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

[QueenDoOver]

Hi all! Popping in to share our excitement over putting a deposit down yesterday on a 160 point AKV contract. We owned a small 100 point contract purchased directly from Disney (our first DVC stay was checking into Kidani on opening day), but sold it quite a while ago (long story!) and have since been renting points, usually in Jambo. We've talked about buying again for years, but just never pulled the trigger. Decided it was finally time while Disney was still not really exercising ROFR. Hoping it will easily pass ROFR, and we'll get a nice loaded contract with all 22/23 points hitting in September. The plan is to capitalize on the points and hopefully head to Aulani next year. Woo hoo! Fingers crossed!

Congratulations! We are 12 days in waiting to pass ROFR also. 180 points. Our first. Fell in love with AK after staying their last year.

 

[QueenDoOver]

Wow, so happy today, got a Club Level studio on 11 months. Only problem is that I now need to walk it forward 5 months

So does that mean you have to log on everyday and book the last day while dropping the first day? For 5 months? Sorry, new owner. Just trying to understand.

 

[sndral]

So does that mean you have to log on everyday and book the last day while dropping the first day? For 5 months? Sorry, new owner. Just trying to understand.

Not every day usually, but every couple of days. If, for example you have a 6 night stay booked you need to log on & modify it forward on day 5 - you want your next chunk of days booked before the 11 month window opens so as to block anyone from booking ‘your villa.’
I’ve owned AKV for a decade & never stayed in a 6th floor club villa for several reasons, I’ve never seen an opening at 11 months when I book & even if I spotted an opening earlier & wanted to try walking a reservation I’d have to walk over my use year which requires calling MS & would likely result in my messing up my banking/borrowing of points, we wouldn’t use club benefits (free food & booze) enough to justify their hefty point chart, and the views from those villas aren’t the best IMO.

 

[DigitalOlli]

We are new owners at AKV

Closed the contract on Aug 14 and waiting for the contract to show up on the dashbaord

We plan to book a few nights at a Value Studio next July. We are a little bit late. is it possible to get some by submitting a Waitlist before the 7 Month Window?

Thanks

 

[twinklebug]

We are new owners at AKV

Closed the contract on Aug 14 and waiting for the contract to show up on the dashbaord

We plan to book a few nights at a Value Studio next July. We are a little bit late. is it possible to get some by submitting a Waitlist before the 7 Month Window?

Thanks

It is possible, I give it less than a 10% chance as they're very hard to come by and it requires someone to release all the days you have on the waitlist before booking. Look into the standard studio room in Jambo as well. I've never had a bad view there, and they're not as pricey as the SV rooms.

 

[drusba]

We are new owners at AKV

Closed the contract on Aug 14 and waiting for the contract to show up on the dashbaord

We plan to book a few nights at a Value Studio next July. We are a little bit late. is it possible to get some by submitting a Waitlist before the 7 Month Window?

Thanks

As a a new owner at AKV be aware of the following. A member can book their home resort online beginning at 8 a.m. eastern, 11 months out from date of arrival. Value studios at AKV, year round for any given start date, typically fill within nanoseconds after 8 a.m. eastern at 11-months out. The winners are simply those whose computers communicate faster with Disney's than others' computers, and most lose that battle. You can try waitlist, and you can try checking several times daily after you can start reserving to see if anything opens up for the time you want, but, in planning a stay, do not assume it will.

It is much better to plan to get standard or savanna view studios as they are always open at 11-months out and well beyond 11-months out, and should be easy to get in July next year if you reserve by Sep or Oct.

 

[DigitalOlli]

As a a new owner at AKV be aware of the following. A member can book their home resort online beginning at 8 a.m. eastern, 11 months out from date of arrival. Value studios at AKV, year round, typically fill within nanoseconds after 8 a.m. eastern at 11-months out. The winners are simply those whose computers communicate faster with Disney's than others' computers, and most lose that battle. It is much better to plan to get standard or savanna view studios as they are always open at 11-months out and well beyond 11-months out.

thanks

yes we plan for standart view but would be nice to add a night or two in a value

 

[TinkAgainU]

That is helpful - I haven't been able to find a map that clarifies which 1 bedrooms are standard vs savanna. We'd prefer a partial savanna view - last time we stayed there as "regular" guests in a standard view room, we were just off the lobby but near a people pen. It was delightful and I'd love something like that again.

Check out the DVC Field Guide - it has maps and a lot more info for DVC owners - I think it's around $13 and I use it ALL the time it is a large pdf and would be difficult to move to another computer etc, so be sure to download to where you typically want to view it. I'm not affiliated (other than being a big fan) in any way lol.

