AKV: Jambo House or Kidani Village

[kidtoothdrlaura]

Hi everyone! I am new DVC owner at AKV. I am planning a week trip there in December. I have Jambo house booked in a Savannah view studio (for me and my two kids). What is the difference btwn Jambo and Kidani? Any suggestions?

 

[hakepb]

Hi everyone! I am new DVC owner at AKV. I am planning a week trip there in December. I have Jambo house booked in a Savannah view studio (for me and my two kids). What is the difference btwn Jambo and Kidani? Any suggestions?

Jambo has more dining options, so that usually works best w/ a studio.

Kidani has a smaller (and sometimes less busy) lobby and has DVC rooms on all floors (a little closer to animals than Jambo where DVC is 5th floor and 6th for concierge) Kidani's pool/slide is better for kids. Kidani has a parking garage under the rooms so that is convient if you have a car.

The 1 and 2 bedrooms (larger and 2 bathrooms)are much better in Kidani, but I'd choose Jambo for a studio.

 

[kidtoothdrlaura]

Thank you!

 

[dgaston]

Here's my take on the two:
Comparison of Jambo and Kidani

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
Master bath has shower/jetted tub combo plus toilet in one room (toilet is spilt off)
Parking in lots
Bus to DTD first stop
Rooms on 5th floor, except for 5 2br lockoffs on 6th for concierge

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
separate shower and jetted tub in master bath
community hall
Under building parking
Park buses first stop
Rooms on floors 2 through 5

 

[CruznLexi]

We prefer KV as it is the first stop on both pick up and drop off except down town Disney we like the pool better. Community hall. But it does not have a counter service.

 

[dgaston]

Ooops! Double post two hours later

 

[figmentsimagination]

Wow, that is a tough decision! I myself am trying to decide between those or staying at the Beach club.....

 

[Anal Annie]

For studios at AKV we prefer Jambo House. We like the larger lobby, larger store and having the Mara & Boma right there for meals. At Kidani there is no place to pick up CS food and you have to schlep 10 minutes over to Jambo. I also don't like the bathroom layout in the Kidani studios. In Jambo the bathroom is a traditional split bath layout with the tub/shower & toilet in one room and the vanity area is outside of that. In Kidani there is a door leading into a room that has the tub/shower & vanity and the toilet is in it's own little room (I think when they do that it's called the "watercloset"). I didn't find the setup to be as useful if I wanted to use the vanity while someone was showering.

 

[disneybeachprincess]

Any AK savannah view room is priceless!!!

 

[Canadian Disney Mom]

I give Jambo a slight advantage because of the amenities, however we have stayed at Kidani and loved it as well. We are actually going this summer for two weeks and could not get the whole stay in one Savannah view studio so we are at Jambo for the first week and Kidani for the 2nd. We've waitlisted the 2nd week at Jambo, but if it doesn't come through I will not be disappointed. I love them both!!

 

[DarleneW]

DH and I are staying at Kidani in March. I didn't know there was a CS at Jambo. Can we walk over there or do we have to either drive or take their bus? We stayed at Kidani last year and I don't think we went over to Jambo nor did we know about the CS.

 

[chalee94]

DH and I are staying at Kidani in March. I didn't know there was a CS at Jambo. Can we walk over there or do we have to either drive or take their bus?

you can walk or take the bus (as you probably know, all buses but DTD stop first at kidani then jambo.) the CS is called "mara."

 

[LovinmyDisneylife]

DH and I are staying at Kidani in March. I didn't know there was a CS at Jambo. Can we walk over there or do we have to either drive or take their bus? We stayed at Kidani last year and I don't think we went over to Jambo nor did we know about the CS.

You can walk to and from Jambo. All of the buses stop at Kidani first (with the exception of the DTD bus which stops at Jambo first) so you can hop any bus from Kidani to Jambo and the just walk back. It's only like a 10 minute walk max.