Jenna319
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2006
- Messages
- 1,554
Just returned today from a week at the World & now my Disney Depression will set in.... no trips planned 
Spent the 1st 5 nights at AKV Kidani & the last 2 nights at SSR, both were in studios, and never stayed at either resorts. Here are some of my observations:
Used the magical express for the 1st time and all was very smooth. Had a flight change and had to call to reschedule a pick-up time and everything was flawless and easy. Would definitely recommend utilizing this service however we didnt check any luggage so I can't comment on how they are with getting bags to your room.
Pros of AKV Kidani:
Absolutely GORGEOUS resort.... plenty of animals at all times! Giraffes, zebras, antelopes..... Loved sitting by the firepit at night.
Everything about this place is so detailed and authentic.....
Enjoyed relaxing in the comfy couches in the community room and lobby, enjoyed free wifi because I rented points from a DVC member.
The pool is absolutely OUTSTANDING! The slide was one of the best on property, loved the zero entry, water was warm, my 2year old niece enjoyed the smaller kid's slide and play area, 2 hot tubs, gorgeous surroudings.
Getting picked up first for theme park busses....
Probably the BEST room service I've ever had- ordered just a burger and a caesar salad and ordered a kids meal for my niece and everything was a good price value and presented soooo beautifully..... just delicious! With the lack of counter service at Kidani, this is definitely a great alternative.
Cons of AKV Kidani:
I had read about the poor bus transportation and this was one of the few trips that I didn't have a car and I have to agree..... the buses were incredibly sloooowwwww.... one morning while waiting for Magic Kingdom, we had to wait at least a half hour for an MK bus to arrive..... I also found most of the bus drivers to be very crabby and not at all friendly, which is not my normal experience with Disney drivers..... you definitely had to allow at least 30-40 minutes for travelling to anywhere other than Animal Kingdom.
The lack of quick-service food: the 1st night, myself, my sister, my 70year old mother, and my 2 year old niece walked to the Mara at Jambo and to us, it felt like eternity. It was a good 15 minute walk for us from our room and our room was a good location, right near the pool, on the 2nd floor standard view. This was my biggest con of the resort..... they had limited food at the Maji pool bar but when I say limited, i mean limited.... not much choices at all and when I did go over to check it out around 6-6:30, they were already closed! Bummer! Kidani definitely needs to get a quick-service food option pronto! The mara however was a good quick service!
Overall, I enjoyed the resort more than I thought I would. However, I would definitely recommend having a car if staying here. If staying again, I think I would be more of a Jambo person. I just need the convenience of having a counter-service food option.
Then it was on to SSR for 2 nights with my hubby! I just could not get myself excited about staying at this resort as the overall theme had no appeal to me whatsoever but since I wanted to rent points, and I added these 2 nights on late, SSR was the only DVC that had availability.
Had put in a request for Congress Park as I wanted a quick walk to downtown disney but was given Grandstand. Told I could get Congress Park but the room was not ready yet so we elected to try Grandstand since we wanted to get in our room now. It ended up being a wonderful location! Our room was 8612, which was right near the boat transportation to DD, a short walk to the Grandstand Pool, and just a quick distance to the Carriage House, main Springs Pool, Artists Palette, Spa & Fitness Center.
Pros of SSR:
LOVED the quick-service! After staying at Kidani, it was a wonderful joy to be so close to counter service food! LOL! Very good food court with plentiful options. Small gift shop.
Had a wonderful 50minute Swedish massage and took advantage of a $15 off coupon they gave us at check-in.
One of the best and largest fitness centers Ive ever seen at a resort! Highly recommended!
A long walk to DD from Grandstand, but it is pleasant enough along the water..... loved the boat convenience though!
The room was bright and airy, very pretty! Smaller balcony than Kidani though.
Wonderful community room, with a large assortment of DVD and board games to rent!
Cons of SSR:
I really dont have any! I cant comment on their bus service as we had a car for our last 2 nights. My one minor complaint would be to upgrade to flat screen TVs, their TVs looked very outdated.
The crowds at the parks were much larger than I anticipated! I thought this was going to be a quiet time to visit but it seemed all the parks were noticeably crowded.
The resorts, however, didn't seem busy at all! We had amazing weather, with rain just once our last day and it was very little and didn't affect our day at all! The first days were warm in the upper 70s! Perfect pool weather! We definitely lucked out there!
Ate at Wolfgang Puck Express twice, Earl of Sandwich, Yak & Yeti, Ohana, Le Cellier, Chef Mickey, and Kona Cafe for breakfast. Everything was fabulous as usual! The Earl never disappoints me! Yak and Yeti was just ok, nothing spectacular. Ohana was superb and we were the 1st ones brought in for dinner and got a great table overlooking the lake and MK. For some reason, Le Cellier did not blow me away as it usually does. I found the canadian cheddar soup to be very heavy, the breadsticks to be just ok (i did like the pretzel bread!) and the steak was good, but didnt make me want to return for it next trip. Kona Cafe as always is amazing for breakfast. A great deal and delicious pancakes!!! MMMMM.......
