Reviews of Animal Kingdom Lodge JAMBO House (Disney Vacation Club)
Reviewed by peachmermaid Review Date: 09/12/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
Our first stay at jambo house & hopefully not our last! We stayed on the 5th floor, giving us a good view of some of the property. The lobby is gorgeous. The staff we came into contact with were very nice & worked hard to make our stay a good one. Our room was a nice size for just the 2 of us. The tub was a nice size but the bathroom was a bit tiny. I'd give up a few inches of counter space for a few more in the bathroom. I'd stay here again for sure, even if it's a bit longer to get to the parks.
Pros:
view, comfy furnitureCons:
distance from mk, epcotReviewed by acwade11 Review Date: 08/25/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
We love everything about Jambo house, except for the size. We really love the little sitting areas they have, the pool & the proximity to buses
Pros:
animal views, pool, atmosphereCons:
sizeReviewed by NJDzneMom Review Date: 11/11/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
We stayed Nov 2nd - 8th in Jambo House on the 4th Floor. While rooms are very nicely decorated and well suited for the African safari theme, they are very small in comparison to non-Disney deluxe hotels. I wish Disney would rethink this. Housekeeping was good and we had a few towel animals during our stay (not daily). The staff in the Club Level and throughout the hotel were very friendly and helpful. The pool was very nice - though a little cold for my liking this time of year. Transportation was good. The longest trip was to MK (about 25 minutes).
Pros:
Wonderful Theming; Views of Savana AnimalsCons:
Small RoomsReviewed by AddictedtoDisney Review Date: 08/17/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
Our family of 8 stayed at Jambo House 8/3/13-8/10/13. In a 2 bedroom villa with the view of the Savannah. Amazing room space for all, very comfortable. Great views of the animals. Great service, convenience of restaurants and store with-in the resort. We had a full size kitchen equipped with cookware. We actually had a friend bring us our groceries from the super Wal-Mart. Saved some money then shopping at the resorts marketplace. Enjoyed the pool area with the family. Movie nights were great by the pool. Kids really enjoyed themselves. The only negative was being so far from some theme parks and having to get into already very packed buses. Not everyone is willing to give up their seats for a mom holding their 5 month old baby.
Pros:
Atmosphere, Room view, ServiceCons:
Far away from some parks, buses too packedReviewed by dgagnon519 Review Date: 07/03/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
We stayed here from 06/16-06/24. We stayed in a value studio. We requested one of the savannah ones, but ended up with a pool view. There was a beautiful tree by our window, but it was loaded with bees. Our checkin was quick and smooth, probably the best we have ever had. Our room was ready at noon. The service was very good.
Pros:
Beautiful, different, Pricing on pointsCons:
Can be a long walk, busReviewed by MinnieMouseMama Review Date: 06/17/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
After trying out all the value and most of the moderate resorts, we decided on AKL because my parents finally joined us!! We had an amazing stay in a pool view room. I was worried about the noise, but it was never too loud, even at night. We had no problems with buses being crowded or running late. While some reviewers feel this resort is "too far" away, I have to disagree. Ten more minutes on the bus is not a big deal to stay in such a unique place. If you are worried, please take a look at a WDW map and make the best choice for your family. The rooms are dim, but no so dim that things felt dank. I know that new bedding is in the works, but the old bed spreads really do have to go! We were in a DCV room so there was a fridge, microwave and extra sink which was nice. I will say that the toilet/ shower room is very small. Bathing little children is a challenge. Mousekeeping did a nice job and we had no complaints with the cleanliness of the room. I wasn't sure that a deluxe resort would be worth it, but after our visit to AKL I am sure this was the resort for us.
Pros:
beautiful resortCons:
needs new beddingReviewed by Fishfamily Review Date: 01/23/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
My family really enjoyed this hotel. The check-in went fine and we got a room with a view of one of the savannahs. I think we were upgraded, we paid for the cheapest available. We had a studio with a fridge and balcony. We appreciated both. We could put the kids down and sit on the balcony until it was adult bedtime. And we stocked the fridge with soft drinks, milk, bread, etc that saved us some decent money over the course of a week. It is neat to see the various animals and using the night vision goggles was really special. I will say the animals you see are antelope, cattle and giraffe. One family was arguing that you can see lions from one side of the lodge. That's just not true and pretty ridiculous if you think about it. The pool is spectacular, we went three times with little kids, having life jackets for the younger ones is great. My kids are 4 and 2 and were intimidated by the slide. I suspect a boy older than 8 will find the slide pretty mundane. Having been to Africa myself I LOVED the theming. You feel like you're there with all the art and wood and so on. I liked everything about the hotel but the location, it's a long ride to Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom are very close. The wait for the buses could be up to 40 minutes and yes, they stop at Kidani first so there's a chance you might not all get to sit together. That said, this is a really nice resort.
Pros:
Theming of lodge, animals, pool, Boma breakfastCons:
Long bus rides to MK and EpcotReviewed by Wykdg Review Date: 01/16/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
We stayed here Jan. 1-5. Our first time staying here. It is a beautiful, unique resort. The animals were abundant. Be sure to watch the savannah through the night vision goggles. We stayed in a DVC studio and it was spacious and comfortable. We could see across the savannah to the Christmas tree in the lobby of Kidani Village from our balcony.
The staff was fantastic, especially the concierge staff. Check-in was fast and easy. We had done online check-in.
We enjoyed a dinner at Mara our first night. We also had a breakfast there and enjoyed the selections. This is the only location to refill mugs. Since our room was nowhere close to Mara, we did not fill our mugs very often. The location of Mara is not on the way in or out of Jambo House, so filling mugs is not very accessible.
We had breakfast at Boma and it was fantastic! This was on our last morning there and we shall return in the future.
The gift shop in Jambo House is one of the best resort shops. There are many items unique to AKL.
The only con about AKL is the time it takes to travel anywhere else (except AK). In our short 3 days at WDW, we felt we spent too many hours waiting for/traveling on busses. We usually stay at the Beach Club Villas and have become spoiled at being just minutes away from 2 parks and mini-golf.
A family could enjoy a vacation here without even needing to go anywhere else!
Pros:
Gorgeous setting, decor, great staffCons:
Took a long time to get anywhere on bussesReviewed by PhilipM Review Date: 05/03/2024
Rating: (10) Recommended
What's not to love about this place?!?!
Pros:
Gorgeous lobby, rooms have soft close everything....small touch but very welcome! Oh, and the animals.....did you hear about the animals?!Cons:
The restaurants don't fit my families tastes, but that's hardly a con in my book with so many amazing places to eat in WDWReviewed by Reed2015 Review Date: 08/29/2023
Rating: (10) Recommended
Beautiful resort. Theming is mind blowing. Restaurants are the best on property. Our go to DVC.
