Enjoyed AKV (Kidani) - But Probably Not Again

[eva]

Just back from 8 nights in a 1-bedroom at Kidani. We really had a good time and enjoyed many features of AKV and Kidani Village. Both pools were great! If I had my DGD with me I am sure she would have loved the play area at Kidani. The workout room at Kidani was nice and had very good equipment in it. The rooms at Kidani are very nice. I was afraid they would be dark and dreary. But I found them very roomy and very relaxing. The shower and tub are amazing. We did have the dreaded washing machine issue where the hot and cold water was installed in reverse. I ended up washing a load of darks in hot water. But a quick call to maintenance solved that. Otherwise the room was great. We saw a lot of animals and really enjoyed seeing them each morning and evening. Just loved eating at Sanaa. The staff and food were awesome! Naan Bread, YUM!

But while we did enjoy the stay, we found a few things became very frustrating as the week wore on. The hallways are CRAZY! It didn't seem like a big deal at first. But by about day 4 we were getting tired of the long walk to the room. We have stayed at the very last room in the hallway at BWV before. So we thought we knew what long hallways were. Not so! Compared to Kidani our room at BWV was just next door to the lobby. It just seemed that we would get to the lobby and realize that we needed something from the room. Another problem was the lack of food choices at Kidani. If you are enjoying the pool and want more than a turkey sandwich or a salad, you have to either order room service and pay $14 for a hamburger or walk a mile to Jambo House. At first it seemed like a minor issue. But by the last day I was getting very tired of all the walking and waiting for buses. The refillable mug offerings at Kidani are very limited. They didn't even have regular tea or lemonade. And there was only one diet choice. Over at Jambo House they had a great selection of drinks for your mug. So another long walk or bus ride if I wanted Sprite Zero or unsweetened tea. Finally, the wait for buses and the travel time to the parks was more than I expected. We stay at OKW a lot. So I thought it would be similar. But getting to the Magic Kingdom From Kidani took nearly 30 minutes from pick up to drop off. Now add in the 20+ minute wait for the bus. The wait at the parks for buses was brutal compared to OKW. We almost cried as we waited in the rain for a bus at DD. We saw 3 OKW buses go by before a AKV bus came. Funny, I read these types of complaints before and thought people were going a bit overboard or just weren't used to staying at a WDW or DVC resort. And at first we didn't think much of it. But by the the middle of the week I was tired of constantly walking to Jambo House to get a bite to eat. Of course, our room was on the furthest end from Jambo House.

So while we did have a great stay, I think that we will choose BCV or OKW next time.

Oh, another good thing...I lost weight on vacation from all the walking!

 

[gabriellyn]

Just back from 8 nights in a 1-bedroom at Kidani. We really had a good time and enjoyed many features of AKV and Kidani Village. Both pools were great! If I had my DGD with me I am sure she would have loved the play area at Kidani. The workout room at Kidani was nice and had very good equipment in it. The rooms at Kidani are very nice. I was afraid they would be dark and dreary. But I found them very roomy and very relaxing. The shower and tub are amazing. We did have the dreaded washing machine issue where the hot and cold water was installed in reverse. I ended up washing a load of darks in hot water. But a quick call to maintenance solved that. Otherwise the room was great. We saw a lot of animals and really enjoyed seeing them each morning and evening. Just loved eating at Sanaa. The staff and food were awesome! Naan Bread, YUM!

