Will we be disappointed?

[Fargoman2]

Just booked our 11-month window to get AKL Concierge.

What I didn't realize is that means we will be in the Jambo House and NOT the new Kidani Village--which much to our disappointment DOES NOT OFFER CONCIERGE.

We want the Concierge as a way to save a BOATLOAD of money in daily FOOD expenses.

But I'm bummed thinking we will be in the older section of the resort. And further we are not guaranteed a savannah view; we could get pool view--which I definitely don't want.

Gee, I guess I should have read the fine print before signing up for AKL. Guess that makes me kind of a bonehead DVC rookie, doesn't it?

I guess we just had our hearts set on that view and CL. So the question--
how disappointed will we be with Jambo compared to being in the brand new facility, which features a better design and a "newer" feel?
Should we switch our reservation to Kidani and just forget the CL? What would you do?

Thanks in advance for your expertise.

 

[natale1980]

I haven't stayed there yet so I'm not the expert. BUT - I have seen people request Jambo house because it's closer to everything.
So I don't think you'll be disappointed. If I had to book a room today at AKV, I would choose Jambo house.

-nat

 

[DebbieB]

I don't know that you will save a BOATLOAD of money on food expenses. The breakfast is pretty much a continental breakfast - no hot items except oatmeal. The dinnertime offers are appetizers and later desserts. Mid-day is just cookies & snacks.

What size room did you book? The studios are pretty much the same. But the 1 bedrooms are much larger in Kidani and have a second bathroom.

 

[wheelcap]

I just got back from a vacation at Jambo. I was wait-listed for Jambo or Kidani, and the Jambo came through - we personally consider it a blessing from God. Kidani feels separated from everything, and it feels like they cut corners everywhere. Jambo, though, feels in the 'middle of the action' with the huge lobby, the large gift shop, the restaurants, and the wonderful pool and hot tubs. As far as missing the savannah view . . . yes, it's cool to stand on your balcony and see them, but there are several viewing areas from which you get a better view than from the rooms. It's all personal preference, but I think Jambo is the better bet - and not having savannah view is no big deal.

 

[dgaston]

I think staying Concierge at Jambo is wonderful, not for the views, but the terrific Concierge staff and opportunities to book the Sunset and Sunrise Safaris. On the 6th floor you are not close to the animals even if you are fortunate enought\ to get a savanna view. The public viewing areas are more than adequate. Kidani is only a 5 to 10 minute walk away, and at Jambo you have the advantage of CS. The concierge offerings are not meant to replace meals, but are cetainly enjoyable. We are staying at Kidani in 2 weeks in a 2 br Savanna view, and returning in May to Concierge for our Flower and Garden trip. Both are wonderful.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I agree with DebbieB, you won't save a boatload on food.

But how many of you are there and what size villa did you get? If you got a one bedroom villa, you won't have the stand alone shower, just a combined tub/shower like the regular hotel rooms. If you got a two bedroom, it will be a lock off with a one bedroom and studio combined.

The only reason the DVC Concierge villas even exist is because DVC took over the sixth floor to convert to DVC villas. That's the location of the concierge lounge, so they had to make those concierge level. I doubt there will ever be concierge level villas anywhere else.

 

[MouseMomx2]

Add me to those who say you won't save that much on food. We've stayed at AKL on the Concierge level twice (pre-DVC units there). The breakfast offerings are as others described...a few pastries, cereal and oatmeal, juices, etc. For our family that was enough for breakfast. Your mileage may vary.

There are no lunch offerings. They do put some snacks out mid-day, including cookies, scones and the like.

There is also no dinner served. They do offer appetizer-type foods, but they aren't meant to take the place of your meal. When we were there one family loaded up on the appetizers, filling their plates to heaping and leaving little for the rest of us until more trays were brought up from the kitchen. While nothing was said to them by the CMs they certainly got some dirty looks.

Later in the evening the lounge offers some mini-desserts. They're very tasty but, again, I think you'll need to look elsewhere to fill you up.

 

[bookwormde]

For those of us that eat light CL is great we just snack our way through the day and spend almost nothing on meals, and with the difficulty of getting it I would stay put. There are lots of places to view the savanna if you do not get one, and you have lots of future trips to stay at Kidani. You did not say if you are in a studio or a villa but if you are in a studio that is another great reason to stay put since to me the villas are what is really special about Kidani (and the close parking).

bookwormde

 

[LIFERBABE]

My first trip I was disappointed because we booked a 1 bedroom over Christmas and got the villa with no tub. It is a HA Rollin shower
for the points that week cost me, I was upset (why pay the points for a 1 bed concierge and not get a major amenity like the soaking tub? Don't need the kitchen with all the offerings besides I booked it to relax that first week and then move to ssr)
so when we stay club level now, we book the studio.

