drusba
I went to Iowa once, and it was closed.
- Joined
- Aug 19, 1999
- Messages
- 14,897
Just got back -- AKV 2BR savanna view Dec 30 to Jan 8. These are just some highlights of the good and not so:
1. AKV Staff: This is our third time so nothing was really unexpected; we own both here and BWV and like both; resort is, as many have said before, very impressive: (a) staff was extremely polite, more so than before, welcome home said often -- we actually have some remembering who we are including a valet worker and one of the managers; (b) other than having to give a tip, I do not know why every DVC member with a car does not use valet; you can call down for your car before leaving the room and when you get to the valet area, the car is there; (c) one afternoon I was standing in the middle of the lobby staring about and a staff member just came over and asked if I needed any help and all I could think to say was could he bring some more staff members around to fawn over me.
2. Room: (a) one disappointment, we requested Arusha view and got Sunset and thus got construction view and noise; even so, animals did not seem to care and were around often; we arrived at three and got room at 3:45 (b) room (1570 and 1572) was in excellent condition and everything worked; (c) as we have noted before, rooms are dimly lighted but very pleasant appearance; you must be careful using the shower in the one bedroom -- it is a high cross-over step to get in the tub and there is a risk of slipping; (d) Disney still has that same girl it has had for years on channel 18 doing the Disney World descriptions and my better half commented that she should be retired along with Dee Vee Cee.
3. The Cat: in the savanna area we overlooked, there was a stray cat (dark color, possibly black) that has apparently taken up residence in or by the savanna. On four different days, we saw the cat come out and the animals there, particularly the large birds, apparently recognizing an interloper, went about chasing and screaming at the cat, which always escaped after a long chase. It added new entertainment to the savanna.
4. Busses: perhaps it is just our luck, or perhaps it is just the new system working, but this is the best I have ever seen the busses as we never waited for a bus more than 12 minutes and usually no more than 7. Trip to and from AK was 6 minutes, MK and Epcot 15 to 20, trip to Studios with stop at Blizzard Beach was 25. Two events of note: (a) Jan 1 leaving Epcot after Illuminations: crowds were huge, Disney brought in some Mears busses because its own were not enough with result that we got a Mears bus ride back to AKV and only waited 8 minutes for it to arrive (I have never known Disney to do that before); (b) on Jan 6, we left AK a little before closing and for no real reason large numbers of other AKL/AKV guests hit the bus station about the same time, enough for two busses lined up in less than 5 minutes while other resorts had far fewer or none; total wait for all of us was 8 minutes because one bus came and before it even left another came in right behind it.
5. The Kidani Construction: proceeded every day except New Years. We were looking directly at the new lobby area and the northern wing of rooms. The lobby area looks like it still has a long way to go. The most northern rooms had somewhat less done than those closer to lobby. One thing is clear: Kidani is huge, much larger than you can tell from pictures, and that walk from the very end of the northern wing to the lobby is going to be over 1/4 mile; it makes the Boardwalk walk look short.
6. The weather: speaking about it may mean it will never happen again this time of year but it was perfect. First two days had low 70s, Jan 1 to 6 were close to and a few above 80, Jan 7 we had our only rain, about 30 minutes in the late morning and it turned cooler that day (mid-60s). On the warm days, many were in the pool and we liked the whirlpools.
7. Compost: this was at both AKV and AK and fortunately experienced it only once at each place. Disney is apparently using natural materials as compost to fertilize and no longer chemicals; good and admirable idea for environment, bad idea for the human nose. Once applied, there is an awful smell for a few hours.
