Kadini Village or Jambo House- Pros and Cons??

[robinbutterfly]

Can someone please tell me the pros and cons of each? We are not sure which one to stay at!
Thanks!

 

[palaemon]

I'll start off with this:

JH Pro:
Concierge Rooms are located here.
Better/more food options
Grander Lobby
Value Rooms located here.
Bus stops here before KV. (either to or from parks, not sure which)

JH: Con:
Smaller DVC inventory
Value Rooms are smaller
Only 1 bathroom in 1Br/2 bathrooms in 2 BR.
I don't think there are GVs at JH.

KV Pro:
2 bathrooms in 1BR/3 bathrooms in 2BR

KV Con:
No Value Rooms.
Smaller Lobby

That's a start... I'm sure AKV fanboys & fangirls will speak up.

 

[Kidanifan08]

KV pro: buses stop at Kidani before going to Jambo -- always an empty seat! (for DD they stop at Jambo first)

KV pro: smaller, quieter lobby. Sanaa on site.

KV con: have to walk or take bus to Jambo for QS restaurant, Boma and Jiko.

KV con: much smaller gift shop.

 

[palaemon]

KV pro: buses stop at Kidani before going to Jambo -- always an empty seat! (for DD they stop at Jambo first)

KV pro: smaller, quieter lobby. Sanaa on site.

KV con: have to walk or take bus to Jambo for QS restaurant, Boma and Jiko.

KV con: much smaller gift shop.

Thank for clearing up the food & bus pro/cons for me

I was thinking that if you had the DDP, you'd have to go over to JH to refill your mug.

 

[goofy4tink]

I've stayed in both, and like them each for different reasons. I love Kidani..I just love the whole feel of it and the fact that the common areas as not as 'big' as at Jambo House. The pool area is incredible. And I love that the one bedrooms have two bathrooms. And the majority of buses stop here first.
But....in order to get to that great pool area, you have to exit the main bldg, walk down the front walkway, along the entrance, to get to the pool. There is very limited grab and go. And if you think the hallways at BW are long, you're going to quite simply die when you see the long hallways at Kidani!! But, there are some simply stunning viewing areas along those hallways.

Jambo House does have an incredible lobby area, and a good gift shop area. You also have Mara for those quick grab and go meals. The pool area is nice and it is accessible without going out of the front of the building. And I like having Boma and Jiko in the bldg.
But I'm not crazy about having to get on overly crowded buses...with the exception of DTD buses. The one bedrooms don't have that addtl bathroom.

I'm staying at Jambo House next month in a one bedroom, savannah view villa...can't wait for my dd and dh to stay there. And in Oct, my dh and I are traveling with another adult couple. I am hoping to make the move from BWV for our last two nights over to Kidani. I want a one bedroom savannah view at Kidani..simply because it has that second bathroom and a sleeper chair.

 

[Lexxiefern]

I just love Jambo! One plus is all the standard views at Jambo face the pool. So you are guaranteed a good view.

We have not tried Kidani yet, but are doing a split stay in May with both Jambo and Kidani. I am very excited to see the differences.

Kidani has the community hall which is wonderful with kids (even "big" kids ) And we prefer the pool at Kidani so being in that building is a much closer walk.

 

[gkrykewy]

We like both, but prefer jambo. I found myself walking to jambo every morning for Mara breakfast, and it's a long walk along a parking lot -- not terribly scenic. We did also have one of the rooms toward the end of he hallways at kidani -- and yes, they are also astonishingly long.

I also didn't like how the path from the building to the bus stops at kidani was through a smoking area -- though they may have fixed that.

Two pluses at kidani -- a) the ability to stay on all floors, bringing you closer to the animals (all jambo rooms are 5th or 6th floor, see my sig), and b) pembe savanna, which has unique animals such as the okapi.

 

[GrumpysFamily]

They both are great resorts so you can't go wrong.

Kidani Pros: More savanna views and closer to the animals. Extra bathroom, which is a must for my family of 6. The bus stops first so you are guaranteed a seat. The pool.

Kidani Cons: The hallways are long and seem to get longer at night as you carry a sleeping child. Also, last time we stayed we too remember having to walk through the smoking area to get to the bus stop. No QS and the walk to Jambo is a good journey just for a sandwich.

Jambo Pros: The Mara and restaurants. Larger gift shop with more grocery items. Value rooms.

