AKL DVC Rental: Room request, upgrades, activities, MB, so on

We’re renting DVC points for the first time from a private owner in Sept 2016. So excited! I’ve reserved AKL, Jambo House, Deluxe Studio, Savannah View and have several questions below:

  1. Can you request a room the same as if you were renting from WDW?

  2. Can you do online check in at 60 days?

  3. What room is the best to request in Jambo House? Wanting a great view, somewhat quiet, & private without being to far to walk :smiley:

  4. Do they offer upgrades on renting DVC points?

  5. Are you able to check in earlier than 4pm?

  6. I’m planning a couple of days for resort activities. Do you recommend any activities ?

  7. When do you receive your MB? In the mail or when you arrive?

Any tips & suggestions would be great! Thanks!

  1. Can you request a room the same as if you were renting from WDW? YES. I filled out the Room Request Fax here on the Touring Plans site. We check in to BLT on Sunday so we will see if we get the room we selected!

  2. Can you do online check in at 60 days? YES. I did the online check in through My Disney Experience but I left those room requests blank - relying on the TP fax instead!

  3. What room is the best to request in Jambo House? Wanting a great view, somewhat quiet, & private without being to far to walk NOT SURE - have only rented points at BLT

  4. Do they offer upgrades on renting DVC points? NO - unless you are sprinkled with some extra magical magic when you arrive!

  5. Are you able to check in earlier than 4pm? YES - but it depends on availability. We got into our room at BLT at 1pm last year.

  6. I’m planning a couple of days for resort activities. Do you recommend any activities? There are resort activity calendars published each month - you can take a look at those for ideas!

  7. When do you receive your MB? In the mail or when you arrive? MAIL - I’ve gotten mine 3-4 weeks before my trip each time.

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In order:

  1. The best way to do DVC room requests is to ask the owner to add your request through Member Services. Make your request using the same general guidelines that you would for normal WDW reservations

  2. Yes (to be honest, I haven’t actually done this since they enhanced on-line checkin, but I’m pretty sure this is the case)

  3. Use the TP room finder for AKL to help you find a room View of Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (Jambo House) - just be sure to select “Savannah View/Studio” for the room type.

  4. No

  5. Yes, if your room is available earlier.

  6. All sorts of cool things to do there - I recommend watching the animals with night-vision goggles

  7. Not sure on this - all my rentals have been pre-MB

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Super! Thanks for the help. I was hoping to get my MB early to decorate it :slight_smile: Bummer on the upgrades, but it really doesn’t matter. I’m stoked to be there.

Are there any can’t miss, really good activities at AKL?

The night tour of the animals is pretty cool. They outfit you with night vision goggles. Don’t think it took too long as it’s basically just an observation deck & look for awhile, but it was definitely unique and worth doing. That’s the one we did that leaps to mind.

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Are you traveling with children? When we stayed there, they had “bead” activities everyday. These varied from playing drums to identifying different animals and several other things. We were given a bead when we completed each one. After you collected 5 beads, we were given a special achievement bead. They string them a natural fiber cord. It was really a special and unique thing to do. My DD & I loved it! We still have them. It’s a great (and free) keepsake.

There are animals and other things carved into the lobby entrance. There’s often a cast member on hand there with pencils and paper. You can make rubbings of the various carvings.

man, I love that place… wish I was there right now!

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It will be DH, DS19 & myself. I thought about some of the activities, but not sure if it would be better for little ones.

I can’t answer all of your questions, however, I can tell you that all of the DVC rooms in Jambo house are the on the 5th floor so you should have a great view from your balcony. i would probably only request near elevator and near lobby since you’ll be guaranteed a Savannah view.

Also if they do happen to offer you an upgrade, which is unlikely, be sure to confirm with them that the offer isn’t at the expense of more points. You wouldn’t want to accidentally get yourself in hot water with the owner.

The resort is beautiful we love it. We’re currently waiting on a member to pick up our reservation request for November. Plan some time to sit on your balcony! Watching the sun rise is awesome and at night the birds get really noisy, but don’t worry you can’t hear them inside once you close your balcony door.

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Thanks @Outer1! I’ll make sure nothing is charged to DVC owner. I like to us their points again :slight_smile: I’m planning to relax on the balcony drinking my glass of wine or a cup of coffee in the morning.

Are the rooms quiet on the 5th floor?

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The entire resort is quiet. We’ve never had issues with neighbors or people being loud out in the hallway. Pack a small pair of travel binoculars to see the animals better. The only drawback to being on the top floor is that you’re a bit further away from the animals.

It really is an awesome resort, I’d live there if I could lol.

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I need to remember binoculars! Thanks! I’m really excited. I’ve been wanting to go for my 20th anniversary for several years. :smiley_cat:

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