Spin-off- Convince me not to buy AK.

[davidl81]

We own at AKV and to us the only down side is the bus system. Similar to SSR or OKW I just hate having to take the buses to every park. Once you are on the bus it's not really much longer of a ride than other resorts that need a bus, but the wait times can be long. We love everything else about it though.

 

[M:SpilotISTC12]

And eventually you'll hit that long wait for a bus at every resort. Then where will you stay?

We rarely take the bus. We go for 4 day trips and do two parks. Usually we go to the parks that don't involve busses. IE BWV Epcot and HS. Poly MK and Epcot. AK is a park we don't go to every trip.

 

[sethschroeder]

Do you live in Hawaii? Flights are expensive to Florida.

To add you might get from your home to MK quicker than staying at AKV.

I jest but the biggest thing for me is terrible transportation. I have had multiple 1hr waits in the same trip waiting to get to and from the parks.

Also you pretty much can always get it as 7 months anyways for those couple of times you want to stay there.

 

[robinb]

I love my AKV home! It was my favorite from my first stay. AK is my absolute favorite park and I love to stop and visit "my animals". It is so peaceful and so amazing to walk out on the balcony first thing in the morning and watch the animals. The buses may be longer rides, but all resorts have some close and some far parks, so really no different to me.

Us too. We both booked a standard view at AKL before DVC and was upgraded to a Savannah view. We knew that DVC was planning to build at AKV and we were sold. We bought as soon as it became available.

 

[sethschroeder]

And eventually you'll hit that long wait for a bus at every resort. Then where will you stay?

Well there are 7 resorts that don't have bussing to certain parks.

There’s not a resort I’ve stayed at in WDW that I haven’t waited 40 minutes for a bus at.

It was absolutely terrible when we were there. Waiting multiple times over an hour for a bus.

Plus many other resorts without a requirement to bus everywhere. Actually AKV is the only resort that can go nowhere without bussing.

And the boats - who hasn’t watched those boats that stop at all the boardwalk resorts chugging by, too full to stop, as you forlornly wait on the dock for a boat to finally pull up.

Here is a tip and I am pretty insider so I am one of the few to know this.

You can walk.

At AKV you are waiting and no way around it.

 

[808blessing]

I had both an AKV & BLT offer accepted that I ended up declining within a day or two of my keeper contract. RIV was also a contender in my head but small contracts don’t match up too well. That is to say, I’m going to stay there, CC, BLT, GF and two other new ones yet to be booked on my next trip. (I know, I know all the things!) We will see what if the add-on battle is raging again then.

 

[sndral]

...
It was absolutely terrible when we were there. Waiting multiple times over an hour for a bus.

Plus many other resorts without a requirement to bus everywhere. Actually AKV is the only resort that can go nowhere without bussing.



Here is a tip and I am pretty insider so I am one of the few to know this.

You can walk.
...

My post was meant to be humorous, indeed my son and I used to have a ‘race’ I’d wait for & ride the friendship boats & he’d walk from DHS - he won every time. Indeed, my longest wait anywhere was at the YC dock when 3 friendship boats passed us by because they were full - although some Christmas carolers serenaded us for awhile, so that was nice .
Things must have gone downhill in the last year, I can’t recall ever waiting an hour for a bus at AKV or anywhere else, except DS where I always have bad bus karma. It always ‘feels’ to me like I wait longer for a bus at the park to get back to my resort (where ever that resort is) than when I wait at my resort to get to a park, but I think that’s because I’ve spent the day/night standing in lines when I leave a park & am more tired when I’m heading back, whereas when I’m at the resort waiting for a bus I can sit on the shaded benches and have a board/app telling me when to expect the next bus.
My favorite park is AK, which is bus only from every resort, so it’s less of an issue for me I suppose. If it seems an issue next Dec. when we return, we’ll just Uber/Lyft a bit more.

 

[Red Dog Run]

We own 100 points at AKV. Are you looking for negatives only? Sorry, I’m not familiar with the SSR thread.

Two out of the four “views” are impossible to get without “walking” your reservation.

The rooms at Jambo are really high and away from the animals.

The “aroma d’Boma” is really only good the first day or two.

Kidani has no CS restaurant.

