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

[pilferk]

IF we do decide on AKL for our next stay - how bad are the views and rooms which are Standard view - on floors 4,3 2, & 1 (I assume).
The standard rooms are on floors 1-4 and are 344 square feet


Can we get a queen bed and a bunkbed in a standard room ?

Floors 5 & 6 are CL and floor 7 is DVC.

So is AKL now not worth it, if you can only afford a Standard room ?

Also with the DVC now open - are the buses packed ?
Does the bus first pick up at the AKL then on to the AKL DVC ?

Thanks !

1) There are (well, there WERE) two different categories of "standard". One used to be size...but since the deluxe rooms went away, there is only ONE room size (the one you mention). In the description above..THAT'S what standard refers to: not view, but size.

There are also standard "view" rooms. They overlook the parking lot and resort entrance. IMHO, they are not worth the relatively small price difference between them and the pool view rooms. But in a pinch, they'd be better than staying somewhere else (given AKL is my families favorite resort!).

2) You can get a queen/bunk bed room in standard SIZE (they're all standard size rooms), but I'm not sure about standard view. I don't think so. I THINK they're all pool or savanna view.

3) Floors 5 and 6 are NOT concierge, and there is no floor 7, at all. DVC is on floor 5 and 6. Concierge is now on the 4th floor (but there are non-concierge rooms on 4, too!). The concierge LOUNGE is still on 6. It USED to be (before DVC) that concierge was on 5 and 6, along with the deluxe (larger sized) rooms. With the DVC conversion, that's changed.

4) AKL is ALWAYS worth it. There's plenty of public animal viewing spaces...but the price difference between pool view and standard view is negligable. IF that's the difference, though, between staying at AKL and not staying there.....go for it.

5) There is, right now, ONE bus stop at AKL/AKV. Both DVC guests and hotel guest use it (since they're in the same building). I haven't noticed a huge difference in how full the busses are but...if you think about it...I'm not sure the existing lodge has really added that much in terms of guest capacity. They eliminated 2 floors of hotel rooms and converted them into villas. 1 hotel room slept 4, 2 slept 8, 3 slept 12. Now, a studio villa sleeps 4, a one bedroom (2 hotel rooms, essentially) sleeps 5, and a 2 BR (essentially 3 hotel rooms) sleeps 9. I'm thinking, given DVC travel habits and party sizes, it's probably pretty close to a wash.

We'll see what happens when the new building (Kidani village) is finished, and welcomes it's first guests in May. THEN there will be an additional bus stop, but there may also be additional busses added to the route. We don't know yet.

 

[s&k'smom]

We are going back to AKL in October and just a dumb questions now that DVC is on the 5th floor, are the "pool" view rooms on the 4th as that is what we requested. We had a 5th floor about 4 years ago before DVC and of course are completely spoiled.

 

[Flossbolna]

We are going back to AKL in October and just a dumb questions now that DVC is on the 5th floor, are the "pool" view rooms on the 4th as that is what we requested. We had a 5th floor about 4 years ago before DVC and of course are completely spoiled.

There are pool view rooms on 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th floor. I personally prefer the fourth floor as the lower rooms are mainly hidden behind trees.

 

[lissiesmum]

I have ressies at Chef Mickey's at six pm one night of our trip. I'm just wondering the best way to get to the Contemporary. Should I take a bus to the MK, then the monorail over? Or take the bus to the Animal Kingdom, then bus over to the Contemporary? Or take a bus to Epcot and transfer from Epcot? how much time should I allow to get there? Thanks in advance for your help....I am sooooooo excited!

 

[lissiesmum]

After trying for weeks, I finally got a Savannah view with the 4/3 deal I have never paid attention as to which views to request. DD and I both love zebras, so I wanted to confirm with you guys that I would request Arusha Savannah, zebra trail, correct? Are there any bad views to watch out for at check in, or rooms I should jump at (or floors?).

 

[Flossbolna]

I have ressies at Chef Mickey's at six pm one night of our trip. I'm just wondering the best way to get to the Contemporary. Should I take a bus to the MK, then the monorail over? Or take the bus to the Animal Kingdom, then bus over to the Contemporary? Or take a bus to Epcot and transfer from Epcot? how much time should I allow to get there? Thanks in advance for your help....I am sooooooo excited!

I think taking the bus to the MK and then walk to the CR from there should be easiest. At this website you can see where the path is: http://www.stitchkingdom.com/maps/ Just select "walking paths" from the menu.

And congratulations on the Savannah room!! I think Arusha, Zebra trail sounds good, but I only ever stayed in pool view.

 

[aurorafan]

I have ressies at Chef Mickey's at six pm one night of our trip. I'm just wondering the best way to get to the Contemporary. Should I take a bus to the MK, then the monorail over? Or take the bus to the Animal Kingdom, then bus over to the Contemporary? Or take a bus to Epcot and transfer from Epcot? how much time should I allow to get there? Thanks in advance for your help....I am sooooooo excited!

When we had an ADR at California Grill we took the bus to MK and then the Monorail to the Contemporary. We allowed an hour of travel and made it with plenty of time to spare

 

[dmccarty]

We took the bus to AK then another bus up to the Contemporary to get to California Grill. Returning we had to walk over to MK to get a bus back to AKL/AKV since AK was closed.

