Reviews of Animal Kingdom Lodge KIDANI Village (Disney Vacation Club)
Reviewed 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.
Pros:
Beautiful resort. Fun pool area.Cons:
Rooms could be very dark. No quick service diningReviewed by parksutton Review Date: 09/22/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
Stayed here this past week with my wife and three kids. It was wonderful. We had a savannah view so we were able to walk out on a balcony and watch the animals. The pool was awesome, the parking garage was right under our room. The room was quiet, and plenty large enough. They showed movies at night. The play rooms were great. They offered shuttle service every five minutes to Jambo which was nice. The pool there was good too. The staff was friendly and very accommodating. The only negative I would say is no quick service dining on property. We didn't do the ddp so it didn't matter much.
Loved it. Would definitely do it again.
Pros:
Setting, Animals, Pool, Room size.Cons:
No on site quick service dinning.mReviewed by mcruss Review Date: 09/19/2013
Rating: (4) Not Recommended
Kidani is our DVC home resort and love the 2brm villa but when we arrived we were given room 7761 on third floor... walking 436 steps from elevator to room is no problem but when you get there you hope that the room is up to date and not rough. Room must have been sitting empty for a long while, the AC was not even on and temperature in the room must have been at least 85+ degrees and stuffy. The view was of part of the savanna even though we were supposed to be in a standard view. Always saw animals but the inside condition of the unit was a shame.
Pros:
viewCons:
condition of roomReviewed by DisneyJen Review Date: 09/18/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
We stayed at Kidani Village 8/27-9/1 before transferring to Beach Club for 2 nights. This was our second stay at Kidani, we also stayed one time at Jambo house. We absolutely love Kidani for many reasons. First, we love the welcoming atmosphere; there is always staff at the front door to welcome you "home" and the service is always top notch from everyone at the resort. We lucked out on both trips and were given rooms in the 7000 block of rooms, just down the hall from the lobby and bus stops. The view was great and the location really cut down our walking at the resort. Having animals roaming around right outside your room is an experience like no other, and I'm thrilled to have these memories with my son. Another highlight of this resort is the pool area, we spent every afternoon at the pool to relax and reenergize for the evening. We have no problem with the buses or the bus rides (as other people mention a lot), but this may be because we go during off peak seasons. I also must mention that laundry at this resort is free, which is awesome!
The only real problem I have with the resort is the lack of quick service restaurant. The walk over to the Mara is no big deal (there is also a van that goes back and forth), but if you are tired or you have hungry children, you need to be able to grab food quickly. I also mentioned the arcade as a negative just because we think it's too small. BUT they do have community hall with free games, movies, and lots of activities to do which is awesome.
You can NOT go wrong with a stay at Kidani!
Pros:
Warm atmosphere, Animals, Pool area, Fitness centerCons:
lack of quick service options, small arcadeReviewed by bibba410 Review Date: 09/08/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
This was my first stay at Kidani Village. I have stayed in Jambo House before and thought the smaller scale of Kidani would be nice - and it was. I stayed in a standard studio room which was perfect for me since I don't stay in the rooms all that much to pay/use more points for a savannah view. The size of the room was nice plus the bathroom was had quite a bit more space than Jambo House.
We never had an issue with the buses. Plus they were on a schedule to pick us up and drop us off before making their way to Jambo House - which was really nice for tired feet. 🙂
The staff was, of course, extremely friendly and welcoming. Especially Tim who checked us in and brought my 60+ year old mom a "First Time Visitor" button!
The only thing that I wish Kidani had was a quick service type place to grab a salad or flatbread. The shop has some things you can get and pop into the microwave or cook in your room (if you have a kitchen), but just wish there was another food option here.
Otherwise - great place to stay!
Pros:
size of room, less noise than some other resorts, more relaxed feelCons:
lack of food optionsReviewed by Martygeorge Review Date: 08/28/2013
Rating: (6) Recommended
We stayed in a 2 bedroom villa with a sunset savanna view at Kidani. The rooms were much larger than villas we have stayed in the past (at other Disney properties) and were well furnished. The view was amazing - we saw the zebras, giraffes, wildebeast, and other wildlife daily. The kids activities in the lobby were great and the staff was extremely friendly and helpful. We ate at both Jiko and Boma, which were fantastic. The kids went to Simba's cubhouse and loved it as well. Kidani also has a fabulous community hall which has a ton of activities for the kids. We used it almost every day just to take a break. They had coloring activities, a pool table, video games (free), movies, books, toys, etc. It was a huge hit with our kids who are 1, 4 and 6.
I have to say, however, that there were a few things about the resort that I found to be very surprising for a higher end Disney property. The pool at Kidani is basically located in the front parking lot. It was quite a hike for us to walk the length of the building to the lobby, and then out through the parking lot to the pool. There was a short cut, but that took us through the underground parking garage which was quite frankly, creepy and dangerous for the kids. I also found it a little surprising that the food service at the pool (which other than Sanna, is the only food option at Kidani) ended at 6pm. We have never had a problem in the past with bus service, but this time it was an issue - there were several times where we waited over 30 minutes for a bus (with the maximum wait being an hour). We usually go this same week every year, and have never experienced quite this much of a delay in the bus service. All in all, the room and view were stellar, but knowing what we know now, we would probably try Jambo house next time, or another resort all together.
Pros:
Views of animals, size of the roomsCons:
pool location, bus service, lack of food optionsReviewed by Kthhfnr Review Date: 08/19/2013
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
Very disappointed as no fresh foods available for morning snacks like muffins or sandwiches or fresh fruit. Lunch was limited to pool bar and didn't think the variety was good or of the usual Disney quality. Have two teenagers so snacks super limited to all packaged foods unless you want to take the van to Jambo House. Sixth visit to Disney and worst experience so far. Makes me want to use my membership out of Disney for sure next year, if not others also.
Pros:
Nice room, savanna viewCons:
No quick service diningReviewed by tcg Review Date: 06/28/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
We have been DVC members since 1996 and are huge fans of OKW, for the room size and atmosphere. I admit, I am dazzled by the fact that a one bedroom here at AKL sleeps five and has two full bathrooms. The decor is perfect, the cast members are terrific and the savannah views are (ahem) wildly entertaining. I would happily return to this great location!
Pros:
A savannah view is fantastic!Cons:
Dim lightingReviewed by disneymom211 Review Date: 06/17/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
We stayed here from 5/22-5/25 in a one bedroom. This was our first time staying her and cannot wait to go back. From the moment you walk in you are greeted and treated like family. There is always someone to help you. Even Candido who brought our bags to our room was so helpful. The room was gorgeous and it was great to have the two bathrooms with the 4 of us on the room. The only negative I have was that our room was the 2nd to last down the hall. It was such a long walk especially at the end of the day. The bus service was terrific. Never had to wait longer then 10mins for a bus. I know people say that this is the furtherest from any of the parks, but the ride never seemed long. We are staying here again in 2014.
