Live Trip Report from AKV (with pics) - The DIS Discussion Forums

Buckeye Fan · 04-10-2009, 07:29 PM

Happy Good Friday, everyone!!! We started early this am...but we're here!

We left Columbus this morning at 8:00, which meant we had to be at the airport around 6:15.

That seemed like a good idea when I booked the flight! When we left, the weather was pretty crappy. Boy, what a difference a 2 hour flight south makes! Orlando is absolutely beautiful. It is sunny, without a cloud in the sky.

We landed around 10:10, and caught the Magical Express. Boy were the check-in lines crowded at the airport. I waited in line about 15 minutes for ME, and then another 15 minutes for a bus. After that, we were on our way to the World! The ME bus stopped at Coronado Springs before going to AK. The bus emptied at CS! There was only one other couple and us going to AK.

We got to AK around 11:15, and went to the "on-line" check-in location. Everything was perfect, but I will qualify that I e-mailed MS prior to arriving. I wanted to make sure they linked our reservation (so we wouldn't have to check out, check back in), and that our request (savanna view) was noted on the reservation. Well...someone must have sprinkled some extra pixie dust on us, because our room is amazing! We couldn't get into it until after 3:00, but the location couldn't be better. We're in a 1-BR value in the Ostrich Trail section, room number 5116. It is AWESOME!!!

To blow some time (since we didn't have our suitcases), we went back to CS and ate at Pepper Market. For the first time ever, we were really disappointed. We all love PM. Food was good, but prices have changed pretty significantly. For lunch, we got 2 cheese quesadillas, nachos, baked pasta and 2 drinks. Our bill was over $70!

I know...it's Dis. What do you expect? But...there are plenty of places we could have eaten for $70!!!

After CS, we came back to the hotel. We waited for about an hour, and our room was ready! All I can say is I think DH and DS have found their FAVORITE DVC. Now those of you who know me know that I've never met a DVC I didn't like. So of course, I think it's wonderful and now want to buy points!

But, DH and DS really do love it. It reminds me a lot of VWL, with animals! I have to admit, I LOVE animals, but it just didn't seem that big of a deal. Well...it's really cool. Today, we saw a giraffe, two ostriches, a kudu and an impala! For those of you contemplating on whether the points are worth it or not for a savanna view, it is!

As for the value room, I don't notice a difference in space in the living area (we have a 1-BR), but the master bedroom is small. You can see in the pics below that the armoire, TV stand and desk are right up against each other. That's about the width of the room. You can barely shut the door without it hitting the bed, but it's not bad. I can see why they limit the room to 4. Any more than that would be too close for comfort. The one thing nice about the value rooms (or at least this one), is that they all used to be hotel rooms and have their own balconies. So, we actually have two balconies (the removed the divider between them). It's still narrow, but it's long.

Since we're beat from getting up so early this morning, we went to the pool, and then came back to the room for dinner. We had Garden Grocer (LOVE THEM) deliver groceries, and everything was on time and exactly as we ordered. This is the third time we've used them, and each time the order is accurate.

Tomorrow, I think we're going to Typhoon Lagoon. The bus driver told us today that both TL and BB reached capacity. I'm hoping after this weekend things thin out a little bit. We don't have reservations for dinner, so we probably will end up at either DTD or BW after the water park. Since spring break is so crowded, here's what we have planned (at least as I know it today):
* Water park and dinner at ESPN Zone (probably)
* Dinner at SSR Turf Club for Easter dinner
* MK on Monday - lunch at Cindy's Royal Table and dinner at the Plaza
* Boma on Tuesday (maybe Epcot)
* DHS and Mama Rosa's on TH
* Trail's End on Thursday (probably spend the last day enjoying the resort)
* Return home on Friday

Lastly, for those of you thinking of traveling during Easter, there are several Easter activities at AKV. They handed me a sheet at check-in that includes making an Easter bunny magnet, painting ostrich eggs ($30), meet and greet with Mickey and Minnie, Easter face painting and tattoos, arts and crafts, and a coloring contest. AKV also has different kids' activities (not associated with Easter - or at least I don't think) where you can earn up to 5 beads for activities for a small keepsake.

