Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas Jambo House

Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Jambo House is set in over 33 acres of tropical Savannah in the Animal Kingdom Resort area just a short drive from Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park.

Rating: 4 stars
Rooms: 216 villas
Rates: from $535 to $735 Check rates

Address: 2901 Osceola Parkway, Bay Lake, FL 32830
Area: Animal Kingdom Resort
Nearest airport: Orlando International (MCO)
Map: Click to view

Transportation to the Disney theme parks, water parks and Downtown Disney is by Disney motor coach.

Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas actually consists of two separate developments, Jambo House (described here) and the new Kidani Village which is about 1/2 mile away. Guests can take advantage of the facilities at both resorts.

Jambo House is the main lodge building and it is part normal Disney Deluxe Resort (Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge) and part Disney Vacation Club Resort (Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas). A total of 216 rooms on the fifth and sixth floors have been converted into Disney Vacation Club Resort villas.

Themed on an African safari lodge, with authentic African artifacts, it looks out onto the African Savannah landscape created at Disney's Animal Kingdom where 30 species of animals roam including giraffe, zebras, gazelles, ostriches, wildebeests and antelope.

Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas complex is located at the western end of Osceola Parkway ajoining the south west corner of Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park.

It is only 1.0 miles from Disney's Blizzard Beach water park and 2.0 miles from Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park.

Rooms/Suites

Each of the villas has a private balcony where you can look over the resort area and pool (Standard View) or the Savannah (Savannah view) depending upon location.

If you have a Savannah view, then you might be able to wake up to the sight of African animals from your balcony in the 33 acre wildlife preserve. As you would expect there is a premium for the Savannah view.

All the rooms are decorated in an African style with hand-carved wooden furniture, wall hangings, wooden-paddled ceiling fans and earthy tones.

Rooms sizes are bigger than the normal Animal Kingdom Lodge and are suitable for between 4 and 12 people. Unlike other Disney Vacation Club Resorts, at Animal Kingdom, there are also club-level villas available.

All the villas have kitchens or kitchenettes (Studio villas) with multiple bedroom units from studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom up to grand villas. Most are available in two categories; either Value or Regular where Regular rooms are larger than the equivalent Value rooms.

Studios are around 316 square feet (Value) and 365 square feet (Regular) and will sleep 4. They come with a queen-size bed and a full-size sofa bed.

The one-bedroom villas are 629 square feet (Value) and 710 or square feet (Regular) and also sleep 4/5. The Master Bedroom has a king size bed with its own master bathroom and whirlpool tub. In the living room there is a queen-size sofa bed and a single sleeper chair (Regular villas only).

The two-bedroom villas are a lot bigger with 945 square feet (Value) and 1075 square feet (Regular) and will sleep up to 8/9. They are effectively two-bedroom lock-off villas consisting of a studio and single bedroom villa. The Master Bedroom has a king size bed with its own master bathroom and whirlpool tub. In the second bedroom there is a queen-size bed and a full-size sofa bed. In the living room there is a further queen-size sleeper sofa and a single sleeper chair (Regular villas only).

The three-bedroom grand villas are bigger still with 2349 square feet (Regular) and will sleep up to 12. They are on one level like the other villas and have a total of four bathrooms and a separate dining room. The Master Bedroom has a king size bed with its own master bathroom and whirlpool tub. In the second and third bedroom there are two queen-size beds in each. In the living room there is a queen-size sleeper sofa.

All villas have flat-screen TVs in the bedrooms and living rooms.

Dining

The Animal Kingdom Villas at Jambo House share their dining facilities with the Animal Kingdom Lodge. There are a number of good restaurants including Jiko - The Cooking Place (open for dinner only) where African cuisine mixes with cooking from the Mediterranean, India and Europe.

At Boma - Flavors of Africa, you can eat buffet-style breakfasts and dinners in an authentic African marketplace. There is also The Mara, an American cuisine quick-service food court which is open all day and the Victoria Falls Lounge which serves teas and coffees.

Recreation

As with dining, recreation facilities are also shared.

The Uzima Spring serves cold beverages and frozen drinks at the Uzima poolside which features zero-depth entry, a 67 foot long water slide and two spas (Jacuzzi/hot tubs).

For smaller children there is a wading pool, Simba's Cubhouse which provides supervised evening entertainment for children aged 4 to 12 and the Hakuna Matata Playground which is open 24 hours.

At Pumbaa's Fun & Games Arcade you can play both classic arcade and the latest video games (located next to The Mara restaurant).

The hotel also has the Zahanati Massage and Fitness Center which features Cybex exercise equipment and free weights. For an extra fee you can indulge yourself with spa and massage treatments.

Amenities

The resort offers a host of amenities including:

• room service
• concierge service
• rooms and facilities for guests with disabilities
• free parking, valet parking (charge applicable)
• minibar, iron and ironing board, wall safe
• coffee maker and microwave
• flat panel TV and DVD player
• refrigerator and wet bar
• babysitting and childcare services, Pak-n-Play Crib available
• laundry area with stacked washer and drier (except studios)
• bath robes and hair dryer
• voice mail, dial-up internet access (surcharge for high-speed access)
• plus a number of shops including the Zawadi Marketplace where you can find African-themed gifts and souvenirs