AKL-Jambo or Kidani

[DE_Chris]

We are planning for a trip next year and want to get the group's opinion. As first-timer's at AKL, should we pick Kidani or Jambo? We have no interest in the concierge floors. We would get a 1 bedroom. Advantages and disadvantages?

Thanks in advance for your input.

Chris from DE

 

[Kidanifan08]

One big advantage of Kidani is that the park busses stop there first -- usually empty. One possible disadvantage is the lack of a quick service dining option at Kidani.

 

[cvjw]

Our family prefers the 1 bedrooms at Kidani over JH. The KV 1 bedroom seems larger than the JH 1 bedroom. Also, at KV, you will have 2 full bathrooms, as opposed to only 1 at JH. The bathroom setup at JH did not work for our family. The bathroom is all in one room - no extra sink in another room like most other 1 bedrooms have. For our family, it meant that only one person could be getting ready at a time, which was awful with 2 teen/preteen boys who love taking super long showers. Getting everyone out the door for rope drop was quite the ordeal.

 

[dgaston]

Some of the other pros and cons:

Jambo:
large impressive lobby, larger gift shop
busier atmosphere
larger pool, wimpy slide (IMHO)
steam room in workout area
counter service at Mara
value and concierge rooms
rooms retrofitted from existing hotel rooms

Kidani:
smaller, more intimate lobby and gift shop
quieter atmosphere
splash area at pool, and better slide (IMHO)
rooms designed for DVC
extra bath in one and two bedrooms
community hall

I like them both!

 

[jeffl]

I agree with dgaston - both have there pluses. For us it makes more sense to stay at Kidani: the extra bathroom is a HUGE plus, we eat breakfast in the room and eat other meals in the Parks/other resorts so having Mara nearby isn't as important, and if we do need anything at Jambo House it is a short walk or you can ride a park bus over.

The only reason I would trade Jambo over Kidani is if we were going on the Sunrise Safari and needed to be in concierge.

 

[mopee3]

Depending on the length of your stay why not stay at both. We normally stay 10-12 days and generally split the stay into 3-4 different resorts.

So if you were staying a week why not stay 3-4 days in each??

As has been mentioned each resort has advantages and after a few days you will then know where you will stay next time.


Moe

 

[McCrae]

I would add that Kidani is and feels newer than Jambo house. IMO in some places Jambo looks tired and needs updated.

 

[DenLo]

There's only one change I would make to dgaston's post, Jambo House is busier. After staying at Kidani and coming back to Jambo House the noise and volume of people were very noticeable. But not as busy as it is at BWV.

If we were staying in anything other than a value or a studio, I would still stay at Kidani Village I really liked it, despite the long hallways. They only felt long after a day at the park.

We were just there in early June and we didn't find out until almost our last day, but there is a free shuttle van that runs every 10 minutes between Kidani Village and Jambo House. You pick it at the lobby entrance not at the bus stop. We usually walked the path between the two resorts, and I was always surprised how quick the walk was between the two, no more than 10 minutes between the lobby entrances and that included having kids walking with us.

In the afternoon the park buses might be full and you'll have to stand but then all of the Jambo House people returning from the park exit at their resort stop and then there are plenty of seats. So you end up standing for a only a few minutes.

 

[LisaS]

There are another couple of differences concerning the master bathrooms in the 1BRs at Kidani and Jambo House.

In Jambo the master bath is not directly connected to the master bedroom. You have to cross a small hallway to get from one to the other so you cannot move between the two in privacy. There is a combination whirlpool tub and shower so you cannot have one person using the tub while another uses the shower.

In Kidani, the master bath is accessible only from the master bedroom so it is completely private. There is a separate shower stall as well as a whirlpool tub in the master bathroom.

 

[nytimez]

I think Jambo is the nicer hotel overall -- but there are two big pluses to staying at Kidani.

1) As mentioned, the buses stop there first.
2) You park under your room, or thereabouts. If you have a car with you, it makes getting to and from your car -- and to and from the parks -- quick and painless.

 

[pmcpmc]

This is our first time staying here and very impressed by the one bedroom savannah view room 7554.
great view of the Zebras,Greater Kudu,Tommies and ostriches already

 

[magicaldisney]

We prefer Kidani.....larger rooms, 2 bathrooms in the 1 bedroom, first bus stop, and in my families opinion Kidani has better savannah views from the rooms.

 

[mamaprincess]

If you were doing a studio or grand villa I'd say Jambo but because 1 and 2 bedrooms are so much better at Kidani especially for the extra bathrooms, I'd go with Kidani. The master bath is soooo much nicer at Kidani. The only thing that I'd warn you about is you may feel a little envious of Jambo's overall awesomeness and may wish you had stayed there. We stayed at Jambo first because of it's grandeur but when we saw my mom's 1 br, we knew we'd be doing 1br's a Kidani from then on. We really came to appreciate Kidani on it's own merits and not in comparison to Jambo. Kidani feels like an exclusive, private club. It is a Jewel box.

If you choose Kidani, take advantage of the shuttle van that takes guests back and forth between Kidani and Jambo. It's constantly running and is far more convenient than the bus or walking.

 

[Ariel8676]

I have stayed in both JH and Kidani and prefer Kidani! I love the extra bathroom, the pool and sprayground area. I don't mind not having a QS, because we go shopping and have our own food anyway. I LOVE the fact that it is so relaxing and quiet..

 

[drusba]

Jambo has the much larger and better lobby and store, three restaurants (table service, buffet, and counter service), and larger pool. The pool has lots of shaded areas because there are large trees and bushes in the area. Kidani pool has lots of sun and few shaded areas but has the longer slide and the elaborate water play area for kids. Kidani has only one restaurant which is table service and is not open for breakfast (however, Sanaa is one of the best dinner restaurants on site). With Kidani you can get lower level floor savanna rooms giving you more direct view of animals; all DVC rooms at Jambo are on 5th fl except concierge which are on 6th. If you have a car, Kidani is ideal for parking because you park under building and can usually park fairly close to an elevator that will then be fairly close to your room. At Jambo you can have a long walk to your room from the lobby, longer than any other DVC hotel including BWV. However, Kidani outdoes that one by having the longest possible walk down an internal hallway from lobby to end rooms than any other hotel in the world.

On balance we prefer the amenities at Jambo but choice of building comes down to the following: if staying in a GV or studio go with Jambo. If staying in a 1BR or 2BR go with Kidani. The single-story GVs at Jambo are the best on site. The 1BRs, and thus 2BRs at Kidani are much larger than at Jambo, have the extra bathroom, and have the separate shower and tub. Studios at both are about the same size.

 

[DE_Chris]

Thanks for all the feedback. Since we are 4 adults in a 1 bedroom, we'll probably opt for Kidani. The extra bathroom looks like a big plus.

Chris from DE

 

[Magic3forme]

we prefer Kidani. with 5 people staying in a 1bedroom, 2 bathrooms is a huge plus!! we like the parking garage underneath, rather than the huge lot at Jambo.