DVC Mashup: Kidani Village VS Jambo House

[pkrieger2287]

DVC Mashup: Kidani Village VS Jambo House

Lately, it feels that many members of the DVC Fan Facebook Group have asked if they should choose Kidani Village or Jambo House for a stay at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas. It’s an excellent question and always elicits a large range of opinions. There is so much to love about both lodges, but when it comes to deciding which is the best fit, there are many things to consider. I thought it would be fun to see what people thought here and the reasons they choose their favorite part of AKL!

 

[TheMick424]

I own at AKV and continue to have this debate. For me, I think it comes down to who I am traveling with. If I am bringing my two teenage kids, then I prefer Kidani because I can book a 2BR Dedicated with real beds and an extra bathroom. Otherwise, I prefer Jambo for the resort amenities. During current times, I would say that Kidani wins out.

Now if Jambo had 2BR dedicated units...

 

[gillep]

As an owner, I prefer the amenities and feel of Jambo and will always stay there if staying in a studio, but the Kidani one and two bedrooms have such an amazing setup that I definitely chose those over the ones in Jambo. Not sure about the grand villas, as we would never have enough people to stay in one so I have not researched them at all.

 

[CarolynFH]

DH and I stay in 1 bedrooms, and that tub/shower in Jambo is just too difficult to climb in and out of for me. We don't mind walking or taking the shuttle from Kidani to Jambo when we want to go over there. We also stayed one night in a Kidani 1 bedroom with DS and DGD before a longer stay at BWV, and having two bathrooms and the sleeper chair as well as sleeper sofa was perfect.

 

[JOLT]

If I were to book a savannah 1/2 bedroom I would pick kidani. For every other room category I would pick Jambo house.

 

[gharter]

We own at AKL as well.
Love the restaurants and lounge at Jambo house. Love the huge lobby.
Prefer the rooms at Kidani (especially the huge 1 BR).
Savannah is equal.
Really enjoy Sanaa.
Its only about a 5 minute walk between the 2, so we stay where we prefer the rooms.

 

[JETSDAD]

We like both. If we get a value room we obviously go with Jambo but otherwise we'll choose Kidani. We drive and the parking is much nicer at Kidani and really reduces any of the potential long walks.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I much prefer Jambo, generally It has a much nicer, aromatic,lobby I love the gift shop there, Mara has some great options, especially their butternut squash soup (I could eat that for breakfast, lunch, supper, and snack and have done so), I've really enjoyed the CMs in the community hall Yet, at Kidani, the halls are so long, I've never seen many animals there (on my first trip, even though I was on the Sunset Savannah, I never saw a giraffe, the hallways were too long, I was underwhelmed by the lobby, underwhelmed by the giftshop, and did I mention how long the hallways were? Also it was the only place that had a strong zoo like smell in some areas

 

[jerseygal]

AKV is our home, but Love the lobby at Jambo but prefer rooms at Kidani

 

[bobbiwoz]

I pick studios at Jambo because I prefer the layout, and Kidani for 1-2 bedrooms.

 

[princesscinderella]

Kidani for the extra bathroom and the covered parking. We love that in the summer when the inevitable rain comes.

 

[bwang123]

We just stayed at Jambo and booked rooms for family. We wanted them to experience the lobby which is far superior. We stayed in a 2 bedroom which doesn't even compare to the awesome one at Kidani. With the restaurant and gift shop closings, it also makes a difference since Jambo is missing a lot of components.

In the end, if we were to go with just my immediate family, we would choose Kidani. We can just walk or bus to the restaurants once they open back up.

 

[Lee Matthews]

So glad that I came across this thread. We'll be visiting AKL August 2022 for our first trip as a family of 3. We have 326 points banked from our new contract that we will have to use.

We are so conflicted on where we are going to stay. Husband wants to stay in Kidani because we have bought DVC and its the DVC side. Also, we know our son will love the pool splash area. Also, while we don't really need the 2nd bathroom, the rooms are a good size. I believe Kidani is also first on the bus stop.

Me, being Mr Froogle is hedging towards Jambo House. Depending on room, we could probably get a Value 1 bedroom if I'm on exactly at the 11 month mark. Smaller room but probably save 50 points a week. For me too, it's nearer to Boma and The Mara which i think we'll use more often and i don't know how much of a chore it is to bus between the 2 resorts. Seems a hassle

 

[Skywalker3]

we've stayed at AKL 3 times now, always Kidani. Love it. Since we only do 1 or 2 bedrooms (not studios,) the extra bathroom is what puts Kidani over the top. It's also the first bus stop for all parks, except Disney Springs. Have had 2 great savanna locations, and 1 not so great (the last building to the north, what a hike!) We enjoy Boma, and the lobby at Jambo is wonderful, but it's easy to just go over there for that, and enjoy the larger room/extra bathroom at Kidani.

 

[Lee Matthews]

If it's the first bus stop for all parks (and excluding Springs) then would I be right to assume that I could get any bus (except springs) and it will stop at Jambo house? So I wouldn't need to wait for the internal bus service between both entrances?

If that's the case then that isn't too bad as I'm sure they're will be a bus every couple of minutes at that rate?

 

[FinnFogg]

Glad to come across this thread! We are new AKL owners but have previously stayed at Kidani (1bedroom). We are talking my parents to WDW for the first time in March 2022, and were planning on a 2 bedroom at Kidani....Until I found out that the Kidani pool would be closed for refurbishment during our stay. My parents are in their 70s and really looking forward to “resort days”, so now I’m leaning towards Jambo (even through the 2 bedroom rooms at Kidani sound much superior). We’ve also managed to snag club level (assuming it’s open by March). For people who have stayed in two bedrooms at both resorts, would the closed pool at Kidani be enough to sway you to Jambo??

 

[JETSDAD]

If it's the first bus stop for all parks (and excluding Springs) then would I be right to assume that I could get any bus (except springs) and it will stop at Jambo house? So I wouldn't need to wait for the internal bus service between both entrances?

If that's the case then that isn't too bad as I'm sure they're will be a bus every couple of minutes at that rate?

I would just use the shuttle. Sometimes the bus is full and they skip Jambo and I think at times in the morning they will each get dedicated routes. The shuttle runs constantly and is never a long wait (that I've experienced anyways) and picks up right out front rather than down at the bus stops.

 

[badeacon]

Jambo for the easier access to restaurants and lounge. Now just waiting for them to reopen!

 

[tgarre06]

Glad to come across this thread! We are new AKL owners but have previously stayed at Kidani (1bedroom). We are talking my parents to WDW for the first time in March 2022, and were planning on a 2 bedroom at Kidani....Until I found out that the Kidani pool would be closed for refurbishment during our stay. My parents are in their 70s and really looking forward to “resort days”, so now I’m leaning towards Jambo (even through the 2 bedroom rooms at Kidani sound much superior). We’ve also managed to snag club level (assuming it’s open by March). For people who have stayed in two bedrooms at both resorts, would the closed pool at Kidani be enough to sway you to Jambo??

I have only stayed in the 2 bedroom at Kidani, but the pool being closed would definitely sway me to stay at Jambo. With what you said, I think your parents will enjoy have a pool close by instead of shuttling or walking over to another resort to use it.

 

[Heather07438]

Only tried Kidani so far but I think choosing depends on the trip. If I had to pick only one to stay at for now on... not easy. Kidani? Probably.