Jambo vs kidani

[Tk0021]

my wife, girls ( 5 and 3), me and my parents are renting DVC points and are looking at animal kingdom lodge. Which house is better?

 

[lostpro9het]

Depends on how you are defining better I suppose. Pros and cons time!
KIDANI:
Pros:
Covered parking under your area of the resort
First bus stop
Excellent TS service offering in Sanaa
Better pool
Decent breakfast option in Sanaa
Larger/more bathrooms depending on the room
Community hall with many activities for the family
Cons:
No true QS offering for all day dining, but some grab and go items are available in the gift shop as well as a drink machine.
Some folks don't care for the small lobby
some folks don't care for the small gift shop.
JAMBO:
Pros:
Huge beautiful lobby that smells magnificent.
Huge gift shop area
Dedicated all day QS offering
Probably one of the best TS offerings in Jiko.
Folks really seem to like Boma, but its not for me.
Value rooms to save on points
Cons:
Its the second bus stop
I think the pool is pretty "meh"


IMO, its all about how you plan to spend your day and your dining habits. One thing to remember is that there is a shuttle that leaves the lobby every 10-15 minutes so getting between the houses is easy if you wanted to use the other pool or explore the other house. Both houses have fantastic savanna views and both houses can have very long walks to your room if youre at the end of a wing.

EDIT:
Our personal preference is Kidani becasue we love the intimate lobby, pool, sanaa, and parking. We dont need a QS offering becasue we bring supplies to make coffee, breakfast, and so on in the room.

 

[Tk0021]

Depends on how you are defining better I suppose. Pros and cons time!
KIDANI:
Pros:
Covered parking under your area of the resort
First bus stop
Excellent TS service offering in Sanaa
Better pool
Decent breakfast option in Sanaa
Larger/more bathrooms depending on the room
Community hall with many activities for the family
Cons:
No true QS offering for all day dining, but some grab and go items are available in the gift shop as well as a drink machine.
Some folks don't care for the small lobby
some folks don't care for the small gift shop.
JAMBO:
Pros:
Huge beautiful lobby that smells magnificent.
Huge gift shop area
Dedicated all day QS offering
Probably one of the best TS offerings in Jiko.
Folks really seem to like Boma, but its not for me.
Value rooms to save on points
Cons:
Its the second bus stop
I think the pool is pretty "meh"


IMO, its all about how you plan to spend your day and your dining habits. One thing to remember is that there is a shuttle that leaves the lobby every 10-15 minutes so getting between the houses is easy if you wanted to use the other pool or explore the other house. Both houses have fantastic savanna views and both houses can have very long walks to your room if youre at the end of a wing.

EDIT:
Our personal preference is Kidani becasue we love the intimate lobby, pool, sanaa, and parking. We dont need a QS offering becasue we bring supplies to make coffee, breakfast, and so on in the room.

Thanks for your input. I was initially drawn to Jambo house because of the lobby and the layout but I don't like it being the second bus stop. How much of an impact is that?

 

[wdwfamilynh]

my wife, girls ( 5 and 3), me and my parents are renting DVC points and are looking at animal kingdom lodge. Which house is better?

We've stayed at Jambo (multiple times) and Kidani (just once so far), and both are great. Just on personal preference alone, we favor Jambo and are hoping to get in there for this year's visit (have to wait on DVC availability). It may just be honeymoon nostalgia (PS - we love the bar at Jambo). Regardless, you'll have a great time either way!

 

[lostpro9het]

Thanks for your input. I was initially drawn to Jumbo house because of the lobby and the layout but I don't like it being the second bus stop. How much of an impact is that?

I wouldn't put too much stock in the second bus stop, its not that big of deal unless its a real busy day. One thing we did notice during Christmas week was they were running dedicated buses. Now I don't know if this was a seasonal thing or the new normal. So, depending on when you go Jambo may have its own bus. If you do decided Jambo, I highly recommend you take the kids over to Kidani's pool. The pool area there is so much better than Jambo's.

 

[Tk0021]

We've stayed at Jambo (multiple times) and Kidani (just once so far), and both are great. Just on personal preference alone, we favor Jambo and are hoping to get in there for this year's visit (have to wait on DVC availability). It may just be honeymoon nostalgia (PS - we love the bar at Jambo). Regardless, you'll have a great time either way!

Thanks for your opinion. Did you have an issue with Jambo house being the second bus stop? Did you think there was much of an impact with that?

 

[Master Yoda]

Thanks for your input. I was initially drawn to Jambo house because of the lobby and the layout but I don't like it being the second bus stop. How much of an impact is that?

Virtually none. It is a minor inconvenience at best.

 

[Tk0021]

Thanks for all the information. We were set on OKW and then we were able to rent a few more points and are now excited about animal kingdom.