8. Crowds: crowds, as these boards demonstrate, are often a matter of the perception of the individual as some think they are not bad at all when, for the same time, others think they are intolerable. So here are some simple facts: (a) December 31 in MK in early evening, Space Mountain had a 160 minute stand-by line; at 8 p.m., the street crowds were so thick it was literally impossible to walk from one end of the park to the other; (a) on Jan 1, I think I saw a new record at Epcot: Soarin' in mid-afternoon had a stand-by line of 220 minutes (that's 3 hours and 40 minutes), Test Track at about the same time was at 160 minutes, all fast passes for both for entire day and evening were gone by about 11 in the morning; but -- and I do not find this strange because I have ridden it once and will never go again and now know there are tens of thousands like me -- Mission Space, at the same time Soarin and Test Track were in or over that 3 hour range, had a stand-by line of 25 minutes (in essence, you can get on that one virtually any time you want which is essentially no time at all for most of us). Contrary to what many think, those large crowds actually remained through Sunday, Jan 4, and they were only a little lighter Monday when there were still 80 to 120 minute stand-by times for popular rides. This is the pattern I have noticed in the last several years; the huge crowds don't even start leaving until the Monday after when New Years falls on a Wednesday through Saturday, and those crowds are not gone until the Tuesday after. Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan 6 and 7, had very light crowds, examples Safari and Dinosaur at AK had 5 to 10 minute stand-by waits, and even Soarin only had 35, in mid afternoon.
9. Parks: (a) Disney disaster, Dec 31, MK: a sewage pipe broke flooding a part of the street in Frontierland in the evening, resulting in the night parade being cancelled. They had an area blocked off and CMs there constantly using squeegies to brush away foul water and they had another CM going around requesting that anyone with cameras not take any pictures; (b) Splash Mountain was scheduled to close for refurbishment Jan 4; it was open Jan 4 because it was dead for most of New Years Eve and New Years; no explanation given except that it had "technical" problems; Rock n Roller Coaster went out for over two hours on Dec 30; Test Track had an occassional short breakdown; some others also did; just seems we witnessed more breakdowns this time than ever before; (c) park appearance and maintenance was amazingly good this time as we saw few lights out and they had more frequent street and bathroom clean-ups than we usually see; (d) Osbourne Lights: it had been a couple years since we went to see the lights and they are better than before -- the lights are now synchronized to music, every fifteen minutes the lights dance to the music of a Christmas song (a different song each time); (e) Jungle Ride: I can't remember her name now but she was from England; she was absolutely the funniest boat captain for the Jungle Ride we have ever had; (f) the new Toy Story ride is fun; its target shooting (computerized frisbees or something like that) while you go from one scene to another and, unlike Buzz Lightyear, those of us with no talent for the these things can actually score points; (g) didn't know this until we did it twice and then confirmed with CM: the Monster Inc. show in Tommorowland, where the cartoons talk with the audience, is actually several different shows: main characters and many of main lines are same for each show but jokes or stories told by the various performers change from one show to another.
10. Some Restaurant comments: (a) The Tusker House buffet at AK is actually good, sort of Boma light, but it is a strange waste of space -- the buffet line is in its own room with a lot of open space and that room is three times the size of the actual sitting room which is small; (b) Boma's was usual, you can choose regular known foods or more exotics and the five soups are great, but realized it has an assembly line design issue -- the place for the cook to cut meats and give you a slice is early in the midst of the food line rather than at the end or off by itself; the result is that you get a huge back-up as people who may not even want the meat can't get to other stuff because line waiting for the meat is blocking off items wanted; (c) Jiko's: had steak this time, very good; wine list is to die for (except for the prices); (d) San Angel, Mexico: had not done this for five years; same problem still exists; food is very good but service is abysmal; (e) Mara's: you can't beat this place for something quick.
11. Foreign Visitors: there seemed to be far more (larger percentage) of foreign visitors this year than I have usually seen this time of year. Many South Americans/Brazil (they are on summer break), Mexicans, Europeans, Asians, and even ran into some Russians; the dollar exchange rate must be saving Disney. Noteworthy is that all I ran into this time were polite and a pleasure to be around (played golf on different days with Brazilians, Koreans, and Norwegians and had dinner at Teppan Edo with some Swedes).
12. Some additional: AKL/AKV had a very good band in the lobby December 31; it also had characters (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald) in the lobby that afternoon for about two hours. Hotel Christmas decorations came down overnight Jan 3 to 4. Much in parks was gone by Jan 5 although some remained even by time we left.
