Just returned from stay at Kidani Village!

[laprana]

We just got back home yesterday from an 11-night stay at Kidani Village and thought I'd share a quick report. The resort is awesome!! This was our first stay as DVC members and our first stay at AKL, and we were very happy with both! :)

Some of the highlights of Kidani were:
- Very friendly staff! We had the best service here out of all our on-property stays. The cast member who checked us in was so friendly and ready to answer any and all questions we had. Every cast member we encountered at the resort - mousekeeping, gift shop cast members, animal guides, etc. - was incredibly friendly and helpful.

- The room!! We stayed in a 1-bedroom savanna view and it was incredible! So much space for 4 of us to spread out! Having 2 bathrooms was wonderful...cut down on a lot of "Who's getting the first shower" discussions each night! The master bathroom was huge and the jacuzzi tub was great after a long day of walking in the parks. The villa was beautifully decorated and the theming was great. We had a large balcony that we used often to relax on while watching the animals. We were on the 5th (top) floor and had a great view of the savanna. We couldn't have been happier with the accomodations!

- The animals! We saw so many different animals from our balcony, and even more from the large viewing area off of the Kidani lobby. There were several afternoons when I was content to just sit on the balcony for a couple hours and watch the animals. Lots of giraffes, zebras, ostriches, and more. Very cool!

- The atmosphere of the resort! The whole place has a cozy, relaxed feel too it. We went over to Jambo House a few times to visit the shop and The Mara there, and it felt much more chaotic and hectic. Kidani was very peaceful.

- The covered parking! This was really great, especially on hot, sunny days. There are plenty of covered parking spaces and we never once had to park in the open parking lot. It was nice to get into a cool car when it was 90+ degrees outside!

There were only a few downsides to Kidani, the biggest one being the transportation/location. The bus service wasn't great. Luckily we had a rental car and ended up just driving everywhere instead of relying on the buses. We gave them a try the first few days, but after really long waits almost every time, we finally gave up. The buses to Animal Kingdom Park were excellent - hardly any wait at all and they came very often. But, I can't say the same about getting a bus for anywhere else on property. The first day we were there, we waited about 45 minutes for a bus to MK. We had a dinner reservation at Tony's and were worried we were going to miss it. We finally took a bus to Epcot that showed up, then took the monorail from there to the TTC and then took the monorail from the TTC to MK because we didn't know how much longer we'd have to wait at Kidani for an MK bus. Aside from a bus to AK, the shortest wait we had to any other park or DTD was 30 minutes. Also, AKL is pretty far from the rest of WDW (except AK), so even when we drove, it still took us about 25 minutes to get to DTD or the other parks or resorts. But, we knew this before our trip and were prepared for that, so it really wasn't a big deal.

We didn't use the pool, but we did go look at it and it was really nice! The water play area is neat and there were lots of kids and adults having a great time there! The shop was small, but still nice. We didn't eat at Saana, but it smelled delicious! Might have to try it next time!

Aside from the transportation issues, we had an incredible stay at Kidani and will definitely stay there again! I'd be happy to try to answer any questions anyone has! :mickey:

[Maleficent's Dad]

Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to staying there one of these days, but I'm hoping that the buses improve! :mickey:

[peemagg]

If they don't fix the busing and get a CS over there at Kidani and maybe expand the gift shop, then when they open the other section that resort is going to be horrible!

Those were the same results we had when we stayed there May 13-20. I can't imagine the chaos when the other section opens if those issues are not corrected.

[Mushu11756]

Thank you for the Great Report! We are looking forward to staying there as well. As far as the bus system is concerned I think it's an ongoing problem thats been going on for some time now. Especially at certain resorts.

[vizsla]

Thanks for the report.

[Aero]

Thank you, Laprana. We'll be there in 18 days... plenty of time for them to fix the bus situation, right? ;)

- Aero

[DizneyRox]

They just implemented a new bus system, it's basically on demand. Which means, whoever has the biggest lines gets the bus first, up to a point. This keeps more people happy at the expense of some.

[JPL]

Thanks for the report unfortunately I was unable to get in for December trip but I will still take the stroll over to check it out.

As for the Bus Service being "on-demand" I certainly don't buy that for a minute considering I was standing waiting for a bus for 70 minutes one time while watching empty buses for other resorts pull away. I tend to believe they are using the how few buses can we run until people complain system.

[DizneyRox]

I tend they are using the how few buses can we run until people complain system.
Yep, that is the on demand system.

