Which 3 bedroom Villa AKL Jambo house or Kidani?

[fijidoc]

looking at booking 3 bedroom at our home resort for next year. We are doing cruise on Disney Wish with family of 5, oldest child's girlfriend, and grandparents so wanting to book 3 bedroom for us all.

For those that have either stayed at one or both of the 3 bedroom options at AKL Kidani or Jambo what are your thoughts and preferences on one vs the other?

any thoughts welcome and thanks for your input

 

[thanxfornoticin]

First, keep in mind that there are only a few of these units at AKL. I think there are 5 or 6 at Jambo, and about double that number at Kidani - so they can go quickly, depending on the time of year. That being said, just some thoughts. The Grand Villas at Kidani are really, really nice, but are actually on 2 floors. The master and living areas are on the first floor. The remaining bedrooms are on the second floor. So if steps are a concern with anyone in your party, it's something to keep in mind. But the rooms are gorgeous, and most have savanna views. The Grand Villas at Jambo are also quite large, but all on the same floor. And since they sort of retro-fitted old existing 'regular' rooms to create the DVC rooms years back, these Grand Villas seem to have some additional space - and they use that space to give you your own billiard table/room in the villa! If you opt for a Jambo GV, our recommendation to you would be to make a special request to NOT be in the unit above the flamingos who live just outside the Jambo swimming pool. Those flamingos are beautiful to watch and enjoy from afar, but they can be quite noisy at times - often at the wrong times!

I hope some of this might help a bit. I'm sure there are others with their experiences and recommendations. If you get the chance to enjoy one of these rooms, do it. We stayed most recently in one at Jambo. The room had an enormous balcony, and ours overlooked the savanna - breakfast on the balcony was a very popular way for our family to start the day!

 

[Nabas]

I prefer the Jambo GV because they are on one floor.

Also, we prefer staying at Jambo House:

• better lobby,
• better pool,
• better dining options.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

When this is asked it seems very split. We've only stayed in the Jambo GV and it was great.

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

We picked Kidani for an upcoming stay, because the hotel side at Jambo is not open, so there is less going on there right now. In a normal year, I think we would have picked Jambo.

 

[sixcats]

With only 5 people I would try for Jambo house first. The balconies are amazing and the living area is larger. If you had needed four bedrooms and baths, I wound choose Kidani since it has a bed and tv in the loft upstairs and a fourth bathroom. The pool table is a nice perk in Jambo if you would use it. We have stayed in both and my preference would be Jambo unless I had a larger group.

 

[a1tinkfans]

We loved jambo ( and the resort itself has more eating options etc) as we felt more space and no steps ( which for that visit worked best) but kidani felt more secluded with our other large group and group dynamics are in play for us. Wherever you chose, both great options. Enjoy!

 

[thanxfornoticin]

We picked Kidani for an upcoming stay, because the hotel side at Jambo is not open, so there is less going on there right now. In a normal year, I think we would have picked Jambo.

Agreed. Fingers crossed they get the restaurants and gift shop open again soon in Jambo. WIth the non-DVC rooms scheduled to open in Jambo in late August, hoping that's going to happen. Once the entire resort is open, whether guests stay at Jambo or Kidani, they'll have easy access to either pool and any of the restaurants. But Jambo is still the original and still has one of the most amazing lobbies - love it there!

 

[georgiagirl2]

The Jambo GVs also have a 4th bathroom, to the left as you enter into the foyer area.

We've stayed in both several times. The Jambo pool table is always a hit with teens, and no stairs is a plus if your parents have mobility issues. When we've stayed in the 2-story Kidani GV, we've put our parents in the master downstairs so they don't have to deal with stairs.

We like the dining table better in the Jambo units. It seats all ten of us together at one long table; one side is bench seating which the kids loved. The Kidani table is round and seats 8. The others sit at the bar. The Kidani dining area is smaller and can feel crowded. If you don't eat a lot of meals together in the villa, this probably won't matter.