AKV questions

[Native NYer]

We own at BLT and thoroughly enjoyed our first trip home in August. We have 10 nights booked at BLT in a 1 br LV for August 2011. We would love to do a split stay for that trip and plan on adding on a night.

We're considering 4 or 5 nights at AKV and 6 or7 nights at BLT. We've never stayed at AKV and have some questions.

1. We're a group of 3 adults and 2 children (ages 3 & &). We're planning on booking a 1 bedroom. Should we book at Jambo House or Kidani? Are the 1 br the same size at Jambo and Kidani?

2. Is it impossible to get a savanna view 1 br impossible to get at the 7 month mark?

3. Is there a walkway between Kidani and Jambo House?

TIA

 

[bobbiwoz]

Kidani's 1 bedrooms have 2 full baths, so that's where I would book. You could most likely get a 1 bedroom savannah view in Kidani if you book right at 7 months. Last year I wanted a 1 bedroom savannah view for March, and had to waitlist at about 5 months (because a DF decided to join us!)and the waitlist came through at the end of December.

Bobbi

 

[AKLFan3]

1. I would book at Kidani because you have 2 full bathrooms instead of just 1 bath at Jambo House. The 1 bedroom at Kidani is 807 sq.ft, Jambo House's 1 bedroom is 629 sq. ft.

2. I don't think it is impossible to get a savanna view at 7 months.

3. There is a sidewalk that you can walk on between the two buildings, it takes approximately 10 minutes to walk.

When deciding whether to stay at Kidani or Jambo, you also have to consider that Kidani does not have a counter service restaurant and does not have a breakfast restaurant. You can only eat breakfast and have CS meals at Jambo House.

 

[Disneyfreak616]

Kidani is great because the buses stop there first and you also get 2 bathrooms in a 1br.

 

[Native NYer]

Kidani's 1 bedrooms have 2 full baths, so that's where I would book. You could most likely get a 1 bedroom savannah view in Kidani if you book right at 7 months. Last year I wanted a 1 bedroom savannah view for March, and had to waitlist at about 5 months (because a DF decided to join us!)and the waitlist came through at the end of December.

Bobbi

2 bathrooms definitely makes Kidani appealing!
I'm going to make sure to definitely call right when MS opens at the 7 month mark.
Thanks so much for your help!

1. I would book at Kidani because you have 2 full bathrooms instead of just 1 bath at Jambo House. The 1 bedroom at Kidani is 807 sq.ft, Jambo House's 1 bedroom is 629 sq. ft.

2. I don't think it is impossible to get a savanna view at 7 months.

3. There is a sidewalk that you can walk on between the two buildings, it takes approximately 10 minutes to walk.

When deciding whether to stay at Kidani or Jambo, you also have to consider that Kidani does not have a counter service restaurant and does not have a breakfast restaurant. You can only eat breakfast and have CS meals at Jambo House.

Thanks so much for the info!
We'll have a car, so we can easily drive over to Jambo for meals. Plus, we usually just do breakfast in the villa. The extra space and bathroom at Kidani is definitely a plus. I'm going to try to get a 1 br savanna view room at Kidani.

 

[AKLFan3]

Oops, I made a mistake on the square footage of the Jambo House room. A value 1 bedroom at Jambo is 629 sq.ft. but the 1 bedroom savanna is 710 sq.ft. Kidani is still larger, obviously. You will have a great time!

 

[Native NYer]

Oops, I made a mistake on the square footage of the Jambo House room. A value 1 bedroom at Jambo is 629 sq.ft. but the 1 bedroom savanna is 710 sq.ft. Kidani is still larger, obviously. You will have a great time!

Thanks!
I think my nephews (3 and 7) will LOVE watching the animals.

 

[magicaldisney]

The one bedroom at Kidani also offers the sleeper sofa and sleeper chair in the living area which gives you more sleeping arrangements.

 

[Native NYer]

The one bedroom at Kidani also offers the sleeper sofa and sleeper chair in the living area which gives you more sleeping arrangements.

Oh great! Just like at BLT
Are AKV-Kidani and BLT the only two DVC resorts to offer the sleeper chair in the livingroom area?

 

[dgaston]

OKW has been adding the sleeper chair to 1 and 2 bedrooms in the current refurb.

 

[rance]

YOu will love AKV. We stayed in a studio at Jambo, but went to kidani a couple times.
THe pools are amazing and kidanni has the great splash pad area and the community hall is great at kidanni.

The lobby has less wow factor at kidanni, but jambo is easy to visit. Our kids loved both have a great time.

