***The Official AKV Owners And Lovers Thread***. Come And Chat

[Jonnnyap]

Julie, sorry to hear about your husband’s back issues and hope he feels better soon.

The chair in the Kidani living room in 1 and 2 bedroom spaces is a nice solid chair. It lays flat as a sleeping surface (my grown kid loves it!), but I don’t think it reclines.

Hopefully he’ll be able to sit in it comfortably. Maybe you could use another chair from the kitchen/dining area to allow him to put his feet up.

Hope you have a great trip

 

[RickNJane]

Hey AKV Owners, Looks like my add-on-itist is demanding to be treated! We are taking the plunge at AKV. It looks like both Jambo and Kidani are up for refurb in 2025. We are planning our first trip to AKV first week of December. Planning on 2br savanna view in Jambo. Hoping refurb won't get in the way. Any thoughts on 2br Jambo vs Kidani? Any insights as to Refurb. I have not been able to find much info. Thanks in advance.

 

[Bucketfoot]

Hey AKV Owners, Looks like my add-on-itist is demanding to be treated! We are taking the plunge at AKV. It looks like both Jambo and Kidani are up for refurb in 2025. We are planning our first trip to AKV first week of December. Planning on 2br savanna view in Jambo. Hoping refurb won't get in the way. Any thoughts on 2br Jambo vs Kidani? Any insights as to Refurb. I have not been able to find much info. Thanks in advance.

Kidani has 3 bathrooms if that holds any importance. I believe I’ve also heard it is larger overall, but we’ve only stayed at Kidani so don’t know for sure.

 

[CarolynFH]

Hey AKV Owners, Looks like my add-on-itist is demanding to be treated! We are taking the plunge at AKV. It looks like both Jambo and Kidani are up for refurb in 2025. We are planning our first trip to AKV first week of December. Planning on 2br savanna view in Jambo. Hoping refurb won't get in the way. Any thoughts on 2br Jambo vs Kidani? Any insights as to Refurb. I have not been able to find much info. Thanks in advance.

What is the makeup of your party? Be aware that the bathroom on the 1BR side is not en-suite. It’s across a hallway from the bedroom, and anyone going from one to the other is clearly visible to anyone who may be in the living room. Also, that bathroom has only a tub/shower with a rim so high and wide that some people (like myself) have trouble getting into and out of the tub. For that reason, I won’t book a 1BR in Jambo. DH likes the 1BR in Kidani too, because he takes the second full bath off the living area as his own!

Edited to add - DH reminded me that he prefers Kidani due to the convenience of parking under the building, out of heat and rain and near the elevator serving our room.

 

[JulieWent]

That is the sleeper chair, it converts into a single bed. I find it to be comfortable, but not sure it would help w/ back issues.

Thanks! That's what I was hoping. I think we can use some pillows to make it into what he needs.

 

[RickNJane]

What is the makeup of your party? Be aware that the bathroom on the 1BR side is not en-suite. It’s across a hallway from the bedroom, and anyone going from one to the other is clearly visible to anyone who may be in the living room. Also, that bathroom has only a tub/shower with a rim so high and wide that some people (like myself) have trouble getting into and out of the tub. For that reason, I won’t book a 1BR in Jambo. DH likes the 1BR in Kidani too, because he takes the second full bath off the living area as his own!

Edited to add - DH reminded me that he prefers Kidani due to the convenience of parking under the building, out of heat and rain and near the elevator serving our room.

@CarolynFH. Great info. Most of the time when we go it is just the DW and I. We opt for 1br on those trips. We really prefer having a kitchen and laundry. This next trip we will have DD, SIL, and our 2 grandkids. So we will be springing for a 2 br. We will have to look at Kidani a little harder.

 

[NVDISFamily]

Hey AKV Owners, Looks like my add-on-itist is demanding to be treated! We are taking the plunge at AKV. It looks like both Jambo and Kidani are up for refurb in 2025. We are planning our first trip to AKV first week of December. Planning on 2br savanna view in Jambo. Hoping refurb won't get in the way. Any thoughts on 2br Jambo vs Kidani? Any insights as to Refurb. I have not been able to find much info. Thanks in advance.

Jambo - Epic lobby that always brings a smile when I walk in. More food options. Great gift shop. Rooms are all lock off which can make getting a 2BR hard if all of the studios are taken during a popular time. Epic walk from the car when parking is a pain (to go along with that epic lobby). Rooms at Jambo are almost all 5th floor (for DVC) so you are higher up from the animals.

Kidani - Built to be a timeshare so it's better to live in. Dedicated 2BRs. Extra bathrooms (so so so nice - we are spoiled that both our CA resorts have these....). Parking is much better. Pool is better. Although not close to Jambo, lobby is still nice and there is some great viewing of animals around and in the community hall area. Community hall was nice and some of the teenagers in our groups have liked it. Pool is better vs Jambo.

 

[CarolynFH]

I failed to tell you the biggest drawback to Kidani, which is the length of the hallways. It is literally 1/3 of a mile from the lobby to the end of each wing, in other words the building is 2/3 of a mile long. If you have a car and can park next to “your” elevator (there are four elevators in the building, so every villa is close to an elevator) then it’s not so bad, but if you need to walk to the bus stop or to the pool it can be very tiring!

 

[twinklebug]

I failed to tell you the biggest drawback to Kidani, which is the length of the hallways. It is literally 1/3 of a mile from the lobby to the end of each wing, in other words the building is 2/3 of a mile long. If you have a car and can park next to “your” elevator (there are four elevators in the building, so every villa is close to an elevator) then it’s not so bad, but if you need to walk to the bus stop or to the pool it can be very tiring!