AKV is literally in the middle of nowhere and it takes forever to get to anywhere except AK.

All that being said, we love AKV.

Hi! I recently purchased 100 pts at AKV. I've never stayed there, but I took a tour and LOVED it. Would you please explain about theses views that are impossible without walking a reservation? I thank you in advance.

 

[robinb]

Hi! I recently purchased 100 pts at AKV. I've never stayed there, but I took a tour and LOVED it. Would you please explain about theses views that are impossible without walking a reservation? I thank you in advance.

By "view" I really mean "booking category" and both of them are at Jambo House.

The first category that is impossible to get is the concierge level. There are a TOTAL of FIVE 2-bedroom lock-offs and the studios usually go first. I've stayed many times, but I have had "walk" my reservation every time. Concierge is more expensive, but totally worth it to us because we have access to the Club Lounge for meals and snacks. Note: All Concierge/Club lounges are currently closed.

The other category are "Value" rooms. They are significantly cheaper than the regular rooms and can be of any view: parking lot, pool or savannah. They are in high demand because of their point-price. They are also smaller than the other DVC rooms since they converted regular AKL rooms instead of the bigger Deluxe (I think that's what they were called) AKL rooms.

Walking a reservation can be tricky. You can search for what it means to "walk" a reservation.

 

[Red Dog Run]

By "view" I really mean "booking category" and both of them are at Jambo House.

The first category that is impossible to get is the concierge level. There are a TOTAL of FIVE 2-bedroom lock-offs and the studios usually go first. I've stayed many times, but I have had "walk" my reservation every time. Concierge is more expensive, but totally worth it to us because we have access to the Club Lounge for meals and snacks. Note: All Concierge/Club lounges are currently closed.

The other category are "Value" rooms. They are significantly cheaper than the regular rooms and can be of any view: parking lot, pool or savannah. They are in high demand because of their point-price. They are also smaller than the other DVC rooms since they converted regular AKL rooms instead of the bigger Deluxe (I think that's what they were called) AKL rooms.

Walking a reservation can be tricky. You can search for what it means to "walk" a reservation.

Thank you. I didn't realize the difference. Have a great day.

 

[sndral]

Hi! I recently purchased 100 pts at AKV. I've never stayed there, but I took a tour and LOVED it. Would you please explain about theses views that are impossible without walking a reservation? I thank you in advance.

AKV has the most booking choices of all DVC resorts I believe: Jambo club, Jambo value, Jambo standard (many w/ partial savanna views,) Jambo savanna view, Kidani standard view, Kidani savanna view, if 2 br. - Kidani lock off or dedicated. If 3 bedroom there’s even a standard/savanna choice - @ Kidani I believe, tho’ I don’t have enough points or travel companions to stay in the GVs, so am not sure where the standard view GVs are lol.
Generally Kidani is easier to get because there are a lot more villas there than there are at Jambo.
FYI here’s a link to the AKV DVC thread https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...-come-and-chat.1815576/page-185#post-62989654

 

[Red Dog Run]

AKV has the most booking choices of all DVC resorts I believe: Jambo club, Jambo value, Jambo standard (many w/ partial savanna views,) Jambo savanna view, Kidani standard view, Kidani savanna view, if 2 br. - Kidani lock off or dedicated. If 3 bedroom there’s even a standard/savanna choice - @ Kidani I believe, tho’ I don’t have enough points or travel companions to stay in the GVs, so am not sure where the standard view GVs are lol.
Generally Kidani is easier to get because there are a lot more villas there than there are at Jambo.
FYI here’s a link to the AKV DVC thread https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...-come-and-chat.1815576/page-185#post-62989654

Thank you very much. Have a great day.

 

[mustinjourney]

if you ever have to drag your luggage all the way down the endless halls of kidani, that will be enough to cure your desire to purchase. I stayed one night there and it took more than 10 minutes to go from our room to the lobby. Never again.

