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

[marvali]

Oh, my fav restaurant Hope you have a great dinner!
Let us know how Kidani is coming along
Can't wait to stay there for the first time in May!

Love Jiko.

Jiko was great! We had a fantastic meal there.

Kidani Village is coming along just fine.

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Love to hear some reports about Jiko. We have eaten at Boma, but haven't tried Jiko yet. We will be at AKV the first of January, and then back in Kidani the end of June, so interested in any feedback of what you particularly liked or disliked about Jiko. Planning to make ADRs for our June trip soon and thinking about trying it out.

Love the pics Mike. I took some when we were there last summer, probably from that same hallway window based on the angle and field of vision. It is really coming along. Can't wait to stay there in June.

 

[MiaSRN62]

We weren't thrilled with the Mara at all.

Thanks for the report stopher......
But count us as some who love Mara ! The African stew in the bread bowl was awesome ! Also, when we were there in Aug, they had squash soup. It was sooooo good, we took a few bowls up to our room for later. My youngest loved their pizza.
Oh well....everyone has different tastes, but for a food court option, we think Mara is great. So much so, that we may be booking all our stays in Jambo House just to be close to Mara.

 

[mlacreta]

Hi all! Hoping some of you AKV lovers can give me some advice/info. We are planning our next family trip for 09/09 and are considering AKV since we could stay the longest in we stayed in a value room. Did I read somewhere that the value 2- bedrooms are only in the main lodge not in the new village? Also last time we stay at OKW and loved the space since we are a group of 7 and will have an infant next trip also! Are the living spaces much smaller? what about the pool area? Kids will be 10,10,7,4, and baby. Is it good for them? Does anyone know if there will still be construction going on at that time or if it is expected to be done by then? Could already be done for all I know! And I think someone posted that the resort has dedciated bus service. Is that the case? Is it a really long ride to get to all the parks? sorry for all the questions but any info would be helpful. If we decide we want to try to book here we would need 2 more points which are really hard to find someone willing to transfur just two so I would need to decide if it was worth the money to buy a few more than we need just so we can stay here! (we are already using banked and borrowed so that's not an option!) Is it hard to get a reservation at the 7 month window? thanks for humoring me!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[manntra]

Just made a reservation for a Kidani studio for October 4-9th 2009!!! Taking my 12 year niece again! It will be my first time at F&W and for MNNSHP too!

 

[LisaS]

We are planning our next family trip for 09/09 and are considering AKV since we could stay the longest in we stayed in a value room. Did I read somewhere that the value 2- bedrooms are only in the main lodge not in the new village? Also last time we stay at OKW and loved the space since we are a group of 7 and will have an infant next trip also! Are the living spaces much smaller?

Yes only Jambo House (the Lodge building) has Value villas. If you listed the DVC 2BRs in order by size, OKW's 2BRs are the largest at 1395 sq ft and the AKV Value 2BRs are the smallest at 945 sq ft making an OKW 2BR nearly 50% larger than an AKV Value 2BR. The entire Value 2BR would probably fit inside just the 1BR portion of the OKW 2BR.

what about the pool area? Kids will be 10,10,7,4, and baby. Is it good for them? Does anyone know if there will still be construction going on at that time or if it is expected to be done by then?

The Jambo House pool is zero entry which is great for younger kids. The slide is better suited to younger kids since it's pretty small. I believe you will be able to use the Kidani pool as well but it will be quite a hike (1/2 mile) to get there. Construction is supposed to be finished by Sep 1st but if there is anything still going on at that time it should just be interior work at the far end of Kidani.

And I think someone posted that the resort has dedicated bus service. Is that the case? Is it a really long ride to get to all the parks?

Yes they have dedicated buses but I expect they will be making two stops (Jambo and Kidani) once Kidani opens.

Is it hard to get a reservation at the 7 month window?

There are not very many Value 2BRs. There are 10 2BR lockoffs in the Value category but some of those get "locked off" and rented as 1BRs and Studios so in reality there may be only five Value 2BRs available for booking. They are popular due to their low cost but you are going at a slower time of year so that will help. Just be sure you call right when your booking window opens.

 

[ADP]

Hey there AKV buddies! We just returned on Saturday from a 9 day stay in the world, with 5 nights at AKV. We did a split stay at BWV / AKV and had a wonderful time. I do have some photos that are AKV specific that I'll try to post tomorrow or so. It was wonderful to be at AKV. We loved it so much, and can't wait to return. We know we're going back in Jan. 2010 having invited my folks to come along, and are talking about something in mid-09 as well, but we already have a trip planned for VWL for our 15th anniversary next March... but who knows. We've also begun the paperwork for our add-on so we're pretty excited about that.

The animals were awesome! Our camera isn't the best quality, but it sure was fun trying out some new things. We LOVED Boma (our first time eating there) - and actually enjoyed both a dinner and a breakfast there. We weren't thrilled with the Mara at all.

I can't wait to go back!

Glad you had a great time! Thanks for reporting back.

 

[MamaCrush]

We LOVED Boma (our first time eating there) - and actually enjoyed both a dinner and a breakfast there. We weren't thrilled with the Mara at all.

stopher--- what was it that you didn't like about Mara? Was it the selection, quality, atmosphere? My family is a pretty plain ole meat and potatoes / chicken nuggets / pizza kind of crew, so I'm just curious!

