Why is AKV so popular now?

[AKV707]

I wonder how that illusion will be impacted by the addition of Kidani.

The original building (Jambo) was clearly designed in such a way as to maximize the views from the many savanna view rooms. Most rooms look right out at the savanna with only trees or brush in the distance. That creates the illusion of being on a wide open plain.

Looking at the development map, it appears a lot of that illusion may soon be gone. About 40% of the Jambo rooms will have the 5-story Kidani Village complex dominating the skyline a couple hundred feet away. And as for Kidani, 80-90% of the savanna view rooms in that complex will face toward Jambo.

While the view in the distance will be Kidani, it is not as if from a Jambo room you aren't already looking at one of the other "spokes" of the resort. My hope is that when Kidani is finished, it looks like additional village buildings. From the artist's renderings, it looks like it will blend in perfectly with Jambo and the savannas.

 

[pilferk]

In AKL/AKV's case I think a view of "Disney things" wouldn't work. I'm always struck by how when I'm at AKL, I can easily forget I'm in Florida and imagine I'm in Africa. A view of the Castle or Spaceship Earth in the background would be a distraction.

I wish there were some walking trails, though. DH and I like to take walks and it's not possible at AKL. I'm not sure how pleasant the walk from Jambo House to Kidani Village will be but we'll probably be using the path just to have somewhere to walk while we're there!

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Well, there are some pool view rooms that also enable you to see Everest, I think.

I think once Kidani is finished, you'll find there's at least a BIT more room for walking. It might not be the type of awesome trails that exist at FW/VWL, but looking at the placement of some of the activities (tennis and basketball courts, etc), it looks like at least there will be some sidewalks around that resort area...plus the 1/2 mile sidewalk between Jambo and Kidani. A round trip on that alone gets you a mile. You're right, though: maybe not the most interesting of scenery.

 

[pilferk]

I wonder how that illusion will be impacted by the addition of Kidani.

The original building (Jambo) was clearly designed in such a way as to maximize the views from the many savanna view rooms. Most rooms look right out at the savanna with only trees or brush in the distance. That creates the illusion of being on a wide open plain.

Looking at the development map, it appears a lot of that illusion may soon be gone. About 40% of the Jambo rooms will have the 5-story Kidani Village complex dominating the skyline a couple hundred feet away. And as for Kidani, 80-90% of the savanna view rooms in that complex will face toward Jambo.

I'm not sure that's ENTIRELY accurate.

On some of the the Uzima and Sunset savanna rooms, you're absolutely right.

But around the Arusha savanna, and even on parts of the Uzima savannah and Sunset Savannah...just about every room is angled to be looking, across the way, at another part of the resort. That's true for ALL the Arusha savannah view rooms, where the majority of the savanna view rooms are located. You get the expanse of the savanna, to be sure...but there is definitely a building on your "horizon"..either the main lobby, the opposite "trail", or both. With the Uzima and Sunset savanna rooms, there are a good chunk that look out across the plain...that's true, but there are some in the nooks and crannies that also look across at another room. You can look out of the sunset overlook and see a bunch of rooms that face each other AND the savanna.

The above rooms, for example, look across the savanna at rooms on the backside of Kudo trail.

Here's what it looks like now (though the field of vision isn't as wide):

You can see the "people pen" and the "outcropping" building in the center of the first pic, taken by disneypix back in 2004.

Then you can see the buildings, zoomed in, in the 2 pics above, taken by my wife in January of '08.

And 40% of Jambo rooms will be facing Kidani? Can you explain how you got that? The only ones I see that will face Kidani are the ones on the left side of the resort. I think that % may be closer to 25%, at best.

50% of the rooms are on the savanna side of Arusha savanna. 25% are on the Right side, overlooking either the pool, the parking lot, or Uzima savanna. 25% are on the left side, overlooking the Sunset Savannah or the parking lot. At least, that's the breakdown I see. Maybe I'm wrong?

 

[tjkraz]

And 40% of Jambo rooms will be facing Kidani? Can you explain how you got that?

....

At least, that's the breakdown I see. Maybe I'm wrong?

Rough estimate. To my eye it doesn't look like 50% of the entire resort faces Arusha. But that's just me--I'm not about to pull out a map and start counting. Use whatever figure you wish.

My comments were somewhat driven by a conversation I had just yesterday. I spoke to a member--owner at AKV, in fact--who just returned from WDW. He visited Jambo and was quite shocked at both how close the buildings appeared to be and how the view had been impacted.

It's one thing to have your savanna view partially obscured by neighboring buildings on the sides--at least you have the vista to gaze at off in the distance. But when construction is complete, the majority of the DVC villas will have a view that's completely surrounded by buildings--almost zoo-like in appearance.

Different people will certainly respond differently to the changes and I don't claim to speak for the general public. The original AKL building was clearly designed with sightlines to help promote the sense of gazing out on an african plain. It is unfortunate that the arrangement of the two buildings will negatively impact the original layout.

