Jambo or kidani??

[420WDW MONSTER]

Hello there fellow disney freaks! I have made a reservation for 5 of us at animal kingdom villas kidani village - one bedroom villa STANDARD VIEW:shrug: only thing available. But I was checking out the disney site and the same thing is now available at JAMBO HOUSE. And it is cheaper by $40 big ones! Wow that's a lot lol. Why is it a little cheaper though?
So my question is really which one is better? Which place will more likely get a better standard view in a one bedroom villa? Do the rooms look the same at both buildings? Which builind has better lobby? Better pool? And since we going to be in a standard room which building has better outside viewing areas?
Is there anywhere where I could a layout of where the one bedroom standard views arelocated.
Oh yea we will be rentin a car so we r not worried about buses
I would love see pics of how they are diffrent or the same

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[Zummi Gummi]

I'd switch to Jambo House. Kidani is quite distant and separated from most things.

 

[Computer Magic]

I agree stay at Jambo, but make ADR for SANNA. You won't be disappointed.

 

[Phonedave]

A third vote for Jambo.

Kidani has no easy QSFB option and the pool is in a wonky place.

Not a bad resort at all, but I like Jambo better.

-dave

 

[Zummi Gummi]

I agree stay at Jambo, but make ADR for SANNA. You won't be disappointed.

Yes, Sanna is a great restaurant. It's just a shame no one can find it.

 

[MaxsDad]

Hello there fellow disney freaks! I have made a reservation for 5 of us at animal kingdom villas kidani village - one bedroom villa STANDARD VIEW:shrug: only thing available. But I was checking out the disney site and the same thing is now available at JAMBO HOUSE. And it is cheaper by $40 big ones! Wow that's a lot lol. Why is it a little cheaper though?
So my question is really which one is better? Which place will more likely get a better standard view in a one bedroom villa? Do the rooms look the same at both buildings? Which builind has better lobby? Better pool? And since we going to be in a standard room which building has better outside viewing areas?
Is there anywhere where I could a layout of where the one bedroom standard views arelocated.
Oh yea we will be rentin a car so we r not worried about buses
I would love see pics of how they are diffrent or the same

Price: Kidani's 1BR have 2 bathrooms, Jambo's have one. They are also bigger by 100 sq ft. This may be difference in price.

View: I feel Jambo offeres a better chance at a good view in the standard catergory. More pool views available.

Rooms: The are very, very similar looking. I have stayed at Jambo, and toured a 1 BR at Kidani, and I can't put my finger on it, but I liked the Kidani rooms better. Once again, though, little to no difference in decor, etc.

Lobby: Jambo's is larger and much more impressive, by far.

Pool: I took a swim over at Kidani, and I prefer that pool over Jambo's. Much better slide, a really cool kids play area (if applicable), better features in general. I would give a nod to Jambo's on overall ambiance (sp?) though.

Viewing Areas: I know both have areas that you can walk outside to view animals, and covered areas with chairs to view animals also. Which is better? I would guess Jambo offers more variety.

To sum up, the resorts are adjacent, and even share a savannah. The ammenities of both are open to one another. You can eat Quick service at Mara or tour the lobby and viewing areas of Jambo, or conversely, eat at Saana and swin at the pool over at Kidani. Transportation to the parks is the same, and since you have a car, it is fairly simple to go between the two buildings. Pick the one that fits your desires most closely.

Since you asked about pictures, this link provides some good ones, and you should be able to poke around and find other pictures, info you need too:

http://allears.net/acc/g_kidani.htm

 

[Cole28]

We were just there in December, my vote would be for Jambo. Haven't seen any rooms at Kadani, but we weren't as impressed with the lobby, shop, etc. as we were with Jambo. The only downfall with staying at Jambo was the fact that the buses now stop at Kadani first, so sometimes the buses are WAY overcrowded or you have to wait on multiple buses. That wouldn't deter me from going back though, we LOVE the AKL!!!

 

[Pioneer Hall]

I just stayed at Kidani this past week. The resort was very nice, and is definitely a bit quieter and more laid back than Jambo House. I would have no problem staying there again in the future. The difference in price is coming from the room size though. The villas at Kidani are larger and have an extra bathroom.

 

[420WDW MONSTER]

Wow thanx for the responses! Jambo sounds like its a lot closer to everything I love the big hotel feel of it compared to kidani, we never go on vacation so I like being in middle of everything. Kidani seems more homey. I want to stay at jambo now but everyone else in our party thinks havin a second bathroom is better since there are 5 of us. Which I guess their right we only have bathroom in our house and it crazyness everymorning! Plus we will be able to just drive over to jambo. I'm sure I can't go wrong with eather one

One other question I have heard that all the standard view one bedroom villas at jambo are all pool view is that true?

Also what's a good area to request at kidani for a good standard view

 

[MaxsDad]

Wow thanx for the responses! Jambo sounds like its a lot closer to everything I love the big hotel feel of it compared to kidani, we never go on vacation so I like being in middle of everything. Kidani seems more homey. I want to stay at jambo now but everyone else in our party thinks havin a second bathroom is better since there are 5 of us. Which I guess their right we only have bathroom in our house and it crazyness everymorning! Plus we will be able to just drive over to jambo. I'm sure I can't go wrong with eather one

One other question I have heard that all the standard view one bedroom villas at jambo are all pool view is that true?

