One night only. Convince me to try something new. :)

[thisismyusername]

We are looking to book one night this summer in a villa before we head off for Universal and DCL legs of our vacation, and then returning to Disney to stay at the VGF. (e.g., our vacation is bookended with stays at Disney.)

For that first night, my husband would love to try something new. Me, I need a little convincing since I'm a huge Epcot circle lover and would like to stay at BCV or BWI.

We have APs, so we might go to a park for a few hours, but we'll really be looking to relax following our drive to Orlando, maybe go to a water park, or maybe just enjoy the resort. In the morning, we'll be headed to Universal.

Any suggestions for a monorail/Epcot lover to break away from the same-old, same-old? FWIW, I stayed at SSR this past December, and while I loved the room, I'm not sure I loved how spread-out the resort is. I prefer resorts that are within one building.

Your opinions appreciated!

 

[thisismyusername]

Update: I think we've agreed on AKL. I've read the differences between Kidani and Jambo. If you were to pick based on pool alone, which would you pick? I looked at a video on You Tube of the water play area in Kidani. Does Jambo have anything similar?

 

[mrsgoose8]

We were just there & based on pool alone I liked kidani better. but, I liked the location of the pool at Jambo better. It's super easy to go between resorts though. There's a little van that shuttles every 5 min . You can do both!

 

[mrsgoose8]

But because we couldn't decide, we are staying in both on our next vacations!

 

[NoleFan]

If you like Epcot & water park & resort time, then BCV would be ideal. If you are choosing between Jambo & Kidani, I prefer Jambo. Much better food options and like the resort resembles Wilderness Lodge which we really like. Kidani has the community hall & the splash area. Jambo has a pool with slide & kid's playground (non-splash).

 

[lovin'fl]

Update: I think we've agreed on AKL. I've read the differences between Kidani and Jambo. If you were to pick based on pool alone, which would you pick? I looked at a video on You Tube of the water play area in Kidani. Does Jambo have anything similar?

I was going to suggest AKV. We just stayed there for Xmas and LOVED it. We stayed at Kidani. It was our first AKV stay. It is very quiet there. I liked Sanaa and the store had some breakfast selections and coffee. The animal viewing is phenomenal and the pool is pretty sweet (one of the better DVC pools). There is a shuttle to take you to/from Jambo or you can jump on any park bus as it goes to Jambo before heading out to the parks (Downtown Disney goes to Jambo and then Kidani before heading out).

 

[Kidanifan08]

Update: I think we've agreed on AKL. I've read the differences between Kidani and Jambo. If you were to pick based on pool alone, which would you pick? I looked at a video on You Tube of the water play area in Kidani. Does Jambo have anything similar?

I think AKV is a great choice! I would suggest Kidani, which is all DVC villas. We enjoy the pool area at Kidani much more than Jambo. The pool is smaller, but seems more secluded and is beautifully landscaped. The pool slide is better than at Jambo and the splash play area is great for the kids, if you are traveling with any.

For just one night, you should definitely get a savanna view room. And if you stay at Kidani, dining at Sanaa is a must. The food is delicious and the prices are very reasonable. It's so cool to be sitting in the restaurant and look right out on the savanna and see animals!

If you do decide to go to a park, the transportation from Kidani is excellent. The park buses stop at Kidani first and the rides to Epcot, HS and AK are about 10-20 minutes. MK is more like 25-30 minutes.

Enjoy!