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- Jul 22, 2006
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- 5,539
We checked into a studio at Kidani Village this past Sunday. While we really like the decor of the room, and were impressed by the blown glass chandeliers in the lobby, I have to admit that Kidani has moved to the bottom of my WDW DVC list. (No flames, please. It just isn't our cup of tea.)
Yes, it is nice to have a savanna view and be able to look out at the animals. But, for us, that perk just isn't enough to made up for the other inconveniences.
I guess I should have done a little more research about the resort, because the only preference I put on our reservation was for the top floor. We're on the 3rd floor, which is still good for viewing animals, so I'm not disappointed with that. What I didn't know to ask for was a room near the lobby. OMG, I'll never complain about the "long" hallways at Boardwalk again. This hall is just ridiculously long. We're in villa 7776, which is in the next-to-last set of villas on the hall.
I imagine it isn't quite as much of an issue if you're driving and have a car parked in the parking garage. In that case, it isn't that far to walk because you can drive through the garage and come up an elevator somewhere along the hallway. However, we used DME to get from the airport and have been relying on the Disney buses to do everything. It's a long, long walk. Long enough that it's actually discouraged us to go and do some things.
I was just doing some measuring using Google Earth to compare our walk to the bus stop here with walks at previous resorts. I estimate the walk from the Kidani bus stop to our room is 0.34 miles. (And believe me, it's agonizing watching the room numbers slowly creep up from 7701 to 7776 as you do the long trek.) There's also not a single bench or other place to stop and take a break along that entire distance.
When we stayed at the Treehouse Villas, last year, I measured the path from the THV section of SSR to the Grandstand bus stop. That was only 0.25 miles. When we stayed in the Paddock the year before, I thought that was a long walk to get to Artist's Pallet. Not so by comparison. That was only 0.31 miles. In those two cases, I had the option to take a bus if I wanted to wait for it.
And that long, long, long hallway at the Boardwalk Villa? We had the next-to-last room there, as well, on the Dance Hall side of the Boardwalk. We thought that was a long walk at the time. Looking back, it should have been a breeze at only 0.2 miles from our room to the bus stop.
We're staying in a studio, so no washer and dryer in our room. That hasn't been an issue in the past, but won't be quite as convenient here. Unless someone can point me to another one, it appears the only laundry room is located clear on the other side of the lobby. That's a long way to haul a bag if dirty clothes.
We did the Kidani pool yesterday and the Jambo House pool today. I'm afraid I wasn't overly impressed with either. The theming was nice, but just didn't "grab me." I'm also the type who loves the water, and will stay in the pool for hours at a time. The sun has been so hot here the past few days; I was really looking for a shady spot. There wasn't one to be found in the Kidani pool. At Jambo House, there was a small section of shade thrown by one of the lifeguard umbrellas. It was a very crowded little section of the pool, though. Many had noticed it was the only shady spot. Despite being 45 and having a Winnie the Pooh build, I also love water slides. These two weren't the greatest. At Jambo House, I didn't like that I had to put on shoes and shirt to go inside Mara to fill our refillable mugs. A poolside dispenser would have been nice. To be honest, we forgot to take our mugs with us on our Kidani pool day, and neither one of us was willing to walk back to get them. We therefore didn't pay much attention to where a drink refill station was located.
Our lunch at Sanaa was very good. We ate there on our arrival day. While we really enjoyed what we had, it was pretty much a been-there-done-that kind of place for us. We may re-visit in a few years, but certainly won't go back again in the same trip. It's a shame, because it would certainly be nice to have a place that was convenient to get to that we wouldn't mind repeat visits to.
Add our vote to the group who think Kidani needs a quick service. We were happy with what we got at Mara for 1 breakfast and 1 lunch, but getting there isn't worth the effort for repeated visits.
A big thumbs up to online check-in this trip. When we stepped off the DME bus, a cast member greeted me by name. I guess the front desks are now somehow linked to the DME desk at the airport, and they knew which bus we were on. Our package was waiting for us, and our room was surprising ready at 10:00 am.
No problems in our room. Everything was perfectly clean, and no signs of wear and tear at all.
My roommate is impressed with the fitness center, and likes the fact that it has 24-hour access. He wishes every resort offered that. They have the machines he likes to use. His one complaint is an attention-to-detail item. They apparently have disposable disinfectant wipes that you're supposed to use to wipe off machines when you're done. That dispenser has been empty for the past two days.
Again, for those who love this resort, please don't take any offense. These are just the things we've observed and how AKV has played against our vacationing preferences. We're still having a wonderful time. I have to admit, though, I'm glad we've booked a split stay. We move to Bay Lake Tower on Friday.
Yes, it is nice to have a savanna view and be able to look out at the animals. But, for us, that perk just isn't enough to made up for the other inconveniences.
