Kidani Village vs Jambo House

[twinsdad2007]

What is the difference between Kidani and Jambo house? Is one better than the other for kids(age 6-9)?

 

[Mrs Hobbes]

Kidani has bigger villas, third bathroom off the living area and more closet space in studio/ second bedroom area than at Jambo. Kidani also has the better pool area, the water slide is bigger than the one at Jambo and there is a water play area. However Jambo has the quick service food court and a children's playground. We have stayed at both and preferred our villa at Kidani and but like Jambo as a resort better so we are always stuck with this decision. However the good news is that we timed a slow walk from Kidani to Jambo and it took us 7 minutes from lobby to lobby so with this in mind we now always chose Kidani. Hope this helps

 

[DVC Dude]

Jambo has more non-DVC guests as this is the hotel section. Jambo has a slightly more impressive lobby, gift shops, restaurants.

Kidanni is newer and I like the colors and theme better and almost everyone there is a DVC member or guest of a member. I like the parking better at kidani and the pool better.

 

[Anal Annie]

We much prefer Jambo House to Kidani for several reasons. First, the Kidani lobby and store are underwhelming at best. We ended up going to the store at Jambo because it was so much larger. The only restaurant at Kidani is Sanaa - which is good, but only if you're looking for a TS dinner option. We love the Mara over at Jambo and feel it is one of the best CS options in all of Disney and it's very convenient to the pool.

Finally, 99.9% of the time we only stay in studios and we prefer the layout of the ones at Jambo better. They have the typical configuration where the bathroom sink is separate from the toilet and tub/shower which are in 1 room together. The bathroom in the studio at Kidani is messed up. The toilet has its own room but the sink is in with the tub/shower which is a little more awkward as far as privacy and just having someone who wants to use the vanity area. If you just want to brush your teeth and someone is showering you have to "share" behind the shower curtain. Also, the kitchenette at Kidani is so small it's like it was an afterthought. The sink is smaller than a bathroom vanity sink - too small to even effectively wash out the coffee pot. I think they really skimped on a few things at Kidani.

 

[ludari]

The four times I have stayed at AKV I've always stayed at Jambo House and prefer the location to the lobby, restaurants, shopping and the animals. I guess I need to stay at Kidani to really compare the two locations.

 

[DebbieB]

What is the difference between Kidani and Jambo house? Is one better than the other for kids(age 6-9)?

What size room?

For a studio, they are pretty much the same size, I would go with Jambo, the bathroom layout is better.

For 1 bedroom or larger, I would go with Kidani, the rooms are larger, have an extra bathroom and the master bathroom is better (separate tub & shower).

 

[WDWLODGE]

If you have your own vehicle another nice feature of Kidani is you are a quick elevator ride from your vehicle. The parking lot is under the 1st floor and runs the entire length of the resort.

 

[Kidanifan08]

Overall, DW, DS7 and I like Kidani better, but we usually stay in 1 or 2BR villas and we love the extra bathroom and layout of the master suite. The DVC rooms at Jambo are relatively close to the lobby, whereas many of the rooms at Kidani are a really, really, really long hike to the lobby. That can be an issue if someone in your party is challenged by walking long distances or if you use the refillable mugs.

With your age kids, Kidani is nice because the park buses stop there first and are generally empty, so everyone gets a seat. Also, the water slide at Kidani is better than the one at the Jambo pool. The lack of a counter service restaurant at Kidani is a big deal for some people with children, but you can always walk, take any park bus, or use the intra-resort shuttle van to get to Jambo.

 

[brobrosmom]

We prefer Kidani. I liked the parking garage under the building and the kids prefer the pool & slide at Kidani. We like that the hotel lobby does not feel as crowded and loud as Jambo. While Kidani doesn't have a QS restaurant, it was a short walk for us to Jambo to eat and if you don't want to walk they do have a free shuttle van that will take you back and forth.

BUT for us the biggest draw is the bus situation. The buses pickup and drop off 1st at Kidani and then Jambo. The buses can get pretty crowded during peak times.

 

[Simba's Mom]

The four times I have stayed at AKV I've always stayed at Jambo House and prefer the location to the lobby, restaurants, shopping and the animals. I guess I need to stay at Kidani to really compare the two locations.

Good luck with that! That's what I kept saying, so after about 8 trips to Jambo, I stayed at Kidani. Well, by the end of the first night, I was ready to ask to move back to Jambo. Although I'd asked for a room near the lobby, I got a room way far out. The room was further from the lobby than walking from one end of Jambo to the other. And I saw hardly any animals-I didn't see any giraffes until the last day of the week, even though I was on the Sunset savannah and from Jambo, it's common for me to see 2 or 3 giraffes at a time, and definitely every day. So I've compared, and for me, it's Jambo, no question.

 

[ProudMommyof2]

What size room?

For a studio, they are pretty much the same size, I would go with Jambo, the bathroom layout is better.

For 1 bedroom or larger, I would go with Kidani, the rooms are larger, have an extra bathroom and the master bathroom is better (separate tub & shower).

This is my thought exactly. Also, the standard view at Jambo is better.

 

[dgaston]

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.

 

[michelleiada]

We recently stayed at Jambo and loved it. Our home is BCV and we wanted to try AKV for a night to see how it was. We had a one bedroom savannah view on the Zebra trail. My husband loved sitting on balcony watching animals. It was so relaxing. Love the overall theming of the resort.

 

[michelleiada]

We recently stayed at Jambo and loved it. Our home is BCV and we wanted to try AKV for a night to see how it was. We had a one bedroom savannah view on the Zebra trail. My husband loved sitting on balcony watching animals. It was so relaxing. Love the overall theming of the resort.

I should also add that now I want to buy points at AKV!

 

[twinsdad2007]

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?

 

[Minniesgal]

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?

Very difficult there are only a few value rooms and thy are high demand. It is unlikely you will get three I would budget on standard views because that is most likely what you will end up with.

 

[DisneyDiana]

I am an AkV owner and the studios are tough to get and I usually only try for one. I agree that you should budget for a standard.

 

[twinsdad2007]

Ok, thanks.

What is the difference between a standard room and a value room?

 

[nabi]

Good thread! I was interested, also, in what people's impressions are of thr value studios at Jambo.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Ok, thanks.

What is the difference between a standard room and a value room?

A value studio is designated as such because of its size. I can't remember the exact dimensions, but I think standard are about 340 sq ft. and value studios are only about 310. Most views in both the value and standard are pool views, but it's possible to get the sunset savannah view in either standard or value, not often, but it's possible. I don't remember the exact percentages. I've heard that a few values overlook the parking lot, but no standard studios.