Just checked in to Kidani and we arent happy

[lovemygrowingfamily]

We just checked in to Kidani and we got no requests that we made. We booked at the 11th month mark for our 1st stay here. Made our requests that day also. When we got here we were told that member services screwed up and we are in the last pod on pembe Oh and we have to park our oversized van way over on sunset and walk!!!!! With 7 kids! They are all full tonight but can move us tomorrow which is not a easy feat with little kids.
I know I'm complaining and I shouldn't but we bought here to enjoy it and after a 50 hour car ride my Disney excitement has been sucked out of me.

Is there anything we can do?

Thank you!

 

[rlovew]

Wow- that is some car ride you took. Requests are just that sometimes you get them and sometimes you don't if you don't like the room and they move you remember that you will have a move fee and probably be homeless for part of the time as well so decide if it is really worth that to change rooms. If you have a Savannah view and there are no animals outside at all then you have something to bring up to member services. I would suggest sleeping on it and deciding what it is worth to you to move.

 

[cvjw]

We've stayed at Kidani four times so far and never gotten our request of close to lobby, Sunset Savannah. We have been all the way at the end of the building by Pembe twice, and all the way at the other end the other 2 times.

Requests are just requests. Someone has to be in every villa - DVC runs at almost full capacity at all times. If you change locations, you will likely be homeless for a huge chunk of your day. With just 2 kids, I would keep the villa instead of having to change locations - I could not dream of packing/repacking for 7.

Best to not stress about the location and just enjoy your vacation. Don't let a location that you didn't want ruin your mood and vacation. You have lots of years to vacation at DVC. Sometimes you will get a request granted, but for us, it has been a rarity and we are at Disney 3-4 weeks per year, staying at multiple resorts.

 

[DebbieB]

We just checked in to Kidani and we got no requests that we made. We booked at the 11th month mark for our 1st stay here. Made our requests that day also. When we got here we were told that member services screwed up and we are in the last pod on pembe Oh and we have to park our oversized van way over on sunset and walk!!!!! With 7 kids! They are all full tonight but can move us tomorrow which is not a easy feat with little kids.
I know I'm complaining and I shouldn't but we bought here to enjoy it and after a 50 hour car ride my Disney excitement has been sucked out of me.

Is there anything we can do?

Thank you!

All you can do is switch tomorrow. You can send a complaint to member satisfaction. As far as I know, there is no priority system for requests. I would ask for details on how member services "screwed up". Did they not include your request on the reservation?

dvcmembersatisfactionteam@disneyvacationclub.com

 

[Sammie]

First off, take a deep breath and relax, and enjoy the fact you are at Disney World.

Now a touch of reality for future trips. There is no priority system with requests. Makes no difference when you book, they are simply that a request. Some you get, some you don't.

Over sized vans have no choice but park outside the garage, they simply will not fit. 50 hour trip while exhausting is not Disney's fault and truly they can't do anything about that.

As to what they can do, they have offered their only choice. I mean what would you have them do, remove someone from their room and give it to you>

 

[kirstenb1]

My best suggestion is to enjoy the plusses at Kidani: lower crowds, children's activities, animal-watching in the porches right off the lobby, and a fabulous pool and splash zone. Kidani is my kids' favorite DVC. We wound up at SSR, due to too many snow days, we had to adjust our vacation. SSR is a nice resort, but for kids, a hotel-based resort is much easier. I can send them to the lobby to fill their own mugs, etc. With SSR, we were pretty far away from the pool, so I couldn't do that.

 

[lovemygrowingfamily]

Thank you for your replies. My request was sunset savanna close to bus stop due to medical issues with children. My 6 year old has juvenile arthritis and it's hard for him to walk long distances or sit for long periods of time. My other son has autism, sensory processing disorder and low muscle tone so he too tires after a few blocks of walking. We will have to use our van to go to the parks. It's a long walk from one side of the resort to get into the van then once we are done for the mornings another long walk back. It's further than the bus stop. I didn't make this request just because it would be nice its for medical reasons.

I will send a letter off to member services. There is nothing more that can be done except countdown until we switch resorts

 

[sndral]

I certainly understand the frustration - you book right at 11 months with clear requests and a lot of 'better' villas are probably full of 7 month or less bookers - it doesn't feel fair. Plus you must be exhausted w/ 7 kids (including a baby) in a van for 50 hours.
Kidani is big with long halls and 100% DVC. I've read that DVC occupancy runs at 98%, so not everyone will get close to lobby Sunset Savanna view. Hopefully after a nights sleep you'll have recovered a bit from 50 hours in the van with 7 children and decide whether the other options they have are a better choice for you and worth the fee to move.
I generally find that when I am initially underwhelmed with a room at Disney if I give it a night I find things I hadn't noticed at first that I like about the view. I'm not sure in your case whether being homeless from 11 am until 4 pm tomorrow would be worth a villa in a different location - I suppose it depends on how many more days you have.

