Jambo! The newest AKL Information thread

[UVACHRIS11]

Do they refurb from top floors to bottom or bottom to top? We have a pool view room for late August and I was curious if anyone knew this info. So excited to stay a few days at AKL, it's been a while for us.

 

[dgbg100106]

Staying at AKL for the first time from 11/7 - 11/16 (Standard room)... Any idea if the refurbishments are finished by then?
Hoping for a quite, refurbished room with partial Savannah view, don't mind the distance to lobby and busses. Any recommendations regarding room requests? Thank you!

November
10/31 - 11/7 Kc0912 - AKL
11/7 - 11/10 DisneyDiana - Kidani
11/7 - 11/16 Rowlf the Dog - AKL
11/12 - 11/17 minie_meese - AKL Jambo
11/16 - 11/18 RADOPT - AKL CL
11/16 - 11/24 rubysparkles - AKL
11/23 - 11/28 Shelleyfs - AKV
11/20 - 11/26 carlythecat - AKL

 

[CarolinaBlue99]

Hi everybody! My DH, DD9 and I are excited about our first stay in a savanna view room from 10/4-10/6 before we move over to the Swan for Epcot proximity — AK and EP are our favorite parks.

DD has always wanted to stay at AKL and is a huge animal lover so we plan to take advantage of time there as much as possible. What are some of your favorite things to do at the resort? We have been looking at the most current activity guide to get an idea of what they offer and would love to hear what some of you have done and enjoyed!

 

[MadMadamMim1]

Are they doing a soft refurb at Kidani too? I thought I’d read somewhere that was starting.

 

[crvetter]

Are they doing a soft refurb at Kidani too? I thought I’d read somewhere that was starting.

Kidani, being DVC, is on a different refurb schedule than the cash side of the resort at Jambo. Also the DVC rooms at Jambo are on the same schedule as Kidani. Currently DVC has their refurb schedule out until 2022 and AKV-K is not on there right now. That schedule is now every 7 years soft goods and every 14 hard goods. I believe they were last worked on in 2016 for the soft goods which means 2023 is the likely hard goods refurbishment date.

 

[NMPensFan]

Does anyone know details about a handicap accessible room? My party will be traveling with 2 evcs and would need a walk in shower and handrails. What else does a handicap accessible room include? Also idk if evcs are stored in the room or somewhere else at night. At pop I would see tons of evcs by the luggage check. I think my travel partners could make it to the rooms with their canes but then when would the evcs be charged? I plan on putting a post together at the disabilities thread but I thought I would ask here too since we are staying at Jambo house.

 

[Starwind]

Does anyone know details about a handicap accessible room? My party will be traveling with 2 evcs and would need a walk in shower and handrails. What else does a handicap accessible room include? Also idk if evcs are stored in the room or somewhere else at night. At pop I would see tons of evcs by the luggage check. I think my travel partners could make it to the rooms with their canes but then when would the evcs be charged? I plan on putting a post together at the disabilities thread but I thought I would ask here too since we are staying at Jambo house.

ECVs are to be stored in the room.

The ECVs you see stored at the luggage assistance area are ones that have either been dropped off by the featured vendor and not yet picked up by their customer, or that the customer has dropped off at the end of their stay and not yet picked up by the featured vendor.

If you search on the WDW website for accessible rooms [it is a click button when searching for your dates] you will see what is available and they provide a description. At WDW they have different types of accessible rooms.

SW

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

Does anyone know details about a handicap accessible room? My party will be traveling with 2 evcs and would need a walk in shower and handrails. What else does a handicap accessible room include? Also idk if evcs are stored in the room or somewhere else at night. At pop I would see tons of evcs by the luggage check. I think my travel partners could make it to the rooms with their canes but then when would the evcs be charged? I plan on putting a post together at the disabilities thread but I thought I would ask here too since we are staying at Jambo house.

On all of our stays at Jambo we have seen EVCS parked and charged in the hall ways. The rooms are not very large (Standard 344 square feet, Deluxe rooms 381 square feet) and the non-refurbished rooms has large bulky furniture.

 

[NMPensFan]

ECVs are to be stored in the room.

The ECVs you see stored at the luggage assistance area are ones that have either been dropped off by the featured vendor and not yet picked up by their customer, or that the customer has dropped off at the end of their stay and not yet picked up by the featured vendor.