 

[popstar7867]

Love to hear some reports about Jiko. We have eaten at Boma, but haven't tried Jiko yet. We will be at AKV the first of January, and then back in Kidani the end of June, so interested in any feedback of what you particularly liked or disliked about Jiko. Planning to make ADRs for our June trip soon and thinking about trying it out.

Love the pics Mike. I took some when we were there last summer, probably from that same hallway window based on the angle and field of vision. It is really coming along. Can't wait to stay there in June.

We absolutely LOVE Jiko!!! It is a must do for us every single trip! I'm a really picky eater and find so much there I love to eat. The Barbeque Chicken flatbread is out of this world. It sounds a bit weird in the description on the menu but it tasted unbelievable. The bread sampler is also really really yummy there too. My fiance and I always get the filet with mac and cheese and it is the best steak I have ever had and there are a lot of good steak places where I live. I've also had a lot of steaks on Disney property and Jiko blows all the other places out of the water! The wait staff is always superb there too! I would definitely try it...its pricey but definitely worth it!

 

[LOLA2]

Can I Get A Sv If I Book Concierge?

 

[Yen Sid]

Can I Get A Sv If I Book Concierge?

Yes

 

[mlacreta]

Hi LisaS, thanks for all the info it was much appreciated! Do you think there might be a shuttle one could take from the lodge to Kidani? At OKW we were so far from the pool we had to take the bus there anyway too. Hubby is nervous about the room sizes with our big group but I doubt we'll be in them much anyway but we may forfeit a day and split our stay between OKW and AKV. (Well, plus the 2 days we stay at BCV!) Quite a bit of hopping but it may be worth it if we're not sure how well AKV will work for the family I think!

 

[LisaS]

Can I Get A Sv If I Book Concierge?

You can request a SV, but it's not guaranteed. There are five 2BR lockoffs on the Concierge floor. Three face the Sunset Savanna and two face the pool area. The SV is not the greatest because you are in a corner of the Sunset Savanna and so high up that the tree tops block part of the view. I would still take a SV over a pool view if I was given a choice but just don't expect a great view if you do get one.

 

[LisaS]

Hi LisaS, thanks for all the info it was much appreciated! Do you think there might be a shuttle one could take from the lodge to Kidani? At OKW we were so far from the pool we had to take the bus there anyway too. Hubby is nervous about the room sizes with our big group but I doubt we'll be in them much anyway but we may forfeit a day and split our stay between OKW and AKV. (Well, plus the 2 days we stay at BCV!) Quite a bit of hopping but it may be worth it if we're not sure how well AKV will work for the family I think!

If they have plans to shuttle people between buildings, they haven't announced it yet. I hope they do offer something for those who don't want to walk a half mile to get from one building to the other. Maybe they will run some of the buses one way (stop at Jambo first and then Kidani) and some the other way (Kidani first, then Jambo) so you could hop on at one stop and get off at the other.

 

[Cinderella1122]

If they have plans to shuttle people between buildings, they haven't announced it yet. I hope they do offer something for those who don't want to walk a half mile to get from one building to the other. Maybe they will run some of the buses one way (stop at Jambo first and then Kidani) and some the other way (Kidani first, then Jambo) so you could hop on at one stop and get off at the other.

Wow, I didn't realize that from the door of one building to the door of the other building was a half mile. My brother loves the pool at Jambo house. Our last stay at AKV this past August, he was in the pool everynight. Such a long hike everyday could get a little annoying.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Such a long hike everyday could get a little annoying.

And it could be longer than half a mile if you get one of the further rooms at Kidani.
But the new pool at Kidani is going to be very nice from the description---so maybe your brother will find a new favorite pool.

 

[The Rivers' Rats]

Well, after spending a couple of years hesitating to join, my family and I are finally members. We just bought 160 points at AKV and can't wait to take our first vacation. Living on the West Coast, we are primarily Disneyland guests so a trip out to Disney World should be a blast for our kids. This is my first posting, but I have a feeling that I will be more and more active here on these forums while we try to figure out how the program works and how to best use our points.

When we finally do use those points, you can bet that we'll post a few photos here on this thread!

 

[DVC Mike]

Well, after spending a couple of years hesitating to join, my family and I are finally members. We just bought 160 points at AKV and can't wait to take our first vacation. Living on the West Coast, we are primarily Disneyland guests so a trip out to Disney World should be a blast for our kids. This is my first posting, but I have a feeling that I will be more and more active here on these forums while we try to figure out how the program works and how to best use our points.

Congrats and Welcome Home!

 

[jerseygal]

Welcome! Congrats on AKV Kidani!

From some recent AKV pics, it looks like Kidani is certainly coming along!

Cannot wait to see the Sumawait Springs Pool as it is being constructed!

 

[Cinderella1122]

And it could be longer than half a mile if you get one of the further rooms at Kidani.
But the new pool at Kidani is going to be very nice from the description---so maybe your brother will find a new favorite pool.

I hope so! The new water play area looks pretty neat too.

 

[mlacreta]

does anyone know when the new pool area is slated to be finished?