Jumbo Kidani differences

[mjtm610]

Hi,
We will be staying at AKL for the first time this fall.
What are the differences between staying at Kidani and at Jumbo? I know everyone will have a preference, but for someone going for the first time, what should we know? look for?
Thanks

 

[erionm]

Jambo House (original Animal Kingdom Lodge and still has hotel rooms):
All DVC rooms were converted from Hotel rooms and are on the 5th and 6th (Concierge Level) floors.
Only Jambo House has Value Villas (smaller) and Concierge Level Villas.
Only Jambo House has quick service dining (The Mara).
Grand Villas are one story and have a pool table.

Kidani Village:
Built from the ground up as DVC Villas.
1-bedroom and larger villas have one more bath then those in Jambo House. (1-Bedroom: 1 bath in Jambo House and 2 baths in Kidani Village, 2-Bedroom: 2 baths in Jambo and 3 in Kidani).
1-Bedroom and larger villas have more square footage (some up to 100 sq ft more) than those in Jambo House.
Grand Villas are two story (no pool table).

All Animal Kingdom Lodge/Animal Kingdom Villas amenities are fully accessible to anyone staying in either build.

 

[aew319]

I want to know this info too We just bought DVC points and are in the process of planning our first trip with them for November. I know we will be staying @ Animal Kingdom, but which will be best for us? Thanks for any insight.

 

[mjtm610]

Thanks for the quick reply.
I know it is a large resort. Is there a way to go from Kidani to Jambo, and visa versa?
Are there shops/ restaurants in Kidani, or only in Jambo?
Thanks

 

[erionm]

Thanks for the quick reply.
I know it is a large resort. Is there a way to go from Kidani to Jambo, and visa versa?
Are there shops/ restaurants in Kidani, or only in Jambo?
Thanks

Both Jambo House and Kidani Village have a resort store. There is a restaurant in Kidani Village (Sanaa) which is open for lunch and dinner.

The walk is maybe 10 to 15 minutes between the main entrances of both. Bell Services also runs a van between the two buildings.

You can also hop on either a Theme Park bus or Downtown Disney bus to get between the buildings. See post #6.

 

[erionm]

You will check in at the building you are staying at. The building will be confirmed when the reservation is made.

Disney's Magical Express and Disney Cruise Line Transportation drop off at the building you are staying at.

Theme Park Buses go from Kidani Village to Jambo House to the Theme Park.
Downtown Disney Buses from from Jambo House to Kidani Village to DTD.

 

[CruznLexi]

Kidani has no quick service there are some times in the store to buy bot not a lot. The store also has the refill for the mugs. There is an arcade and community hall. There is a table service place called Sanna only open for lunch and dinner. Great views of animals. The pool area is somewhat across the street from the main building a key card is required to acess it. They have a water play area and water slide. In the afternoon there have pool parties and activites. The pool is much smaller than Jambo. The Maji pool bar has food to order too. They also have ice cream bars. Kidani is also first pick up and drop off for the parks. Jambo house has both hotel rooms and villas. They have a quick service and 2 TS Jiko and Boma. Boma is one credit where Jiko requires too. Boma is very good for both breakfast and dinner. The pool is much bigger and the waterslide is pretty small but the hot tub is fantastic. We prefer KIdani due to the fact that it is quieter and pick up is first. We frequently will stop at AKL and have lunch at Mara and then go back to Kidani. They also have great old Disney cartoons too.

 

[ZebraDomeCrazy]

Hi,
We will be staying at AKL for the first time this fall.
What are the differences between staying at Kidani and at Jumbo? I know everyone will have a preference, but for someone going for the first time, what should we know? look for?
Thanks

Hi! I just bumped my review of Kidani for you back to the top. It is titled "Just back from Kidani". This was our first time at Kidani, and we were pleasantly surprised. My review may give you some comparisons or information. Jane

 

[BEASLYBOO]

The biggest difference between the two resorts, and those differences are what converted me to a major Kidani fan are:

Covered parking (we travel by car, in summer, it's great to get into a cool car, especially with the daily thunder storms)

We always book 2brs, travel in parties of 6-9 (3 of them teenagers, yikes) and the addition of a third bathroom, makes mornings so much easier.

They lightened the decor at Kidani, which I much prefer.

and because Kidani is an actual DVC resort, not one converted from a hotel, the lay out of the living space is so much better than Jambo.

Where Jambo shines is in their lobby, it's stunning, and even more so during the holidays. They also have a food court, but we don't use them, we much prefer to use the villa kitchen!

Can't wait, Kidani in 37 days!

 

[Simba's Mom]

Maybe I'm overly sensitive, but I feel a little bit of an "outsider" at Jambo. I think that's because I've had the misfortune of hearing rants from a couple people (who didn't know I was DVC) about problems with getting reservations since "they let those DVC people in". At Kidani, I feel a little more comfortable. That being said, I can't resist the value studios at Jambo, but I don't say much!

 

[LisaS]

We book 1BRs and I prefer Kidani because the master bath has a separate shower stall (like the other DVC resorts) whereas Jambo's master bath has a combo whirlpool tub and shower.

