Animal kingdom villas in Kidana Village

[Sue's Mum]

This was the view which we had last month (February) from our second floor studio. The largest of the bulls used to raid the giraffe's bucket by rubbing the point of his horn in the bottom of the bucket so that vegetation fell through.

 

[klewallen]

We are staying at the Kidana Village villa One bedroom April 7-11. We have not stayed at AK since it was just a regular resort with no DVC rooms. We loved it then, except for some reason i got Hot tub rash and had to get on a antibiotic when i got home. i guess you can get that anywhere. We have never stayed in a one bedroom villa before and I think the Five of us will love it. daughter 26, 20 and 11. The last trip there was when my 20 year old was 14 and we stayed at POR which we also love and debated this time but wanted more room and a kitchen. She had to be rushed back to St.Louis on a emergency flight with my husband because of her Crohns, ended up having a abscess from her surgery prior to our trip. My Mom on that same trip after my husband and daughter left back we had a day until we could fly back had a attack on the POR boat but the lady that drove the boat had a asthma inhaler on her and helped my Mom from choking and passing out. My Mom has since passed and we are so happy we had that last trip with her there. We are praying our trip is calm and beautiful and fun.......in April.

 

[Simba's Mom]

This was the view which we had last month (February) from our second floor studio. The largest of the bulls used to raid the giraffe's bucket by rubbing the point of his horn in the bottom of the bucket so that vegetation fell through.

Wow, what a beautiful picture! I'm booked for my first stay in October, also the week of the 20th. I've always stayed at Jambo, but last time I was over at Kidani, out on the balcony off the main lobby, I could HEAR the animals go "clip, clop" by. Can't hear that from the fifth floor at Jambo. So I'm hoping for a second floor studio, like in the picture, so I can not just see the animals, but hear them as well. Can't wait!

 

[joelp]

We will be staying there in Oct - do you have any pics? We own at SSR and haven't had any cleanliness issues, did you experience some?

Thanks!

We just stayed there in November - I have a TR posted with some pics ... and more to come ...

 

[joelp]

The highlight of our trip was to get to our room we would go thru the lobby one night we got in about 11pm and the next morning we left about 9am and to our surprise and the "magic" that is Disney they had in a few hours put the christmas tree and all the christmas decorations up. My children were in awe and kind of speechless! It was MAGICAL

I think we arrived at Kidani (for our first DVC visit) that very same night!!

 

[Treeoak]

We are going in October too! The week of the 20th. YAY! Have fun.

I'll be there those 2 weeks, first visit there since buying last year. So excited

 

[tigger51276]

I stayed at Kidani last year and I personally didn't like it as much as Jambo. It's a beautiful property, but I didn't get the "WOW" factor that I get everytime I walk into Jambo's lobby. At Jambo there is just something about the lobby, the sights and smells of the restaurants, the people, the gift shop. I felt very secluded at Kidani and almost as if there was no one there. I love having quick service at the Mara and was disappointed there wasn't something like that at Kidani. I will say the kids pool area at Kidani is by far superior, but I like the main pool at Jambo better.
As for the rooms, it was nice to have 2 bathrooms in the one bedroom, however I thought the bathroom setup in the studios was a huge waste of space. I found the living space was smaller because of the bathroom set up. I would much rather have the living space as opposed to bathroom space when in small quarters. I am very happy to be going back to Jambo this year although my kids insist on taking a trip over to Kidani to use the kids splash area!

 

[GOOFY D]

We purchased DVC for the first time within the last year with home resorts of BLT and BWV. However, my son wanted to stay with the animals for the first time. We just returned from 8 days at Kidani. They did mess up our room assignment which was frustrating after a long day of traveling. They admitted they just overlooked the details and had to move our room the next day. Once settled in our new room, we were pleased. It was very clean and on the Sunset Savanah, 2nd floor near the bus stop. Great location! The family loved the bathroom with the whirlpool tub and separate shower. The view was great as well. My son loved the Kidani pool are and the water slide. We went to Jambo for Mara one night and were very disappointed. The food was not good at all. We had stayed in Jambo before (not DVC) and knew how beautiful the lobby was and it did not disappoint. We used to stay at moderates and values before purchasing DVC. I did not realize how much we would miss the food courts of those resorts for selection. We even took the buses to All Star Sports to eat one night. That is something I had not even considered, but now realize the DVC resorts seem more focused on upscale restaurants and not the selection of the food courts.