Also what's a good area to request at kidani for a good standard view

To my knowledge, you could be placed with a parking lot view at either resort. I would request a pool view at Kidani if I didn't want a Parking Lot view.

 

[KaneMarko]

We just returned from Jambo House just after Thanksgiving. We were blown away to say the least. Our stay there was truly spectacular. We did walk over to Kidani and although Kidani is impressive, we felt it paled in comparison to Jambo House. The Jambo House common areas are larger and offer more than Kidani. We did not stay at Kidani. So we cannot attest to the quality of the rooms in comparison to Jambo House. But we felt there was a pretty significant difference in the common areas with Jambo House offering quite a bit more in a lot of ways.

 

[AKL fan]

The Kidani Village opened in May 2009, the week we arrived and stayed at Jambo House for 2 weeks. We wandered over to Kidani Village to see what it was like. The lobby is like a miniature Jambo House lobby. We couldn't see many animals but that was probably because it had just opened. Kidani Village is self-catering and there is a little gift shop called Johari Treasures that has food you're supposed to cook yourself. I prefer to eat at Boma, Jiko or Mara because someone else does the cooking and washing up for you. That's what I call a real holiday otherwise you might as well be home.

 

[moonchild925]

Stayed at jambo in a regular hotel room in '09 and at kidani last october as a first trip as a dvc member. There were 6 of us last trip and the size and overall quality of the room at kidani was fantastic. The extra bathroom made us all that much more comfortable. I seriously doubt you will be disappointed at either and both areas are easily accessible enough. But something to consider is....more dining options are available at jambo. Jiko is simply a must do for me on every trip. plus the mara is the only quick service for the entire resort and it's at jambo. there is a nice separate lounge area (victoria falls) at jambo and if you can make do with one less bathroom I'm always up for saving $ because at disney you really don't spend all that much time in your room.
On the other hand, if the bathroom/ extra space seems nicer you can easily hop any disney bus to get to jambo in just a few minutes or walk though it's a fairly decent walk. Kidani also has the benefit of covered parking which keeps your rental from roasting in the FL sun. Sanaa is a fantastic restaurant as well but it would be better if there were a breakfast option on this side. Either way, you're sure to have a great stay. Enjoy!

 

[420WDW MONSTER]

Does anyone know the deal with the night vision goggles? Are they at both kidani and jambo ? Do u have to pay for it ? Are they only for people with savannah view?

 

[tecowdw]

I prefer Kidani, I think. I like the bigger size villas. Yes, it is more remote seeming since there is no high activity lobby and a lack of QS dining is somewhat annoying. That being said, sometimes I like getting away from the crowds and Kidani can be very peaceful.

I stayed in a value 1-br villa at Jambo once. It was a decent size but definitely felt smaller than Kidani. The king bed took up the whole bedroom with little room to walk around. High step to get in the shower since the whirlpool tub is the only shower also (not easy for more elderly people). So not an issue at Kidani with walk-in shower stall, normal size tub/shower combo and a separate whirlpool tub.

 

[TuffyCatt]

Does anyone know the deal with the night vision goggles? Are they at both kidani and jambo ? Do u have to pay for it ? Are they only for people with savannah view?

I've stayed at Jambo twice, and the night vision goggles are an activity that's offered in the evening at no extra charge. Usually they have cast members available at a common animal viewing area (at Jambo, it's the one to the left of the pool) who have the night vision goggles that you can use. Sometimes you have to wait in a short line until a pair becomes available, but I've never had to wait too long. They usually have put out treats for the animals near this viewing area so that you're more likely to see some nice and close. On my trip this month, the night vision goggle activity was offered every evening from, I think, 9-9:30, except on the nights it was waaay too cold.

I have yet to stay at Kidani, so I'm not sure if they offer the night vision goggles over there.

 

[Computer Magic]

Yes, Sanna is a great restaurant. It's just a shame no one can find it.

I think it's great no one can find it...a nice hidden gem a bigger secret then DVC. :ROFLOL:

 

[420WDW MONSTER]

If the night vision goggles are just at jambo then I think I might swich dh really wants to do that

 

[disneyrcks]

You can also get night vision goggles at Kidani...we did it when we stayed there in August! I liked Kidani but would have prefered Jambo. We like a little hustle and bustle. Kidani was very quiet for us (newly weds no kids). They did have wonderful activities for children and families but we were also turned off by having to go Jambo for QS. As someone stated they have food in gift shop you can cook yourself. Someone also commented on Jambo having sit down restaurants (Boma & Jiko) but Kidani has an awesome sit down called Sanaa (sp?). We did not like the pool at Kidani, it was small and there wasn't much room to swim around. You mentioned u like the big hotel vibe so I would suggest Jambo....no matter what u decide have a magical trip :wave: