toniosmom
AKV, BCV, BLT Owner!
- Joined
- Jun 18, 2009
- Messages
- 1,483
I just spent a week (3/6 3/13) at Kidani Village in a 2BR Dedicated Savannah View. We were in Room 7710 and it was a great location. Close to the lobby and pool. Here are a few of my impressions of the resort:
First the negative:
The pool area is way too small for the size of the resort (considering Jambo guests can use the Kidani pool) and there are too few upright chairs. My mother is handicapped and cannot sit on a lounge chair. The only option she had were the few tables located near the bar. We were there during a relatively slow part of the season if we ever go during a more popular time, she would have trouble finding a chair.
The chairs in the lobby are very uncomfortable. I think they were more worried about theme and skimped on comfort. However, the only time we spent any length of time in the lobby was while waiting for ME back to the airport for our return home, so I didnt notice it until then.
The knives in the unit were horrible. There is no knife to chop with. I struggled with a pearing knife and a serrated steak knife to chop garlic.
The TV stations are far too limited. I know this applies to all resorts, not just Kidani, but wanted to mention it. Cant they provide basic cable? Those of us with small children spend some time in the villa (naps, early bedtimes, etc.) and it would be nice to be able to watch something other than the 4 major networks, news shows and Disney-related programming. How about some HGTV or Food Network? TNT? TLC?
My mother finished her book and didnt have another, so she called to ask if she could borrow a book from the Library and was told sure. She went to the Library and found a few books about Africa and ONE novel (that was likely left by another guest). Perhaps she went to the wrong place, so if anyone knows where she could have obtained a book/novel, please let me know.
Lack of counter service. I know this has been noted by many DIS-ers, but it bears repeating. We bought groceries and ate mostly in the room, however, we did venture out a couple of times and going over to Jambo was a pain. We didnt have the option to walk because (1) Mom was using a walker and (2) it was pouring rain when we wanted to go. Picking up any bus to go over to Jambo was not a problem, but waiting for a Downtown bus to return to Kidani was annoying. The two times we went over, we waited at least 20 minutes for the bus. I suggest that there be a trolley that constantly just goes back and forth between Kidani and Jambo.
Lack of good lighting in the bathrooms (at the sink). I didnt mind the soft lighting around the villa, but I would have loved a brighter light so that I could see putting on makeup or putting in my contact lenses. There is a nice bright light that shines down into the sink, but you have to lean over to get yourself under it and then you still cant see because the light is only shining on the top of your head.
I was using the bathroom in the 2nd bedroom where the toilet is in a separate room. The fan would go on automatically when you enter the toilet room, but not while you are in the sink/shower area. Showers resulted in very steamy rooms which would have been helped by the fan. I finally got fed up and started to walk into the toilet room to trigger the fan, jump into the shower, then when I heard it go off, I would reach out of the shower and throw something into the toilet room in order to trigger the fan. LOL
The day we arrived, we were told that the pool heater had been broken for the last week, so the pool was freezing. Since the air was cool (only in the 60s), it was impossible to swim. We were VERY disappointed. Luckily, the heater was fixed on Sunday, but as late as Wednesday, the water was still cool. (It rained Thurs & Fri.) It wasnt a total disaster for us, but if we had been there the week prior, we would not have been able to swim at all.
Now with the negative out of the way, below is what I loved:
Loved watching the animals from our balcony. Having a savannah-view is so worth the points.
Loved the warm lighting around the resort. (Just hated the bathroom lighting in the villa as mentioned above.)
Loved sitting around the firepit at night, especially on cool nights. Not so crazy about the rocking chairs, though. Not even slightly comfortable.
Everyone was so nice and accommodating. The toilet in the 2nd bedroom stopped flushing on two different occasions and both times maintenance came quickly to resolve the situation.
Loved the chair that converts to the single bed in the living room. I mean as a chair we didnt use it as a bed. The chair was much more comfortable than the couch.
I didnt mind the buses at all it was nice that all buses (except Downtown) stopped at Kidani first, so you always had a seat. I didnt find the ride to the parks exceptionally long, either.
I requested close to lobby/pool on a lower floor and that is exactly what I got. I registered online and when I got there, the CM told me that the 2nd floor room they had assigned to me was not yet ready (we arrived at 11am) and they had one on the 3rd floor that was ready and would I like to switch. Of course, I said yes! On top of that, our luggage arrived within an hour of that and our Garden Grocer order was there as well. We were all settled very quickly.
My DS5 enjoyed the Community Hall and we stopped there at least once a day. The CMs there were very nice and were eager to help us find the right game, etc. It was nice that it overlooked the savannah, so I was able to step out onto the balcony a few times. (Not so crazy about the arcade I thought it was a ripoff.)
The pool activities were a nice break. My son enjoyed everything and it gave me a break. Love the water play area as well. The water was heated, so you didnt mind being spritzed.
It poured the last two days of our stay, so the Lifeguards and other CMs staked out a space in the lobby where they put out several video screens for Wii and also ran a few games. I guess it replaced a little of what they normally do at the pool.
Overall, we all had a wonderful time at Kidani and would enjoy staying there again. However, I plan to bring a large coffee mug with me -- the coffee cups we had were miniscule! I may bring one of my old Disney plastic mugs the next time.
This is the 2nd DVC resort we have experienced (stayed at Saratoga last year) and we are looking forward to trying others in the future. We'll be back on December 4th - I already have AKV booked (my home resort). I would like to switch out at 7 months to try another resort, but I doubt I will have any luck at that time of year.
