All's Quiet from Kidani on Opening Day

[5forDiz]

Does anybody find that just a little bit odd?

ITA ! Maybe they want it all to themselves & don't want us to know how fantastic staying at Kidani really is ?? I'm beginning to feel like it's Disney's ' best kept secret '

 

[nykidatheart]

Hello all,
I am here at Kidani Village in a standard Studio. Came yesterday with hubby for his birthday. We were warmly greeted at the front desk and our check in was prepared in advance since i had checkin though the dvcmember website. Also waiting for us was a nice Happy Birthday pin for hubby which was nice. We were also given this woven african tree as a momento of being one of the first to arrive at Kidani which was also nice. The lobby is really beautiful with dark wood and african themes all around. Our studio is on the 3rd floor room 7331 and the view overlooks basketball courts, a lake and a parking lot. not the best view. There are no quite pools at Kidani and the main pool located to the right out the front entrance is not that big but nice. There is a play area that has a water park feel for kids with water shooting out of the rocks and sprinklers all around.Fun for little children and parents. The rest of the pool area all around doesn't have any chairs with umbrellas so you are stuck with baking in the sun unless you sit but the tables. There is a small market place in the lobby where you can get a few snacks and drinks and apparel but if you want a full service marketplace you have to go to jambo house and eat at Mara. Jambo is a short less than 10 minute walk from kidani. It can be annoying to some but for others not so much depending on if you want things to be right on your lap. Sanaa open yesterday and we saw some indian dancers and a show for openign day but we didnt' go...we have reservations at Jiko tonight. If you want to see the animals there is Arusha Rock Fire pit and there you get a great view of the animals..no need to spend your points for a savanah view in my view...how long can you stare at zebras? The rick fire pit is lit at dawn and there are rocking chairs around it where you can sit and stare at the pit.lol. When i get back home i can post some pics...oh hidden mickey in the carpet in the halls and in the studio in the bedroom the carpet has hidden mickeys too! ANy questions?

 

[draw]

Did you try Sanaa?. I would like a full report on this. Glad you are enjoying your trip.

 

[nykidatheart]

Did you try Sanaa?. I would like a full report on this. Glad you are enjoying your trip.

No we didn't try it...hubbby wasn't feeling it..oh well...maybe before we leave i can convince him. The resort has about 260 keys and they are at about 170 right now so its a nice crowd but im sure we would not have trouble getting a reservation. It located on the lower lever a little out of the way..i may pop my head in just to take a look around though.

 

[amandelba]

I cn't wait for my trip.

 

[Brave teacher]

I cn't wait for my trip.

Me too...We'll be there in exactly 4 weeks.

 

[firstmickey]

17 days....can't wait!

 

[AllyBri]

We check in on Thursday.

 

[DISNEY4TROY]

room location details too pleeeease



Subbing

 

[jerseygal]

Thnx for your Kidani review..

Pool Questions...

I'm anxious to see more pics of the larger pool area...How did the corkscrew slide look?

You mentioned there were no shady areas...Did it look like there were adequate amounts of chaises?

Were there alot of folks using the pool?

Thanks so much for more pool details if you can provide....

 

[jmurphy625]

I'm curious about the pool/shade...In some of the pics It looked like there were lots of chaises and many in the shade. Is it mostly the water play area that has some shade? I'm going to be baking in the sun with my 10 & 13 year old!

 

[buzz1fan]

I am curious about the walk to Jambo. I see it is a 10 minute walk. Is it an easy walk to go from the Kidani Pool to the Jambo pool in our pool attire? We want to try out both pools where we are there.

 

[mikeandkarla]

Although I did not stay at Kidani, I was in WDW on opening day and went over to check it out. My report probably will not make a lot of people happy, but it is just my opinion, and remember, I did not stay there, just visiting. From the moment I walked in, It seemed like Jambo House light. Everything is beautiful, just so small compared to Jambo. Lobby, animal viewing area(think Arusha Rock), pool, bus stops (not all of them covered ). One very confusing item I learned was that the pool bar, Maji, does serve a very limited food menu, however for those of you on the DDP, you can not use a CS credit on it. Maybe that will change in the future ( I hope so). If you have any questions, I will try my best to answer them. Don't misunderstand me, the resort is beautiful, I just didn't get the same OH MY GOD! feeling when entering the lobby at Kidani as I originally did upon entering the Jambo lobby.
I will post pictures when I get home. I leave on May 3.

 

[calypso726]

Did you try Sanaa?. I would like a full report on this. Glad you are enjoying your trip.

We did so I'm piping in hope you dont mind! On opening day we had both lunch and dinner there. We were lucky enough to have our request of a window table for each meal. It was great to be able to dine and enjoy watching the baby giraffe (named Kidani) run and play! The food and service was awesome! I tried the grilled pork for lunch (not on dinner menu) and it was to die for! I am not a big grilled pork fan as I usually find it too dry and not very flavorful. Certainly not the case here! For dinner I had the lamb (once again trying something I normally dont care for) and once again it was a hit! The portions are just right. The Indian bread service was really good and my favorite dessert was the Chai Cream...simply wonderful! DH had the beef short ribs and loved them we also tried both the appetizer sampler and dessert samplers which were ok. Had fun searching for hidden Mickeys in the restaurant, we will definitely be back for more!

