Anyone Stayed at Kidani Village Studio Room?

[DisNerdsince08]

Has anyone stayed at the AKL in the Kidani Village or Jambo House Studio Rooms? We're planning to rent DVC on our next trip, and wonder what they are like. You can give any general impressions. Specifically, we'll have 3 adults and a toddler with us, so if you know how comfy (or not comfy) the pull out sofa is that'd be a big help. Thanks!

 

[spiceycat]

sorry my trips are solo - so don't even need the sleeper sofa. besides as a sofa. have not heard anything bad about them - when I did sleep on one back when I travel with others - they were fine for me

 

[DisNerdsince08]

THanks!

 

[jpeden]

My wife and I are renting points to stay in September. If you'd like I can report back after then if you don't get another response.

 

[DM Minnie]

Yes our last trip was a split stay there. There was 2 adults and one child (4 years at the time of the trip ). My son slept on the pull out couch and my husband would curl up with him to put him to sleep. Compared to a little mermaid room which we stayed a few days before the beds were comfortable my husband said the pull out was way better than the value bed. Hallways are very long!! We didn't mind but the hike and commuter van ride out of the villa area to the main hotel was long. Making a quick trip to Mara a pain. I will likely not stay there again just for that reason alone.

 

[Kingdome8]

We rented points at kidani studio. Was awesome. The bed and the sofa bed were very comfy

 

[Kingdome8]

And the pool was awesome. Kids loved it. Waking up and seeing animals on our porch was very cool.
And the walk to jambo for quick service was nothing. It was one of my favorite trips

I just remember how blown away we were when first walked in kidani lobby. The kids were so excited and they got Tierra's right away.

 

[DisNerdsince08]

Thanks Y'all! How far in advance should we book our DVC rental? We have done Disney multiple times and honeymooned at AKL and loved it, of course. They were building Kidani when we stayed there, so we've always wanted to go back to try it, but have never rented DVC before. We are super excited because it seems like a bargain.

 

[DisNerdsince08]

And yes, jpeden, let me know how you guys like Kidani Village!

 

[jpeden]

If booking Kidani, OKW, or SSR, you can pretty much book any time if you're going off season (these are the three biggest DVC resorts). We booked our trip in March through one of the online services (not sure I can mention the name). If you'd like to explore anything other than these resorts, it's going to need to be booked 11 months out as this is when bookings open for members at their home resort. Bookings for non-home resorts start at 7 months out. I checked for my co-worker who is considering going this September and 45 days out there was still availability at OKW, AKL Kidani, and SSR.

DVC Rental is a bargain of you're okay with the following things:

1. Much more restrictive cancellation policies and larger deposits. While the service we used allowed final payment at 45 days out, many DVC rentals require full payment. There is also pretty much no cancellation - book only if you know that's the dates you truly want.

2. No daily Mousekeeping. You get trash and towel service on day 4 and a full clean on day 8.

3. You don't have full control of your reservation. If you want the Dining Plan or DME from the Airport, the renting DVC member has to add these items for you (or if you go through an agency, they will coordinate for you).

I'm willing to give these things up to stay at a deluxe for less than a moderate would cost me in September.

You do pay a $2-3 point premium by going through an agency, but I like the convenience and peace of mind which is why I'm willing to pay the premium. If you want to save a few dollars, there are plenty of reputable and honest members here on the Dis that rent out their points. Check out the DVC board.

 

[DisBuckMan]

Since you're interested in a STUDIO, I'd suggest you make reservations as soon as possible. As was said above, OKW, SSR, and Kidani usually have some openings, but the studios generally fill up fairly quickly at Kidani for longer stays. You can find a day or two together here and there, but it gets harder to book several days in a row the longer you wait. When we booked our stay for late Sept/early Oct this fall, we checked into renting points at Kidani about 8 months out, and there were no studios available for a week straight. A couple of nights here and there only. Generally, the cheaper the "view", the qucker they fill up. Standard view studios fill up extremely quickly, as opposed to Savannah views which fill less quickly, but still quicker than the villas...especially for extended stays.

 

[goofy4tink]

I love staying at Kidani!! I've stayed in a studio many times. When traveling with my dh, he usually sleeps on the fold out sofabed...he snores badly!!! He is 6'4'' and says the bed is very comfy!! When we stayed in a one bedroom, with another couple, they slept on the sofabed, and they said it was just fine....that they had had a good night's sleep.
I would book as soon as you are sure of your dates. I would also recommend booking a savannah view studio. They are just wonderful. The biggest issue with booking DVC, through someone else, is that you really can't change your mind. They are putting their points on the line, so it is a final deal. As a DVC owner, I have used David's DVC store to rent out my points...it went very smoothly. Yes, it costs a few dollars more but everything is taken care of by them...it's very easy for both the DVC owner and the person that wants to rent their points.