Anyway, after getting the lay of the land my friend felt that the Jambo views will be much better than Kidani, with the pool view perhaps being the best combo available. I agree the Jambo pool is stunning and for a few less points per night, the public viewing areas will still give one a dose of that animal viewing "fix."

 

[pilferk]

Rough estimate. To my eye it doesn't look like 50% of the entire resort faces Arusha. But that's just me--I'm not about to pull out a map and start counting. Use whatever figure you wish.

My comments were somewhat driven by a conversation I had just yesterday. I spoke to a member--owner at AKV, in fact--who just returned from WDW. He visited Jambo and was quite shocked at both how close the buildings appeared to be and how the view had been impacted.

It's one thing to have your savanna view partially obscured by neighboring buildings on the sides--at least you have the vista to gaze at off in the distance. But when construction is complete, the majority of the DVC villas will have a view that's completely surrounded by buildings--almost zoo-like in appearance.

Different people will certainly respond differently to the changes and I don't claim to speak for the general public. The original AKL building was clearly designed with sightlines to help promote the sense of gazing out on an african plain. It is unfortunate that the arrangement of the two buildings will negatively impact the original layout.

Anyway, after getting the lay of the land my friend felt that the Jambo views will be much better than Kidani, with the pool view perhaps being the best combo available. I agree the Jambo pool is stunning and for a few less points per night, the public viewing areas will still give one a dose of that animal viewing "fix."

I'm....obsessive, to some extent, about numbers. I did a count using the room map, and the numbers I gave, above, are pretty close to actual % I found. In reality, it's closer to 30% are SS view rooms. About the 30% are Arusha, about 8% are parking lot view, about 15% are pool view, and about 17% are Uzima Savannah view...or at least as near as I can tell. Anyone, please feel free to check and correct them.

http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/aklmap.jpg

Of that 30%-ish on the same side as Kidani, some of it is along the backside of Ostrich Trail, and the first bit of Kudo trail. They already face parts of the existing lodge.

So, to me, it looks like, really, only the backside of the END of Kudo trail (or a bit less than 20%), and the "tip" of ostrich trail (less than 1%), are having it's "expansive views" effected in any great way. Again, that's just me, and my observations from being on the ground about a month ago and comparing that to the map of the resort. As you said, different people's tolerances are going to be quite different.

We were JUST there, and saw the construction, and I don't get the same feeling your friend did. Different strokes, I guess.

I found a couple of pics that illustrate the view a bit better.

One, from Linda Mac, from the sunset overlook:

That bit FAR out in the distance, past the people pen, is Kidani.

Linda's got some other nice construction shots in her blog:

http://www.allearsnet.com/blogs/lindamac/2008/02/building_the_magic_kidani_vill.html

One, from Lisa S, taken from an AKL fire escape, looking across the Sunset Savannah at Kidani village:

That pic from Lisa S looks a LOT like any view you get from a room facing the Arusha savanna, to me.

 

[lisareniff]

... the sense of gazing out on an african plain.

This was one concern I had about the building of Kidani, that the lodge will lose that expansive feeling on the sunset savannah and much of Kidani will not have that as well.

We will be staying there in April for a couple nights. I'll get to see for myself how Kidani affects the view from AKL and can imagine the converse will also be true.

 

[pilferk]

This was one concern I had about the building of Kidani, that the lodge will lose that expansive feeling on the sunset savannah and much of Kidani will not have that as well.

We will be staying there in April for a couple nights. I'll get to see for myself how Kidani affects the view from AKL and can imagine the converse will also be true.

I thnk, ultimately, that's going to be the best judge for anyone. To go and try to check it out for yourself.

Pictures help. So does information. But everyone's eye, and tolerance, is going to be different.

For me, from what I've seen.....while it changes the view, it doesn't change them much.....makes them look, to me, more like the Arusha savanna views.

For others, like tjkraz's friend, the buildings might be too intrusive.

 

[spiceycat]

I figure that if the walkway from Jambo to Kidani is 1/2 mile, 2 or three round trips would be about a half hour walk.

guests (me including) were walking inside Jambo. there were several of us.

besides you can go back and forth through that lobby a bunch of times - walking it.

there were some joggers in the parking lot, bus, swimming area.

 

[ADP]

In AKL/AKV's case I think a view of "Disney things" wouldn't work. I'm always struck by how when I'm at AKL, I can easily forget I'm in Florida and imagine I'm in Africa. A view of the Castle or Spaceship Earth in the background would be a distraction.

I wish there were some walking trails, though. DH and I like to take walks and it's not possible at AKL. I'm not sure how pleasant the walk from Jambo House to Kidani Village will be but we'll probably be using the path just to have somewhere to walk while we're there!

