view again because we can save so many points by not doing it.

Newbie question! A "value" 2 bedroom has a 40% chance of being SV? What about if you book a standard? And does it matter if you pick Jambo or Kidani?? I'm a gambler - I'd love to know the odds.

 

[kristenrice]

Newbie question! A "value" 2 bedroom has a 40% chance of being SV? What about if you book a standard? And does it matter if you pick Jambo or Kidani?? I'm a gambler - I'd love to know the odds.

At AKV, a standard room is guaranteed NOT to have a savanna view....so your odds are not good!

A Savanna View unit HAS a savanna view, a standard room does NOT have a savanna view, the value rooms are 40% savanna, 40% pool and 20% parking lot views and concierge is 60% savanna view and 40% pool view.

FWIW, I believe the value units consist of 10 2-BR lock-offs (4 SV, 4 pool and 2 parking lot) and the concierge units consist of 5 2-BR lock-offs (3 SV and 2 pool view). Someone correct me if I am wrong.

 

[dvcbnd]

Right now for us, we love the savanna view and that is the only view we have ever requested. I'm not saying that down the road, we wouldn't book a std view to save some points. We added-on at AKV's because we love all that it offers and can't wait for our first stay in Kidani Villages in July!

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

I bought points there to GUARANTEE the view. I could care less about the Boardwalk view, but IMHO the ENTIRE reason for AKV is the animals!

I agree, we bought in because of the animals. I can't envision ever wanting a standard view. Maybe if I had a few points left and was trying to eek out another trip, but then if I couldn't have SV I'd probably just trade out to another resort.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

I bought points there to GUARANTEE the view. I could care less about the Boardwalk view, but IMHO the ENTIRE reason for AKV is the animals!

There is still no guarantee you will SEE any animals.....you could be just looking at an open terrain if the animals don't come wondering your way.

 

[brookelizabeth]

For the next few years, I fully plan on going for the Value rooms. There are many public balconies and places you can see the animals aside from your room. We stayed in a Pool View (non-DVC room) in 2006 and saw many animals from the various locations around the lodge. And, the entire resort is breathtaking and the service is superb.

However, when our little guy gets older, and/or when we take older kids (friends/family) with us who would find a big thrill from the animals just outside our room, we will splurge with the points and go for the Savannah view!

I have heard the animals aren't quite as active, and some have been removed, from various Savannah's due to the construction, so that could be a valid reason why people aren't seeing as many animals right now. I expect when the new building opens and the savannahs are all back in full swing, those with a Savannah view will not be disappointed!

 

[marvali]

We purchased at AKV mainly because we are a family of five, and the new one bedrooms at Kidani will accommodate us for fewer points. The ability to view the animals were a bonus, along with 50 years on the lease instead of something like 47 at SSR.

Right now, we are at the point that the parks still have a huge draw for us, so we don't spend a lot of time in the room. There are other places around AKV you can view the animals without using the extra points for Savanna View, so for now saving the points is probably the priority.

We also realize that there will come a day when we just want to get away and the parks won't be the main draw, so we will probably use Savanna View booking more then. There will also come a day when we get to take the grandchildren and the attraction of the animals will probably be huge for them.

The good news, there are multiple options to suit everyone's needs, as well as their changing needs. That is what was most important to us when we made our decision; the flexibility to change as our wants/needs change.

 

[OneMoreTry]

If I couldn't get savannah view or concierge, then I would stay at home --> Old Key West.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We bought to see the animals from our villa. However, the value point cost, especially on the weekends, has made us book them twice and the rooms were fine, once we had savannah, and the other time, pool.

In Kidani, for our May trip, we have a 2 bedroom savannah view, but by the time our DF's told us they could come, there were only standard view studios available there, so we have 2 standard view studios booked for friends. There WERE savannah view studios available in Jambo for the time, but our guests all wanted to be with us in the new building, and we're waitlisted for savannah view for them. Personally, I would have picked staying in Jambo with the savannah view.

We had our first BWV Boardwalk view stay last weekend, and it was fine, but DH did find it too noisy to pick that view for a longer stay. So, for us, it's going to be standard view at the BWV but savannah view at AKV.

Bobbi

 

[dianeschlicht]

When I'm at AKV, I either want to see animals from my room or get Concierge service. If I want to save points, I'll stay at my other home, Old Key West!

 

[Anal Annie]

Gosh - nobody in their right mind would WANT to stay in a standard view at AKV. That resort is so far away from most of WDW, seeing the animals from your balcony is the fair trade-off. Lose the animal view and there's no reason to be there - at least for me.

That is SO-O wrong!! We do not find AKV too far from the rest of the world. We LOVE the entire decor / theme and being on site for Boma and the dedicated bus service. We also make 2 or 3 trips to AK park - how is that not convenient? We stay there for the reasonable point charts and overall ambiance of the property. So IMO your statement is pretty narrow minded.

We stayed in the lodge several years ago - maybe within the first year that it opened. Paid a lot more for a "deluxe savanna" view. Got NOTHING for it. We were WAY DOWN at the very furthest end of the building so we had a long schlep to the room and we only saw 1 or 2 lonely animals the entire week we were there. We learned on our hard earned cash that booking a savanna view does not guarantee you will have any animals to watch - so we're perfectly fine with saving our points for more trips VS squandering them in the hopes of seeing more animals. We know we can go to the public viewing areas to see the animals.

