AKV Kidani - First Visit

[kes601]

We wrapped up a week long stay in a 1 BR Savannah view yesterday. We have stayed at most WDW DVC resorts (missing OKW and CCV/BRV). Kidani was our favorite resort by far. We thought we’d miss being walkable to a park, but that was not the case. It felt so relaxing being away from it all when not in the park. The resort was so quiet. We barely heard a peep the entire time we were in the room.

We had our car but barely used it. The bus service was fantastic. Service started early in the day and we never waited more than 5 or 10 minutes going to or coming from the parks. The two mornings we went to MK we were the only people on the bus (we caught the first one). One morning we caught the 3rd bus to HS and were the only people on it. It was super weird. Same thing happened coming back from MK and HS those days.

Food was also great — between the pool bar, the Mara, Boma, and Sanaa everything was great (we did not make it to Jiko this time). The steak at Sanaa was one of the best I have had on property. Just seasoned with salt and pepper, but being cooked over the open flame made the difference.

We loved Kidani so much we are going to stay there again for our 13 night stay this summer. Downgrading to a standard view to somewhat be responsible. It is the one resort I could see us staying at for every trip in the future.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Agree with you in so many ways - our favorite resort. The resort dining options are the best on property, in our opinion. The peaceful feel, the theming, the animals, the dining, the gift shop (Zawadi is amazing) - love it there. Enjoy your summer trip!

 

[RanDIZ]

And this is why we own AKV. You can literally pick this resort up and place it anywhere outside Disney and it’d be a top destination. Away from all the crowds, great restaurants and animals everywhere! Never thought we’d leave parks mid day to come back and enjoy AKV and not want to go back to parks. This makes it worth while.

 

[Jonnnyap]

Glad you had such a great trip, OP. I fell in love with AKV by visiting restaurants years ago though we couldn’t afford to stay there. Then when finances allowed, we made it our DVC home recently.

Agree with you all. And if you’re an early riser, you can enjoy some of the small rooms just off the lobby listening to music and then Sanaa for breakfast and watch the animals wake up. Balconies on the savanna are fantastic, but AKV also has a lot of viewing spaces for the non-savanna staying guests.

I’ll take long hallways (especially since Disney requires so much waking in general) and bus-only transport to get the peace and atmosphere of AKV. Glad others enjoy their favored resorts, too. That’s the joy of DVC - so many different choices for different preferences.

 

[heathpack]

What a great post! So nice to hear about the transportation. Everyone complains about it so much that it doesn’t seem viable. Nice to know that it worked for you just fine.

 

[drusba]

Nice report. Kidani is also one of my favorites. As to getting standard view for your next trip, be aware that there are some standard view rooms at Kidani that actually have direct Pembe savanna view. To possibly get one, request through MS a room near the Pumbaa elevator. Just be aware that if that request is actually met, you will be on the north wing of Kidani, the wing the pool is on, and will have very long walks to lobby and bus station.

 

[kes601]

Nice report. Kidani is also one of my favorites. As to getting standard view for your next trip, be aware that there are some standard view rooms at Kidani that actually have direct Pembe savanna view. To possibly get one, request through MS a room near the Pumbaa elevator. Just be aware that if that request is actually met, you will be on the north wing of Kidani, the wing the pool is on, and will have very long walks to lobby and bus station.

Thanks for the tips. We did eat a late breakfast at Boma — it was great. I think I’d take the location of our room this time (minus the view obviously) vs hoping to get a savannah view with a worse location. We were on the lobby floor in Timon basically right be the elevator. Put us very close to the bus stops.

 

[KPeterso]

Love this post. AKV is one of my homes. From my first stay there, I knew if they added DVC there that I would be buying. I just love how peaceful it is and there is nothing better than waking up first thing in the morning and going out on the balcony to greet the giraffes. And seriously, some of the best bus service I have ever gotten was at AKV.

 

[goofymom68]

We have stayed at Kidani several times and it is also our favorite. Even though it is a little farther away from most of the parks and Disney Springs, all the other positives far outweigh any inconvenience. We are staying at BWV next time to try something new and I am afraid that I will be sad that we didn't do Kidani again. (I know we will have a good trip no matter what.)

 

[kes601]

We’ve realized staying at Kidani in the summer isn’t in the cards unfortunately. We want to get our points back to zero so a 1 bedroom isn’t happening. We also did a very bad job banking / borrowing so a Savannah studio is not enough points for us. We’ve settled on a standard view poly studio as it is 7 pts more than we have to use (or lose). That will allow us to stay at Kidani the following summer in a studio and get back to 0 with our points.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

We’ve realized staying at Kidani in the summer isn’t in the cards unfortunately. We want to get our points back to zero so a 1 bedroom isn’t happening. We also did a very bad job banking / borrowing so a Savannah studio is not enough points for us. We’ve settled on a standard view poly studio as it is 7 pts more than we have to use (or lose). That will allow us to stay at Kidani the following summer in a studio and get back to 0 with our points.

Kidani is amazing, but Poly isn't a bad consolation prize!! Enjoy!

 

[kes601]

Kidani is amazing, but Poly isn't a bad consolation prize!! Enjoy!

I know. We’ve stayed for a couple of shorter trips. Looking forward to a longer trip there.

 

[Canadian Girl]

We bought AKL for the same reasons. One of my daughters and I have a 1 bedroom at Kidani savannah view booked for February. I can’t wait.

 

[RoseGold]

I can remember an ad from my childhood with a lady on a balcony with giraffes, with coffee or something. It what sent me down the DVC rabbit hole in the first place.

Such a beautiful resort. People say it's showing it needs a refresh, and I don't see that at all. Love the pools as well. I've had a few painful bus experiences, especially with a wheelchair user in the group, but most of the time it's fine.

 

[kes601]

I can remember an ad from my childhood with a lady on a balcony with giraffes, with coffee or something. It what sent me down the DVC rabbit hole in the first place.

Such a beautiful resort. People say it's showing it needs a refresh, and I don't see that at all. Love the pools as well. I've had a few painful bus experiences, especially with a wheelchair user in the group, but most of the time it's fine.

Agreed regarding not really needing a refresh in my mind. We found the couch more comfortable than the new Murphy bed ones at other resorts. To clarify, I mean for sitting….not for sleeping. Everything seemed to be in good condition. I am a little bummed we “messed up” our borrowing and can’t do a studio there this summer.