Jambo! The newest AKL Information thread

[L_MD]

I had no idea about that. Where would I go to purchase the touring plans subscription. And if I did not subscribe, is there any other way to go about requesting rooms?

And lastly, I am sure there is info in this thread, and I am hoping to read through all of it, but if anyone has any insight on rooms, or areas to request, that would be great. We are 2 families, each staying in standard rooms. Is there any rooms or areas that are pretty convenient to the main area, pool and also have a nice view?

I did read somewhere that all rooms except those on the first floor have balconies, is that correct?

Thank you!

Not sure about linking rules in this forum, but it's just touringplans dot com. There are of course other ways to request rooms: you can call Disney on your own if you have a request, or you can use Disney's (limited) online check-in options if you don't want something super specific. I've never called Disney though.

 

[dansdad]

About how long it takes to get to Disney Springs from AKL. Considering dinner at Raglan Road one night but worried about transport times.

Last trip we went to DS twice for dinner. First trip the bus ride was 8 minutes the second trip was 7 minutes.

 

[LoveSplashMountain]

Last trip we went to DS twice for dinner. First trip the bus ride was 8 minutes the second trip was 7 minutes.

That isn’t bad at all. I was worried it was longer than MK. Thanks so much!

 

[pepperandchips]

We are staying in a 2Q bedded room in Jambo house (not dvc studio). What kind of coffeemaker is in the rooms, and is the minifridge a "cube" or one of the 3 foot tall-types?

The coffeemaker is a pod-type, not a keurig, it takes the supplied Joffrey's pods, they are like flat discs. The fridge is probably not quite three feet tall, here's a link to a thread that has a picture of the mini fridge at AKL:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/size-of-resort-room-fridges.3588799/#post-57322945

 

[leebee]

The coffeemaker is a pod-type, not a keurig, it takes the supplied Joffrey's pods, they are like flat discs. The fridge is probably not quite three feet tall, here's a link to a thread that has a picture of the mini fridge at AKL:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/size-of-resort-room-fridges.3588799/#post-57322945

Thanks for the info. On the coffeemaker... is it individual cups, or a bigger pod that makes a full pot? We love our coffee and it's a pain to run down to the Mara every morning (or evening... )!

 

[Cotillard]

Thanks for the info. On the coffeemaker... is it individual cups, or a bigger pod that makes a full pot? We love our coffee and it's a pain to run down to the Mara every morning (or evening... )!

2 individual cups, side by side. Like this: https://www.amazon.com/WCM11-2-Cup-...sr=8-4&keywords=cuisinart++2+cup+coffee+maker
We are the same way about coffee

 

[andychris14]

We are planning our first stay at the AKL Jambo a value/studio room. We are very excited. We are a family of 4, kids are 23 and 21. We would love any information/tips for our trip. Thank you in advance!

 

[GrantMcR]

Is there a thread like this specifically for Kidani Village? From my initial perusal of this thread it looks like it is more focused on Jambo. Is this correct, or did I just not get deep enough into it?

 

[pepperandchips]

Is there a thread like this specifically for Kidani Village? From my initial perusal of this thread it looks like it is more focused on Jambo. Is this correct, or did I just not get deep enough into it?

You are welcome to ask any questions about Kidani Village in this thread! I don’t think there is another one specifically for Kidani. Lots of posters know about both but you are correct that there are probably more questions about Jambo House than Kidani.

 

[bwbuddy5]

You are welcome to ask any questions about Kidani Village in this thread! I don’t think there is another one specifically for Kidani. Lots of posters know about both but you are correct that there are probably more questions about Jambo House than Kidani.

You would also me able to find Kidani info over on the DVC boards.

 

[CeruleanMoon]

Hard to believe that just this morning I was waking up in Jambo House and now I am back at home as if our whole vacation was a dream!

