Many Awful Reviews About AKV-K ??

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

Rooms being dark match the vibe of the resort so that never bothered me. If the bed is comfortable, and the room is clean, I am good. None of the Disney rooms at any resort are run down. They might look dated, but I am not in the room long enough each day to notice. Besides, I am basically in Africa on vacation, a little bit dated is fine. If a room is terribly bad, Disney usually handles it well if the guest complains and moves them.. etc

 

[Sparrow'sLady]

Just curious why you sold? Did you purchase at another property?

Several reasons. I do not like the direction the company is going to make it a lifetime investment. My daughter, who is my Disney buddy, was the reason we bought DVC. She is now married and although we would love to go on trips together, she is enjoying new things with my son-in-love and my husband does not have a desire to go to Disney all the time like I was going. I would be happy to let her and my my son-in-love to use it, but they really do not have a desire. It was fully paid off, I sold it for more than I paid, so it was a good time.

 

[Sparrow'sLady]

Rooms being dark match the vibe of the resort so that never bothered me. If the bed is comfortable, and the room is clean, I am good. None of the Disney rooms at any resort are run down. They might look dated, but I am not in the room long enough each day to notice. Besides, I am basically in Africa on vacation, a little bit dated is fine. If a room is terribly bad, Disney usually handles it well if the guest complains and moves them.. etc

We are going to go and enjoy it. I have never had a bad visit at AKV-K. I am sure it will be fine.

 

[BrightMorningStar]

Several reasons. I do not like the direction the company is going to make it a lifetime investment. My daughter, who is my Disney buddy, was the reason we bought DVC. She is now married and although we would love to go on trips together, she is enjoying new things with my son-in-love and my husband does not have a desire to go to Disney all the time like I was going. I would be happy to let her and my my son-in-love to use it, but they really do not have a desire. It was fully paid off, I sold it for more than I paid, so it was a good time.

Very fair and understandable. I have seen comments where others have sold for the same reasons. Glad to read you still enjoy the parks once in a while.

 

[Moneypenny]

We've stayed twice in the last 4 months and have enjoyed both visits. The rooms are very dark. The rooms are quite worn (kitchen and bathroom cabinetry, in particular). We used the sofa bed on one of our stays and it was tremendously uncomfortable. That said, the rooms and common areas were very clean, and it's a wonderful, unique resort.

 

[Judique]

Looks like Kidani is ranked #6 of all the DVC resorts by TouringPlans/Unofficial Guide survey respondents in the last 24 months: https://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/hotels?category=deluxe_villa&sort=rating

https://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/hotels/disneys-animal-kingdom-villas

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With these category breakdowns, including a strong ~4.5 in room quality:
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Unfortunately can't break down whether they own there, are DVC owners at all, or are renters. Nor is it possible to read the reviews. But based on aggregate, it seems unlikely that things have gotten so bad that it's an All-Star level.

Seems strange to me that one of the criteria is not location. As in location, location, location which is one criteria that is almost always reviewed and is VERY important to many people. (Maybe this has been brought up. Haven't read all responses.)

That said I enjoy a stay at Jambo from time to time. When it first opened, I did not find it dark. Now I do. I've stayed hotel and villas in Jambo and villas in Kidani.

The hanging bed curtain which was a sheer white fabric was removed at Jambo. Missed that as it was a lighter point. The lighting itself was lowkey. During my stay I turned on every light. Still very dim. Theming gone a little too far, maybe.

Still, I'll be back for 2 nights in March as part of a VGF/AKL stay.

 

[TinkB278]

I have never felt like AKV is run down, or too dark for that matter. To me, it feels exactly what I would imagine a safari lodge to be like. If people want light and airy there is VGF, RIV, BCV, etc. AKV may have older appliances and things like that, but that doesn’t really bother me as long as they work…

 

[yeahdisney]

AKL K room colors are dark. Following natures colors I guess.
This coming trip DD really really wanted BLT and DH is not thrilled at all - all that chrome and the floors! So we are doing a split stay ending at Kidani.

 

[MartyParty]

We're not owners at AKL, but the short answer is we really love it.

I think a common thread of criticism is comparing each property to a typical standard of maximizing newness and close proximity to the parks. AKL for us is measured differently.

During COVID times, we had some points to use or loose. We decided on AKL with a savannah view. The family had routinely been to MK and HS. Wanted a more relaxed trip with some resort time and visiting AK and EPCOT. Afterwards our youngest said this was her favorite WDW trip. Theming (albeit darker) is consistent with what you'd find if at a safari lodge. We'd watch the animals throughout the day both from our room and the different viewing stations. Pool was well themed, spacious, enjoyable, and not crowded. Some really good restaurants with meals you'd not likely find in the rest of WDW. Lots of authentic African artifacts throughout the resorts. Short trip to AK with more animals and lots of flora.

The primer for all the above was focused on a more relaxed vacation with a couple days in AK and EPCOT, and a couple of days at the lodge.

 

[The Jackal]

We stayed at SSR back in 2019 when the refurbishment was going on in a not refurbished building in a 2 bedroom. The room was pretty immaculate. A couple of small things, a ding here or there. It was in much bette shape than the 2 bedroom at VGF we stayed at in 2020. I’m sure both places had good rooms and bad rooms. People complain about the bad and not the good.

 

[Bucketfoot]

Following up on my post about us staying here, maybe 2 hours into our stay the unanimous vote is that this place is gorgeous.