 

[bumbershoot]

They are all full tonight but can move us tomorrow which is not a easy feat with little kids.

Just don't unpack much, hand your bags over to Bell Services when you are heading out for the day, and then when you get back have Bell bring them up to your new room.

Whatever you do, seriously, do NOT wait around for that room. Well unless you were planning on a resort day that would be spent swimming, etc, anyway. Otherwise, keep your fun plans for tomorrow. I hope you're sleeping tonight.

Moving is a pain. It's more of a pain if you sit around and wait. We made that mistake on our first/only time at Jambo. Not worth it.


It sounds like you wanted to take the bus. If you do, request that. Remember to only talk to the front desk when you are AT the front desk. Calling, and even being called, doesn't mean you're talking to someone inside the resort. Even being called back by "a manager" doesn't mean that's a hotel manager; can just be the call center manager (this happened to us at Jambo). Go to the front desk, talk to them in person, face to face.

Face to face, you will very likely find out that AKL is very used to helping people who have been seriously inconvenienced. Let them help you in that way. They seem to respond well to being asked what THEY think is appropriate, and then you just stay silent while they work it out.


If you've resigned yourself to the van, request to be closer to where the van is parked. Or just send one person out to get the car and have them come around to the front, to pick everyone up.

At the parks, do you have a plan? Wheelchair, accessible parking spot hangtag, etc? Those lots are big! So if you don't have wheels, etc, I would try for the rooms closer to the bus areas. Give yourself lots of time at the bus stops, by the way. The absolute worst bus service we have dealt with more than once has been at Jambo and Kidani.


Lastly...that 50 hour car ride has sucked out your joy. While I'm not saying you have no reason to be annoyed (would I have responded with all of those sentences if I felt that way?), you are likely MORE annoyed than you will be tomorrow as long as you've gotten sleep tonight. Things WILL feel differently tomorrow. Especially if you just pack everything up, hand it off to Bell while the people at the front desk work on getting you a different room, and go have FUN.

 

[disneynutz]

We get our requests about 50% of the time, sometimes the medical request helps sometime it gets you an HC room even if you don't need or want one.

If you have a HC placard for the van you can valet for free if that helps.

Bill

 

[disBOBney]

We will have to use our van to go to the parks. It's a long walk from one side of the resort to get into the van then once we are done for the mornings another long walk back.

I understand that the driver will have a long walk to the van and back, but not everyone else has to go that far, do they?. Ask where the closest exit is to your room that the van can pull up to for a pick-up/drop off.

With your family I know you must have met many challenges, not the least of which was the trip from MN to FL. So yes, the resorts and parks will present a host of challenges for you and the family, just remember breathe in/breath out and relax, you can do this and even have a special vacation that you will remember fondly years from now.

Best to you all.

 

[Minniesgal]

The thing with Kidani is everyone is going to request close to the lobby so there are always people that are going to be disappointed.

The lobbies are long but that said we have stayed at the end of the head and it really isn't as far as you might think and the fact you can park under the room is great

Maybe after a good nights sleep things might seem better in the morning

 

[Dean]

As noted, requests often aren't filled and they are not prioritized other than for medical reasons which are sometimes not filled. Did you specify the request was for medical reasons specifically when you made them? Was location your only request? The way to control location is to reserve a HC villa. With under building parking, a Van that size is going to be a problem, there's no way around that from Disney's standpoint. If you have a handicapped designation for the Van, valet parking is free. Ultimately you may be happier at the places you can park close.

 

[suz_cute]

We had the same thing happen to us in May, even though our reservation was noted as needing to be close to transportation and or lobby due to medical necessity. It ended up being a real drain to our trip since the walks to the bus drained us before we even left. Also, when our luggage was damaged and delivered via magic express that was an extra trip to the front desk. When our daughter got violently ill and we needed to call paramedics in the middle of the night, and the call center counldnt help us, another long walk to the front desk. When we asked to be moved at check in, we were told nothing was available, and if there was, we would be homeless for the entire day until 5pm. Not possible with a sick 10 month old, and disabled parent. I totally understand your frustration!

 

[KristiMc]

Have your husband drive into the garage and drop you and the kids off at the elevator that is closest to your room.