 

[amyy]

I agree about missing the food courts now that we stay through our DVC. Really disappointing. Granted we have enjoyed The Mara but the selections are so few. We love Kidani and every trip I spend quite a bit of time in the library. Love sitting in front of the fireplace at night checking email. Yes, I could do it in the room but usually there are so few people in the library it doesn't bother me.

klewallan-hope you get a peaceful and beautiful trip

 

[lfortin16]

Can anyone give me a link to the gift shop at Kidani? I want to know if they have any cool beach towels. I bought princess ones for my girls, but thought animal kingdom ones would be great for the boys.

 

[Egil8082]

We will be staying there in Oct - do you have any pics? We own at SSR and haven't had any cleanliness issues, did you experience some?

Thanks!

I own at Kidani and have stayed in quite a few of the other resorts as well. Kidani and Jambo are by far the cleanest that I have experienced in my many stays. Their cast members always seem to take the best care of these beautiful resorts. I hope they keep up the great work forever.

 

[Guzzi]

I am considering renting points through David's Vacation Club rentals at AKV. It looks like the larger rooms are at Kidani Village. My concern is, how uncomfortable are the sleeper sofa beds? After those long days at the parks, we all want a good night's sleep! A sofa bed sounds terrible. Would we be better off staying at a resort with 2 real beds?

Also, how far is the walk from Kidani to the main building, like to get on the buses, go to the pool, etc.

What did you think of the pool?

Pool is great my son, 13 loved it, the sofa beds are nothing to write home about but i got a good nites sleep on it, buses stop at Kidani, and it has its own pool

 

[RJO]

Wife and I will be doing a split stay Oct 23 to Oct 31 inclusive with 4 days at Pop and 4 days at Kidani...now bad news...bad hip and knees...at Kidani where should we request room to be nearest bus and pool and lobby and food...is this possible?....

 

[Simba's Mom]

Wife and I will be doing a split stay Oct 23 to Oct 31 inclusive with 4 days at Pop and 4 days at Kidani...now bad news...bad hip and knees...at Kidani where should we request room to be nearest bus and pool and lobby and food...is this possible?....

Others may say differently, but the way it looks to me, it's hard to be close to all of those 3. Food (at Jambo) is off to the right (facing Kidani), the pool to your left, and the buses in the middle. I'm also going there in October (and also part of a split stay) and decided to ask for near the bus stop. You can hop almost any bus (except DTD) to get to food, and there's a Jambo/Kidani shuttle to come back. So I figured of the 3, I'd be looking for the bus most often.

 

[ToddyLu]

Ask to be near lobby at Kidani. The hallways can be very long. You will have a bit of a walk to pool unfortunately. I would rent a scooter once I got there based on where my room was..... When you have a room past the "third" bead at Kidani...it becomes an endless hallway.

But I do love the place and hope to stay there next year. This year we will have two studios at Jambo. My parents are now in their 70s and having food and possibly a shorter walk to lobby are positives for them.

When DH and I are alone we prefer Kidani because of the quiet homey vibe. It is a wonderful resort, romantic.

 

[tigger51276]

Wife and I will be doing a split stay Oct 23 to Oct 31 inclusive with 4 days at Pop and 4 days at Kidani...now bad news...bad hip and knees...at Kidani where should we request room to be nearest bus and pool and lobby and food...is this possible?....

Honestly I think with all that you may be better off at Jambo House as everything is a lot closer together (pool is on first level, restaurants and quick service are right next too pool and it's a short walk to the buses). At Kidani it's a bit of a hike to the pool, there is no quick service just a restaurant that is $$$, there is a bit of a walk to the buses. The only thing you may be able to get is a room near the lobby and that would put you closest to the small gift shop and maybe the buses, but if you don't get your room request fulfilled then you can expect a possibly looong walk.

