Renting DVC Points

[slappy magoo]

Do you prefer Jambo or Kidani? Less walking is better for us (I just mean in terms of time to get to the buses, my special needs son likes to be close for some reason, but can walk for hours).

Either way, after you make your reservation you can contact Jambo or Kidani to let them know about your son; they can at least note that you'd prefer to be closer to the bus stop. No promises. Both Jambo and Kidani have rooms that are reasonably close to the bus stops and many that can be quite the hike. Ironically, my first stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge was in 2004, before it was part of the Disney Vacation Club. It was my first time staying at a deluxe resort, we got a passholder discount and we probably got, in terms of view, one of the crappiest rooms in the place. You walked out and you could see the bottom of the roof, that's it, and hear people getting on and off the buses as our room was right next to the bus stop for what is now Jambo. We used to joke that instead of walking all the way down the hall to go all the way back to right next to our room we should just jump off our balcony and be right there.

Someone can correct me but I'm pretty sure the 1BR Villas at Jambo have only 1 Bathroom whereas all the 1BR at Kidani have 2 bathrooms. Same deal with the 2BR units, Kidani units have an extra bathroom. If you're only renting points for a studio, it will be a moot point they all only have 1 bathroom.

If you're in Jambo, you'll be closer to the "Mara" food court for easy counter service options.

If you're in Kidani, you'll have a better pool and water splash area. I don't know how young your son is, how much he likes to swim or be in a splash zone so I don't know how big a deal that is. When it comes to counter service options, there is no food court like the Mara in Kidani so that will require a bit of a walk or the shuttle. Kidani does have a sort of counter service breakfast in Sanaa - you order at a register but the food is brought to your table, and there are also grab-and-go options. During lunch and dinner, Sanaa is a full service restaurant. There is also a limited counter service menu at the pool bar at Kidani; you also have extra options that can be ordered like room service and delivered to the pool. But it's not as expansive a menu like the Mara.

Finally, and I think you would have access to this if you're staying on points, at Kidani you'll be closer to the DVC Clubhouse, where there are toys and games to play with, including video games, crafts to work on for a relatively nominal fee, there are dvds to rent (DVC members can borrow them for free). Again, not knowing how old your son is or his interests, I don't know if that would be any sort of thing he'd like. I know my kids can spend hours in those rooms, sort of makes me angry I spent all that damn money on park tickets.

Both houses will have plenty of African artifacts/artwork to explore, and African born cast members who can talk more about what's on display at length.

So I don't know if I can speak to which house is better for you (unless you're going for bigger than a studio), I hope that info might help you make a more informed choice.

 

[I am Timmy]

Either way, after you make your reservation you can contact Jambo or Kidani to let them know about your son; they can at least note that you'd prefer to be closer to the bus stop. No promises. Both Jambo and Kidani have rooms that are reasonably close to the bus stops and many that can be quite the hike. Ironically, my first stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge was in 2004, before it was part of the Disney Vacation Club. It was my first time staying at a deluxe resort, we got a passholder discount and we probably got, in terms of view, one of the crappiest rooms in the place. You walked out and you could see the bottom of the roof, that's it, and hear people getting on and off the buses as our room was right next to the bus stop for what is now Jambo. We used to joke that instead of walking all the way down the hall to go all the way back to right next to our room we should just jump off our balcony and be right there.

Someone can correct me but I'm pretty sure the 1BR Villas at Jambo have only 1 Bathroom whereas all the 1BR at Kidani have 2 bathrooms. Same deal with the 2BR units, Kidani units have an extra bathroom. If you're only renting points for a studio, it will be a moot point they all only have 1 bathroom.

If you're in Jambo, you'll be closer to the "Mara" food court for easy counter service options.

If you're in Kidani, you'll have a better pool and water splash area. I don't know how young your son is, how much he likes to swim or be in a splash zone so I don't know how big a deal that is. When it comes to counter service options, there is no food court like the Mara in Kidani so that will require a bit of a walk or the shuttle. Kidani does have a sort of counter service breakfast in Sanaa - you order at a register but the food is brought to your table, and there are also grab-and-go options. During lunch and dinner, Sanaa is a full service restaurant. There is also a limited counter service menu at the pool bar at Kidani; you also have extra options that can be ordered like room service and delivered to the pool. But it's not as expansive a menu like the Mara.

