Having some nagging doubts

[Barbydoll8]

AKL is my home resort and we've stayed many times on both sides. I like to switch back and forth. For a quick stay (one or two nights) we usually stay in Jambo. It's more grand with a hustle and bustle that if you want energy, you'll have found it. The pool is great there but I find it to be crowded anytime I've been there. The over looks are good at Jambo but a bit odd as they are all not connected to each other. Boma is to die for.

Now the other side...Kidani is relaxing! I liked the pool better as it was much more swimable. They do have great activities in the pool area and I liked the gym better at Kidani. I also liked being able to grill out at Kidani instead of eating in the room. Bringing maranaded steaks to throw on charcoal is divine and you can do that at Kidani. They even have grill utencils you can borrow in the rec center. The lobby is small and intimate but the savana over looks are great! They do story telling there too at night and I found the fire ring wonderful. The views of the animals IMO, are better and you see more. Night vision is better at Jambo just because of how the resort is arranged (less light on the over looks).
Ah, and covered parking. Who doesn't want that in FL?

You can't go wrong on either side of AKL but I would say I lean more towards the Kidani side as a favorite.

 

[Who's your Mickey?]

Yes, we'll have 4 kids with us and a dedicated 2 bedroom. Thank you! I know it sounds so silly to worry about this. We've got ADRs at both Boma and Saana. We have always been very impressed with our villas at DVC and I'm sure Kidani will be no different. I think the dedicated seems nice too as it gives everyone a real bed. With 2 Q beds, my living gets to stay a living room.

Is the pool fun for older kids too? They will be 15,14,13, and 11 at the time of travel. I mean really, any kid should be able to have fun in any pool.

With 3 teens and a tween, the extra bathroom at Kidani will be beneficial. We stayed in a 1BR at Jambo and my kids were 10 & 6 and the one bathroom bit got old quickly. The vibe is different between the two buildings, but both are a great time.

Also, the Disney Transport busses stop at Kidani first then go to Jambo.

 

[Princess Olivia]

We stayed in a dedicated 2 bedroom in October and fell in love!! Our home is BLT and if not for the convenience of walking to MK with two babies I would stay at Kidani again. We have two teens and two little ones (this trip we also had my mom and 21yr old goddaughter). The little kids LOVED the huge shower in the master bedroom. They would go in and play(and get washed) while one of us showered. I loved the bathroom, the colors, and the lion king like theme above the sunken tub...awesome. We had a savanna view to the left of the lobby. It truly was magical!! Enjoy!

 

[tammydel]

My two cents are that if you stay at Kidani, you can still easily experience the aspects of Jambo that you think you'll miss.

If you stay at Jambo, you can't experience the extra bathroom or the "first bus" aspect.

This is why we chose Kidani! All else being equal we may have opted for Jambo. But we still can go there and enjoy the lobby, pool, Mara etc...No way to replace that 3rd bathroom with 3 teens.

 

[coup2516]

We've stayed at both Kidani and Jambo and definitely preferred Kidani. It is smaller and has a much more intimate feel. Plus it's easier/quicker to get around, get to the store to refill our mugs, etc. This might seem silly, but we also really liked it bc the parking is under the hotel and you can just take an elevator up to the hotel. No lugging lots of baggage miles across a big, hot parking lot.

 

[rentayenta]

The coffee maker we had at Kidani last week used the 8-12 cup basket filters.

We love Kidani! Fairly good if you use a bus, very nice if you use a car. Very close to Jambo if you need to go to dinner or something. We prefered the backyard area of Kidani to Jambo. It was more initmate, quiet. Almost everynight (in January) we had the fire to ourselves and plenty of time on the night vision scopes.

I'd take Kidani no questions asked over Jambo for a one or two BR. For a studio, I don't think there is as much of a difference. As has been mentioned the extra room and bathroom are well worth it for a family. Kidani has a great pool and play area as well.

Your priorities may be different than ours but we don't spend a lot of time at the resort. It is mostly for sleeping. We never eat at the same place more than once.

It was one quiet evening in January, dark, as we were walking up the path towards the main Kidani enterance. As we got closer we noticed the detail like the old fanshioned "laterns" placed in the wall. It really felt a little like some aged, expedition outpost out on the savanah. My wife and I looked at each other and basically said at the same time "This is my favorite resort!"

That sounds so nice. We won't have a car so that won't count on the pro side but I agree about the lanterns and overall feel. We did check out the pool during our stay and were on the bus when it dropped off first. I've seen some more pics and I could really fall for Kidani.

AKL is my home resort and we've stayed many times on both sides. I like to switch back and forth. For a quick stay (one or two nights) we usually stay in Jambo. It's more grand with a hustle and bustle that if you want energy, you'll have found it. The pool is great there but I find it to be crowded anytime I've been there. The over looks are good at Jambo but a bit odd as they are all not connected to each other. Boma is to die for.

