Jambo! The newest AKL Information thread

[Yorkie2011]

These prices are crazy. As I’m a Brit, we do 14 nights. AKL in late May is coming in over £1,500 (approx $2,115) more than I’ve paid in previous years for the same period and £2,000 ($2,820) more than CBR is now for the same dates. I love AKL to bits, but it isn’t £2,000 better than CBR!!!

 

[Meglen]

These prices are crazy. As I’m a Brit, we do 14 nights. AKL in late May is coming in over £1,500 (approx $2,115) more than I’ve paid in previous years for the same period and £2,000 ($2,820) more than CBR is now for the same dates. I love AKL to bits, but it isn’t £2,000 better than CBR!!!

They learned quick that folks would pay this price for the cash dvc studios. It's a bit cheaper due to no kitchen but they now have the data.. it sucks

 

[Debbie Jean]

These prices are crazy. As I’m a Brit, we do 14 nights. AKL in late May is coming in over £1,500 (approx $2,115) more than I’ve paid in previous years for the same period and £2,000 ($2,820) more than CBR is now for the same dates. I love AKL to bits, but it isn’t £2,000 better than CBR!!!

You’re booking a year out so, of course, you’re going to pay rack. Need to keep watching to see what promotions may be offered and whether you can take advantage of them. You’ve got plenty of time.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

These prices are crazy. As I’m a Brit, we do 14 nights. AKL in late May is coming in over £1,500 (approx $2,115) more than I’ve paid in previous years for the same period and £2,000 ($2,820) more than CBR is now for the same dates. I love AKL to bits, but it isn’t £2,000 better than CBR!!!

The prices are in line with the 2021 rack rate charts published by Mousesavers back in 2020. There haven’t been any unexpected increases in pricing with the reopening.

 

[JoJoGirl]

Hooray! Just booked AKL for late April 2022! I’m really looking forward to this because my last two planned stays at AKL got derailed. In May 2019, I got transferred because because of room renovations. But hey, they moved me to GF CL, so no complaints. May 2020 got scuttled by the pandemic. Here’s hoping third time is the charm!

Crossing my fingers that discounts will eventually be offered, since availability is usually pretty good at AKL. At least I have the room I want and plenty of time to save up in case they aren’t.

 

[Yorkie2011]

The prices are in line with the 2021 rack rate charts published by Mousesavers back in 2020. There haven’t been any unexpected increases in pricing with the reopening.

I’m not talking about the WDTC site. This is from the Disney Holidays UK site, which is a subsidiary of WDTC. I know they have completely different pricing structures for us Brits. (Usually accompanied by a dining deal, though obviously not at the moment). The rate I’m seeing for next year is the equivalent of $532 a night. I paid $360 a night back in 2019 with DDP included which was a cracking deal.

 

[emonade8]

The rate I’m seeing for next year is the equivalent of $532 a night. I paid $360 a night back in 2019 with DDP included which was a cracking deal.

Yeah, we paid $272 a night (including tax) in August 2019 for a standard view room at AKL. With the anemic discounts they've been offering, I'll be lucky to get 25% which will make the same room $359 a night this January. That's a 32% increase. That's pretty significant.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

Yeah, we paid $272 a night (including tax) in August 2019 for a standard view room at AKL. With the anemic discounts they've been offering, I'll be lucky to get 25% which will make the same room $359 a night this January. That's a 32% increase. That's pretty significant.

Rack Rate for AKL standard in August 2019 ranged from $386 to $453 per night with tax, which makes for an average rack rate of $419 per night with tax. If you paid $272 per night then you managed a 35% discount, which is about the largest discount WDW offers. I’ve occasionally seen 40%, but rarely.

For comparison sake, the rack rate for Aug 2021 (if AKL were to open for the whole month) would range from $490 to $503, which makes an average rate of $496 per night with tax. That is about a 15% increase, not 32%.

The 25% general public discount would bring the average nightly rate for standard to $372 including tax. And considering that AP rates are only out until July 10, you could see a 30% or 35% summer discount, which would (again, if AKL were open all august) make the nightly rate $347 or even $322. This last figure, $322 per night is the true apples to apples comparison against your $272 rate from two years ago as it represents 35% off rack. And amazingly, that works out to the same 15% increase….

You can’t assume discounts ever with Disney. And while 15% seems like a big increase, it was not increased overnight, but rather over 2 years of increases.

 

[Yorkie2011]

Rack Rate for AKL standard in August 2019 ranged from $386 to $453 per night with tax, which makes for an average rack rate of $419 per night with tax. If you paid $272 per night then you managed a 35% discount, which is about the largest discount WDW offers. I’ve occasionally seen 40%, but rarely.

