opinions please....jambo vs kidani savannah??

[lionqueen]

hi all. looking for some opinions from the animal kingdom experts! which do you think is a better view....the savannah view at jambo or kidani? i've stayed at kidani and know what that looks like but wondered if people thought jambo was better.

 

[hakepb]

Jambo is only 5th floor (or 6th for concierge) so most prefer Kidani if they are lower.
Jambo does have 2 savannas that Kidani don't see.

But for a 1BR, stay Kidani. That Jambo bathroom is weird...

 

[ToddyLu]

DH and I prefer Kidani over Jambo in most regards. We like the open views and quiet spaces. It is just not as loud and vibrant as Jambo. We are staying at Jambo for the first time next Oct. I would think some of the Jambo pool views are nice--I wonder how noisy though--guess not too much in Dec. I think most folks like the landscaping around the pool at Jambo better than Kidani. I do not think other views would be that different.

I think the main thing that separates them is the on site eating and busier feel at Jambo.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I tend to prefer Jambo for studios and Kidani for larger villas when I go with a savannah view.

 

[mopee3]

I tend to prefer Jambo for studios and Kidani for larger villas when I go with a savannah view.

Except for Grande Villas, there are no GV, at any DVC resort, like a Jambo house GV, all one level, pool table, etc.

Moe

 

[bobbiwoz]

Except for Grande Villas, there are no GV, at any DVC resort, like a Jambo house GV, all one level, pool table, etc.

Moe

I don't own enough AKV points to get a GV there! They sound lovely, though!

Bobbi

 

[twinklebug]

We've stayed in SV rooms in bot resorts and by far I prefer Kidani. Some Jambo SV rooms have wonderful views of people pens and dust. In Jambo's favor, a few animals did roamed down to that end and a pair of giraffe slept right outside our room - that was cool - but had to be up at 2/3 am to see it.

 

[lions1995]

Glad to see all the votes for Kidani. My wife asked if we could go to Disney for our Anniversary in May. I did some quick research and made reservations at Kidani savannah view. I was not sure what was best either, but feel a lot better after reading more reviews / posts.

 

[hakepb]

We've stayed in SV rooms in bot resorts and by far I prefer Kidani. Some Jambo SV rooms have wonderful views of people pens and dust. In Jambo's favor, a few animals did roamed down to that end and a pair of giraffe slept right outside our room - that was cool - but had to be up at 2/3 am to see it.

Apparently they have made some of those rooms over the "dreaded" people pens standard view as that is what I was assigned. I was very happy to get that savanna view for standard points. It did not quite have the variety of animals I occasionally saw on the Jambo/Kidani sunset savanna, but I did have a regular Eland that usually hung out more hours a day than I saw animals on my previous savanna view rooms...

 

[lionqueen]

I tend to prefer Jambo for studios and Kidani for larger villas when I go with a savannah view.

Can i ask why? We would be staying in a studio.

 

[hakepb]

To me, the difference between the Jambo and Kidani studio (layout / size...) Is not a big difference. Kidani is a little bigger, but not a game changer.
Unlike the 1BR: Kidani 1BR with 2 bathrooms vs Jambo 1BR (with 1 bathroom with a shower in the jacuzzi tub and the bathroom is not attached to the master bedroom)

In a studio, there is little in-room dining capability. Jambo house has many more dining options (Mara is a nice QS, Boma is a nice Buffet and the signature, Jiko.) than Kidani (which only has a signature sit down Saana for lunch and dinner and pool bar dining)
So a typical studio stay is a little easier in Jambo. Some people do not need the dining or don't mind the walk so its a personal decision.

FYI CRO charges cash guests more for a view of the Arusha savannah (seen from the lobby of Jambo, inside the "U") about half the Jambo DVC units face that savannah...

 

[bobbiwoz]

It's the Arusha savannah that I like, and I find the location very convenient. There's an elevator on that side, and it's very convenient to the pool and the Mara. I've had excellent animal viewing from there, and on the Sunset savannah as well.

 

[dgaston]

My 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 4

HTH

 

[Pennyguy23]

We always prefer Jambo

 

[vakamalua]

Not familiar with AKV at all. Just splurged and booked a 2 BR savanna view at Kidani in March and need help from AKV experts with room location request and some other Qs.. In looking at the map of Kidani...

--Which side of the building has the best savanna view and chance of seeing animals? The pool side of the building or the other? Are there differences in the kinds of animals that you can see from each side?

--I understand that the 2 BR villas are on floors 2 thru 4. Which floor is the best for seeing animals? (We usually prefer to be on the top floor so there's no noise above us, but want the best possible view in this case.)

--Any specific rooms that you have found to be wonderful?

--How far is Jambo house from Kidani? Does that influence your choice of rooms?

Any other special AKV tips would be appreciated.

THANKS!

 

[twinklebug]

Not familiar with AKV at all. Just splurged and booked a 2 BR savanna view at Kidani in March and need help from AKV experts with room location request and some other Qs.. In looking at the map of Kidani...

--Which side of the building has the best savanna view and chance of seeing animals? The pool side of the building or the other? Are there differences in the kinds of animals that you can see from each side?

I prefer the interior savannas - We saw 4 giraffe, 7 zebra, 2 steer and numerous crowned crane and storks. The savanna near the pool has the okapi and red river hogs (which I've heard are very funny to watch) as well as some antelope. I have yet to see any up close to the pool and have never stayed in that area so can't say first hand that you'll see a lot of animal action.​

--I understand that the 2 BR villas are on floors 2 thru 4. Which floor is the best for seeing animals? (We usually prefer to be on the top floor so there's no noise above us, but want the best possible view in this case.)

We're usually on the second floor which puts us just above eye level with the giraffe, but this last trip we were on the 3rd floor which we LOVED. It was low enough to see the animals quite well, but we could see the animals that were just a bit further away too. The fourth floor made us feel a bit like we were looking down on them from the heavens. Another nice feature of the 3rd floor - the tree foliage in the center blocks the view directly into the room from the units across the way. There is nothing to block the view down on the 2nd floor. ​

--Any specific rooms that you have found to be wonderful?

There are feeding locations throughout the savannas to bring the animals up close to the rooms and viewing areas. Close to the lobby is popular for making runs to the store there, but the rooms close to the store have limited feeding areas, the animals mostly pass by on their ways to/from the feeding stations further down and we could not see the outlook areas where the animals are encouraged to visit given the angle the resort turns at. There is also quite a bit of noise in the halls the closer to the lobby you get. Races and yelling back and forth between family members and children is fine in the middle of the day, but when 11pm hits, I like it quiet. ​

--How far is Jambo house from Kidani? Does that influence your choice of rooms?

We use the bus to go to/from Jambo. I've walked it before and from lobby to lobby I'd have to say the walk is less than half a mile. But that's a 1/2 mile my weary feet don't want to face after days of pounding miles of park pavement. ​

Any other special AKV tips would be appreciated.

THANKS!

 

[andreadoiron]

hi all. looking for some opinions from the animal kingdom experts! which do you think is a better view....the savannah view at jambo or kidani? i've stayed at kidani and know what that looks like but wondered if people thought jambo was better.

we stayed at kidani and walked all over the resort, looking at animals from different viewing spots and it struck me that there is a way better savannah view at kidani...more animals, specifically giraffes at the kidani savannah side. plus we were there in june and read over and over that in the summer you don't see the animals as much and we saw tons of animals, all the time. we didn't have a savannah view room and we still saw so many animals, most of them at kidani.