Jambo! The newest AKL Information thread

When are all the rooms supposed to be refurbished? I'm planning a trip to Disney and most likely AKL in a year.

There isn't an official timeline - the best estimates have been that the room refurbishments should wrap up sometime early next year. That could mean Jan/Feb or it could mean Apr/May etc...

Currently they are working on Zebra Trail. Kudu Trail is complete. To my knowledge they haven't started on Ostrich or Giraffe as of yet.
 
Just got back from a 7 night/8 day stay at Jambo (standard room) a few days ago. This was my second time staying there, the first being a Savannah room in 2017.

Even though I booked a standard room, I was placed in a a pool view room located in Zebra Trail. The room was one of the older, none refurbished rooms, but I enjoyed it and everything was clean. The room did have a bunk bed which I wasn't expecting, but means there was only 2 of us it didn't really bother us. Also, the room had the loose bottles of soaps. I was surprised as I thought all resorts switched to the permanent bottles mounted on the shower walls.

I ate at the Mara several times for breakfast and lunch, and Boma once for dinner. I enjoyed both.

The pool was nice and large and never got to crowded. The zero entry was a cool touch. Its a little strange that the seating areas located around the pool aren't combined. In order to get from one seating area to another you either have to swim, or exit the pool's gated area, walk around the perimeter of the pool outside the fence, and then enter the pool area through another gated entrance. Not really a complaint, just strange.

Now for transportation. I know this is a big topic of conversation when it comes to AKL as its the only deluxe that only has bus as transportation. For AK, HS and Epcot the bus was great. Busses came at least once every 20 mins, most of the time even more frequently. As for Magic Kingdom, the busses were terrible! I know that is the furthest park, but on 4 separate occasions I waited over 35 min (with one time being over 50 min). I always kept a look at the TVs at the bus stop showing the wait times for the next bus, and the MK bus time would always get delayed and pushed back further and further (even on days i didn't go to MK). Could have just been bad luck this trip, as I don't remember any issues last trip.

One major issue I did have with the busses is the bus stops at AKL. There are just benches and then areas where you can stand and wait. I'm pretty sure its like this at all deluxes, and possibly moderates. At the value resorts they have chains up that form a line, similar to how they have the ropes up to form lines at the bus stops at the parks. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people standing and sitting around waiting for a bus for 15+ min, then people come strolling down to the bus stop 2 min before a bus comes and jump right to the front where the bus stops in order to get on the bus first. This leaves others who were standing around waiting for 15+ min without a seat on the bus and forced to stand. I think they really need to implement ropes or chains to form a line to keep things fair. Keep the benches for anyone who wants to sit and wait, but in doing so you risk the chance of getting a sit on the bus (similar to how it is at the value resorts)

Another minor complaint is that the bus is shared with Kidani Village. The bus always picked up/dropped off Kidani Village first. It seemed ind of backwards because you have the pass Jambo to get to Kidani, so idk why they would pickup/drop them off first. Perhaps it's because it's a DVC, so it's an added perk? But because of this, the busses were routinely 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full when it got to Jambo. Plus, i'm sure there were instances were the buses filled up fully at Kidani and never even showed up to Jambo (maybe why some of the MK buses took so long?). Maybe switch it up where every other bus alternates between which resort it visits first? and i think that should be the case for all resorts that share busses.

One final complaint about the bus system is the wheelchairs/scooters. I don't have a problem with them gettin on first. However, I do take issue with the fact that their entire family gets to board the bus first with them why should they get priority seating because their family member is handicapped? far too often would i see families of 5+ get to all board first because of this (and one time a family of at least 12). Another issue is when the people enter the bus on a scooter, but then get up and sit in a regular seat once their scooter's all strapped in. So 3 seats are being taken up because of the scooter, a 4th seat is being taken up because instead of staying seated in the scooter, the person decided to get out of the scooter and sit in a normal seat and then multiple other seats are being taken up because of the family who is with the scooter bound person.

Overall, the resort is nice and lovely. Very clean, and very friendly staff. I would definitely stay here again, but probably not on any of my next few trips.
 
