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

[spicemom]

Just back from AKL.

The pool was full of noodles and there seemed to be lots of vests for kids. My 4.5 year old went down the slide with the vest quite a few times for one or two days. She may have gotten scared though since she did not use the slide after the first couple of days.

AKL is simply an awesome place. We did not want to leave. The details in the decor is impressive.

Thanks for report

 

[tigger & mickey]

Looking for some clarification, I guess.. Staying in a villa, when you are a DVC member mousekeeping only comes in every 3rd or 4th day, correct? What if you are not a DVC member nor renting points to stay in a villa, do mousekeeping still only come in once or twive during the stay or do you get mousekeeping everyday? Thanks

 

[Donald is #1]

Looking for some clarification, I guess.. Staying in a villa, when you are a DVC member mousekeeping only comes in every 3rd or 4th day, correct? What if you are not a DVC member nor renting points to stay in a villa, do mousekeeping still only come in once or twive during the stay or do you get mousekeeping everyday? Thanks

If you have a cash reservation through CRO (i.e. the main Disney booking folks) then you will have mousekeeping every day.

 

[Knavey]

My latest trip report from AKL…I started its own thread also, but am putting it in here so more people will see it.

First the standard disclaimer. I am 38, have a wife (Cindy) and an almost 3 year old son (Bryan). We only have a short hop to Disney world since we live close to Tampa. We choose to get a hotel because we like the ambiance and I like my nap in the afternoon plus we like for Bryan to have one also.

This is our third stay at AKL and our only other stay was at POP which did not turn out too well so we moved to AKL.

Trip reports can be found here:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1712874 – For AKL stays 1 and some pictures from 2

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1718646&page=1&highlight= - For POP stay 1

And now back to your regularly scheduled report.

We booked AKL for April back in February during our stay and received the 30% off bounce back rate. They only had a standard view room available during our dates, so we took that one. We have only done Savanna view in the past, but I figured we had seen a couple of good savannas and I could handle a standard view for a trip.

We arrived early before naptime and for the first time, I actually had to wait in line to register. It looked like I missed being before a bus from the airport by about 2 minutes. The wait was only about 5 minutes, and Bryan entertained himself in the large seating area that has plenty of Disney videos playing on TVs and he also went down to the overlook just off the main area. Don’t worry having to entertain everyone standing in line…whoever does the check-in will just have to suffer while everyone else can have a bit of fun.

To my surprise, they “upgraded” me to a savanna view upon check-in. They told me their standard view room had some pressure washing and exterior renovations being done on them, so they were moving us up a notch to their “new” standard rooms. These are on Sunset savannah and have a decent short range view of the savanna, but a long range view of cranes…and I do not mean the flying kind. Sunset savanna has a view of the new AKL villas that are going up and there were 2 real, working cranes there when we looked out our window. I am not complaining…it was nice for them to move us to the Sunset and I was certainly not expecting it. Bryan actually liked watching the construction as much as he liked the animals. We were in room 2351 overlooking Sunset savanna.

Here is the savanna view from the room

And here is the construction view from the room

And here is one that has a wide shot of both together.

As you can see, there is still quite a bit of construction going on at AKL villas. Several posts I have seen have said that it is winding up and not noticeable…NOT TRUE. If you are paying for a savanna view room on the Sunset savanna, you need to ask to be moved. There is construction noise during the day. If I can figure out how to post a video, then you will see and hear it. With the door closed, it is almost non-existent but if you want a relaxing hour on the porch with a book, you will have to go to one of the public overlooks.

That being said, the construction did not overly impact our stay or our naps (most importantly). It was getting to be too hot to just lounge on the porch unlike the last time we were here in February. If you are upgraded to these rooms, enjoy them. If you are paying for them…well, read my earlier trip reports to see what I would do.

Some pictures from the room for those who wonder what it looks like.