For comparison sake, the rack rate for Aug 2021 (if AKL were to open for the whole month) would range from $490 to $503, which makes an average rate of $496 per night with tax. That is about a 15% increase, not 32%.

The 25% general public discount would bring the average nightly rate for standard to $372 including tax. And considering that AP rates are only out until July 10, you could see a 30% or 35% summer discount, which would (again, if AKL were open all august) make the nightly rate $347 or even $322. This last figure, $322 per night is the true apples to apples comparison against your $272 rate from two years ago as it represents 35% off rack. And amazingly, that works out to the same 15% increase….

You can’t assume discounts ever with Disney. And while 15% seems like a big increase, it was not increased overnight, but rather over 2 years of increases.

Yeah I think that’s the issue. For most people it’s been 2 years since they last stayed at Disney and 2 years of increases, when it really feels like 1 (2020 was after all a year most people want to forget!)

 

[manicstreet]

Quick question. We rented DVC points for 1 night August 20 (cheaper than adding an additional day at Wilderness lodge). With the resort opening for non-dvc guests August 26th do you think they will do any soft openings for the restaurants and shops at Jambo?

 

[princess lovers mom]

Saw today the AKL is "reopening" end of august
we have reservations for a 2 bedroom suite at Kidani Village - when we booked we didnt even know that the hotel wasnt open!
How should I be prepared for this to affect our trip? pools, restaurants etc open? transportation still available? animals still out? do all the 2 bedroom suites have a savannah view- can I request a certain view- how on app I only see elevator or lobby request
any info at all appreciated!!

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Saw today the AKL is "reopening" end of august
we have reservations for a 2 bedroom suite at Kidani Village - when we booked we didnt even know that the hotel wasnt open!
How should I be prepared for this to affect our trip? pools, restaurants etc open? transportation still available? animals still out? do all the 2 bedroom suites have a savannah view- can I request a certain view- how on app I only see elevator or lobby request
any info at all appreciated!!

A quick summary, and I apologize if I say things you already know! AKL is partly DVC, partly cash. There are 2 sides to the resort. Kidani is all (mostly) DVC. Jambo House is mostly cash but also has DVC rooms. So the resort itself has been open, but only for DVC stays. When we were there in March, both pools were open, the main restaurant on the Kidani side, Sanaa, was open, but with reduced options. The counter service spot at Jambo House, The Mara, was only open for grab and go items in the morning. I believe that The Mara is also open for lunch items. But the main restaurants in Jambo, Boma and Jiko are not yet open, and I've not heard anything about when they might open. That being said, if they are opening up Jambo House for cash guests at the end of August, I am certainly hoping they are going to make plans to open one or both of those restaurants.

The animals absolutely are out and about. Some of the rooms at Jambo have savanna views where you can see the animals. Some do not. When we book rooms through DVC, savanna view is a category of room we can reserve. If you're doing cash for the room, I'm not sure how you request savanna view - but that's something a lot of people would want, I'm sure. I'd call guest services to ask about that. If possible, you'll definitely want the balcony overlooking the animals - you just cannot beat it. But if you can't get a savanna view, there are locations around the resort where you can still see many of the animals.

Finally, AKL is a bus-only resort (unless you have a car). That transportation is absolutely running. If you have a room at Jambo House and want to have dinner at Sanaa on the other side of the resort, it's a reasonable walk to the restaurant - you won't need to worry about transportation for that, unless you need it. Then you can hop a bus to go between AKL hotels. Enjoy your stay - it's one of our favorite resorts to stay anywhere, not just WDW.

 

[Lilylogan]

The prices seem high to me $700+/night for savannah view in early Dec. I'm not used to seeing rack rate at AKL because in the past there were usually always rooms with a promo lol

 

[Cheburashka]

I just reserved a standard room at AKL for the night before our December Disney cruise. Looking forward to staying at Jambo House again! Stayed at Kidani in March.

 

[Best Aunt]

A quick summary, and I apologize if I say things you already know! AKL is partly DVC, partly cash. There are 2 sides to the resort. Kidani is all (mostly) DVC. Jambo House is mostly cash but also has DVC rooms. So the resort itself has been open, but only for DVC stays. When we were there in March, both pools were open, the main restaurant on the Kidani side, Sanaa, was open, but with reduced options. The counter service spot at Jambo House, The Mara, was only open for grab and go items in the morning. I believe that The Mara is also open for lunch items. But the main restaurants in Jambo, Boma and Jiko are not yet open, and I've not heard anything about when they might open. That being said, if they are opening up Jambo House for cash guests at the end of August, I am certainly hoping they are going to make plans to open one or both of those restaurants.

