AKL and Pool Rehab - Suggestions!

pianoronni37

Time has a way of changing things...
Joined
Sep 14, 2008
In October my husband and I will be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary. We came to Disney for our honeymoon, and we've been a few times since. Last year we rented DVC points and stayed at AKL and fell in love, but we didn't have a whole lot of time to use the room, as we were there for Star Wars Celebration and Parks!

This year, after much painstaking saving $$ and realizing yes, we can do this, we booked AKL Jambo House through Disney, with a main goal of 5 full days of relaxing at the resort, by the pools, at the bars, enjoying Disney Springs and the Boardwalk and Monorail loop, one day at the parks (I have a cast member who is gifting us tickets for our anniversary!), the Halloween party (our first time!), but always having AKL Jambo House to come back to and just unwind.

It sounded like heaven for us, as we've had a really hard year (my husband lost his job, his father is terminally ill and in another state, my grandmother passed, just a tough one on us).

THEN WE GOT THAT DARNED EMAIL :headache::headache::headache:

Uzami Springs pool is closed while we are there!

We are open to adjusting dates in the fall, but it's closed from 9/4 - 12/4! I called to ask if there would be any compensation, but they said no (this is fine, I didn't expect any).

We really aren't happy about cramming into Kidani Village's pool (half the size for 2 full resorts) for 5 days - that does not sound relaxing!

But AKL was the only real Deluxe we could afford, after saving (it was only $361 a night, and I'm sure a discount would have come out and helped!).

So we said... ok... let's see about a moderate.

CBR is under MAJOR renovations and has minimal dining available...

CSR's pool will also be closed from September - December...

We've been to POFQ and POR and love them, but we really wanted a more relaxing vacation and since POFQ put in the large play area, it's not quite what we want, and POR is a lot of walking to get from room to food to room to pool to room, etc etc etc

So now, I'm stumped! I tried to rent DVC again but everything is full (of course, it's only a 5 month window).

Any other Deluxe is out of our price range. :worried::worried::worried:

I talked with an agent who suggested... the Poly (it's $892 a night for the weeks we were looking). Not quite comparable.

We just want an (affordable) resort to lounge at that isn't a value (we've stayed before and loved them, but it's just not the vacation we planned for this year). We could go back to POFQ or POR, as they're lovely, but... the closing of Uzima Springs really broke my heart. :sad1::sad1::sad1:

Does anyone have any suggestions? We were looking at October 21-27, but would be open to the week before or the week after... we may just scrap this trip altogether and do something else, but because we honeymooned at Disney, this was really what our hearts desired.
 
You could possibly look at Portifino at Universal. It’s a beautiful resort with fabulous pools for $273 a night for your dates Stay More Save More. I know you had your heart set on Disney but you could Uber very easy. Just a thought to throw out there. If not, maybe the Swan or Dolphin still has something.
 
Portofino is a nice thought! Swan is sold out, but Dolphin is available - however, the prices for our dates are fairly high, including the resort fee and parking charges (we'll be driving down from New York). We're not big Universal people, but I'll look into Portofino! Thank you, @larissawbb !
 
We are in the same boat. We were booked October 18th through 24th. We booked our room the day booking packages opened up last year in order to get a standard view room. We’d never stayed at AKL and were so looking forward to it. But without the main pool open, we couldn’t really justify the cost. We love spending time by the pool relaxing with a drink after a busy park day, and like you, the idea of both Jambo House and Kidani Village guests all using the smaller pool isn’t very appealing.

Would you consider doing a split stay? We made a list of several different possibilities and settled on doing a split stay between POFQ and BC, while actually adding an extra night stay for almost exactly the same cost. Maybe you could stay at a value or moderate for the days you plan on spending at the parks or Disney Springs and book a deluxe for the days you intend to spend mostly at the resort?

Sorry you’re having to rethink your anniversary trip. It’s definitely a bummer.
 


Portifino at Universal is a fantastic resort, I highly recommend it. We have friends who love Bonnet Creek (I think there is even a Bonnet Creek thread on the boards somewhere). I am guessing WL is either sold out our too expensive for your trip, but just mentioning it because it is also a great resort and usually the deluxe resort closest in price to AKL.
 
What about the Disney Springs hotels? Mousesavers usually have pretty good specials.
 
What about WL? It’s similar room rates as AKL. And built by same person who designed AKL. So same open lobby. It’s a beautiful resort and has some extras like watching fireworks from certain areas and the Eldctric Water Parade goes by resort. Renting Searaycers is fun. You can boat or walk over to FtW, I like wandering around that area and look at the stables. Once saw them getting Cinderella’s carriage getting ready. Also checking out the resort shop. We did the Segway tour once, lots of fun.
Also easy access to the other MK resorts by boat. You can get to CR on resort boat, and hop on monorail to Poly and GF. Or boat to MK to hop on Poly/GF boat. And you have the MK bus loop nearby to get to Other resorts.