 

[dalidaz]

Hi, we are new owners and or home in the animal Kingdom. I booked our first stay for may 1 to 15 and split it (one week studio and one week 1 bedroom savanah view).. I booked at kidani, but not sure if it's the best place to stay after reading these posts. We have two girls that will be 2 and 6. Finally, are there more quieter rooms that anyone is aware of(what request should I put in. )? I'm also thinking to do only one week at ak and if available the second week at the Boardwalk.... Any insight on any of the hotels there? Thanks everyone

 

[tigger51276]

Hi, we are new owners and or home in the animal Kingdom. I booked our first stay for may 1 to 15 and split it (one week studio and one week 1 bedroom savanah view).. I booked at kidani, but not sure if it's the best place to stay after reading these posts. We have two girls that will be 2 and 6. Finally, are there more quieter rooms that anyone is aware of(what request should I put in. )? I'm also thinking to do only one week at ak and if available the second week at the Boardwalk.... Any insight on any of the hotels there? Thanks everyone

i've been a dvc owner for 14 years now and i've stayed at most of the resorts now. I love, love, love Animal Kingdom Villas. It is our resort of choice. Except for last year I've always stayed at Jambo House but my friends who also have DVC really wanted to try Kidani so we stayed there last year. Neither of us liked it as much as Jambo. I really missed being at Jambo, there is something about the lobby that excites me, it is so large and beautiful, plus the yummy smells of the restaurants. The gift shop is way larger and has more grocery items at it. Boma is my favorite restaurant in all of Disney and I really enjoy the quick service at The Mara. It just didn't feel like the same experience at Kidani. I will say in Kidani's favor, the kids splash area is amazing. I wish Jambo had one, however my kids love the pool better at Jambo so if they want to visit the splash area at Kidani we'll just take the bus over to it.
As for the other resorts, if you are looking for space and real home feeling I'd say Old Key West is the best choice. The rooms there are the largest of the dvc properties. Before I stayed at AKV, OKW was my favorite. The only two downsides to OKW to me are lack of substantial quick service and how large and spreadout the property is.
I didn't dislike VWL but I didn't love it either. SSR is a nice resort with beautiful furnishings but the rooms seemed a bit tight and again the resort is very spread out.
I loved the location of the BWV, but the rooms are in great need of updating and maintenance. Things were broken everywhere in our room. Also we were on the quick service dining plan and the only place we could use the plan was at the bakery and the options weren't great there. Also it was quite a walk from the lobby to our room. The staff there were fantastic though.
I'll be staying at BLT for a night next month so I'll see how that resort is. I've never stayed at BCV and am not too sure I will.

 

[ToddyLu]

Kidani has a more quiet vibe than Jambo. As the DVC portion of AKV it is suiting to that purpose. The lobby is smaller and more intimate. The vegetation and grounds on the way to the resort are not as mature as those around Jambo but that is to be expected. When first seeing Kidani I understood why the colors of the resort seemed lack luster...they really blend in with the environment which is totally right on with the theming.

The pool area is awesome at Kidani with a lovely splash area and pool games every afternoon. There are movies around the pool at night ( I am sure Jambo has them also). The community hall at Kidani is lovely and there are a few activities at night like the drum café, which children are encouraged to participate in.

The only difference really is the food offerings. Kidani has no quick service and you will need to catch a bus or shuttle or walk to Jambo for Mara and Boma's buffet. All of the park buses stop at Kidani first which makes it easy to board with kids and strollers, then they stop at Jambo. At night the first stop is usually Kidani as well. SO that is a plus for Kidani.

The DTD bus stops at Jambo then Kidani...that is the bus you would take back to Kidani--however there is a van shuttle that runs back and forth. It is about a 7-10 minute walk between resorts.

I wouldn't change my Kidani reservation. You will have a fridge in room for snacks and things (maybe breakfast items) which will get you out of the room and to the parks quickly.