I will take pics and keep you guys posted, as I LOVE live trip reports. It tides me over, and makes me feel like I'm there! I hope you guys enjoy the pictures, and please feel free to ask any questions.

MnMomW3Boys · 04-10-2009, 07:38 PM

Wow thanks for the TR, I am glad that you are having wonderful time thus far. Your TR will have to tide me over for the next 29 days.

DVC Mike · 04-10-2009, 07:38 PM

Looking forward to your pictures!

RCharnay · 04-10-2009, 07:39 PM

Looking forward to the pics. Thanks for sharing and HAVE FUN!

J&JAKV08 · 04-10-2009, 07:43 PM

Thanks for keeping us updated with your TR. Looking forward to reading more and seeing pictures!! Enjoy!!

Buckeye Fan · 04-10-2009, 07:46 PM

AKV Lobby

Room - 1 BR Value on Ostrich Trail

Balcony and Room View

Our Friends

I believe this is Kidani (view from our room)

Pool

arthur06 · 04-10-2009, 08:08 PM

Great Pics and TR so far! Enjoy your time and keep the updates coming!

5forDiz · 04-10-2009, 08:13 PM

Wow awesome pics

Hope you & your family have a great trip and looking forward to hearing more

Enjoy !
~Laura

Pennykay · 04-10-2009, 08:21 PM

Oh, those pics make me miss "home". Have a great trip and thanks for the update!

rlduvall · 04-10-2009, 08:24 PM

Those are great photos!!

Thank you so much for posting them.

Makes me think maybe I should split my upcoming trip and see if I could get my last 3 nights at AKV. I should have already known to do that - I have stayed at AKV before and love it. BUT, I was able to get a BCV studio for 10 nights in early June and really don't relish the thought of packing and re-packing. What to do, what to do.

BWV Dreamin · 04-10-2009, 08:24 PM

Great report so far!! Nice pics too. I will be curious to see what you think of the bus system, since you don't have a car with you. Sounds like your room is awesome...looking forward to more of your report!

Cyndibear · 04-10-2009, 08:32 PM

Thanks for the wonderful photo's and report. It makes me miss my home even more. It is great that you got a savannah view. I just love those views. It is worth it! We enjoy having our breakfast on the balcony watching the animals. What a peaceful way to start out the day.

Have fun, and I hope the crowds go away after Sunday!

Cyndi

MiaSRN62 · 04-10-2009, 08:48 PM

Thanks for the report and pics.....keep 'em coming !

Maria

SunnieRN · 04-10-2009, 08:59 PM

Fantastic pictures!! Thanks for sharing them!! My daughter, son in law and grandsons are at SSR right now and I join them tuesday. Happy easter, have fun tomorrow!

ProudMommyof2 · 04-10-2009, 09:03 PM

Great pics? Any chance you could take a walk around Kidani and get pics of the pool?

