Thinking about upgrading to Club Leve at AKL

[soulmates]

We've never done club level ever...so we are on the fence about switching resorts just to get Club Level. (After I said we would NOT) to AKL. We have enough points to get a 1 and a 2 bedroom villa. That being said, I would like to TREAT us all (2 rooms) to Club level. Can we pay the difference? Not sure how this works. Any help is appreciated

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

No, you cannot pay cash to get Club level access when you have booked a DVC room on points. The only way is to actually book one of the 5 studios or 5 1BR's that are on concierge level and that is very difficult to do for 1 room at 7 months let alone 2 rooms.

 

[soulmates]

Thanks, I appreciate the quick response.

 

[mcorbo]

It's practically impossible to book AKL Club level at 11 months without walking a reservation.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

It's practically impossible to book AKL Club level at 11 months without walking a reservation.

Well my one and only success was for next January. Booked about 10.5 months out.

 

[cwdefouw]

We had success booking a 1 bedroom at exactly 11 months at Spring Break time in 2012. For the OP, there are so few units, that it is almost impossible to get these even at 11 months. I have also been told by more than one DVC cast member, that they (the cast members) sometimes have the ability to pull these out of inventory before the 11 month window, for their own personal use, if they are owners at AKV. This can make it even harder for us regular owners.

 

[com_op_2000]

I have had three two night reservations at AKL-CL booked at 7, 6, & 4 months out. Getting more than a day or two at less than 7 months out is becoming very hard.

 

[sorul82?]

I was just randomly checking in Mar and a 1 BR for July 4, 5, and 6 was available. I was shocked.

 

[bwvBound]

I was just randomly checking in Mar and a 1 BR for July 4, 5, and 6 was available. I was shocked.

Wow - that is a prime weekend!

 

[sorul82?]

Wow - that is a prime weekend!

No kidding. The 6th remained available for a few weeks after I booked the 4th and 5th.

 

[CarolMN]

Maybe it will be a bit easier to book club level now that DVC members can sign up for the Safari without being a concierge guest.

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

Maybe it will be a bit easier to book club level now that DVC members can sign up for the Safari without being a concierge guest.

Wow! When did this happen? I have not seen that before! The sunrise safari? Great. Do I have to call to book it? I do not see on the DVC member website where to book it.

 

[CarolMN]

Wow! When did this happen? I have not seen that before! The sunrise safari? Great. Do I have to call to book it? I do not see on the DVC member website where to book it.

Look in the Member Experiences Section of the Members Website. This is a portion of the info available:

Reservations and Prices

Get details about reservations and prices for the Sunrise Safari.

Reservations
Reservations should be made at least one day in advance of the tour. To book, please call Member Services at (800) ********† or (407) 566-3800†. Or, speak with the Resort Concierge.

Prices
The tour is $75 plus tax for adults and $40 plus tax for children. A few things to know about what's included:
Admission to Disney's Animal Kingdom park is required and not included in the cost of the tour.
Breakfast and gratuity is included in the cost of the tour.
Sunrise Safari is not included in any Disney Dining Plan packages.
Cost includes transportation to the Sunrise Safari; Guests will need to utilize existing Disney transportation to return to the Resort.

 

[dunnhorn]

We lucked out and just had 1 night there last week - and we are not AKV owners and had never stayed on concierge before.

Some observations -

1. They only have 10 DVC rooms at concierge. They are all around the square next to the concierge lounge. Staying at a DVC room is actually a plus because the concierge lounge gets quite crowded in the morning and sometimes there is no place to sit - you can easily take the food back to your room as you are just steps away. Some of the concierge guests are actually staying on a different floor from the concierge lounge.

2. 2 of the 10 concierge-DVC rooms are Accessible units. So, if you need a bathtub, or don't like bending down for the low counter - keep this in mind and request accordingly.

3. The views stink - much worse than savannah. They are redoing the roof right now and we looked at a construction zone.

4. Most of the food is carb based and/or sugary. If you are cool with that - then it's awesome! They have an espresso maker and the desserts seriously are unreal. We were just off the Disney cruise and the desserts there blew away any of the desserts we had on the Magic.

5. They do have free African red wine and some beer labels for happy hour. Lunch is nonexistent (just basically carb snacks) but the continental breakfast was good and the apps they had around dinner time were also out of this world. Seriously. The apps were great, and we made a meal of them, but they are not that kid-friendly unless you have an adventurous kid. They did have 3 types of hummus.

6. I think I read this summer that any DVC member staying at AKV can do the Sunrise Safari - don't have to be staying @ Concierge (this is great!!!)

HTH

 

[DiznyDi]

I, also did not know this. Great news! Even as an AKV owner those rooms can be hard to get. I wait listed our October stay even though I called exactly at 11 months and exactly on the hour. Waitlist did come through within 2 weeks. We specifically wanted to do the Sunrise Safari.

 

[delilah]

I am staying at AKV Kidani in June. I tried to book the Sunrise safari yesterday for the day during our vacation it is offered, and it was already sold out. That for me would be the main reason to stay at the club level at AKV.

 

[com_op_2000]

2. 2 of the 10 concierge-DVC rooms are Accessible units. So, if you need a bathtub, or don't like bending down for the low counter - keep this in mind and request accordingly.

You can NOT make a request for a specific view or non-HA room. Due to the limited number of rooms, you get what you get on check-in day.