The All-New "unofficial" AKL/AKV's Jambo & Kidani FAQ thread.....

[tsmith76]

we are booked for next week and someone told us they didn't book there because some sav views were blocked. Can anyone confirm or deny?

 

[MinnieMommy07]

Is this the picture you were thinking of:

This was taken in the morning. Here's another from the evening:

I took both of these pictures with my old MP camera with a 10x zoom. We were in room 5030 in the Giraffe trail near the end of the last building and had a partial view of the savanah immediately behind the pool as well as Expedition Everest. It was a great room (and had bunk beds too!). This was from January 2006, before the DVC conversion, so I believe this room is now considered a DVC villa.

Yes! These are the awesome pics I saw! So is Everest noticeable from the room or is it quite small? We are going down and want to request a certain savannah prior to arriving. I really like them all so its tough to decide!

 

[Flossbolna]

we are booked for next week and someone told us they didn't book there because some sav views were blocked. Can anyone confirm or deny?

There was construction going on at AKL to built the Disney Vacation Club addition: Kidani Village. All of Kidani is open now, so I can't imagine there is any construction going on anymore. And during the construction those who had booked savanna view were always given an unblocked view as far as I know. Of course they might be repainting the outside of the building, but as far as I know that was done last year as well, so I don't think it will be happening again this year.

If you happen to have construction outside your room, you can always request to be moved.

 

[pilferk]

we are booked for next week and someone told us they didn't book there because some sav views were blocked. Can anyone confirm or deny?

I saw NO evidence of ANY construction near/on the savanna's at either Jambo or Kidani when I was there (Sept 16th - 25th).

I'm wondering if they got the "Kidani disclaimer", which was being given to guests while construction was going on and the building was going up. The structure of that building has been up since May, and they finished most of the interior work (which wouldn't have effected savanna views anyway) before Sept 1st.

The only thing I'd heard, since then, that was going on was balcony painting. But we saw no evidence of that while we were there on ANY of the savanna's (or the common/pool areas, either), so I'm thinking they're done with that, too.

 

[rstanley]

Ok…we leave next Friday…and I’m second guessing my original room request.

I asked for Zebra Trail, Uzima Savannah.

But I’m wondering if the Arusha Savannah is just as good as Uzima…and if so maybe I shouldn’t be so specific.

I’m thinking of changing this to one of the following:

1. Zebra Trail, Room with good view of animals (or is this too general?)
2. Zebra Trail 4th floor (is 5th floor just as good)…I could say 4th or 5th floor
3. Zebra Trail 3rd, 4th or 5th pod (will they know what I mean with this request?) I've heard the farther you get from the main lodge the better the view of animals.

Please let me know what you think.

Thanks!

 

[pilferk]

Ok…we leave next Friday…and I’m second guessing my original room request.

I asked for Zebra Trail, Uzima Savannah.

But I’m wondering if the Arusha Savannah is just as good as Uzima…and if so maybe I shouldn’t be so specific.

I’m thinking of changing this to one of the following:

1. Zebra Trail, Room with good view of animals (or is this too general?)
2. Zebra Trail 4th floor (is 5th floor just as good)…I could say 4th or 5th floor
3. Zebra Trail 3rd, 4th or 5th pod (will they know what I mean with this request?) I've heard the farther you get from the main lodge the better the view of animals.

Please let me know what you think.

Thanks!

I actually PREFER the Arusha savanna view, but that's a matter of preference. You could go either way.

FYI: All the rooms on the 5th floor are DVC villas, so unless you've booked a villa...leave that out of your request. There's a good chunk of rooms on the 4th floor that are concierge level rooms (all the hotel concierge rooms are on that floor and I think they're closer to the lobby, if memory serves).

Floor 2 and 3 will get you closer views of the animals, floor 4 (and 5, where the villas are) will get you a more expansive panorama of the savanna. I like both, for different reasons, so we never request a floor....but your mileage may vary.

Request 1 is pretty good, but you can leave off the "with a good view of the animals" piece. If you have a savanna view....you're pretty much assured of that. They roam the savannas during the day, so the view changes. But the way they have the feed stations positioned...well, "good view" sorta gos without saying.

