Just Returned-- Reviews of Old Key West and Animal Kingdom Villas (Jambo)!

[Stitch2244314]

Hi, everyone! We just returned from the World, and had a terrific vacation!We did a split stay between Old Key West and Animal Kingdom Villas-Jambo-- two brand new resorts for us! I can say, fortunately, that we really enjoyed both resorts! I would recommend them both, and would return to either without hesitation

Old Key West: We are big fans of CBR, mostly because of the tropical theme, so we thought that we might like the theme of OKW-- and we did. It had that tropical feel that we just really enjoy while on vacation. The resort was quiet, bus service was fantastic (never had to stand on a single bus-- in fact, most of the time the buses were more than half empty), CM's were mostly very friendly, and the rooms felt very spacious to us! A downside to the resort would be the size-- it is massive, and felt much bigger than even CBR. There are rooms at this resort that require 15-20 minute walks to the food court/lobby/main pool area, although there is an internal shuttle available. So if staying at OKW, I would only recommend that you put in a room request for one of the closer buildings-- other than that, OKW is a great resort, and I'm glad we gave it a try!

Animal Kingdom Villas-Jambo We had been hesitant to stay at AKL/AKV for a while now, since we normally prefer bright and tropical themes, and this resort always seemed dark. However, I am so glad we gave it a try, because I was blown away by it! The theme was so incredibly detailed, and the whole resort experience was just unique and very enjoyable. We had a Savannah view, and seeing animals outside our room was obviously a great experience. The CM's here were probably the friendliest I have experienced at any Disney resort we've stayed at. The food options were wonderful (we did miss having an indoor quick-service food court area at OKW) and in general, I really have no complaints about this resort. We did prefer the actual hotel room at OKW (for size and layout), but actually liked the decor at AKV more, surprisingly. This is a new favorite resort for us and I hope to return to AKL/AKV very soon!

So, as you can tell, we enjoyed both resorts very much, but would ultimately give the edge to AKV! Anyone who has any questions, please ask away!

 

[Mickeygolf]

Thanks for the review and I'm happy you liked OKW. It's our home resort and we just can't bring ourselves to stay anywhere else. We love the theming and we always stay close to the Hospitality House to be near the pool, Goods to Go, and the Community Hall.

Giving POR a try next week. Haven't stayed in a moderate since 1996, so we're excited and apprehensive at the same time. Should be a fun time. Glad you enjoyed your stay!!!

 

[Sue M]

Thanks for the review. We're really looking forward to our AKL stay in a few weeks.

 

[Stitch2244314]

Thanks for the review and I'm happy you liked OKW. It's our home resort and we just can't bring ourselves to stay anywhere else. We love the theming and we always stay close to the Hospitality House to be near the pool, Goods to Go, and the Community Hall.

Giving POR a try next week. Haven't stayed in a moderate since 1996, so we're excited and apprehensive at the same time. Should be a fun time. Glad you enjoyed your stay!!!

Thank you! I'm sure you'll love POR-- we stayed there in 2006 and thought it was a great resort! Plus it just had the refurb-- enjoy your trip!

 

[Stitch2244314]

Thanks for the review. We're really looking forward to our AKL stay in a few weeks.

Very jealous!! Have a great time!!

 

[pigletto]

You pretty much summed up my thoughts on these two resorts completely!
Loved OKW for the relaxed feel, the space,and the boat to DTD. Wish it had better counter service options, and I wouldn't want to stay in the remote areas without a car. The buses are good, but a car would be a preference of ours.

And AKL.. loved it all.

I wouldn't hesitate to stay at either place again. We'd even give a slight nod to OKW for our family. We had a wonderful time there.

 

[Stitch2244314]

You pretty much summed up my thoughts on these two resorts completely!
Loved OKW for the relaxed feel, the space,and the boat to DTD. Wish it had better counter service options, and I wouldn't want to stay in the remote areas without a car. The buses are good, but a car would be a preference of ours.

And AKL.. loved it all.

I wouldn't hesitate to stay at either place again. We'd even give a slight nod to OKW for our family. We had a wonderful time there.

Yes, I forgot to mention the boat to DTD at OKW.. that was great as well! Glad you enjoyed both resorts too

 

[mkoerner]

Thanks for the OKW info. We'll be staying soon for the first time and are very excited! I have heard their 1 bedrooms are large, plus we love the boat to DTD and have requested a villa near the HH. Fingers crossed

 

[KatMark]

Great review; we stayed at OKW last September and AKV/Kidani as well. We fell in love with them both. I've seen been back to OKW on a girls trip, and I'll be back at OKW in seven weeks with my DH for a week. We are saving AKV/Kidani for 2013 for our 30th wedding anniversary. Both great resorts!

