Reviews of Animal Kingdom Lodge JAMBO House (Disney Vacation Club)
Reviewed by Melanie M Review Date: 02/06/2019
Rating: (10) Recommended
As an animal lover this is my favorite resort on property...the atmosphere is great, you can see the animals much better at the resort, although it doesn’t have the same variety as the park.
Pros:
Atmosphere, animals...BomaCons:
Noisy pool, not adult friendly at all, very loud pool party for the kids every day that is overwhelming even from the room!Reviewed by K Cameron Review Date: 10/15/2018
Rating: (9) Recommended
This hotel is beautiful. The staff are fabulous. The beds and pillows are supremely comfortable. Boma is brilliant for a sit-down breakfast or dinner; Maara is great for quick snacks, cold drinks and late night nibbles. Ok, the pool was out of action, but we knew that before going, and it wasn't a big deal to go to the one at Kidani Village. It's a 10 minute stroll or a quick hop on/off a shuttle bus. However, it was busy as we were there in September, it was baking hot, and both hotel and DVC were bus. We only went once. The down side of this hotel was the buses. I could write screeds about them, but I honestly think they need to be looked at again. My sister and I had booked lunch at Disney Springs for 1.30 one day. We left our room at 12.15 and strolled to the bus stop. The time showing was 12.30 for the next DS bus. Then the time started to change in 5 or 10 minute increments. We eventually got on a bus at 1.05pm - a wait of almost 45 minutes. Traffic was heavy and we were delayed. We missed our reservation and ended up going to the Earl of Sandwich instead. We also had problems getting a bus to the MK on a night the Halloween party was running. Again, a wait of almost an hour to get a bus and a very close call with a dining reservation at The Wave. We left in plenty of time (an hour and a half before our reservation), but the bus system was abysmal. We thought we could get on a bus to EPCOT and take the Monorail back, but it seemed like all the party-goers had the same idea and the EPCOT buses (there were 4 that turned up before an MK one did) were jammed. When the MK one showed up, we were squished in like sardines in a can, and made it to our dinner by literally 2 minutes after running back to the Contemporary from the MK parking lot!! PLEASE sort this out.
Pros:
Almost everything!Cons:
BusesReviewed by Herdman Review Date: 10/01/2018
Rating: (9) Recommended
We stayed at the Jambo House from 05/12-05/20/18. We rented points through David's DVC rentals. We absolutely loved the place! The view from our balcony each day was spectacular. The bus service was very good. We highly recommend the Starlight Safari tour!! Very educational and a great way to get up close with the animals.
Pros:
Great room, great restaurants.Cons:
The lobby was a little dark for our liking. Wish it was a little brighter in there, but a minor detail.Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 09/30/2018
Rating: (10) Recommended
love it for its terraces. I tend to wake before everyone and to be ready quicker too. The greatest enjoyment is sitting on the terrace of my room with a cup of coffee as the sun and animals are beginning to stir.
Pros:
Children learn another cultureCons:
bus serviceReviewed by Heathfamily Review Date: 09/28/2018
Rating: (10) Recommended
We are pleased to call Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House our home resort. We find ourselves choosing it over and over again despite having other options. The theme is the best. From the moment you get off the Magical Express you are transformed to another land; from the music out doors, the well placed art to the expansive beautiful lobby inside. Plus the smell is my favorite ever.
Rooms are large and spacious and we have always found them to be clean and comfortable.
Pros:
The theme, pool, cultural events and restaurant selections.Cons:
A bit further from other parks, but we don’t find this to be an issue.Reviewed by James Jones Review Date: 09/27/2018
Rating: (9) Recommended
Loved it. Very comfortable and spacious.
Pros:
Everything you need.Cons:
Vacation club rooms are at the far end of the building. Long walk to your room.Reviewed by jessgallam Review Date: 09/27/2018
Rating: (8) Recommended
Absolutely stunning resort! Make sure to splurge a little and get a room with at least some savanna view you won’t be disappointed. Loved waking up every morning going on the balcony and seeing what animals were waiting. Also has plenty of dining options
My one complaint about this resort is it’s far from everything (except AK) no other transportation options besides buses. Only reason for the 8 rating.
Pros:
Animals!Cons:
Far from almost everything. Buses can be slow and packedReviewed by cmschn Review Date: 09/27/2018
Rating: (10) Recommended
For our first family trip to Disney, we went big by renting points for a Savanah View Studio at Jambo House the first week of December 2017. AKL is the most beautiful hotel I’ve ever been to. Walking into the incredible lobby with the huge Christmas tree was so amazing. I had requested to be near the center of the hotel, and we had the perfect location, the first studio in the Zebra trail I believe. Our room was comfortable and we liked the style of furnishings. The balcony was amazing; we saw so many animals and I loved sitting out there in the evening, listening to the drums and relaxing. The pools at both Jambo and Kidani were amazing and never crowded. We went to Boma, The Mara, and Jiko and thought the food was delicious at all. We couldn’t have been happier, and renting points made a dream vacation financially feasible! We honestly didn’t mind waiting for buses and traveling a little further to the parks; we planned on that and got to all the parks right when we wanted to. This resort allows you to feel completely transported to a unique world while still easily enjoying Disney. Now the problem is: how can we stay anywhere else?
Pros:
Ambiance, Pools, dining, Savannah viewsCons:
For some people the locationReviewed by Susan Kowalski Review Date: 09/26/2018
Rating: (10) Recommended
What an amazing experience!!! Even though this is a Disney resort they have done a wonderful job of making you feel as if you are in Africa -
even hiring many of their staff directly from Africa. There are hidden Mickeys if you look really hard, but that is not the main theme here. There are two locations: Kidani Village (DVC location) and Jambo House (which has both DVC room and non-DVC rooms available). I prefer staying in Jambo House. They have the larger of the two pools and also have the only quick serve location on property.
There are many things l love about this resort, so I'll list just a few:
* In Jambo House most rooms have a view of either a yard where animals roam during the day or the pool. There is nothing that can compare to waking up in the morning and looking out of your patio door to see a giraffe eating breakfast right outside of your room!
* There are many free activities each day including pool games, meeting with a cultural representative to learn about their country, playing wildlife games (you can earn beads that you can take home with you), cookie decorating, movies by the pool each night, and more!
* You can take a free daily tour of Jiko's and Boma (the full serve restaurants at Jambo House) where they discuss fun details about the restaurant, it's furnishings and also give out free samples
* There is free night viewing of the animals using night-vision glasses
* The Community Center in Kidani Village has free crafts
* Nightly bonfire with free marshmallow roasting
As you can tell, this is my favorite place to stay on property.
Pros:
Very authentic atmosphere.Cons:
A long way away from all the other theme parks.Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 09/26/2018
Rating: (8) Recommended
We recently stayed at AKL and the hotel is wonderful. The only reason I don't give it a 10 is of its enormous size! The staff is friendly however, NO ONE told us that you can get to the pool or lobby area via different elevators and/or hallways. 4 days into the trip my daughter and I were exploring and found a elevator took it and bam we came out right by the pool!!! If I knew this earlier in the trip I would have been so happy. The lobby/buses and pool area are totally different parts of the hotel. There are hallways and elevators everywhere and they all lead to different spots. So point is take a few minutes on your arrival day and map it all out you may find closer ways to get to the area you want!
