Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge or AK Kidani Villas?

[Elle :)]

I'm planning a trip for September at either the AKL or AK-Kidani villas.

Here are my room choices.
AK-Kidani: - Deluxe studio-savanna view
AKL: Standard room-savanna view

If I go with the villas, I could rent DVC points and hopefully save myself some money. If I go with AKL I could possibly upgrade to club level, for extra FP opportunities.

So, which one would you choose? What are your reasons?

 

[FSU Girl]

I would go with the normal room. Jambo is a more impressive building, I love their lobby. You'll be right next to the food options and you'll still be able to use both pools.

 

[Elle :)]

I would go with the normal room. Jambo is a more impressive building, I love their lobby. You'll be right next to the food options and you'll still be able to use both pools.

I was under the impression that people usually preferred Kidani to Jumbo. I'm more than happy to add that one to my list of possibilities.

Which pools? I assumed that only AKL guests can use the AKL pool. Do you mean the pool for Kidani and the pool for Jumbo? Are there even 3 pools or am I just making that up? lol

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I was under the impression that people usually preferred Kidani to Jumbo. I'm more than happy to add that one to my list of possibilities.

Which pools? I assumed that only AKL guests can use the AKL pool. Do you mean the pool for Kidani and the pool for Jumbo? Are there even 3 pools or am I just making that up? lol

Guests staying at AKL and AKV can use the pools at both Kidani and Jambo.

For me, the choice would come down to how many people are in your party. Do you want two real beds or a bed and a pullout? Also, do you want to save money or spend a lot for the CL perks?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

If you are seeing a studio via cash booking, that doesn't mean you can book a studio with points. Different inventories. So you would need to check DVC inventory relative to point rental.

 

[Best Aunt]

This September? You're within 7 months (unless very end of September). If renting points, you need to know the DVC rules. From 7 months to 11 months out, only AKV owners can book at AKV (they can book Jambo or Kidani). But less than 7 months, any DVC owner can book at AKV. That means it's easier to find a DVC owner who can book the reservation on their points, but it also means that availability can decrease faster.

As PP mentioned, if you go to DisneyWorld.com and see availability at AKV, that's availability for people paying with cash. For booking on points, the availability will be different, and it can only be viewed on the DVC website which is not accessible to the general public. It's common to see availability on one website but not the other.

When you say you could "possibly upgrade to club level" if you book a room, what do you mean? Do you mean you might receive pixie dust and get a free upgrade? Don't count on it.

 

[Elle :)]

Oops, I feel like I opened a can of worms over here.
I know that there may not be any availability for renting DVC points. It's just a possibility that I will explore once I decide where to stay. If it's available, great. If not, that's ok too.

There will only be 2 of us so no worries about extra beds. When I say I may possibly upgrade to "club level," I am not expecting any pixie dust. I'm saying I may decide to pay the extra for a club level room. I just have to decide if it's worth it to me.

Right now, I'm just looking to find out which AK is your preferred choice and why. Thanks a bunch for all of your help.

 

[gillep]

I prefer Jambo house. I like the different food and bar options, I prefer the pool (although both our great and you can use both), I love the lobby and sitting out by the fire pits, and I really like walking around the store at Jambo. That said, Kidani is a great hotel too, and I would happily stay there, I just slightly prefer Jambo.

 

[brent02139]

First time visitor? I would go with Jambo, it offers so much more than Kidani. Maybe if I'm bored, have a car, have kids that loved splash zones, wanted some peace and quiet, would I consider Kidani.

 

[chalee94]

Jambo/AKL is more popular for studios. (Kidani 1BRs and 2BRs have an extra bathroom.) Regardless of whether you stay at Jambo or Kidani, you can use either pool. Park buses pick up first at Kidani.

I agree that renting points is probably unlikely this late in the game.

 

[happymommy]

I much prefer Jambo. We frequent the Mara, and it's a pain to get there daily from Kidani.

Kidani was okay for what it was, but I won't be back (we got a good deal on a rental that trip).

