Animal Kingdom Villas DVC Rental? Newbie Here!

For our past three trips to WDW, we've booked two rooms at a Value Resort. After witnessing an incident at the Pop pool last summer, we decided to upgrade to two rooms at CBR--which will cost us around $4800.

I started browsing DVC rentals...and I think that's what we need to do. But I have SO MANY QUESTIONS! :blush:

Has anyone ever rented DVC points for AKV? I think we want a 2BR Standard villa (which should be around 390 points, at today's value--I know it'll be more a year from now, but just using that as a baseline guide) so we should come out cheaper than renting two rooms at a moderate PLUS having the benefit of having a kitchenette and washer/dryer.

Can anyone give me any tips? I know there are two different buildings--Jambo (which is actually AKL, yes?) and Kidani (which is new?). Is one "better" than the other? Are they the same point value?

How easy/difficult is it to find someone with the points, resort and dates I'll need? Should I start looking ASAP if I know for sure what our dates are?

What is a "standard" villa? What are the views?

I've looked at what feels like a million different sites and my head is spinning!

I've looked into renting for family members before, and I honestly think it's a huge hassle, and I'd personally never do it. But lots of people do, so take that as you will. In my limited research I've found that the kind of rental you need are snapped up asap. 390 is a lot of points to find avaliable for rent. Also, it doesn't seem like there are a lot of available rentals until just a few months out from the travel dates.

We haven't stayed at Jambo House, but we have stayed at Kidani Village in a 1 BR. You are correct about the locations. Jambo has an advantage if you like to eat counter service meals at the resort. For us, Kidani has a huge edge for having an extra bathroom (so you'd have three in a 2 BR). Another plus for Kidani is that it's the first pickup spot for the buses.

We have friends staying in a 2 BR standard view at Kidani in a few weeks, but I can predict the view will probably be parking lot or vegetation. There are overlooks to check out the savanna, so if you plan on doing parks for most of the day you can easily sacrifice a savanna view to save money.

Sorry I can't offer more insight on the rental process, but I'm sure someone else can. :)

Hi!!

I am an owner at AKV so I can probably answer most of your questions for you. I have also rented points from another DVC owner before becoming an owner myself so I can also help you out on the rental infomation.

I am not sure where to begin so this information might end up being random thoughts.

First, AKV....WOW!! If you've never stayed there, it is AMAZING! There are two different buildings, Jambo and Kidani. Both buildings have their advantages and disadvantages. The "standard" view rooms at Jambo house are ALL pool view on the 5th floor. Your room will be near the front of the resort and a short walk to the elevators. The elevators take you to the restaurants, pool, lobby and bus stop. The "standard" 2BR's at Kidani can be on any floor and they will have a view of anything except a savanna. We recently stayed in a 2BR standard at Kidani and we had a lovely view of the front entrance to the resort. It really was not that bad and there are plenty of places to view the animals. The 2BR's at Kidani all have an extra full bath off of the living area, for a total of 3 full baths. This is a great bonus if you have 6-8 people in your room. We were a party of 6, four adults and 2 kids ages 4 and 6 so we did not use the third bathroom all that often. I would say that if you have teenagers or adults that will be using the living area as their "bedroom", then Kidani is the better choice. The hallways at Kidani are LONG!! Seriously....LONG! It is almost 1/4 mile from the lobby to the end of the hallway so you could wind up with quite a hike to your room. If you have a car, it isn't so bad since there is underground parking and you can park under your "wing".

Personally, I would prefer the standard rooms at Jambo if we were staying in a studio or a 2BR, for these reasons:
1) The room location is guaranteed. I know that I will have a short walk to wherever I want to go
2) The quick-service restaurant at Jambo (The Mara) is delicious and convenient.
3) The studio is only 1 sq.ft. smaller at Jambo than Kidani, so space isn't an issue. If we were staying in a 2BR with just the 4 of us, the extra 100sq.ft. that Kidani provides would not be a deal-breaker.

The advantages to Kidani that I see are these:
1) The pool slide and pool area is far better than Jambo. My kids loved the poolside movies and games. The water play area is also pretty cool, but the informational material put out by DVC make it out to be better than it is. There is also a small savanna viewing area adjacent to the pool, located behind the pool bar. You can grab a quick meal at the bar (sandwiches and chips) and take a seat at one of the shaded tables to eat your lunch while watching the okapi:sunshine:.
2) The rooms at Kidani are bigger. If we were staying in a 1BR standard, I would probably opt for Kidani. In that case, the extra bathroom would come in handy. (There are 2 full baths in the 1BR's at Kidani.) With only 4 of us in a 2BR, we don't need 3 bathrooms:rotfl:.
3) Personally, I like the animal viewing areas at Kidani better than those at Jambo. That is not to say that the public areas at Jambo are bad....I just like Kidani's better.

Ok, I could go on and on about my second home, but let me talk you through the point rental process first....

