Sake's Alive! AKL Lite V!!

[Donald is #1]

Robbie, It's definitely not what most of us picture when we think "dorm room"!! The bathroom has the tub/commode in a separate room from the sink/vanity area. The 2 girls also share a small kitchen that has fridge, microwave, toaster oven, counter space, cabinets and a breakfast nook with 2 bar stools! (These kids don't know how good they've got it!!)

Wow, that is some dorm room!

 

[miprender]

We are making our first DVC trip to AKLvillas, our home resort on July 10!

You should come and join us on the July planning thread too.

We're back!!!

ok, here is the link to the "PHOTO trip report" (uh, um, also known as the "I don't have time to type anything up right now, but here's a peek at the past week's worth of shenanigans)

CLICK HERE to be magically transported to AKL- JAMBO

WELCOME back. I tried to view the pics on two different computers and both times it froze. Oh well I guess I can't be magically transported to AKL

Today was a big day for us!
My DD, Dr. Erin, graduated from a three-year pediatric residency program at a children's hospital in Philadelphia. Even though today was graduation day, she still has to work until the end of the month.

As of July 1, no more 80-90 hour workweeks for her. Erin starts her new job on July 6 working for a pediatric practice in Haddonfield, NJ.

Kathy,
Proud Mom

WOW congrats to your daughter

We are back from Tori's college orientation. She is so happy with her choice to attend Kennesaw State University! The campus is beautiful and very pedestrian friendly! JD & I were amazed at the size of her dorm! She has a private bedroom and shares a bathroom and kitchenette with one other girl!! What a difference from my 2 older kids' dorm rooms!!!

WOW that sounds like a nice dorm.

I guess y'all have heard about the WDW ticket price increases tomorrow. The 10-day MYW is going up 11.1%!!! I guess Disney thinks the economy is all better.

Why are they increasing them so early. I thought it was always August. Thank goodness for this trip we are still using our APs.
They expire in December so we need to find a away to pay for one more trip before then

 

[RachelTori]

Why are they increasing them so early. I thought it was always August. Thank goodness for this trip we are still using our APs.
They expire in December so we need to find a away to pay for one more trip before then

It was always August. Disney pulled a fast one on us this time. What did they give us -- 2 days notice? And 2 months early, catching lots of us off-guard.

The thing is, Disney knows they will lose a very small number of visitors; and some of us will grumble about it for awhile, then continue visiting as usual; but most will just reach deeper into their pockets and pay without any hesitation. Disney has most of us right where they want us -- HOOKED!!!

 

[franandaj]

Does anyone know if there are pictures of a 2 bedroom at Kidani? I have never stayed at AKL before. Thanks

These are some pictures from our trip in January 2010, this was a dedicated.

 

[pilferk]

Well..the next big phase of the trip planning went off without a hitch:

Ordered our theme park tickets.....
.

Man, did that work out well. I thought we had a 6 weeks or so before we saw a price increase!

 

[pilferk]

Hello AKL Guru's.

I just switched to the AKL for our September trip, but all that was available with my discount was standard view rooms. I was curious as to if anyone has had a standard view that they thought was decent, or if they are all uggy. It's not that important to me, I was just curious. I know the standard views are all either of the parking lot or the roof over the pool.

I've stayed in one, when down at WDW for a conference (they ran out of rooms for us at Coronado).

The rooms are fine. The views are usually of the porte cochere (the "drive up" circle) area...though there are some "people pen" and pool roof views, too.

They're not the best views, obviously. But on the plus side, you're IN the lodge which means you're a few steps away from savanna view or the pool, itself. And you have unlimited access to Zebra Domes!

 

[pilferk]

Hey - You really shouldn't have a problem with the DDP - just let the server know up from that it's all seperate - no splitting checks - we've had people with us before and there was never a problem at all. On another note, I hope you have room in your luggage for that stop you are making for me at Abbotts.................. (CRAVING BAD right now!!!)

Good to know.

We decided, on Sunday, to do the DDP. We'll call in late August/September to add it to our AKV ressie (since I'm not a big fan of Disney holding our money for months at a time for no good reason...and with DVC you can add it closer to arrival).

We'll be at Abbots on the 25th. Going to Mohegan for a concert and staying close by. Checking in on the 25th, in the AM, then heading to Abbots for lunch!

 

[pilferk]

FYI Jamborinis:

If you "missed" the price increase yesterday on MYW tickets...Undercover tourist is still offering (as of 8 AM) the old pricing. You can save yourself some $$ if you buy before they sell out.

I figured it out this morning. We (by sheer luck) ended up saving ourselves about $270, between the Mousesavers/UT discount and the price increase. YOWZA!

 

[RachelTori]

FYI Jamborinis:

If you "missed" the price increase yesterday on MYW tickets...Undercover tourist is still offering (as of 8 AM) the old pricing. You can save yourself some $$ if you buy before they sell out.