I did like the club level at Jambo - we spent a lot of time at the resort the trip we had it!

 

[MainMom]

I was under the impression that people usually preferred Kidani to Jumbo. I'm more than happy to add that one to my list of possibilities.

Which pools? I assumed that only AKL guests can use the AKL pool. Do you mean the pool for Kidani and the pool for Jumbo? Are there even 3 pools or am I just making that up? lol

Standard rooms are all in Jambo. Kidani is all DVC. Jambo also has some DVC.

 

[Texans_loyal]

I think I'm the only Disser that prefers Kidani over Jambo. I loved how private and quite Kidani was. Also, there were more animals out at Kidani. there is a shuttle that will take you back in forth so you won't miss a thing.

 

[GPC0321]

Interesting thread. I'm staying at Kidani for the first time in June. I've never stayed at or even stepped foot on either AKL or Kidani, but I wanted to rent DVC points, and Kidani was what came up as available (studio savanna view) so I took it.

Of the things I've heard about Kidani, I'm happy that: it's considered quieter and more remote than AKL, it has a nice pool and a pool bar that serves actual food, it houses Sanaa (which offers quick service breakfast as well as table service lunch and dinner and sounds delicious), and it gets picked up and dropped off first by the park buses.

We fully intend to head over to Jambo House to hang out and have a breakfast booked at Boma for one morning, but I'm content to call Kidani home for our brief stay.

 

[Elle :)]

I think I'm the only Disser that prefers Kidani over Jambo. I loved how private and quite Kidani was. Also, there were more animals out at Kidani. there is a shuttle that will take you back in forth so you won't miss a thing.

Thank you. We decided on Kidani. I prefer a quieter atmosphere too. We will probably shuttle over to Jambo to try out a restaurant or the pool there.

 

[Elle :)]

Interesting thread. I'm staying at Kidani for the first time in June. I've never stayed at or even stepped foot on either AKL or Kidani, but I wanted to rent DVC points, and Kidani was what came up as available (studio savanna view) so I took it.

Of the things I've heard about Kidani, I'm happy that: it's considered quieter and more remote than AKL, it has a nice pool and a pool bar that serves actual food, it houses Sanaa (which offers quick service breakfast as well as table service lunch and dinner and sounds delicious), and it gets picked up and dropped off first by the park buses.

We fully intend to head over to Jambo House to hang out and have a breakfast booked at Boma for one morning, but I'm content to call Kidani home for our brief stay.

This sounds like us too. I was hoping for a deal on a savanna view room and managed to get one through renting DVC points. I'm excited to try Sanaa too, though I may have to drag my DH because he is not a fan of trying new foods.

 

[Texans_loyal]

Thank you. We decided on Kidani. I prefer a quieter atmosphere too. We will probably shuttle over to Jambo to try out a restaurant or the pool there.

You won't regret it, it's a beautiful resort.

 

[GPC0321]

This sounds like us too. I was hoping for a deal on a savanna view room and managed to get one through renting DVC points. I'm excited to try Sanaa too, though I may have to drag my DH because he is not a fan of trying new foods.

It's just hard to beat the DVC point-renting deals, IMO. We were able to stay at the Grand Floridian in December thanks to renting DVC points from an owner. Best. Trip. Yet! And totally got me hooked on renting DVC points.

 

[Texans_loyal]

It's just hard to beat the DVC point-renting deals, IMO. We were able to stay at the Grand Floridian in December thanks to renting DVC points from an owner. Best. Trip. Yet! And totally got me hooked on renting DVC points.

I honestly think renting points is a better deal than buying DVC.

 

[BigB0882]

Renting points is really amazing. Going over Christmas and staying at the Boardwalk for what it would cost to stay at a moderate. Probably will do the same next year during Mardi Gras and it is even cheaper, half the cost of Christmas and looked to be over 50% savings compared to booking direct through Disney. No need to buy into DVC when you can rent so cheap and don't get locked in to anything.