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PassPorter Blogs | Tag Archive | animal kingdom lodge villas

Staying concierge at Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas

Filed under Disney Vacation Club, Fresh Picked Posts by Cheryl Pendry on May 31, 2012 at 12:15 am {14 comments}

A recent question in the Owning Your Magic forum on the PassPorter message boards asked about whether it was worth staying concierge at Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas.

So what are the benefits of staying concierge?

The first benefit you get is before you even arrive at Walt Disney World. A concierge planner will get in touch with you to offer their services, if there’s anything they can do to help you beforehand. For me, I was fine with arranging my own dining plans, but you may want to ask them to do this on your behalf.

An elephant keeper keeps an eye on his charges on the Sunrise Safari

One thing I did ask them to do was to book us on to the Sunrise Safari, which is only available to concierge guests at Animal Kingdom Lodge, including cash guests. It takes place twice a week on Sunday, and Thursday, and I made sure that our stay included one of those dates. It’s $65/adults, and $32.50/children, and while it’s not cheap, it’s the most amazing experience. It’s an early start, as you’re out on safari before Animal Kingdom opens to the public, but you get your own private, in-depth tour around the safari, before a lovely breakfast rounds your morning off. Definitely something well worth doing, if you get the chance.

Then there’s the food, and drink on offer in the concierge lounge all day long. At breakfast, you get a variety of juices, pastries, muffins, bagels, and cereal. Then this gives way to snacks throughout the day, which includes crackers, fresh fruit, chips, and nuts. Early evening brings a selection of cheeses, while later on you can sample some of the desserts from Boma, which were wonderful. Add to that, there’s wine, and beer on offer throughout the evening, with drinks available all day.

One of the concierge DVC studios on the sixth flor of Jambo House

Of course, you will have to pay extra for this, but to be honest, the number of additional Disney Vacation Club points required isn’t that much. If you want to stay in a studio during Adventure Season, you’re looking at 23 more points, 125 as opposed to 102. If you need a one-bedroom villa during the more expensive Dream season, it’s another 50 points, 292 versus 242. Move up to a two-bedroom villa in the even more expensive Magic season, and we’re talking another 71 points to take you from 372 points to 443 points.

It sounds too good to be true…

If you’re thinking that, then yes, you may be right. Of course, the biggest downside is that you have no guarantee in what view you get. The wonderful DVC news website  (if you haven’t checked it out, you really should!) sets out how many rooms are available. For concierge at Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas, you’re looking at a total of just 10 rooms, just five studios, and five one-bedroom villas. But even then, the numbers can get even lower, as people can also book a two-bedroom villa, made up of a studio, and a one-bedroom villa. If you can get a concierge room, you’re doing pretty well!

That’s not the only downside. If you don’t own points at Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas, you may struggle you get in here at the seven month mark. As you’ve already seen, there aren’t many villas available, so they may all have already gone to those who own points at this resort.

The concierge lounge at Animal Kingdom Lodge

Although the food, and drink are very nice perks, from our stay in concierge, it’s not going to be enough to satisfy you for a meal, unless you’re very light eaters. As we only tend to snack at breakfast time, we found that we could get by on the breakfast offerings we grazed on. One day, we had a late lunch booked, so we were able to eat something to keep us going until we had that. But would it substitute an entire meal? In all honesty, probably not. Sure, it’s a nice perk to have, but in harsh terms, it’s not going to save you any money on food costs during your Disney stay….

All in all, should we go for concierge if we’re able to?

Like just about every other experience at Walt Disney World, my answer has to be yes. Well, you’ve got to try everything at least once to see if you like it or not, right? I’d stay concierge at Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas again in a heartbeat, if only to do the Sunrise Safari again. To me, that was worth it on its own. Of course, all the other perks you get are nice little extras as well. For the few additional points it takes, it’s worth it in my eyes…

How about you? Have you stayed concierge at Animal Kingdom Lodge? If so, what did you make of it?

Which Part of Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas is better to stay in?