All in all, a very good time.
1. AKV Staff: This is our third time so nothing was really unexpected; we own both here and BWV and like both; resort is, as many have said before, very impressive: (a) staff was extremely polite, more so than before, welcome home said often -- we actually have some remembering who we are including a valet worker and one of the managers; (b) other than having to give a tip, I do not know why every DVC member with a car does not use valet; you can call down for your car before leaving the room and when you get to the valet area, the car is there; (c) one afternoon I was standing in the middle of the lobby staring about and a staff member just came over and asked if I needed any help and all I could think to say was could he bring some more staff members around to fawn over me.
2. Room: (a) one disappointment, we requested Arusha view and got Sunset and thus got construction view and noise; even so, animals did not seem to care and were around often; we arrived at three and got room at 3:45 (b) room (1570 and 1572) was in excellent condition and everything worked; (c) as we have noted before, rooms are dimly lighted but very pleasant appearance; you must be careful using the shower in the one bedroom -- it is a high cross-over step to get in the tub and there is a risk of slipping; (d) Disney still has that same girl it has had for years on channel 18 doing the Disney World descriptions and my better half commented that she should be retired along with Dee Vee Cee.
3. The Cat: in the savanna area we overlooked, there was a stray cat (dark color, possibly black) that has apparently taken up residence in or by the savanna. On four different days, we saw the cat come out and the animals there, particularly the large birds, apparently recognizing an interloper, went about chasing and screaming at the cat, which always escaped after a long chase. It added new entertainment to the savanna.
4. Busses: perhaps it is just our luck, or perhaps it is just the new system working, but this is the best I have ever seen the busses as we never waited for a bus more than 12 minutes and usually no more than 7. Trip to and from AK was 6 minutes, MK and Epcot 15 to 20, trip to Studios with stop at Blizzard Beach was 25. Two events of note: (a) Jan 1 leaving Epcot after Illuminations: crowds were huge, Disney brought in some Mears busses because its own were not enough with result that we got a Mears bus ride back to AKV and only waited 8 minutes for it to arrive (I have never known Disney to do that before); (b) on Jan 6, we left AK a little before closing and for no real reason large numbers of other AKL/AKV guests hit the bus station about the same time, enough for two busses lined up in less than 5 minutes while other resorts had far fewer or none; total wait for all of us was 8 minutes because one bus came and before it even left another came in right behind it.
5. The Kidani Construction: proceeded every day except New Years. We were looking directly at the new lobby area and the northern wing of rooms. The lobby area looks like it still has a long way to go. The most northern rooms had somewhat less done than those closer to lobby. One thing is clear: Kidani is huge, much larger than you can tell from pictures, and that walk from the very end of the northern wing to the lobby is going to be over 1/4 mile; it makes the Boardwalk walk look short.
6. The weather: speaking about it may mean it will never happen again this time of year but it was perfect. First two days had low 70s, Jan 1 to 6 were close to and a few above 80, Jan 7 we had our only rain, about 30 minutes in the late morning and it turned cooler that day (mid-60s). On the warm days, many were in the pool and we liked the whirlpools.
7. Compost: this was at both AKV and AK and fortunately experienced it only once at each place. Disney is apparently using natural materials as compost to fertilize and no longer chemicals; good and admirable idea for environment, bad idea for the human nose. Once applied, there is an awful smell for a few hours.