[TennesseeTink]

We also just returned from Kidani Village! We had a one-bedroom savannah view on the 3rd floor. It was absolutely fantastic!! Having two bathrooms was the reason we bought as many points as we did, so that we could always get a one-bedroom when we travelled with the kids. That was soooo much better than all 4 of us trying to coordinate baths, not to mention an extra toilet. :thumbsup:

I know some people are completely turned off at the thought of doing laundry while on vacation, but it was very convenient to do a load every evening(plus wash our towels between trash and towel service days) and not come home with a ton of dirty clothes.

The animals!!! Oh my goodness! I went through our pics and videos yesterday and I couldn't believe how much time we spent on our balcony watching and recording all the animals. Even when most of the animals are off being cared for between 6am and noon, there are still ostriches to watch. I couldn't get over how large the balconies were. You can access it from the living room and the master bedroom. This may have been my favorite feature of our unit, with the master bathroom being a close second.

We didn't use the bus system since we drove down in a minivan so I can't comment on bus service. The covered parking was AWESOME! We never had any trouble finding a spot close to the elevator.

I completely concur with the laid-back feeling of the resort and how hectic Jambo felt in comparison. After visiting Jambo for dinner at Boma, we were relieved to escape back to our area.

We used the pool a couple of times and really enjoyed it. During the day, there are tons of activities for kids and families. There was an activities director coordinating trivia contests, water pistol shooting games, etc. LOADS of fun! And I personally can attest to the slide being very smooth. :blush:

I was already very happy with my decision to buy into DVC but after this stay I think it was the best thing we could have done. We now look forward to spending time at our resort and relaxing as much as we do going to the parks.

[Horizon93]

Thanks for the report. We will be there in 9 days! Sorry to hear that the busing is having issues. When were at Jambo last summer, the buses were excellent. I hope that they get this remedied.

The lack of a CS doesn't bother me at all. Neither does a small gift shop. There is a larger one at Jambo. And Jambo is just a 10 minute walk away.

[laprana]

I know some people are completely turned off at the thought of doing laundry while on vacation, but it was very convenient to do a load every evening(plus wash our towels between trash and towel service days) and not come home with a ton of dirty clothes.

So glad to hear you had a great time at Kidani! I completely agree about the washer and dryer...I didn't think I would use them at all because, hey, we were on vacation! :) But we did end up doing a few loads of laundry while we were there and it was so nice! We could throw a load in before we left for the parks and throw the clothes in the dryer when we got back. It was so nice not to have to do a ton of laundry when we got home!

[laprana]

The lack of a CS doesn't bother me at all. Neither does a small gift shop. There is a larger one at Jambo. And Jambo is just a 10 minute walk away.

I totally agree with this, too! We weren't bothered at all at the size of the shop or no CS. We requested a room near the end of the south wing (the wing closest to Jambo House) figuring that we'd be walking there to visit the shop and the Mara. We got our request and it was only a 3-4 minute walk to Jambo House. Not bad at all! :thumbsup:

[PlutoPlanet]

Thanks for the report!
Did you find a place at Kadani to get morning coffee, or is Mara the best place to go in the morning?
(I was concerned that the Savannah animals may have been shy to go over to Kadani, but that seems not to be a problem.)

[laprana]

Thanks for the report!
Did you find a place at Kadani to get morning coffee, or is Mara the best place to go in the morning?
(I was concerned that the Savannah animals may have been shy to go over to Kadani, but that seems not to be a problem.)

There is a place to get coffee and soda at Johari Treasures, the shop in Kidani. You can also fill your refillable mug there if you buy one. But, they don't have iced tea, which was kind of a bummer!

The animals weren't shy at all about coming down to the Kidnani end! This might have something to do with both Jambo and Kidani being on the Sunset Savanna, since they were already used to that savanna before Kidani opened. Hopefully they'll be as active on the new Pembe Savanna when it opens in September!

[Ed]

The resort sounds great; anxious to try it out. But I haven't seen any reviews of the restaurant; so, here's mine:

We decided to have a late lunch/early dinner at Sanaa last Friday. The initial impression of the overall resort was - - WOW! Very nice!! I like the scaled-down lobby (compared to Jambo), and the decor is excellent. The pool area is great, although the pool itself struck me as being a bit small.

We arrived at the restaurant about 1:15 pm and were seated within five minutes. The decor there is also very nice, and we loved the tall, wide windows that afford a great view out onto the savannah. (Although it is a little disconcerting having a giraffe staring at you while you eat...)

We ordered our beverages and appetizers. Those arrived at the table within about five minutes, and we placed our entree orders at that time. Then our server seemed to disappear off the face of the earth. Forty minutes later, we flagged down another server and asked her to investigate what was delaying our entrees. She returned shortly thereafter, apologized, and informed us that our server was undergoing some sort of personnel appraisal. Our food then appeared almost immediately, carried by a substitute server.