04-10-2009, 07:29 PM	#1
Buckeye Fan DIS Veteran Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 2,083	Live Trip Report from AKV (with pics) Happy Good Friday, everyone!!! We started early this am...but we're here! We left Columbus this morning at 8:00, which meant we had to be at the airport around 6:15. That seemed like a good idea when I booked the flight! When we left, the weather was pretty crappy. Boy, what a difference a 2 hour flight south makes! Orlando is absolutely beautiful. It is sunny, without a cloud in the sky. We landed around 10:10, and caught the Magical Express. Boy were the check-in lines crowded at the airport. I waited in line about 15 minutes for ME, and then another 15 minutes for a bus. After that, we were on our way to the World! The ME bus stopped at Coronado Springs before going to AK. The bus emptied at CS! There was only one other couple and us going to AK. We got to AK around 11:15, and went to the "on-line" check-in location. Everything was perfect, but I will qualify that I e-mailed MS prior to arriving. I wanted to make sure they linked our reservation (so we wouldn't have to check out, check back in), and that our request (savanna view) was noted on the reservation. Well...someone must have sprinkled some extra pixie dust on us, because our room is amazing! We couldn't get into it until after 3:00, but the location couldn't be better. We're in a 1-BR value in the Ostrich Trail section, room number 5116. It is AWESOME!!! To blow some time (since we didn't have our suitcases), we went back to CS and ate at Pepper Market. For the first time ever, we were really disappointed. We all love PM. Food was good, but prices have changed pretty significantly. For lunch, we got 2 cheese quesadillas, nachos, baked pasta and 2 drinks. Our bill was over $70! I know...it's Dis. What do you expect? But...there are plenty of places we could have eaten for $70!!! After CS, we came back to the hotel. We waited for about an hour, and our room was ready! All I can say is I think DH and DS have found their FAVORITE DVC. Now those of you who know me know that I've never met a DVC I didn't like. So of course, I think it's wonderful and now want to buy points! But, DH and DS really do love it. It reminds me a lot of VWL, with animals! I have to admit, I LOVE animals, but it just didn't seem that big of a deal. Well...it's really cool. Today, we saw a giraffe, two ostriches, a kudu and an impala! For those of you contemplating on whether the points are worth it or not for a savanna view, it is! As for the value room, I don't notice a difference in space in the living area (we have a 1-BR), but the master bedroom is small. You can see in the pics below that the armoire, TV stand and desk are right up against each other. That's about the width of the room. You can barely shut the door without it hitting the bed, but it's not bad. I can see why they limit the room to 4. Any more than that would be too close for comfort. The one thing nice about the value rooms (or at least this one), is that they all used to be hotel rooms and have their own balconies. So, we actually have two balconies (the removed the divider between them). It's still narrow, but it's long. Since we're beat from getting up so early this morning, we went to the pool, and then came back to the room for dinner. We had Garden Grocer (LOVE THEM) deliver groceries, and everything was on time and exactly as we ordered. This is the third time we've used them, and each time the order is accurate. Tomorrow, I think we're going to Typhoon Lagoon. The bus driver told us today that both TL and BB reached capacity. I'm hoping after this weekend things thin out a little bit. We don't have reservations for dinner, so we probably will end up at either DTD or BW after the water park. Since spring break is so crowded, here's what we have planned (at least as I know it today): * Water park and dinner at ESPN Zone (probably) * Dinner at SSR Turf Club for Easter dinner * MK on Monday - lunch at Cindy's Royal Table and dinner at the Plaza * Boma on Tuesday (maybe Epcot) * DHS and Mama Rosa's on TH * Trail's End on Thursday (probably spend the last day enjoying the resort) * Return home on Friday Lastly, for those of you thinking of traveling during Easter, there are several Easter activities at AKV. They handed me a sheet at check-in that includes making an Easter bunny magnet, painting ostrich eggs ($30), meet and greet with Mickey and Minnie, Easter face painting and tattoos, arts and crafts, and a coloring contest. AKV also has different kids' activities (not associated with Easter - or at least I don't think) where you can earn up to 5 beads for activities for a small keepsake. I will take pics and keep you guys posted, as I LOVE live trip reports. It tides me over, and makes me feel like I'm there! I hope you guys enjoy the pictures, and please feel free to ask any questions. __________________ Last edited by Buckeye Fan; 04-10-2009 at 09:12 PM.

04-10-2009, 07:38 PM	#2
MnMomW3Boys Mouseketeer Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Minnesota Posts: 443	Wow thanks for the TR, I am glad that you are having wonderful time thus far. Your TR will have to tide me over for the next 29 days. __________________ DH ME ds(10) ds(9) ds(5)

04-10-2009, 07:38 PM	#3
DVC Mike DVC Member @ BLT, VGC, VWL, BWV, BCV Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: 550 miles from WDW Posts: 4,110	Looking forward to your pictures! __________________ Mike My DVC Home Resorts: BLT, BWV, BCV and VGC

04-10-2009, 07:39 PM	#4
RCharnay DIS Veteran Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 618	Looking forward to the pics. Thanks for sharing and HAVE FUN! __________________ 2008 - January - SSR - became DVC member @ OKW 2008 - March - OKW 2008 - Oct - Vero Beach 2008 - Nov - Hilton Head 2008 - December/Jan - OKW 2010-Jan-VWL 2011-Jan-OKW/BWV 2011-Mar-AK SV 2012-Mar-OKW