Request 2 is also good.

I think Request 3 would confuse them. Better to say "Zebra trail, 4th floor, further out from the lobby". They seem to be pretty good at that sort of direction. Our standard room request is:

Zebra Trail, arusha savanna view, near the elevators down to the pool.

We usually get Zebra trail, arusha savanna, about 1/2 way down the trail.

 

[rstanley]

I actually PREFER the Arusha savanna view, but that's a matter of preference. You could go either way.

FYI: All the rooms on the 5th floor are DVC villas, so unless you've booked a villa...leave that out of your request. There's a good chunk of rooms on the 4th floor that are concierge level rooms (all the hotel concierge rooms are on that floor and I think they're closer to the lobby, if memory serves).

Floor 2 and 3 will get you closer views of the animals, floor 4 (and 5, where the villas are) will get you a more expansive panorama of the savanna. I like both, for different reasons, so we never request a floor....but your mileage may vary.

Request 1 is pretty good, but you can leave off the "with a good view of the animals" piece. If you have a savanna view....you're pretty much assured of that. They roam the savannas during the day, so the view changes. But the way they have the feed stations positioned...well, "good view" sorta gos without saying.

Request 2 is also good.

I think Request 3 would confuse them. Better to say "Zebra trail, 4th floor, further out from the lobby". They seem to be pretty good at that sort of direction. Our standard room request is:

Zebra Trail, arusha savanna view, near the elevators down to the pool.

We usually get Zebra trail, arusha savanna, about 1/2 way down the trail.

Thank you! Very helpful information. I think I'm going to go with your request

 

[cpbjgc]

Yes! These are the awesome pics I saw! So is Everest noticeable from the room or is it quite small? We are going down and want to request a certain savannah prior to arriving. I really like them all so its tough to decide!

Everest was very noticeable, especially at night when it was lit. This was actually a pool view, but you could see part of the Uzima Savannah, with Expedition Everest out past the end of the Savannah. The room was at the very end of the Giraffe Trail (and it looks like it became a 1 Bedroom Villa with the DVC conversion).

Have a great trip!

 

[Donald is #1]

we are booked for next week and someone told us they didn't book there because some sav views were blocked. Can anyone confirm or deny?

There was construction going on at AKL to built the Disney Vacation Club addition: Kidani Village. All of Kidani is open now, so I can't imagine there is any construction going on anymore. And during the construction those who had booked savanna view were always given an unblocked view as far as I know. Of course they might be repainting the outside of the building, but as far as I know that was done last year as well, so I don't think it will be happening again this year.

If you happen to have construction outside your room, you can always request to be moved.

I saw NO evidence of ANY construction near/on the savanna's at either Jambo or Kidani when I was there (Sept 16th - 25th).

I'm wondering if they got the "Kidani disclaimer", which was being given to guests while construction was going on and the building was going up. The structure of that building has been up since May, and they finished most of the interior work (which wouldn't have effected savanna views anyway) before Sept 1st.

The only thing I'd heard, since then, that was going on was balcony painting. But we saw no evidence of that while we were there on ANY of the savanna's (or the common/pool areas, either), so I'm thinking they're done with that, too.

I have see some posts of construction, but it is (or was) limited to the bus stop area of Kidani.

 

[Flossbolna]

I have see some posts of construction, but it is (or was) limited to the bus stop area of Kidani.

Yes, I totally forgot about that! Thanks for bringing it up! But: Anyone who would see the Kidani bus stop from their room, would not have a savanna view. So I guess we did not give out too much misleading information: no construcution blocking the savanna views should still be correct!

 

[pilferk]

I have see some posts of construction, but it is (or was) limited to the bus stop area of Kidani.

Yup, those are getting ripped up and put back together again. But they're no where near the savanna.

It was still going on (and looked to be a ways from completion...they were still building a steel skeleton for the pathway covering) on the 25th. I'd bet a couple/few more weeks, at least.

 

[candeeapril]

We'll be there in 11 daqys! Thanks for all the wonderful information on this thread. All I have to do it wait!!!!

