Refurbishment Timeline Announced for Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas!

[sndral]

Do we know if the refurbishment for Jambo is still set to start in May? I was shocked to get 8 nights in a 1 BR Value for this summer when the 7 month mark hit. We were at Kidani at the time and remembered how much we loved AKV so we gave up the BCV studio we got and booked the 1 BR value. It was the exact number of points we had left to borrow over the BCV room so seemed like a no brainer.....

AFAIK there’s been no updated schedule.

 

[muppets3d]

Do we know if the refurbishment for Jambo is still set to start in May? I was shocked to get 8 nights in a 1 BR Value for this summer when the 7 month mark hit. We were at Kidani at the time and remembered how much we loved AKV so we gave up the BCV studio we got and booked the 1 BR value. It was the exact number of points we had left to borrow over the BCV room so seemed like a no brainer.....

Unless Disney changes the schedule there is no reason to believe otherwise.

 

[jcolvin5]

This may have been covered elsewhere, but my searches aren't revealing any answers.

Do we know exactly what sections are completed? What sections are currently being touched? And what sections are left to do?

 

[Elephantay]

While I might disagree w/ whether Kidani’s pool is better than Jambo’s & I agree that Sunset savanna is great but I’d be disappointed to end up on Pembe savanna, the Kidani 1 br.s also have 2 bathrooms & are larger than the Jambo 1 br.s & I agree, the walk to Jambo is relatively short & the shuttle is very convenient - however, the shuttle cannot accommodate ECVs which is a consideration if a member in your party relies on one.
If someone absolutely cannot stand the sofa beds - which I get, I’ve been getting 2 br.s at Jambo just to avoid them the last several years - Kidani is definitely the way to go until after they start & complete Jambo’s refurb. in early 2027.

We have never stayed at Kidani and nobody wants to in our family. We are huge fans of the pool and dining at Jambo. We do like the kidani pool and have gone over there a few times, but walking back in wet bathing suits, or sitting in the air-conditioned van was not ideal.
The discounts that came out are helpful but it’s still so pricey to stay in the lodge! We’ve gotten room hundreds of dollars cheaper than they now are with discounts.

 

[Elephantay]

They can't do just Studios first because the Studios are interspersed with all the other room types. What they'll probably do is like Kidani, they'll close off one wing of the building and refurbish all those rooms, working their way from the lobby out, and open sections as they can.

The Club and Value rooms are separated from the main 5th floor rooms so they could follow their own refurbishment schedule, and it appears that they may be (or it may just be that they are being heavily walked for Christmas, which honestly is pretty typical for this time of year).

Booking Jambo before the end of the refurbishment means you may get an old room. So if you really want that murphy bed, I'd recommend you book Kidani until the refurbishment is supposed to be completed.

It's also important to recognize that DVC didn't promise every room type will get murphy beds. The Value Studios and 3 bedroom grand villas may keep the sofa for example, we'll just have to wait and see.

I was wondering about this… Because even looking to book a Kidani studio in September, it says sofa bed I hope that’s not the case and that Murphy beds are going everywhere because the sofa beds are tough.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

I was wondering about this… Because even looking to book a Kidani studio in September, it says sofa bed I hope that’s not the case and that Murphy beds are going everywhere because the sofa beds are tough.

I expect the overall description, including the new Murphy Beds (where they can install them), won't be put on the web site until they're all officially refurbed. It seems like Murphy Beds are going into 98%-100% of the rooms - but not clear if they'll fit or work in the Value rooms or the GVs.

 

[muppets3d]

I was wondering about this… Because even looking to book a Kidani studio in September, it says sofa bed I hope that’s not the case and that Murphy beds are going everywhere because the sofa beds are tough.

I'm sure they'll update the room descriptions and photos once the refurbishment is entirely complete.