Jambo! The newest AKL Information thread

[Somnia]

YES! My wait list came in and switched from Kidani to Jambo Sept 22-27th

I love both, but being my first solo trip I'd MUCH rather be in Jambo, which I prefer anyways.

 

[Runnsally]

I vaguely remember a soft goods refurbishment being rumored for Jambo House. Can anyone confirm or deny? Thanks!

 

[DigitalOlli]

Hello,
We plan to go to Disney World in June with our 20 Month Old Son. Will be the AKL a good choice for him?
The Standart Room fits in our Budget. Is there a good chance to see animals from the balcony?

I think it is the least expensive Deluxe Resort.

Thank you

Oliver

 

[wdw4rfam]

We have always been in DVC rooms, what kind of coffee makers are in the standard rooms?

 

[gillep]

Hello,
We plan to go to Disney World in June with our 20 Month Old Son. Will be the AKL a good choice for him?
The Standart Room fits in our Budget. Is there a good chance to see animals from the balcony?

I think it is the least expensive Deluxe Resort.

Thank you

Oliver

I think that AKL is a great resort for people of all ages. Keep in mind that you can use both pools, Kidani and Jambo, and the Kidani pool has a kids play area, it has a couple sections and I believe one is for children 4 and under so your little one may really enjoy that. There are quite a few standard rooms that have partial savanna views. I would suggest adding a request of 'partial savanna view please' to your reservation. Even if you don't get a partial savanna view there are so many viewing areas around the resort that you should have no issue enjoying the animals.

 

[Irish_Mike]

I'm checking in to the AKL in just over two weeks. Does anyone know where the latest room refurbs are taking place so that, from a room request perspective, I can avoid requesting that trail location (or which trail rooms have already been completed to request)?

Currently only one wing overlooking the Sunset Savannah is under refurb, off of Kudu Trail. All rooms in the construction zone (Standard or DVC) are out of inventory, however others close enough may hear/see painting during the daytime hours. There are no completed rooms at this time.

 

[maryj11]

Has anyone sent in a room request fax from Touring Plans and gotten their request? I was wanting to know because I believe some resorts do not even check the fax requests. I know I did get my request close with GF, but no where near with BC.

 

[pepperandchips]

Has anyone sent in a room request fax from Touring Plans and gotten their request? I was wanting to know because I believe some resorts do not even check the fax requests. I know I did get my request close with GF, but no where near with BC.

I have had the best luck of any resort at AKL with touring plans requests!

 

[maryj11]

I have had the best luck of any resort at AKL with touring plans requests!

That is good to hear.

 

[jennytablina]

Has anyone sent in a room request fax from Touring Plans and gotten their request? I was wanting to know because I believe some resorts do not even check the fax requests. I know I did get my request close with GF, but no where near with BC.

Not done the fax as we had to amend our booking by phone, but fiancee was given the specific room I wanted for Kidani and we got it! Apparently the CM was bemused by how specific we were with the room number but I really wanted that specific view lol.

I was wondering about what sort of activities they have going on at Kidani. I've gathered that Sanaa is a must-do as it seems to be something of a hidden gem as Disney Dining goes. It's my first time ever at a Disney Resort too, my parents always stayed off property when I went with them.

 

[Dug720]

Trying to decide if I should stick with Standard AKL or save around $100 and switch to CBR Standard for my pre-cruise stay portion of my birthday trip. Solo adult - stayed at AKL once (apparently Pool View from the pics I have) and enjoyed it, but CBR has always been my Disney home... Gah!

(Of course this could be a moot point by tomorrow when I can email my TA since I try to avoid emailing her on weekends unless 100% necessary. The CBR rooms may be gone by then.)

 

[pepperandchips]

Trying to decide if I should stick with Standard AKL or save around $100 and switch to CBR Standard for my pre-cruise stay portion of my birthday trip. Solo adult - stayed at AKL once (apparently Pool View from the pics I have) and enjoyed it, but CBR has always been my Disney home... Gah!

(Of course this could be a moot point by tomorrow when I can email my TA since I try to avoid emailing her on weekends unless 100% necessary. The CBR rooms may be gone by then.)

You’re asking in the AKL thread so you know what we’re going to say

I think AKL is well worth an extra $100 but it depends on how tight your budget is. If switching to CBR meant i’d get to splurge on a more meaningful luxury on the cruise (like a better or additional shore excursion or adding upcharge dining) I’d have to weigh which one would bring me more happiness. But walking into AKL, smelling the unique scents of the lobby, watching a giraffe from my balcony, and grabbing a cocktail at one of the resort lounges are all such “highs” for me they’d be hard to top. You might not be the same and that’s totally fine. So how do you want to spend your $100? That is the question!

 

[ninafeliz]

Trying to decide if I should stick with Standard AKL or save around $100 and switch to CBR Standard for my pre-cruise stay portion of my birthday trip. Solo adult - stayed at AKL once (apparently Pool View from the pics I have) and enjoyed it, but CBR has always been my Disney home... Gah!

(Of course this could be a moot point by tomorrow when I can email my TA since I try to avoid emailing her on weekends unless 100% necessary. The CBR rooms may be gone by then.)

I just answered on the CBR thread, then came here next !

 

[bit413]

Does anyone know of a way to view the activity calendar before you check-in? We are staying in March.

 

[maryj11]

Trying to decide if I should stick with Standard AKL or save around $100 and switch to CBR Standard for my pre-cruise stay portion of my birthday trip. Solo adult - stayed at AKL once (apparently Pool View from the pics I have) and enjoyed it, but CBR has always been my Disney home... Gah!

(Of course this could be a moot point by tomorrow when I can email my TA since I try to avoid emailing her on weekends unless 100% necessary. The CBR rooms may be gone by then.)

This is like a question I would ask when I cant decide which resort I want to stay at. I know how you feel. Go with your heart on which you would rather stay at. I think your heart is wanting to stay at your home resort

 

[Irish_Mike]

Does anyone know of a way to view the activity calendar before you check-in? We are staying in March.

The February calendar is here: https://www.themouseforless.com/tripplanning/resorts/wdw/pdf/AKLCalendar.pdf

That should be updated once the March calendar is released, usually within a few days of the start of the month. Most of the offerings and times will be the same month to month, with the changes mainly happening to what movies are playing.

 

[TangledHairDon'tCare]

I noticed the "Movie Under the Stars" are indoors on the schedule. Do they move outside during the summer?

 

[Dug720]

This is like a question I would ask when I cant decide which resort I want to stay at. I know how you feel. Go with your heart on which you would rather stay at. I think your heart is wanting to stay at your home resort

Thanks! I did the math again and it’s more like $350 difference!! I went ahead and emailed my TA to change, but assured her if it is gone, I am ok staying put. It’s basically a win-win either way - if I get moved I can do a different excursion on the cruise (or special meal or something) but if I don’t I have an extra special resort stay!

 

[Irish_Mike]

I noticed the "Movie Under the Stars" are indoors on the schedule. Do they move outside during the summer?

Out by the pools, yes

 

[maryj11]

Out by the pools, yes

If it is stormy in the summer do they switch to indoors?