Kick'n It at Kidani (aka Am I Becoming a Resort Snob?)Final Update 8/20 p.54

[MEK]

CP, these are for you....

I took many more one morning when the pool was empty. I will post those later. The big differences between the two pools were:

(1) blue water.....very crystal clear
(2) less shade .....but I expect that will change as the foliage matures
(3) faster, slighter longer slide.....according to LJ, who was the official "slide tester" for this trip.

 

[Glendamax]

Glad you posted pics of the pool. It was too hot, and I was too tired to walk all the way over there to see it!

 

[dawnbu40]

Your report is off to a great start! I love the pictures of Kidani! Judging from title #5 it sounds like traveling wih teenage boys is a challenge!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Oh, thank you for the pool pictures!!! Yep, it's official, I want to stay at Kidani some day!

 

[PrincessCaitlin]

Thanks for the shout out! Those pics of Kidani are beautiful!!

 

[Lady Lallie]

Love your possible TR titles!

Before the DIS, I really didn't have any desire to stay at AKL but now I really want too!

I must purchase DVC!

 

[kindra657]

Hey Kindra....thanks for stopping by. I promise to post many more Kidani pics over the next few days. You are going to love it. The rooms are awesome and they have so many cool statues, masks, and pieces of African artwork displayed throughout the building. Plus, they constantly play relaxing African themed music. It's really such a nice touch.

YAY!! Were you disappointed by how small the lobby is at Kidani or did it not really matter?
Btw, your pics so far look awesome!! I can't believe how blue the pool water is and that slide looks like a lot of fun!
The pic of the giraffe is really cute too!

 

[MEK]

Glad you posted pics of the pool. It was too hot, and I was too tired to walk all the way over there to see it!

No wonder I didn't see you! We did some serious pool time. We would have done even more pool time had it not been for the "mystery rash". I'll tell you about that soon.

Your report is off to a great start! I love the pictures of Kidani! Judging from title #5 it sounds like traveling wih teenage boys is a challenge!

Believe me....traveling with teenage boys is probably no where near as fun as traveling with your Caitlin! It's just the age. Actually my younger DS is a lot of fun to travel with. If only he didn't sleep so darn late. Glad you like the pics!

Oh, thank you for the pool pictures!!! Yep, it's official, I want to stay at Kidani some day!

Stick with me CP. I've got many more pictures up my sleeve! Glad you like Kidani so far!

Thanks for the shout out! Those pics of Kidani are beautiful!!

Thanks Caitlin. It really was a lovely resort! Loved it!

Love your possible TR titles!

Before the DIS, I really didn't have any desire to stay at AKL but now I really want too!

I must purchase DVC!

Hey LL ( grand master of all trip reports).... its funny, but the first time I visited AKL in 2003 it didn't really appeal to me. Now I LOVE it and understand why it is so popular. It's a great place. You and Marc should definately consider DVC. I have no regrets. If it wasn't for DVC there is NO WAY I could ever stay in the 2BR villa at Kidani.

YAY!! Were you disappointed by how small the lobby is at Kidani or did it not really matter?
Btw, your pics so far look awesome!! I can't believe how blue the pool water is and that slide looks like a lot of fun!
The pic of the giraffe is really cute too!

No. I definately was not disappointed by the Kidani lobby. The Jambo lobby is more impressive, but the beauty of the resort is that you can easily visit both. I do wish that the path that connected the two resorts was more continuous. It only goes to the end of Kidani then you have to walk sort of through the Jambo parking lot. I personally feel the resorts should have a more defined connection. Hey...but don't worry...you will love it. Kidani is first on the bus stop!

 

[heaven2dc]

Love your trip title! How great of you to take your nephew! Can't wait to read all about the trip and how he enjoyed it plus getting teens out of bed (I can emphathize having 4 boys myself - think this is reason I haven't pushed too hard to take DS16 yet )

Pics of Kidani are beautiful - I almost bought into DVC last Sept w/interest in AKL but kids want me to hang in there for something good for BWV (our fav and only place we've stayed.) I can't remember w/o looking at your first post but did you stay at Coronado Springs or Caribbean Beach? My DS31 wants to split our next stay at CS and BWV and AKL (not sure how that would work but would have to stay at least 7-8 nights for all that moving).

 

[MEK]

I know you are probably wondering if I will ever get to departure day. I will...I promise, but not before I add a few more possible trip titles I considered along the way.....

