Kidani or Jambo?

[DVCJones]

Hi! Would love some help deciding. I really like the idea of being close to The Mara. We also will have our car. Which area has the closest parking? I plan on requesting a savannah view. One of my DDs loves animals.

This is our first stay at AKV. So... Kidani or Jambo?

Thanks!

 

[dvcterry]

I would go with Jambo.

 

[magicaldisney]

Jambo will offer you a grand lobby, store and quick service.

Kidani will offer you a quaint lobby, store and unfortunately no quick service.

Both resorts offer table service restaurants.

My opinion other than the above is that Kidani has a better pool and water play area for children. Kidani is the first bus stop and if you will be using your own car I think Kidani offers a better parking arrangement. I'm not sure what size room you will be staying in. As for a studio, they are comparable to each other. For a one and two bedroom you will have an exra bathroom at Kidani. As for the view, my family prefers the savanna views from your room at Kidani.

 

[wildernessDad]

For a savanna view, the Kidani 1 and 2 bedroom villas have the additional bathroom. That can be very nice indeed.

 

[DebbieB]

For a studio, I would go with Jambo. The room itself is about equal.

For 1 or 2 bedroom, Kidani. The rooms are larger, there's the extra bathroom and the master bathroom has a separate shower.

 

[DVCJones]

Thanks for the information. It is very helpful. I probably should have mentioned that we were staying in a studio.

 

[mmmagic7754]

Can't go wrong with either. We just look at the two as one BIG resort.

 

[erionm]

We just look at the two as one BIG resort.

Because it really is one resort, Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas. There just happens to be two buildings that each has a name (Jambo House and Kidani Village).

 

[westjones]

How far is the walk from one building to the other?

 

[bobbiwoz]

You don't have to walk between the buildings because there is a van that goes back and forth. I found it to be convenient.

I've never stayed in a studio in Kidani, but I really like the studio layout in Jambo. Even value studios there have 2 sinks in the dressing area, and that clinches it for me. Being near the Mara is another huge plus. I enjoy the Arusha savanna at Jambo very much.

 

[jrw118]

We just stayed in a studio at Kidani for 6 nights. We had a savannah view room 7314 we saw all sorts of animals everyday and even had some giraffe on the last day. My boys are 4 &7. They loved both pools. To be honest they were not that fond of the play area as it is suited for younger children. I would say it is for toddlers. One word of caution is that there were bees everywhere. Terrible if you bring the refillable mug and fill it with anything sweetened. Yes the shuttle to jambo was great. Never waited more than 5 minutes and it was door to door service picking up right in front of both lobbies. One thing I will add that has not been mentioned is that all busses except for he downtown Disney bus pick up (and drop off) at Kidani first. We always had seats and what a great thing it is to be the first stop when you are tired at the end of the evening. We loved Kidani and will definitely be back. It is by far our favorite resort.

 

[LisaS]

If you want to be close to The Mara, book Jambo. If you want the most convenient parking, go with Kidani (parking is on the ground floor, under the building). If using the bus system, Kidani guests are picked up first for everything other than DTD. It can make the difference between getting a seat and having to stand. Of course even if you stay in Jambo, you could walk over to Kidani to get on the bus there. The walking distance between the lobby entrances of the two buildings is about 1/2 mile. There is a shuttle bus. I've never used it so I don't know how often it runs.

When we book a Savanna View room I want to be as close to the animals as possible so I prefer Kidani since I can request to be on a lower floor. All of the DVC rooms in Jambo House are on the 5th floor (plus Concierge on the 6th floor) which puts you further away from the animals.

I prefer the studio layout at Jambo. The vanity area is open, the tub and toilet are in a separate room. That allows everyone to use the vanity area while someone is taking a shower. In Kidani, the tub/shower and vanity are in the closed space. The toilet is in a small room within that larger room.

 

[westjones]

Well can you walk between the two resorts if you want to? Is there a path?
Thanks

 

[ben1993]

We stayed at Kidani last year, loved it buy want to stay at Jambo next year for the better food options and bigger pool, we did walk over to Jambo for Boma and the pool though, a nice 10 minute stroll.

 

[westjones]

We stayed at Kidani last year, loved it buy want to stay at Jambo next year for the better food options and bigger pool, we did walk over to Jambo for Boma and the pool though, a nice 10 minute stroll.

OK good. I like being able to walk. Especially after eating a lot So I would like being able to do that. Of course if it is too hot we would take the shuttle, but in March it isn't usually too bad.

 

[BabsBunny]

For a studio, I would go with Jambo. The room itself is about equal.

For 1 or 2 bedroom, Kidani. The rooms are larger, there's the extra bathroom and the master bathroom has a separate shower.

DH and I took a trip sans kids in March, and we stayed in Jambo 1 bdrm SV to be closer to the "action". I didn't realize we wouldn't get the jacuzzi tub and cool shower.

 

[dgaston]

Here's my standard comparison 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
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

 

[coup2516]

Since you'll have your own car, I'd definitely recommend Kidani. The parking is under the building, so it's covered, which is nice if it's raining or even if it's really hot outside (your car doesn't get so hot). Then there are just elevators from the parking garage up to your floor. Jambo's parking is just an outside lot.

We've stayed at both Jambo and Kidani, and personally preferred Kidani because it was smaller and felt more exclusive. We have no children yet, though, so we weren't worried so much about the pools and play areas. It just depends what your priorities are. We had great views of the animals from our rooms at both resorts.

 

[westjones]

Since you'll have your own car, I'd definitely recommend Kidani. The parking is under the building, so it's covered, which is nice if it's raining or even if it's really hot outside (your car doesn't get so hot). Then there are just elevators from the parking garage up to your floor. Jambo's parking is just an outside lot.

Oh I didn't know this, that would be nice! As long as you can walk over to the main areas with Mara and the gift shop I think that Kidani sounds very nice.

This is another plus as far as I am concerned. I remember once at BCV trying to unpack the van in the rain. Nice to know that rain or shine, we won't have to do that there.

 

[LisaS]

DH and I took a trip sans kids in March, and we stayed in Jambo 1 bdrm SV to be closer to the "action". I didn't realize we wouldn't get the jacuzzi tub and cool shower.

The 1BRs in Jambo House have the same whirlpool tub as Kidani. The difference is that the one in Jambo is a combined tub and shower while Kidani has a large, glass (separate) shower stall in addition to the whirlpool tub.

There are two 1BRs in JH that do not have a whirlpool tub. They are HA 1BRs and have a roll-in shower instead of a whirlpool tub: room 5319 is a Savanna View 1BR, room 6202 is a Concierge 1BR.