But while we did enjoy the stay, we found a few things became very frustrating as the week wore on. The hallways are CRAZY! It didn't seem like a big deal at first. But by about day 4 we were getting tired of the long walk to the room. We have stayed at the very last room in the hallway at BWV before. So we thought we knew what long hallways were. Not so! Compared to Kidani our room at BWV was just next door to the lobby. It just seemed that we would get to the lobby and realize that we needed something from the room. Another problem was the lack of food choices at Kidani. If you are enjoying the pool and want more than a turkey sandwich or a salad, you have to either order room service and pay $14 for a hamburger or walk a mile to Jambo House. At first it seemed like a minor issue. But by the last day I was getting very tired of all the walking and waiting for buses. The refillable mug offerings at Kidani are very limited. They didn't even have regular tea or lemonade. And there was only one diet choice. Over at Jambo House they had a great selection of drinks for your mug. So another long walk or bus ride if I wanted Sprite Zero or unsweetened tea. Finally, the wait for buses and the travel time to the parks was more than I expected. We stay at OKW a lot. So I thought it would be similar. But getting to the Magic Kingdom From Kidani took nearly 30 minutes from pick up to drop off. Now add in the 20+ minute wait for the bus. The wait at the parks for buses was brutal compared to OKW. We almost cried as we waited in the rain for a bus at DD. We saw 3 OKW buses go by before a AKV bus came. Funny, I read these types of complaints before and thought people were going a bit overboard or just weren't used to staying at a WDW or DVC resort. And at first we didn't think much of it. But by the the middle of the week I was tired of constantly walking to Jambo House to get a bite to eat. Of course, our room was on the furthest end from Jambo House.

So while we did have a great stay, I think that we will choose BCV or OKW next time.

Oh, another good thing...I lost weight on vacation from all the walking!

I was considering a room request for "close to the lobby" but I just realized what a benefit a far away room can be! We are only staying 4 nights, so I think we'll take our chances in December.

I can see how a long stay would make it more difficult. Glad you had other good experiences though.

 

[Cee]

I know what you mean. I had a long walk to the elevators from my Zebra Trail villa in Jambo House but LOVED being in the deluxe resort. I had the best of both worlds. When we stayed at VWL last fall, we experienced the same bus troubles as you described. We would see bus after bus going one place and never have one come to the place we wanted to go. The next day, THAT bus came several times and the one WE wanted never came. UGH! Some days are just like that.......

 

[gkrykewy]

It definitely does not take 30 minutes to get to MK from AKV in terms of actual travel time. It's actually about 15 minutes -- though I can see how it'd feel like 30 if you'd already been waiting 20.

We generally prefer Jambo to Kidani for the hallway and food option reasons you describe. Kidani's hallways are just poor design, or design that assumes everyone will be driving everywhere from beneath their room and not walking to the lobby

 

[bobbiwoz]

I've had a long long walk in Kidani with DSis and a DGF. I think the windows that are along the hallway help make the walk enjoyable. However, DGF would constantly mention the long long walk. I'll be sure not to book Kidani if she ever comes with me again! She's coming to VB with me in January...honestly, I don't remember how long those hallways are, my last 2 visits there I was in a BC with the family with my DGF, we have an OVIR.

 

[jpeka65844]

DH and his two buddies just got back from the EE Challenge and they were the next to last room in their hallway.

We, too, have stayed in the last room in a BWV hallway and DH says this:

"AKV hallways spit on BWV hallways."

 

[d-r]

We had the next-to-last room at bwv but we've been lucky at Kidani so far.

I think that Kidani is more like old key west than beach club villas or wilderness lodge villas. Let me try to explain what I mean. BCV is small and it is a lot more like a resort. Your mindset is more like staying at a hotel. Old Key West is more like condos. You mindset is more like staying at a community, and you plan to park outside. You know it is going to be a bus ride or a hike to get anywhere.

Kidani fools us because it is all under one roof. So we expect it to be like BCV and be a hotel. But it is more like the condos, because of the size. The thing is, you can park right down in the basement. Parking is wonderful. And you can be at chick-fila or flippers and so on in just a couple of minutes. Much quicker than you could be anywhere from okw, for example. And Kidani has that wonderful grill area. And that kitchen right there. You can be at publix in a couple of minutes. That new bahama breeze by the target just opened. So to me, it is more like the "condo" style than the "resort hotel" style. And I don't think the trip to fast food is any further than it might be at okw or ssr for that matter. Or really at bwv if you are walking down to the pizza window. Kidani just fools us into thinking it is like bcv or wlv, and then, yeah, it is toooo big for that.

 

[KPOP]

i've stayed at Jambo 2x, and Kidani 1x.

I've had the longest walk at Jambo, a very long walk at Kidani, and a pleasantly short walk at Jambo!!

The hallways at Kidani were very long that it did put a little damper on the thrill of the resort for me. I try to request Jambo, but I still love the theming and feel of Kidani as well.

Next time, maybe, I'll have a car with me if I stay at Kidani - that will probably solve all my "issues" there.

 

[DizGirl20]

We stayed at Kidani for the first time 2 weeks ago and couldn't have asked for a better location. We were in the Timon section - it felt like we were half way between the Kidani lobby and the Jambo lobby. The few times we walked to Jambo, we made it a point to get out of our section as soon as possible... thereby making most of our walk outside. It was beautiful walking on the winding bath through the flowers and trees! Much better than walking through the halls. We also rented a car, which makes a world of difference in my opinion. Thanks for sharing - I think it's fun to experience all the different resorts!

 

[drusba]

Had the long walk to end rooms of the north wing at Kidani; bought a tent, pitched it half way down the hall at night, and then set on the rest of the long, arduous journey in the morning.

Jambo is actually way shorter and BWV is nothing. Walking time, adult normal pace, from elevator to end rooms at BWV is about 1 minute 40 seconds; walking time from lobby elevator to end rooms on the north wing of Kidani is about 5 1/2 minutes. We now have only one request that we always make at Kidani, "close to lobby."

 

[TSMIII]

And you can be at chick-fila or flippers and so on in just a couple of minutes. Much quicker than you could be anywhere from okw, for example. And Kidani has that wonderful grill area. And that kitchen right there. You can be at publix in a couple of minutes. That new bahama breeze by the target just opened.

There will also soon be a Texas Roadhouse and Joe's Crab Shack, along with a couple of other as yet unnamed businesses, on Disney property at the end of Black Lake Road closest to the Target & Publix.

 

[CruznLexi]

We have stayed 3 times and both times close to the lobby and last time we were pretty far this was unacceptable as I had my 79 year Mom with me before then canal cruise. I did go to the desk and got a closer room only about 20 rooms closer. We love KV and prefer to stay here. We are never in a hurry when we go to Disney. We are just glad to have time off. We have waited no more than 15 min for a bus.

 

[lucyem]

We loved Kidani the time we stayed there. But our time there was more focused on the resort and we had a car. I agree it is more like condos. But that can be a real benefit when trying to have a relaxing vacation. I do know I would not be happy if I had young kids and one of the last rooms way out and expected to be in the parks daily via the buses. That would be a bit much after just a couple of days especially at night when exhausted. We were about halfway down one side and my husband started joking about getting some rollerblades

I will admit I have timed my bus trips from Kidani because everyone complains about them. Between an Oct trip and the week after Easter trip, only one ride was more then 20 minutes. And that was to DTD at rush hour and no one was moving due to traffic. I often think the resort feels so far away that the bus rides feel longer. The fact that it only serves AKL & Kidani is handy. I have sat on a bus to the BC while we stopped at a number of other resorts first which does get frustrating with all the stopping.

 

[disneynutz]

Just back from 8 nights in a 1-bedroom at Kidani. We really had a good time and enjoyed many features of AKV and Kidani Village. Both pools were great! If I had my DGD with me I am sure she would have loved the play area at Kidani. The workout room at Kidani was nice and had very good equipment in it. The rooms at Kidani are very nice. I was afraid they would be dark and dreary. But I found them very roomy and very relaxing. The shower and tub are amazing. We did have the dreaded washing machine issue where the hot and cold water was installed in reverse. I ended up washing a load of darks in hot water. But a quick call to maintenance solved that. Otherwise the room was great. We saw a lot of animals and really enjoyed seeing them each morning and evening. Just loved eating at Sanaa. The staff and food were awesome! Naan Bread, YUM!

But while we did enjoy the stay, we found a few things became very frustrating as the week wore on. The hallways are CRAZY! It didn't seem like a big deal at first. But by about day 4 we were getting tired of the long walk to the room. We have stayed at the very last room in the hallway at BWV before. So we thought we knew what long hallways were. Not so! Compared to Kidani our room at BWV was just next door to the lobby. It just seemed that we would get to the lobby and realize that we needed something from the room. Another problem was the lack of food choices at Kidani. If you are enjoying the pool and want more than a turkey sandwich or a salad, you have to either order room service and pay $14 for a hamburger or walk a mile to Jambo House. At first it seemed like a minor issue. But by the last day I was getting very tired of all the walking and waiting for buses. The refillable mug offerings at Kidani are very limited. They didn't even have regular tea or lemonade. And there was only one diet choice. Over at Jambo House they had a great selection of drinks for your mug. So another long walk or bus ride if I wanted Sprite Zero or unsweetened tea. Finally, the wait for buses and the travel time to the parks was more than I expected. We stay at OKW a lot. So I thought it would be similar. But getting to the Magic Kingdom From Kidani took nearly 30 minutes from pick up to drop off. Now add in the 20+ minute wait for the bus. The wait at the parks for buses was brutal compared to OKW. We almost cried as we waited in the rain for a bus at DD. We saw 3 OKW buses go by before a AKV bus came. Funny, I read these types of complaints before and thought people were going a bit overboard or just weren't used to staying at a WDW or DVC resort. And at first we didn't think much of it. But by the the middle of the week I was tired of constantly walking to Jambo House to get a bite to eat. Of course, our room was on the furthest end from Jambo House.

So while we did have a great stay, I think that we will choose BCV or OKW next time.

Oh, another good thing...I lost weight on vacation from all the walking!

Please forward your observations/concerns to the DVC Member Satisfaction Team. That is the only way that things can change.

dvcmembersatisfactionteam@disneyvacationclub.com


Bill

 

[DizBub]

We stayed with our DD and her DH one night last September before we checked in at BLT the next day. We had a car (they flew in). Not sure of the name of the section we were in but it was really close to Jambo, just a short walk really.

We will be staying there again this September, 5 nights in a studio. Will have a car again, don't think I would want to stay there without one. Parking is fantastic tho. Good to know about the easy access off property and the grocery stores, etc. Will take the cooler and stock up for our move to BCV (2 br) for the next 7 nights.

We have had room 4007 at BWV. Not quite to the very end of the hall but pretty darn close. A 2 night stay felt like a week!!! Not to mention that LOOOONNNGGG trek to the car. Yikes!!!! What a work-out

 

[princessvacg]

I have stayed at both and took a standard room at Jamba House, (no Savanah available) verses a Savanah view at Kidani (plenty available), just because of the reasons you stated. The lack of food options being the main reason and the fear that we would end up the room that was 10 miles down the hallway!!! Good thing is all of the standard rooms at Jamba are pool view rooms so I can deal with that!

 

[hroyale]

It's not just the walk, but the thick carpet. We were in the last pod in Kidani and it felt like we were walking 5 miles through ankle deep sand. When heading to the buses or other things that we were in a hurry for we found that taking the elevator down to the garage level and making the walk on concrete was much quicker, if not as pretty. Of course in Jan heat wasn't an issue, not sure if I'll feel the same way in Sept.

Love the resort, but probably wouldn't do a long stay there if we had to be at the end of the hallway without a car.

This year we're requesting a room close to the lobby and not doing on-line check-in. It's a short stay so we'll be fine either way, but my fingers are crossed.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

I feel exactly as the OP. Our stay at AKV was at Jambo house, and still felt like we did alot of walking. I'm glad you mentioned the bus rides. It seemed we always stopped at Typhoon Lagoon no matter what time of day we rode the bus. Never want to read how long BWV's halls are! I'll take the stops at SD any day! We are also one and done at AKV.

 

[Nisa]

I agree with the poster...we loved it but probably won't stay there much. We just got back from a 4 day trip to take my 3 year old grand daughter for her first visit. Kidani was beautiful and the bathroom was amazing but the walk to our room seemed like miles especially at the end of the day. The lack of food options were a bit annoying. The walk would probably be OK if you didn't have to take a shuttle somewhere else to get a quick meal. I loved Sanaa but it would be nice to have breakfast options and other more basic meal choices.

The wait for buses seemed long too. Magical Express was a mess! It was late and then we went to Jambo House & Pop Century. We were worried about getting to the airport in time.

Overall a great trip but I might choose another resort next time with a little more options for food & transportation.

 

[d-r]

There will also soon be a Texas Roadhouse and Joe's Crab Shack, along with a couple of other as yet unnamed businesses, on Disney property at the end of Black Lake Road closest to the Target & Publix.

wow, that can't be more than what, four or five miles to the joe's crab shack outside celebration.