Jambo Cons: Lack of extra bathroom. Having to stand on the bus early in the morning.

 

[Silver Queen]

We have stayed at Kidani and love it. We'll be leaving tomorrow to stay in a value studio at Jambo tomorrow so we'll be able to compare the resorts better. At this point we do love the quieter, more relaxed atmosphere at Kidani. Jambo is a bustling, big hotel, but we wanted to try it, especially since we had the opportunity to get a value studio. We love the pool at Kidani and plan to walk over there for our pool time. We are not big breakfast eaters and don't mind the fact that there is no counter service at Kidani. (We fixed a quick English muffin and cup of coffee or tea in the morning and we were all set until lunch. We also never get refillable mugs (but we love the pool bar at Kidani). As previous posters have mentioned, the bus service at Kidani is great.
Good luck with your decision.

 

[AirGoofy]

I think all 1 BRs at Kidani have 2 bathrooms, and if you get a 2 BR, then 3 bathrooms. If you have a large group with you, then that is a big pro.

 

[Kidanifan08]

I was thinking that if you had the DDP, you'd have to go over to JH to refill your mug.

The standard DDP does not come with a refillable mug. The DxDDP and QS plans do. There is a fountain station at the Kidani gift shop and by the pool. The QS DDP is probably marginally worth the money, if not a waste of money. We have never done the DxDDP, but I can't imagine eating all of that food.

Walking through the lobby to the pool in a swim suit is a little strange, but everyone is on vacation and it is not the Conrad, so it is not a huge issue.

Walking through the smoking area to get to the buses is irritating. It is a small smoking area, so you can certainly hold your breath!!

The viewing decks and the large windows in the halls are great areas to view the animals, so if you are looking to conserve DVC points, you could get away with a standard view -- especially if you spend the better part of the day at the parks.

 

[SCDizneyDawn]

For me the biggest Con for Jambo house was the lack of privacy in the master suite. All other DVC resorts give privacy between the master bedroom and bath, but at Jambo house you have to walk into a small hallway that houses your washer/dryer to move between the bedroom and bath. So if you have guests and need to move from one to the other covering up is nessasary! In all other master bedrooms they afford privacy for moving between the bed and bathroomsof the master bedroom. So we are staying in Kidani this trip, as we are two adult couples traveling together, so I needed more privacy than the 2br at Jambo gave us. I sure wish they had added a curtain to close or a sliding door for that hallway!

I know I LOVE Jambo house other than that one issue, so hope I can love Kidani as much!

 

[mamaprincess]

I love the fact that Kidani feels like it's your own. It has an exclusive, private club feel to it. The master bath is amazing. The one br is super spacious and the kitchen is better. Any unit above a studio except the gv which is better in Jambo, is better by far at Kidani.

Kidani is like a beautiful jewel box with sparkle everywhere. It's beauty wraps itself around you. Jambo is grand and awe inspiring. Jambo is convenient to more restaurants. Kidani has the gorgeous and unique Sanaa. The community hall at Kidani is wonderful. The free shuttle from both places that runs back and forth between the two locations constantly makes it very easy to access the amenities of both.

 

[robinbutterfly]

Thanks guys! I think we have decided on Jambo house! Tough decision though!

 

[DisneyFreaks]

For me the biggest Con for Jambo house was the lack of privacy in the master suite. All other DVC resorts give privacy between the master bedroom and bath, but at Jambo house you have to walk into a small hallway that houses your washer/dryer to move between the bedroom and bath. So if you have guests and need to move from one to the other covering up is nessasary! In all other master bedrooms they afford privacy for moving between the bed and bathroomsof the master bedroom. So we are staying in Kidani this trip, as we are two adult couples traveling together, so I needed more privacy than the 2br at Jambo gave us. I sure wish they had added a curtain to close or a sliding door for that hallway!

I totally agree. I always wondered why they did not install a door or something at the end of that hallway. Loved AKV but will always book Kidani for that reason.

 

[eporter66]

We love Kidani and will be staying there for the third time in a row this coming October. We remove ourselves from most of the issues that come up on this board, so I am not sure I can respond fairly, plus, we have never stayed in Jambo.

Size of rooms : I like having the 2 bathrooms in our 1 bedroom at Kidani.

Transportation : We rent a car, which actually gives Kidani the edge with the underground parking. It keeps the car cool on hotter days. So - we dont have the bus issues. We usually like to hit Sea World or somewhere new on our trips, so we prefer to rent a car. This takes all the bus issues out for us.