We love Por. We stay in either Acadian House or Magnolia Terrace and find it’s quite close to main pool over Old Man Isl bridge and close to main buildings. And you have the quiet pools too, if you want to escape the afternoon pool party racket! Why the CMs need megaphones I don’t know as the kids are right there in front of them. Or at least lower volume :scared:
 


Thanks everyone! We are considering WL but only if a room discount comes out (it's about $120 more a night than AKL was). A split stay is a great idea! I don't love the thought of moving all my stuff, but relaxing at POFQ for a couple of days and taking advantage of the boat to Disney Springs, then popping over to BC or Boardwalk is a definite possibility... :) Thank you, everyone!
 
You don’t have to move your stuff. You can let Bell Services move it from Disney hotel to new Disney hotel. If you time the switch with your Park day you just go back to new hotel at end of day and your luggage is in room.

If you move trip to beginning of September, WL standard room is 295.38 average per night from September 2 to 8, AKL same time is 271.13 average per night.
 
Last edited:
Here are a couple of my thoughts - if you are up for considering Universal, we love Royal Pacific (we have stayed at Portofino Bay and much much much prefer Royal Pacific) - it has a great pool, the lobby is amazing, and the hotel staff is great. Bonus - it is less expensive than Portofino Bay. Plus there are some great restaurants we love at CityWalk - Toothsome Chocolate Emporium and Savory Kitchen and CowFish - all within easy walking distance of both RP or PB (boat service is also available).

Next thought - what about Saratoga Springs? I haven't stayed there yet, but we are planning to stay there on our upcoming visit this fall (we are taking my mom and MIL). I took a flower arranging class there 10 years ago and went to the pool bar while I waited for the class to start and if I remember correctly, it was really nice.

If you want to go completely the opposite direction, what about a Cabin at FW? We stayed there last fall on an extended family trip and were impressed with how quiet, clean and spacious the cabins were. Plus the quiet pool and the main pools there looked nice (unfortunately we were too busy to use them).
 
Would you consider Saratoga Springs? You might be able to get a studio (one queen, one double sleeper sofa), access to the spa (that might be nice for an anniversary), quick walk to Disney Springs.
 
I just upgraded our reservation to AKL for September 3-10. I haven’t received an email about the pool closure. I’m feeling really disheartened. I called Disney last week and there was no mention of a closure and a pool is a huge part of vacation for us. I don’t even know what to do! My whole family will be so disappointed.
 
I just upgraded our reservation to AKL for September 3-10. I haven’t received an email about the pool closure. I’m feeling really disheartened. I called Disney last week and there was no mention of a closure and a pool is a huge part of vacation for us. I don’t even know what to do! My whole family will be so disappointed.
we have had the same problem! We booked AKL over a year ago now for a trip in September and we are fighting for some form of compensation. It's my graduation and my fiances first trip to disney so we hve spent a lot of money and time planning a once in a lifetime trip!!

There have been cases in the past of people being switched to other resorts for free and getting disney vouchers. I think we deserve it. We dont want to switch as AKL is so special!!
 
In October my husband and I will be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary. We came to Disney for our honeymoon, and we've been a few times since. Last year we rented DVC points and stayed at AKL and fell in love, but we didn't have a whole lot of time to use the room, as we were there for Star Wars Celebration and Parks!

This year, after much painstaking saving $$ and realizing yes, we can do this, we booked AKL Jambo House through Disney, with a main goal of 5 full days of relaxing at the resort, by the pools, at the bars, enjoying Disney Springs and the Boardwalk and Monorail loop, one day at the parks (I have a cast member who is gifting us tickets for our anniversary!), the Halloween party (our first time!), but always having AKL Jambo House to come back to and just unwind.

It sounded like heaven for us, as we've had a really hard year (my husband lost his job, his father is terminally ill and in another state, my grandmother passed, just a tough one on us).

THEN WE GOT THAT DARNED EMAIL :headache::headache::headache:

Uzami Springs pool is closed while we are there!

We are open to adjusting dates in the fall, but it's closed from 9/4 - 12/4! I called to ask if there would be any compensation, but they said no (this is fine, I didn't expect any).

We really aren't happy about cramming into Kidani Village's pool (half the size for 2 full resorts) for 5 days - that does not sound relaxing!

But AKL was the only real Deluxe we could afford, after saving (it was only $361 a night, and I'm sure a discount would have come out and helped!).

So we said... ok... let's see about a moderate.

CBR is under MAJOR renovations and has minimal dining available...

CSR's pool will also be closed from September - December...

We've been to POFQ and POR and love them, but we really wanted a more relaxing vacation and since POFQ put in the large play area, it's not quite what we want, and POR is a lot of walking to get from room to food to room to pool to room, etc etc etc

So now, I'm stumped! I tried to rent DVC again but everything is full (of course, it's only a 5 month window).