8. Crowds: crowds, as these boards demonstrate, are often a matter of the perception of the individual as some think they are not bad at all when, for the same time, others think they are intolerable. So here are some simple facts: (a) December 31 in MK in early evening, Space Mountain had a 160 minute stand-by line; at 8 p.m., the street crowds were so thick it was literally impossible to walk from one end of the park to the other; (a) on Jan 1, I think I saw a new record at Epcot: Soarin' in mid-afternoon had a stand-by line of 220 minutes (that's 3 hours and 40 minutes), Test Track at about the same time was at 160 minutes, all fast passes for both for entire day and evening were gone by about 11 in the morning; but -- and I do not find this strange because I have ridden it once and will never go again and now know there are tens of thousands like me -- Mission Space, at the same time Soarin and Test Track were in or over that 3 hour range, had a stand-by line of 25 minutes (in essence, you can get on that one virtually any time you want which is essentially no time at all for most of us). Contrary to what many think, those large crowds actually remained through Sunday, Jan 4, and they were only a little lighter Monday when there were still 80 to 120 minute stand-by times for popular rides. This is the pattern I have noticed in the last several years; the huge crowds don't even start leaving until the Monday after when New Years falls on a Wednesday through Saturday, and those crowds are not gone until the Tuesday after. Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan 6 and 7, had very light crowds, examples Safari and Dinosaur at AK had 5 to 10 minute stand-by waits, and even Soarin only had 35, in mid afternoon.
9. Parks: (a) Disney disaster, Dec 31, MK: a sewage pipe broke flooding a part of the street in Frontierland in the evening, resulting in the night parade being cancelled. They had an area blocked off and CMs there constantly using squeegies to brush away foul water and they had another CM going around requesting that anyone with cameras not take any pictures; (b) Splash Mountain was scheduled to close for refurbishment Jan 4; it was open Jan 4 because it was dead for most of New Years Eve and New Years; no explanation given except that it had "technical" problems; Rock n Roller Coaster went out for over two hours on Dec 30; Test Track had an occassional short breakdown; some others also did; just seems we witnessed more breakdowns this time than ever before; (c) park appearance and maintenance was amazingly good this time as we saw few lights out and they had more frequent street and bathroom clean-ups than we usually see; (d) Osbourne Lights: it had been a couple years since we went to see the lights and they are better than before -- the lights are now synchronized to music, every fifteen minutes the lights dance to the music of a Christmas song (a different song each time); (e) Jungle Ride: I can't remember her name now but she was from England; she was absolutely the funniest boat captain for the Jungle Ride we have ever had; (f) the new Toy Story ride is fun; its target shooting (computerized frisbees or something like that) while you go from one scene to another and, unlike Buzz Lightyear, those of us with no talent for the these things can actually score points; (g) didn't know this until we did it twice and then confirmed with CM: the Monster Inc. show in Tommorowland, where the cartoons talk with the audience, is actually several different shows: main characters and many of main lines are same for each show but jokes or stories told by the various performers change from one show to another.
10. Some Restaurant comments: (a) The Tusker House buffet at AK is actually good, sort of Boma light, but it is a strange waste of space -- the buffet line is in its own room with a lot of open space and that room is three times the size of the actual sitting room which is small; (b) Boma's was usual, you can choose regular known foods or more exotics and the five soups are great, but realized it has an assembly line design issue -- the place for the cook to cut meats and give you a slice is early in the midst of the food line rather than at the end or off by itself; the result is that you get a huge back-up as people who may not even want the meat can't get to other stuff because line waiting for the meat is blocking off items wanted; (c) Jiko's: had steak this time, very good; wine list is to die for (except for the prices); (d) San Angel, Mexico: had not done this for five years; same problem still exists; food is very good but service is abysmal; (e) Mara's: you can't beat this place for something quick.
11. Foreign Visitors: there seemed to be far more (larger percentage) of foreign visitors this year than I have usually seen this time of year. Many South Americans/Brazil (they are on summer break), Mexicans, Europeans, Asians, and even ran into some Russians; the dollar exchange rate must be saving Disney. Noteworthy is that all I ran into this time were polite and a pleasure to be around (played golf on different days with Brazilians, Koreans, and Norwegians and had dinner at Teppan Edo with some Swedes).
12. Some additional: AKL/AKV had a very good band in the lobby December 31; it also had characters (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald) in the lobby that afternoon for about two hours. Hotel Christmas decorations came down overnight Jan 3 to 4. Much in parks was gone by Jan 5 although some remained even by time we left.
All in all, a very good time.
Glad you had a good time.
We've done Christmas in WDW, but we've never stayed through New Year's. Maybe someday...
