Uzima Springs Pool Closure

[21stamps]

They had rooms available online until they pulled them after the pool announcement. I understand that however I would not be charged £700 that I paid extra in order to move rooms, for 2 adults. I'm still not getting the room I paid for though, and 4 months before I go is very short notice. I have spoken with my TA again and they are still waiting for a response from Disney.

You are still getting the room you paid for, and you’re still in a better location than a lot of standard rooms (I haven’t stayed there, but it looks that way from when I’ve checked out the layout in the past)... so think positive! You’ll still have a wonderful time.. if they put up those green walls they’re really not bad at all.. I’d definitely take it over a parking lot View!

 

[nickys]

They had rooms available online until they pulled them after the pool announcement. I understand that however I would not be charged £700 that I paid extra in order to move rooms, for 2 adults. I'm still not getting the room I paid for though, and 4 months before I go is very short notice. I have spoken with my TA again and they are still waiting for a response from Disney.

So they're not charging you to move rooms then?

What exactly have they said? I don't understand at all. You told us they were charging you to move. Your story is all over the place.

OK you're not getting the room you paid for, but they can't do anything about that short of cancelling the pool refurb.

I would sit down and work out exactly what you want at this point. Because you need to be clear about that. It's no good just complaining about things, what would make it right? And then tell your TA.

 

[21stamps]

So they're not charging you to move rooms then?

What exactly have they said? I don't understand at all. You told us they were charging you to move. Your story is all over the place.

OK you're not getting the room you paid for, but they can't do anything about that short of cancelling the pool refurb.

I would sit down and work out exactly what you want at this point. Because you need to be clear about that. It's no good just complaining about things, what would make it right? And then tell your TA.

Some people in the thread said they have asked to be upgraded., I understand why Disney is not doing that. It would be different to provide an upgrade upon arrival if room had an issue, but not when people are still booking vacations. If someone really wanted a savanna view they would have booked that view initially, or should be willing to pay the difference.

 

[nickys]

Some people in the thread said they have asked to be upgraded., I understand why Disney is not doing that. It would be different to provide an upgrade upon arrival if room had an issue, but not when people are still booking vacations. If someone really wanted a savanna view they would have booked that view initially, or should be willing to pay the difference.

I agree, an upgrade is not justified.

But whether she wants to move resorts, move to a standard room, cancel altogether or pay to upgrade, she has to be clear what it is she's asking for. At the moment it seems she's so busy complaining she can't or won't listen to reason.

 

[crxbrett]

BTW, did this get front page news on here at all? I don't seem to see any stories in the last week about it.




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[21stamps]

BTW, did this get front page news on here at all? I don't seem to see any stories in the last week about it.




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Probably not, this kind of stuff - refurbs- happens all of the time.
Disney will put it in their website as well as email all guests of the resort.

 

[crxbrett]

Probably not, this kind of stuff - refurbs- happens all of the time.
Disney will put it in their website as well as email all guests of the resort.

I've seen pool refurbishments get front page news on here in the past. I know I saw articles on the front page for Old Key West's pool refurb this past spring and there was a big one at the end of the year when AoA, AK Kidani, Ft Wilderness and Saratoga Springs all had pool refurbs planned. The Grand Floridian also got a big front page story for their pool refurb as well.

Me thinks this one may have slipped through the site's radars though.



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[crxbrett]

When I called earlier I was told it’s not actually shut until the 9th of September. I had read the 1st elsewhere but apparently that’s wrong

I called today and was told the refurb is from Sep 4th thru Dec 4th. So now we have 3 totally different dates being given LOL

I think I'm just annoyed by the fact that they chose to close the pool during the 3rd hottest month of the entire year. That really makes zero sense. Pool refurbs should always be in the coolest months of the calendar. Would have made a lot more sense to close it from Jan-Mar. Oh well. I'm still looking forward to staying at the AKL for the first time.



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[Greg H]

I called today and was told the refurb is from Sep 4th thru Dec 4th. So now we have 3 totally different dates being given LOL

This is what DVC told me today. They had not heard anything about room refurbishment but said the pool and bar would be closed Sept 4 to Dec 4th...

