Jambo! The newest AKL Information thread

[Miss Frankie J]

I was able to call and book a room only reservation for my honeymoon next year in September and I am still in shock. It was between a Pool View room or a Savanna view. I felt compelled to book a Savanna view king since it is our Honeymoon and I cant think of a better time to splurge but my wallet is hurting . We may change it to a Pool view to save like over a grand but for now can anyone tell me if they have stayed in a Savanna view room with a King bed? What the view was like and where those rooms were as far as the lobby? The pool view room I had last time was a great location from the lobby and pool so I feel compelled to switch just on that alone.

 

[Magalex]

Question for AKL veteran guests of the resort. First time at this resort in June, I requested Standard room location upper floor Giraffe Trail. Does any one have photos of views from these rooms? Just curious.

 

[DJmommy]

Is it only Jambo that has construction happening? We are booked for a standard studio in Kidani and was wondering whether construction will have an impact on our stay as well?

Thank you

 

[TikiBabe]

Is it only Jambo that has construction happening? We are booked for a standard studio in Kidani and was wondering whether construction will have an impact on our stay as well?

Thank you

It was just Jambo from what we could tell a few weeks ago. We stayed in Kidani for 4 days then switched to Jambo.

 

[pepperandchips]

Question for AKL veteran guests of the resort. First time at this resort in June, I requested Standard room location upper floor Giraffe Trail. Does any one have photos of views from these rooms? Just curious.

That should be a convenient location but if you are really looking for convenience I would request lobby level on giraffe or ostrich. In a Giraffe trail standard view you would either get a view of the "Buick Savanna" (parking lot) or the rooftop of the Mara and other service areas around the pool. The other rooms on Giraffe with more desirable views toward the pool are classified as pool view rooms.

 

[tinkerbell1991]

Sorry but I've read back about 8 pages to no avail for my question/answer.

How long is the renovation due to last? It's still a while until we go (October 2020) but last time we visited WDW, it was at Coronado Springs and we got caught up with the renovations works there - don't want it happening again (if we can possibly try to prevent it).

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

Sorry but I've read back about 8 pages to no avail for my question/answer.

How long is the renovation due to last? It's still a while until we go (October 2020) but last time we visited WDW, it was at Coronado Springs and we got caught up with the renovations works there - don't want it happening again (if we can possibly try to prevent it).

It is suppose to be finished by fall of this year but a previous poster said they are behind schedule. We were there the end of Apr. and I was told only 1 floor is finished. It was reported earlier that it was only going to be a soft refub but it's more than that! Going back in Oct. of this year and hoping it will be finished.

 

[Amy M]

It is suppose to be finished by fall of this year but a previous poster said they are behind schedule. We were there the end of Apr. and I was told only 1 floor is finished. It was reported earlier that it was only going to be a soft refub but it's more than that! Going back in Oct. of this year and hoping it will be finished.

Does anyone know which floor is finished?

 

[tinkerbell1991]

It is suppose to be finished by fall of this year but a previous poster said they are behind schedule. We were there the end of Apr. and I was told only 1 floor is finished. It was reported earlier that it was only going to be a soft refub but it's more than that! Going back in Oct. of this year and hoping it will be finished.

 

[ForceIsStrongInMyFamily]

Does anyone know which floor is finished?

We stayed on 3 floor Kudu facing Sunset Savanna this weekend. Our room was done, but it is clear the whole floor is not. They had temporary walls up at the elevator bank after the lobby area.

It looks like (and this is a guess just from sitting on our balcony) they are done with second floor, working on third and fourth now. Cranes are on the Arusha Savanna side. None that I saw on the Sunset Savanna side.

 

[Amy M]

We stayed on 3 floor Kudu facing Sunset Savanna this weekend. Our room was done, but it is clear the whole floor is not. They had temporary walls up at the elevator bank after the lobby area.

It looks like (and this is a guess just from sitting on our balcony) they are done with second floor, working on third and fourth now. Cranes are on the Arusha Savanna side. None that I saw on the Sunset Savanna side.

Thank you!

 

[NorCalVince]

I was able to call and book a room only reservation for my honeymoon next year in September and I am still in shock. It was between a Pool View room or a Savanna view. I felt compelled to book a Savanna view king since it is our Honeymoon and I cant think of a better time to splurge but my wallet is hurting . We may change it to a Pool view to save like over a grand but for now can anyone tell me if they have stayed in a Savanna view room with a King bed? What the view was like and where those rooms were as far as the lobby? The pool view room I had last time was a great location from the lobby and pool so I feel compelled to switch just on that alone.