 

[n2mm]

Sorry to read about your challenges with your room. I do have to agree with other posters that MS do stress the point that requests are just request and not guaranteed. I am about 50% on getting my request. I do find it disappointing when they are not met, but understand that they can't make everyone happy. I do know that some resorts have HA rooms closer to the elevators. My daughter was put in a HA room at BCV in May and she was not happy getting that room with no tub with a toddler to bath. She did get moved into another HA room, but had a tub. She liked the location, being close to the lobby, but wasn't crazy about being in the HA room.

 

[delilah]

I certainly understand the frustration - you book right at 11 months with clear requests and a lot of 'better' villas are probably full of 7 month or less bookers - it doesn't feel fair. Plus you must be exhausted w/ 7 kids (including a baby) in a van for 50 hours.
Kidani is big with long halls and 100% DVC. I've read that DVC occupancy runs at 98%, so not everyone will get close to lobby Sunset Savanna view. Hopefully after a nights sleep you'll have recovered a bit from 50 hours in the van with 7 children and decide whether the other options they have are a better choice for you and worth the fee to move.
I generally find that when I am initially underwhelmed with a room at Disney if I give it a night I find things I hadn't noticed at first that I like about the view. I'm not sure in your case whether being homeless from 11 am until 4 pm tomorrow would be worth a villa in a different location - I suppose it depends on how many more days you have.

It is really refreshing to hear somebody giving an empathic response to a legitimate complaint. I, too, have made reservations at Kidani at the 11 mo mark. I didn't make any requests, because, really, my only request is that I be able to see animals from my room while sitting on my balcony drinking coffee between 7 and 8 am, before we leave for the days activity. This can be met on any savanna at AKL except Pembe, where they bring the animals in from 7-9 am. I am not complaining that I can't see giraffes from my room, or that the walk is long, or that I can't park my car right under my room, or that the elevator to the parking garage isn't close. But, none the less, on two trips, one in 2010 and one in 2013, I was given the SAME ROOM on the 4th floor on Pembe savanna. Not only that, but the NEXT ROOM over had been reassigned as standard view. What could be the odds that I would get the same room? I think my room request in the future would be any room not on Pembe savanna, or any even numbered savanna room. I know, I know, AKV Kidani is 98% booked all the time, and somebody has to get the rooms with substandard views. Yada, Yada, Yada, and so on and so forth. But, I am not sure why that person should have to always be me.

 

[disneynutz]

It is really refreshing to hear somebody giving an empathic response to a legitimate complaint. I, too, have made reservations at Kidani at the 11 mo mark. I didn't make any requests, because, really, my only request is that I be able to see animals from my room while sitting on my balcony drinking coffee between 7 and 8 am, before we leave for the days activity. This can be met on any savanna at AKL except Pembe, where they bring the animals in from 7-9 am. I am not complaining that I can't see giraffes from my room, or that the walk is long, or that I can't park my car right under my room, or that the elevator to the parking garage isn't close. But, none the less, on two trips, one in 2010 and one in 2013, I was given the SAME ROOM on the 4th floor on Pembe savanna. Not only that, but the NEXT ROOM over had been reassigned as standard view. What could be the odds that I would get the same room? I think my room request in the future would be any room not on Pembe savanna, or any even numbered savanna room. I know, I know, AKV Kidani is 98% booked all the time, and somebody has to get the rooms with substandard views. Yada, Yada, Yada, and so on and so forth. But, I am not sure why that person should have to always be me.

We stayed in the standard view rooms next to you when they were labeled savanna view. We met with the resort GM and the DVC President at the time to get the rooms changed to standard view so some improvements do happen.

I would just request sunset savanna and stay away from pembe.

Bill

 

[crisi]

In my fifteen years of DVC ownership I've had a request met ONCE. Now, granted, for about the last five, we don't bother making them.....

 

[jekjones1558]

We have had the best success in requests that ask for rooms close together or using "travel with" designations. I think that in every case these requests were fulfilled. Three times our guests were put in rooms next to us when we had NOT requested that (at BWV we always book 2049, a HA room and we always request high floor for our guests). Other requests for guests have often been fulfilled, probably 75% of the time. I am always disappointed when it doesn't work out but try to keep perspective. Having had to cancel reservations a number of times because of serious health concerns has helped me to be grateful for every trip no matter what. OP, I hope you got to change to a better location. And I agree that you would do well to book a HA room because of medical issues. We book HA rooms for DH and they have always been in a convenient location (including one at Kidani on the Sunset savanna).