Filed under Disney Vacation Club, Fresh Picked Posts by Cheryl Pendry on April 16, 2012 at 2:24 am {5 comments}

One of the recent questions posed by Grammy Grumpy in the Owning The Magic forum, the place to ask questions about the Disney Vacation Club on the PassPorter message boards, looked at the Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas, and whether it’s better to stay in Jambo House or Kidani Village.

The amazing lobby of Jambo House

I’ll say here that my view on this one is straightforward. To me, Jambo is head, and shoulders above Kidani. The reason I say that is simple, and I think some of that is to do with history. To me, Jambo will always be the real home of Animal Kingdom Lodge, probably because it was there first. I’ve never forgotten walking into that lobby for the first time, and being completely wowed by it. My eyes went up to the ceiling, and I was immediately impressed with what I saw. Everything in here was just stunning, and I was transported to a far away, magical place instantly. To me, it was a magical moment, and that’s what Disney is all about, isn’t it?

Kidani Village's lobby

Somehow, when I walked into Kidani for the first time, on its day of opening, as I was fortunate enough to be at Disney for that, it just didn’t have that much of an impact on me. Sure, I loved the drive up to it, as it helped to heighten the anticipation, just as Walt intended when the Magic Kingdom was first created. And the “welcome home” instantly made me feel at home, as a Disney Vacation Club Member, but it didn’t have the magnitude of Jambo House. For some people, that means it’s more intimate, but I felt that was a bit of a disappointment.

That continued when I explored one of the rooms that a friend was staying in. My goodness, what a hike I had in front of me to reach it! I had no concept of how far I would have to walk to get there from the lobby. It felt like it went on forever. Perhaps we’ve just lucked out at Jambo House, but I don’t ever remember experiencing such a lengthy walk over there.

I also felt as if Kidani was lacking facilities, compared to Jambo. Sure, it’s home to the wonderful Sanaa, but a second restaurant here wouldn’t go amiss for a foodie like me! I also found the shop there, Johari Treasures, a bit on the small side, compared to the magnificent offerings available in the lobby of Jambo House.

The Uwanja camp water play area - perfect for youngsters!

But let’s not be totally biased here. There is a lot that Kidani Village has going for it over Jambo House. The Samawati Springs swimming pool area, complete with an amazing water play area (Uwanja Camp) for younger members of the family, is really something, although personally I’d prefer it to be situated elsewhere, as I hate the idea of having to go through the lobby to get to it.

There’s certainly plenty to do at Kidani, with shuffleboard, basketball, and tennis courts, along with the wonderfully named Survival of the Fitness centre. That’s what you’d expect from a Disney Vacation Club resort, as I’d guess Members perhaps tend to spend longer at their resort than other guests, as they visit Disney more often than most other people.

The bigger studios at Kidani Village

Accommodations over in Kidani Village are significantly bigger than their cousins in Jambo House. Whatever the type of accommodation you choose, it will be the third biggest at Walt Disney World, behind the BoardWalk, and Old Key West, giving you lots of additional space. If you’re planning on getting the maximum number of people into a studio, one- or two-bedroom villa, or a Grand Villa, then that’s good to know.

Side view of the roof tops at Jambo House

So there’s plenty to think about whenever you’re staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas, with benefits to both Jambo House, and Kidani Village. You already know which my favorite is-so how about you?

Disney Vacation Club Members… how do you decide where to stay?

Filed under Disney Vacation Club, Fresh Picked Posts by Cheryl Pendry on February 19, 2012 at 12:58 pm {7 comments}

It’s a simple enough question. If you’re a Disney Vacation Club Member, how do you decide where to stay on your next vacation?

It’s a question posed recently in Owning the Magic, the Disney Vacation Club message boards and I was fascinated to see the breadth of responses from Members.

Now, first off, let me say that I’m talking about staying at Walt Disney World, not Hilton Head, Vero Beach, Disneyland or Aulani, as there’s no choice to be made there right now as far as Disney Vacation Club resorts go anyway.