If you haven’t thought about it, maybe look at renting dvc. My fiancé and I are going to WDW for the first time in March for our honeymoon. Loved AKL but no way could we afford it for the whole week we are there. Looked into renting dvc and was able to book a studio at Jambo House Savannah view within a day of inquiring and saved thousands.

 

[Violet Parr]

Are renovations affecting standard view room stays at all? Or pool view? Even though we won't have a Savannah view, part of the appeal for us is visiting the viewing spots to look out on the savannah. Would Kidani be preferable in light of the renovations? I'm surprised an alert isn't showing up on the booking website. We will be there in early August, and if the savannahs are filled with cranes, we might look elsewhere.

 

[traveler000mkl]

Hello! Has anyone stayed in a Standard Room on the first section of the Kudu trail facing Ostrich trail rooms? It seems like there is watering hole with some animal view and this should still be close to lobby/bus stops. I am curious about your experience!

 

[kimmar067]

Are renovations affecting standard view room stays at all? Or pool view? Even though we won't have a Savannah view, part of the appeal for us is visiting the viewing spots to look out on the savannah. Would Kidani be preferable in light of the renovations? I'm surprised an alert isn't showing up on the booking website..

...my DS and his new bride stayed at CSR last week.Obviously, there are major renos [the tower] going on over there, but no mention was made of it....

 

[Violet Parr]

...my DS and his new bride stayed at CSR last week.Obviously, there are major renos [the tower] going on over there, but no mention was made of it....

CSR definitely has an alert on the booking page right now.

 

[sndral]

Hello! Has anyone stayed in a Standard Room on the first section of the Kudu trail facing Ostrich trail rooms? It seems like there is watering hole with some animal view and this should still be close to lobby/bus stops. I am curious about your experience!

Last Dec. we were in standard view 5220/5222 (lock off 2 br. villa) on Kudu trail. There is a a pond, but I didn’t see animals drinking from it. We did occasionally see animals wander into the area including a couple of Elands who bedded down in the area every night. It was always a special treat when one or two of the giraffes would wander into view. I love spotting the animals from my balcony and it was more of a challenge from that villa than my experiences with savanna view villas - but it was a standard view so I was happy when I spotted an animal or two in the area - it is just a small little section of Sunset savanna.
Here’s a map w/ villa numbers for reference:
http://www.parkinfo2go.com/dvc-akv/jambo-floor5-large.gif
It is close to the lobby, but Kudu trail is on the far side of the lobby from the bus stops & the Mara & pool. The walk across the lobby & through the store then down to the bus stop isn’t bad and that first ‘pod’ of rooms/villas are certainly closer to the amenities than the villas/rooms further down Kudu trail.

 

[danikoski]

Question for AKL veteran guests of the resort. First time at this resort in June, I requested Standard room location upper floor Giraffe Trail. Does any one have photos of views from these rooms? Just curious.

For standard rooms, I'd request Kudu Trail. Most of those rooms have partial Savannah views. Touring Plans has a room finder that has photos of views from different rooms. They aren't always 100% accurate with room classifications, but they are pretty close.

 

[danikoski]

I was able to call and book a room only reservation for my honeymoon next year in September and I am still in shock. It was between a Pool View room or a Savanna view. I felt compelled to book a Savanna view king since it is our Honeymoon and I cant think of a better time to splurge but my wallet is hurting . We may change it to a Pool view to save like over a grand but for now can anyone tell me if they have stayed in a Savanna view room with a King bed? What the view was like and where those rooms were as far as the lobby? The pool view room I had last time was a great location from the lobby and pool so I feel compelled to switch just on that alone.

Give WDW time. They will most likely release discounts for September 2020 (probably, not guaranteed). Then look into a standard room at Jambo. A large percentage of them are partial Savannah view, if you want to save money. They also usually cost just a little more than a room at a moderate hotel. Usually the discount is around 20-25% off rack rate.

As another poster mentioned, you can also look into renting DVC points. You can rent as early as 11 months out. It can be a significant cost savings. Just know, it's usually not refundable or changeable.

 

[maryj11]

Are renovations affecting standard view room stays at all? Or pool view? Even though we won't have a Savannah view, part of the appeal for us is visiting the viewing spots to look out on the savannah. Would Kidani be preferable in light of the renovations? I'm surprised an alert isn't showing up on the booking website. We will be there in early August, and if the savannahs are filled with cranes, we might look elsewhere.

We have a pool view room booked for June. I would also like to know about them. Hope they wont be working on them when we are there.