Now the other side...Kidani is relaxing! I liked the pool better as it was much more swimable. They do have great activities in the pool area and I liked the gym better at Kidani. I also liked being able to grill out at Kidani instead of eating in the room. Bringing maranaded steaks to throw on charcoal is divine and you can do that at Kidani. They even have grill utencils you can borrow in the rec center. The lobby is small and intimate but the savana over looks are great! They do story telling there too at night and I found the fire ring wonderful. The views of the animals IMO, are better and you see more. Night vision is better at Jambo just because of how the resort is arranged (less light on the over looks).
Ah, and covered parking. Who doesn't want that in FL?

You can't go wrong on either side of AKL but I would say I lean more towards the Kidani side as a favorite.

Grilling is on our list so that's great to know! The fire ring and storytelling are on our must-do activity list so awesome to know its at Kidani. We've got ADRs at both a Boma and Saana. We've been to Boma but never Saana. We're so looking forward to it.

With 3 teens and a tween, the extra bathroom at Kidani will be beneficial. We stayed in a 1BR at Jambo and my kids were 10 & 6 and the one bathroom bit got old quickly. The vibe is different between the two buildings, but both are a great time.

Also, the Disney Transport busses stop at Kidani first then go to Jambo.

I agree, the third bathroom means NO KIDS ever have to use our master bath!!

We stayed in a dedicated 2 bedroom in October and fell in love!! Our home is BLT and if not for the convenience of walking to MK with two babies I would stay at Kidani again. We have two teens and two little ones (this trip we also had my mom and 21yr old goddaughter). The little kids LOVED the huge shower in the master bedroom. They would go in and play(and get washed) while one of us showered. I loved the bathroom, the colors, and the lion king like theme above the sunken tub...awesome. We had a savanna view to the left of the lobby. It truly was magical!! Enjoy!

Thanks! We really enjoy the decor much more than we thought we would. We stayed at Jambo in 2009 with friends and it was fabulous. We could see Kidani across the way. I'm excited for the huge master bed/bath.

This is why we chose Kidani! All else being equal we may have opted for Jambo. But we still can go there and enjoy the lobby, pool, Mara etc...No way to replace that 3rd bathroom with 3 teens.

Good point. Three teenage girls and one tween boy. He can have his own bathroom even and the girls can throw their stuff all over without getting in our way.

We've stayed at both Kidani and Jambo and definitely preferred Kidani. It is smaller and has a much more intimate feel. Plus it's easier/quicker to get around, get to the store to refill our mugs, etc. This might seem silly, but we also really liked it bc the parking is under the hotel and you can just take an elevator up to the hotel. No lugging lots of baggage miles across a big, hot parking lot.

Thank you. We won't have a car or mugs but can see how both of those would be perks.

 

[dd08]

Yet another reason why I love AKV.

IMHO, it's two slightly different resorts in one.

We switch it up often, however, there are times when we purposefully pick Jambo: 1) if we go studio, such as our next trip
2) the value rooms (our trip next year we will have a 1-br for 1 week for a total of 139 points )
3) one day we'll splurge and get concierge, one to try it out and two to do the Sunrise Safari
4) The Jambo Christmas Tree (yeah, I said it) is 2nd only to VWL (and I said that too) out of the DVC resorts.

 

[dd08]

BTW, we took extended family last year when I did the half-marathon.

Got a dedicated 2-br at Kidani

As others have stated, it's sooooo nice. The 2nd queen in the 2nd bedroom, the 3rd bathroom,

 

[rentayenta]

Walking doesn't bother us either! I had read so much about the loooooong hallways at Kidani, but we weren't bothered by it at all...and we were about as far away as you can get from the lobby.

The pool at Kidani is awesome. I have pics of the pool (and the room) that I can post on here tomorrow if you are interested in seeing them. The water slide is lots of fun. DH and DD12 agreed that Kidani's pool and slide is much better than the one at BLT. They have a pool party at Kidani, and a pool bar with some food and yummy drinks. I think I even took a pic of the menu. We had no problem finding chairs at the pool there. We stayed at Kidani, but we enjoyed exploring Jambo and Kidani. I think you will too!

I would love to see your photos. Love a pool with vacant chairs! I'm planning some pool time at each resort and read Kidani's pool bar is pretty good!


I'm currently reading a trip report that said the walk to Jambo from Kidani is nothing. I guess distance is in the eye of the beholder.

It's a combo tub/shower like you have in studios/second bedrooms. They aren't separated.

Oh good to know. But they are separate in Kadani? My kids love to take a nice long soak and feel spoiled.

Yet another reason why I love AKV.

IMHO, it's two slightly different resorts in one.

We switch it up often, however, there are times when we purposefully pick Jambo: 1) if we go studio, such as our next trip
2) the value rooms (our trip next year we will have a 1-br for 1 week for a total of 139 points )
3) one day we'll splurge and get concierge, one to try it out and two to do the Sunrise Safari
4) The Jambo Christmas Tree (yeah, I said it) is 2nd only to VWL (and I said that too) out of the DVC resorts.

BTW, we took extended family last year when I did the half-marathon.