 

[Lorana]

I always find the bus conversations about AKL/AKV fascinating. There’s not a resort I’ve stayed at in WDW that I haven’t waited 40 minutes for a bus at. In normal times the buses at VGF arrive w/ Poly people on them, BC buses arrive with YC people on them, BWV people are now joined by interlopers from the Swolphin, SSR people have multiple stops and interlopers from DS, Poly/VGF people have to fight through TTC bound crowds to ride the resort monorail home at night, or now they can just walk, because who doesn’t want one final hike after spending hours walking/standing around MK. etc.. And the boats - who hasn’t watched those boats that stop at all the boardwalk resorts chugging by, too full to stop, as you forlornly wait on the dock for a boat to finally pull up. And do you know how long those boats take w/ their stops at all those resorts - I could walk faster...oh wait. Who hasn’t killed time in the VGF/Poly boat queue trying to guess which dock that incoming boat is going to dock at...is that one ours - no, wrong color flag, that one maybe-no too big. And the boat to CC/BRV, such a long ride once you finally get on & if the electric water parade is going by, yep you’ll find yourself idling in the water waiting for it to pass. And don’t get me started on the marathon bus rides/waits I’ve endured to/from DS just to grab a pastry or a bath bomb to use in my AKV spa tub.

I was just going to come here and comment at that. Over the past 24 years I've regularly traveled to Disney, I've stayed at every resort (except Old Key West - need to fix that!), and I've had long waits for buses, and depending on the resort location, some long bus rides. AKV puts you super close to AK, and it's still a reasonable bus ride (within 15 minutes) to Epcot, HS, TL & BB. Magic Kingdom and Disney Springs are long, sure, but if you're staying up at MK, it's actually slightly longer to HS and Epcot, and very long to AK. And you catch the timing of the buses wrong, you can be waiting a loooong time for the next bus. And I've certainly experienced all those situations where the monorail was full, the boats were full, the bus was either too full or was standing room only, at every resort I've stayed at.

 

[Lorana]

Disclosure: I own at AKV and love it. It feels really weird to argue why NOT to own at AKV.

I think my biggest complaints:

(1) Those hallways are LOOOOOOONG. We always seem to get placed near the end of the loops, and at the end of the day, that's a loooong walk to your room. I wish they had people movers. ;-)

(2) WHY ARE THERE NO SCENIC WALKING TRAILS??? It feels like Disney missed an opportunity to have some nice outdoor walking areas. They have some nice viewing areas, and firepits, and sitting areas, but there are not walking trails. The walk from Jambo and Kidani is full of parking lots and concrete. There's no walking path to Animal Kingdom. There's no running trail. I can't express how much we wish these things existed.

(3) If staying at Kidani, Sanaa is a great restaurant, but it is not for everyone, and my teenage boys alas do not like the food offerings there. It would be nice to either have another sit-down restaurant, or more entrees that picky/boring/unadventurous eaters would enjoy. It also doesn't have a real Quick Service offering, just the pool bar.

(4) I will always lament that more resorts don't have lazy rivers, and I think Disney missed an opportunity to have a lazy river winding around a savannah here myself. ;-)

 

[kenyoncad]

I like Jambo, not a big Kidani fan, its just too big with endless corridors. Just one thing.... why is the whole resort so dark? Outside, the lobby and the rooms all need brighter bulbs.

 

[sethschroeder]

I was just going to come here and comment at that. Over the past 24 years I've regularly traveled to Disney, I've stayed at every resort (except Old Key West - need to fix that!), and I've had long waits for buses, and depending on the resort location, some long bus rides. AKV puts you super close to AK, and it's still a reasonable bus ride (within 15 minutes) to Epcot, HS, TL & BB. Magic Kingdom and Disney Springs are long, sure, but if you're staying up at MK, it's actually slightly longer to HS and Epcot, and very long to AK. And you catch the timing of the buses wrong, you can be waiting a loooong time for the next bus. And I've certainly experienced all those situations where the monorail was full, the boats were full, the bus was either too full or was standing room only, at every resort I've stayed at.

Here is the thing.

You are getting more benefit being next to MK than AK for a majority of people.

If you can avoid a bus to MK or Epcot/HS each of those is like 40% of your week eliminating busses.

 

[Lorana]

Here is the thing.

You are getting more benefit being next to MK than AK for a majority of people.

If you can avoid a bus to MK or Epcot/HS each of those is like 40% of your week eliminating busses.

