Jambo! The newest AKL Information thread

[monica9]

Kudu trail and Ostrich trail in Jambo overlook Sunset savanna. Kudu trail having the better views, IMO. Kudu is on the side opposite of the pool and the CS restaurant - Mara, so plan on extra walking if you are on Kudu trail. Sunset is the largest savanna, btw, but Arusha and Uzima also have giraffes.


Not sure why, probably because they have so many sit down restaurants instead and maybe they assume people at Deluxes prefer that?
Of the Deluxes I've stayed at I like both Gasparilla's @ the GF and Capt. Cook's at the Poly. The whole YC/BC BW area CS options are a fail IMO, hence the need to hop into Epcot's world showcase for all of the great CS options in the various countries. Doesn't help w/ breakfast, of course, as World Showcase isn't open early enough.

Yes it was such a pain trying to find cs at other resorts so we didn't wait in line at the parks we were going to so we can hit the rides. We eat eggs daily at home so when we are on vacation we want the good stuff like waffles, pancakes ,bacon etc! And what kids menu doesn't have Mickey waffles!!

 

[kimmar067]

i agree the deluxes have lousy food courts i wonder why, POFQ has a great food court but now we like AKL , we have graduated lol

....as much as I LOVE AKL, hands down, the best food court is POFQ!

 

[honey3684]

What toiletries did mousekeeping leave you at AKL? We stayed at The Contemporary last summer and Wilderness Lodge last month and they both left different toiletries. We will Be checking in at AKL next week for our first stay there.
Thanks!

we just left AKL yesterday and we had the h2O+ sea marine collection in our room

 

[Texans_loyal]

My husband and I are staying at AKL for our 4th anniversary December 1-10! Can't wait! We've never stayed at a deluxe before!

you will never not stay at AKL again! nothing compares!

 

[Happiest.Haunt_999]

I will be staying at AKL for the first time in August (super excited)!!! My mom and I have a CL (non-DVC) room reserved. We plan on eating at Jiko, Sanaa, and the Mara. Anyone have any tips/advice for an AKL newbie? We plan on spending most of our time at the resort. Thanks in advance!

You are going to love it! I didn't know if I was going to like it the first time DBF and I stayed at Kidani because that's all that was left besides SSR and I fell in love with it and that's the only place I want to go anymore lol! He wanted to try BWV last time but we stayed at Kidani 4 days prior!

 

[Texans_loyal]

GUESS WHAT...GUESS WHAT

WE'RE BOOKED! Jan 14th can't get here fast enough! finally ventured over to the DVC board and rented from a nice DISser instead of david'd dvc. i actually liked it better, felt more exclusive.

My brother requested we stay in Jambo instead of Kidani. although I love how private and quite Kidani is, I'm excited to stay at Jambo. can't wait to hear "welcome home"

 

[sunset7132]

Yes it's in the gift shop and if I remember correctly they only had pasteries or egg sandwiches during breakfast. No pancakes or waffles. We ended up going over to contemporary most mornings

doesnt sanaa do a quick breakfast now?

 

[kayteekt]

doesnt sanaa do a quick breakfast now?

They were in October of '16, haven't heard of any changes. Someone else may have more recent experience.

 

[momof2halls]

doesnt sanaa do a quick breakfast now?

Yes

 

[Ness2289]

Are the Dasani bottles in the rooms included in my purchase or is there an additional charge? Thanks!

 

[dansdad]

Are the Dasani bottles in the rooms included in my purchase or is there an additional charge? Thanks!

No additional charge.

 

[monica9]

doesnt sanaa do a quick breakfast now?

http://allears.net/dining/menu/sanaa/breakfast

Glad you asked this question. I definitely want to check it out while we are there!

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Yay! DH and I have decided on AKL for our anniversary trip next year(mid-June, I'll check back in when we have definitive dates). I have gone back and forth a million times, weighing the pros and cons and all of the deluxe resorts and this one is just "it" for me.

One question I thought of though after reading through this thread:
One of the biggest things that drew us to this resort is being able to view the animals while I caffinate in the morning. What savanna would be the best for doing that? I read that once a day the animals are taken in for care, so I'm hoping someone will be out between 6am and 8am!

