Reviews of Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House (Deluxe Resort)
Reviewed by SusieH212 Review Date: 08/20/2017
Rating: (10) Recommended
AKL is an amazing resort! As soon as we arrive, we feel as though we are in a very special place. The decor & atmosphere is incredible. There is nothing like watching animals from your private balcony enjoying your morning coffee. Onsite restaurants Boma & Jiko are delicious. AKL is the only resort for us!
Pros:
Everything!Cons:
BusesReviewed by dlc1972 Review Date: 05/16/2017
Rating: (9) Recommended
We stayed 7 nights in early May and we absolutely loved this resort! We were a group of 9 in 4 rooms. All were standard view, 3 on one side of the hall and one on the other. Every room had a wonderful view with plenty of animals! I really did not expect to see animals from our standard view balcony! Wonderful! We ate several times at Mara and one dinner at Jiko. Fantastic. The pool was lovely and our 4 year old daughter absolutely loved it, especially the slide. Lots of fun happenings in the lobby in the evenings for my daughter as well. We did opt to get Ubers or taxis for some of our trips to the parks as we didn't want to wait for the buses. Most times the buses were pretty quick but there were one or two times when the wait seemed too long. Location would be my only complaint and even that is just a small complaint. I would stay here again for sure and I highly recommend it!!
Pros:
Just about everything!Cons:
Just about none!Reviewed by monorailmom Review Date: 03/04/2017
Rating: (9) Recommended
The single reason I gave this resort a 9 is due to the bus service, but I'll get to that in a minute.
We stayed in a 1br value villa. We had an unbelievably good view of the savanna! Giraffes and zebras, wildebeests and ankole cattle were outside our balcony every afternoon/evening. The room was recently updated and looked great, everything bright and clean and in good working order. We like the accessibility of the Mara. Stopping at Victoria Falls for drinks in the evening was a challenge as almost every evening every table was full. We were able to sit and enjoy a glass of wine in Jiko's lounge one evening, which was really nice.
We have stayed at many Disney resorts, including Kidani village 3 times prior to this first Jambo stay. Maybe it was a bad week, bad luck, or whatever, but this was THE WORST bus service we have ever had. We never waited less than 30mins for a bus. Several times we waited 40+ minutes, and not everyone was able to board. This happened not just resort to park, but park to resort as well. We did have a few instances of us running to make a bus so we didn't have to wait, but the waiting painfully long for a bus far outweighed the times we ran. Twice there were Transportation CM's at the resort bus stop, neither time dd they have any good reason why the buses were so slow. I would not let this stop me from staying at Jambo again, in fact we hope to do it next Feb. I only mention it so folks know it can happen, and trust me, I plan to let DVC know my disappointment with the bus service.
Pros:
Theming, amenitiesCons:
buses! (not a previous problem, but prominent this trip)Reviewed by eyluvbug Review Date: 08/12/2016
Rating: (10) Recommended
We stayed here for our second time June 2016, our first trip to AKL was last year and we just feel in love with it. As frequent visitors to the Beach Club and Poly, I worried that we would miss the ease of transportation and that the resort would be too dark. Not at all! The theming is just impeccable. We had a view of the savannah - I wouldn't want any other. The animals were 24/7 entertainment. Transportation was no bother because we rent a car which really just makes getting around easier and allows us to choose exactly when we come and go to all locations. The pool is large and beautiful. The Mara has wonderful quick-service options, and Boma is a very good buffet. Unlike the Beach Club, the resort is not massive which makes it more walkable and generally convenient to everything. It is now the only resort we want to stay at!
Pros:
Wonderful animals; ambience; themingCons:
NoneReviewed by LeighAnnB Review Date: 04/12/2016
Rating: (10) Recommended
We stayed at the AKL-Jambo House during spring break 28Mar2016-02Apr2016. We loved everything about this resort!
Theme: A+
Animal viewing: A+++
Dining:A+
Bus Service to parks: A
Guest Service: A++
I would highly recommend staying at AKL at least once just to experience falling asleep with giraffes outside your window and waking up to zebras!
I sent in a fax prior to our stay to request the Arusha savannah and was thrilled that they were able to accommodate the request. We were a close walk to the lobby and had amazing animal views!
We ate at Sanaa, Boma, Mara, and Jiko and enjoyed them all. Mara was very busy but to be expected for quick service dining. It was nice to have a variety of dining choices within our resort.
The lobby was huge and beautiful but also welcoming and comfortable. I spent some time sitting on the sofas reading and just people watching.
My son used the pool and really enjoyed the size and close location to Mara.
