AKL Savannah DVC suites

[Mukta]

I am considering saying in a studio suite at AKL this December.

I have never stayed at AKL although I frequently eat there.

What can you tell me about the studio suite? Are all of the Savannah room views decent? Anything negative about the hotel in general?

 

[lostpro9het]

What can you tell me about the studio suite?

Modest sized, Kidani has bigger bathrooms than Jambo. Theme is, IMO, well done. Standard stuff: Microwave, fridge, coffee pot, etc.

Are all of the Savannah room views decent?

No! IMO, Pembre at Kidani is not favorable.

Anything negative about the hotel in general?

Parking can sometimes be challenge. No dedicated quick service at Kidani, but Jambo has one. People like to complain about buses(both travel time to parks and waiting for a bus) but IMO the buses are pretty good if not better than most deluxe resorts. Probably the biggest legitimate negative is you have the potential to be really far from the lobby making for what feels like a 10 minute walk from lobby to room.

You didn't ask for it but you're getting it, some of the pros:
Great holiday activities for the family around the resort
Waking up and going to bed to the animals grazing near your balcony is pretty awesome.
Christmas decorations are amazing, but honestly this is true of most any resort.
Some GREAT dining at both Kidani and Jambo

 

[sxeensweet]

Modest sized, Kidani has bigger bathrooms than Jambo. Theme is, IMO, well done. Standard stuff: Microwave, fridge, coffee pot, etc.


No! IMO, Pembre at Kidani is not favorable.


Parking can sometimes be challenge. No dedicated quick service at Kidani, but Jambo has one. People like to complain about buses(both travel time to parks and waiting for a bus) but IMO the buses are pretty good if not better than most deluxe resorts. Probably the biggest legitimate negative is you have the potential to be really far from the lobby making for what feels like a 10 minute walk from lobby to room.

You didn't ask for it but you're getting it, some of the pros:
Great holiday activities for the family around the resort
Waking up and going to bed to the animals grazing near your balcony is pretty awesome.
Christmas decorations are amazing, but honestly this is true of most any resort.
Some GREAT dining at both Kidani and Jambo

I agree about your response about if all Savannah views are great. We own AKV and absolutely love Kidani Village. But when we don't get Sunset Savannah (the best one IMO) and end up in Pembe it's not as great BUT there is a few animals on that one that are not on Sunset Savannah like the Okapi which is a cool animal to always see and watch.
You can make a request for Sunset Savannah but it's not guaranteed. Most rooms are on Sunset Savannah though at Kidani but we even as owners there have ended up on Pembe the last 2 trips. Bummer but hoping we get Sunset again finally the next stay.

 

[Mukta]

I didn't realize there were different savannahs. Between the Jambo/Kidani, how many savannahs are there?

 

[sxeensweet]

I didn't realize there were different savannahs. Between the Jambo/Kidani, how many savannahs are there?

There are 4 total Savannahs between Jambo House and Kidani Village. Sunset, Pembe, Arusha(biggest at Jambo), and Uzima. Kidani Village has Sunset(biggest at Kidani) and Pemba, and Jambo has Arusha and Uzima, and part of Sunset.

 

[Lynne M]

Just to avoid disappointment, the DVC studios aren't suites, in that there are not mulitple rooms - no separate bedroom. It's essentially a hotel room with a queen bed and a sleeper sofa (or two queens for OKW studios), and a kitchenette.

If you want a separate bedroom, you would want to look at the 1-bedroom villas or larger.

 

[BigRedDad]

What can you tell me about the studio suite? Are all of the Savannah room views decent? Anything negative about the hotel in general?

Emphatically, absolutely not!!!! We rented points for a DVC Savannah view. Our room overlooked the Sunset room. There were almost no animals there. They had an ankole cattle tied up in the trees so they "had" an animal in view. On extreme rare occasions, an ostrich would wander by. The giraffes were herded by at around 5PM for the Sunset Overlook gathering. Outside of that, there was nothing.

It was a split stay for us at the resort. Our Standard view room had more animals in view than our Savannah view room. Disney realized this and now charge a premium for the real Savannah view rooms.

 

[Mukta]

How are the real savannah rooms categorized? I want one of those!

 

[BigRedDad]

Very expensive. Disney jacked those rooms up. If it is something people want, Disney will surely raise the price on it.

 

[PinnySmart]

Seriously tied up so that it was in view? That sounds doubtful. I have never seen anything tied up on any of the Savannahs. Savannah view rooms have always been much more expensive than standard.

 

[sxeensweet]

Emphatically, absolutely not!!!! We rented points for a DVC Savannah view. Our room overlooked the Sunset room. There were almost no animals there. They had an ankole cattle tied up in the trees so they "had" an animal in view. On extreme rare occasions, an ostrich would wander by. The giraffes were herded by at around 5PM for the Sunset Overlook gathering. Outside of that, there was nothing.

It was a split stay for us at the resort. Our Standard view room had more animals in view than our Savannah view room. Disney realized this and now charge a premium for the real Savannah view rooms.

I really don't know what happened to you on Sunset because whenever we get Sunset Savannah that is our fave of all of them and it's the largest. We always saw lots of the giraffes, zebras, cattle, etc etc. Also never saw any animals tied to the trees! That's crazy and we personally have never seen that done. The only Savannah that you don't see may animals in my case was Pembe but they have the Okapi there so that kind of made up for it. We have never had a bad experience with Sunset at all and usually always ask for Sunset on our reservations.

 

[sxeensweet]

Seriously tied up so that it was in view? That sounds doubtful. I have never seen anything tied up on any of the Savannahs. Savannah view rooms have always been much more expensive than standard.

Exactly I don't think that is true because I have never seen that either and that would go against a lot of AK/AKL's principals. That is odd.

 

[Tuvalu]

Our view of Sunset was far better than our Arusha view. One afternoon I counted over 24 animals of several different species. Always saw zebras and giraffes. Would definitely request Sunset again.

 

[mouse_luv]

Love Kidani Sunset Savanna view. As in love so much I wish I could live there.

 

[sxeensweet]

Our view of Sunset was far better than our Arusha view. One afternoon I counted over 24 animals of several different species. Always saw zebras and giraffes. Would definitely request Sunset again.

Love Kidani Sunset Savanna view. As in love so much I wish I could live there.

Totally agree!! Unfortunately they have been sticking us in Pembe the last few times. We had Sunset twice before we joined DVC when staying at Kidani. Then after buying in at AKL direct we keep getting Pembe when staying at Kidani. I always request Sunset though. Maybe I will get it the next time! Keeping hope alive. Lol!