 

[kimmar067]

we just left AKL yesterday and we had the h2O+ sea marine collection in our room

....my middle DS loves that stuff.....he always buys it when he sees it at Marshall's....

 

[kimmar067]

Yay! DH and I have decided on AKL for our anniversary trip next year(mid-June, I'll check back in when we have definitive dates). I have gone back and forth a million times, weighing the pros and cons and all of the deluxe resorts and this one is just "it" for me.

One question I thought of though after reading through this thread:
One of the biggest things that drew us to this resort is being able to view the animals while I caffinate in the morning. What savanna would be the best for doing that? I read that once a day the animals are taken in for care, so I'm hoping someone will be out between 6am and 8am!

....trust me - nothing beats sitting on your balcony in the morning, watching the animals....you'll definitely get that luxury no matter which savannah you'll be facing...

 

[dtkids]

I tried to read most of this thread, but 69 pages is a LOT. Please forgive if someone has asked/answered already. Would love more info.

First time going to DW for all of us. DD (13) is a HUGE animal lover, so we booked Dec 16-22 at Jambo Deluxe Studio - Savanna View w/free DDP.

Did I do the right thing? Will the views be worth it? Is this one of the rooms that is only on top floor? Are the views of animals worth it from the top?

Are the animals really only most active in late afternoon/evenings? We will be at the parks. Ugh. Now I a second-guessing everything.

Is second guessing everything normal in this process? Because, seriously, I've booked, cancelled, booked again just the ADRs trying to find the "perfect" combination of restaurants, touring plans, etc. And right now have no less than 12 ADRS for our 6 TS credits...and still have Fantasmic/Candlelight/Rivers of Light packages to book. I can. not. make. up. my. mind.

Is it possible to have a Disney World ulcer by time the trip actually gets here??????

Back to Jambo Deluxe Studio-Savanna...did I make the right choice????????

 

[kimmar067]

Is it possible to have a Disney World ulcer by time the trip actually gets here??????

....yes.....but what a way to go!

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

....trust me - nothing beats sitting on your balcony in the morning, watching the animals....you'll definitely get that luxury no matter which savannah you'll be facing...

Thanks! That's reassuring. I would have hated to get out there and see nothing every morning!

 

[kimmar067]

....and you never get tired of watching those beautiful creatures....at least, I don't.

 

[monica9]

I tried to read most of this thread, but 69 pages is a LOT. Please forgive if someone has asked/answered already. Would love more info.

First time going to DW for all of us. DD (13) is a HUGE animal lover, so we booked Dec 16-22 at Jambo Deluxe Studio - Savanna View w/free DDP.

Did I do the right thing? Will the views be worth it? Is this one of the rooms that is only on top floor? Are the views of animals worth it from the top?

Are the animals really only most active in late afternoon/evenings? We will be at the parks. Ugh. Now I a second-guessing everything.

Is second guessing everything normal in this process? Because, seriously, I've booked, cancelled, booked again just the ADRs trying to find the "perfect" combination of restaurants, touring plans, etc. And right now have no less than 12 ADRS for our 6 TS credits...and still have Fantasmic/Candlelight/Rivers of Light packages to book. I can. not. make. up. my. mind.

Is it possible to have a Disney World ulcer by time the trip actually gets here??????

Back to Jambo Deluxe Studio-Savanna...did I make the right choice????????

If this is your first time going then yes, you are right on track for being overwhelmed and second-guessing. Totally normal! You want to be able to see everything in your short stay.
If you are spending the money on the Savannah View, make sure you spend a little time in your room to enjoy the view. Who else is going with you besides your DD13?
First, you have to figure out what is most important to everyone in your party. Ask each person the top a few things they want to do. You might not be able to hit all the rides and do 2 sit downs a day, all the shows and enjoy your room. Figure out the most important rides for everyone.
Do you know about allears.net menus? They have detailed menus. The schedule is out for parades, fireworks and extra magic hours so check out your dates and plan accordingly.

Good luck! You are going to have so much fun