Need help deciding between Kidani and Jambo House

[niroc]

Our home resort is at BLT and this will be our first trip not staying there. My children want to stay at AKL. This is also my first trip that I will need to book a 3 bedroom villa.

Please tell me if you prefer staying at Kidani Village or Jambo House and why. We are planning on getting a Savannah view and my children love to swim so we will be spending a good about of time at the pool.

Thanks for your help.

 

[disneynutz]

Location may be based on availability not preference.

Jambo is where the action is, a deluxe Disney resort.

Kidani is a scaled down Jambo with less going on.

Bill

 

[lovewdwdvc]

We prefer Jambo. Better food, better amenities etc.

 

[niroc]

Location may be based on availability not preference.

Jambo is where the action is, a deluxe Disney resort.

Kidani is a scaled down Jambo with less going on.

Bill

There is availability at both

We prefer Jambo. Better food, better amenities etc.

Thanks

 

[bobbiwoz]

No matter which you stay at you can use amenities at both.

I think Jambo's GVs have a pool table.

I think Kidani's pool area is nicer because of the splash area, plus it has a wonderful Community Room.

Both buildings have great CMs who engage children and adults in cultural and animal activities.

Busses stop first at Kidani, except for DTD buses.

I would probably pick Kidani, especially if there were children.

Bobbi

 

[rlk]

We love both, but prefer Kidani for the calmness, pool, community room and bus stop order. My boys really like the Community Room at Kidani more than any other DVC Community Room.

 

[stormer]

We prefer Kidani. We like the pool there better and the kids love Community Hall. We walk over to Jambo or take the shuttle over sometimes to still get that experience .

 

[RCB19]

My family and I have stayed at Kidani four times now and I personally would pick it over Jambo House. That being said I have never stayed at Jambo but it would take a lot to convince me to stay there over Kidani when it comes to the villas. Kidani is just much more laid back especially in the lobby area, not as crowded at Jambo but also not as grand. The amenities are great at Kidani with the pool, activities hall and Johari Treasures is a small but efficient shop. The animals and savannah are great at Kidani and I love the fire pit and knowledgable CM at night. Sanaa is also a good option for food. When it comes down to it Kidani might not have all the amenities as Jambo but there is a van that runs between the two resorts if you every want to go over to Jambo.

 

[com_op_2000]

DW and I prefer Jambo except when we bring DGS.
Our DGS would spend the entire day at the Kidani pool without eating if we did not make him stop to eat. So in your case, Kidani would be the choice.

 

[magicaldisney]

If you are booking a GV, then that means you will have a larger group. For that reason I would choose Kidani. Being the first bus stop would be a biggie for us. Everyone will have a seat to sit down and no standing. We also prefer the pool at Kidani. You can walk to Jambo if you want to go over there. If you don't want to walk you can take any park bus and get off at Jambo. You can also take the shuttle van which goes between Jambo and Kidani.

 

[SamSam]

If you are booking a GV, then that means you will have a larger group. For that reason I would choose Kidani. Being the first bus stop would be a biggie for us. Everyone will have a seat to sit down and no standing. We also prefer the pool at Kidani. You can walk to Jambo if you want to go over there. If you don't want to walk you can take any park bus and get off at Jambo. You can also take the shuttle van which goes between Jambo and Kidani.

This! We had a GV, a 2 bedroom and 2 studios at Kidani a couple of years ago and everyone loved it. We've also taken twin 3 year olds a couple of times and they couldn't get enough of the pool/spray area. Like has been mentioned it's easy to travel between Kidani and Jambo, either walking or taking a bus/van.

 

[connors95]

I've been to both places several times . I do prefer also Kidani over Jambo. Other than the stuff already mentioned the rooms tend to be bigger at Kidani also.

 

[Minniesgal]

We also prefer Kidani over Jambo

 

[BLLB]

I have stayed at both, I would choose Kidani for the pool area. But really, you can't go wrong either way. They are great resorts.

 

[laurenspop]

We have stayed in both I prefer Kidani Yes the Jambo GV has a pool table BUT realize please that all the GV in Jambo are the LAST possible rooms and farthest from the Lobby. Believe me when I say that was NO FUN! Kidani GV also had a much better view of the savannas.

 

[niroc]

Thanks everyone for your feedback here. It looks like Kidani is the clear choice which honestly surprised me a little. I would have thought that because Jambo has more restaurant options and is more "regal" it would have received more picks.

For me the biggest deciding factor is the room that will have the best savannah views and best pool. It looks like Kidani is the winner. At what level are the GVs at at Kidani and Jambo?

I am taking some family members with me this time who have never stayed on property so looking at this from a different perspective do you think they would enjoy Kidani more that Jambo? Once again my original thought was that because Jambo is more "grand" they would enjoy it more.

 

[BLLB]

When we stayed at Kidani, we walked to Jambo those times when we had a dinner reservation. It was a nice walk, not too long, even after a day at the parks. It felt like the best of both worlds, the more intimate feeling of Kidani and the pool, plus a short walk to Jambo for anything else.

 

[eeyoresmom]

If you plan on spending significant time in your room, maybe Kidani. Our family (older teens and young adults like Jambo much more for the impressive lobby and grounds. We like all the activity of the lobby and I have my morning coffee most days at either the indoor or outdoor firepits. Just our opinion but Kidani is too quiet and low key. We do the same as others in reverse some days and head over to Kidani to use the amenities.

 

[Bullseye]

Kidani for our family!!

 

[Nanajo1]

We stayed at Jamb before DVC. We stayed 3 times at Kidani since. We enjoyed the 1 BR Savannah view. Our next AKLV visit will be at Jambo 1BR savannah view. We are thinking easier access to Mara and other restaurants will be good. Have 4months to wait!