Mouse service was not quite up to par with what it had been in the past trips. We have been used to having the room finished by nap time (around 2:30) but on the last day, they had just walked in the room when we got there. They changed out the towels, and said they would be back later that evening but never showed. It didn’t really matter to me, but they did take the tip! One bad day out of a dozen so far is OK with me but I do want to mention it. And just a side note, I think they actually say someplace they will be done by 4:30 so we did push them a little bit on the time part. No biggie.

Some different things we did this time that we did not do in the past.

We went to Sea World (20 minute drive). We have annual passes and only got 1/3 of the park completed before naptime.

Bryan did the slide at the pool. He is pretty much fearless (Barnstormer at Disney about 15 times in a row), but he still doesn’t swim. We are probably the only people in Florida without a pool but hopefully this summer we will change his inability to swim. And NO, we are not putting in a pool.

Anyway…the slide. Here is a picture.

He made it down the first time with no problem. Wore a life jacket and loved it so much he wanted to go on it again. No problem I say, and we head back up. Well, we got to the top, and he headed back down, ON THE SLIDE, but upside down and backwards by the time he hit Mom at the bottom. That was the end of that! Think it was just a bit too much for him, but hey, he is only 2.5 years old. Give him some time.

Some more pool shots for you guys.

We also did the arcade at AKL. What a racket. Remember playing for a quarter? Now, you just swipe your CC or your room key, and select how much $$$$$$ you want to put on their arcade card. Then you just go to the machine and swipe away. Makes it very easy to separate you from your quarters. Bryan loved the semi trucks and bowling, and Dad like the Star Trek and Star Wars games. I also did the boxing game where you have boxing gloves and the machine watches your body movements…you might want to not have just eaten before you play that game. It is physical.

Like clockwork for July, August and September, the rains and storms rolled in during the late afternoon…except we are in APRIL! No problem for us, because I watch the radar on my phone and know when its going to come, and when its going to go. The day we went to SW we left for our nap, but came back in the evening. The sky was VERY dark and overcast, and as we were going into the park, probably 2/3 of the crowd was leaving. We did get wet a little, but went into the arctic exhibit while the worst of the storm was outside. We were the ONLY people in the whole walking section of the tour. 30 minutes later, and the lines were 30-45 minutes long.

SW fireworks were good. They tell a story with pictures in the fountains over the lake. Not quite as many fireworks as Disney, but overall, I liked the quality of the presentation more than Disney or Epcots.

Back to AKL. One of the lesser known viewing areas is the stairwells that are at the end of the halls. At the end of ours, it overlooked a feeding and care area for the animals. There were times we would look out the window and not see any animals. Go down the hall onto the stairwell, and there were plenty to be found. And they were actually closer to us there, than in our room.

Some more tidbit shots...

The BACK of AKL

The firepit inside

Poolside view

Air conditioning in the room...

It can be bypassed, but not without a little effort. It goes off automatically when it does not sense someone in the room, and so at night you can wake up stuffy. We did on our first night. We did NOT on our later nights. Search the boards for advice on how to get around this. And remember...balloons are not allowed at AKL so you have to find another way.

Overall, it was a great trip. We are coming back in early November on a bounce back rate again, and will be staying at WL for the first time. I am glad I do not have to do this during the summer months though. I was reminded that it is getting hot out there already, and for those of you who are brave enough to do that, bring lots of sunscreen, and drink lots of water...and take a nap break. It will make a world of difference.

This writeup was a bit more disjointed than my first one. Hitting the highs and lows. The AKL comments I made in my last report still apply. PM me if you have any specific questions that I might be able to answer.

 

[tigger & mickey]

Thanks, have a villa booked for July and wanted to know what to expect.

 

[angiepangie8]

I think that you may need to drive or take a taxi for an 8:50 appointment. If memory serves me correct, I don't think that that buses start running to DTD until about 10 AM. Another option (long one!) would be to take a bus to the park, then switch to an SSR bus. At SSR get off at Congress Park and then walk to DTD.

Thanks
What a bummer!

But I'm glad I asked ahead of time B-4 getting there and being dissapointed.

 

[angiepangie8]

Just back from AKL.