We loved AKL and were very pleased with our experience there. We stayed in a value studio. I was concerned that it would feel cramped, as it is the smallest room size, but it was fine. Having a little kitchen was a huge boon! Plenty of counter space, large fridge, toaster, etc. We had all our breakfasts in the room save for one morning at Boma. (Which was amazing by the way! I loved loved loved the goat cheese and chives scrambled eggs, with the French Toast bread pudding a close second. Corned beef hash was also very good, which is saying something because I rarely eat red meat.)

I used touring plans to check room views and make my request. Their map ended up being accurate as to the placement and views of the value studios. We went ahead and requested a partial savanna view along Ostrich trail, even though I'd heard that value studios, being so few in number, often couldn't accommodate requests. We ended up getting a pool view along Giraffe Trail. I was disappointed at first but ended up enjoying the room location. The sound proofing on the glass doors is nothing short of amazing. The pool could get very loud, but with the doors closed 99% of the sound disappeared and were we able to sleep even with a movie playing outside. During the day we actually enjoyed the busyness of the pool view. It was good for people watching and sometimes they did trivia contests which we enjoyed trying to to play along with on the balcony.

Hard for me to judge the buses, since I have nothing to compare it to. It took us about 30 minutes to get home from MK the night we went, and probably about that long to go to Disney Springs as well. We had one bad experience where it took us an hour to get to Epcot because the bus was late, and then the driver drove incredibly slowly. We ended up taking Lyft or the Minnie Van for some other trips, such as Typhoon Lagoon and the Fantasia Minigolf. Animal Kingdom was super close of course, and Hollywood Studios didn't seem to take long at all.

Beautiful resort and I love that it has some of the strongest theming of all the resorts. Everything from music, to smells, to the artwork everywhere...you really are immersed. Just what I was looking for and AKL delivered.

 

[Sailormoon2]

@CeruleanMoon I'm so glad you enjoyed your experience at AKL!!! Sounds like you spent a good deal of time at the hotel itself too.

 

[Cotillard]

Sounds awesome, CeruleanMoon!

 

[disneynanacat]

I'm having a senior moment and can't remember. Do they sell cases or half cases of water at the Jambo house store? Also, I haven't stayed at Jambo house since they added the DVC units so not sure if they expanded their offerings to include more grocery type stuff. TIA

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

We will be staying at the AKL for the first time this summer. We are so excited. Is one of the Savannahs better than the other? I was wondering about making a request for our room. What is the best requests to make? Thank you in advance.

 

[Lisann]

Are there life jackets for younger children at the pool at Jambo House? I don't want to have to pack water wings if I don't have to.

 

[BaymaxForever]

Are there life jackets for younger children at the pool at Jambo House? I don't want to have to pack water wings if I don't have to.

Yes, there is a rack with plenty of the yellow-type ones in different sizes.

 

[Lisann]

Yes, there is a rack with plenty of the yellow-type ones in different sizes.

Perfect, thank you so much.

 

[DizDaD7]

We will be staying at the AKL for the first time this summer. We are so excited. Is one of the Savannahs better than the other? I was wondering about making a request for our room. What is the best requests to make? Thank you in advance.

Arusha Savanna I think is the main one and where you'd see most activity IMHO...Depending how far from the lobby is up to you, but also keep in mind. If you'll be having some days at the resort, whether it be late mornings, or back by early afternoon, the rooms along the right side will be facing NW, so you'll have the sunsets on you. And vice versa for the rooms on the left. For you get the morning sunrises if facing East.... HTH

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

Arusha Savanna I think is the main one and where you'd see most activity IMHO...Depending how far from the lobby is up to you, but also keep in mind. If you'll be having some days at the resort, whether it be late mornings, or back by early afternoon, the rooms along the right side will be facing NW, so you'll have the sunsets on you. And vice versa for the rooms on the left. For you get the morning sunrises if facing East.... HTH

Wow - thank you so much for the information. I will put in a request for the Arusha Savannah and see what happens. Thanks again.