04-10-2009, 07:43 PM	#5
J&JAKV08 Mouseketeer Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Plainfield, IL Posts: 148	Thanks for keeping us updated with your TR. Looking forward to reading more and seeing pictures!! Enjoy!! __________________

04-10-2009, 07:46 PM	#6
Buckeye Fan DIS Veteran Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 2,083	AKV Lobby Room - 1 BR Value on Ostrich Trail Balcony and Room View Our Friends I believe this is Kidani (view from our room) Pool __________________ Last edited by Buckeye Fan; 04-10-2009 at 09:02 PM.

04-10-2009, 08:08 PM	#7
arthur06 DDC #689 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 1423 miles to MK & 1799 miles to DL Posts: 2,570	Great Pics and TR so far! Enjoy your time and keep the updates coming! __________________ April '11 BWV Trip Report http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2697836 November '12 Disneyland/VGC Trip Report http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2964937

04-10-2009, 08:13 PM	#8
5forDiz DIS Veteran Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Staten Island, New York Posts: 3,367	Wow awesome pics Hope you & your family have a great trip and looking forward to hearing more Enjoy ! ~Laura

04-10-2009, 08:21 PM	#9
Pennykay DIS Veteran Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 563	Oh, those pics make me miss "home". Have a great trip and thanks for the update! __________________ Penny

04-10-2009, 08:24 PM	#10
rlduvall I just sit there and think "Oh, pretty colors." Now maybe some-one will pick me first for dodgeball Join Date: May 2002 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 3,133	Those are great photos!! Thank you so much for posting them. Makes me think maybe I should split my upcoming trip and see if I could get my last 3 nights at AKV. I should have already known to do that - I have stayed at AKV before and love it. BUT, I was able to get a BCV studio for 10 nights in early June and really don't relish the thought of packing and re-packing. What to do, what to do. __________________

04-10-2009, 08:24 PM	#11
BWV Dreamin DIS Veteran Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Maryland Posts: 6,368	Great report so far!! Nice pics too. I will be curious to see what you think of the bus system, since you don't have a car with you. Sounds like your room is awesome...looking forward to more of your report! __________________

04-10-2009, 08:32 PM	#12
Cyndibear I love my DVC's!!!! Join Date: Nov 1999 Location: Coopersburg, PA USA Posts: 1,111	Thanks for the wonderful photo's and report. It makes me miss my home even more. It is great that you got a savannah view. I just love those views. It is worth it! We enjoy having our breakfast on the balcony watching the animals. What a peaceful way to start out the day. Have fun, and I hope the crowds go away after Sunday! Cyndi __________________ DVC Home Resorts: SSR, AKV, BLT, & BWV

04-10-2009, 08:48 PM	#13
MiaSRN62 DIS Veteran Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Lansdale, PA (just outside Philly) Posts: 10,524	Thanks for the report and pics.....keep 'em coming ! Maria __________________ Maria ---> http://www.facebook.com/groups/Fantasy2013/ Join our 2013 Disney Fantasy Facebook private group ! Dolphin Dec 12-15 and BCV 17-19 (Tallahassee in between !) Disney Fantasy Western Sept 14-21, 2013

04-10-2009, 08:59 PM	#14
SunnieRN DIS Veteran Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Texas, USA Posts: 2,917	Fantastic pictures!! Thanks for sharing them!! My daughter, son in law and grandsons are at SSR right now and I join them tuesday. Happy easter, have fun tomorrow! __________________ Thanks eandesmom!!!

04-10-2009, 09:03 PM	#15
ProudMommyof2 DIS Veteran Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: RedSox/Patriots Nation Posts: 2,047	Great pics? Any chance you could take a walk around Kidani and get pics of the pool? __________________ Me(Pam) DH DS14 DD11 1986 Disneyland, 1988 Disneyland, August 1991- WDW Offsite, May 1997- WDW Offsite, May 2007- Wilderness Lodge, May 2009- BCV & AKV, August 2011- Poly & AKV,April 2013- WBC- Universal & WDW

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