The pool was full of noodles and there seemed to be lots of vests for kids. My 4.5 year old went down the slide with the vest quite a few times for one or two days. She may have gotten scared though since she did not use the slide after the first couple of days.

DVC members do not have to pay for the washer and dryer use. We took soap but a CM gave us some as well. This was on the DVC floor so it might be different for non DVC stays.

In the room I did have coffee but no filters. And they did not replenish the supply since the CMs only visit DVC rooms once or twice during the stay. I ened up buying a mug and just walking down to get coffee in the morning. The walk is very nice and looking at the animals as well as the resort decor was always entertaining. I would start up the oatmeal in the microwave and by the time I go back with the coffee the oatmeal was cool enough to eat.

I can't remember if there was salt and pepper in the room. I did notice that people who had room service had salt and pepper shakers on their trays. I would think you could go to the Mara and get salt and pepper if its not in the room.

AKL is simply an awesome place. We did not want to leave. The details in the decor is impressive.

If you have kids age 4-12 Simba's Clubhouse was excellent but expensive. $11 per child per hour. Our kids loved the place and hated to leave. Our last night was supposed to include a family dinner but the kids wanted to go back to Simba's so we sent them back. The CMs were great.

Thanks Dan!
I can't wait!
I will bring some coffee and filters then. I think this may have been covered at one time but what size filters does the coffee pot take in the AKV rooms?

anyone know if the refillable mugs look the same from resort to resort? Wondering if I can get away with using my Pop Century one from the day before. If not I will probably just buy one at AKL.

 

[angiepangie8]

Another Question:

How early can guests catch a bus to Down Town Disney? DD and DS have appointments at the BBB in the morning and we are supposed to be there by 8:50AM. I want to make sure that it would be possible to get over to DDD by that time for their appointments otherwise I need to change them to a later time.

thanks again!

I think that you may need to drive or take a taxi for an 8:50 appointment. If memory serves me correct, I don't think that that buses start running to DTD until about 10 AM. Another option (long one!) would be to take a bus to the park, then switch to an SSR bus. At SSR get off at Congress Park and then walk to DTD.

Thanks
What a bummer!

But I'm glad I asked ahead of time B-4 getting there and being dissapointed.

Ok, I just got off the phone with a CM who said that there will be a 9am bus to DDD from AKL. So I changed DD's and DS's appointment to an hour later at the BBB. That should still give us time to get to our lunch ADR at Akershus after the BBB. I think we have to go back to AKL though then go take a bus to Epcot as there is no bus that goes from DDD to Epcot. This transportation thing is very tricky!

 

[jeni16]

Air conditioning in the room...

It can be bypassed, but not without a little effort. It goes off automatically when it does not sense someone in the room, and so at night you can wake up stuffy. We did on our first night. We did NOT on our later nights. Search the boards for advice on how to get around this. And remember...balloons are not allowed at AKL so you have to find another way.

Can anyone point me in the right direction of where this information can be found? I must not be searching for the right thing in the right place because I'm coming up with nothing. I definately don't want a stuffy room at night. Thanks!

 

[John's Mom]

Welcome back and I am glad that you had a wonderful stay there. I can hardly wait for September to get here! My oldest son has been hospitalized for the past week and I feel like I need a vacation NOW.

Hope your son is well soon!

 

[John's Mom]

Knavey - Thanks for your report and pictures. Now I know the exact location of the construction and what it looks like.

 

[disneymath]

To my surprise, they “upgraded” me to a savanna view upon check-in. They told me their standard view room had some pressure washing and exterior renovations being done on them, so they were moving us up a notch to their “new” standard rooms. These are on Sunset savannah and have a decent short range view of the savanna, but a long range view of cranes…and I do not mean the flying kind. Sunset savanna has a view of the new AKL villas that are going up and there were 2 real, working cranes there when we looked out our window. I am not complaining…it was nice for them to move us to the Sunset and I was certainly not expecting it.

