tell me about Kidani Village!

[peace.love.disney]

My family has been to WDW several times, but this is the first time we're going as DVC members (in less than 3 weeks----so excited!!!) So, I was thinking I would ask everyone here that has stayed in Kidani what they love about it for two reasons: 1. so I can make sure to look for those things, and 2. who doesn't love talking about their WDW experience?

 

[DisneySJB]

Can't wait to see the responses. We will be arriving at Kidani for the first time on July 9 We are only going to the parks 3 days out of the week, so will be spending a lot of time at the resort. Can't wait!

 

[alldiz]

I really loved the pool area.

When walking to Jambo take the parking garage elevators down and follow the path it's shorter. Also if your villa is on that side....go down at the last elevator and you will be half way to jambo.

Happy planning
Kerri

 

[brianheather]

We stayed there in Dec. for the first time and just a couple of weeks ago... Can I ask what view you have?
Why we loved Kidani, there were lots of reasons, but mostly because of the atmosphere of the hotel. It is absolutley beautiful. We had a savannah view so having coffee out on the balcony was breathtaking. The staff was very helpful. I also loved the campfire out back that overlooks the savannah. I would not hesitate to go back again.

PS I also liked that it is the first bus stop (before Jambo house.)

 

[Brandis]

I love the african proverbs that can be found everywhere, it's fun to look for them. They are all marked by some metal butterflies (since the first proverb you see when you enter the resort is something like "Proverbs are like butterflies, some fly away, some stay with you".

Also, strolling around the resort, looking at the african art and read the explanatory signs. There is a daily tour where a CM from Africa will show you around the resort and show you hidden details and explain the story of the resort.

In the evening, when the firepit is lit, I like to watch the animals in the savannah from there and talk to the CM about the animals and also where they are from etc. Very interesting. In the wintertime, when it sometimes can get chilly in the evening, the fire is very nice.

Our studio had standard view, we were on the top floor and the room faced the hotel entrance. However, with the wetland beyond the pool, it still felt as if watching into african grassland:

 

[alanapapa]

I wish words could do justice to the experience.

We have been to Jambo House prior to DVC and spent 5 nights at Kidani last Xmas. We had a GV so we were the farthest from the lobby, which meant walks of 15 to 20 minutes with our contingent of 9, but everyone was in awe. We hosted another family and a few times they just wanted to sit on the balcony and see the animals. It is quite amazing to see giraffes 20 feet away and zebras 15 feet.
If you go knowing the walks can be bad, and there is no CS, so eating out of the villa can take planning, the resort is wonderful.

 

[ChiSoxKeith]

Have fun!

It will be the heat of the summer.....but if it cools off at night, make sure you head out to the fire pit off the lobby. It's out into the savanah and yes, the animals are still up and moving around at night. Not many people were out there when we were there in December. Very peaceful.

The Activity Center (?) had lots of fun crafts for our daughter to do.

 

[Brandis]

Not at Kidani but at Jambo House they have night vision goggles available for use after dark to watch the animals. Check the activity board in the lobby.

Also, if you have a savanna view room and get up sometimes during the night to go to the toilet or so, make sure to peek out the window, animals might be around. On my first stay, I took a photo of a giraffe mother with her youngster, feeding from a tree. This was around 3AM.

 

[supersuperwendy]

We LOVED the pool at Kidani!!! Actually LOVE is an understatement!! Probably the best part is the size of the villa. We checked into Kidani after BLT and the 2 bedroom villa seemed a lot bigger than BLT. I liked stopping at Johari treasures and filling up my refillable mug with coffee and then go out front of the lobby by the lanterns and just sit and listen to the music! It was fun to watch the people coming to and from the pool as well as very excited people stepping off the DME bus!

 

[ShuisFan584]

Well I own at Kidani so obviously it's my favorite! Honestly, the only downside to me of Kidani is that there are no counter service options. But since we usually order groceries, and there's a counter service at Jambo, this really isn't a big downside.