 

[Native NYer]

OKW has been adding the sleeper chair to 1 and 2 bedrooms in the current refurb.

I'll have to keep OKW in mind for a future trip. We're a group of 3 adults and 2 children and are trying to stick with 1 br to save on the points. The sleeper chailr definitely comes in handy!

YOu will love AKV. We stayed in a studio at Jambo, but went to kidani a couple times.
THe pools are amazing and kidanni has the great splash pad area and the community hall is great at kidanni.

The lobby has less wow factor at kidanni, but jambo is easy to visit. Our kids loved both have a great time.

I'm getting really excited about staying at Kidani for a few days. I'm just hoping I'll be able to get a 1 br savanna view at the 7 month mark.

 

[eyeheartgoofy]

The one bedroom at Kidani also offers the sleeper sofa and sleeper chair in the living area which gives you more sleeping arrangements.

Jambo has this as well.

 

[pilferk]

We own at BLT and thoroughly enjoyed our first trip home in August. We have 10 nights booked at BLT in a 1 br LV for August 2011. We would love to do a split stay for that trip and plan on adding on a night.

We're considering 4 or 5 nights at AKV and 6 or7 nights at BLT. We've never stayed at AKV and have some questions.

1. We're a group of 3 adults and 2 children (ages 3 & &). We're planning on booking a 1 bedroom. Should we book at Jambo House or Kidani? Are the 1 br the same size at Jambo and Kidani?

2. Is it impossible to get a savanna view 1 br impossible to get at the 7 month mark?

3. Is there a walkway between Kidani and Jambo House?

TIA

I'd go with Kidani (actually, we DO go with Kidani). It's bigger (sq footage), has an additional bathroom, and I think the Master Bath (with the separated walk-in shower and jacuzzi tub) is much nicer.

It is very possible to get a savanna view 1BR at 7 months.

There IS a walkway between Kidani and Jambo...but it's not covered and wends its way along the parking lots (its not through the savanna, or anything like that). It's about a 10 minute walk between the two.

Something we learned (and I don't think has changed): If you want to get to Jambo, hop any bus headed to the Theme parks. They stop at Kidani, first, and then stop at Jambo House. If you want to go from Jambo to Kidani, hop any bus to Downtown Disney. They stop at Jambo, first, and then go to Kidani. It's sort of a "makeshift" shuttle service.

 

[pilferk]

Jambo has this as well.

To be 100% clear:

Jambo DOES have a category of villa, the 1BR Value Villa, that doesn't really offer that option. While it has both the sleeper and the chair, there isn't enough space to get both of them open and useable. The occupancy for those rooms is rated at 4, I think.

But eyeheartgoofy is correct...Jambo and Kidani both, by and large, have the sleeper chair and sofa in all rooms. The big difference is the extra bathroom in the Kidani 1 BR's, the extra few square feet, and the separate tub/shower in Kidani's master bath.

 

[Native NYer]

Jambo has this as well.

Good to know. Thanks!

I'd go with Kidani (actually, we DO go with Kidani). It's bigger (sq footage), has an additional bathroom, and I think the Master Bath (with the separated walk-in shower and jacuzzi tub) is much nicer.

It is very possible to get a savanna view 1BR at 7 months.

There IS a walkway between Kidani and Jambo...but it's not covered and wends its way along the parking lots (its not through the savanna, or anything like that). It's about a 10 minute walk between the two.

Something we learned (and I don't think has changed): If you want to get to Jambo, hop any bus headed to the Theme parks. They stop at Kidani, first, and then stop at Jambo House. If you want to go from Jambo to Kidani, hop any bus to Downtown Disney. They stop at Jambo, first, and then go to Kidani. It's sort of a "makeshift" shuttle service.

Thanks for the info and tips on the bus.
The extra bathroom in a 1 br at Kidani definitely makes it more appealing than Jambo House. We loved having 2 bathrooms in our 1 br at BLT in August. It makes getting ready so much faster.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for some pixie dust at the 7 month mark.

To be 100% clear:

Jambo DOES have a category of villa, the 1BR Value Villa, that doesn't really offer that option. While it has both the sleeper and the chair, there isn't enough space to get both of them open and useable. The occupancy for those rooms is rated at 4, I think.

But eyeheartgoofy is correct...Jambo and Kidani both, by and large, have the sleeper chair and sofa in all rooms. The big difference is the extra bathroom in the Kidani 1 BR's, the extra few square feet, and the separate tub/shower in Kidani's master bath.

I think Kidani is the better choice for us. We can't wait!