Food Options : We get a 1 bedroom, and on our first day, upon arrival I go shopping to get food for the room. We do breakfast in the room every day, we like to have plenty of water, juice, and a few adult beverages for the evenings. We get quick stuff like cold cuts, so we can eat a quick lunch or dinner depending on the day. This has saved us money, and makes it so we dont have to worry about a late night food run if we get hungry.

But - my wife and I are also runners, so we have no problem walking over to Jambo. As a matter of fact, our daughter loves the pool there, so we do spend time at that resort. I do like the gift shop and lobby much better at Jambo, but again, it is a 5 minute walk (depending on where your room is at Kidani).

A great resort, and I am sure we would be happy at Jambo, but we love Kidani.

 

[SamSam]

We love Kidani and will be staying there for the third time in a row this coming October. We remove ourselves from most of the issues that come up on this board, so I am not sure I can respond fairly, plus, we have never stayed in Jambo.

Size of rooms : I like having the 2 bathrooms in our 1 bedroom at Kidani.

Transportation : We rent a car, which actually gives Kidani the edge with the underground parking. It keeps the car cool on hotter days. So - we dont have the bus issues. We usually like to hit Sea World or somewhere new on our trips, so we prefer to rent a car. This takes all the bus issues out for us.

Food Options : We get a 1 bedroom, and on our first day, upon arrival I go shopping to get food for the room. We do breakfast in the room every day, we like to have plenty of water, juice, and a few adult beverages for the evenings. We get quick stuff like cold cuts, so we can eat a quick lunch or dinner depending on the day. This has saved us money, and makes it so we dont have to worry about a late night food run if we get hungry.

But - my wife and I are also runners, so we have no problem walking over to Jambo. As a matter of fact, our daughter loves the pool there, so we do spend time at that resort. I do like the gift shop and lobby much better at Jambo, but again, it is a 5 minute walk (depending on where your room is at Kidani).

A great resort, and I am sure we would be happy at Jambo, but we love Kidani.

I could have written this myself. Except I'm a walker, not a runner.
We have stayed at Jambo several times (before Kidani was built), but we fell in love with the cozy feel of Kidani at our first stay there. Now, we always choose Kidani over Jambo and just walk over to visit Jambo during our trips.

 

[supersuperwendy]

The villas at Kidani feel HUGE and having the extra bathroom is a must with our big family! If you are traveling with kids then go with Kidani. It's pool is by far the best on WDW property. I know lots of people love SAB (closes early I think?..not sure). We think the whole pool layout at Kidani is amazing. There's so much for kids to do including pool parties. We loved taking late night or early morning swims with the kids and we never felt like we were distubing anyone.

We have never stayed at Jambo yet, but we will be in December. We're curious afterwards which we'll prefer more.

 

[dawne98]

I love the fact that Kidani feels like it's your own. It has an exclusive, private club feel to it. The master bath is amazing. The one br is super spacious and the kitchen is better. Any unit above a studio except the gv which is better in Jambo, is better by far at Kidani.

Kidani is like a beautiful jewel box with sparkle everywhere. It's beauty wraps itself around you. Jambo is grand and awe inspiring. Jambo is convenient to more restaurants. Kidani has the gorgeous and unique Sanaa. The community hall at Kidani is wonderful. The free shuttle from both places that runs back and forth between the two locations constantly makes it very easy to access the amenities of both.

This is going to be our 1st time going as DVC menbers and that is why we went with Kidani and not Jambo...also the new pool I have a 3 year old and a 13 year so I needed to find a great pool LOL we are not going to any parks on this trip so we can have more time at Kidani. We'll be up at WDW for 4 days and 3 nights and going to MNSSHP Now we just don't know if we want to add on the dinning are get the TIW? My DD's want to go to Mickey's backyard BBQ and I don't think we can use the TIW for that

 

[eva]

Glad I read this thread. We had originally tried for Jambo house for a 1-bedroom in May. But it wasn't open. So we opted for Kidani. DH and I are walk/runners so it sounds like we will enjoy the walk between the two. Since we are only hitting the parks three out of nine days, time is not really an issue. As a matter of fact, I may need the extra exercise of walking back and forth between the two.

Oh, my main concern is in the layout of the master bathroom. Does the vanity area really only have one sink?