I figured it out this morning. We (by sheer luck) ended up saving ourselves about $270, between the Mousesavers/UT discount and the price increase. YOWZA!

Good PSA, Pilferk!

I went on the UT site early this morning (through the Mousesavers link) and bought two 10-day MYW. Not sure when they'll get used, but the way the costs keep going up, better to buy now!

I've used UT many times in the past and they are great!

 

[crostorfer]

I've stayed in one, when down at WDW for a conference (they ran out of rooms for us at Coronado).

The rooms are fine. The views are usually of the porte cochere (the "drive up" circle) area...though there are some "people pen" and pool roof views, too.

They're not the best views, obviously. But on the plus side, you're IN the lodge which means you're a few steps away from savanna view or the pool, itself. And you have unlimited access to Zebra Domes!

Thank you so much for your input! I can't wait to try the Zebra Domes. We've never stayed anywhere but the Poly, but we are really excited for this visit!

 

[wendypooh]

Morning Jamborini's - Hope Everyone is good. We're headed out do some shopping, etc............. have a great day!!!!

Good to know.

We decided, on Sunday, to do the DDP. We'll call in late August/September to add it to our AKV ressie (since I'm not a big fan of Disney holding our money for months at a time for no good reason...and with DVC you can add it closer to arrival).

We'll be at Abbots on the 25th. Going to Mohegan for a concert and staying close by. Checking in on the 25th, in the AM, then heading to Abbots for lunch!

I know, we haven't paid for our DDP yet either.......... it's just dumb to me that they want you to pay when you add it - BUT, you have till 48 hours before arrival............. makes no sense - but I agree with you, they don't need to hold my money for 11 months or whatever............. We also saw the ticket increase - our AP's expired last month, the renewal price wasn't worth us losing 5 months of use, so, we're just gonna get new one's in Oct. with the DVC discount - I think we still come out ahead even with this increase - vs. renewing last month. AND AND AND - I'm SO jealous you are going to Abbots - Enjoy it for me!!!! What concert are you going too?? Oh, did I ask you if you were doing the MNSSHP? We are doing it on the 6th. I have to go look at Brandi's list to see when you guys get there!!! LOL Have a great day!!!

 

[pilferk]

I know, we haven't paid for our DDP yet either.......... it's just dumb to me that they want you to pay when you add it - BUT, you have till 48 hours before arrival............. makes no sense - but I agree with you, they don't need to hold my money for 11 months or whatever............. We also saw the ticket increase - our AP's expired last month, the renewal price wasn't worth us losing 5 months of use, so, we're just gonna get new one's in Oct. with the DVC discount - I think we still come out ahead even with this increase - vs. renewing last month. AND AND AND - I'm SO jealous you are going to Abbots - Enjoy it for me!!!! What concert are you going too?? Oh, did I ask you if you were doing the MNSSHP? We are doing it on the 6th. I have to go look at Brandi's list to see when you guys get there!!! LOL Have a great day!!!

We'll add about 2 weeks prior to departure just because I don't like to push it any more than that. I liked it a bit better when you didn't have to pay for the DDP, as a DVC member, until you arrived.

Don't hit me...but I think you could have bought an AP voucher (with the DVC discount) on Friday/Saturday and paid the old price. Wouldn't have "activated" til you used the voucher in September.

I agree, though, losing the 5 months of use would negate any savings.

We're going to see Katy Perry. It was my wife's birthday present (which was back in March). My mom's taking the kids so we're without kids from Saturday morning til some time on Sunday.

We are doing MNSSHP, on the 11th. Guys (me, my son, and my step dad) are doing Pirates league that day (and we all have pirate costumes) and the girls (DW, eldest DD, youngest DD, and my mom) are doing Bippity Boppity Boutique that day (and they all have their princess costumes ready to go).

 

[TyRy]

Today was a big day for us!

My DD, Dr. Erin, graduated from a three-year pediatric residency program at a children's hospital in Philadelphia. Even though today was graduation day, she still has to work until the end of the month.

Congratulations to Dr. Erin!!

We are back from Tori's college orientation. She is so happy with her choice to attend Kennesaw State University! The campus is beautiful and very pedestrian friendly! JD & I were amazed at the size of her dorm! She has a private bedroom and shares a bathroom and kitchenette with one other girl!! What a difference from my 2 older kids' dorm rooms!!!

That sounds absolutely opposite of what I remember from college. That is awesome for her!

I guess y'all have heard about the WDW ticket price increases tomorrow. The 10-day MYW is going up 11.1%!!! I guess Disney thinks the economy is all better.

I was going to renew my AP in October, but may have to think about it a bit more now.

 

[RachelTori]

I was going to renew my AP in October, but may have to think about it a bit more now.

They spoiled us last year with the 15-month AP.