Well said Lisa. AKL/AKV needs to be remote due to its theming. Could you imagine AKL/AKV in the Magic Kingdom or EPCOT resort areas . "Hey! What's that Giraff doing next to the International Gateway!?

I love AKL/AKV right where it is, and as you said the resort(s) transports you to Africa while forgetting you are in Florida.

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a walking trail or riverboat ride to the Animal Kingdom from AKL/AKV (Like I haven't heard that before). A few more paths around the resort would be nice though.

 

[Sheribo]

With the exception of AK being where the animals are, LOL, the location leaves a lot to be desired. (no monorail, no water views, no walking distance, no good views of Disney things - again with expection of the animals). For a deluxe property, it didn't offer many "deluxe" options.

I agree. We toured the AKV rooms at SSR but didn't get a feel for the property so we hopped on a bus and headed over to look around. I too have 3 children and the rooms would accommodate them much better. We walked around the lobby and made our way to the counter service restaurant for some lunch. We then walked around the pool, which is really small, and then made our way to the Savannah look out behind the Flamingos. Is that really the Savannah? It was a rather small piece of land with very little vegetation, one lonely giraffe and another animal that we couldn't recognize in the distance. Now I've never been to Africa and maybe that's what the Savannah looks like but it all looked too fake to me. I think we'll give it a try once and hopefully get a different view.

 

[AKV707]

There are three Savannas. Sunset, Uzima, and Arusha. (I think that I spelled them correctly) They are all very large. From the lookout by the pool, you can't see very much of the savannas.

I also think that the remote feel of AKV is a plus. It is inherently Disney as it transports guests to a completely unique experience. And while it feels remote, it is actually not far from the action. And the bus service is regarded as excellent. My only negative is that there no walking path.

 

[lisareniff]

I thnk, ultimately, that's going to be the best judge for anyone. To go and try to check it out for yourself.

Pictures help. So does information. But everyone's eye, and tolerance, is going to be different.

For me, from what I've seen.....while it changes the view, it doesn't change them much.....makes them look, to me, more like the Arusha savanna views.

For others, like tjkraz's friend, the buildings might be too intrusive.

Well I held off making a firm opinion until we stayed there...
Unfortunately, I think I agree with tjkraz's friend. What I was afraid I would feel it true, the new Kidani building feels too close and intrusive to the lodge eliminating the 'on the edge of the savannah' feel of the sunset savannah. I assume the view from Kidani will be the same.

 

[gkrykewy]

Well I held off making a firm opinion until we stayed there...
Unfortunately, I think I agree with tjkraz's friend. What I was afraid I would feel it true, the new Kidani building feels too close and intrusive to the lodge eliminating the 'on the edge of the savannah' feel of the sunset savannah. I assume the view from Kidani will be the same.

That's interesting - I'd always heard that Arusha Savanna, which has views that most closely match the westward views from Jambo to Kidani, is the most preferred of the current Savannas.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Well, I think the views of the animals are the prime part, and I could care less if I see other parts of the resort or not. We found that to be a non-entity last month. I guess I just didn't pay much attention to the fact that other parts of the resort were visible, and I was interested in watching the development of Kidani, so that was interesting to me rather than distracting. I think once AKV is done, it will look like the whole resort is a huge resort stuck in the middle of a savanna.

 

[lisareniff]

That's interesting - I'd always heard that Arusha Savanna, which has views that most closely match the westward views from Jambo to Kidani, is the most preferred of the current Savannas.

Yes the Arusha savanna out the back of the lodge (north?) is the most preferred. You do get a portion of your view that extends out beyond the lodge making it feel more expansive AND there are no people pens.

The Sunset Savanna to the left (west?) was never as popular. The rooms closer to the lobby had views of other wings of the resort and not much 'savanna' up close, also there were the people pens to avoid. Now with Kidani being build on the other side it has, IMHO, more of a closed in yard with cool animals feel to it. To me, having that view of Kidani changes the feel of the view.

Again this is only MY opinion. I'm also not saying I won't stay at AKL/V again just think that there was some negative effects on the theming when they decided to build Kidani in the location they did. I do love the Lodge building and hope they do as nice a job with Kidani.

 

[gkrykewy]

Frankly, in terms of westward views, I'm much more concerned about the possible noise/traffic/light/building impacts of the new private development that straddles the WDW boundary (not the Four Seasons development; the budget one).

I'm not very concerned about that either, but it could detract from the ambiance.

EDIT: looks like it's too far north to really have an impact, however:
http://www.wdwmagic.com/westernbeltwayproject.htm

 

[jade1]

We spent over an hour going from BCV to Boma last month (our fault we took a bus to DTD to drop off the kids for shopping and switched to an AKL bus), but the food was good and we walked around. We will stay there on occasion for a couple days, but thats about it. Just too far from everything IMO, but I could see many folks really liking it there-very unique.