Not long after that, the manager arrived at our table, apologized, and advised us she would comp our appetizers and dessert (which we chose to skip).

Oh, and one other thing; during the first hour we were there, the fire alarm was being tested, and would sound for extended periods, go silent for a few minutes, then go off again. And of course, we were seated directly below one of the alarms! :mad:

I will say that the food was excellent. And hopefully, the service will improve as the new restaurant overcomes its growing pains.

~~~~
One other observation, unrelated to the restaurant.

I had occasion to use two different restrooms on two different floors. The first had only one sink, and the automatic faucet absolutely refused to work. I dismissed that as a fluke. The second one had three or four sinks; two of them also had inoperable faucets, and the soap dispensers were broken off of two sinks.

Don't get the wrong impression; as an owner at AKLV, I have every desire to see them succeed and become one of the prime resorts, and I believe they will do so. But that's not going to happen until they start paying closer attention to the details.

[TennesseeTink]

So glad to hear you had a great time at Kidani! I completely agree about the washer and dryer...I didn't think I would use them at all because, hey, we were on vacation! :) But we did end up doing a few loads of laundry while we were there and it was so nice! We could throw a load in before we left for the parks and throw the clothes in the dryer when we got back. It was so nice not to have to do a ton of laundry when we got home!

I know! There is so much more freedom in having a washer and dryer in your unit as opposed to using the public facilities. You can wash at your own convenience and not worry about whether the machines are available or your stuff is completely dry(which it usually is not). In the past, if I wanted to do some laundry, I'd have to dedicate atleast 1/2 a day to it. BORING!;)

[yjgirl32]

Great to hear about the rooms- by the time I hit the lottery (LOL) or save up enough money I hope they improve the bus service. Thanks for sharing.

[Mackflava99]

great report thanks-

[peemagg]

One problem that they found out about when we were there May 13-20 was the fact that not everything was sealed like it should have been. We were there when they started getting all that rain, and the resort sprung quite a few leaks. I saw one unhappy looking manager running around checking every window, door, and anywhere else he thought there might be a leak. He seemed to find one every place he checked. He was not having a good day and it was day 3 of the rains.

[Disney_Barbie]

Am I correct in thinking that the pool is zero-entry. My husband just LOVES zero-entry pools & I really thought I read that Kidani was going to have one, but now that I'm trying to double check myself, I can't seem to find any confirmation that it does.

[Horizon93]

You are correct. It is definitely zero entry. I zero entered many time!

[Disney_Barbie]

When were at Jambo last summer, the buses were excellent. I hope that they get this remedied.

So are the Jambo buses good still? I'm assuming not, since for the most part I was under the impression that Jambo & Kidani shared a route were just different stops. But, if Jambo was still a good busing system, we'd definantly walk over and catch the bus from there, WE LOVE to walk, we wish there was means of safely comfortably walking from AKL to AK that would make a WORLD of difference to us!

[DizneyRox]

There is only one route... It's Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Busses from the parks stop at Kidani Village first, then goto Jambo House. Busses from DTD stop at Jambo House first, then go to Kidani Village.

I like the bus service at AKL in general. I don't like the current Disney bus system used throughout the property. The on demand system has a ton of problems, but I'm sure it's less costly for Disney to run the busses this way.

[Horizon93]

I agree that overall the buses for AKL are very good. I do think they are going to have to consider running more buses during peak times. There were couple of times when the bus got pretty crowded when we got to Jambo, but that was not the rule during our trip. They were very good the vast majority of the time.

[DizneyRox]

I don't think I've ever seen Jambo as busy as I have this trip. Seems lke the resort is catching on (or it's priced where it need to be).

This is why I like how they stop at Kidani first. That is, until folks realize it may be better to walk to Kidani and get the bus there. The walk is not all that bad, but it is longer than the walk down to the Jambo House bus stop.

[Disney_Barbie]

Can anyone tell me about the coffee pots @ Kidani?
(I actually asked this question previousy in the rough stages of planning & got an answer to use coffee pods - it sounded like a GREAT idea, but I've searched stores in my area high & low & can only find instand -Ick! Plus in the mean time we've developed a serious Starbucks addition & would prefer to make that in the room :coffee: )
Anyway, my question is anyone know the size of the coffee pots so I can bring the right filters? (we're in a studio)

[DizneyRox]

Aren't they your standard 10 cup flat bottom filters? It was a concern of mine and I just didn't pack filters this time... I checked, but I don't recall 100%, but I'm fairly certain they are the flat bottom 10 cup size.

[peemagg]

Yes, they take the standard 10 cup, flat bottom filters. Folgers (I believe) makes coffee pods that isn't instant coffee. I think they are called filter packs.