Old Key West.... cheap on points

A number of people replied saying that it came down to how many points they have available, and that’s a practical response. Well, if that’s the case, then you’re looking at either the value accommodations at Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas, where a studio in the lowest priced Adventure Season costs just nine points, or Old Key West, where a studio at the same time of year will set you back just 10 points. In terms of value for money, you can’t go wrong with either, with the size of the rooms at Old Key West (the studios are massive!), and the amazing atmosphere of Animal Kingdom Lodge, with animals out on the savannah outside.

The next consideration of course is where you can actually book. You should always, in theory anyway, be able to book at your home resort at 11 months out, but then it can be tricky moving your reservation to other resorts, particularly places like the Beach Club Villas or the BoardWalk Villas, which are even more popular than usual during the Food and Wine Festival. We’ve certainly struggled to get into those during that time of the year.

So, assuming you’ve got enough points to pick between the various resorts, and they’re available, then what other considerations are there? For me, one of them is where haven’t we stayed yet? I love being able to sample all the Disney Vacation Club resorts. For starters, it’s useful for research purposes for PassPorter’s Disney Vacation Club for Members and Members-to-Be, but just as importantly, if you don’t stay at all the DVC resorts, how do you know which one’s your favorite?

We always adored the Beach Club Villas, from our very first stay there, but by trying other resorts, we also found out that we loved the Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas, and we were staggered to discover how much we enjoyed Bay Lake Tower. We thought it would be sterile, and just between us, we honestly thought we’d hate it, but actually it was great! What a wonderful discovery that was, and there could be similar discoveries waiting for you too, if you try out something new…

Something else to consider is where you’re going to be spending the bulk of your time. For example, if the Magic Kingdom is your top priority, then perhaps Bay Lake Tower or Wilderness Lodge Villas would be good choices for you. And, of course, by the end of 2013, the Grand Floridian Villas may be another option as well….

The BoardWalk Villas - popular for Food and Wine Festival

Equally, if it’s Food and Wine Festival, you may want to be close to Epcot, and stay in the Beach Club Villas, or BoardWalk Villas, although as I’ve already alluded to, you won’t be the only one with that idea. Be prepared for disappointment, or be prepared to book at exactly nine months out to get into those at that time of the year.

For Christmas, perhaps the Villas at Wilderness Lodge are more appropriate, although while it’s got a lovely feel to it, I personally adore the amazing lobby decorations in places like the Beach Club, or BoardWalk.

Space could also be an issue, especially if you’ve got a lot of people staying in your room. If that’s the case, you might want to look at the BoardWalk Villas for studios, or three-bedroom Grand Villas. For one-bedroom or two-bedroom villas, then Old Key West takes the prize for the most space.

Where our heart lies.... the Beach Club Villas

And, of course, then there’s your heart. Where does your heart lie when it comes to Disney Vacation Club resorts? It’s impossible for us to drag ourselves away from our beloved Beach Club Villas, and at least part of any trip to Walt Disney World is spent there, with Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas also squeezed in, if that’s possible. Sometimes the heart just rules the heart….

So what about you? When you’re planning your next vacation to Walt Disney World, how do you pick which Disney Vacation Club resort to stay at?

Bay Lake Tower vs. Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas

Filed under Disney Vacation Club, Fresh Picked Posts by Cheryl Pendry on February 13, 2012 at 2:55 pm {14 comments}

I find a lot of the discussions on the PassPorter message boards fascinating, with some really interesting questions posed. One that struck me recently was from PassPorter member oceanmarina.  

She was originally looking to do a split stay between Bay Lake Tower and Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas, although she didn’t want to split a stay for seven nights. She wanted to pick one hotel, and wanted to stay in a one-bedroom villa. The question was this:

Which would you stay if you had to pick one?

Usually, when it comes to picking resorts at Walt Disney World, I find it relatively easy, as I have my firm favorites – Beach Club Villas come on down! – but this was one was tougher. They’re both Disney Vacation Club resorts, and after the Beach Club Villas, they’re probably our other favorite two DVC resorts. So which one would I pick, if I had to pick one? Hmmm…

The pros of staying at Bay Lake Tower

The first is the amazing location, just a few minutes’ walk from the Magic Kingdom, while on the way back, it’s only one stop on the monorail.

