AKL advice - May 2026

[elsa15]

Hello!

We are looking to book just 1 night at AKL in early May 2026. We are waiting for other family to arrive in Orlando the following day before we head to our main accommodation, so its really not a long stay but still trying to make the right decision on booking.

We will be looking at a 2 bed Savannah View room, there will be myself, my husband & our 8 month old as well as my mum & dad - are we better off at Kidani Village or Jambo House with the renovations going on? We will have the full day at the resort after checkout as our other family doesnt arrive until 7pm, and plan to spend this time mainly at the Jambo House pool so obv leaning to Jmabo House. However will any of the room refurbs there be done by then? Would be nice to stay in an updated room if we can. Also dont fancy being in a room with one of the old sofa beds (although i think with a 2 bed we will have plenty space we wouldnt need to use it anyway if im thinking of the correct layout)

Any advice would be great - I know its only for the one night but I still like to make it as special as I can for my family, and the room is a big part of our vacations (will never be in the "its just somewhere to lay your head for the night" crowd as much as I'd like to be!)

 

[erionm]

The AKV room refurbishment starts with Kidani Village later this year and will move over to Jambo House once KV is done. For 1-bedroom and larger villas, I prefer Kidani Village as they are larger than those in Jambo House and have an additional bathroom as well.

 

[MyDogTink]

I haven’t stayed at Jambo. We reluctantly stayed in a 2BR Savannah view at Kidani in May and LOVED it. I think the pool and slide at Kidani are better and I am partial to full DVC resorts. The walk to Jambo is quick and enjoyable.

 

[sndral]

All of the Jambo house 2 br.s are lock offs - so 1 king size bed in the master bedroom & 1 queen bed in the studio/second bedroom + sleeper sofas in the livingroom & studio/bedroom. Two bathrooms & the tub in the master bedroom bathroom is a large spa tub w/ a wide surround so if you plan to bathe your child you’d likely want to use the studio tub w/ overhead shower. Kidani has dedicated & lock offs 2 br.s & the 2 br.s are larger than Jambo’s 2 br.s, Kidani 2 br.s have 3 bathrooms.
The Kidani refurb is scheduled to start 10/25 - whether it’ll be done by May & they’ve moved on to working on Jambo is very much an open question. I’d guess that you are more likely to get a refurbed villa at Kidani &, of course you have a chance of getting a villa on a lower floor - but the Kidani hallways are long, the lobby is far less impressive than Jambo’s & the QS Mara is at Jambo. OTH, the table service Sanaa at Kidani is open for lunch - so . If you’ll have a car the under building parking at Kidani is easier for schlepping your luggage to/from the villa.
Since you’re only there 1 night & you plan to swim at Jambo after you check out of the resort at 11 a.m., I’d make it easy on myself & stay at Jambo especially if I didn’t have a car.

I haven’t stayed at Jambo. We reluctantly stayed in a 2BR Savannah view at Kidani in May and LOVED it. I think the pool and slide at Kidani are better and I am partial to full DVC resorts. The walk to Jambo is quick and enjoyable.

If OP’s 8 mo. old was a bit older I think Kidani’s splash area would be a hit, but w/ 4 adults & the baby Jambo’s more spacious pool area may be preferable.
There’s a small shuttle bus that runs continuously between the 2 buildings.

 

[MyDogTink]

@sndral knows best when it comes to AKV. I’m think a 2 BR lock-off may be helpful for OP. OP’s mom and dad can have the kitchenette.

 

[Wayland10]

I absolutely love Jambo and would book there every time. The Lobby, the restaurants, the pool and the Mara are all fantastic. I’ve stayed at Kidani and it just didn’t feel as special.