Jambo or Kidani?

[NRW2016]

Hi!

We're going to be renting DVC points through an agency for our upcoming January 2018 trip.

Our party is that of four adults and two young toddlers.

We are looking at the Jambo House or Kidani 2 bedroom villas. Which one is best? Main perks for us would be accessibility to buses, parks, transportation, budget friendly meal options on-site at the resort, and play areas for the kids.

Thanks for any tips!

(PS - My understanding is that through renting with an agency, we can still book all of our ADRs and FPs at the 180 and 60 day marks?).

Nicole

 

[erionm]

All 2-bedrooms in Jambo House are lock-offs (studio and 1-bedroom w/interior connecting door).

Kidani Village has both lock-off & dedicated 2-bedrooms. The KV 2-bedrooms have 3 bathrooms while those in JH only have 2. The KV 2-bedrooms are also approx. 100 sq ft larger than those in JH (except values which are even smaller).

 

[Shanti]

1. They both have their own bus stops, & the same bus picks them up/drops them off, so bus service/accessibility to parks/transportation is a draw. They're part of the same resort & only a minute or two apart by vehicle, & 7-10 minutes apart by walking.

2. Jambo has the really nice counter service Mara restaurant, so that's a plus for affordable meals. But again, you can walk over in 10 minutes from Kidani if you like, or catch the free shuttle van between Kidani & Jambo. Jambo also has the table service Boma, & Kidani has the table service Sanaa, which are neither cheap nor crazy expensive.

3. Both have kids' play areas & really nice pools with waterslides, but Kidani's pool is a bit better for kids imo, with a bigger waterslide & a kids' water play area that Jambo doesn't have. Jambo has the better hot tub, but Kidani's hot tub is fine. All guests of both Kidani & Jambo are allowed to use both pools, though, so it's really just a matter of walking or catching the shuttle van if you'd like to use the other.

So it's really a matter of preference. I prefer Jambo for its gorgeous lobby & proximity to Mara, but like to use the pool at Kidani at times. You can't go wrong with either. AKL is one of Disney's very best resorts.

 

[kniquy]

Jambo has a more massive impressive lobby and more busy. Kidani is still nice but smaller and quieter. There are still activities that go on and plenty of areas to view animals at either side. What sold me on kidani was the 3rd bathroom which will be a god sent when trying to get everyone (my party of 7) up and going in the morning. There is easy access between the resorts with either a short walk or shuttle, so making dinner reservations at either is not a concern. Some people prefer the pool at Kidani more. Kidani has a community hall where the kids can play games or do crafts.

If you can - view some youtube videos of each 2 bedroom setup-- aside from the extra bathroom, Kidani might be 100sq ft bigger. You biggest decision will be whether you want the savannah view or save a little money and get a standard room. We own at AKL and have chosen to save some points because really how much time do we spend in the room.

 

[NRW2016]

All 2-bedrooms in Jambo House are lock-offs (studio and 1-bedroom w/interior connecting door).

Kidani Village has both lock-off & dedicated 2-bedrooms. The KV 2-bedrooms have 3 bathrooms while those in JH only have 2. The KV 2-bedrooms are also approx. 100 sq ft larger than those in JH (except values which are even smaller).

Thank you!!!

 

[NRW2016]

1. They both have their own bus stops, & the same bus picks them up/drops them off, so bus service/accessibility to parks/transportation is a draw. They're part of the same resort & only a minute or two apart by vehicle, & 7-10 minutes apart by walking.

2. Jambo has the really nice counter service Mara restaurant, so that's a plus for affordable meals. But again, you can walk over in 10 minutes from Kidani if you like, or catch the free shuttle van between Kidani & Jambo. Jambo also has the table service Boma, & Kidani has the table service Sanaa, which are neither cheap nor crazy expensive.

3. Both have kids' play areas & really nice pools with waterslides, but Kidani's pool is a bit better for kids imo, with a bigger waterslide & a kids' water play area that Jambo doesn't have. Jambo has the better hot tub, but Kidani's hot tub is fine. All guests of both Kidani & Jambo are allowed to use both pools, though, so it's really just a matter of walking or catching the shuttle van if you'd like to use the other.

So it's really a matter of preference. I prefer Jambo for its gorgeous lobby & proximity to Mara, but like to use the pool at Kidani at times. You can't go wrong with either. AKL is one of Disney's very best resorts.

So helpful! Thank you so much.

 

[NRW2016]

Jambo has a more massive impressive lobby and more busy. Kidani is still nice but smaller and quieter. There are still activities that go on and plenty of areas to view animals at either side. What sold me on kidani was the 3rd bathroom which will be a god sent when trying to get everyone (my party of 7) up and going in the morning. There is easy access between the resorts with either a short walk or shuttle, so making dinner reservations at either is not a concern. Some people prefer the pool at Kidani more. Kidani has a community hall where the kids can play games or do crafts.

If you can - view some youtube videos of each 2 bedroom setup-- aside from the extra bathroom, Kidani might be 100sq ft bigger. You biggest decision will be whether you want the savannah view or save a little money and get a standard room. We own at AKL and have chosen to save some points because really how much time do we spend in the room.

Yes! I've been inside Jambo's lobby but we've never stayed there. It's gorgeous. Thank you so much for the info!