It has GREAT maps of all the different view types for both the AK buildings. I don't want to copy them here, since they belong to the Field Guide - but you might look on their website, they have some free info too: https://www.dvcfieldguide.com/

 

[crazycatlady]

We are staying for 4 nights in December in a Jambo studio with Savannah view. I am super excited to be staying for the first time as DVC owners and especially when the lodge is decorated for Christmas!

Are all the studio savannah view rooms pretty equal over at Jambo house? I know they are all on the same floor, but should I put in a request, and if so, what do ya'll recommend? The best view of multiple types of animals is my main concern with walk time to the bus stop and lobby being in second. We are not as concerned with distance to the pool.

I read almost this whole thread when we bought our contract at the beginning of the year, but didn't take notes on room requests. Thank you for any help!

 

[DeeBee3]

Anyone have a scoop on refurbishment? I feel it's long overdue.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

We are staying for 4 nights in December in a Jambo studio with Savannah view. I am super excited to be staying for the first time as DVC owners and especially when the lodge is decorated for Christmas!

Are all the studio savannah view rooms pretty equal over at Jambo house? I know they are all on the same floor, but should I put in a request, and if so, what do ya'll recommend? The best view of multiple types of animals is my main concern with walk time to the bus stop and lobby being in second. We are not as concerned with distance to the pool.

I read almost this whole thread when we bought our contract at the beginning of the year, but didn't take notes on room requests. Thank you for any help!

I've always had a preference for the Sunset savannah. Then the next might be close to lobby. lol

 

[crazycatlady]

I've always had a preference for the Sunset savannah. Then the next might be close to lobby. lol

Ok, I will request sunset savanna near lobby. Thank you!

 

[sndral]

Ok, I will request sunset savanna near lobby. Thank you!

The villas that overlook the Sunset savanna at Jambo are on Kudu trail. The other half of the Kudu trail villas overlook Arusha savanna which is the middle savanna. The other trail you could be on w/ a savanna view is Zebra trail. Savanna view on Zebra trail can overlook the middle savanna Arusha or they overlook Uzima savanna. Zebra trail is on the same side of the resort as the bank of elevators to the pool & the QS Mara.
Sunset is the largest savanna at 18 acres, it lies between Kidani & Jambo. Arusha & Uzima are both 11 acres - but most folks ‘feel’ like Arusha is bigger likely because the two savannas are different shapes.
Since you own at AKV you’ll have many years to learn which views you personally prefer . IME it helps to actually spend time on your balcony, you can look out & see nothing & then 10 minutes later you’ll look out & see that a couple of giraffes have strolled into view! Keep an eye out for the trucks that put the food out - after husbandry distributes browse, the animals show up. Check at night too - I often have spotted animals at night.




Here’s a map - S for Sunset, A for Arusha, U for Uzima. K for Kudu trail & Z for Zebra trail.

 

[DeeCee735]

Is Arusha the savannah with the Giraffe and Zebras?

Thanks,
Dee

 

[sndral]

Is Arusha the savannah with the Giraffe and Zebras?

Thanks,
Dee

All of the savannas visible from Jambo have Giraffes, so Sunset, Arusha, & Uzima savannas all have giraffes. The only time I’ve seen baby giraffes at AKV there were 2 & they were on Uzima. Over at Kidani the small Pembe savanna does not have giraffes - that savanna is too small & its’ barn isn’t tall enough for them.
Generally Arusha & Uzima will each have a pair of non breeding zebra. In the past those have been Grevys or plains zebras, not sure if they still are. Animal kingdom park/lodge is part of the AZA species survival breeding program for Hartmann’s Zebras & they use Sunset savanna (& a subsection of Pembe for mares w/ very young foals) to house one of their breeding herds, so you’ll usually see several Hartmanns zebras on Sunset savanna & that’s where you’ll see zebra foals if there are any. https://people.com/pets/disney-animal-kingdom-lodge-welcomes-baby-zebra/
Which animals are housed where changes with time. Sometimes animals need to be relocated from the park to the lodge for behavioral or health reasons, or need to be moved from one savanna to another. For example, zebra are pretty active & can be aggressive - if you have baby giraffe or oryx on Uzima you might want to remove your zebra, thus, there’s no guarantee that you’ll see the same animals on the same savanna from year to year since husbandry needs to adapt to the changing needs of their animals.

 

[crazycatlady]

OMG, sndral, thank you so much! What a great map! I looked back before calling in my requests yesterday and found an old post of yours that said you request Arusha savanna away from lobby on the zebra trail side so that is what I requested.