Other than that, I love everything about Kidani! I love that it's the first bus stop for the parks. I love that it has an extra bathroom in the 1 and 2 bedrooms. I looooooooooooove the pool! It is my favorite pool on all of Disney property, and it has a lot to do with the slide and the play area.

And obviously, the views from the savannah view rooms are the best! And if you don't have a savannah view room, there's still areas to be able to watch the animals.

You are going to have such a wonderful trip. You won't be disappointed in Kidani.

 

[Rochester Disney Fan]

For younger kids the pool play area can't be beat. The pool itself has a real nice slide and never seemed over crowded. The animal views are wonderful and I thought the bus service was pretty good. The rooms are a bit dark but other then that I thought they were great( I stay in a dedicated 2 BR). You'll have a wonderful time.

 

[moredisneyplease]

not too sure the ages of the people in your group but last summer i took my kiddos (2 and 5 at the time) and they LOVED the pool, the community room, the WII stations in the afternoon, and all of the various kid activities they had at both kidani and jambo! enjoy!!!

 

[majortom1981]

Keep in mind you can go down to sanaa and get the bread service at sanaas bard WITHOUT having reservations. So no there is no counter service BUT if you like hummus and different types of bread (indian from india style) then iot could replace a coutner service meal.

If you really want to see animals request by the lobby. I had a savana view that was at one end of kidani and all I saw was an emu (or was it ostritch) The giraffes stayed closer to the lobby side.

 

[Harlemgirl720]

You will love it. One night around 2am. I was sitting on the balcony and the zebras were chasing the giraffes. It was awesome. And with the "fake" moonlight lighting up the Savannah, its priceless. Also, if you want, you can get a drink from the bar at Sanaa and take it to the firepit and sit in the rocking chair, watching the animals go by.

 

[Ariel8676]

I love Kidani Village. We have stayed almost all the DVC resorts and when i ask my kids where they want to go they say back to Kidani. The pool and the play area are great..love the size of the rooms and my kids love the Lion King scene in the bathroom..lol The bus service was always great and being able to watch the animals is awesome!
We will be back at Kidani August 20-27!

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

We love Kidani!! Here is a link to a view from room 7945. A 1br. Click Here Please to watch the video.

 

[peace.love.disney]

Thanks so much everyone! Only 2 more weeks!!!

 

[dairyqueenmom]

We have stayed at Kindani twice with our 3rd trip coming up in August. It is our home resort. I love the themeing, the community hall is my kid's favorite place to hang out and it has the most amazing view of the Savanaha. We don't waste points on a Savanaha view, to many other great places to see the animals. We don't mind the lack of counter service, we cook all our breakfasts and a few lunches and dinners in our villa. Our kids love the pool, and water play area. Have a great visit!

 

[dopeygirl76]

We just spent Easter at Kidani - our first stay there. For us it was the solitude. The escape from the fast pace of WDW. While we absolutely LOVE the parks (our girls are 4 &7) it was the best of both worlds to come back to our villa and escape from it all. A close second was the pool.

PS to this point VWL had been DHs favorite - Kidani has replaced that. I have no fav - I love them all for different reasons - the only DVC we haven't been to is BWV - and hopefully that will be soon!!!

 

[twinklebug]

Not at Kidani but at Jambo House they have night vision goggles available for use after dark to watch the animals. Check the activity board in the lobby.

Also, if you have a savanna view room and get up sometimes during the night to go to the toilet or so, make sure to peek out the window, animals might be around. On my first stay, I took a photo of a giraffe mother with her youngster, feeding from a tree. This was around 3AM.

We had this view on our first trip to Jambo - had a pair of giraffe sleeping on that tree off to the left in your pic... the larger of the two with their head leaned in the tree, the smaller with their head on the neck of the larger one.

I could not sleep due to the flu and was up most of the night - was nice to have company when I looked out.