Quick question... if I hop on a bus to AKL from AK, will it always drop off at Kidani first? If not, what's the process to get there? I've got an ADR for lunch at Sanaa.
 
Quick question... if I hop on a bus to AKL from AK, will it always drop off at Kidani first? If not, what's the process to get there? I've got an ADR for lunch at Sanaa.
99.9% of the time park buses will stop at Kidani, where Sanaa is, first. The drivers almost always announce AKL Kidani as well. That .01% is for the one time I was coming back from a park on a bus w/ I guess a newer bus driver & he stopped at Jambo first :)
If you accidentally get off at Jambo, just walk up to the lobby and grab the little shuttle bus that runs non stop between Jambo & Kidani - the bell services people will direct you were to wait for it if one isn't there when you walk up.
Note the DS buses do the opposite - they stop at Jambo first, Kidani second.
 


Also, the room had the loose bottles of soaps. I was surprised as I thought all resorts switched to the permanent bottles mounted on the shower walls.

Thanks for that info. I was wondering if that ever rolled out everywhere and could only find info from when it hit POR and speculation.
 


One final complaint about the bus system is the wheelchairs/scooters. I don't have a problem with them gettin on first. However, I do take issue with the fact that their entire family gets to board the bus first with them why should they get priority seating because their family member is handicapped? far too often would i see families of 5+ get to all board first because of this (and one time a family of at least 12). Another issue is when the people enter the bus on a scooter, but then get up and sit in a regular seat once their scooter's all strapped in. So 3 seats are being taken up because of the scooter, a 4th seat is being taken up because instead of staying seated in the scooter, the person decided to get out of the scooter and sit in a normal seat and then multiple other seats are being taken up because of the family who is with the scooter bound person.
As someone who has needed a scooter at WDW:

I see this comment all the time. It used to be me saying this, until I was this situation. I tore my MCL 4 weeks before a trip to Disney. It a severe tear, but not something they could go in and fix, so it had to scar down on its own. I had complications ,and it was nearly a year before I could walk long distances. I needed a scooter for 2 trips.

It was painful, and I was very limited mobility wise. I sometimes needed my Husband or daughter's help to dock the scooter or to get on and off to get seated on the bus ( scooters can and do tip on buses, so if you can transfer to a seat they ask that you do so). Also, It would have likely been a disaster if they had needed to go to the back of the line and had gotten separated from me by not being able to get on the bus. Yes, loading 12 people with a scooter is excessive, but please consider that the handicapped person might need assistance from family, and that families want to stay together. Also, we load first, but get off last. Well after you are gone. It takes as much time to get the scooter off as it did on, and my family had to wait for that.

Until you have been in their shoes, you don't get it. I certifiably didn't. Most people think a scooter is a free pass to the front of the line, preferred viewing, ect. It's anything but. It often means more waiting at rides. I couldn't load a lot of things unless they were slowed or stopped so my family was constantly waiting longer for that to happen. There were a lot of rides I simply could not do because I couldn't load. It makes pretty much everything at Disney exponentially harder. I HATED using it. I hated the glares I got when people had to wait to get on the bus so I could load. I hated being looked at like I was just lazy. I hated having to use HC viewing locations to be able to see anything except the seat of someone's pants. I hated the looks I got when rides had to be slowed or stopped for me. Navigating crowds without hitting someone was nerve wracking. It's not a fun experience.
 
As someone who has needed a scooter at WDW:

I see this comment all the time. It used to be me saying this, until I was this situation. I tore my MCL 4 weeks before a trip to Disney. It a severe tear, but not something they could go in and fix, so it had to scar down on its own. I had complications ,and it was nearly a year before I could walk long distances. I needed a scooter for 2 trips.

It was painful, and I was very limited mobility wise. I sometimes needed my Husband or daughter's help to dock the scooter or to get on and off to get seated on the bus ( scooters can and do tip on buses, so if you can transfer to a seat they ask that you do so). Also, It would have likely been a disaster if they had needed to go to the back of the line and had gotten separated from me by not being able to get on the bus. Yes, loading 12 people with a scooter is excessive, but please consider that the handicapped person might need assistance from family, and that families want to stay together. Also, we load first, but get off last. Well after you are gone. It takes as much time to get the scooter off as it did on, and my family had to wait for that.