 

[ktschultz1]

Does anyone know if there is a curtain or anything that seperates the pull outs from the kitchen/dining area in a standard 1 bedroom at Kidani?

Thanks!

 

[nittanyliongirl02]

I'm now completely booked (got the airline tickets) for AKL savanna view 12/6-12/14!!

After reading the other posts, I'm wondering if it's better to request a room location, or should I just chance it and go with the luck of the draw?

I'm also slightly worried that it will be cold and the animals won't be out?!


Any advice??

 

[John's Mom]

I'm now completely booked (got the airline tickets) for AKL savanna view 12/6-12/14!!

After reading the other posts, I'm wondering if it's better to request a room location, or should I just chance it and go with the luck of the draw?

I'm also slightly worried that it will be cold and the animals won't be out?!


Any advice??

My DD and I will be at AKL Dec. 5-13, savanna view. We always request the Arusha Savanna, Zebra Trail. The pool and restaurants are located on this side of the lodge.

This will be a fifth December stay at the AKL. The animals will be out whether it is hot or cold.

Have a magical vacation!

Kathy

 

[queenofhartz]

It's been a few years since I've stayed at the AKL, and this is my first visit with a child, so I have a couple of questions:

1. Can you bring the Disney theme park balloons into your room at AKL? I was looking at the Disney Florist site, and I noticed that the Grand Welcome package says they will replace the balloon bouquet with a canvas tote if guest is staying at the AKL for the safety of the animals. I can completely understand the importance of caring for their beautiful animals and my family will respect this rule. But, I wanted to make sure I checked before purchasing a balloon at the park for our 3 year old and having to discard it upon arrival at the hotel. (I know this question probably seems a bit odd, but DS's favorite souvenir from last year's MNSSHP trip was a Disney balloon. In fact, he still has it. It is sad looking and the size of a partially deflated football, but he still enjoys dragging it around from time-to-time. So, I'm pretty sure he's going to ask for one this year.) Not the end of the world, and DS is pretty laid back, but I prefer to avoid that potential meltdown if possible.

2. Has anyone ever been able to check in early at AKL? Is this something you can request on your reservation? I'm not picky about the floor, the location of the room, etc. Really, I'll take anything with a King bed. And, if there was an extra charge, we would be willing to pay for it. We are arriving on a Friday (November 13.) That evening, we're attending MVMCP. DS is 3 years old and he loves his sleep. So, we want to get a good 2-3 hour nap in him before tackling this party. I know we will most likely be able to enter the turnstiles at MK around 4pm. So, I was hoping we might be able to get into a room around 1:30 at the latest to get him down for a solid nap. Does anyone know if this is a remote possibility? Any suggestions for a good place to lay out a mini pillow and a blanket at the resort that wouldn't be in people's way and would be a little isolated if we couldn't get early check-in?

Thanks again!

 

[MissLiz]

I'm not sure about the checking in, but you can not bring balloons into AKL, so I would definitely save yourself a meltdown.

 

[queenofhartz]

I'm not sure about the checking in, but you can not bring balloons into AKL, so I would definitely save yourself a meltdown.

Thank you! Very good to know. I google searched this and found a thread that said you could check your balloon with the bell hop and get it back when you check out. Since we are only going to be there for 3 days/2nights, this would work fine for us. Does anyone know if this is true?

 

[snykymom]

Any suggestions for a good place to lay out a mini pillow and a blanket at the resort that wouldn't be in people's way and would be a little isolated if we couldn't get early check-in?

Thanks again!

There's a small room past the concierge desk on the left, right near where the DVC desk is. It's kind of like a study. I was in there one day for several hours, and saw only 2 or 3 people come in to check out the balcony. You could lay him out there, and there are chairs for you that you can turn around and look out the full-length glass windows at the savannah.

 

[adisneynut]

Wondering if they have the two savannahs named? they don't have names on the maps i have seen just pictures of the river hog on one side and the giraffe on the other. Thanks for your help. Also we are going to book a savannah view 2 BR in the villiage but wonder if we could ask for a villa near the pool.
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