 

[s&k'smom]

Thank you for the thread. We have a ressie for August but I am leaning towards switching to AKL and wanted to try the pool at Kidani!

 

[sxeensweet]

Kidani the rooms are much nicer in our opinion and like the more quiet resort with all it's little quiet nooks and crannies. The Kidani rooms have an extra full bathroom in the 1 bed Villas and 2 bed Villas over Jambo. So 1 bedrooms have 2 full bathrooms and 2 bedrooms have 3 full bathrooms. The master bath also is much larger in those with a huge separate shower and huge jacuzzi tub. Jambo only has a tub shower in the master bath etc. Now if you are staying in a studio it's not much different in both rooms other than Kidani is a little larger and the decor is a bit nicer. And even if at Kidani it's a quick walk to Jambo or drive. They also have a shuttle (not just the busses) that goes between both. Some also prefer the pool area at Kidani.

 

[Tk0021]

I have seen a few comment now about the rooms being nicer at Kidani over Jambo. I understand the size difference, but is the rest of the room that much nicer?

 

[Master Yoda]

I have seen a few comment now about the rooms being nicer at Kidani over Jambo. I understand the size difference, but is the rest of the room that much nicer?

Jambo house modified existing rooms where as Kidani was built from scratch making the layouts and the square footage better, but the biggest plus is the extra bathroom.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

I'm staying at Kidani Village in May.

 

[Tk0021]

I should have explained. We are staying in a studio room. It appears that Jambo has the better lobby and possibly layout, but Kidani has the better pool the newer bigger rooms and the first bus stop. Does that sound about right?

 

[sxeensweet]

I should have explained. We are staying in a studio room. It appears that Jambo has the better lobby and possibly layout, but Kidani has the better pool the newer bigger rooms and the first bus stop. Does that sound about right?

They are basically the same inside the room but Kidani has a room just for the toilet and Jambo the toilet is with the tub, and there is a closet in Kidani's studio too. But yes other than the differences you pointed out these are the differences in the room.

 

[Tiggerish]

I should have explained. We are staying in a studio room. It appears that Jambo has the better lobby and possibly layout, but Kidani has the better pool the newer bigger rooms and the first bus stop. Does that sound about right?

That's about it. If you're staying in a studio, the main difference is the lobby. Jambo lobby is majestic, Kidani lobby is intimate.

Being Celtic, as much as I admire Jambo's majestic lobby (and the Victoria Falls bar, which is equally wonderful) I feel a stronger connection to Kidani's beautiful thatched roof. Incredible craftsmanship makes up for much smaller gift shop.

 

[Tiggerish]

Depends on how you are defining better I suppose. Pros and cons time!
KIDANI:
Pros:
Covered parking under your area of the resort
First bus stop
Excellent TS service offering in Sanaa
Better pool
Decent breakfast option in Sanaa
Larger/more bathrooms depending on the room
Community hall with many activities for the family
Cons:
No true QS offering for all day dining, but some grab and go items are available in the gift shop as well as a drink machine.
Some folks don't care for the small lobby
some folks don't care for the small gift shop.
JAMBO:
Pros:
Huge beautiful lobby that smells magnificent.
Huge gift shop area
Dedicated all day QS offering
Probably one of the best TS offerings in Jiko.
Folks really seem to like Boma, but its not for me.
Value rooms to save on points
Cons:
Its the second bus stop
I think the pool is pretty "meh"


IMO, its all about how you plan to spend your day and your dining habits. One thing to remember is that there is a shuttle that leaves the lobby every 10-15 minutes so getting between the houses is easy if you wanted to use the other pool or explore the other house. Both houses have fantastic savanna views and both houses can have very long walks to your room if youre at the end of a wing.

EDIT:
Our personal preference is Kidani becasue we love the intimate lobby, pool, sanaa, and parking. We dont need a QS offering becasue we bring supplies to make coffee, breakfast, and so on in the room.

Well done. Totally agree.

 

[wdwfamilynh]

Thanks for your opinion. Did you have an issue with Jambo house being the second bus stop? Did you think there was much of an impact with that?

No, even though it was busy (Food & Wine Festival) buses never seemed to be an issue. But most resorts have pros and cons with the bus routes. At a resort where there are multiple buildings and bus stops, you may find yourself in a room where you are the last stop at that resort. Typically, WDW seems on top of bus demands but everyone has off days so there can always be an unexpected hiccup in the system. Keep us posted and let us know how it all turns out!

 

[Tk0021]

Thanks for all information. We have decided on Jambo House and put our request in to the DVC rental site. My wife really liked the lobby.

 

[Master Yoda]

Thanks for all information. We have decided on Jambo House and put our request in to the DVC rental site. My wife really liked the lobby.

The lobby is insanely awesome. I have stayed there around a dozen times and I still get goose bumps every time I walk in.