Tell me Kidani Village is Wonderful!!!

[DisneyStarWisher]

I just returned from the Gatlinburg, TN, area and stayed in a non-Disney timeshare (I won't name names) on a weekly trial basis. I have to say I absolutely HATED it!!! I own at AKV and plan on staying there for the first time next October. Please tell me it's wonderful, because if it's anything like where I just stayed, I will really regret buying there. Here is what I HATED so much about it--
1. I could hear ALL my neighbors. I could hear their TVs and them walking around, normal everyday things. This was in a brand-new unit! I have stayed at SSR and HHI and never had this problem. PLEASE tell me that I won't have this problem at Kidani Village!!!
2. Each time you stay at this place, you have to meet with a sales representative to see what kind of upgrades they have to sell to you. I don't want this kind of pressure on my vacation, and I know I won't at Disney. I truly appreciate the lack of pressure that most DVC sales representatives show!
3. Another reason we had to meet with the staff at this place was so we wouldn't be charged for any problems our room had. It actually said this in the paperwork. AND our room had PROBLEMS. The dishwasher did not work, the table was missing part of the leg, the carpet had stains, the miniblinds were broken in the bedroom. And this was a BRAND-NEW unit! They had put a $50 hold on my credit card, and then the paperwork said we had to meet with them to avoid being charged for problems in the room! To me, it seemed like a threat! Again, I know this isn't a problem with DVC.
4. In a 1 BR, I had to share a foyer and a washer and dryer with my neighbor. This added to the noise problem. Everytime someone opened the foyer door, we heard it. The noise from the washer and dryer (which were in the foyer) echoed also. I know I won't have to do that at Kidani either, so this shouldn't be a problem.
Sorry for the long post. I just had to vent. I guess I really need to know about #1: the noise situation. I like peace and quiet on my vacation and I got none at this place. I really hope Kidani Village doesn't have paper-thin walls, floors, and ceilings. TIA for any assurance you can give me!

 

[DisneyWhirled]

Just stayed (Aug) at Kidani for a few nights. Trust me, you will not be disappointed!!!

The room was very nice and the property well maintained. We did not hear anything from our neighbors. The only thing that happened was that the neighbors were smoking on their patio. I should've complained, but I didn't.

Sorry your stay was sub-par in TN

 

[famsen]

I just returned from 7 nights at Kidani. I also stayed there last May. We have always stayed in 1 bedroom units.
It is WONDERFUL! I have stayed at Jambo House before and had some issues.
Kidani is awesome. The rooms are nicely kept. Everything was working perfectly. The staff was always friendly. I never heard our neighbors.
The only downside to me is lack of counter service dining.
Other than that, it ROCKS!
Sorry to hear about TN. I thought about using my DVC points to stay there someday. We loved renting a cabin in Pigeon Forge last year.

 

[DebbieB]

I stayed there in June, really liked it. Didn't hear any room noise. Loved the convenient parking. I sat on my balcony and thought "who would have ever dreamed there would be a DVC resort with live animals!" (keeping in mind I bought when there was only OKW & BWV at WDW).

 

[Silver Queen]

We stayed at Kidani for 6 nights and absolutely loved it! The rooms are very comfortable and well-maintained, the theming is very well done and the CMs were exceptional. There's a quiet, laid-back atmosphere around the resort that we prefer to the bustle of Jambo House. Without a doubt, we will be back.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Sometimes when you sit on a savannah view balcony and listen very carefully, you can hear the animals murmuring to themselves about what a peaceful place this is....other than that you can't hear the neighbors.

Bobbi

 

[twinklebug]

The most noise I ever heard at Kidani was when we were out on the balcony and the pair of little girls next door to us were getting excited over the zebras & giraffes (and apparently we were part of the interest too as one squished her face between the railing and wall exclaiming "Who's over here now!?" ) Other than that - with the balcony door open - we could hear every little click of grass the animals made as they strode by. With it closed all we heard was our own noise (and fire alarm testing on the last day )

You'll love Kidani. There is a DVC rep stationed in the lobby, but they are so nice and don't seem to be interested in "selling", they'll tell you about their families, appeal of the resort to them and even what they know about the animals. Of course, if you have more questions I'm sure they'd be happy to go that way too.

 

[katieandemismom]

It ROCKS!!!!

We just got back from 9 days there. We stayed in both standard and savannah views. It literally knocked our socks off (of course I love the dark, rich themes). The rooms were spotless. The staff was amazing. The animals were so active and great to watch. I loved the library and the room where they had games and crafts for the kids. We had zero problems with buses except at MK after close on late nights. After the first time (and a 25 minute wait), we just spent an hour wandering through Main St. When we went to the buses, there was no line at all. My kids had a blast at the pool / water play area. The ONLY thing lacking was counter service (and that would be an improvement). I just booked a trip for next June in a 2 bedroom standard view for my family and my sister and her kids. I'm counting the days!

 

[GuySmiley]

2. Each time you stay at this place, you have to meet with a sales representative to see what kind of upgrades they have to sell to you. I don't want this kind of pressure on my vacation, and I know I won't at Disney. I truly appreciate the lack of pressure that most DVC sales representatives show!

My first stay at AKV Kidani is in 14 days!!! Yay me!!

But as far as your #2 above. A friend I work with owns a timeshare in Hawaii, and everytime he goes he meets with them about upgrades, although I dont think its mandatory. He gets a discount on Maintenance fees for the 1 hour meeting. He never upgrades, just gets the discount I kinda wish we had that option.

 

[Coach81]

It is great!!!