If you search on the WDW website for accessible rooms [it is a click button when searching for your dates] you will see what is available and they provide a description. At WDW they have different types of accessible rooms.

SW

Well, there goes that. I made my reservation last October through a bounce back offer. I didn’t know I have to mention it at booking. I will still call to see what can be done.

On all of our stays at Jambo we have seen EVCS parked and charged in the hall ways. The rooms are not very large (Standard 344 square feet, Deluxe rooms 381 square feet) and the non-refurbished rooms has large bulky furniture.

I was worried about trying to have two evcs and the size of the rooms. Charging in the hallways sounds very inconvenient for other guests. Did you feel negatively when you saw this? I don’t want to bother anyone of their vacation. I was hoping for a refurbished room that didn’t have a tub so that would help with the bulky furniture in the old rooms.

Looks like I’ll be spending a lot of time on the disabilities board. This is all new to me.

 

[Starwind]

Well, there goes that. I made my reservation last October through a bounce back offer. I didn’t know I have to mention it at booking. I will still call to see what can be done.

I was worried about trying to have two evcs and the size of the rooms. Charging in the hallways sounds very inconvenient for other guests. Did you feel negatively when you saw this? I don’t want to bother anyone of their vacation. I was hoping for a refurbished room that didn’t have a tub so that would help with the bulky furniture in the old rooms.

Looks like I’ll be spending a lot of time on the disabilities board. This is all new to me.

Actual accessible rooms are a booking category.

However, it is possible to fit an ECV, and depending on the room and one's creativity, possibly two ECVs into non-accessible WDW hotel rooms. For example, the disabilities thread has pictures of two ECVs in a Pop room. To make it easier, you can call housekeeping and ask that the table and chairs be removed from the room.

FWIW, I have fit an ECV into a WL room, and I think if the table and chairs were removed you could get two in -- but it takes some work and strategizing.

So the question becomes, room size aside, do you need the features of an accessible room, or is a standard room sufficient ? For example, many of the newly refurbished rooms have walk-in showers. Since you need a walk-in shower but perhaps not a wheel-in shower, they may have normal rooms with handrails or be able to install handrails if requested.

This article has quite a few photos of a king refurbished room, including showing the shower: https://wdwnt.com/2019/07/photos-video-newly-refurbished-rooms-at-disneys-animal-kingdom-lodge/

Contact Disney to see what they can do for your based on what your needs are:

See https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/en_CA/guest-services/hotels-accessibility/

"
Services for Guests with Disabilities at Disney Resort Hotels
A variety of helpful services and access options are available for Guests with disabilities at Disney Resort Hotels.

For more information, please contact Disability Services at (407) 560-2547 or email disability.services@disneyparks.com.
"

And

"
How to Book an Accessible Room

Please select the “Accessible Rooms” checkbox when you book your vacation online to view available accessible rooms.

If you would prefer to book over the phone, please call (407) 939-1936.
"


As for ECVs parked unattended in the hallways:, the two main issues: (1) fire hazard -- they block the evacuation route for everyone should there be a fire or other need to evacuate the building, becoming a hazard and narrowing the egress pathway; basically, a fire code violation. Hallways have to be a certain width and with the ECV parked unattended in it it isn't wide enough. (2) people can mess with the ECV, from stealing it to "relocating" it to vandalizing it to just unplugging it. You are responsible if anything happens to it, but aside than that, *you want a functioning ECV so you can enjoy your trip*.

SW

 

[danikoski]

Staying in a standard room at AKL for first time, where would the best place to put the pack and play? Not sure if we are gonna use it or make the boys share a bed (fine with in the room with us, so bathroom is out)

We fit a crib, when everyone was in the room, by the sinks. At night we pushed it in the hallway by the door...we could still get the door open. The edge of the crib was right at the door frame for the opening the bathroom area. This was in a std view hotel room, not DVC.

Also, AKL has pack and plays and cribs. A lot of times the pack and play is in the room, but you have to request a crib at check in. The crib was pretty simple, but worked great for our 19 month old. Mattress in it was around 3 inches thick and they have sheets that have Disney characters on them that come with the crib, although we brought our own so it'd smell like home. However, our toddler decided he wanted the character sheets.