I do prefer Jambo for studios but will stay at Kidani for anything larger.

Also I would not get my hopes up for sav view. There are only 3 and 1 sits in a corner of the bldg. It's actually not the prettiest sav view either that the resort offers.

 

[brigitteparker]

i stayed at the jambo house in a regular room because i'm not yet a dvc member but i agree that you do not need a savannah view. we had one in our room but there were so many other places that you could view the animals and even see them better than from your room. i was looking at pts to stay at akv and i probably wouldn't waste the points on savannah view because there are so many great viewing areas around the resort

 

[Fargoman2]

Thanks for all your thoughtful responses--they are helpful.

However, I must counter the assertions from many of you that we won't save a BOATLOAD of money. We used to have CL all the time when we stayed at Swan Dolphin and we DID SAVE A BOATLOAD.

For openers, continental breakfast for 4 X 7 days is a significant savings over groceries needed to cover all that time--just for that one meal.

Add to that evening snacks and/or other refreshments at least one other time during the day and the savings grows significantly.

Basically by doing this option our food purchases would be one "major" meal during the day vs. 2 major meals and snacks.

So....I guesss it comes down to saving $$$ or getting a nicer, newer, quieter spot with extra room and a bathroom in the 1 bedroom.

Thanks again

 

[5forDiz]

Thanks for all your thoughtful responses--they are helpful.

However, I must counter the assertions from many of you that we won't save a BOATLOAD of money. We used to have CL all the time when we stayed at Swan Dolphin and we DID SAVE A BOATLOAD.

For openers, continental breakfast for 4 X 7 days is a significant savings over groceries needed to cover all that time--just for that one meal.

Add to that evening snacks and/or other refreshments at least one other time during the day and the savings grows significantly.

Basically by doing this option our food purchases would be one "major" meal during the day vs. 2 major meals and snacks.

So....I guesss it comes down to saving $$$ or getting a nicer, newer, quieter spot with extra room and a bathroom in the 1 bedroom.

Thanks again

Have not heard that Jambo DVC concierge villas seem to be run down at all or seeming "old" and besides the concierge level lounge offerings you will also get the benefit of full daily maid service so that can be considered a plus in favor of Jambo concierge over Kidani At Kidani ( or other non-concierge villas ) you'd only get Trash & Towel Service on 4th day of your stay which means trash emptied, fresh towels & soap/paper products replenished (no bed making or cleaning ) --- you'd have to be staying 8 or more nights in order to get a full villa cleaning which would then be scheduled for 4th day and then your Trash & Towel Service would be on 8th day.

If you are still unsure about staying Jambo Concierge level then split your trip between that and Kidani so you can find out first hand what location/villa you really would prefer so then you know what to do for future trips.

Good luck

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

Just booked our 11-month window to get AKL Concierge.

What I didn't realize is that means we will be in the Jambo House and NOT the new Kidani Village--which much to our disappointment DOES NOT OFFER CONCIERGE.

We want the Concierge as a way to save a BOATLOAD of money in daily FOOD expenses.

But I'm bummed thinking we will be in the older section of the resort. And further we are not guaranteed a savannah view; we could get pool view--which I definitely don't want.

Gee, I guess I should have read the fine print before signing up for AKL. Guess that makes me kind of a bonehead DVC rookie, doesn't it?

I guess we just had our hearts set on that view and CL. So the question--
how disappointed will we be with Jambo compared to being in the brand new facility, which features a better design and a "newer" feel?
Should we switch our reservation to Kidani and just forget the CL? What would you do?

Thanks in advance for your expertise.

Yes, please do. Then those of us who love Jambo House, but don't own there, may "possibly" have a shot at grabbing up your ressie. When is that for?

 

[DebbieB]

There is also no dinner served. They do offer appetizer-type foods, but they aren't meant to take the place of your meal. When we were there one family loaded up on the appetizers, filling their plates to heaping and leaving little for the rest of us until more trays were brought up from the kitchen. While nothing was said to them by the CMs they certainly got some dirty looks.

