Kilimanjaro Club Concierge

[AdamsMum]

How early are people walking concierge at AKV. I was considering buying an AKV contract and went on the website this morning just to see how hard it is to get. First of all the site was weird, it wouldn't let me put my check out date of 1 week in, and kept subsituting the date 2 weeks away. By the time I got it to accept my date it was already 8:03 a.m. I wasn't actually trying to book today, just wondering how long the walking is.
I wouldn't be buying it just for this purpose, but I'd like to experience it at least once.

 

[kanerf]

I have stayed at Club level several times. You just have to expand the search to make sure all room types are included at Jambo House. I have been able to book it so long as I do so as soon as my booking window opens.

 

[Sandisw]

That room books up at 8:00 am every day of the year so walking or not, it’s hard.

 

[lovin'fl]

We bought 26 AKV points for 1 studio night a year. We now live local and can grab random 1 night stays as they pop up but I still use the AKV points to grab a night at 11 months. They frequently pop open a few days after the 11 month as the walkers walk past. So I was able to grab a May night in June at the 11 month shy of 5 day mark or something like that. We had 100 AKV points years ago and resold them. Really wish we kept them because the 26 isn't enough. Though we are able to grab 2 nights a year on our BWV points plus the 1 night with our AKV. We just had a stay last week. We also have grabbed the 1BR before. Low point months aren't too bad to get the 1BR.

 

[TheDailyMoo]

You have to be able to stalk all day. I was able to get a whole week doing that for April. In fact I just dropped three days to do a split stay at BRV because it was just too much to splurge on CL for a whole week in high season points. Just know it's not going to be there for you easily to grab in the mornings at 11 months it takes work.

 

[drusba]

There are only 5 DVC 2BR lock-offs that are club level at AKV. One of those is a handicap accessible room. Any attempt to get a 2BR requires the same luck as getting a studio as none of the rooms can be held back to be reserved only as a 2BR, and thus the 2BRs disappear via studio reservations. The studios (and 2BRs) always disappear at exactly 8 a.m. eastern for any given start date of the year (except when they are already filled before 8 a.m. at 11-months out via multiple day reservations made a little before your 11-month out date). How much walking occurs is an unknown, but one has to be lucky to even be able to begin a walk any day of the year. Sometimes days may open up due a walker passing by or someone cancelling a reservation but even that is not something that happens very often and you have to spend a lot time checking availability to find one of the those. Mentioned above is having success doing that for time in April. Other than the two Easter weeks, April is the third lowest DVC demand time of the year at WDW.

The 1BRs also have the 11-month issue, but not year round. They typically disappear right at 11-months out during the high demand "Fall" season that runs from late Sep to marathon weekend in Jan, and about 50% of the time the rest of the year. If one wants to walk a 1BR to that fall season, one of the better times to try starting a walk is for a July 7 to July 31 arrival date, the second lowest DVC demand time of the year at WDW (Feb 1 to the Thurs before Presidents Day is the the lowest DVC demand time of the year).

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Sometimes if you monitor and keep and eye on the date(s) you want, the walkers will pass by the day or days you want. As mentioned above, there are a select few times during the year when accessing a studio or 1BR (which often is a little bit more available than the studio/2BR) can happen at 11 months. But it's one of the toughest DVC rooms to book, no question.

 

[DanCali]

We own at AKV and have stayed several times. In fact, we a 3-night stay there coming up in December, which will be our longest. As others have mentioned, it's pretty tough to pick up a reservation at 11 months but if you're just looking for 1-2 nights it's probably easier to do with stalking and waiting for walkers to drop nights if you're able to do that.

 

[muppets3d]

The value and concierge studios are some of the most difficult rooms to book right at the 11 month window. They frequently disappear right at 8AM at the 11 month window. Almost faster than any human could possibly book them. But when you consider there are thousands of owners and only 5 club studios, it makes sense I guess.

However, if you are flexible with dates you can often book them a few days later as those who walk the reservations go past the dates. And the 1 bedroom villas are much easier to book, for obvious reasons.

 

[Ruttangel]

Not likely to be available to book but the Best idea is to waitlist straight away at 8:00 and then check back with online chat to see if it has matched
Repeat this every day and you can end up with a block of reservations that Member services can merge together

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Not likely to be available to book but the Best idea is to waitlist straight away at 8:00 and then check back with online chat to see if it has matched
Repeat this every day and you can end up with a block of reservations that Member services can merge together

You just have to strategically use the waitlist or waitlists (max of 2, I believe). Waitlisting one night is obviously more likely to come through than waitlisting a 3 or 4 night stay (not sure how long the OP wants to stay). I totally agree grabbing one night within the window you want to stay, and then potentially merging a few one-nighters into a full stay. But waitlists can get trickier in this situation.

 

[kilik64]

Wasn’t there a tale of a lady and her husband that stay in a concierge studio for a month at a time, multiple times a year? Like the staff knew very well even.

 

[muppets3d]

Wasn’t there a tale of a lady and her husband that stay in a concierge studio for a month at a time, multiple times a year? Like the staff knew very well even.

It’s certainly possible to book them, it’s just not as easy as booking at Saratoga for example.

 

[DanCali]

Wasn’t there a tale of a lady and her husband that stay in a concierge studio for a month at a time, multiple times a year? Like the staff knew very well even.

If you can grab 1 night at 11 months out (not picked up from the walkers) than you can book 3, 13 or 30 nights if you have the home resort points.

Last time I was there I probably gained 5 pounds in 2 nights, so not sure I'd want a full consecutive month

 

[crisi]

I wouldn't buy VAKL FOR concierge. I'd buy VAKL cause you want to stay at VAKL and maybe you'll get lucky with concierge at some point

 

[Cyberc1978]

How early are people walking concierge at AKV. I was considering buying an AKV contract and went on the website this morning just to see how hard it is to get. First of all the site was weird, it wouldn't let me put my check out date of 1 week in, and kept subsituting the date 2 weeks away. By the time I got it to accept my date it was already 8:03 a.m. I wasn't actually trying to book today, just wondering how long the walking is.
I wouldn't be buying it just for this purpose, but I'd like to experience it at least once.

I purely use my AKV points for Value and Club level rooms. I just added on an additional AKV contract.

I have no problem getting Club level studios, however value studios has been a tad more difficult this year, but its doable just need to try a few more times to get the initial booking and then start your walk.

 

[muppets3d]

If you can grab 1 night at 11 months out (not picked up from the walkers) than you can book 3, 13 or 30 nights if you have the home resort points.

Last time I was there I probably gained 5 pounds in 2 nights, so not sure I'd want a full consecutive month

Haha I was there for 3 nights and I don't think I gained any weight but I also didn't lose any weight (usually with all the walking and sweating I come home from Disney down at least a few pounds...)

 

[muppets3d]

I wouldn't buy VAKL FOR concierge. I'd buy VAKL cause you want to stay at VAKL and maybe you'll get lucky with concierge at some point

Frankly, there is very little reason to own points there otherwise because it's typically not a difficult 7 month booking and dues are a little bit higher than other resorts.

 

[Sandisw]

Frankly, there is very little reason to own points there otherwise because it's typically not a difficult 7 month booking and dues are a little bit higher than other resorts.

This is true but it’s also important people have realistic expectations of how hard those rooms are and how few do exist!

 

[bobbiwoz]

I need the HA CL one bedroom because I need a walk in shower. We stay in one about once a year. I just look at availability every now and then.