I had read that the lighting in the rooms was dim so I took a lighted makeup mirror. I found that I did not really need it. Perhaps Disney has updated the lighting based on reviews? If you are a lady who likes a brighter makeup light, then I would suggest taking a battery operated makeup mirror. I picked mine up from Bed,Bath, and Beyond.
My only complaint would be the size of the room. We had two adults and an 18 year old with us, so the room could be a bit tight for the three of us. We made it work and rotated bathroom time so it worked out well. Since I doubt Disney will be expanding the room sizes, if you are a family who likes a bit more space, either get a bigger room or mentally prepare yourself to be close. 😉
Overall, we LOVED AKL and we can't wait to get back HOME. 🙂
Pros:
Animals, Decor, Dining, ServiceCons:
room a bit smallReviewed by Bornwiththeears Review Date: 01/05/2016
Rating: (9) Recommended
If Mara had a better food selection I would have given this hotel a 10. The bus service was great (we expected longer rides). Our inexpensive room had a beautiful balcony overlooking a view of the animals.
Pros:
beautiful hotel; amazing view of the animalsCons:
limited food choicesReviewed by Edrod1000 Review Date: 10/03/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
We just got back recently from our Disney vacation. And this is our second time staying at AKL. We can't ask for the best service. Also at Boma's for breakfast and having Albert as our server. He goes out of his way to make your breakfast the best way to start off your day. We had the savannah view all I can say outstanding seeing the animals from your balcony. Can't wait to go back again.
Pros:
An amazing place to stayCons:
NoneReviewed by Wanda Review Date: 08/18/2015
Rating: (9) Recommended
Stayed here 8-6 thru 8-13-15. Pool view due to closeness of lobby and restaurants. Like it better than savannah views. So many other places to see animals and pool view is close to everything and is beautiful. Very clean. Like it better than the Polynesian, but no monorail makes it tough. The buses are not crowded at all because they serve AKL only and do not go to other resorts. The staff are very friendly and will help you with anything you need. Carmen at the checkin desk is wonderful. Will stay here again but will get the deluxe pool view due to a little more square footage. Mara, food court, is very large compared to Polynesian and Wilderness lodge.
Pros:
Beautiful views, peaceful, great and friendly staff, very cleanCons:
NoneReviewed by mmfan Review Date: 01/09/2015
Rating: (5) Recommended
We have stayed at several different WDW resorts, and picked this resort for our family reunion vacation due to our Annual Passholder discount. We were disappointed in this resort, and felt for service rendered and the money paid, we would have definitely been better off at a moderate resort. Check in was very slow, we had requested king beds and not necessary to all be near each other, but they originally had us near each other and no king beds. After much discussion, the king bed request was met for two of the rooms. The resort was busier than expected for the beginning of December. The food court was very disappointing, as the resort caters to those wanting a sit down meal experience. Food court selections were very limited and food preparation took a long time. We did not use the pool as it was very chilly weather. Bus service was definitely as issue, service was very spotty with frequent waits of up to 1/2 hour. Buses were usually very crowded as Jambo house is the second pick up.
My DH became very ill our last day, and at least we were granted a check out time of 1 hour later. In all the confusion of checking out and catering to him, some clothing items were left in the room accidentally. After repeated phone calls over a period of 3 weeks, I finally got someone in lost and found to talk to me. The items were never located although I had left numerous messages. I have never stayed at a hotel that did not gladly forward items that were found to their rightful owners. Not the usual Disney experience.
The rooms at the moderate resorts are the same size, and the indoor corridors at a deluxe resort are not that important to us. This deluxe resort provide no additional amenities and was actually lacking in service.
Pros:
lovely surroundingsCons:
food courtReviewed by SNC Review Date: 11/30/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
We stayed at the AK Lodge Jambo House for one night to complete our weeklong Honeymoon at Disney (Started at Poly, Next Beach Club, then AK). We were so impressed! Neither of us had ever been to this resort. It was absolutely Amazing! Friendly, warm, super clean and inviting and full of beautiful details in the decor. The lobby was gorgeous, with big overstuffed chairs and couches and the most beautiful Christmas tree I have ever seen. I loved the fire pit in the lobby and the viewing platforms and looking at the amazing African Art throughout the resort. Stayed in Savannah View room on the third floor. Loved the Decor! Mosquito netting and warm earth tones. The animals of course stole the show! Zebras, Giraffes, Ostrich and Wildebeast right outside our window. We loved looking out and sitting on the patio. This is a great resort to stay at if you want to avoid the parks and just have a restful vacation. Only drawbacks were the lighting was dim (easy to bump into something) and it took forever to walk from our room to Mara to grab sandwiches and drinks. But I'm not complaining! It was terrific and we really want to spend more time here!
