Kidani or Jambo?

[ash&abby'smom]

Both Kidani and Jambo are available for our trip in Nov. Which should we choose? It will be me, dh, 2 kids ages 9 & 6 and my parents. My dad had knee replacement a couple of years ago, and while he gets around pretty good, he does get tired and bothersome. So based on that, which location would be better for us? I'm thinking Jambo, because its in the main lodge, but having never stayed at either I'm not sure. Thank you in advance for your opinions and advice.

 

[disneynutz]

Jambo has more to offer for your parents, while Kidani has a better kids pool area.

 

[ejsteg]

I would stay at Jambo - it is a better location for your parents. Kidani is much more spread out and depending on where your room is you could end up walking a while to get to the pool, restaurant etc. Remember that you can always go over to Kidani and swim with your children (Kidani does have a better pool and play area - in my opinion). Have a great trip!! We are going to Kidani in December for a family reunion - I can't wait.

 

[drusba]

I am assuming you are getting a 2BR. The Kidani 2BRs are about 100 sq ft larger than Jambo and have a third bathroom. So if room space is a consideration, Kidani is better.

Long walks: depending on where your room is, you can have anywhere from a short to very long walk from the room to the lobby/restaurant/pool area at Jambo. Same exists at Kidani except the walk can get to super long. For either one you may want to request a room close to the lobby.

Both pools are good; Jambo offers more places for shade.

Bus ride: do you plan for whole family to leave the resort for the parks at peak leaving times of day (couple hours in the morning). That can mean at times standing room only on the bus which will only happen if you depart from Jambo because all park busses stop at Kidani first. Thus, staying at Kidani generally avoids any risk that your parents will have to stand on the bus.

 

[El&Asmom]

The thing I don't like about Jambo is that all DVC rooms are on the 5/6th floors. We prefer lower levels for watching the animals. Granted it's a request. We are also going to AKL in Jan with my parents. Mom had both of her knees replaced and dad has a bum knee he won't get fixed. We booked Kidani with a request of close to the lobby. Either resort would be great. I think the main difference is how often you will want to use the Kidani pool vs being close to the restaurants.

 

[twinklebug]

Once they see it, your kids are going to want to be at the Kidani Water play area guaranteed.

The only reason I'd pick Jambo over Kidani would be your father's knee issue you mentioned & he might not be up for the long hallways. You can request a room near the lobby which would reduce any walking he'd have to do and put you closer to the pool too.

eta: One more thought - currently Kidani has no Counter service location. Jambo is "right next door" however that's an 8 minute walk from the lobby. I'm hoping they can construct a CS window as they finish out the resort. IMHO - it's the only thing lacking.

 

[rentayenta]

Stay in Jambo and use the Kidani pool. We had a 2 bedroom on the 5th floor and the SV was awesome!

 

[ash&abby'smom]

I think we will stay at Jambo. Being closer to Mara and restaraunts will be important. I take the kids over to Kidani. I do worry about the buses though. We usually sleep in and leave out a little later, so hopefully that won't be a problem. We will see. I am excited about staying here finally. Thanks for your opinions, I knew I would find what I needed to know.