We once made the mistake of going to Contemporary via TTC. That took way too long.

We got very lucky when we went to the Contemporary via AK. We got off the bus from AKL/AKV and the bus was about to leave for the Contemporary. We got on the bus, the driver closed the doors and off we went.

Later,
Dan

 

[dmccarty]

On our last day at WDW, we'll be flying out late am and spending the morning around the AKL. Because we won't have access to our room, I'm hoping there is a place by the pool to get changed on our last day? I'd hate to not be able to swim...

We did this on our last day at AKL. The bathrooms by the pool that are documented by the photo album created flosbolna allow you to take a shower and get dressed before leaving. Which is what we did. We kept had checked our luggage with the resort and just kept out a bag or two for our clothes.

We were able to get into our checked luggage at the resort as well.

Later,
Dan

 

[lissiesmum]

We did this on our last day at AKL. The bathrooms by the pool that are documented by the photo album created flosbolna allow you to take a shower and get dressed before leaving. Which is what we did. We kept had checked our luggage with the resort and just kept out a bag or two for our clothes.

We were able to get into our checked luggage at the resort as well.

Later,
Dan

thanks a bunch. I'll be looking forward to some R&R before our flight home

 

[lissiesmum]

thanks for all the advice on getting to the CR. Doesn't sound as bad as I thought

 

[lissiesmum]

I read somewhere else that there is a fake moonlight outside at night on the Savannah. Is it enough to see the animals running around at night?

 

[mattsmom2000]

That is what I read in the Unofficial Guide to Disney. It looks like an ever present full moon. I can't wait to see it in three days....

 

[momtotwoteens]

That is what I read in the Unofficial Guide to Disney. It looks like an ever present full moon. I can't wait to see it in three days....

Please, please, please write about your stay when you return! Have a wonderful trip. I can't wait until my turn!

 

[lissiesmum]

That is what I read in the Unofficial Guide to Disney. It looks like an ever present full moon. I can't wait to see it in three days....

oooohhh! three days, you must by jumping out of your skin to get there. I have three months and it is unbearable! Please Please Please let us know how it is when you get back! Do you have a savannah view room? I just upgraded this morning and I'm so excited! Have a wonderful trip and enjoy every minute of it

 

[aussietravellers]

I read somewhere else that there is a fake moonlight outside at night on the Savannah. Is it enough to see the animals running around at night?

Yes we always could see the animals at night, not as clearly as during the day and not as far, either, it isn't really bright.

But as we came from Australia and our body clocks took a few days to get into the Florida time zone, we would be up at 2am or 3am or 5am, and we would go out onto the balcony and have a look at the animals. We couldn't see them if they were right at the back, like we could during the day. But you can see them if they are around your area.

 

[lissiesmum]

(I hope I spelled it right!) I think I read that the village is opening in May along with a new pool and restaurant. I was curious when in May it was opening and if the restaurant will be CS or TS? Will non DVC members be allowed to use the facilities there? We'll be there the first two days in May and I'd love to check it out

 

[RachelTori]

(I hope I spelled it right!) I think I read that the village is opening in May along with a new pool and restaurant. I was curious when in May it was opening and if the restaurant will be CS or TS? Will non DVC members be allowed to use the facilities there? We'll be there the first two days in May and I'd love to check it out

The restaurant is a TS. No CS at Kidani.

I don't believe there has been a definitive statement from Disney as to who can or can not use the facilities, but I'm going to say that I think if you're staying on either property (Jambo or Kidani) you will be allowed to use the facilities at both. There will always be non-DVC guests staying at Kidani so the facilities would be available to those non-DVC guests; I don't see why they wouldn't make it available to the Jambo guests as well. Hopefully, we know soon!

 

[pilferk]

I have ressies at Chef Mickey's at six pm one night of our trip. I'm just wondering the best way to get to the Contemporary. Should I take a bus to the MK, then the monorail over? Or take the bus to the Animal Kingdom, then bus over to the Contemporary? Or take a bus to Epcot and transfer from Epcot? how much time should I allow to get there? Thanks in advance for your help....I am sooooooo excited!

We've found that for the monorail resorts, it's best to take a bus to MK, then use the monorail to get to the resorts. It seems to save us 5 or 10 minutes over going to Epcot/DHS/AK and taking a bus directly.

 

[MinnieMom]

I've tried reading through the pages and pages of posts here looking for an answer to my question, but I haven't found it yet so I'm hoping someone can help me out.

We are staying at AKL for our next trip to surprise my daughter. It's been a dream of hers for a long time now, but it just wasn't in our price range Anyway, I finally booked it with the 4/3 deal, but I really wanted CL so I could take her on the safari. Since I couldn't get it with the deal I booked one night CL rack rate and the remaining nights on the 4/3 deal.

The CL night is our last night and we have an early flight the next morning. I think I'm set on doing the Wildlife Discovery Excursion, which I think goes at 10 AM and 1 PM. Will we be able to do that on the day we will be checking into CL even though we can't officially checkin and get our room until 3 PM? I hope that makes sense! Thanks for any input!