AKV question

[lundve]

I'd like to ask two opinion questions, as we have never stayed there.

1. If it were you staying there for a week would you get a rental car?

2. With two boys ages 6 and 3, do you think that Jambo house or Kidani Village is a better choice, or are they equal in your eyes.

 

[dzorn]

I'd like to ask two opinion questions, as we have never stayed there.

1. If it were you staying there for a week would you get a rental car?

We usually do a combo. We will rent a car for the weekend we arrive then drop off at the CCC or Dolphin. This allows us to hit the outlets, grocery store and occasionally TS at a resort other than ours. We have also rented for the week but only on limited park time trips.2. With two boys ages 6 and 3, do you think that Jambo house or Kidani Village is a better choice, or are they equal in your eyes.

What size room/view were you thinking? If booking standard view we usually go with Jambo for he pool view and close to Mara. But 1-bedrooms at Kidani have 2 bathrooms so some perfer that. The pool at Kidani is great for your age children. DD also likes the community hall at Kidani. Denise in MI

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Definitely Kidani over Jambo. The pool area is incredible and there are always activities going on in the Community Hall (we would stop and get coloring sheets to bring back to the room).

 

[DizGirl20]

1. We are staying at Kidani in April and we are renting a car, BUT we always rent a car no matter where we stay. I like having the freedom to go where I want, when I want, but that's just me. There are varying opinions on bus service at AKV but for the most part they seem to be very favorable.

2. I would give Kidani a try first. I think your boys will love the new pool/water play area. Your only issue might be the distance to Jambo from Kidani. My kids are older and don't mind the walk but I think your little ones might not be up for the trek - in which case you will have to wait for a bus to Jambo - which really isn't a big deal.

HAVE FUN!

 

[Lexxiefern]

I always have a car. But we don't do the bus. We find it faster and easier with 2 little ones to drive.

I have only stayed at Jambo and we love it! Like a PP said, standard views are all pool view which is great and we like being close to Mara. That said, we really want to try Kidani for the bigger rooms and the community hall there is great. The pool at Kidani is wonderful, but we will just walk over to use it. You can't lose either way - they are both great resorts!!

 

[LeahA]

I don't think you need a car. I also have stayed on both sides of the resort and had a great vacation on both sides. The pool at Kidani has a interactive water play area for kids. We are staying at Kidani our 2nd time next week. We've stayed at Jambo 1 time.

 

[ccgirl]

Take ME from the airport to AKL. Then, get a car rental at the Car Care Center or the Dolphin. Return in there and take ME back to the airport. When we are at a resort with only bus service we ALWAYS rent a car. Especially with children. I am impatient and like to be on my own schedule. For me, the $150 is well worth it considering I am guaranteed a seat and don't have to wait for the buses. Just my opinion of course.

 

[purpliequeen]

We always bus everywhere and it's not a big deal. That being said, I've never gone with a 6 and 3 year old before. We've also always stayed at Jambo House. I think you really can't go wrong with either. It's nice having the huge food court in AKL though. We love AKL and always have a great time there- whether we're staying overnight or just visiting. Have a great time!

 

[Magic3forme]

we always rented a car when we flew into Orlando. dh doesnt like to be without one, and it gave us the freedom to go to Target etc for items we couldnt bring.

Hands down Kidani over Jambo. We did Jambo in Dec and were soo disappointed. Just returned from Kidani, 1000x better experience! The pool is great for little ones! and if you get a savannah view room, there are lots of animals to see. the drink station is easier to get to in Kidani also.

 

[ccgirl]

we always rented a car when we flew into Orlando. dh doesnt like to be without one, and it gave us the freedom to go to Target etc for items we couldnt bring.

Hands down Kidani over Jambo. We did Jambo in Dec and were soo disappointed. Just returned from Kidani, 1000x better experience! The pool is great for little ones! and if you get a savannah view room, there are lots of animals to see. the drink station is easier to get to in Kidani also.

Darn it! I just booked Jambo but am now second guessing myself!