Can I ask why you like the Arusha better than the sunset savanna? We are hoping to see the biggest variety of animals.

 

[sndral]

OMG, sndral, thank you so much! What a great map! I looked back before calling in my requests yesterday and found an old post of yours that said you request Arusha savanna away from lobby on the zebra trail side so that is what I requested.

Can I ask why you like the Arusha better than the sunset savanna? We are hoping to see the biggest variety of animals.

Must have been an old post . I hope you get a wonderful view! If you end up in that location & are in your villa mid morning keep an eye out for the animals going towards or returning from the right side of Arusha savanna, they spend an hour or so in the barn every morning for health checks/feeding/medication. They are called in & then released in groups, based on which species are slower/faster & who gets along w/ whom. You don’t see husbandry, just one group of animals wanders by & then after they’ve wandered by, another group wanders by, etc..
For someone who’s booked savanna view, Zebra trail is very convenient to pop down to the Mara & a shorter walk to the store/bus stops/Victoria Falls lounge than Kudu trail & Arusha doesn’t have any of the people pens jutting into it like Sunset & Uzima savannas have. I don’t especially want to see the people on the Arusha overlook behind the lobby from my balcony - hence the away from lobby request.
That said, I’ve found things to like about each of my views through the years & I’ve been on Arusha from the Kudu & Zebra trail sides & on Uzima from Zebra trail & Sunset from Kudu trail. These days I’ve been stretching my points by booking standard view hoping I’ll get one of the many less than perfect savanna standard views at Jambo& those tend to be on Kudu trail.

 

[DizneyLizzy]

For someone who’s booked savanna view, Zebra trail is very convenient to pop down to the Mara & a shorter walk to the store/bus stops/Victoria Falls lounge than Kudu trail & Arusha doesn’t have any of the people pens jutting into it like Sunset & Uzima savannas have. I don’t especially want to see the people on the Arusha overlook behind the lobby from my balcony - hence the away from lobby request.
That said, I’ve found things to like about each of my views through the years & I’ve been on Arusha from the Kudu & Zebra trail sides & on Uzima from Zebra trail & Sunset from Kudu trail. These days I’ve been stretching my points by booking standard view hoping I’ll get one of the many less than perfect savanna standard views at Jambo& those tend to be on Kudu trail.

Looking forward to our first ever stay at AKL in 2024. It’s the only DVC resort we haven’t tried in 7 years of being members, so my kids requested it for this trip. It’s not a park heavy trip so I don’t care about being close to elevators, transportation, and/or lobby, but we have a standard view studio booked at jambo house, and I’d love to request an area where I’m most likely to get a tiny/partial view of the savanna. Any tips for this? Just request Kudu trail? or be more specific? Thanks

 

[sndral]

Looking forward to our first ever stay at AKL in 2024. It’s the only DVC resort we haven’t tried in 7 years of being members, so my kids requested it for this trip. It’s not a park heavy trip so I don’t care about being close to elevators, transportation, and/or lobby, but we have a standard view studio booked at jambo house, and I’d love to request an area where I’m most likely to get a tiny/partial view of the savanna. Any tips for this? Just request Kudu trail? or be more specific? Thanks

W/ standard view I’ve always just requested Kudu trail since all standard villas on Kudu trail face Sunset savanna. For this year’s trip I’m trying a slightly different & more complicated request hoping to get the area near the barn at the end of Kudu trail that I got last visit - we’ll see if it works.
Zebra trail w/ standard view usually puts you overlooking the pool or roofs + pool, although a few at the end furthest from the lobby overlook Uzima savanna. There’s also the above the lobby villas which I’ve never been in. Here’s a link to a thread from a year ago discussing standard views in Jambo https://www.disboards.com/threads/a...os-with-savannah-views.3895178/#post-64278704
BTW the last post mentions noise - which I’ve never noticed at Jambo .

 

[MonaMN]

Looking forward to our first ever stay at AKL in 2024. It’s the only DVC resort we haven’t tried in 7 years of being members, so my kids requested it for this trip. It’s not a park heavy trip so I don’t care about being close to elevators, transportation, and/or lobby, but we have a standard view studio booked at jambo house, and I’d love to request an area where I’m most likely to get a tiny/partial view of the savanna. Any tips for this? Just request Kudu trail? or be more specific? Thanks

For my last stay there (and our upcoming one in a couple months), I've just requested a partial view savannah room. For our last stay, we had a great spot overlooking one of the people pens, not too far from the lobby.