Got a dedicated 2-br at Kidani

As others have stated, it's sooooo nice. The 2nd queen in the 2nd bedroom, the 3rd bathroom,

Thank you! I can't even imagine how gorgeous AKV is during the holidays. It's spectacular on a normal day.

 

[hakepb]

Since there were questions..,

The Kidani master bathroom is huuuuge and has a seperate whirlpool tub and a large walk-in shower. It also has the clothes closet and water closet(toilet). The Kidani master bath can only be accessed from inside the master bedroom.

IMHO the Jambo master bathroom is a step down from any other DVC 1BR/2BR. The Jambo master bath is seperated from the master bedroom by a hallway that is open to the living room. In addition the shower is in the whirlpool tub. There is no second vanity in Jambo 1BRs (unlike the older DVCs)
Jambo is still a great resort so I would choose there for a studio or GV, and the 1BR might still be OK for a couple, but I'm not sure I'd use it again for a family.

 

[rentayenta]

Since there were questions..,

The Kidani master bathroom is huuuuge and has a seperate whirlpool tub and a large walk-in shower. It also has the clothes closet and water closet(toilet). The Kidani master bath can only be accessed from inside the master bedroom.

IMHO the Jambo master bathroom is a step down from any other DVC 1BR/2BR. The Jambo master bath is seperated from the master bedroom by a hallway that is open to the living room. In addition the shower is in the whirlpool tub. There is no second vanity in Jambo 1BRs (unlike the older DVCs)
Jambo is still a great resort so I would choose there for a studio or GV, and the 1BR might still be OK for a couple, but I'm not sure I'd use it again for a family.

Thank you. I'd love to see a photo of the two. I'm trying to recall the Master in Jambo. I need to see if I've got an old photo. Love a water closet. Our toilet is separate in our master bath at home and it's the best!

 

[PEANUT1]

this is a great thread! We are staying at kidani in a 2br for the first time. Ive always stayed at jambo bc we love it there. Im excited to try something new

 

[rentayenta]

this is a great thread! We are staying at kidani in a 2br for the first time. Ive always stayed at jambo bc we love it there. Im excited to try something new

When is your trip? We're really excited too! I'm picking up all sorts of info and have found some great pics. I hope hakepb post theirs!

 

[hakepb]

Sorry I just do not have the time to find and upload my pics.
Allears has a good set of pictures:
Kidani:
http://allears.net/acc/g_kidani.htm
Jambo:
http://allears.net/acc/g_aklv.htm
Note the hallway between the master bedroom(left) and the bathroom:
http://allears.net/acc/akv/Jambo1BR2011o.jpg

 

[Cuddlemama]

We've stayed at most of the DVC resorts at least once, and AKL-Kidani has become the most requested destination for our whole extended family.

We did 17 nights at Kidani in 2011 and are booked for 15 in January/February 2013. I tried to talk folks into trying something different or even doing a split stay (not because I don't love Kidani, just because I thought it might be fun to swap it up a little) but nobody would go along with the plan.

The bathroom in the Kidani master is the nicest around, and I can't tell you how many times the 3rd bathroom came in handy over our visits.

My kids are animal lovers (oldest is dead set on a career in zoo management, and volunteers at the local zoo, animal shelter, and does conservation outreach at age 13). They love spending time at the overlook, rocking in their chairs and talking to the CM on duty each evening. We've had some CM's that we enjoyed enough to exchange email addresses and even were willing to open our home here in NY to our favorite Zimbabwean CM who was at the end of his contract and hadn't seen snow.

The pool is big enough to be interesting but not as crowded, ever, as the pool at Jambo. The bar is great, and has some unique food and drink offerings. The water feature area for kids is really cool, and will be entertaining for at least your 11 year old son, and quite probably the girls at well, at least for a little while.

There are a full range of activities daily at Kidani, and Kidani guests are welcome at Jambo activities so you can get the best of both worlds. My kids loved Pelican Feeding, making Food and Enrichment buckets for the savannah animals, the nightly drum circles (I have 3 percussionists, so drums always make them happy), and collecting beads for the activities to make themselves personal keychains to remember the vacation. All 3 of those activities took place at Kidani. They also did the tasting tour, medallion rub, cookie decorating, and a couple other activities at Jambo on different days of the vacation. The walk to Jambo is easy, and if the weather is inclement, you can always take the shuttle from door to door.

 

[dianeschlicht]

One of the best kept secrets at Kidani is the drum circle and exchange personel presentations each night in the library. We looked forward to them every evening at 7:00 for the drum circle and 8:15 for the presentation. We even go over to Kidani when we are not staying there and take in those fun events when we plan a meal at Sanaa.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

The only thing I miss from Jambo is the impresive lobby, it's large, stupendious, decorated to the gills, but that's the only thing. I like the lighter decor of Kidani, the well designed living spaces and when traveling with 3 teenagers, the 3rd bathroom is the only way we ever get anywhere on time! Not to mention, that master bath is fantastic, the best on property IMO!

We had a dedicated 2 bedroom, the 2nd bedroom had two beds! No pictures

My son!

The savannah from our standard view balconies!

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