Later in the evening the lounge offers some mini-desserts. They're very tasty but, again, I think you'll need to look elsewhere to fill you up.

The same thing happened when I was there. When they brought stuff out, a couple people would grab it all and leave everyone else waiting. It was designed to be samples, not to grab up as a whole meal.

 

[DisFor20]

So....I guesss it comes down to saving $$$ or getting a nicer, newer, quieter spot with extra room and a bathroom in the 1 bedroom.

Just curious since I have never run the numbers for saving money in a Concierge Level Villa, but do you include the added cost (in either points or cash) to stay in Concierge over a regular Villa in your food savings calculus? From the 2009 pts chart, it costs 44 extra pts to stay in 1-bedroom Concierge for a week (Dream Season) as compared to a 1-bedroom savannah view. And, if you don't get one of the savannah view Concierge Villas, the extra points are 79 pts over a 1-bedroom standard Villa. If you convert the pts to a cash value at $10/pts (an average rate on the rental boards), you are "paying" $440 or $790 more to get the right to eat on the Concierge Level. These numbers are $200 and $380 respectively for the same weekly comparison using a studio Villa (also during Dream Season). Finally, the numbers change some if you are looking at different seasons or travelling in 2010. Will you save this much in food money?

As someone else mentioned, you apparently also get housekeeping everyday on the Concierge Level, so that is a real savings if you would have otherwise paid for daily housekeeping ($45/day (?)) in a regular 1-bedroom Villa.

Again, just curious as to all the factors you are considering since we are AKV owners and would like to stay in Concierge one day.

 

[tjkraz]

Just curious since I have never run the numbers for saving money in a Concierge Level Villa, but do you include the added cost (in either points or cash) to stay in Concierge over a regular Villa in your food savings calculus? From the 2009 pts chart, it costs 44 extra pts to stay in 1-bedroom Concierge for a week (Dream Season) as compared to a 1-bedroom savannah view. And, if you don't get one of the savannah view Concierge Villas, the extra points are 79 pts over a 1-bedroom standard Villa. If you convert the pts to a cash value at $10/pts (an average rate on the rental boards), you are "paying" $440 or $790 more to get the right to eat on the Concierge Level. These numbers are $200 and $380 respectively for the same weekly comparison using a studio Villa (also during Dream Season). Finally, the numbers change some if you are looking at different seasons or travelling in 2010. Will you save this much in food money?

I was thinking along similar lines. Well done. Even ignoring the $10 rental rate, dues are $5 per point at AKV. So you're talking several hundred in real dollars paid OOP for the concierge upgrade...plus the loss of the use of the points.

OP said: "For openers, continental breakfast for 4 X 7 days is a significant savings over groceries needed to cover all that time--just for that one meal."

Not sure I agree with that. We're talking fruit, pastries and beverages. You can purchase a week's supply of that stuff at a grocery store pretty cheaply, IMO.

As the original question illustrates, there is no perfect situation here. With the Concierge booking, about the only "pros" are access to the concierge lounge and daily housekeeping (which some don't even consider to be a "pro.")

The alternative is booking at Kidani. There you pay fewer points for the room, get a guaranteed view, newer facilities and larger/more luxurious room. Choose what works best.

 

[DebbieB]

A plus side to concierge and the main reason we booked it was the Sunrise Safari. That was awesome!

 

[dairyqueenmom]

We have stayed at Jambo house 3 times in the last two years as DVC members and when we went to Kindani we felt like it was Jambo House's little sister. Not as grand entry, very small feeling. I know the rooms are bigger, but our rooms at Jambo have been awesome. Nothing feels old or tired in the DVC rooms we have had there.

We did love the community hall there and our kids love the games, crafts and pool at Kindani. We will just walk over or take the bus. Jambo value rooms help us save on points and make more trips for longer.

 

[DisFor20]

A plus side to concierge and the main reason we booked it was the Sunrise Safari. That was awesome!

We haven't done the Sunrise Safari yet, but it sounds great. And it fits my understanding of the AKV Concierge Level....that is, you are paying more (either in cash or points...or both as tjkraz points out) for better service and amenities (e.g. free snacks/free drinks/daily housekeeping), and access to special privileges (e.g. Sunrise Safari, Concierge assistance, etc...). The Sunrise Safari costs a fair amount (~$60/adult, ~$30/child), but it appears to be a really unique experience. The Wildlife Discovery Excursion also looks like a great special amenity, but again, it's not cheap ($50/person).