 

[Magic3forme]

We really like those 2 resorts as well.. but we are more partial to Kidani-- we like the extra bathroom with 5 of us.

OKW--the kids loved the pool area and the CMs there were the best we have encountered!!

both do have great staff!!

 

[Stitch2244314]

Thanks for the OKW info. We'll be staying soon for the first time and are very excited! I have heard their 1 bedrooms are large, plus we love the boat to DTD and have requested a villa near the HH. Fingers crossed

That's exciting! Yes, with the size of the studios, I would think the 1 bedrooms are huge! Have a great trip!

 

[Stitch2244314]

Great review; we stayed at OKW last September and AKV/Kidani as well. We fell in love with them both. I've seen been back to OKW on a girls trip, and I'll be back at OKW in seven weeks with my DH for a week. We are saving AKV/Kidani for 2013 for our 30th wedding anniversary. Both great resorts!

Thanks! I would like to stay at both resorts again as well-- enjoy your upcoming trips!!

 

[Stitch2244314]

We really like those 2 resorts as well.. but we are more partial to Kidani-- we like the extra bathroom with 5 of us.

OKW--the kids loved the pool area and the CMs there were the best we have encountered!!

both do have great staff!!

Agreed! The staff at both resorts were impressive-- Also, we did visit Kidani and it looked great as well!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Thanks! We are staying at AKV Jambo (been there before) and OKW on our October trip. I am glad to hear you liked both. We love AKV! We just bought at OKW and this will be our first stay (1BR this time!). I'm really happy about the relaxed tropical feel to it!

 

[Stitch2244314]

Thanks! We are staying at AKV Jambo (been there before) and OKW on our October trip. I am glad to hear you liked both. We love AKV! We just bought at OKW and this will be our first stay (1BR this time!). I'm really happy about the relaxed tropical feel to it!

I'm sure you'll love OKW! Especially a 1-BR! And yes, it definitely has a very relaxed tropical feel-- kind of like the "vacation within a vacation" I experience at CBR. Hope you have a great trip!

 

[KatMark]

Question for you on AK/Jambo. Did you use the bus system? I'm debating for our next stay there (or Kidani) whether we should rent a car and drive as we have in the past, or use the buses like we have been doing at OKW without any problems.

 

[Stitch2244314]

Question for you on AK/Jambo. Did you use the bus system? I'm debating for our next stay there (or Kidani) whether we should rent a car and drive as we have in the past, or use the buses like we have been doing at OKW without any problems.

We had absolutely no problem at all with the buses at AK-- As a matter of fact, I would call the service fantastic! It seemed as if each time we walked over to a bus stop, our bus was either there or we had an under 5 minute wait. Now this of course could have been a fluke, but I would for sure say that we were satisfied with the bus service. The only downside is that it does take longer (not much though) to get to the parks/DTD than other resorts, but you probably already know that. Plus if you drove that wouldn't really change anyway. OKW also had more internal stops than AK-- AK buses just stop at Kidani and Jambo (2 stops), then heads to the parks. Buses were a bit more crowded than at OKW, but I only had to stand once on the DTD bus for about 2 minutes between the Jambo and Kidiani stop. Other than that, always seats available! All in all, I definitely give the buses a thumbs up

 

[KatMark]

We had absolutely no problem at all with the buses at AK-- As a matter of fact, I would call the service fantastic! It seemed as if each time we walked over to a bus stop, our bus was either there or we had an under 5 minute wait. Now this of course could have been a fluke, but I would for sure say that we were satisfied with the bus service. The only downside is that it does take longer (not much though) to get to the parks/DTD than other resorts, but you probably already know that. Plus if you drove that wouldn't really change anyway. OKW also had more internal stops than AK-- AK buses just stop at Kidani and Jambo (2 stops), then heads to the parks. Buses were a bit more crowded than at OKW, but I only had to stand once on the DTD bus for about 2 minutes between the Jambo and Kidiani stop. Other than that, always seats available! All in all, I definitely give the buses a thumbs up

Good to know. We've been fortunate at OKW that we were in an area where we only had two stops and one stop before exiting the resort, so that wasn't a problem. We don't mind the ride as long as we don't wait an hour for a bus. This was very helpful...thanks.

 

[Stitch2244314]

Good to know. We've been fortunate at OKW that we were in an area where we only had two stops and one stop before exiting the resort, so that wasn't a problem. We don't mind the ride as long as we don't wait an hour for a bus. This was very helpful...thanks.

You're welcome. Good luck!