 

[flytimefl]

Have stayed at both 3 times. Totally awesome. The pool areas are kiddie (and adult) wonderlands! Last time, cousin with 3 small children was in the next room and although her boys are unusually looud children, we nevr heard a peep. There are many wondreful free activities at both phases. Make sure you do the animal tracking thing at Jambo house.

Susan

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

1. I could hear ALL my neighbors. I could hear their TVs and them walking around, normal everyday things. This was in a brand-new unit! I have stayed at SSR and HHI and never had this problem. PLEASE tell me that I won't have this problem at Kidani Village!!!
QUOTE]


After hearing a lot of noise at Hilton Head, I posted a thread a long time ago asking about noise in other resorts. Everyone came back saying that Hilton Head is the only resort with thin walls and floors. However, the wood floors in the grand villas at BWV and I believe OKW are a little noisy to those staying under them. Heresay, not personal experience. Plus, you can always get a hold of particularly noisy guests anywhere.

Overall, If you didn't have a problem at Hilton Head, you shouldn't have a problem elsewhere.

 

[clutter]

The CMs there take Disney's standard of service to new heights.

I want to live there.

 

[glennbo123]

I loved it! I occasionally heard people in the halls, but not very often. Never heard anything from outside (we were in a Standard view room, so wondered about buses and cars) or neighboring rooms.

We had one issue with the room, the dishwasher had come loose from the cabinet, and it was fixed literally within minutes of me reporting it.

 

[Sammy]

It ROCKS!!!!

We just got back from 9 days there. We stayed in both standard and savannah views. It literally knocked our socks off (of course I love the dark, rich themes). The rooms were spotless. The staff was amazing. The animals were so active and great to watch. I loved the library and the room where they had games and crafts for the kids. We had zero problems with buses except at MK after close on late nights. After the first time (and a 25 minute wait), we just spent an hour wandering through Main St. When we went to the buses, there was no line at all. My kids had a blast at the pool / water play area. The ONLY thing lacking was counter service (and that would be an improvement). I just booked a trip for next June in a 2 bedroom standard view for my family and my sister and her kids. I'm counting the days!

Just looking for your opinion on whether it's worth the extra points for savannah view vs. standard...?

 

[Deb & Bill]

Just looking for your opinion on whether it's worth the extra points for savannah view vs. standard...?

The savanna is the only reason to stay at AKV/AKL. I can't imagine booking anything else.

 

[SLM]

Even with all the viewing areas throughout the resort, I think the savannah view is worth the points. Some late afternoons or early evenings we would have plans to go out and we could hardly tear ourselves away and leave the villa. Early mornings on your balcony watching the animals...
Enjoy your stay and tell us all about it when you return.

 

[Brave teacher]

Gosh! Kidani quickly became a favorite of my whole family. We loved every square inch of the resort. Even Sanaa is fantastic. My boys let us know that this is the only place they want to stay for a long time.

They loved watching the animals from the balcony in the morning as they ate their breakfast.

We had no noise problems with the rooms either.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

Thanks for all the positive comments! It assures me that we made the right decision when purchasing at AKV. Now, I'm getting ready to add on some HHI points, but I'm a little worried since a PP commented about the paper-thin walls. We stayed in a 1 BR and it was so peaceful and quiet, but we will be doing a 2 BR from now on. I'm worried that by changing location I'll notice a problem with noise. Any comments on HHI?

 

[Anal Annie]

The savanna is the only reason to stay at AKV/AKL. I can't imagine booking anything else.

But see, I disagree with that. Booking a savanna view is not always all that it's cracked up to be and booking a std. view is definitely a way to be frugal and save points in order to be able to stay for more nights. In "Premier Season" the per night difference between a standard view and a savanna view is 4 pts. per night (17 vs 21). So if you're planning a minimum of 5 weekday nights that's a difference of 20 pts. for the 5 nights. For some of us it may mean the difference in being able to go for 4 nights or 5. If you're buying airfare I think most people would prefer to have the added value of the extra night so the standard view definitely serves a valuable purpose. I happen to think that 20 pts. is a lot unless you just have ooodles & oooodles of points to blow (which personally, we do not).

We stayed in a "deluxe savanna view" room at AKL the year it first opened and had NO animals all week. Well, actually, there was one lonely something or another. Just one. Nothing else. All week. So big whoop IMO.

We spend most of our time either at the parks or at the pool so I can't see wasting the extra points for the savanna view. Since we are "points challenged" we also stay in studios for our trips so we can go more often. To each their own. I know that studios are beneath some people too. But they work for us so we can have 2 or 3 trips per year. For example at SSR, our home resort, the difference in the "Magic" season amounts to 7 nights at 242 pts. for a 1 bedroom VS 246 pts for 14 nights in a studio. Since either way, our DS would still have to sleep on a pullout sofa there is just no question about it. We'll take the 14 nights over only 7 nights. Now if for 242 points our DS would actually have a "real" bed then it might be something to consider. But I apply the same thinking to the standard view VS savanna view. I cannot justify the extra points.

The AKV point charts are for the most part quite reasonable - especially if you're going during a point intensive season. That is why we booked a standard studio at Kidani for spring break. I might consider a savanna view if I could go during the "Adventure" season but I cannot.


Sammy - IMO the savanna view vs standard or value villas totally depends on how many points you have and how many trips you're hoping to use them for. LOL...and don't even start me on Concierge! Never in a million years for us!! I will eat Ramen Noodles if it means I can go more often and I will cruise without a balcony if it gets me on the ship!!