I guess I should have done a little more research about the resort, because the only preference I put on our reservation was for the top floor. We're on the 3rd floor, which is still good for viewing animals, so I'm not disappointed with that. What I didn't know to ask for was a room near the lobby. OMG, I'll never complain about the "long" hallways at Boardwalk again. This hall is just ridiculously long. We're in villa 7776, which is in the next-to-last set of villas on the hall.
I imagine it isn't quite as much of an issue if you're driving and have a car parked in the parking garage. In that case, it isn't that far to walk because you can drive through the garage and come up an elevator somewhere along the hallway. However, we used DME to get from the airport and have been relying on the Disney buses to do everything. It's a long, long walk. Long enough that it's actually discouraged us to go and do some things.
I was just doing some measuring using Google Earth to compare our walk to the bus stop here with walks at previous resorts. I estimate the walk from the Kidani bus stop to our room is 0.34 miles. (And believe me, it's agonizing watching the room numbers slowly creep up from 7701 to 7776 as you do the long trek.) There's also not a single bench or other place to stop and take a break along that entire distance.
When we stayed at the Treehouse Villas, last year, I measured the path from the THV section of SSR to the Grandstand bus stop. That was only 0.25 miles. When we stayed in the Paddock the year before, I thought that was a long walk to get to Artist's Pallet. Not so by comparison. That was only 0.31 miles. In those two cases, I had the option to take a bus if I wanted to wait for it.
And that long, long, long hallway at the Boardwalk Villa? We had the next-to-last room there, as well, on the Dance Hall side of the Boardwalk. We thought that was a long walk at the time. Looking back, it should have been a breeze at only 0.2 miles from our room to the bus stop.
We're staying in a studio, so no washer and dryer in our room. That hasn't been an issue in the past, but won't be quite as convenient here. Unless someone can point me to another one, it appears the only laundry room is located clear on the other side of the lobby. That's a long way to haul a bag if dirty clothes.
We did the Kidani pool yesterday and the Jambo House pool today. I'm afraid I wasn't overly impressed with either. The theming was nice, but just didn't "grab me." I'm also the type who loves the water, and will stay in the pool for hours at a time. The sun has been so hot here the past few days; I was really looking for a shady spot. There wasn't one to be found in the Kidani pool. At Jambo House, there was a small section of shade thrown by one of the lifeguard umbrellas. It was a very crowded little section of the pool, though. Many had noticed it was the only shady spot. Despite being 45 and having a Winnie the Pooh build, I also love water slides. These two weren't the greatest. At Jambo House, I didn't like that I had to put on shoes and shirt to go inside Mara to fill our refillable mugs. A poolside dispenser would have been nice. To be honest, we forgot to take our mugs with us on our Kidani pool day, and neither one of us was willing to walk back to get them. We therefore didn't pay much attention to where a drink refill station was located.
Our lunch at Sanaa was very good. We ate there on our arrival day. While we really enjoyed what we had, it was pretty much a been-there-done-that kind of place for us. We may re-visit in a few years, but certainly won't go back again in the same trip. It's a shame, because it would certainly be nice to have a place that was convenient to get to that we wouldn't mind repeat visits to.
Add our vote to the group who think Kidani needs a quick service. We were happy with what we got at Mara for 1 breakfast and 1 lunch, but getting there isn't worth the effort for repeated visits.
A big thumbs up to online check-in this trip. When we stepped off the DME bus, a cast member greeted me by name. I guess the front desks are now somehow linked to the DME desk at the airport, and they knew which bus we were on. Our package was waiting for us, and our room was surprising ready at 10:00 am.
No problems in our room. Everything was perfectly clean, and no signs of wear and tear at all.
My roommate is impressed with the fitness center, and likes the fact that it has 24-hour access. He wishes every resort offered that. They have the machines he likes to use. His one complaint is an attention-to-detail item. They apparently have disposable disinfectant wipes that you're supposed to use to wipe off machines when you're done. That dispenser has been empty for the past two days.
Again, for those who love this resort, please don't take any offense. These are just the things we've observed and how AKV has played against our vacationing preferences. We're still having a wonderful time. I have to admit, though, I'm glad we've booked a split stay. We move to Bay Lake Tower on Friday.
Completely agree!
They have a definite SOUND. But I was glad we were close. Anyway, we felt the schlep to the pool was a little awkard and I was actually unimpressed with the pool (I thought it was small). And oddly, I found it hard to find a spot IN the sun at the Kidani pool!! It was March so not hot at all & my winter white body was CRAVING some sun!! Every chair I found was in the shade and I found the pool water to be freezing. (I'm sure NOT the case NOW but in MARCH the water was COLD.) 