Until you have been in their shoes, you don't get it. I certifiably didn't. Most people think a scooter is a free pass to the front of the line, preferred viewing, ect. It's anything but. It often means more waiting at rides. I couldn't load a lot of things unless they were slowed or stopped so my family was constantly waiting longer for that to happen. There were a lot of rides I simply could not do because I couldn't load. It makes pretty much everything at Disney exponentially harder. I HATED using it. I hated the glares I got when people had to wait to get on the bus so I could load. I hated being looked at like I was just lazy. I hated having to use HC viewing locations to be able to see anything except the seat of someone's pants. I hated the looks I got when rides had to be slowed or stopped for me. Navigating crowds without hitting someone was nerve wracking. It's not a fun experience.
A little compassion would help everyone have a more magical time. My MIL has to use a scooter and believe me, she'd rather be healthy and able to walk.
 
As someone who has needed a scooter at WDW:

I see this comment all the time. It used to be me saying this, until I was this situation. I tore my MCL 4 weeks before a trip to Disney. It a severe tear, but not something they could go in and fix, so it had to scar down on its own. I had complications ,and it was nearly a year before I could walk long distances. I needed a scooter for 2 trips.

It was painful, and I was very limited mobility wise. I sometimes needed my Husband or daughter's help to dock the scooter or to get on and off to get seated on the bus ( scooters can and do tip on buses, so if you can transfer to a seat they ask that you do so). Also, It would have likely been a disaster if they had needed to go to the back of the line and had gotten separated from me by not being able to get on the bus. Yes, loading 12 people with a scooter is excessive, but please consider that the handicapped person might need assistance from family, and that families want to stay together. Also, we load first, but get off last. Well after you are gone. It takes as much time to get the scooter off as it did on, and my family had to wait for that.

Until you have been in their shoes, you don't get it. I certifiably didn't. Most people think a scooter is a free pass to the front of the line, preferred viewing, ect. It's anything but. It often means more waiting at rides. I couldn't load a lot of things unless they were slowed or stopped so my family was constantly waiting longer for that to happen. There were a lot of rides I simply could not do because I couldn't load. It makes pretty much everything at Disney exponentially harder. I HATED using it. I hated the glares I got when people had to wait to get on the bus so I could load. I hated being looked at like I was just lazy. I hated having to use HC viewing locations to be able to see anything except the seat of someone's pants. I hated the looks I got when rides had to be slowed or stopped for me. Navigating crowds without hitting someone was nerve wracking. It's not a fun experience.

That's probably why my mother refuses to use a scooter at Disney. We forced her to use a wheelchair once and I know she hated that experience.
 
One final complaint about the bus system is the wheelchairs/scooters. I don't have a problem with them gettin on first. However, I do take issue with the fact that their entire family gets to board the bus first with them why should they get priority seating because their family member is handicapped? far too often would i see families of 5+ get to all board first because of this (and one time a family of at least 12). Another issue is when the people enter the bus on a scooter, but then get up and sit in a regular seat once their scooter's all strapped in. So 3 seats are being taken up because of the scooter, a 4th seat is being taken up because instead of staying seated in the scooter, the person decided to get out of the scooter and sit in a normal seat and then multiple other seats are being taken up because of the family who is with the scooter bound person.

First, if I were the one on the scooter, I would hate to be separated from my entire party because I was allowed to board first while crossing my fingers in the hopes that they were also able to board on the same bus as me. Second, the reason the person must get up and sit in a regular seat is for safety reasons. People are not allowed to use the scooter as a seat while the bus is in motion. With over 50 trips to WDW under my belt it's never once bothered me, and like others have said, I'm sure they would much rather be able to board that bus without the use of a scooter. Other than that, I'm glad you had a great time at my home away from. I'll be there in 23 days. :)
 
As someone who has needed a scooter at WDW:

I see this comment all the time. It used to be me saying this, until I was this situation. I tore my MCL 4 weeks before a trip to Disney. It a severe tear, but not something they could go in and fix, so it had to scar down on its own. I had complications ,and it was nearly a year before I could walk long distances. I needed a scooter for 2 trips.

