Jambo or Kidani?

Silver Queen

DIS Veteran
Joined
Oct 8, 2007
Messages
2,055
We are thinking of seeing if we can change our early August (9th-13th) reservations for three studios from SSR to AKV. Two questions:

1. Is it realistic to think that we would find three studios available?

2. If so, which would be preferable, Jambo or Kidani and why?

Thanks for all of your thoughts and opinions!
 
You can probably get three studios, but they might not be close to one another. In Jambo, you have a choice of 4 possible views, but likely only Standard (pool view) and Savanna view might be available. I would guess that the Value studios and Concierge are all booked. Jambo is the existing building with Mara the quick service restaurant, Boma and Jiko.

Kidani will be the new building with the new pool and water features. The restaurant there is called Sanaa. There should be studio views of standard (garden, pool, or driveways) and Savanna View.

You have to decide which is best for you.

Calling MS is your best answer on availabiity.
 
Thanks, Debbie. I thought I'd post my question about site preferences before I called MS so I'd have some kind of idea which way I wanted to go if there was a choice. I appreciate your thoughts.
 

Considering that Kidani is not open yet...no one has stayed there to compared.

:confused3 I had the same type of questions. When I was planning my trip in Oct. for F&W...I asked member service and they basically told me...if you like being close to the main lobby, Mara, Jiko, Boma...the bus stops then Jambo would be a better fit for you.

However, the studios in the Jambo house are smaller sq. ft vs compared to the ones in Kidani.

I was lucky enough to get a Con.L Studio, so it meant Jambo for us. :banana:
Have fun planning, no matter which one you decide..it will be very nice.
 
As the PP mentioned, Kidani is not yet open so it is hard to do a fair comparison. IMHO, if I were booking studios, particularly standard, I would go for Jambo. IIRC, the studios are very similar in layout (unlike the 1-2BR's) and so there isn't really a difference in the room itself. The standard villas at Jambo house are all at the front of the resort and just an elevator ride away from Boma, Mara, Jiko, the pool and the bus stop. They are all pool view too so you aren't stuck looking at the driveway. To me, the location of the rooms at Jambo outweigh the slightly larger rooms at Kidani. Then again, I haven't seen Kidani yet. It's hard to say how easy the access to the amenities (food, pool, parking and bus stops) will be from each type of room.

We are doing a "split stay" in April 2010. We are doing 2 standard studios at Jambo for 2 nights and then moving to a standard 2BR at Kidani for 3 nights. My parents are coming with us and it will be the first time they have seen the AKL. This way, they will get to see all of it in one trip. Unfortunately, our small contract doesn't allow us to get a savanna view, but there are plenty of other places to see the animals besides our balcony.
 
We are thinking of seeing if we can change our early August (9th-13th) reservations for three studios from SSR to AKV. Two questions:

1. Is it realistic to think that we would find three studios available?

2. If so, which would be preferable, Jambo or Kidani and why?

Thanks for all of your thoughts and opinions!

Kidani is a unknown at this time. No one even knows for sure what it will look like. I understand that several items during construction were cut or changed due to budget reasons. I'm sure that is will be the typical DVC style resort.
 
We had a ressie at 2 bedrrom AKV Kidani for July but changed it to BCV.. we are going to go over for lunch to see the layout of the new area then decide what section for our 2010 trip. I was concerned how far Kidani was from Mara the QS.. but I wanted the 3 bathrroms in the 2bv at Kidani...
 
Kidani studios will be about the same size as Jambo studios, they are showing only a 1 sq ft difference, with the exception of the small number of "value" studios in Jambo which are "value" because they are smaller rooms.

As noted Kidani is still an unknown because it is unfinished and no one has been there yet. Jambo, the known, offers top floor (5th most of the building, 6th for concierge area around lobby). You have very good restaurants, Boma a buffet, Jikos with table service, and Mara's with cafeteria style fast service. If you want refillable coffee mugs you can get them refilled at Mara's. The pool area is very impressive and, unlike a normal pool area, it has lots of trees and bushes and thus lots of shady areas you can find to sit in. The savannas are good. Depending on where you are placed, you can have a long walk from your room to the lobby (restaurants, access to pool, store, exit to front and busses, are all near the lobby). Theming is impressive, the lobby is huge, and the main animal viewing area is well done. Part of the being on a savanna theming is a little darkness as colors are dark and you will find that most of the internal of the building is dimly lighted and that actually includes your room. The savannas come very close to the building with the result that there are no first/ground floor rooms, and no exits to the outside except in the front of the building, to the pool area, and to the viewing areas.

Kidani, the unknown, should have very similar theming, will also have a large lobby and a store, the pool on paper looks imprssive as does the new play/recreational area. It will have only one restaurant, which will be table service (they say the pool bar will serve some quick foods) and at this point it is unknown whether you can even do the refillable mug there. You can, of course, use the restaurants and facilities at Jambo but getting from one building to another may be a long walk (1/2 mile from front door to front door). It too will have no rooms on the ground floor and there is supposed to be some parking under the building. The main animal viewing area off the lobby should be excellent. Most rooms will overlook the sunset savanna, which is basically a mess now because of the construction but once that is done it could be the most impressive savanna (part of Jambo also faces it). There will be another much smaller savanna to the very north of the building. I mentioned the possibility of a long walk from your room at Jambo to the lobby. Well, I have seen the north wing of Kidani and this one is going to put Jambo to shame because the walk from rooms at the end of that north wing to the Kidani lobby will be greater than 1/4 mile. Kidani will be all DVC with the result, unlike at Jambo, that you can get lower floor level savanna view rooms (2d floor). The point: many believe the direct view of the animals you get from the porch of a savanna view room on a low floor is much better than looking down on them from a high floor. Such a request for low floor is not guaranteed. Kidani will have its own bus stop and share busses with Jambo. and will have its own valet service.
 
Thanks for the information drusba. We're staying in a 1BR at Jambo in early August and your post answered some of my questions about the lay of the land at AKL.
 











DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter

Back
Top Bottom