December Trip - Kidani vs. SSR?

[babytabe]

We have 6 adults and 3 children heading to Disney in December for our first trip after becoming DVC owners. We are between Kidani and SSR. Both locations we will be getting both a deluxe studio and a 2BR (for Kidani, we would be getting a savanna view for the 2BR).

Thoughts on the two? I am concerned with the lack of QSR at Kidani and the distance to the parks? We will be staying for a week and will have 4 park days. Any help is very much appreciated!

 

[kilik64]

Both are bus only to parks, so thats kind of a wash.

Kidani has a freaking savannah as they say.

SSR is close to DS so tons of food options.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The distance to parks, on average, will be about the same from SSR or Kidani.

AKV is the bigger wow for Christmas decor, but SSR has good Disney Springs access.

 

[babytabe]

Wow, thanks for the quick replies! About how far is the walk to Jamba QSR from Kidani?

 

[erionm]

Wow, thanks for the quick replies! About how far is the walk to Jamba QSR from Kidani?

Maybe 10 to 15 minutes between the main entrance of both buildings. Not sure if it's currently running, but Bell Services runs a shuttle between both buildings.

 

[babytabe]

Maybe 10 to 15 minutes between the main entrance of both buildings. Not sure if it's currently running, but Bell Services runs a shuttle between both buildings.

Not too bad, thank you! Seems like I am leaning Kidani now solely due to the Christmas decorations. Any other thoughts are welcomed. Thank you for the quick responses!

 

[erionm]

At SSR, there are 5 internal bus stops. During busy times of the day, buses can be packed before getting to the last couple of stops.

Kidani Village only shares buses with Jambo House and Kidani Village is the first stop for theme park buses.

 

[DeeBee3]

My vote is for Kidani. The shuttle was running in August 2021 so I can't imagine it would not be running in December. It was always available and I actually never waited for it. The dining at AKL is great, in my family's opinion. My kids LOVED the whole vibe. It is a ride to MK but it really wasn't that bad.

You've also got 3 FULL bathrooms in the 2BR at Kidani. That's a major plus, IMO.

 

[CarolMN]

You've also got 3 FULL bathrooms in the 2BR at Kidani. That's a major plus, IMO.

They both have their positives and both are beautiful resorts, but this makes Kidani the better choice for me, LOL.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Bathroom + Christmas! Two great things together.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Normally Kidani, HOWEVER...

Saratoga rooms were just refurbished and Kidani rooms are due to be refurbished in 2023, meaning this is the oldest the rooms will ever be in their 14 year cycle.

 

[babytabe]

We just stayed in SSR in April and it was awesome. The old rooms is a big hesitation for Kidani, but the Christmas decorations really has us leaning that way!

 

[jo-jo]

Savanna room and kids are great. A year ago, we did a trip with grandkids. They stayed in a standard 2 bedroom , we stayed in a savanna1 bedroom. Last day, I told the parents as the kids get dressed, send them over for breakfast and they ate on balcony with grandpa. (just have to be sure nothing goes over the rail)


Just to note, with the lack of CS. On that trip, we had 4 adults and 6 kids. Ate most meals in the room. Mostly open box and throw in toaster/microwave/oven type food. PB and J, Deli meat sandwiches. Not real real cooking. Most real cooking was making fried eggs.

 

[Tonberry]

What dates in December? Only asking because December dates are filling up fast.

 

[babytabe]

We decided to go with Kidani and booked today. Thank you everyone for all of the advice!

 

[BillPA]

Great choice, have a wonderful trip.

 

[Days In the Sun]

We are just back last night from AKL. We were told at concierge it would be a 10 minute walk to Jambo from Kidani, it took us 8 minutes. Also, during the day we just hopped on a park bus if one was ready to leave as we walked by and would be at Jambo in no time. The internal shuttle bus was running but we didn't need to use it.

A couple other points:
Jambo and Kidani didn't share park buses in the morning, both were running direct.
We stayed in three different rooms, none of them felt worn.

 

[babytabe]

We are just back last night from AKL. We were told at concierge it would be a 10 minute walk to Jambo from Kidani, it took us 8 minutes. Also, during the day we just hopped on a park bus if one was ready to leave as we walked by and would be at Jambo in no time. The internal shuttle bus was running but we didn't need to use it.

A couple other points:
Jambo and Kidani didn't share park buses in the morning, both were running direct.
We stayed in three different rooms, none of them felt worn.

Thanks for this info! Great to hear about the rooms, we are excited.

 

[babytabe]

So just to throw a wrench in this....thoughts on 3 of the studio rooms at DGF instead of the 2BR and studio that we have booked at Kidani? I saw the new rooms are available and this is making my decision much harder!

 

[CarolynFH]

So just to throw a wrench in this....thoughts on 3 of the studio rooms at DGF instead of the 2BR and studio that we have booked at Kidani? I saw the new rooms are available and this is making my decision much harder!

If the kitchen and laundry in the 2BR are meaningless to you, then sure, switch to 3 studios at VGF. With 3 kids in the party, having MK within walking distance, not to mention the monorail and launch as alternative transportation, will mean a lot.