As you can see, there is still quite a bit of construction going on at AKL villas. Several posts I have seen have said that it is winding up and not noticeable…NOT TRUE. If you are paying for a savanna view room on the Sunset savanna, you need to ask to be moved. There is construction noise during the day. If I can figure out how to post a video, then you will see and hear it. With the door closed, it is almost non-existent but if you want a relaxing hour on the porch with a book, you will have to go to one of the public overlooks.

That being said, the construction did not overly impact our stay or our naps (most importantly). It was getting to be too hot to just lounge on the porch unlike the last time we were here in February. If you are upgraded to these rooms, enjoy them. If you are paying for them…well, read my earlier trip reports to see what I would do.

Air conditioning in the room...

It can be bypassed, but not without a little effort. It goes off automatically when it does not sense someone in the room, and so at night you can wake up stuffy. We did on our first night. We did NOT on our later nights. Search the boards for advice on how to get around this. And remember...balloons are not allowed at AKL so you have to find another way.

Thanks for the info! Glad to hear you enjoyed your time on Ostrich Trail! With regard to the AC, do the rooms not have ceiling fans in them?

 

[dmccarty]

We reserved a room for my parents for a couple of nights and they brought me some coffee filters. The regular whte ones worked just find in the coffee maker. I only made coffee twice. Ended up buying the mug to use down at Mara.

Our room on the DVC floor had a ceiling fan.

 

[Alicnwondrln]

Hey everyone I am looking for info about the concierge level.
Are all the rooms savannah? What floor is the lounge on? Can you request rooms on the lounge level?
Basically anything you can tell me about the lounge.

 

[aripantaloon]

I know that the rooms have refrigerators in them, but is there a freezer compartment that would freeze one of those cooler packs? I'm thinking of buying some yogurt (among other things) for the baby since she's even pickier than my 4 year-old, but I don't know how else to keep it cold in the park until lunch. If I can get a cooler insert or 2 completely frozen, then I think I can keep things fresh. Anyone try to actually freeze something?

 

[joelp]

I think we have to go back to AKL though then go take a bus to Epcot as there is no bus that goes from DDD to Epcot. This transportation thing is very tricky!

Alternatively, you could take the bus to one of the resorts that backs up on Epcot and walk through the WS to Norway ...

 

[Tinkaroo]

Hey everyone I am looking for info about the concierge level.
Are all the rooms savannah? What floor is the lounge on? Can you request rooms on the lounge level?
Basically anything you can tell me about the lounge.

Hi, Kelly!

I believe all CL rooms are now savannah view, post-DVC coming to the Lodge. The Lounge is on the 6th floor, and all "regular" CL rooms are now on the 4th floor. I believe all the 5th and 6th floor units have been turned into DVC, so staying on the same floor as the Lounge is not possible, unless you're staying in an AKV unit with concierge access.

 

[Knavey]

Thanks for the info! Glad to hear you enjoyed your time on Ostrich Trail! With regard to the AC, do the rooms not have ceiling fans in them?

All of the rooms I have stayed in have overhead fans in them. I just prefer a very cold room.

 

[disneymath]

All of the rooms I have stayed in have overhead fans in them. I just prefer a very cold room.

Thanks!

For me, A/C cold during the day is great, at night not so much - fan breeze worked perfectly at WL (and was missed at ASMu)!

Being from the land of ice and snow - I prefer to freeze naturally when sleeping!

 

[pilferk]

Hey everyone I am looking for info about the concierge level.
Are all the rooms savannah? What floor is the lounge on? Can you request rooms on the lounge level?
Basically anything you can tell me about the lounge.

I'm going to assume you're looking for "regular" hotel concierge rooms, and not the concierge DVC villas.

All the concierge rooms are on the 4th floor, and, as of the time the smoking policy at WDW changed, all are savanna view. I THINK most, if not all, of the rooms are close to the lobby on 4.

The Concierge lounge is on 6. You can not get a room on that level as the concierge rooms on THAT level are all the aforementioned DVC villas. They were converted about 9 months or so ago.

The lounge is very nice, has some GREAT food offerings (I think allears.net has a pretty good description), and is a nice place to chill out.