AK Animal Inventory

[kittyab]

We stayed at Kidani and saw a few animals.

 

[DenLo]

I chose not many at Jambo, but only because we had a parking lot view value room. I think we saw a few local birds.

Well that is not officially a savanna view.

 

[DenLo]

We were at Jambo House last week and saw lots of animals.

 

[mrmattymouse]

Thanks for all of your comments! We're booking AKV for the first time next year and I am trying to weigh the options.

 

[rsjj]

So aside from the various animals and savannas, do any of you prefer one over the other? Some mentioned kidani having bigger rooms/space wise. And some mention preferring Jambo b/c of the pool area or the massive lobby.

Anything else? Our boys are older, so the animal viewing isn't a major factor for them. It was really DH's request!

As always, thank you for taking the time!

 

[kreckl]

We definitely prefer Jambo. We like the large, bustling lobby- there is always something going on and in bad weather its a nice option to be able to eat, shop, join an activity without going outside.....Plus the QS option is there. We sometimes go over to Kidani to swim as it has a better slide for bigger kids. But we only travel with 3-4 people, and don't need bigger space/more bathrooms.

 

[rsjj]

We definitely prefer Jambo. We like the large, bustling lobby- there is always something going on and in bad weather its a nice option to be able to eat, shop, join an activity without going outside.....Plus the QS option is there. We sometimes go over to Kidani to swim as it has a better slide for bigger kids. But we only travel with 3-4 people, and don't need bigger space/more bathrooms.

Thank you! What is QS? So jambo is "bigger" in means of amenities/more things to do? And kidani is a bit quieter?

 

[DenLo]

Thank you! What is QS? So jambo is "bigger" in means of amenities/more things to do? And kidani is a bit quieter?

QS is a quick service restaurant. Jambo House only has one floor of DVC rooms and 5 2BR lock off Club level rooms on the 6th floor. So floors 2 through 4 and are all Disney cash rooms. So most of the guests are cash guests. There are two table service (TS) restaurants, Jiko and Boma and one QS restaurant, Mara. It has a very large pool with slide and baby pool with just a few inches of water in it. Kidani only has one TS restaurant, Sanaa which has begun to serve a quick service breakfast in addition to it's table service lunch and dinner. The entire Kidani resort is DVC with very view cash rentals through CRO. Kidani has a community hall, Jambo does not. Kidani has a smaller pool with slide plus a really large water play area. Both resorts have a fitness center. Most of the daily activities are at both resorts or you can go to either one to participate. I think Kidani is quieter because it doesn't have as many coming from other resorts to dine for three meals a day. And the large lobby at Jambo is connected to the open restaurant of Boma which is very noisy. Some people like the noise and bustle and others don't. I think resorts that are mainly DVC members are friendlier as the guests are willing to chat with strangers as we know being members we have something in common and many DVC members are more relaxed with their Disney vacation. We know we will be back.

We own at AKV and will rotate between the two resorts as we like them both. Although we have started to only dine at Sanaa at Boma has just overpriced itself IMO. And Jiko is a signature which means we only dine there rarely.

 

[coup2516]

I'll add this point too on Jambo v. Kidani. If you have a car, Kidani parking is much nicer as it has an underground parking garage with elevators that go right up into the hotel. The walk from the hotel (elevators) to the car is usually much shorter than if you were parked in a traditional parking lot. The underground garage is also a great perk if it's raining and helps to keep your car (a little) cooler when it's hot out.

 

[rsjj]

QS is a quick service restaurant. Jambo House only has one floor of DVC rooms and 5 2BR lock off Club level rooms on the 6th floor. So floors 2 through 4 and are all Disney cash rooms. So most of the guests are cash guests. There are two table service (TS) restaurants, Jiko and Boma and one QS restaurant, Mara. It has a very large pool with slide and baby pool with just a few inches of water in it. Kidani only has one TS restaurant, Sanaa which has begun to serve a quick service breakfast in addition to it's table service lunch and dinner. The entire Kidani resort is DVC with very view cash rentals through CRO. Kidani has a community hall, Jambo does not. Kidani has a smaller pool with slide plus a really large water play area. Both resorts have a fitness center. Most of the daily activities are at both resorts or you can go to either one to participate. I think Kidani is quieter because it doesn't have as many coming from other resorts to dine for three meals a day. And the large lobby at Jambo is connected to the open restaurant of Boma which is very noisy. Some people like the noise and bustle and others don't. I think resorts that are mainly DVC members are friendlier as the guests are willing to chat with strangers as we know being members we have something in common and many DVC members are more relaxed with their Disney vacation. We know we will be back.