6.Meltdown on Spaceship Earth Oh yeah, one of our intrepid travelers had a melt down during spaceship earth. It was not pretty, trust me. But you will just have to read along to find out who and why!

7. A "Mystery Rash" makes its debut in Walt Disney WorldAgain, one of our intrepid travelers came down with a mystery rash. It turned out to be a minor annoyance, but it did have an impact on my carefully crafted plans

8. Last But Not Least......We didn't do photopass, we didn't do character meets, and we didn't ride Rock'n Rollercoaster, but we still had a great time!I guess we didn't do photopass because it was crowded and I hate lines. That's the same reason we skipped the characters. That, and the fact that teenage boys and a 9 year old really don't care that much about characters. I, however, was disappointed that we missed our only character meal (stay tuned to read why). We also missed RnR because of long wait times, lack of FP's, and my warning from my brother not to "overdo" it with my nephew

Speaking of my nephew. About two weeks before we were due to leave my sister in law starting getting cold feet about sending my nephew. She cautioned me that he needed to drink alot (OK, who doesn't in Florida?), eat regularily, have fruit and juice for breakfast, and get to bed on time. She also reminded me about the teeth brushing thing and the retainer. These are all normal mom worries. I worry about the same stuff. I assured her that if she was REALLY nervous about sending him on the trip, I really hadn't lost any money and she could still cancel. I would just apply his airfare to a future flight I need in September and I didn't buy his park ticket until days before we left. I'm sure she considered canceling, but by now my nephew was too excited to not let him go.

My brother called me two days before the trip and reminded me that my nephew was "not robust". He implied that he was somewhat frail and may not be able to keep up at the pace I wanted him to. He also cautioned me to avoid the major thrill rides claiming they may be too much for him. He suggested that we not stay in the parks "all day long" because my nephew might become too exhausted. He, like my sister in law, emphasized the bedtime.

I was a little worried after we had this conversation. I made up my mind that I better avoid EE, ToT, RnR, and only entertain the green side of Mission Space.

As it turns out, my nephew had more energy than the rest of us and he ended up being quite the thrill seeker. Nothing phased him. But I didn't know that at the time, so I started the trip with much caution. Had I not been so afraid that I was going to push my nephew too hard, I may have come up with slightly different touring plans. Still, the only ride we missed due to poor planning was RnR.

To be continued.......

 

[MEK]

Love your trip title! How great of you to take your nephew! Can't wait to read all about the trip and how he enjoyed it plus getting teens out of bed (I can emphathize having 4 boys myself - think this is reason I haven't pushed too hard to take DS16 yet )

Pics of Kidani are beautiful - I almost bought into DVC last Sept w/interest in AKL but kids want me to hang in there for something good for BWV (our fav and only place we've stayed.) I can't remember w/o looking at your first post but did you stay at Coronado Springs or Caribbean Beach? My DS31 wants to split our next stay at CS and BWV and AKL (not sure how that would work but would have to stay at least 7-8 nights for all that moving).

Hi! Thanks for joining in! 4 boys....Same as my brother. That's why I took my oldest nephew. His youngest brother is two. It may be years before he got a chance to go otherwise.

As far as the teens getting out of bed..... I am over it. Please remind me next summer when I even consider trying to take them again. I much rather take my nephew instead.

We stayed at Coronado Springs. This was a good resort for the teens. Lots of action.

If you really have you heart set on BWV, you should consider visiting the timeshare store website for BWV resales. They come up all the time. I, myself, can't wait until I can go off season and stay there.

 

[parrotheadmom]

Enjoying your TR, love the pictures of Kidani. I finally get to go home in Jan. I'm going to be taking my 13 yo DD and her bff in Jan. so I'm sure I'll be waiting hours for them to do their hair! BTW she thinks your boys are HOT! The first TR she has wanted to read!

 

[Charleston Princess]

I am so glad that your nephew was allowed to come with you, and that he had such an awesome time! It's amazing how much energy kids have -- I wish I had half as much as my two!

 

[KathyRN137]

Hi Mary Ellen!

I'm so excited about your report! We're DVC members who are also slightly "point-challenged" and will be staying at Kidani for the first time in October.

We're also bringing my niece along for the first time (although this will not be her first time at WDW) and she, too, has a few health-related issues with rides.

Finally.... the teenager factor.

I'll take your three teenage boys and raise you... two teenage girls!!! (Plus one autistic 11 year-old!!)