 

[bennyshob]

I'm also from the UK and received this same email regarding the pool. After an hour on the phone to Disney, I got absolutely nowhere and decided to pay the £370 to upgrade from Animal Kingdom Lodge to Wilderness Lodge.

I'm amazed there are people on here defending Disney's position on this. The pool area is a hugely important aspect of any Disney resort, and for them to close it with such short notice and not compensate guests is unacceptable. Not only would they not provide any compensation, they also refused to allow me to move to a cheaper resort without paying. In order to avoid the work, I was effectively forced to upgrade to WL, as Disney were insistent on charging £50 per person admin fee to downgrade to Port Orleans Riverside.

The very least Disney could have done in this situation is made it easier and free to downgrade. I am already paying a huge amount for this holiday, and I'm extremely unhappy that I now have to pay more just to have a fully functional resort.

 

[nickys]

I'm also from the UK and received this same email regarding the pool. After an hour on the phone to Disney, I got absolutely nowhere and decided to pay the £370 to upgrade from Animal Kingdom Lodge to Wilderness Lodge.

I'm amazed there are people on here defending Disney's position on this. The pool area is a hugely important aspect of any Disney resort, and for them to close it with such short notice and not compensate guests is unacceptable. Not only would they not provide any compensation, they also refused to allow me to move to a cheaper resort without paying. In order to avoid the work, I was effectively forced to upgrade to WL, as Disney were insistent on charging £50 per person admin fee to downgrade to Port Orleans Riverside.

The very least Disney could have done in this situation is made it easier and free to downgrade. I am already paying a huge amount for this holiday, and I'm extremely unhappy that I now have to pay more just to have a fully functional resort.

The pools need to refurbished. At any time, at least one resort will be affected, and Disney make sure there is an alternative available. That may be the quiet pools that some resorts have, or a shared pool as in this case. Anyone staying at Kidani or Jambo House are free to use either pool at all times anyway, so no further alternative is required.

Now UK guests already get really good deals with Disney, mostly to do with the special tickets which we can buy. The downside is the cancellation policy they have with us, whether direct or through a TA. In some cases, it sucks. It's called swings and roundabouts imo. We are free to book through a US based TA, and buy the US tickets too if we want. Overall we get a fantastic bargain on WDW packages, with free dining and the free week on tickets.

Now the pool view issue is slightly different, and I'm fairly sure if there was availability they would let you move to a different category and get a refund where applicable. Unfortunately this is happening at a very busy time, and AKL have fewer rooms than some other resorts, so there simply aren't even standard rooms available. Personally I think anyone affected should push their TA for a refund of the difference between a standard and pool view if they feel strongly enough about it. But as I have posted, I think the views still better than standard.

 

[crawale]

I just received the below email. I have never been to DisneyWorld or any of the resort hotels. Does anyone know if this will impact our stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge? Thank you.

Uzima Springs Pool and Uzima Springs Pool Bar are scheduled to be closed for refurbishment during your stay. During this time, we invite you to have a wild time at nearby Samawati Springs Pool and Maji Pool Bar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village. Maji Pool Bar features refreshing beverages, sandwiches and more. For your convenience, brief rides via shuttle transportation will be provided to and from Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House.

Shuttle doesn't sound too convenient for a quick dip.

 

[crxbrett]

Shuttle doesn't sound too convenient for a quick dip.

Yeah, but it shouldn't take too long. Hopefully lol I actually tracked it on gmaps and it is only 2300 ft to walk to Kidani from Jambo. When I stay at the Poly I walk to the GF and TTC a lot and it is about 2700 ft. Granted, to just swing by the pool, 2300 ft is a slight trek and most people probably are not open to that. But I do love walking and don't mind exploring.

My issue is the fact that it is in Sep, the 3rd hottest month of the year and that 1 pool is going to be overloaded now. I get they wanted the pool maybe open by xmas - but it just makes a whole lot more sense to close it for a refurb when the weather is a lot cooler and the pool services are not as in high demand like they are in Sep.

I didn't pay for a pool view, so that hasn't affected me. But I probably would be more than annoyed had I paid for that and Disney was making me pay more to stay elsewhere.

