OKW or AKL Kadari??

[Momtwofour]

I was just able to change my current ressie at OKW from military to free dining saving us a good chunk of change! I was excited but now my wheels are turning lol
We are a party of 9 booked in a 2 brdm villa at OKW and we have never stayed there. I am seriously considering switching to AKL Kadari 2 brdm villa. It wouldnt save us any money but wouldnt cost us much more than our original reservation with military discount. We have stayed at Jambo and loved it!
We will have 5 kids with us and going in July so pool will be important. Our ressie at OKW is not hospitality house category so we could be anywhere although I had intended on requesting Peninsular bus stop. Originally my worry with OKW was being too far from the pool and the size of the resort.
Opinions/comparisons with these two resorts???

 

[Sleepy425]

Kidani has a great splash zone for little kids, a zero entry pool so less confident swimmers can hang out in the shallow end without hanging on a ladder, a fun slide, and Sanaa break service is awesome. Also you get a third bathroom. Kidani is all inside, so in bad weather you don't have to walk outside to get places. If you have a savannah view you can sit back on the balcony and enjoy the animals.
OKW has larger rooms. It is a more relaxed feel. It's nice to sit on the balcony and just relax. People love Olivia's (I cant speak from experience, we haven't made it there on our stays yet). My kids also enjoy OKW's slide. The boat to Disney Springs is nice, I've taken it over and grabbed Earl of Sandwich for lunch and brought it back for everyone while my husband stayed in the room relaxing with the kids.
What price difference are we talking? If it isn't much I would choose Kidani. If it is substantial, stick with OKW.

 

[Momtwofour]

Kidani has a great splash zone for little kids, a zero entry pool so less confident swimmers can hang out in the shallow end without hanging on a ladder, a fun slide, and Sanaa break service is awesome. Also you get a third bathroom. Kidani is all inside, so in bad weather you don't have to walk outside to get places. If you have a savannah view you can sit back on the balcony and enjoy the animals.
OKW has larger rooms. It is a more relaxed feel. It's nice to sit on the balcony and just relax. People love Olivia's (I cant speak from experience, we haven't made it there on our stays yet). My kids also enjoy OKW's slide. The boat to Disney Springs is nice, I've taken it over and grabbed Earl of Sandwich for lunch and brought it back for everyone while my husband stayed in the room relaxing with the kids.
What price difference are we talking? If it isn't much I would choose Kidani. If it is substantial, stick with OKW.

We are saving $1000 staying at OKW and I think it was around $400 more($200 a family as we are splitting the cost) to stay at Kidani. There are no Savannah views open as of right now so it would be standard view.

 

[lovewdwdvc]

I would choose Kidani. My husband would choose OKW. I love the animals. I am fine with standard view as there are so many places to view animals. Husband thinks it’s dark and far away. OKW seems too big for me.

 

[Sleepy425]

We only get standard view at Kidani. I don’t mind wandering across the hall with the kids to the windows to see the animals or to the lobby. So not having a Savannah view isn’t so bad.
I vote save $1000 though and stay at OKW

 

[Momtwofour]

We only get standard view at Kidani. I don’t mind wandering across the hall with the kids to the windows to see the animals or to the lobby. So not having a Savannah view isn’t so bad.
I vote save $1000 though and stay at OKW

The money side of me is saying stay at OKW. But we really loved AKL. Im just not sure how different Kidani would be from what we experienced before.

 

[hakepb]

The room at Kidani would be better (unless you stayed in a Grand Villa or a king suite in Jambo) but it depends on what you really liked about Jambo.

If you went to Mara (quick service) a lot, then Kidani may be disappointing since there’s only breakfast QS at Saana and possibly lunch food ordering to the pool.
Kidani also has looooooooooong hallways. I believe they are the longest at WDW.

If it’s the unique theme, some cultural ambassadors, night vision animal viewing, a good pool and a good TS, then Kidani can be a great choice. If you are driving, you can park under the resort (where the car is not baking in the sun) With many elevators along the hallways, you can usually be closer to your car than the distance to the lobby.

 

[clayfolks]

With 9 people, I’d go with Kidani. I think the extra full bath, alone, is worth the extra money. We prefer Kidani over Jambo for the pool and being the first bus stop. There is a shuttle that run continuously between Jambo and Kidani. I believe the last trip of the night is at 10:00 or 11:00.

 

[Deb & Bill]

One thing to be aware of is that most of the buildings at OKW do not have elevators. Only three do and they are usually reserved for medical needs. So if you have strollers and lots of luggage you'll be hauling it up the stairs.

 

[Tigger's ally]

I would choose Kidani. My husband would choose OKW. I love the animals. I am fine with standard view as there are so many places to view animals. Husband thinks it’s dark and far away. OKW seems too big for me.

We would be like your husband. Something about the color palate and also smell of the resort that turned us off to AKL. Now I admit it was Jambo and I have never been to Kidani, but it would take a heck of a deal to get us away from OKW after staying there a few times. The theming is more our style let alone the money savings. And the size of the villa's is so much more accommodating for us. We do visit AKL at least once a trip to see animals and eat/drink.

 

[starry_solo]

I would go Kidani

 

[Momtwofour]

One thing to be aware of is that most of the buildings at OKW do not have elevators. Only three do and they are usually reserved for medical needs. So if you have strollers and lots of luggage you'll be hauling it up the stairs.

I thought about this! We will have a stroller as my grandson will be 5-6 months old at the time of our trip.

 

[Momtwofour]

Being reminded there are no elevators at OKW cinched it for me. I switched! If we walk long hallways at least it will be inside lol I am super excited! One small negative I was seeing about OKW was lack of QS. Now we can ride the shuttle to Jambo and we loved theirs!!!

 

[EllNat11]

Honestly, with that many people getting ready in the morning - Kidani's extra full bathroom would be a winner hands down for me!

 

[Momtwofour]

Honestly, with that many people getting ready in the morning - Kidani's extra full bathroom would be a winner hands down for me!

Already have it planned!! Littles will have their own bathroom, my son and his girlfriend will have one and I will share one w my daughters. We are all really excited!!

 

[EllNat11]

Already have it planned!! Littles will have their own bathroom, my son and his girlfriend will have one and I will share one w my daughters. We are all really excited!!

You'll love it and will have a great time. We are in Kidani May 11-18 and can't wait to be back. Have a wonderful trip!