One-bedroom villas here are larger than the equivalent rooms in Jambo House of Animal Kingdom Lodge, so if you’ve got a number of people as part of your vacation, that could be an important call.

It’s got a more “exclusive” feel to it, as technically only Bay Lake Tower keyholders can get into the complex. Of course, it’s never that simple, and we’ve seen plenty of people come through both the walkway from the fourth floor of the main Contemporary building, or the main doors, without showing any room keys.

The Top of the World lounge at Bay Lake Tower

You get access to the Top of the World lounge, with the wonderful views it offers towards the Magic Kingdom. It’s the perfect place to watch Wishes from, if you’re not lucky enough to snag a theme park view room.

You’re just a short walk away from some wonderful dining options, such as the California Grill, and the famous antics of Chef Mickey’s.

The cons of staying at Bay Lake Tower

A studio at Bay Lake Tower - sterile or homely?

Some people may feel that the rooms here are rather sterile. Personally, I quite like the feel of them, but they’re certainly not as “homely” as some of the other Disney Vacation Club resorts.

Because all the parking’s out front, that can mean a long walk over to your car, depending where your room is in the tower.

As Bay Lake Tower is part of Disney’s Contemporary Resort, which is classed as a Deluxe resort by Disney, it’s going to cost more money to stay there. If you want to stay on your Disney Vacation Club points, then it will also cost more, although you can get a standard view one bedroom villa for less than the price of a one-bedroom concierge villa at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Having said that, of course, all you’re getting is the one bedroom villa at Bay Lake Tower, without the concierge benefits.

The pros of staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas

You just cannot beat the theme of this beautiful resort. The second you walk in, you’re transported away to the African savannah. Step outside, and you can meet some of the animal residents outside. The chances are you’ll nearly always find something to admire, although of course they are able to wander off, whenever they feel like it!

The beautiful theming of one of the rooms at the Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas

The theming extends into the Disney Vacation Club rooms, and we just love all the African touches, the beautiful dark wood, and the wallpaper, with various famous African locations. Get yourself a savannah view room, and you can look at a picture postcard view that changes all the time, as animals come, and go.

Animal Kingdom Lodge is home to three superb restaurants, all offering something very different, from the amazing variety of choices on the Boma buffet to the signature dining of Jiko, and the unusual choices of Sanaa.

If you stay at Kidani Village, it offers parking, for those with cars, almost right underneath your room, if it’s available of course. That’s a definite bonus, and something that Bay Lake Tower can’t offer.

As mentioned earlier, another bonus is that staying at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas is a cheaper option than Bay Lake Tower, both in terms of cash, and points. If you’re on a tight budget, this could be a deciding factor.

The cons of staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas

Because of its ambience, Animal Kingdom Lodge is naturally located away the rest of Walt Disney World property. That means that it can take some time to get to the theme parks, with the exception of Animal Kingdom, which is only a five minute drive by car, or a short journey by bus.

The size of Kidani Village can make it unappealing to some

We personally find that Kidani Village is too sprawling. If you’re located at the end of one of the wings, it’s a very long walk back to the reception to dine, shop, or enjoy the fitness centre, pool, or water play area.

So what’s the overall verdict?

Personally, I find it hard to pick between the two, as they both have so many pros, with very few cons to either.

Because of that, given the choice, I’d always go for a split stay, incorporating both. While at Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas, I’d enjoy Animal Kingdom, and the wonders of that sumptuous Boma dinner buffet, before moving to Bay Lake Tower, to enjoy time at the Magic Kingdom, and some fine dining at the California Grill. Let’s face it, if you can’t pick, then why not do both?

However, if I really, really had to choose… well, my heart lies in Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas. To me, they’re better value for money, have a wonderful laid back ambience, and you can’t beat having animals outside on the savannah.