OKW or AKL 1 bedroom

[wdw4rfam]

We can't decide. We are wanting a 1 bedroom villa for the week after Labor Day. Got it narrowed down to these two. Either standard at AKL Jambo house or near hospitality house at OKW. I need opinions. I'm leaning one way, DH leaning the other way.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Since it's Jambo, neither gets an advantage for extra bathroom. I prefer AKV.

 

[Anthony1971]

OKW will be much larger and have a nicer kitchen area. AKL will be the size of two studios one the bedroom the other the kitchen/living room. Comparing rooms OKW is nicer... If you stay at Kadani in AKL then the tables may a change a little as the master bath is amazing and you get a second bath. Comparing resorts... it depends I like both. OKW has a far more relaxed feel and a nice boat ride to Disney springs. AKL - Jambo can get busy Kadani can get boring. If you are going to spend time at the resort watching animals is a great way to pass the time. There are very helpful friendly guides to speak with, night viewing and a lot of other activities throughout the day. I could easily also find a lot of great places to sit at OKW and do nothing... Food AKL has more options and a far better CS at Jambo but Olivia's at OKW is a hidden gem but can also get very busy... Can not say one is better than the other both have pros and cons. If you have already stayed at one try the other... if you have stayed at neither AKL has a better overall experience you will not find anywhere else.

 

[hakepb]

Jambo has the sub-standard master bathroom arrangement in the 1 and 2 bedroom villas.
In addition to the shower being a step into the jacuzzi tub, the bathroom is separated from the bedroom by a hallway.

 

[Deb & Bill]

All Jambo House villas are converted hotel rooms. They did not completely gut the two rooms to make the one bedroom villas.

 

[wdw4rfam]

We aren't worried about the Jambo room only having 1 bathroom or it's set up- until this past year we were used to moderates, so they all seem big to us. We eat at the resort a lot, and really don't want to have to take a shuttle to get there.

 

[michelleiada]

I have never stayed at OKW but we love Animal Kingdom Jambo. I haven't yet tried Kidani. This is a tough one. If you enjoy watching animals and prefer a resort with a beautiful lobby and pool then pick Jambo. We've stayed in a one bedroom and a two bedroom savannah view and loved it. We enjoy Boma for breakfast and The Mara is a decent counter service. OKW has never really appealed to me because I have the opinion that it is just a giant condo complex. I may be completely wrong on that because I have never stayed. Actually, I have never even been on OKW property and have formed this opinion by looking at YouTube videos and on line photos. I know OKW has its lovers and I know personal preference is a huge factor. Good luck with your decision.

 

[loves to dive]

I've done a studio at OKW and a 1 bedroom at AKL Jambo and would go with AKL hands down. Our bathroom had a separate shower than then the bathtub but yes, it only had one bathroom. We kind of liked the fact that the bathroom was across the hall from the bedroom because I could get up early and get ready and not disturb my son and DIL. We may have been upgraded to a savannah view, I'm not sure but we did have a great view of the people pens and the savannah. Either way you are going to have to take the buses to the parks but the bus at OKW has to make the entire loop if you are staying close to Hospitality House, the one at AK just has to go over to Kidani. When I was at OKW I was across the road from Hospitality House and a building away from the bus stop for my area so I would walk to Hospitality House to catch the bus since it was the last stop and get off at my stop when coming back since it was the first stop. The options for QS breakfast were slim at OKW, there are definitely more food choices at AKL. There is a shuttle between Kidani and Jambo but frankly, we found it quicker to just walk between the two. The walk is a little boring because it goes through the parking lots but its not bad and quicker.

