Reviews of Animal Kingdom Lodge KIDANI Village (Disney Vacation Club)
Reviewed by kdault Review Date: 01/05/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
Family of 6 all adults stayed 11/15/14-11/21/14. Loved it. Usually stay at POP but splurged this time will have a hard time going back to a value.
Room - having coffee watching the animals was neat, spacious , the 3rd bathroom in a 2 bedroom villa was very convenient. Staff was great, room request was granted, room7412, close to lobby and transportation. So can't comment on the looong hallways.
Transportation- Most bus waits were 5 minutes, found bus monitors very accurate, longest wait (one time) was 30 minutes to MK on x-mas party evening. Distance was not bad IMO, we were used to 20 minute rides to MK staying at POP and it was about a 25 minute ride here.
Pool-fun, finally had a pool slide 🙂
Dining-kids did breakfast at Boma and dinner at Sanaa, said food was great, took shuttle and walked to Jambo-Mara a few times, wasn't a bad walk but if it was 90 degrees I don't think I would have cared for the distance.
Would definitely stay again.
Pros:
Atmosphere, animals, bathrooms,Cons:
Quickservice diningReviewed by robalzas Review Date: 08/29/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
MY family and I stayed at Disney from July 27- August 3. This trip we split the visit. First 4 days at Kidani Village last 3 days at the Villas at the Grand Floridian. The villa was spotless and we had no issues with anything. We had a 2 bedroom villa, love the HUGE master bathroom and the Jacuzzi tub. Having the extra bathroom was very helpful, most 2 bedroom villas have only 2, Kidani has 3. The balcony was great and very spacious the entire length of our villa. We saw the most amount of different animals this vacation.
This vacation the kids play water area was being painted but the pool was not overly crowded had plenty of empty chairs. LOVE LOVE LOVE the underground parking. We drive into Disney from PA and really appreciate climbing into a cool car, not a HOT car that has been baking in the Florida sun.
Overall we had a great stay at KIdani Village, it is our home resort and we still love it.
Pros:
The great views, all the different animals! Underground parking!Cons:
The long distance from Kidani to other parks, lack of quick service restaurant.Reviewed by dailey71 Review Date: 06/15/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
This was our first time staying at this resort and we sprang for the savanna view. Depending on where your room is located (we were in 7440), it could be quite a long hike from the lobby or bus stop. Lucky for us, it wasn't too bad of a walk to the bus stop since we were in the Zazu section. With staying at Kidani versus Jambo, we were the first ones on the bus and the first ones off. Many others have commented that there isn't any quick service place to eat, but we used our kitchenette in our studio each morning for breakfast. We ate lunch and dinner in the parks every day. Next year, we'd definitely get a one bedrm instead and eat a few dinners in the room since we'd have a full kitchen. My DS liked going to the community hall to play one rainy afternoon. They have lots of crafts, video games, and a pool table. We also tried the night vision goggles for animal viewing. It was kind of cool and we were used to seeing many of the animals during the day/evening from our balcony anyway. Others have commented on the dimly lit hallways and rooms, but I felt the rooms were well lit. The bathroom had plenty of storage, but the dresser could've had more drawer space. At least there was also a wardrobe and we stored suitcases under the bed. There were four of us and with the sofa sleeper pulled out, it got to be slightly cramped quarters after a few days. I didn't think the distance from parks was an issue. I guess it depends on which parks you spend more time. The bus stop has monitors that tell you the arrival time for each bus. I didn't see this at Jambo House. It was also great to have our car parked underground, so we were basically a few floors up from our parking spot. This made it convenient for unloading and loading. We'll be coming back to this resort next year.
Pros:
Animal viewing, underground parkingCons:
Possible long walk from lobby/bus stop to roomReviewed by EPCOTCitizn Review Date: 05/28/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
This is our first trip to Kidani Village. My parents and I stayed in a 1BR villa. My favorite part of the Kidani and BLT 1BR villas is that they have 2 full bathrooms. That makes getting ready in the morning so much faster. The villa is a good size and the living room and bedroom share a balcony. The only drawbacks that we found are the dark interior of the villas and the long hallways. The buildings are lined up to maximize exposure to the savannahs. It makes for a very long walk from the bus depot in the evenings. An AKL exclusive is the night safari tour. We did it one evening and really enjoyed it. It meets at Sanaa at 10pm. You board a jeep to tour the savannahs. You’re given night vision goggles to see. (You can take pictures through the goggles.) We learned so much about the animals that we see from our room and it was so much fun to go out on the savannah.
Pros:
Savannah view; Night SafariCons:
Lonnng HallwaysReviewed by kjackson12 Review Date: 05/06/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
Let me start by saying that we are fans of Bay Lake Towers and were disappointed that we could only get Kidani. We rescheduled at the last minute because my DS10 had appendicitis over his spring break.
This resort was a pleasure. We were only there for 4 nights but enjoyed every second. There is so much to say about the resort!
First let's start with the room. We had a studio Savannah View on the Sunset Savannah. If you are patient you will see every type of animal. I could have sat out there all day and watched the animals-fascinating. You really get to see their personalities. The room is large even with the sofa pulled out. At BLT studios we could never leave the sofa pulled out and feel like we don't have any room. Very clean, nicely decorated. It was exactly what I requested as far as location. Close to lobby, 2nd or 3rd floor, Sunset Savannah.