Finally, and I think you would have access to this if you're staying on points, at Kidani you'll be closer to the DVC Clubhouse, where there are toys and games to play with, including video games, crafts to work on for a relatively nominal fee, there are dvds to rent (DVC members can borrow them for free). Again, not knowing how old your son is or his interests, I don't know if that would be any sort of thing he'd like. I know my kids can spend hours in those rooms, sort of makes me angry I spent all that damn money on park tickets.

Both houses will have plenty of African artifacts/artwork to explore, and African born cast members who can talk more about what's on display at length.

So I don't know if I can speak to which house is better for you (unless you're going for bigger than a studio), I hope that info might help you make a more informed choice.

Wow, thank you for such a thoughtful and informative response! My special needs son is 26, and we are mostly park commandos, but have hung back at the resorts a little more when staying in a deluxe. We would only need a studio, since it would be myself and 2 sons (DH doesn't always go on DW trips since we stay so long). Being closer to the food court would also be a bonus as he likes to make runs for drinks. He does not swim at all at the resorts anymore, we're usually too tired from park running. I guess I could try and request a closer room to the buses. Are the buses near the food court?

 

[I am Timmy]

No problem at all. Depending on your room it can be a pretty serious walk. The hallway set ups try to capitalise on getting as much savanna views as possible but this results in them going on for fairly long distances. If it were me, I would just request being close as possible to bus service. There are a number of discussions out there on DVC forums about room requests and such for AKL so I would just do a search for this (I don't think I am allowed to post them here). Otherwise, somebody else with more experience might chime in here. I believe all the DVC rooms at Jambo are on the upper floors whereas all of Kidani is DVC. I really like Jambo. The main lobby is just so grand and beautiful, especially at Christmas time... Kidani is nice too, but feels less than Jambo's scale... Jambo has a quick serve area as well (and Boma) whereas I don't think Kidani has quick serve, but they have Sanaa. We have visited Kidani but never actually stayed there. The two resorts are really close and they have a shuttle running between them. They often share transportation to the parks and I believe Kidani typically gets picked up first and dropped off first. Bus stops are both just out to the side of the main lobbies of each. You can also find DVC point charts (or just use the calculator from Davids) to figure out the number of points for the room you want. You would just multiply this point total by the per point dollar amount to get a cost estimate. For 2019 you would be looking at very low point totals for Dec 8-14 (adventure season) and a slight increase for Dec 15-23rd (choice season). Still decent value though... For us, Christmas is one of the best times to go, especially to AKL... Absolutely beautiful resort...

Thank you for so much information! I would esp. like to see AKL at christmas, which would make staying in a deluxe again so much more worth it. I guess we could make requests, and make do with whatever we get. We would be interested in a studio since it would just be the 3 of us (myself and 2 DS, DH can't always go since we stay too long, heh). Having the quick serve nearby is also important, since he likes to make runs for drinks. Do the buses fill up fast? Just wondering if they ever pass by a bus stop because they are already full, leaving the people to wait for the next bus. That has happened to us at mods, which is why we no longer stay at them.

 

[Greg H]

Thank you for so much information! I would esp. like to see AKL at christmas, which would make staying in a deluxe again so much more worth it. I guess we could make requests, and make do with whatever we get. We would be interested in a studio since it would just be the 3 of us (myself and 2 DS, DH can't always go since we stay too long, heh). Having the quick serve nearby is also important, since he likes to make runs for drinks. Do the buses fill up fast? Just wondering if they ever pass by a bus stop because they are already full, leaving the people to wait for the next bus. That has happened to us at mods, which is why we no longer stay at them.

No problem! There is only the one bus stop at each resort. I never found the busses all that busy but there certainly are crowds in the morning. People usually line up and it feels pretty orderly though. It can be a bit of a wait sometimes as AKL is a bit farther away, but I think this is also a bit overblown sometimes.

 

[slappy magoo]

Wow, thank you for such a thoughtful and informative response! My special needs son is 26, and we are mostly park commandos, but have hung back at the resorts a little more when staying in a deluxe. We would only need a studio, since it would be myself and 2 sons (DH doesn't always go on DW trips since we stay so long). Being closer to the food court would also be a bonus as he likes to make runs for drinks. He does not swim at all at the resorts anymore, we're usually too tired from park running. I guess I could try and request a closer room to the buses. Are the buses near the food court?

At jambo the buses are a short walk from the entrance, but by design the entrance is the 3rd floor so you would still need to walk or elevator down to 1st floor to access Mara, or pool in case you decide on a swim after all. Our first trip our room was kind of equidistant between both bus stop and Mara, but in opposite directions.