My GF and I were really lookig forward to AKL, so I think we are staying put. We'll just have to factor in using an extra 20 minutes to walk or shuttle to the pool now on our resorts rests mid-day.

On the bright side, we'll be able to walk off an extra miles worth of calories for a few days with all the eating, drinking and meals we do!!!

 

[Much-Pixie-Dust]

If you are at the opposite end of AKL Jambo House, it will be quite a long walk, especially if you have pool items and small children in tow. During one stay, our room was 1/3 mile just to the Jambo House parking lot. The Kidani pool is all the way to the opposite end of the Kidani building. Walking from far end to far end of each resort with pool gear would not be fun.

 

[crxbrett]

Yeah, I know most people won't do that. And for families with small children, the bus will be the only option probably.

I actually don't take any gear with me to the pool other than my sunscreen, so it works out. I mapped the walk and it isn't any worse than walking from the east Poly to GF or Fiji at the Poly to the TTC.
Again, a trek for most. But I actually like walking and getting those extra steps in. Call me nuts.

Looking at the more recent pool refurbs, they have mostly or all been Nov-Apr. Which is when a water park or pool refurbishment should obviously be. But I seem to recall the WL pool being closed in August recently? Or am I mis-remembering? In any case, whoever is in charge of deciding that a pool should close in summer time when it still hits 90-95 on a daily basis kind of dropped the ball.

 

[Lucky]

Technically a savannah with no animals is still a savannah view, and technically a 2-square foot garden in the middle of a giant parking lot is still Garden View. I suppose some people think those would be acceptable standards for Disney now.

 

[James J]

The TA are doing what they can, I am in contract with them however they also have to be in contact with disney as they own the resorts and the rooms, so therefore Disney are not offering a solution to them and they are not offering a solution to me.

It's likely all with your TA. I don't totally believe that they've not had anything from Disney, but each TA gets a certain allocation of rooms to sell in each hotel and can't necessarily swap to a room not in that allocation.

I'm also in the UK, and made my booking for October through Disney themselves. I was due to stay at Coronado Springs but received an email from Disney saying the main pool area was going to be under refurb during our trip; I called them about it and they offered to move us from our standard room at CS to a Royal Guest Room with Garden View at Port Orleans Riverside for no extra cost. Which we of course snapped up.

I know from a colleague of my mother's that they're booked with a TA (Virgin) for a trip this summer, and have booked to stay at Caribbean Beach. They want to move hotel but Virgin told them it would be an extra £2000 as they don't have any rooms left in their allocation. So it seems to be an issue with booking through a TA.

 

[Moodtastiv]

It's likely all with your TA. I don't totally believe that they've not had anything from Disney, but each TA gets a certain allocation of rooms to sell in each hotel and can't necessarily swap to a room not in that allocation.

I'm also in the UK, and made my booking for October through Disney themselves. I was due to stay at Coronado Springs but received an email from Disney saying the main pool area was going to be under refurb during our trip; I called them about it and they offered to move us from our standard room at CS to a Royal Guest Room with Garden View at Port Orleans Riverside for no extra cost. Which we of course snapped up.

I know from a colleague of my mother's that they're booked with a TA (Virgin) for a trip this summer, and have booked to stay at Caribbean Beach. They want to move hotel but Virgin told them it would be an extra £2000 as they don't have any rooms left in their allocation. So it seems to be an issue with booking through a TA.

We managed to get an upgrade from CS to AKL from a TA on the understanding this pool would be closed. We paid the upgrade to get a Savannah room.

 

[Sebbo900]

I have to admit I'm a little disappointed by the pool closing and the lack of notice from Disney. This is the first time we've been and chose not to stay at the Carribbean resort due to the work going on and thought we'd splash out on the AKL This is the most expensive hotel we've ever stayed in so a little annoyed we have to catch a bus to a pool!

 

[bennyshob]

I booked direct with Disney UK, called the number they provided on the pool closure email the same day it was sent. I could not swap resorts without incurring a £50 pp fee unless it was to a more expensive resort. For a company that prides itself on customer service, I really expected better from Disney.