First the negative:
The pool area is way too small for the size of the resort (considering Jambo guests can use the Kidani pool) and there are too few upright chairs. My mother is handicapped and cannot sit on a lounge chair. The only option she had were the few tables located near the bar. We were there during a relatively slow part of the season if we ever go during a more popular time, she would have trouble finding a chair.
The chairs in the lobby are very uncomfortable. I think they were more worried about theme and skimped on comfort. However, the only time we spent any length of time in the lobby was while waiting for ME back to the airport for our return home, so I didnt notice it until then.
The knives in the unit were horrible. There is no knife to chop with. I struggled with a pearing knife and a serrated steak knife to chop garlic.
The TV stations are far too limited. I know this applies to all resorts, not just Kidani, but wanted to mention it. Cant they provide basic cable? Those of us with small children spend some time in the villa (naps, early bedtimes, etc.) and it would be nice to be able to watch something other than the 4 major networks, news shows and Disney-related programming. How about some HGTV or Food Network? TNT? TLC?
My mother finished her book and didnt have another, so she called to ask if she could borrow a book from the Library and was told sure. She went to the Library and found a few books about Africa and ONE novel (that was likely left by another guest). Perhaps she went to the wrong place, so if anyone knows where she could have obtained a book/novel, please let me know.
Lack of counter service. I know this has been noted by many DIS-ers, but it bears repeating. We bought groceries and ate mostly in the room, however, we did venture out a couple of times and going over to Jambo was a pain. We didnt have the option to walk because (1) Mom was using a walker and (2) it was pouring rain when we wanted to go. Picking up any bus to go over to Jambo was not a problem, but waiting for a Downtown bus to return to Kidani was annoying. The two times we went over, we waited at least 20 minutes for the bus. I suggest that there be a trolley that constantly just goes back and forth between Kidani and Jambo.
Lack of good lighting in the bathrooms (at the sink). I didnt mind the soft lighting around the villa, but I would have loved a brighter light so that I could see putting on makeup or putting in my contact lenses. There is a nice bright light that shines down into the sink, but you have to lean over to get yourself under it and then you still cant see because the light is only shining on the top of your head.
I was using the bathroom in the 2nd bedroom where the toilet is in a separate room. The fan would go on automatically when you enter the toilet room, but not while you are in the sink/shower area. Showers resulted in very steamy rooms which would have been helped by the fan. I finally got fed up and started to walk into the toilet room to trigger the fan, jump into the shower, then when I heard it go off, I would reach out of the shower and throw something into the toilet room in order to trigger the fan. LOL
The day we arrived, we were told that the pool heater had been broken for the last week, so the pool was freezing. Since the air was cool (only in the 60s), it was impossible to swim. We were VERY disappointed. Luckily, the heater was fixed on Sunday, but as late as Wednesday, the water was still cool. (It rained Thurs & Fri.) It wasnt a total disaster for us, but if we had been there the week prior, we would not have been able to swim at all.
Now with the negative out of the way, below is what I loved:
Loved watching the animals from our balcony. Having a savannah-view is so worth the points.
Loved the warm lighting around the resort. (Just hated the bathroom lighting in the villa as mentioned above.)
Loved sitting around the firepit at night, especially on cool nights. Not so crazy about the rocking chairs, though. Not even slightly comfortable.
Everyone was so nice and accommodating. The toilet in the 2nd bedroom stopped flushing on two different occasions and both times maintenance came quickly to resolve the situation.
Loved the chair that converts to the single bed in the living room. I mean as a chair we didnt use it as a bed. The chair was much more comfortable than the couch.
I didnt mind the buses at all it was nice that all buses (except Downtown) stopped at Kidani first, so you always had a seat. I didnt find the ride to the parks exceptionally long, either.
I requested close to lobby/pool on a lower floor and that is exactly what I got. I registered online and when I got there, the CM told me that the 2nd floor room they had assigned to me was not yet ready (we arrived at 11am) and they had one on the 3rd floor that was ready and would I like to switch. Of course, I said yes! On top of that, our luggage arrived within an hour of that and our Garden Grocer order was there as well. We were all settled very quickly.
My DS5 enjoyed the Community Hall and we stopped there at least once a day. The CMs there were very nice and were eager to help us find the right game, etc. It was nice that it overlooked the savannah, so I was able to step out onto the balcony a few times. (Not so crazy about the arcade I thought it was a ripoff.)
The pool activities were a nice break. My son enjoyed everything and it gave me a break. Love the water play area as well. The water was heated, so you didnt mind being spritzed.
It poured the last two days of our stay, so the Lifeguards and other CMs staked out a space in the lobby where they put out several video screens for Wii and also ran a few games. I guess it replaced a little of what they normally do at the pool.
Overall, we all had a wonderful time at Kidani and would enjoy staying there again. However, I plan to bring a large coffee mug with me -- the coffee cups we had were miniscule! I may bring one of my old Disney plastic mugs the next time.
This is the 2nd DVC resort we have experienced (stayed at Saratoga last year) and we are looking forward to trying others in the future. We'll be back on December 4th - I already have AKV booked (my home resort). I would like to switch out at 7 months to try another resort, but I doubt I will have any luck at that time of year.
On this trip, we had my parents, plus two teenagers with us, so I had no choice but to close the door. 