It was painful, and I was very limited mobility wise. I sometimes needed my Husband or daughter's help to dock the scooter or to get on and off to get seated on the bus ( scooters can and do tip on buses, so if you can transfer to a seat they ask that you do so). Also, It would have likely been a disaster if they had needed to go to the back of the line and had gotten separated from me by not being able to get on the bus. Yes, loading 12 people with a scooter is excessive, but please consider that the handicapped person might need assistance from family, and that families want to stay together. Also, we load first, but get off last. Well after you are gone. It takes as much time to get the scooter off as it did on, and my family had to wait for that.

Until you have been in their shoes, you don't get it. I certifiably didn't. Most people think a scooter is a free pass to the front of the line, preferred viewing, ect. It's anything but. It often means more waiting at rides. I couldn't load a lot of things unless they were slowed or stopped so my family was constantly waiting longer for that to happen. There were a lot of rides I simply could not do because I couldn't load. It makes pretty much everything at Disney exponentially harder. I HATED using it. I hated the glares I got when people had to wait to get on the bus so I could load. I hated being looked at like I was just lazy. I hated having to use HC viewing locations to be able to see anything except the seat of someone's pants. I hated the looks I got when rides had to be slowed or stopped for me. Navigating crowds without hitting someone was nerve wracking. It's not a fun experience.
I think the majority of people are understanding of having one or even 3 family members load with a scooter - it’s the group of 12+ loading & taking up all the seats that we’ve all seen that bother many. My mom’s last trip to WDW she rented scooters at the parks even though it was more expensive because she just didn’t want to deal with getting the scooter on and off the buses and could walk a bit very slowly to and from the bus drop off to the gates.
One thing I really like about the new gondola set up is that they have addressed the issue of scooter loading slowing the process down by having the separate boarding areas w/ slower moving gondolas (except at Riviera) I’ll be curious to see how that works.
 
At the risk of prolonging the "scooter" discussion, I think we can all agree that it's everyone's goal while at Disney to have best vacation possible for themselves and traveling companions. And Disney also has that as a goal. They want you to be happy and enjoying your stay. Happy vacationer's stay in the parks longer and buy souvenirs, dine in restaurants, etc. People who hurt, or are worn out, leave...

I have used a scooter both ways - after knee surgery I rented one from an outside vendor for the week, and had to learn how to drive it through the parks without running anyone down, especially children who are not always aware of their surroundings. Learning how to load and unload on a bus can be a challenge, especially when everyone is watching you, and others refuse to even give you the needed space temporarily to "park" (One fellow didn't believe me when I suggested he move for just a bit to give me room to back into the space....Fortunately, while it was very close, he was quick enough to avoid being injured).

I also have rented for use at the parks, and the upside is not having to deal with the bus, as well as better mobility and being able to not slow the group down. The downside is that there is no guarantee there will be availability, especially with park hopping. And of course, it is pricey.

I guess at the end of the day, I will use one if I have to, but there are drawbacks. And personally, I just don't care what others think. My vacation costs just as much as theirs does, and I have every right to make it as enjoyable as possible, while not infringing on someone else's experience. If that includes boarding a bus before people sit down in the space needed to "park" the scooter, and have my family be assured of boarding the same bus, then that's just the way it is.

If other feel that scooters are taking up too much time and space on the bus, there is always Uber and Lyft.
 
I think they really need to implement ropes or chains to form a line to keep things fair. Keep the benches for anyone who wants to sit and wait, but in doing so you risk the chance of getting a sit on the bus (similar to how it is at the value resorts)

I agree with you on this! We usually stay Deluxe. I loved the bus queues when we stayed at Art of Animation though. I didn't know it was a thing! I feel like the bus waits at Deluxe can seem a little cut throat sometimes.
 