Unless you’re at Poly and walk to TTC, the monorail to Epcot isn’t necessarily significantly faster. Just different. You still have to loop around, get off, get in line at TTC, and go over to Epcot. The resort loop is ~20 for a full loop. GF to TTC is ~15 minutes. It’s 15 minutes from TTC to Epcot. When you factor in wait times, you’re looking at 50+ minutes to monorail from GF to Epcot, and 35-40 minutes without (because you still need to factor in switching time at TTC). Whereas a bus from AK to Epcot is ~15 minutes ride. Even factoring in wait time of 20 minutes, it’s still faster or equal to staying at GF or BLT and taking the monorail to Epcot.

If you despise buses, then staying at MK or Epcot/RIV area is certainly a better choice to have options other than buses for some of the parks.

 

[sethschroeder]

Unless you’re at Poly and walk to TTC, the monorail to Epcot isn’t necessarily significantly faster. Just different. You still have to loop around, get off, get in line at TTC, and go over to Epcot. The resort loop is ~20 for a full loop. GF to TTC is ~15 minutes. It’s 15 minutes from TTC to Epcot. When you factor in wait times, you’re looking at 50+ minutes to monorail from GF to Epcot, and 35-40 minutes without (because you still need to factor in switching time at TTC). Whereas a bus from AK to Epcot is ~15 minutes ride. Even factoring in wait time of 20 minutes, it’s still faster or equal to staying at GF or BLT and taking the monorail to Epcot.

If you despise buses, then staying at MK or Epcot/RIV area is certainly a better choice to have options other than buses for some of the parks.

Just take the boat or walk? Boat is very regular and you can see where it's even at likely.

I would personally say it's 1) boat, 2) walk, 3) monorail for the loop.

You also talk about the travel time. The issue has never ever ever ever ever been the travel time. It's always been about the regularity of other travel methods vs bus. AKV lovers seem to constantly push how quickly busses can get to the parks which is fine but when I waited 1hr prior to that it does little for me.

When you can eliminate that fluctuations in your travel plans its a major positive.

It's why I laugh when people say "well all resorts have delays for busses". I will concede that as fact and say so why do you want to increase your odds of being delayed by having to bus to every single place you ever go.

In addition the primary benefit of quick access to a park for AKV is a park most people will visit the fewest of any area (MK area, Epcot/HS area, AK area).

I have brought it up before but they just need to 2x the number of busses to help speed up the waits you see at the resort.

 

[Lorana]

Just take the boat or walk? Boat is very regular and you can see where it's even at likely.

I would personally say it's 1) boat, 2) walk, 3) monorail for the loop.

You also talk about the travel time. The issue has never ever ever ever ever been the travel time. It's always been about the regularity of other travel methods vs bus. AKV lovers seem to constantly push how quickly busses can get to the parks which is fine but when I waited 1hr prior to that it does little for me.

When you can eliminate that fluctuations in your travel plans its a major positive.

It's why I laugh when people say "well all resorts have delays for busses". I will concede that as fact and say so why do you want to increase your odds of being delayed by having to bus to every single place you ever go.

In addition the primary benefit of quick access to a park for AKV is a park most people will visit the fewest of any area (MK area, Epcot/HS area, AK area).

I have brought it up before but they just need to 2x the number of busses to help speed up the waits you see at the resort.

I will agree that personally, my preference is boat, walk, monorail too. Though in my case, I love the Wilderness Lodge, so I own at CCV/BRV for my MK resort, and so boat it is!
I was more pointing out the fact that everyone makes a big deal about how long the bus ride is -- which is specifically what I was replying too -- when the bus ride itself is not as long as some other modes of transportation. It just is a bus, not a boat or a monorail or a skyliner.

Do I wish AK had other modes of transportation? Absolutely. I think they missed an opportunity not building a walking path. I wish there were methods other than a bus to the other parks. But, we are in that small few who absolutely LOVE the Animal Kingdom, and proximity to that park is a great thing for us. We also have more than one home resort, and don't mind split stays, so admittedly if we are going for a long period of time, we will split up our time between resort locations and focus on the parks closest to those locations.

Agreed that there needs to be more frequent buses coming to the resort. There never seems to be enough for the demand, that's for sure.