I'm still trying to figure out pricing (doing the math!!). From what Cheshire Figment posted (and he is the authority on WDW tickets on these boards! ), it looks like the DVC AP renewal (tax included) will be around $400. That's for a regular AP -- I will NEVER be buying a Premium AP!!

I have to renew this year (Food & Wine plans are in place!), but after that, we'll see. They may start pricing some of us out of the market.

 

[dgbg100106]

They spoiled us last year with the 15-month AP.

I'm still trying to figure out pricing (doing the math!!). From what Cheshire Figment posted (and he is the authority on WDW tickets on these boards! ), it looks like the DVC AP renewal (tax included) will be around $400. That's for a regular AP -- I will NEVER be buying a Premium AP!!

I have to renew this year (Food & Wine plans are in place!), but after that, we'll see. They may start pricing some of us out of the market.

The sad thing is we made more small trips to the world since we had APs so if we don't renew they lose out on more trips from us.

 

[miprender]

It was always August. Disney pulled a fast one on us this time. What did they give us -- 2 days notice? And 2 months early, catching lots of us off-guard.

The thing is, Disney knows they will lose a very small number of visitors; and some of us will grumble about it for awhile, then continue visiting as usual; but most will just reach deeper into their pockets and pay without any hesitation. Disney has most of us right where they want us -- HOOKED!!!

Unfortunatly I am too addicted

These are some pictures from our trip in January 2010, this was a dedicated.

[

Thanks for the pics

I figured it out this morning. We (by sheer luck) ended up saving ourselves about $270, between the Mousesavers/UT discount and the price increase. YOWZA!

More money for Zebra Domes

 

[sherabby]

We are booked in a standard room at AKL Jambo house. The description that we were provided with states one queen bed and a pull out bed. I read somewhere else that all rooms now have two queen beds. can someone verify this for us? We actually rented points from an ebay seller....who has since dissapeared. I still have my reservation but we were told to make back up plans just in case. Here is my other question. If I do online check in will it send a notice to the owner of the DVC that we did the online check in? If it does we are going to wait and not check in ahead of time. So far all of his buyers have been lucky except for one who had his trip cancelled. He also paid by check. We disputed and have a temporary credit. I've contacted the seller so many times confirm and add the dining plan. He won't return calls.

 

[twinklebug]

We are booked in a standard room at AKL Jambo house. The description that we were provided with states one queen bed and a pull out bed. I read somewhere else that all rooms now have two queen beds. can someone verify this for us? We actually rented points from an ebay seller....who has since dissapeared. I still have my reservation but we were told to make back up plans just in case. Here is my other question. If I do online check in will it send a notice to the owner of the DVC that we did the online check in? If it does we are going to wait and not check in ahead of time. So far all of his buyers have been lucky except for one who had his trip cancelled. He also paid by check. We disputed and have a temporary credit. I've contacted the seller so many times confirm and add the dining plan. He won't return calls.

Can you cut and paste the exact description you were provided? Is it a Studio, 1 br, 2 br? Sounds like it's a DVC standard view - Jambo house room, that much I got.

For standard view rooms:
Studios all have one queen and one pull out.
1 br units have a King and one pull out as well as a chair that converts (values will not have the chair)
2 br units have both of the above (however dedicated rooms without the lockoff will have 2 queen beds in the second room as opposed to the Queen/pull out couch combo.)

I believe the description you were reading might have been for the Hotel standard category rooms, DVC rooms are a different breed

As for the seller I can't say much. It doesn't sound like you have faith in him/her. And it sounds like there's a breakdown in communication. I hope it all works out for the best! I started off by renting and fell in love with DVC.

 

[t_daniels]

The bathroom has the tub/commode in a separate room from the sink/vanity area. The 2 girls also share a small kitchen that has fridge, microwave, toaster oven, counter space, cabinets and a breakfast nook with 2 bar stools! (These kids don't know how good they've got it!!)

This is what my dorm was like! It was a smaller college though, most of the people were commuters, I believe .

 

[CJsMom]

The thing is, Disney knows they will lose a very small number of visitors; and some of us will grumble about it for awhile, then continue visiting as usual; but most will just reach deeper into their pockets and pay without any hesitation. Disney has most of us right where they want us -- HOOKED!!!

Yep, I have no problem reaching deeper into my pocket (although I will grumble about it)...DH, on the other hand...

We are booked in a standard room at AKL Jambo house. The description that we were provided with states one queen bed and a pull out bed. I read somewhere else that all rooms now have two queen beds. can someone verify this for us? We actually rented points from an ebay seller....who has since dissapeared. I still have my reservation but we were told to make back up plans just in case. Here is my other question. If I do online check in will it send a notice to the owner of the DVC that we did the online check in? If it does we are going to wait and not check in ahead of time. So far all of his buyers have been lucky except for one who had his trip cancelled. He also paid by check. We disputed and have a temporary credit. I've contacted the seller so many times confirm and add the dining plan. He won't return calls.

I don't know the answer to your question, but I hope everything works out for your trip.