LOL, why is it whenever I'm at Kidani I'm either right next to the lobby or allllllllll the way at the very end of one of the wings?
I'd be happy in the middle for a change!

 

[RickNJane]

Another question, what is the best savanna? Do all have giraffes?

 

[sndral]

Another question, what is the best savanna? Do all have giraffes?

There are four savannas, three of them have giraffes.
Pembe is the smallest savanna @ 4 acres & does not have giraffes. Only Kidani villas overlook Pembe savanna.
Sunset Savanna lies between Kidani & Jambo. It is the largest savanna @ 18 acres & has giraffes. It’s visible from both Kidani & Jambo villas.
Arusha Savanna is the savanna in the middle of Jambo, it is 11 acres & has giraffes - it’s only visible from Jambo.
Uzima Savana is on the pool side of Jambo & is only visible from Jambo villas/rooms. Although it’s also 11 acres, to many it ‘feels’ smaller than Arusha due to its’ shape. It has giraffes.
I’ve been on all of the savannas except Pembe & have liked each of my views, some more than others. You have to be patient & figure out the animal’s routines. Lately I’ve liked being near the barns - not as picturesque & long walks to/from your villa, but I’m an animal geek & what’s another mile of walking at WDW .
I assume you know this, but at Kidani the villas are on all floors whereas at Jambo the villas are on the 5th floor (& club villas on 6th floor.)

 

[JGINPL]

Anyone at Animal Kingdom Lodge now? Has the Christmas tree been put up in the lobby yet?

 

[DigitalOlli]

I don't understand the correlation between having a value room booked and the need to have a refub'd room.
I was just in one back in Sept. It was in very good condition. While the refub will be welcome so long as they don't remove the theming it is not essential to getting a nice room.

If you want nicer accommodations than a value can provide, why not book them?

because no room is refurbished at the moment

the value rooms look the same then all other dvc rooms.

we dont like the sofa bed so hoping for the new murphy beds

 

[Disneyjohnny]

Had our first ever stay at AKL Kidani (and our first ever DVC stay) on our last trip and I have to say I was blown away by it. We added on 100 points at AKL as they were dirt cheap to buy and we only intended on using them every 3 years. We all loved it so much we are definitely going to add more on.

We had a lovely Savanna view (I can’t remember the room number right now) and although it was a treck in the morning to refill our mugs it was a lovely relaxing stay compared to our usual stay at Values which are always go, go, go!

 

[jcolvin5]

Had our first ever stay at AKL Kidani (and our first ever DVC stay) on our last trip and I have to say I was blown away by it. We added on 100 points at AKL as they were dirt cheap to buy and we only intended on using them every 3 years. We all loved it so much we are definitely going to add more on.

We had a lovely Savanna view (I can’t remember the room number right now) and although it was a treck in the morning to refill our mugs it was a lovely relaxing stay compared to our usual stay at Values which are always go, go, go!

Glad to hear this was a magical experience for you! We love AKL. Just nothing else like it. It really is special!

Saw that you also stayed at RR for your trip. We do split stays as well and find that it' the best way for us to do Disney. You get to have two very different vacations!! We own at these two resorts and have loved every trip we've been on and every point we have spent.

Enjoy it!

 

[Disneyjohnny]

Glad to hear this was a magical experience for you! We love AKL. Just nothing else like it. It really is special!

Saw that you also stayed at RR for your trip. We do split stays as well and find that it' the best way for us to do Disney. You get to have two very different vacations!! We own at these two resorts and have loved every trip we've been on and every point we have spent.

Enjoy it!

We actually stayed in 4 different resorts over 24 nights. AKL, All Star Sports, Riviera and Grand Floridian!

All very different and all with their good points and bad points. Though I’m done with Values now our little one loves Sports and we don’t quite have enough points for 24 nights

 

[winnieforme]

because no room is refurbished at the moment

the value rooms look the same then all other dvc rooms.

we dont like the sofa bed so hoping for the new murphy beds

I totally agree. A refurbished vale room with a murphy bed would be great. If you can get an updated room and save points it's perfect! Have a great trip!

 

[jcolvin5]

We actually stayed in 4 different resorts over 24 nights. AKL, All Star Sports, Riviera and Grand Floridian!

All very different and all with their good points and bad points. Though I’m done with Values now our little one loves Sports and we don’t quite have enough points for 24 nights

Wow, 24 nights! That's awesome! You picked some really good ones. Haven't stayed at *** ( ), but AKL/RR/VGF are some of our absolute favorites on property! And THE BEST FOOD!!!

We do 2 trips per year, 12 nights each. Feb and Oct. I love the Oct trip because I leave knowing it's just under 4 months before we will return. After the Feb trip, I have serious leaving Disney blues knowing it will be 8 months before the next visit. Coincidentally, that's also when I start buying more resale contracts

 

[RickNJane]

Well We took the plunge. We added on 150 points! Our first trip will be 12/2025 so we are hoping the refurbs will be done or about done. DD and her family will be in tow. We have 2 young Granddaughters that really love AK, so this is a natural for add on. Pretty excited and can't wait for next December to roll around.

 

[GCameron]

Hey there! I'm looking to book at Jambo next year in November. Two questions for those that might have the inside scoops... 1. When does the Christmas tree usually go up? 2. Will there, or will there not be a refurb? I see it on the schedule but I havent heard of anything official. Thanks!