Animal Kingdom Lodge Advice

Seeshark

Seeshark

Member
I love staying at AKL, but I thought the number of bus rides we needed to make over the course of a week was a bit much. Although I will say I never had to wait very long for one either to or from the parks. I like to take breaks in the middle of the day, hang at the pool, that sort of thing, so two trips to a park and two trips home on any given day adds up time-wise. First time we stayed, we were pretty far out on the Sunset facing Kidani, which was an awesome view. Second time we stayed for a short trip, mostly to do Pandora, we had an "obstructed" view of Uzima. But it didn't seem all that obstructed to me at all, so not exactly sure what that meant. Unless something has changed, I didn't think Kidani had a Mara-like restaurant, which I really liked having close by. I haven't stayed at Kidani, so I can't comment on the rooms, though I've heard they're slightly bigger. I thought the Jambo one-bedroom villas were awesome and the lobby is really cool, as is the outside overlook area. We did smores out there one time, and they African drumming that my kid joined in on. I assume they do that at Kidani as well, but I don't really know. Boma was pretty good as well. I'd pick Jambo based on my experiences - it just had that wow factor for me - but I'd also consider splitting my stay with an Epcot area resort or maybe WL to avoid bus ride after bus ride. Buses did stop at Kidani first.
 
CtDisneyGuy33

CtDisneyGuy33

Well-Known Member
Seeshark said:
I love staying at AKL, but I thought the number of bus rides we needed to make over the course of a week was a bit much. Although I will say I never had to wait very long for one either to or from the parks. I like to take breaks in the middle of the day, hang at the pool, that sort of thing, so two trips to a park and two trips home on any given day adds up time-wise. First time we stayed, we were pretty far out on the Sunset facing Kidani, which was an awesome view. Second time we stayed for a short trip, mostly to do Pandora, we had an "obstructed" view of Uzima. But it didn't seem all that obstructed to me at all, so not exactly sure what that meant. Unless something has changed, I didn't think Kidani had a Mara-like restaurant, which I really liked having close by. I haven't stayed at Kidani, so I can't comment on the rooms, though I've heard they're slightly bigger. I thought the Jambo one-bedroom villas were awesome and the lobby is really cool, as is the outside overlook area. We did smores out there one time, and they African drumming that my kid joined in on. I assume they do that at Kidani as well, but I don't really know. Boma was pretty good as well. I'd pick Jambo based on my experiences - it just had that wow factor for me - but I'd also consider splitting my stay with an Epcot area resort or maybe WL to avoid bus ride after bus ride. Buses did stop at Kidani first.
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Thank you!!!
 
T

thomas998

Well-Known Member
nancynancy428 said:
I've read through a few kidani vs jambo threads and I'm still so torn!!!! I always stay at the Polynesian, but am ready for a change as all my trips/memories/pictures are looking the same lol. So we've decided on rented dvc points for Animal Kingdom Lodge and just can't decide between Kidani and Jambo. Kids are 7 and 4.
I read that the buses stop first at kidani, both for pick up and drop off- can anyone tell me if this is still true? I also read that recently there were dedicated buses for each house - is this still true and if so is it permanent? Any input would be greatly appreciated! P
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Honestly I wouldn't recommend staying at either with kids that age. While the buses have gotten better you are still pretty much in the middle of nowhere and going anywhere takes longer. With a 4 year old if you are doing a deluxe I would say stay at a monorail resort because the convenience is going to more than make up for any perceived decor benefit you get at AKL. If you haven't stayed at the Contemporary why not give it a shot, its probably the best option for young kids because getting back from MK is always super fast and easy vs any other option available since in a pinch you can just walk back.
 
F

Fanofallthingsdisney

New Member
Just stayed at Kidani in August 2017, first few days in a studio (rented dvc points from David's) then the last night in a one bedroom. Studio room was nice, however one bedroom was so much nicer! We rode the buses every day to the parks. I timed it both ways to MK, 17 minutes exactly, coming and going. Always picked up and dropped off Kidani before Jambo house. On days with early entry, those morning buses were mostly full, then making it standing room only at the Jambo house pick up for those folks. We got off the bus once at Jambo house to eat at Mara, we liked that and wished Kidani had a quick service restaurant as we couldn't "walk up" to Sanaa for dinner without reservations. Took 15 minutes for the hotel shuttle to get us to bring us back to Kidani. Would have walked except it was HOT! Didn't use the pools so no info to add. Have a great trip!
 
AndrewsJ

AndrewsJ

Well-Known Member
nancynancy428 said:
I've read through a few kidani vs jambo threads and I'm still so torn!!!! I always stay at the Polynesian, but am ready for a change as all my trips/memories/pictures are looking the same lol. So we've decided on rented dvc points for Animal Kingdom Lodge and just can't decide between Kidani and Jambo. Kids are 7 and 4.
I read that the buses stop first at kidani, both for pick up and drop off- can anyone tell me if this is still true? I also read that recently there were dedicated buses for each house - is this still true and if so is it permanent? Any input would be greatly appreciated! P
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Do yourself a favor and just stay home. WDW is nothing but a cost cutting shell of its former self and if the bus stops were opposite you would still complain.
 
LAKid53

LAKid53

Official Member of the Girly Girl Fan Club
Premium Member
Stayed in Kidani for a quick weekend trip. Had great Savannah view 2 bedroom in Pumbaa. Make sure to park in the section your room is in. We made that mistake and it was a looong walk from the car to the elevator. But I loved the covered garage - car doesn't sit out in the hot Florida sun and if it's raining, you don't get wet unloading your car.

We visited AK, MK and Epcot. Didn't wait very long for buses at the resort and don't remember the ride to MK taking a long time. Nor the ride back from Epcot to the resort.

I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again.
 
D

Driver

Well-Known Member
Just an FYI on bussing, if you are coming from Disney Springs the bus stops at Jambo first. Also again, if you are coming from the Springs the bus route in multiple stop resorts ( ex. POR or CB, Coronado etc. ) is slightly different than coming from a park because the bus acts as an internal shuttle. So if you are staying at one of these resorts you can use the Springs bus to move about within the resort.
 
nickys

nickys

Premium Member
Fanofallthingsdisney said:
We got off the bus once at Jambo house to eat at Mara, we liked that and wished Kidani had a quick service restaurant as we couldn't "walk up" to Sanaa for dinner without reservations. Took 15 minutes for the hotel shuttle to get us to bring us back to Kidani. Would have walked except it was HOT! Didn't use the pools so no info to add. Have a great trip!
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You can walk up to the bar though and sit at those tables, and order anything from the main restaurant menu. Need to time it right though to get a seat.

The breakfast at Sanaa is walk up though, and you can either take it with you or sit down and eat there.

The pool bar also does food, but opening hours obviously vary.
 
SyracuseDisneyFan

SyracuseDisneyFan

Well-Known Member
On our first night there, we walked over to Jambo House from Kidani Village. We ate dinner at the Mara. Also, the gift shop at Jambo's bigger than the one at Kidani Village.
 

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