I also have rented for use at the parks, and the upside is not having to deal with the bus, as well as
If other feel that scooters are taking up too much time and space on the bus, there is always Uber and Lyft.

I might not be popular about this but asking others to pay if they have an issue is not cool. I have no issue with someone with a scooter getting on the bus, the issue is multiple family members when one or two will do if you need help. Why can’t the extra members meet up or take an Uber or Lyft?
 
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I might not be popular about this but asking others to pay if they have an issue is not cool. I have no issue with someone with a scooter getting on the bus, the issue is multiple family members when one or two will do if you need help. Why can’t the extra members meet up or take an Uber or Lyft?
That is certainly an option also. People can choose their own path.
personally I have never seen a huge group allowed to board with the scooter. I have seen small families or perhaps two or three other folks get on after the scooter boards. But other people may have different experiences than mine. What I'm saying is everyone can choose their own way. If there are large groups, and that is not allowable, it's up to the bus driver to enforce that rule.
 
That is certainly an option also. People can choose their own path.
personally I have never seen a huge group allowed to board with the scooter. I have seen small families or perhaps two or three other folks get on after the scooter boards. But other people may have different experiences than mine. What I'm saying is everyone can choose their own way. If there are large groups, and that is not allowable, it's up to the bus driver to enforce that rule.

I have not seen large groups boarding in a few years. I thought I heard or read that they were trying to limit it to immediate family (spouse and children - or parents and siblings) or caregiver and not extended family of every possible iteration (including “Wait! We are their cousins!” shouted by people pushing their way up...after the scooter party had boarded and could not contradict them if they were not cousins. And then (I was able to get on and stand - which is not a huge deal for this NYC girl) the “cousins” had zero contact with the scooter party on the bus.).
 
I might not be popular about this but asking others to pay if they have an issue is not cool. I have no issue with someone with a scooter getting on the bus, the issue is multiple family members when one or two will do if you need help. Why can’t the extra members meet up or take an Uber or Lyft?
I think the previous poster was just trying to say if time is an issue there are other ways of getting around. Even with the best plans and building in lots of time to get from A to Z sometimes things go wrong ( got up late or an off day health wise, sometimes headaches strike) and getting to transport to parks can be difficult. We’ve all had those moments and despite how stressed out it can get you or your group it’s possible to find another solution. It’s happened to my family and we just said ok to heck with it we’ll grab a car no big deal. So what if it takes a little out of the spending money we always allocate a little extra emergency funding as a cushion that covers it nicely. It’s worth the peace of mind to me and mine and keeps the anxiety monster at bay.
 
First, if I were the one on the scooter, I would hate to be separated from my entire party because I was allowed to board first while crossing my fingers in the hopes that they were also able to board on the same bus as me. Second, the reason the person must get up and sit in a regular seat is for safety reasons. People are not allowed to use the scooter as a seat while the bus is in motion. With over 50 trips to WDW under my belt it's never once bothered me, and like others have said, I'm sure they would much rather be able to board that bus without the use of a scooter. Other than that, I'm glad you had a great time at my home away from. I'll be there in 23 days. :)

I debated jumping on this conversation or moving on, but I feel strongly about this subject. I have been blessed in that I have never needed mobility assistance, however I vacationed iN WDW with my friend who did need that scooter. My word. I know that when we are in line and see the folks with scooters enter before we do, it can seem so unfair, especially if the family boards as well, however there is another side of that picture that onlookers do not see, and that is the side I got to participate in. In general people are kind, but in the course of a day the number of "incidents" that person on a scooters encounters adds up, so by the time they enter the bus the looks, stares, snide remarks etc can have a devastating effect. The poster I quoted summmed it up: that person who seems to have preferential boarding priviledges would much prefer to be with their family at the end of any line,, walking like the rest of us.
 
I need to make a room request and since it has been so many years since I stayed in AKL I am at a loss. I booked savanah view, and have two 13 year old girls in tow. Can anyone suggest a Savannah to request, or does it really matter? These two are tickled to be staying where they can enjoy watching the animals so I know they will not care, or even know if there is a difference, but I do want to try to request a nice spot.
 

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