 

[BillPA]

Both will have a master BR with a king bed, and the kitchen/living room area will have a Queen sofa bed, the non-value units will also have a twin sleeper chair. Do you need 2 real beds in the 2nd bedroom? If so, Kadani dedicated 2 BR is your only option, it has 2 Q beds. If you can get by with the 2nd BR having a Q bed and a sofa bed, a lock-off would work at Kadani or the Jambo 2 BR (all of which are lock-offs)

 

[NRW2016]

Both will have a master BR with a king bed, and the kitchen/living room area will have a Queen sofa bed, the non-value units will also have a twin sleeper chair. Do you need 2 real beds in the 2nd bedroom? If so, Kadani dedicated 2 BR is your only option, it has 2 Q beds. If you can get by with the 2nd BR having a Q bed and a sofa bed, a lock-off would work at Kadani or the Jambo 2 BR (all of which are lock-offs)

We just need one bed per bedroom. The toddlers will sleep in pack n plays. Thank you so much!

 

[apple9117]

I def vote for Jambo! The main lobby is huge and impressive.

 

[kniquy]

2 real beds in the 2nd bedroom? If so, Kadani dedicated 2 BR is your only option, it has 2 Q beds.

Good point about the 2 real beds in the other BR. That was another reason why we chose the dedicated 2BR at Kidani. The sleeper sofa's aren't bad, but a bed is always better.

My understanding is that through renting with an agency, we can still book all of our ADRs and FPs at the 180 and 60 day marks?)

Yes, you can book dining 180+10 for your trip. FP are 60d out, but have your tickets loaded into your MDE website because i think just a resort reservation won't allow booking of FP. You can use the dining plan as well- the owner would have to add that for you but very easy to do because you just buy a gift card in the amount of the dining plan cost and then there is no sharing of credit card info. You can also get the magical express if you are traveling to MCO.

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

My thoughts:
Jambo has
The best animal viewing: especially if you get a room on the Arusha Savannah side. There are more giraffes and zebras on this Savannah. The Sunset savannah side has only 3 giraffes and 4 zebras. This savannah is shared with Kidani.
A good Quick Service, a good moderate restaurant, and a very good signature restaurant (Jiko).
Good Pool.
Spectacular lobby.
Potentially crowded busses, since the buses pick up at Kidani first, so in busy periods, the buses can be crowded or full at Jambo.
Good full size store.

Kidani has
Nice pool, but you need to walk through the lobby to get there.
Best bus access. Buses arrive at Kidani first.
Sunset Savannah, with fewer animals. We found if we just relaxed and treated the animals not as an entitlement, but as, well, wild animals with a mind of their own, then eventually we should see great animals. Patience is key for viewing animals at Kidani.
No quick service except for Sanaa for breakfast.
Sanaa is a good moderate priced restaurant.
The 1BR and 2BR have an extra bath compared with Jambo. And rooms tend to be larger.
Kidani is a lot quieter place, but there is still a good energy there.
You can usually park under your building and find a convenient elevator up to your room.
Small store.

 

[princessbride6205]

AKV is our DVC home. Both Jambo and Kidani are wonderful, so you can't go wrong. We don't mind walking between the two, so we tend to stay at Kidani and mosey over to Jambo for dining or the amazing gift shop.

 

[Brancaneve]

I'd say to stay at Kidani because of the dedicated 2 bedroom, the peace and quiet, and the fact that you are the first picked up at the bus stop. BUT I'd make sure to make reservations at Boma and spend some time in Jambo.

 

[bwbuddy5]

It's funny how everyone's experience with animal viewing has been different - I was curious too, here's a poll (small sample size) that I asked a few months back that may help a little (or just confuse )

https://www.disboards.com/threads/ak-animal-inventory.3550127/

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

It's funny how everyone's experience with animal viewing has been different - I was curious too, here's a poll (small sample size) that I asked a few months back that may help a little (or just confuse )

https://www.disboards.com/threads/ak-animal-inventory.3550127/

I think the poll is interesting, but it muddies the question of view by savannah. Arusha seems to have the most animals. Disney charges a premium for Arusha rooms in the hotel. Sunset is shared by the front side of Jambo and the rear side of Kidani, It seems to have fewer animals. Then there is Pembe which has no zebras or giraffes.

 

[Minniesgal]

We prefer Kidani and ask for a room in the bead closest to Jambo near the last elevator (Timon I think) then it is less than 5 mins walk to Jambo so we have the best of both.

 

[bwbuddy5]

I think the poll is interesting, but it muddies the question of view by savannah. Arusha seems to have the most animals. Disney charges a premium for Arusha rooms in the hotel. Sunset is shared by the front side of Jambo and the rear side of Kidani, It seems to have fewer animals. Then there is Pembe which has no zebras or giraffes.

Correct, and it makes you think, more Kidani folks say they saw lots of animals, even though none of Kidani rooms are on Arusha. I'm guessing they all vary.

 

[Deb & Bill]

You'll be on the fifth floor of Jambo House, but any floor at Kidani Village.

 

[FSU Girl]

I think the poll is interesting, but it muddies the question of view by savannah. Arusha seems to have the most animals. Disney charges a premium for Arusha rooms in the hotel. Sunset is shared by the front side of Jambo and the rear side of Kidani, It seems to have fewer animals. Then there is Pembe which has no zebras or giraffes.

Are you sure they charge a premium for Arusha rooms? It isn't a separate booking category and when I stayed there we got assigned a room that looked at it and we didn't have to pay more. Is it something if you specifically request it you have to pay extra?