 

[jcthompson2]

Hi all! Considering switching from FW to AKL and taking advantage of Free Dining. We've never stayed "on campus" before, and its been 10 years since we were at Disney. Please tell me all the pros/cons about AKL. Do the buses take a while to get to MK or other places? What is all this I'm seeing about construction? Are the pool view rooms or standard rooms disappointing? We have a 13 and 9 year old and it will be the 9 year old's first time. Would love to let them have a truly magical experience!

 

[eeyore29]

Can any recent visitors confirm if the front desk still sells prepaid credit cards to use in the laundry machines? And can you get any amount, or are they only sold in certain denominations?

 

[SarahC97]

We'll be at AKL 11/25-11/29. This is one of our bucket list resorts - I'm so excited!

 

[jcthompson2]

Well after much discussion, we decided to take the plunge (and the incredible savings) and switch from the cabins to AKL. So excited!! Now I'm rethinking our ADRs, I've already swapped a brunch at Trail's End on 12/28 to breakfast at Boma. I'm also thinking about dropping a dinner at Le Cellier for Jiko. Any thoughts there? We've never eaten at either place.

 

[HolRae]

Well after much discussion, we decided to take the plunge (and the incredible savings) and switch from the cabins to AKL. So excited!! Now I'm rethinking our ADRs, I've already swapped a brunch at Trail's End on 12/28 to breakfast at Boma. I'm also thinking about dropping a dinner at Le Cellier for Jiko. Any thoughts there? We've never eaten at either place.

Jiko is my favorite. I enjoy LeCellier also but if you are staying at AKL I think it would be great to try Jiko and spend the evening exploring the resort. Hope you have a great trip.

 

[Irish_Mike]

Does anyone know details about a handicap accessible room? My party will be traveling with 2 evcs and would need a walk in shower and handrails. What else does a handicap accessible room include? Also idk if evcs are stored in the room or somewhere else at night. At pop I would see tons of evcs by the luggage check. I think my travel partners could make it to the rooms with their canes but then when would the evcs be charged? I plan on putting a post together at the disabilities thread but I thought I would ask here too since we are staying at Jambo house.

As someone who worked in bell services and can answer...

They do ask that ECVs, either rental or personal, are stored in either the rooms or in the hallways outside of the rooms (Just make sure they are parked as close to the wall as possible to allow for traffic to pass, and bring the key with you into the room). This is primarily due to limited storage space where rentals are dropped off.

If for whatever reason you are unable to store it in those spots and it is a rental, they will do what they can to make room. However, it will likely be unable to charge due to limited ports, and you run the risk that the rental company will pick up your scooter when they do stop at the resort. It's rare but has happened before.

 

[e_yerger]

Has anyone had luck upgrading their rooms at the check-in counter? What language have you used to get an upgrade? Edit: we are currently in a pool view room at Jambo house, hoping maybe for a savannah room.

The last time I got an upgrade I was not expecting it. I was at Pop and I asked to be moved to a room closer to the lobby because we were in the farthest building. They ended up putting us in a preferred room. What is the likelihood with this at deluxe resorts? Is there something to ask for, like being closer to the lobby, help?

I obviously am not expecting anything, I just want to make sure I don't kill my chances by seeming too greedy or demanding.

 

[jcthompson2]

Has anyone had luck upgrading their rooms at the check-in counter? What language have you used to get an upgrade? Edit: we are currently in a pool view room at Jambo house, hoping maybe for a savannah room.

The last time I got an upgrade I was not expecting it. I was at Pop and I asked to be moved to a room closer to the lobby because we were in the farthest building. They ended up putting us in a preferred room. What is the likelihood with this at deluxe resorts? Is there something to ask for, like being closer to the lobby, help?

I obviously am not expecting anything, I just want to make sure I don't kill my chances by seeming too greedy or demanding.

I was wondering about that too. We want to request an upper floor, but I'm not sure how to do that.

 

[e_yerger]

I was wondering about that too. We want to request an upper floor, but I'm not sure how to do that.

With requesting an upper floor you can do that through online check-in or faxing in a room request exactly 5 days prior to check-in. Touring Plans also has a feature that allows you to suggest specific rooms.

My question is more so asking for a room that is outside of the room category you booked for.