Finally, we spend most of our time in the parks or at the pool, so being a family of 3 we fit just fine in a "value" studio if we have to. We have to maximize our points - so for the point difference between a "value" and a "savanna" in the Dream or Magic Seasons we could stay 3 more week nights (or 10 n VS only 7 n). OR, we could do a week in Magic and with the points saved we could do a 3 n trip (Sat-Mon) in January. So, hummm...some of us who attempt to manage our points in a frugal manner find the point charts at AKV to be the BEST. It is a wonderful place to stay, regardless of the "view".

According to wdw1972 I may not be in my right mind, but that's my final answer.

 

[marvali]

That is SO-O wrong!! We do not find AKV too far from the rest of the world. We LOVE the entire decor / theme and being on site for Boma and the dedicated bus service. We also make 2 or 3 trips to AK park - how is that not convenient? We stay there for the reasonable point charts and overall ambiance of the property. So IMO your statement is pretty narrow minded.

We stayed in the lodge several years ago - maybe within the first year that it opened. Paid a lot more for a "deluxe savanna" view. Got NOTHING for it. We were WAY DOWN at the very furthest end of the building so we had a long schlep to the room and we only saw 1 or 2 lonely animals the entire week we were there. We learned on our hard earned cash that booking a savanna view does not guarantee you will have any animals to watch - so we're perfectly fine with saving our points for more trips VS squandering them in the hopes of seeing more animals. We know we can go to the public viewing areas to see the animals.

Finally, we spend most of our time in the parks or at the pool, so being a family of 3 we fit just fine in a "value" studio if we have to. We have to maximize our points - so for the point difference between a "value" and a "savanna" in the Dream or Magic Seasons we could stay 3 more week nights (or 10 n VS only 7 n). OR, we could do a week in Magic and with the points saved we could do a 3 n trip (Sat-Mon) in January. So, hummm...some of us who attempt to manage our points in a frugal manner find the point charts at AKV to be the BEST. It is a wonderful place to stay, regardless of the "view".

According to wdw1972 I may not be in my right mind, but that's my final answer.

Unfortunately Annie, too many people are so full of themselves that they think their opinion is the only one that is correct. That is why I didn't even vote in the poll, only passed my earlier view. There will be times saving points is the priority, and times that we will be there to view the animals. Poeple's priorities aren't going to be the same, otherwise, there wouldn't be so many choices of DVC, resort offerings (value, deluxe, etc.), parks, and restaurant types. It doesn't make one's choice better than someone else's, only better for them.

Personally, we don't worry about the transportation when we get to WDW, or how far away something we want to do might be (I guess that is because of so many years being off-site when everything is "far" away). We are there on vacation and if we are worried about how long it takes to get somewhere, we either leave earlier or just drive. Then again, if we are saving points and getting to stay additional days, then it doesn't make a whole lot of difference in park time if we have to wait an additional 20-30 minutes above normal for a bus now and then as opposed to all those extra days to enjoy.

 

[kristenrice]

I thought of something the other day that ties into this. Does anyone think that "pool view" (at Kidani) might become a guaranteed request, like HH at OKW? I am just curious what others think. I, personally, like the variety of booking categories already in place at AKV. My only "issue" is that I would like a way to guarantee that I am not looking at a parking lot. Right now, there are three options: concierge, savanna view or standard at Jambo. That should be plenty...but, only one of those options is available (guaranteed) at Kidani.

I have mixed opinions on this. I think that there are already enough choices at AKV...but...I also want to stay in Kidani village and have a pool view. I am planning a trip for 2010 to "show off" our new home to my parents. I would LOVE to stay in Kidani, but we won't have enough points for a savanna view, and I would prefer a pool view anyways. So, our only choice is to book a standard at Jambo, or book Kidani and *hope* we get a pool view. It's funny...6 months ago (before I was a member) I would have killed to be in a predicament like this !

Anybody else have thoughts on this?

 

[tjkraz]

We booked a Standard View Two Bedroom at Kidani for next June. I believe it's 21 points less than SSR (Home resort of the points used), plus we get the extra bathroom, extra living room sleeping accommodations, etc.

The decor is far from my favorite (already passed on buying points there), but we don't mind trying new locations. We'll have a car so the isolation of AKV isn't a big issue.

Like another poster, we paid cash for a Savanna View in the past and saw all of two animals over three days. So we figure the Standard View won't be much of a downgrade over that.

All of that said, we are probably switching this reservation to the SSR Treehouses when bookings open in Feb. But I'm sure we'll schedule a stay for AKV Standard eventually.

I thought of something the other day that ties into this. Does anyone think that "pool view" (at Kidani) might become a guaranteed request, like HH at OKW?

I doubt it. AKV already has at least 6 different categories (Jambo Value, Jambo Standard, Kidani Standard, etc.) I can't see them further segmenting the resort into different types of Standard requests.

 

[marvali]

I thought of something the other day that ties into this. Does anyone think that "pool view" (at Kidani) might become a guaranteed request, like HH at OKW?

Kristen, this is one of those things they list as Special Request, which they say are accepted and noted, but can't be guaranteed. They will do their best for you when you arrive, but it will depend on how many others (I'm guessing there will be many more than there are parking lot view requests ) are already staying in those rooms, and have arrived that same day to check in prior to your arrival.

I'm afraid it will come down to a certain amount of being involved.

 

[Jaaron2]

Savanah view all the way! One of the main reasons we joined AKV was for the view and theming! Not that I would not stay in a standard view but would always book at 11 month to get the savanah if at all possible.