The animals absolutely are out and about. Some of the rooms at Jambo have savanna views where you can see the animals. Some do not. When we book rooms through DVC, savanna view is a category of room we can reserve. If you're doing cash for the room, I'm not sure how you request savanna view - but that's something a lot of people would want, I'm sure. I'd call guest services to ask about that. If possible, you'll definitely want the balcony overlooking the animals - you just cannot beat it. But if you can't get a savanna view, there are locations around the resort where you can still see many of the animals.

Finally, AKL is a bus-only resort (unless you have a car). That transportation is absolutely running. If you have a room at Jambo House and want to have dinner at Sanaa on the other side of the resort, it's a reasonable walk to the restaurant - you won't need to worry about transportation for that, unless you need it. Then you can hop a bus to go between AKL hotels. Enjoy your stay - it's one of our favorite resorts to stay anywhere, not just WDW.

Since you so very nicely put a lot of information together, you might want to change it a bit.

You wrote: Kidani is all (mostly) DVC.
You could change it to: Kidani Village is all DVC rooms.

You wrote: When we book rooms through DVC, savanna view is a category of room we can reserve. If you're doing cash for the room, I'm not sure how you request savanna view - but that's something a lot of people would want, I'm sure. I'd call guest services to ask about that.
You could change it to: If you're doing cash for the room, the view is a category of room you reserve. For example, you can book a Standard View Studio or a Savanna View Studio. Kidani Village and Jambo House both have Standard View rooms and Savanna View rooms. If you are doing cash for the room, you can call 407-W-DISNEY if you have questions. You cannot call DVC Member Services unless you are a DVC member who made a reservation with DVC points.

You wrote: If you have a room at Jambo House and want to have dinner at Sanaa on the other side of the resort, it's a reasonable walk to the restaurant - you won't need to worry about transportation for that, unless you need it. Then you can hop a bus to go between AKL hotels.
You could add: There also is a free shuttle (van) which goes between Kidani Village and Jambo House.

 

[Dug720]

If you're doing cash for the room, I'm not sure how you request savanna view - but that's something a lot of people would want, I'm sure.

Regardless of how you book - Villas on points, Villas on cash, resort rooms on cash - Savanna View is a bookable category. While there are *some* Standard rooms (resort rooms) that have partial views of the Savanna but also overlook the "people pens", that would be a request only. If you want the Savanna View for sure, you need to pony up and pay the Savanna View rate.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Since you so very nicely put a lot of information together, you might want to change it a bit.

You wrote: Kidani is all (mostly) DVC.
You could change it to: Kidani Village is all DVC rooms.

You wrote: When we book rooms through DVC, savanna view is a category of room we can reserve. If you're doing cash for the room, I'm not sure how you request savanna view - but that's something a lot of people would want, I'm sure. I'd call guest services to ask about that.
You could change it to: If you're doing cash for the room, the view is a category of room you reserve. For example, you can book a Standard View Studio or a Savanna View Studio. Kidani Village and Jambo House both have Standard View rooms and Savanna View rooms. If you are doing cash for the room, you can call 407-W-DISNEY if you have questions. You cannot call DVC Member Services unless you are a DVC member who made a reservation with DVC points.

You wrote: If you have a room at Jambo House and want to have dinner at Sanaa on the other side of the resort, it's a reasonable walk to the restaurant - you won't need to worry about transportation for that, unless you need it. Then you can hop a bus to go between AKL hotels.
You could add: There also is a free shuttle (van) which goes between Kidani Village and Jambo House.

Thanks for the information - always learning things on this site! I didn't realize there's a savanna view category for cash rooms, too - but it makes a lot of sense. One thing I will counter with, though, is there is a small percentage of rooms at Kidani that are reserved as cash rooms. I think all DVC locations have that small detail. To be honest, I'm just glad we can talk about these things again - with AKL opening up completely!

 

[Best Aunt]

Thanks for the information - always learning things on this site! I didn't realize there's a savanna view category for cash rooms, too - but it makes a lot of sense. One thing I will counter with, though, is there is a small percentage of rooms at Kidani that are reserved as cash rooms. I think all DVC locations have that small detail. To be honest, I'm just glad we can talk about these things again - with AKL opening up completely!

Oh, you mean DVC villas that can only be booked with cash rather than DVC points.

I thought you meant regular hotel rooms.

My bad.

 

[Bird003]

We booked savanna view for October! We stayed club level last time and were pretty close to the elevator. Are all savanna view semi close? Just do not want to walk all the way down those hallways!

 

[rick1zoo2]

Just checking prices and I see that the 25% discount isn't available prior to 9/6, which is interesting as we have a reservation at Wilderness Lodge the week before and would have considered switching it to AKL club level, but not without the discount.