 

[spiceycat]

would say that you should be fine at 7 months - before 7 months you pay more because that is the time when only members who own there can make the reservations. at 7 months have never had a problem getting a studio at AKV - at times can even get a value (you pay much less) but it is Jambo house AKL not Kidiani. don't own at AKV - so can't do it before the 7th month.

as far as the cancellation program - if you go thru a broker it is set - thru an a DVC member it can vary greatly. Some member allow cancellation - some want 40 to 50% up front - then the rest at anywhere from 180 to 40 days before you vacation starts - the member needs to know 31 days before - if they need to cancel at 30 days their points go into holding and they can have problem rerenting or even using them - themselves because DVC rooms go fast and trying to get one at 60 days or less can be impossible.

some members if they can rerent the points will refund your money others won't regardless - just depends upon the member.

 

[Deb & Bill]

If booking Kidani, OKW, or SSR, you can pretty much book any time if you're going off season (these are the three biggest DVC resorts). We booked our trip in March through one of the online services (not sure I can mention the name). If you'd like to explore anything other than these resorts, it's going to need to be booked 11 months out as this is when bookings open for members at their home resort. Bookings for non-home resorts start at 7 months out. I checked for my co-worker who is considering going this September and 45 days out there was still availability at OKW, AKL Kidani, and SSR.

DVC Rental is a bargain of you're okay with the following things:

1. Much more restrictive cancellation policies and larger deposits. While the service we used allowed final payment at 45 days out, many DVC rentals require full payment. There is also pretty much no cancellation - book only if you know that's the dates you truly want.

2. No daily Mousekeeping. You get trash and towel service on day 4 and a full clean on day 8.

3. You don't have full control of your reservation. If you want the Dining Plan or DME from the Airport, the renting DVC member has to add these items for you (or if you go through an agency, they will coordinate for you).

I'm willing to give these things up to stay at a deluxe for less than a moderate would cost me in September.

You do pay a $2-3 point premium by going through an agency, but I like the convenience and peace of mind which is why I'm willing to pay the premium. If you want to save a few dollars, there are plenty of reputable and honest members here on the Dis that rent out their points. Check out the DVC board.

2. You've got that mixed up. If you stay seven nights or less, you get trash removed and towels replaced on day 4. If you stay eight nights or more, you get a full cleaning on day 4, trash removed and towels replaced on day 8 and then the cycle repeats for longer stays.

 

[caracarn]

Stayed at Kidani. Rooms are wonderful and pull out sofa is comfy.

 

[jpeden]

2. You've got that mixed up. If you stay seven nights or less, you get trash removed and towels replaced on day 4. If you stay eight nights or more, you get a full cleaning on day 4, trash removed and towels replaced on day 8 and then the cycle repeats for longer stays.

Sorry about that! Must have read my email incorrectly. I certainly defer to those who have more experience than myself. Thank you for correcting me, I really don't want to be giving people incorrect information!

 

[DisNerdsince08]

Thanks for all the great tips! We were planning on booking using David's DVC as well. We just feel there's a little more convenience and plus we're more comfortable using an agency as a go between.

 

[pooh2001]

We plan on David DVC rental too
Just be firm on your dates
Nice and secure
I like an in-between agency to be guaranteed for both the owner and the renter

 

[MARDUN]

Last November I took my parents (ages 88 and 87) for their first trip to WDW and we stayed 5 nights at Kidani in a savannah view studio. We had a great time, we did not spend a lot of time in the room except for naps and sleeping. The pullout which I used was not the most comfortable bed but I slept okay. My parents loved the regular bed. Having the fridge and microwave were helpful. With 4 the bathroom may have a line at times. We are DVC members and added to our points by renting points directly from another member. We have been doing this for a number of years and generally rent from people we or friends know. Dave is a little more expensive but if you do not know other members the piece of mind is probably worth it.

 

[jpeden]

Another option is DVC Rental Store. I chose them because they'll find you availability without having to pay the $100 deposit and they offer a "cancel for any reason" insurance if you feel you might have to cancel. I'm sure the other majors players in the game are relevant, I just liked the fact they found me a reservation and I didn't have to pay upfront.