The staff was very friendly. As a surprise the front desk staff sent us a cookie and candy platter the second day to celebrate our son's appendectomy recovery. It has some delicious animal shaped chocolates, several Mickey shaped cookies and a solid chocolate Mickey that was about 6 inches tall. It came with a a nice card congratulating him. I can't imagine what the cost would have been if we ordered the platter. It is something we will never forget and why we love Disney.
Unfortunately we experienced lots of rain on our vacation so we didn't get to the pool until our last day. Plenty of chairs and lots to do. My son was too big for the kids area but it looked like lots of fun.
We were very impressed with the cultural programs. This is a perfect resort for rainy days and evenings. I took the African drumming class and it was a blast!!! We also did several other programs, all of which were excellent! If you have a chance, please be sure to talk to some of the employees from Africa. Their heritage is fascinating.
The only downside of the resort was the distance from parks but the busses seemed very quick. We really liked the new signs at the resort that estimated the time of the next bus. The only other thing is the lack of quick service dining in Kidani. At breakfast we were surprised to find egg and cheese croissants and other pastries at the gift shop. But for other meals it seemed like it was difficult to get to The Mara.
Overall I would recommend Kidani. We really enjoyed the resort and the view. The dining was only a minor inconvenience. I;m sure we will be back!
Pros:
friendly staff, great view of savannah, spacious roomCons:
distance from parksReviewed by mg0914 Review Date: 01/29/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
Stayed in a studio with savannah view from 12/23-12/29. Everything about Kidani is beautiful: the exterior, the lobby, the rooms. Cast members are super friendly. Family of four in a studio can be tight at times but bathroom was spacious.
Did not mind that there's no quick service. Shuttles run every 10 minutes to Jambo and it's a 3 minute ride. Pool/pool bar very nice. Small gift shop has soda station for refills and most essentials. Gift shop at Jambo much larger with resort themed merchandise - definitely one of better resort gift shops. Took advantage of Sanaa's bar after long days in parks.
Speaking of long days in parks - walking to our room was quite an adventure! It was a very long walk from the lobby to our room (although our walk was entirely indoors) and this is the only reason I gave Kidani a 9 and not a 10. We have experienced these long walks before at other Disney hotels - Boardwalk, Old Key West, Coronado & Saratoga so....I guess we're used to it. I'm not complaining! But in rating the hotel I wanted to consider everything.
Saw tons of animals from our room. This of course makes AKL unique. It's very peaceful watching them roam through the savannah. Points here are lower than other DVC resorts and I've never understood that. We have stayed at AKL 4 times now - twice at Kidani and twice at Jambo. I know some people think it's a long ride to the parks but I do not agree. We have stayed at 11 different WDW resorts and the distance to the parks doesn't seem any different from other resorts.
Buses were pretty much on time every day. Staying the week of Christmas means packed buses of course. The bus stop at Kidani had a flat screen TV with the estimated arrival times for buses to each park. A cast member said Kidani was one of only a few resorts testing this new system. It used GPS on all the buses and constantly updated the ETAs. It was very cool. Accuracy was exceptional. Word is Disney will move forward and place them at other resorts soon.
Overall we had a terrific stay at Kidani and would highly recommend it!
Pros:
beautiful hotel, savannah viewsCons:
long walk to roomReviewed by retired605 Review Date: 01/29/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
My husband and I stayed in a deluxe studio for 4 nights January 23-27. Our home resort is Beach Club and we have never stayed anywhere else using points. We didn't know what to expect staying in a savannah view room but we had a wonderful time. The resort is beautiful and being able to see animals from the balcony was unique.
All the cast members were friendly, check-in was quick and efficient and the room was large and very clean. KV is very sprawling as it has to be to accommodate the savannah. We were lucky to be semi-close to an elevator! Having parking on the ground floor is convenient but I would think walking children to the pool through the parking garage might be a problem.
We walked to Jambo House once and it is a hike but they have a shuttle. If you want any kind of quick service food you have to go to Jambo House which is a drawback. The only other 'con' is the location. You have to drive or take a bus to get anywhere.
Beach Club is definitely still our favorite place to stay but this was a good experience that I would recommend.
Pros:
architecture and themeCons:
lack of food options; locationReviewed by yanyans Review Date: 01/23/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
Dec. 2013 - We had a 2 week stay with friends and family for the first 5 days in a 3 bed room. It was huge with 2 levels and plenty of space for 7 adults and 2 children. Very quiet rooms with no noise heard even with a new born baby staying.
Second week was a 2 bed room equally spacious and quiet. Views of animals spectacular. We were 5th floor and could also see Epcot fireworks every night in the distance.
Mousekeeping not so good as we found a drawer full of cups left by previous occupants in 1st room.
Overall, will definitely stay here again.
Pros:
huge rooms and balconies, animals,Cons:
mousekeepingReviewed by DD Review Date: 10/29/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
Oct 2013
We had a great time at Kidani and plan on visiting again.
The staff was always helpful and friendly. The resort is beautiful, and relaxing. The views are unbelievable! We dined at both Kidani and Jambo restaurants and it's always an easy walk or van back and forth. We don't do DDP so didn't mind that there isn't a grab n go type of place at Kidani.
Pros:
Beautiful!Cons:
NoneReviewed by gthurber Review Date: 10/22/2013
Rating: (7) Recommended
We had a one bedroom villa that was lovely but dark at night. The view of the animals was wonderful. My children loved the children's play area and pool. The staff was courteous and helpful. Our chief complaint was the lack of quick service dining. We would take the shuttle over to Jambo to eat but it would be nice to have more dining options at Kidani as well.