Any other Deluxe is out of our price range. :worried::worried::worried:

I talked with an agent who suggested... the Poly (it's $892 a night for the weeks we were looking). Not quite comparable.

We just want an (affordable) resort to lounge at that isn't a value (we've stayed before and loved them, but it's just not the vacation we planned for this year). We could go back to POFQ or POR, as they're lovely, but... the closing of Uzima Springs really broke my heart. :sad1::sad1::sad1:

Does anyone have any suggestions? We were looking at October 21-27, but would be open to the week before or the week after... we may just scrap this trip altogether and do something else, but because we honeymooned at Disney, this was really what our hearts desired.
We get great rates (lower than the lowest rate you quoted) on WDW deluxe resorts through our travel agent. Maybe try to find a travel agency that offers agency-exclusive resort discounts.
 
We are in the same boat. We were booked October 18th through 24th. We booked our room the day booking packages opened up last year in order to get a standard view room. We’d never stayed at AKL and were so looking forward to it. But without the main pool open, we couldn’t really justify the cost. We love spending time by the pool relaxing with a drink after a busy park day, and like you, the idea of both Jambo House and Kidani Village guests all using the smaller pool isn’t very appealing.

Would you consider doing a split stay? We made a list of several different possibilities and settled on doing a split stay between POFQ and BC, while actually adding an extra night stay for almost exactly the same cost. Maybe you could stay at a value or moderate for the days you plan on spending at the parks or Disney Springs and book a deluxe for the days you intend to spend mostly at the resort?

Sorry you’re having to rethink your anniversary trip. It’s definitely a bummer.
Many of us are disappointed, especially if you booked MANY months ago AND the pool is an important component of a vacation. Can SO UNDERSTAND. We spend about a half day at a pool daily, so a lovely pool is important to us. You were fortunate that you were moved to BC...October F&W is such a busy time. You will LOVE BC, SO CONVENIENT to Epcot and Stormalong Bay is our favorite pool on property. LOVE the Boardwalk area to walk around, so nice! Unfortunately, DVC studios are all booked for October by the time I read the news on Disboards, still have not been notified in mail by Member Services. MS response is "sorry for your inconvenience, but we are not offering any "compensation" for your inconvenience, since Jambo guests are free to use the Kidani Pool. That would be acceptable except that it will be overcrowded now. Also, feel sorry for Kidani guests, pool will have twice the amount of people that it typically does during the pool renovation. Any conversation with MS has "fell on deaf ears" unfortunately and MS is not "servicing their members" imo on this broader issue of pool rehabs....This issue will KEEP happening in the future at another property IF Disney is not more proactive with disclosure of pool refurbishments to both Magic Your Way guests and DVC guests. :(:(
 
I just upgraded our reservation to AKL for September 3-10. I haven’t received an email about the pool closure. I’m feeling really disheartened. I called Disney last week and there was no mention of a closure and a pool is a huge part of vacation for us. I don’t even know what to do! My whole family will be so disappointed.

You are still able to use the pool at Kidani Village... not sure if that helps!
 
You are still able to use the pool at Kidani Village... not sure if that helps!
FWIW, that pool is much smaller and less convenient to those staying at Jambo. And anyone with a "pool view" is going to be overlooking a construction zone. I honestly sympathize with the guests who booked AKL for the fall. It's a big disappointment which is only made worse by Disney's lack of communication on the matter or their "use the Samawati Springs Pool" response to guest concerns. Jambo guests can use that pool anytime, anyway. This is not an added value or compensation for the loss of the feature pool at their own resort.

I had a short DVC stay booked at Kidani for September. I was able to change the reservation when I first read about the pool closure at Jambo. I wanted to be able to relax at Samawati Springs. I didn't want to have to fight for a lounge chair because it's the only alternative being offered to Jambo guests.

I hope that Jambo guests register their disappointment and press for some sort of compensation. They are paying a lot for their vacations.
 
FWIW, that pool is much smaller and less convenient to those staying at Jambo. And anyone with a "pool view" is going to be overlooking a construction zone. I honestly sympathize with the guests who booked AKL for the fall. It's a big disappointment which is only made worse by Disney's lack of communication on the matter or their "use the Samawati Springs Pool" response to guest concerns. Jambo guests can use that pool anytime, anyway. This is not an added value or compensation for the loss of the feature pool at their own resort.

I had a short DVC stay booked at Kidani for September. I was able to change the reservation when I first read about the pool closure at Jambo. I wanted to be able to relax at Samawati Springs. I didn't want to have to fight for a lounge chair because it's the only alternative being offered to Jambo guests.

I hope that Jambo guests register their disappointment and press for some sort of compensation. They are paying a lot for their vacations.

Yeah it’s a bummer it’ll be closed. Guess Disney could have communicated better, but there is still a pool available to guests staying there and Kidani really isn’t that inconvenient.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Latest posts

Top