The first thing you need to understand is that you are doing a BUSINESS transaction with a PERSON. There are all kinds of warnings to use a contract and get it in writing, etc, etc. The bottom line is this: No matter how much you have it in writing, the owner has full control of the reservation and can cancel it at any time...right up until you check in. No amount of legal documents can prevent this from happening. The only thing that a contract can do is provide you legal recourse in the event that the owner does not keep up their end of the agreement. Let me say that the chance of this happening INTENTIONALLY is almost nil. There are "legitimate" reasons why a reservation might get cancelled before your arrival. If the owner defaults on their annual dues or loan payment, any reservations that they have are cancelled. If you make your reservation early (as most of us DVC'rs do) the owner might sell their contract and "forget" that they've rented a reservation to you. In that case, your reservation would be cancelled. There are numerous ways that an unintentional problem may occur, but again, the odds are slim. These are the risks that you assume when you decide to get a great room at a "bargain" price.

Ok, so here's how my rentals went in the past. I was actually contacted by the DVC member via unsolicited e-mail. This raised a red-flag intially, but when I saw that he was from my DH's hometown (about 2 hours away) I followed up with him. It turns out that he is a Michigan State Police sergeant. This raised my level of trust a bit so I decided to take him up on his offer. We initially conversed via e-mail, but decided to use the phone more frequently. I had numerous conversations with both him and his wife and we both became very comfortable with each other. He told me that he rents for $12 a point and that he does not use a contract. His terms were that he would make the reservation and send me the original confirmation from DVC. When I received it, I sent him a personal check for 25% of the total cost. Two months before our travel date, I sent him a personal check for the remaining balance. He added the dining plan for us and made our Magical Express arrangements for us. On our first trip, he even called our room and left us a message to make sure that everything went smoothly. All of our room requests were met and I ended up renting from him again, right before we bought our own contract.

I will say that the standard category at AKV can go quickly. My advice would be to find someone that owns at AKV and can book at the 11-month window for you. Although every owner is different, a rental transaction is usually a non-refundable reservation. Some owners can be flexible and some could be dealing with points that are due to expire.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask, or PM me. I :love:LOVE:love: sharing Disney information, especially about DVC

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! :sunshine:

This is exactly the help I was looking for! Kristen, I may PM you later this week or next week. (My kids are finishing up school and then we have family in town this week so my time may be limited.)

DH and I are actually going to try to sneak off to WDW this Fall and may try to rent points for that short getaway just to get the "feel" of it if possible.

I am REALLY leaning towards AKV but since DH has started looking, too, he's set on BLT. Go figure!

I can't thank both of you enough for taking the time to respond...this helps me immensely!

I had to double post because DH has talked himself BACK into staying at AKV. I can tell you that he's going to drive me crazy... :rotfl:

Do both buildings have "Value" rooms? If so, what are they?

Do all 2BR have two bathrooms? I know some have three (I think?!) but we definitely need at least two.

You prefer the pool area at Kidani over Jambo, right?

It will just be me, DH and our two boys who will be 15 and 13 when we travel. I would consider a 1BR with the sleeper chair and sofa, but I know that would cause trouble between them (who gets to sleep on what). And they will NOT sleep in the same bed.

Again, thanks so much for your help!

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Originally Posted by Kittykat

I had to double post because DH has talked himself BACK into staying at AKV. I can tell you that he's going to drive me crazy... :rotfl:

Do both buildings have "Value" rooms? If so, what are they?

Only Jambo has value rooms. The value rooms are 3' shorter (entry to balcony) than the other rooms. The term "value" refers ONLY to their size, NOT the view. There are (10) 2BR lock-offs and (4) dedicated studios in the value category so they can go quickly. Of the 2BR's, (4) face the pool, (4) face the Sunset Savanna and (2) face the parking area. You can request a view, but it is not a guarantee.

Do all 2BR have two bathrooms? I know some have three (I think?!) but we definitely need at least two.

All of the 2BR's have 2 full bathrooms. The 2BR's in Kidani have 3 full bathrooms.

You prefer the pool area at Kidani over Jambo, right?

For my children, ages 4 and 6, either pool area is cool:rotfl:, but for the ages of your kids, I think you would like Kidani better. The slide is a little more "wild" (My DH said it is "way cooler" than the Jambo slide) and there are more activities around the pool area than there are at Jambo.

It will just be me, DH and our two boys who will be 15 and 13 when we travel. I would consider a 1BR with the sleeper chair and sofa, but I know that would cause trouble between them (who gets to sleep on what). And they will NOT sleep in the same bed.

A value 2BR would have a queen bed and a sleeper sofa in the second bedroom (as well as it's own kitchenette and exterior doorway) but plenty of room for 4 people. If you do not want the boys to have their own exit door, you would want to book a "dedicated 2BR". There are no dedicated 2BR at Jambo so you'd have to book at Kidani for one of those.
Again, thanks so much for your help!

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If you want to save $$$, try for a value 2BR and request a savanna view. This was our view from our Value 1BR in June 2009...
http://i585.photobucket.com/albums/s...error024-1.jpg

IF you want a value 2BR, you will definitely need to find an AKV owner AND book at the 11-month window. The value category is the main reason we bought at AKV. We love OKW too, and it was cheaper, but we knew that we would need that booking advantage if we ever wanted a value room. They are the best kept secret in all of DVC.

Let me know if you have any more questions:love:.

WOW.

Again, thank you *so much* for your help--it was just what I was looking for.

Sending you a PM... :thanks: