AK Kidani Savannah Studio Request (DVC)

[mnasf]

I am bringing a friend I haven't seen in over 25 years to Disney. Everything will be new to her. I've booked a Savannah View Studio. Is one floor better than any others? Is there an area of Savannah that is best? Thanks so much!

 

[striker1064]

If you want to see giraffes and zebras, request a room facing the Sunset Savanna. This request seems to be filled fairly easily, as about 80% of the savanna view rooms face it. The Pembe Savanna encompasses the other 20%, and it has okapi and warthogs instead of giraffes and zebras.

Also, be aware that the hallways at Kidani are very long, so if you would be sensitive to this, make a request for a room near the Rafiki elevator.

 

[drusba]

Lead request should be Sunset savanna view if you want to see giraffes and zebras. High chance of getting that request because more than 80% of the savanna view rooms look out at Sunset savanna.

The issue you then have is the fact the Kidani building, which has a north and south wing, is 2/3 mile long. Walks to lobby, bus station and pool can be enormous (think of walking from the base of World Showcase in Epcot to Germany, the distance from lobby to end room on the north wing is about the same).

To avoid those distances, many request to be close to lobby. Unfortunately, that is now such a popular request that many who request it do not get it, and instead end up very far from the lobby. Along each wing are three elevators. A better request is to ask to be near the Rafiki elevator, if you want the shortest possible walk to the pool, or near the Timon elevator if you want to be close to the bus station. Both requests if granted would also put you in reasonable striking distance of the lobby.

Many request lower floor (two is the lowest with rooms, five the highest) for a more direct view of animals. It personally does not matter to me which floor I get as high floor gets you a more panoramic view.

Requests should be made via Member Services and not via the request section online when you do online check-in. That request section has limited requests, and if you initially make requests to MS and then also choose to use the online request section while doing check-in, any of those requests to MS will be lost. So you should not use the online request section at all.

Note that if you have a car, the parking lot runs on the first floor under the building almost from end to end, and with those three elevators along each wing, you can usually park fairly close to your room.

 

[LadybugsMum]

What’s the name of the elevator by the pool? We’ll be at Kidani in Jan and i want a savanna view near the pool.

 

[drusba]

What’s the name of the elevator by the pool? We’ll be at Kidani in Jan and i want a savanna view near the pool.

Request room near the Rafiki elevator. Down that elevator to ground/parking lot floor then leads to a path that goes to a pool area gate, and being near that elevator actually provides the shortest possible walk from building to an entry gate to the pool area that exists at Kidani.

 

[Brian Carlisle]

Requests should be made via Member Services and not via the request section online when you do online check-in. That request section has limited requests, and if you initially make requests to MS and then also choose to use the online request section while doing check-in, any of those requests to MS will be lost. So you should not use the online request section at all.

How does one make such a request? Is a call necessary or can it be done via the DVC member site?

 

[BillPA]

Use e-mail, chat, call or on-line when you do on-line check in.

 

[dbtex83]

To avoid those distances, many request to be close to lobby. Unfortunately, that is now such a popular request that many who request it do not get it, and instead end up very far from the lobby. Along each wing are three elevators. A better request is to ask to be near the Rafiki elevator, if you want the shortest possible walk to the pool, or near the Timon elevator if you want to be close to the bus station. Both requests if granted would also put you in reasonable striking distance of the lobby.

Many request lower floor (two is the lowest with rooms, five the highest) for a more direct view of animals. It personally does not matter to me which floor I get as high floor gets you a more panoramic view.

I would second the close to the Rafiki elevator suggestion. Our last trip we just requested "near the lobby" and got the second building down on the north wing. Maybe this isn't always the case, but my observation was that the animals don't venture down to the end of the savanna as often, so we experienced more regular activity being closer to the lobby/middle of the savanna.

We also ended up with a 2nd floor room, which turned out to be great and probably what we'll request moving forward. We enjoyed being somewhat more "eye level" with the animals.

 

[mnasf]

Thanks so much everyone!