Kidani Village vs Jambo House

[MagicJourney]

I remember I read somewhere, about half of the value rooms have a savanna view. But most standard rooms have a view of the pool and garden. So value room may be a better choice if you are ok with smaller space.

 

[dgaston]

Value rooms are 3 feet shorter than standard or savanna view rooms. They are only at Jambo. There is no choice of view. 40% are Savanna, 40% are Pool and 20% are Parking lot (really more tree) view. They are great point stretchers. We've gotten both savanna and pool view. I was bummed at first to get pool view and then discovered another elevator that whisked us down to the pool so we didn't have to walk between Boma and Jiko. Also there is a key coded entrance from the buses outside before the Zawadi entrance that is next to the elevator. Love the values.

 

[Disneylifeforme]

How hard is it to rent the value rooms at Jambo at 11 months? We are going in June 2015 and are hoping for 3 value rooms. Am I dreaming in trying to get 3 value rooms?

We rented 2 for Thanksgiving week 11 mths out and I forgot to call until that night and we got ours

 

[twinsdad2007]

How much of a deal should the bus stopping at Kidani first make in my decision as to where to stay? We have June reservations for Jambo but am thinking that I might need to switch to Kidani.

Thanks for your help.

 

[twinsdad2007]

Bump

 

[princessap]

Interested in this as well as I am debating the same thing. We are a family of five so thinking one bedroom and probably std view to save some money as we aren't in the room and would rather see the animals other places.

What are std views like in kidani?

 

[Kidanifan08]

How much of a deal should the bus stopping at Kidani first make in my decision as to where to stay? We have June reservations for Jambo but am thinking that I might need to switch to Kidani.

Thanks for your help.

It's probably not that big of a deal, since you said you had kids 6-9. We like that the buses stop at Kidani first, but we often try to go to the parks for rope drop, and the bus is generally still pretty empty when we get to Jambo. The buses are the most full when a park closes. Then you (and the kids) may have to stand. The ride from MK is long. The bus will stop at Kidani first, which is nice. But again, it probably is not that big of a deal.

Interested in this as well as I am debating the same thing. We are a family of five so thinking one bedroom and probably std view to save some money as we aren't in the room and would rather see the animals other places.

What are std views like in kidani?

The standard views overlook the pool, driveway or bus/parking area. We have stayed in a standard twice, and one time we had the bus stop outside our villa and the other the pool. The rooms are the same, and it is a nice way to save points, since there are plenty of areas to view the savannas. The time that we have the pool view, we also had a partial view of the Pembe savanna, and that was awesome! I would suggest requesting pool view if you book a standard. The bus stop view was fine, but we could hear the beeping of the buses when they were kneeling or loading guests with ECV's and wheelchairs. The beeping was a little annoying.

 

[MommyBell08]

Here's my usual answer to the comparison question:

Comparison of Jambo and Kidani

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 busses first stop
Rooms on floors 2 through 5

Either way it's a great resort. As others have posted, for 1 bedrooms and above, we choose Kidani. For studios, we choose Jambo, most often values, as we're owners there and can book at 11 months.

THIS!

 

[princessap]

What is the bed layout in a 1 bedroom? We stayed at poly last year and my kids loved the daybed so they didn't have to share a bed. Is that possible in kidani or Jambo?

 

[dallastxcpa]

Value rooms are 3 feet shorter than standard or savanna view rooms. They are only at Jambo. There is no choice of view. 40% are Savanna, 40% are Pool and 20% are Parking lot (really more tree) view.

PLEASE don't let anyone fool you. If you are one of the unlucky 20% that get the parking lot view it is HIDEOUS, REVOLTING, and NOISY. In my opinion it is not worth the few points you would save and the gamble to be stuck with the parking lot view. UGLY and the delivery trucks in the morning are very loud even with the balcony doors shut and when I say early in the morning think early even for a theme park commando.

Oh and yes there are some trees but in no way do they obstruct the terrible view.

 

[Sammie]

What is the bed layout in a 1 bedroom? We stayed at poly last year and my kids loved the daybed so they didn't have to share a bed. Is that possible in kidani or Jambo?

No daybed at either. Kidani one and two bedroom villas have the extra sleeper chair in the living area with the sofa couch.

 

[princessap]

Thanks. Do the std rooms at akl come with daybeds??

 

[LindaBabe]

Thanks. Do the std rooms at akl come with daybeds??

just the sleeper sofa is all I've ever seen.

 

[DevonsDisneyMom]

Thanks. Do the std rooms at akl come with daybeds??

No the studio villas have a queen bed and double sleeper sofa.

 

[delilah]

We own at AKV, and ever since Kidani opened, we have only stayed at Kidani. I like the 1BR as opposed to the studio, because we are a family of 3 with a 16 yo, and I like that he gets his own bathroom that I don't even have to step into until we leave. I also like the washer and dryer in the room. For us, walking to Jambo for whatever we needed from there was no big inconvenience, but, it depends on what you like. For example, we only eat at counter service while we are at the park. We like Boma, but, it is not a problem to either walk or drive over to Jambo. We aren't big playing at the pool people, so, that isn't a big deal. I like the parking at Kidani, particularly after our last trip when we stayed at BWV. So, it totally depends on your vacation style, and what you like to do.