We did a photoshoot at the Grand Floridian that turned out wonderfully! I will post pics later on today or tomorrow!
Spent the 1st 5 nights at AKV Kidani & the last 2 nights at SSR, both were in studios, and never stayed at either resorts. Here are some of my observations:Used the magical express for the 1st time and all was very smooth. Had a flight change and had to call to reschedule a pick-up time and everything was flawless and easy. Would definitely recommend utilizing this service however we didnt check any luggage so I can't comment on how they are with getting bags to your room.
Pros of AKV Kidani:
Absolutely GORGEOUS resort.... plenty of animals at all times! Giraffes, zebras, antelopes..... Loved sitting by the firepit at night.
Everything about this place is so detailed and authentic.....
Enjoyed relaxing in the comfy couches in the community room and lobby, enjoyed free wifi because I rented points from a DVC member.
The pool is absolutely OUTSTANDING! The slide was one of the best on property, loved the zero entry, water was warm, my 2year old niece enjoyed the smaller kid's slide and play area, 2 hot tubs, gorgeous surroudings.
Getting picked up first for theme park busses....
Probably the BEST room service I've ever had- ordered just a burger and a caesar salad and ordered a kids meal for my niece and everything was a good price value and presented soooo beautifully..... just delicious! With the lack of counter service at Kidani, this is definitely a great alternative.
Cons of AKV Kidani:
I had read about the poor bus transportation and this was one of the few trips that I didn't have a car and I have to agree..... the buses were incredibly sloooowwwww.... one morning while waiting for Magic Kingdom, we had to wait at least a half hour for an MK bus to arrive..... I also found most of the bus drivers to be very crabby and not at all friendly, which is not my normal experience with Disney drivers..... you definitely had to allow at least 30-40 minutes for travelling to anywhere other than Animal Kingdom.
The lack of quick-service food: the 1st night, myself, my sister, my 70year old mother, and my 2 year old niece walked to the Mara at Jambo and to us, it felt like eternity. It was a good 15 minute walk for us from our room and our room was a good location, right near the pool, on the 2nd floor standard view. This was my biggest con of the resort..... they had limited food at the Maji pool bar but when I say limited, i mean limited.... not much choices at all and when I did go over to check it out around 6-6:30, they were already closed! Bummer! Kidani definitely needs to get a quick-service food option pronto! The mara however was a good quick service!
Overall, I enjoyed the resort more than I thought I would. However, I would definitely recommend having a car if staying here. If staying again, I think I would be more of a Jambo person. I just need the convenience of having a counter-service food option.
Then it was on to SSR for 2 nights with my hubby! I just could not get myself excited about staying at this resort as the overall theme had no appeal to me whatsoever but since I wanted to rent points, and I added these 2 nights on late, SSR was the only DVC that had availability.
Had put in a request for Congress Park as I wanted a quick walk to downtown disney but was given Grandstand. Told I could get Congress Park but the room was not ready yet so we elected to try Grandstand since we wanted to get in our room now. It ended up being a wonderful location! Our room was 8612, which was right near the boat transportation to DD, a short walk to the Grandstand Pool, and just a quick distance to the Carriage House, main Springs Pool, Artists Palette, Spa & Fitness Center.
Pros of SSR:
LOVED the quick-service! After staying at Kidani, it was a wonderful joy to be so close to counter service food! LOL! Very good food court with plentiful options. Small gift shop.
Had a wonderful 50minute Swedish massage and took advantage of a $15 off coupon they gave us at check-in.
One of the best and largest fitness centers Ive ever seen at a resort! Highly recommended!
A long walk to DD from Grandstand, but it is pleasant enough along the water..... loved the boat convenience though!
The room was bright and airy, very pretty! Smaller balcony than Kidani though.
Wonderful community room, with a large assortment of DVD and board games to rent!
Cons of SSR:
I really dont have any! I cant comment on their bus service as we had a car for our last 2 nights. My one minor complaint would be to upgrade to flat screen TVs, their TVs looked very outdated.
The crowds at the parks were much larger than I anticipated! I thought this was going to be a quiet time to visit but it seemed all the parks were noticeably crowded.
The resorts, however, didn't seem busy at all! We had amazing weather, with rain just once our last day and it was very little and didn't affect our day at all! The first days were warm in the upper 70s! Perfect pool weather! We definitely lucked out there!
Ate at Wolfgang Puck Express twice, Earl of Sandwich, Yak & Yeti, Ohana, Le Cellier, Chef Mickey, and Kona Cafe for breakfast. Everything was fabulous as usual! The Earl never disappoints me! Yak and Yeti was just ok, nothing spectacular. Ohana was superb and we were the 1st ones brought in for dinner and got a great table overlooking the lake and MK. For some reason, Le Cellier did not blow me away as it usually does. I found the canadian cheddar soup to be very heavy, the breadsticks to be just ok (i did like the pretzel bread!) and the steak was good, but didnt make me want to return for it next trip. Kona Cafe as always is amazing for breakfast. A great deal and delicious pancakes!!! MMMMM.......
We did a photoshoot at the Grand Floridian that turned out wonderfully! I will post pics later on today or tomorrow!