We own at AKV and will rotate between the two resorts as we like them both. Although we have started to only dine at Sanaa at Boma has just overpriced itself IMO. And Jiko is a signature which means we only dine there rarely.

Thank you for your detailed comparison between the 2 resorts!!

I'll add this point too on Jambo v. Kidani. If you have a car, Kidani parking is much nicer as it has an underground parking garage with elevators that go right up into the hotel. The walk from the hotel (elevators) to the car is usually much shorter than if you were parked in a traditional parking lot. The underground garage is also a great perk if it's raining and helps to keep your car (a little) cooler when it's hot out.

Thank you for the parking tip! We will be using Disney transportation this trip, so parking isn't an issue w/us this time. But I will definitely keep that in mind in the future when we do have a car to deal w/. Good to know!

Thank you all for taking the time! Truly appreciate it!!

 

[kreckl]

The other thing that I think sets them apart is the beautiful lobby at Jambo. It feels like a big, exciting place with lots of sofas...We really missed that at Kidani, where you just go in and head to your room. Some people prefer that, though. The other thing is that Jambo has a nice store- snacks, shirts, shorts, unique gifts...there is just a lot to do there. We happen to love Boma, and were not fans of Sanaa, and like the quick service food options at Jambo.

 

[bwbuddy5]

For those of you who have had the Pembe savanna view, did you feel it was all birds? I'm reading that on other posts.

 

[wdrl]

For those of you who have had the Pembe savanna view, did you feel it was all birds? I'm reading that on other posts.

Not at all. On two of our stays at Kidani our villa overlooked the Pembe savanna. Even though there aren't any giraffes on the Pembe, we saw a wide variety of other animals during both stays. Looking at my photos from one of our stays, I photographed elands, nyalas, and red river hogs, to name a few large animals. Plus, Pembe is the only savanna that has the okapis.

There are several bird species on Pembe, but I think its misleading to say it was "all birds."

The thing to keep in mind about viewing animals at AKV -- regardless of the savanna -- is there could be no animals in view one minute, but then a dozen animals appear just 10 minutes later. Patience is a virtue when viewing real animals.

 

[bwbuddy5]

Just had another thought about the animal viewing -- since we chose to stay at AKV for the sake of the grandkids (feeling the animal viewing is an attraction itself), I would hate to see the disappointed looks on their faces if animals weren't "viewable" when the grandkids wake up, when they return from the parks midday, and when they go to bed at night.

With that in mind, do you feel there are always at least SOME animals that can be viewed from balconies at both Jambo and Kidani most any time of the day? If not, which room/savanna combination would be most likely?

 

[wdrl]

Just had another thought about the animal viewing -- since we chose to stay at AKV for the sake of the grandkids (feeling the animal viewing is an attraction itself), I would hate to see the disappointed looks on their faces if animals weren't "viewable" when the grandkids wake up, when they return from the parks midday, and when they go to bed at night.

With that in mind, do you feel there are always at least SOME animals that can be viewed from balconies at both Jambo and Kidani most any time of the day? If not, which room/savanna combination would be most likely?

I love AKV, but I must warn you there is not a single room location that can guarantee views of animals during the early morning, at midday, and at night. These are real animals and they come and go as they please.

Having said that, I think all savanna view villas offer views of some animals throughout the course of the day. As I said in a previous post, patience is required at times because the animals move about.

Both Kidani and Jambo House have public viewing areas just off their lobbies. Plus, there are large picture windows between the beads of each resort where you can view the savannas and see some animals. If there aren't any animals in view from your balcony, you can always go to one of these public viewing areas to spot animals.

I don't know how young your grandkids are, but maybe they would enjoy it if you took them on an 'animal hunt' around the resort. AKV puts an animal viewing guide in each room (extra copies are available from concierge) that lists almost all the animals on the savannas. Have the grandkids check off each animal when they see it. They might need to move about the resort to locate animals on the different savannas. Also, have the grandkids talk to the cultural representatives and animal guides that are all over the resort. They can give the kids tips on where and when to see some of the animals.