Can't wait to hear more...


Kathy

Oooh... ETA one more similarity... I'm an RN, too!!

*

 

[akayek31]

I want to stay at AKL one day. I love all the pics so far.

 

[dallastxcpa]

I promised a picture of my DH and HERE IT IS..............

This picture is courtesy of Paula (aka I Luv Crush). She made this for me after my December trip. You see....it is customary to turn DH's into gnomes when you visit the gnomefest thread. I dug around and pulled this out of my Dec TR. It's perfect for my DH cause he loves Epcot and he loves beer. Isn't he just so happy looking!

Thanks Paula!

Up next......Some more pretrip info.

I love this. All husbands should be so small and portable. Just think. Honey let's go..... and you just through your little gnome husband into your big oversized purse.

Just found your TR, but I am along for the ride.

 

[dallastxcpa]

Just wanted to add a comment for all those parents whose kids are coming into the teen years.

We are a blended family whose kids range from late 20's down to 12. We know all about the kids that sleep in. Well you know what we always take the big family vacation in the summer and we let them sleep in.

Well one morning I booked CRT for just the girls before park opening. I warned everyone and happily everyone was up and we had a wonderful breakfast which ended right as the park opened. Well we rode so many rides in one hour and word quickly spread about how much you can get done if you actually get your body out of bed before lunch.

We don't have problems anymore with sleepy heads. Now I will say there are times when I run out of energy late in the day and (yes I am a crazy Mom) I let my kids roam WDW all by themselves. We always have the talk before hand. They go nowhere else besides the parks and the busses (ie don't get in some one's car) and of course what resort are we staying at, what room number, and of course what is your bus stop (if staying at OKW/SSR).

 

[PrincessCaitlin]

I wonder if the mystery rash is the same one I got on vacation

 

[kschafer]

ACK!

I have been anxiously awaiting the start of your TR and I'm already banished to page 3

Well, I'm here now so try to keep me away

(Now I'm going back to actually read)

OK, a great start with lots of background and teasers! Can't wait for more

 

[MEK]

Enjoying your TR, love the pictures of Kidani. I finally get to go home in Jan. I'm going to be taking my 13 yo DD and her bff in Jan. so I'm sure I'll be waiting hours for them to do their hair! BTW she thinks your boys are HOT! The first TR she has wanted to read!

OMG! That is so funny. I will have to tell my boys and their friend that they are now officially "hotties" on the Dis board. Love it! At least you will be there in January when the crowds are low. I guess you can cut them a little slack with their hair primping, knowing that TSM FP's should still be available when you get there!

I am so glad that your nephew was allowed to come with you, and that he had such an awesome time! It's amazing how much energy kids have -- I wish I had half as much as my two!

I am SOOOOOO glad that I took him. He is the perfect age! I remember how enjoyable my boys were at that age! He had such an awesome time. Honestly, if it wasn't for DVC I would not have been able to take him without alot of extra cost. He was the perfect travel companion. So well behaved and so self sufficient. And he was in no way frail! He was a typical 9 year old boy, although he is a bit on the small side.

Hi Mary Ellen!

I'm so excited about your report! We're DVC members who are also slightly "point-challenged" and will be staying at Kidani for the first time in October.

We're also bringing my niece along for the first time (although this will not be her first time at WDW) and she, too, has a few health-related issues with rides.

Finally.... the teenager factor.

I'll take your three teenage boys and raise you... two teenage girls!!! (Plus one autistic 11 year-old!!)

Can't wait to hear more...


Kathy

Oooh... ETA one more similarity... I'm an RN, too!!

*

Hey Kathy RN, thanks for stopping by. You will love Kidani and I personally think the standard view villas are a great bargain. For 2010 they are even less points than OKW. For me, that is hard to believe because the villas have the most up to date amenities. You are going to have some interesting tales to tell after your trip! When you get back you will be ready for an adults only trip!

I want to stay at AKL one day. I love all the pics so far.

Hi! Thanks for stopping by. Glad you like the pics. It's never too early to plan for an AKL stay! Keep checking back for more pics! I think I took more of the lodge than I did of the parks.

I love this. All husbands should be so small and portable. Just think. Honey let's go..... and you just through your little gnome husband into your big oversized purse.

Just found your TR, but I am along for the ride.

Wouldn't that just be so handy? Than we would never need to convince our DH's that its time for another trip to the world! Thanks for joining the fun!