The resort is nice but not as immediately impressive as Jambo. Upon check in we received a woven baobab tree as a gift. We had a butterfyl towel animal on the bed and were delighted to find a hidden message on the bathroom mirror! After showering the steam revealed the message "I Love Kidani" that was a neat surprise!

 

[WolfpackFan]

I was reading in someone's posting that the animals are not out in the mornings at Kidani. That they don't come out until later in the day. The explanation was that folks are not in their rooms in the mornings, so they don't put them out then. I was thinking that in the past we've seen lots of animals in the mornings at Jambo. Am I incorrect on this? I really enjoyed sharing my morning coffee in the mornings with the animals .

The more I read about Kidani, the more prone I will probably be in booking Jambo as my first choice. The lack of a CS restaurant and the fact that Kidani doesn't have much shade around the pool area are two big negatives for me. I like sitting out around the pool some, but because of skin cancer I have to have shade. Now if the animals are not out in the mornings, that is another negative IMO.

 

[DeeCee735]

I was reading in someone's posting that the animals are not out in the mornings at Kidani. That they don't come out until later in the day. The explanation was that folks are not in their rooms in the mornings, so they don't put them out then. I was thinking that in the past we've seen lots of animals in the mornings at Jambo. Am I incorrect on this? I really enjoyed sharing my morning coffee in the mornings with the animals .

The more I read about Kidani, the more prone I will probably be in booking Jambo as my first choice. The lack of a CS restaurant and the fact that Kidani doesn't have much shade around the pool area are two big negatives for me. I like sitting out around the pool some, but because of skin cancer I have to have shade. Now if the animals are not out in the mornings, that is another negative IMO.

I agree. I bought an add on at AKV (Jambo, not that that makes a difference). I booked 3 nights in a one bedroom with my cousins this November. I originally had Jambo one bedroom and switched to Kidani. My main reason for switching was for the 2 bathrooms and the sleeper chair (does Jambo have a sleeper chair too?), and the larger units. Now I'm re-thinking this. The animals in the morning are a HUGE draw for us, so if their not out, I'm not interested. It's why we pay extra points for savannah views, isn't it? Not just to be at your balcony later in the day to see them, but hopefully any time we are in the room. I'm also not crazy about how the savannah's don't seem to be all that big, according to pics I've seen, but I could be totally wrong about that. Another thing I'm not liking is the lack of umbrellas around the lounge chairs. One of my cousins would sit in the sun all day, but the other cousin and myself would prefer a choice, with an available umbrella. Are there enough of them around tables in the pool area?
I know, from staying at Jambo, that there are some shady areas around the pool.

My reason for choosing Jambo at first, was the closeness of the hotel restaurants, lounge, and pool. I'm wondering what I should do. This upcoming trip is just us three women, kids and husbands staying home. I was thinking breakfast in Boma one morning, dinner at Jiko one night, with a full day spent just at the resort. Then, one day cabbing it over to the Spa at SSR for some treatments, then a boat ride to DTD for dinner and maybe Cirque du Soleil in the evening. One day at Epcot, with dinner at Yachtsman Steakhouse in Yacht Club and a walk at the BW, topping the evening off at Jellyrolls.

Which building would you stay in? Jambo or Kidani????
I'm SO confused!

Any input would be appreciated.

 

[calypso726]

I just got back from the Wanyama Safari and this was explained. They stagger "breakfast times" for the animals at each savannah location. The Sunset savannah animals at Kidani have breakfast between 8:30 and 10:30 am. I imagine when Pembe savannah opens at Kidani in the fall they will have a different breakfast time as they have their own barn that is separate so I guess it will depend on which side you are facing.

 

[RayJay]

Does anybody find that just a little bit odd?

BCV was the same thing when it opened, no one really seemed to be there.

The pool was quiet, and you could tell they were working out some issues still.

Alot has changed since then, now you can't get in the place, I'm sure Kidani
will fill up over time and every DCV member will enjoy it.

RayJay

 

[ADP]

I didn't expect Kidani's lobby to be anything like Jambo's lobby in regards to size and theme. The track record for DVC is to build the DVC properties attached to existing Disney resorts with lighter versions. Did anyone really think the Kidani lobby would be "eyes up and jaws down" when you entered?

From what I could see from the various reports, pictures and videos Kidani is everything I expected and a little more. What's even better as AKV owners we have the option of Kidani or Jambo when we book our DVC stays.

 

[AKV707]

I agree. The DVC resorts are supposed to have more of a relaxed and home away from home feel. From the photos, the lobby looks really good to me. Judging by what I have read and seen on the web, I am so very happy to be an AKV owner!