 

[wdw4rfam]

I've done a studio at OKW and a 1 bedroom at AKL Jambo and would go with AKL hands down. Our bathroom had a separate shower than then the bathtub but yes, it only had one bathroom. We kind of liked the fact that the bathroom was across the hall from the bedroom because I could get up early and get ready and not disturb my son and DIL. We may have been upgraded to a savannah view, I'm not sure but we did have a great view of the people pens and the savannah. Either way you are going to have to take the buses to the parks but the bus at OKW has to make the entire loop if you are staying close to Hospitality House, the one at AK just has to go over to Kidani. When I was at OKW I was across the road from Hospitality House and a building away from the bus stop for my area so I would walk to Hospitality House to catch the bus since it was the last stop and get off at my stop when coming back since it was the first stop. The options for QS breakfast were slim at OKW, there are definitely more food choices at AKL. There is a shuttle between Kidani and Jambo but frankly, we found it quicker to just walk between the two. The walk is a little boring because it goes through the parking lots but its not bad and quicker.

Thanks, this helps a lot. We are booked at OKW in a 1 bedroom near hospitality house just because that's our home resort and wanted to make sure we got a back up plan. We were wanting to switch to AKL at 7 months when it opens up. The buses and slim food options at OKW are what's deterring me, even though the rooms are huge there. We just stayed at CBR 2 years ago, and the 7 stops was monotonous. I think after reading everyone's opinions we will definitely go for AKL, hopefully jambo, but will take kidani if not. Good to know that it's not as far as I thought to walk it.

 

[BettyLG]

FWIW, I prefer Kidani over Jambo. I like that it's newer and designed as DVC rooms, not re-purposed to be DVC rooms. I've stayed at both. (I need to update my signature-I'm in the too-many-to-count camp now!) Kidani is our home resort, and we stay there every December. We love the smaller lobby and overall quietness, plus my family is a big fan of Community Hall. Now that Sanaa has a semi-quick-serve breakfast, I think it will be even more convenient. It is a nice, paved, short walk between the two buildings. My kids like the shuttle (they get to be in a van without carseats!), but walking and the shuttle are both easy and convenient. There's always a staff person who can tell you whether the shuttle just left (therefore faster to walk) or is about to arrive (faster to wait and ride).

We had a terrible experience at OKW on our only stay there, mostly transportation-related: we requested "close to transportation", and were at the end of a cul-de-sac, far from the bus stop, and as a PP noted, there are a lot of internal stops. The OKW rooms are big, and I like that the studios have two real beds. I'll probably stay there again, for the two beds, but I'll just plan to drive my own car around.

One thing DH and I are trying to do is to stay at every DVC resort. Would a similar goal encourage your DH to change to AKL?

 

[wdw4rfam]

FWIW, I prefer Kidani over Jambo. I like that it's newer and designed as DVC rooms, not re-purposed to be DVC rooms. I've stayed at both. (I need to update my signature-I'm in the too-many-to-count camp now!) Kidani is our home resort, and we stay there every December. We love the smaller lobby and overall quietness, plus my family is a big fan of Community Hall. Now that Sanaa has a semi-quick-serve breakfast, I think it will be even more convenient. It is a nice, paved, short walk between the two buildings. My kids like the shuttle (they get to be in a van without carseats!), but walking and the shuttle are both easy and convenient. There's always a staff person who can tell you whether the shuttle just left (therefore faster to walk) or is about to arrive (faster to wait and ride).

We had a terrible experience at OKW on our only stay there, mostly transportation-related: we requested "close to transportation", and were at the end of a cul-de-sac, far from the bus stop, and as a PP noted, there are a lot of internal stops. The OKW rooms are big, and I like that the studios have two real beds. I'll probably stay there again, for the two beds, but I'll just plan to drive my own car around.

One thing DH and I are trying to do is to stay at every DVC resort. Would a similar goal encourage your DH to change to AKL?

After reading everyone's comments we are now thinking of trying kidani instead. We wanted to be close to food and everything in main building. But after reading more, I don't think it's as far as I thought. Plus It quieter when I watched videos.

 

[Deb & Bill]

The Hospitality House is the last bus stop at OKW for the theme park buses. But you can easily get off the bus at Peninsular Road (the first stop coming back from the theme parks) and walk to your HH area villa. And your villa might be in Bldg 23-26 which is right next to the Peninsular Road bus stop (or Bldg 11-14 which is just across the street from the HH bus stop).