 

[mommyoftwo08]

Well, we typically drive. I prefer to have my own car at the parks, but it's just a personal preference to be honest. It seems we have horrible luck with being on a bus and having to witness someone ill. That being said - we did fly one time (we're only in Atlanta), and the buses were great. Hardly ever waited for one and couldn't give you a complaint other than what we already stated. It just so happened to occur several times that trip- including our Magical Express ride - but that's a different story.

As for Jambo vs Kidani - we love them both. Kidani's pool does have a neat area, but the actual pool is seems smaller. Jambo;s pool is huge and it's really neat to be swimming and look up and see the animals. I haven't been to Kidani in over a year so I'm not sure if they finished the savanna by the pool. My boys do love the community hall at Kidani and they were the same ages as yours. You honestly can't go wrong with either resort, especially if you haven't been to one or the other. They both have little things here or there that you may prefer. If you are booking a 1 bedroom, I'd def. go Kidani for the extra bathroom. And the studio bathrooms are larger at Kidani as well. We enjoyed the Savanna view better at Kidani because you seem to have a better view of animals being on the lower floors. Even if you pick Jambo, Kidani is not a far walk. We end up cutting in the parking garage up and up those elevators rather than the walk to the main house. But that's just us!

Anyway - hope some of that helped a little bit! Good Luck and hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[MinMinn]

For those of you who have stayed at various resorts: do you think the AK busses take much longer than others? This is my one and only sticking point that is keeping me from booking AKL or AKV.

 

[seelyt2]

We found the buss wait to be about the same as others resorts. We did wait an excruciating long time to go to DTD last year (almost an hour!), but it seems that we usually run into at least one snag with the buses per trip. We've never rented a vehicle because we like to get on the bus and not worry about how to get there, etc., but I can definitely see where the luxury of having your own seat and not waiting in line would be preferred. But we do fine with the bus. We're pretty patient people. I have a question out of sheer curiosity - how much does it cost to park your car at most of the parks? Just wondering in case we decide to ever rent a car.
We've stayed at both Jambo and Kidani. Kids liked the bunk beds and large gift shop at Jambo (no fighting - yay! ), and loved the pool at Kidani. At Jambo I liked having the Mara nearby for bagels and coffee in the morning because in Kidani I made b-fast every morning and I got tired of it because I was on vacation too! But honestly, both resorts are wonderful and you can't go wrong with either.

 

[bobbiwoz]

With the ages of your kids, I think either is fine. You can use both pools, and over a week, you may want to visit both. I don't think a car is necessary.

 

[ccgirl]

We found the buss wait to be about the same as others resorts. We did wait an excruciating long time to go to DTD last year (almost an hour!), but it seems that we usually run into at least one snag with the buses per trip. We've never rented a vehicle because we like to get on the bus and not worry about how to get there, etc., but I can definitely see where the luxury of having your own seat and not waiting in line would be preferred. But we do fine with the bus. We're pretty patient people. I have a question out of sheer curiosity - how much does it cost to park your car at most of the parks? Just wondering in case we decide to ever rent a car.
We've stayed at both Jambo and Kidani. Kids liked the bunk beds and large gift shop at Jambo (no fighting - yay! ), and loved the pool at Kidani. At Jambo I liked having the Mara nearby for bagels and coffee in the morning because in Kidani I made b-fast every morning and I got tired of it because I was on vacation too! But honestly, both resorts are wonderful and you can't go wrong with either.

One of the perks of staying on site is that parking at the parks is free. If you stay off site it is $14 so I always calculate that in when I am debating b/w staying off site vs. staying on site. You just show your WDW room key at the booths and they wave you on by!

 

[csmommy]

We never rent a car for Disney & we did not like Kidani. Mind you AKV is our fav DVC, the kids like the bigger pool, the rooms & the whole feel of Jambo better. Kidani feels like a satalite resort to us & it does not have a counter service place, while Jambo feels like the real deal. I guess we are funny this way.