The master bath in Kidani is directly connected to the master bedroom so you can move between those rooms in privacy. In Jambo a small hallway separates the bath and master bedroom. It allows anyone sleeping in the living area to access the bathroom (since that is the only one in those villas) but it means whoever is staying in the master bedroom is in view walking between the bath and bedroom.

 

[Friendofpluto]

This thread is helpful to me. We are planning on staying one night pre cruise. The 1B at Kidani seems perfect. Glad to hear Cruise transport goes from this resort too. What is the best place to request for animal viewing- near lobby? I would hate to get a Savannah for one night and not have any animal exposure. Thanks

 

[dgaston]

Here's my usual list:


Jambo:
large impressive lobby, larger gift shop
busier atmosphere
larger pool, wimpy slide (IMHO)
steam room in workout area
counter service at Mara
value and concierge rooms
two sinks in studios
rooms retrofitted from existing hotel rooms
Master bath has shower/jetted tub combo plus toilet in one room (toilet is split off)
Parking in lots
Bus to DTD first stop
Rooms on 5th floor, except for 5 2br lockoffs on 6th for concierge

Kidani:
smaller, more intimate lobby and gift shop
quieter atmosphere
splash area at pool, and better slide (IMHO)
rooms designed for DVC
extra bath in one and two bedrooms
separate shower and jetted tub in master bath
community hall
Under building parking
Park buses first stop
Rooms on floors 2 through 5

HTH

 

[disneydreaming92701]

Dgaston thank you so much for the lists. I used to make our decision on where to stay next august.

 

[DebbieB]

Maybe I'm overly sensitive, but I feel a little bit of an "outsider" at Jambo. I think that's because I've had the misfortune of hearing rants from a couple people (who didn't know I was DVC) about problems with getting reservations since "they let those DVC people in". At Kidani, I feel a little more comfortable. That being said, I can't resist the value studios at Jambo, but I don't say much!

One of the reasons they added DVC rooms to Jambo is because they were having difficulty filling the hotel rooms.

 

[disneydreaming92701]

One of the reasons they added DVC rooms to Jambo is because they were having difficulty filling the hotel rooms.

'Those dvc' like it is second class citizenship ..

 

[DebbieB]

'Those dvc' like it is second class citizenship ..

There are alot of non-members who are upset that almost all the recent new construction is DVC (except AoA). But that's where Disney is making money. I would just blow it off, I could care less what they think.

 

[dburg30]

You will check in at the building you are staying at. The building will be confirmed when the reservation is made.

Disney's Magical Express and Disney Cruise Line Transportation drop off at the building you are staying at.

Theme Park Buses go from Kidani Village to Jambo House to the Theme Park.
Downtown Disney Buses from from Jambo House to Kidani Village to DTD.

If it is mid day and you are the only people on the bus, make sure that the driver is doing what they are supposed to be doing. Last trip, one of our party and his daughter got on the DTD bus at jambo, expecting it to goto Kidani.. (the father SWEARS he got on the right bus because we had talked about it). Well, I guess it never went to kidani (again, he swears he didnt just miss the stop not paying attention) and before he knew it they were on their way to DTD.. So make sure the driver knows you are going back to kidani from jambo on the DTD bus.

Again, I was not on the bus, so I am getting this 2nd hand, but he was pretty upset as was my brother (father in law / grandpa) and had some pretty strong words for the transportation people.

Probably a good idea on ANY resort that has multiple stops and you use the DTD buses for one way and resort ones for other.

 

[MouseMomx2]

If it is mid day and you are the only people on the bus, make sure that the driver is doing what they are supposed to be doing. Last trip, one of our party and his daughter got on the DTD bus at jambo, expecting it to goto Kidani.. (the father SWEARS he got on the right bus because we had talked about it). Well, I guess it never went to kidani (again, he swears he didnt just miss the stop not paying attention) and before he knew it they were on their way to DTD.. So make sure the driver knows you are going back to kidani from jambo on the DTD bus.

Again, I was not on the bus, so I am getting this 2nd hand, but he was pretty upset as was my brother (father in law / grandpa) and had some pretty strong words for the transportation people.

Probably a good idea on ANY resort that has multiple stops and you use the DTD buses for one way and resort ones for other.

Last night we came back from DtD on the bus and the driver went to Kidani first. The narration said "Welcome to Jambo House" but we drove past the turn and went straight to Kidani. There were two people waiting for the DtD bus at Jambo when we got there. They checked with the driver to make sure it was going to Kidani and he indicated he could take them there so I guess he went back. I think he may have made an honest mistake and was glad to see he was going to get them back to Kidani, but if they hadn't asked I wonder if he would have just headed back to DtD.

 

[majortom1981]

This thread is helpful to me. We are planning on staying one night pre cruise. The 1B at Kidani seems perfect. Glad to hear Cruise transport goes from this resort too. What is the best place to request for animal viewing- near lobby? I would hate to get a Savannah for one night and not have any animal exposure. Thanks

The animals tend to hang out by the lobby so your best bet is to get a room as close to the lobby as possible.