Can I see a few wear spots in the carpet here and there, yes. Are some of the hooves on the table legs marked up, yes.

Look I don’t doubt the need for a refurb, but my god don’t let people scare you away from this magical place over completely irrelevant things!

 

[NVDISFamily]

We did a few night stay as part of a large family reunion in June 2023 in a 3BR and 1BR at Kidani and overall the praise from the family was very high. If I had to compare it to another resort I own and is also in great need of repair, VGC, AKV-K was in much better shape and the stuff in the room had held up better than VGC. There is quite a bit about AKV that is lower end than the villas at VGC (such as the tile work and such), but for the points we really liked it. We also stayed at Riviera, and CCV during that trip and AKV came out ahead overall as the resort the family loved the most.

We are very much looking forward to our first trip to Jambo in the summer.

 

[ShawnDadof8]

We own at BLT and OKW. Glad to hear the refurb is coming, but we still like to stay there. In fact, we've stayed here more times than at our home resort. We've had great experiences with the staff. We love the Kidani Village pool area. Point costs are consistently among the lowest. And AKV-K and BLT are the only two resorts where you get 3 bathrooms with the 2 bedroom villa - which is a necessity with a big family like ours. Yes, rooms are getting a little worn, but they've always been very clean. On the rare occasion there was something broken, maintenance was prompt and courteous. We're booked to stay there at the end of February/beginning of March.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Following up on my post about us staying here, maybe 2 hours into our stay the unanimous vote is that this place is gorgeous.

Can I see a few wear spots in the carpet here and there, yes. Are some of the hooves on the table legs marked up, yes.

Look I don’t doubt the need for a refurb, but my god don’t let people scare you away from this magical place over completely irrelevant things!

Whew! Thanks so much! I'll be there next week and all the negativity was getting me nervous.

 

[2boysmommy]

We stayed in a 1BR at AKK in January 2023. My thoughts (as an owner for 15 years...)
If you look for it, you can find issues in every room on property, even those recently refurbished. I just stayed last week at Saratoga and have some definite complaints! AKK is darker than some resorts but that is the aesthetic and it would look stupid all light and bright. I do believe the darker decor shows wear more prominently - I noticed that in a Poly studio in 2022, for example, when looking at the tiles in the shower. But the quality of the wood at AKK is much better to start with than a lot of the newer stuff. The layout of the 1BR is fantastic and we will always consider staying there to have the extra bathroom.
However, the sofa bed and chair bed were beyond terrible. I felt awful for my friend sleeping on the chair bed who had to put the sofa cushions under the mattress just to be somewhat comfortable. The sofa bed was in desperate need of replacement as well. Sofa mattresses do not age well! Obviously DVC has figured that out now that they are going to the Murphy bed set up. Knowing this, we will not stay there again until after a refurb if someone will be sleeping on a sofa.
We also had a pretty awful savannah view which made me cranky. I hate spending the points and looking at a tree and a fence. But it is what it is...the room views are hit or miss just like everywhere. The long halls leave a lot to be desired but we usually rent a car so we can park near the elevator closest to our assigned room.

 

[Bucketfoot]

More to add to my earlier post…

We have two different AKV contracts. The first was a different use year than our main contract (listening was wrong but it was a small contract and a price we were good with), then we figured out we wanted a Feb contract to make things easier.

The plan was to eventually sell the first contract. Well it wasn’t long into our stay before my wife said I don’t think we’re selling the first contract

 

[MartyParty]

More to add to my earlier post…

We have two different AKV contracts. The first was a different use year than our main contract (listening was wrong but it was a small contract and a price we were good with), then we figured out we wanted a Feb contract to make things easier.

The plan was to eventually sell the first contract. Well it wasn’t long into our stay before my wife said I don’t think we’re selling the first contract

This is the way...

 

[BrightMorningStar]

I have never felt like AKV is run down, or too dark for that matter. To me, it feels exactly what I would imagine a safari lodge to be like. If people want light and airy there is VGF, RIV, BCV, etc. AKV may have older appliances and things like that, but that doesn’t really bother me as long as they work…

My husband likes the darkness of the rooms. I would prefer more lighting, to be honest. To him, it is like a "man cave".

 

[crisi]

I have never felt like AKV is run down, or too dark for that matter. To me, it feels exactly what I would imagine a safari lodge to be like. If people want light and airy there is VGF, RIV, BCV, etc. AKV may have older appliances and things like that, but that doesn’t really bother me as long as they work…

Having stayed in half a dozen safari lodges - they tend to be a lot brighter, the decor tends to be lighter....and there is a LOT more mosquito netting. Like most of Disney's theming - its more of what Imagineers imagine Africa to be like, not what it is like. But, animals within National Parks in Africa aren't restricted to an area - if the lights disturb them, they can move - and there are reasons to keep wild animals away from the resort - for instance monkeys can be very disruptive and no one wants leopards hunting the guests or a wildebeest herd deciding to move through. With AKL, animal comfort is going to be prioritized (the interior decor could be lighter, and it won't surprise me if a refurb makes it much less dark).

 

[disneydreamer781]

It's funny because the Boardwalk Villa rooms are been fairly beat up for a few years now but I still stay there and to be honest I really don't care for the BWV refurbed studios. I also wouldn't hesitate to stay at AKV-K for our stay in December.