We loved AKV Kidani!

[utahkennedys]

We were hesitant to try AKV Kidani since we adore OKW so much, but we are so glad we did!! Here are a few thoughts on our first week at OKW and then our stay at AKV Kidani. If you are thinking of Kidani, don't hesitate -- we can't wait to go back next year!!!

OKW 1 Bedroom:
* Dirty, dirty kitchen (especially fridge and stove top), plus tiny bugs everywhere. Ugh. If we hadn't traveled 14 hours from Seattle and arrived at midnight we would have called the manager. DH thinks we got the bad cleaning team.
* Dirty bathroom - Ugh again. I think OKW should have renovated the baths. The grout is old, missing, etc. and the poor cleaning job with hair left in our shower didn't help.
* Loved the room renovations. Loved the granite to replace the tile in the kitchen and the laminate floor compared to the old, dirty carpet. Felt it was still in the proper theming. Loved the new TVs.
* Loud guests. There was a family near the quiet pool which our room overlooked that had a loud radio, set up a giant tent, were generally loud, inconsiderate, and obnoxious to other guests, etc. which kind of stunk. Our kids in the living room are thankfully heavy sleepers!
* Lovely CMs, great Easter activities, lovely grounds -- as always.

Kidani Village:
* Lovely theme, vibe, decorating
* Very, very clean and felt new
* Saw TONS of animals and loved the large balcony
* Loved the night vision goggle animal viewing
* Loved the Kidani Pool and was happy to have food available there
* Loved all of the viewing areas
* Loved the underground parking
* Didn't like the bus situation coming back from Jambo House (we just drove after the first time)
* Missed having another food option at Kidani
* Loved the Community Center and that it had "open crafts" all day. Also loved the convenient location.
* Great activities available

All in all my DH and I fell in love with Kidani. We like a quieter feel and a convenient resort without hard parking and this fit the bill. It was also more tropical than we expected which we loved. We also saw Dennis Rodman twice during our stay and he seemed to be enjoying his stay as well!

 

[bobbiwoz]

I love Kidani as well, and glad you tried it and had such a great time there!

I do wish someone at OKW was notified about the terrible condition of your villa upon your arrival. I'm glad some things at OKW were wonderful for you, but they need to do it all right.

Bobbi

 

[Lexxiefern]

Thanks for the great review! We are trying Kidani on Sunday for the first time. We love Jambo so I hope we will love Kidani as well. Disappointing to hear about OKW being dirty. We check in there tomorrow!

 

[Mjkre]

Thanks for this. We love OKW the most of all (thus far) and we weren't sure we would like AKV given that they are so different. But we wanted to try so we booked it for our stay in the Fall.

 

[alldiz]

Glad you had a great stay at Kidani.

I just got back from a split stay....BCV,AKV(Kidani).

We just got the unlucky card there. Room ready at 4pm...OK..no worries enjoyed the awesome pool all day.
Room 7436....Top floor middle of the hub....Happy Camper.

Get to room...Filthy...not cleaned....go get new room key cards for last room on hallway. OK....long story short....took managers 3 long walks in the hallway to finally get some keys working for us.
Funny thing as we were sitting in the dirty room waiting for new keys to a new room.....Turndown service knocks on the door I told him nevermind turndown....How bout a clean room.....He was very nice and apologetic and let us into our new room while the front desk CM's fixed the room key situation.

I really liked Kidani and if I didn't have such room key problems the long walk wouldnt have been as annoying.

Glad you had a great trip...I'll be going to OKW in August....Hope I dont' have a dirty bug room
Kerri

 

[utahkennedys]

One other thing at OKW - the night before we were leaving we went to pack and I grabbed my DD's backpack from the hall closet. It was full of water and had the worst musty smell! It ruined a few plane activities in there like markers and notebook, etc. and apparently the sprinkler head in that closet leaked for a week! Thankfully it wasn't a good suitcase or something! We called the front desk and she was kind, then the manager called and asked how much the backpack was and he credited our bill. I was hoping for a bit more Disney magic with an upset DD age 5 but so be it. We still love OKW but are excited to go back to AKV Kidani more.

 

[DizGirl20]

Hi we just got back yesterday from a week at Kidani and I agree with all of your comments. It definitely reminded me of the Polynesian (in that there is that Tropical theme) but it's so much cleaner and quieter than the Polynesian.

Underground parking was priceless (no "hot" seats). We were in the Timon section so walking to Jambo wasn't an issue. I keep saying that AKV is like having 2 resorts in 1! Did you happen to catch the evening Cultural Presentations in the library? They were the highlight of our trip!

Oh yes, and we saw Dennis Rodman as well. He's kinda hard not to miss!

We can't wait to go back

 

[nursegirl]

Shhh... its awesome, don't tell anyone.

Totally agree, our new favorite, love it so much!!

We had built up BCV in our minds before we stayed there last Thanksgiving, and although it was great, the room was dirty - ie wadded up swim shorts from previous guest in master bath. So we were trying to keep an open mind with Kidani. Completely blown away with how great it was - wish we were there now - can't wait to go back!

 

[utahkennedys]

Since we were there such a short time we didn't get to do any cultural events or other activities, but we can't wait for next year! We are hoping to get a ressie in May before our cruise at the 7 month mark.

 

[crazybones27]

Kidani is our home resort and we love it! I'm so glad you had a nice stay!! I think people under estimate AKV's a little. I know the theme isn't for everyone, but there's just something about the resort that is very warming. That maybe just me though lol. We just booked a last minute trip for the 1st week in June and we were able to score a 1bdrm at Jambo. I was just so happy to get something in AKV during that week. I can't wait to take the kids over to Kidani for some swimming! The Kidani pool is perfect for our kids and so far is our favorite pool for them!

 

[eva]

From the menu on another site, it appears that the only adult food at the pool bar is either a turkey club or a cesar salad. Is that true? Do they offer more than that? We will be checking in on Friday and had planned to have a few lunches around the pool. Does the pool bar at Jambo House offer more? I can't seem to find a menu for the one at Jambo House. Can you go to the bar at Saana and order food to take out? I know that we can walk over to Mara at Jambo House to get some CS. But we are going to be spending a lot of time at the pool. So I am just trying to size up the options. We will be there 9 days and only plan to spend 3 of them in the parks.

 

[utahkennedys]

The pool bar at Kidani also had "Private Dining" but it seemed way overpriced to me (think $15 for a simple sandwich). Even $5 for a kids uncrustable with an apple (no drink) was too much, but at least they have something. We didn't love the Mara either which is why we usually have plenty of our own food options!

 

[SLM]

But we are going to be spending a lot of time at the pool. So I am just trying to size up the options. We will be there 9 days and only plan to spend 3 of them in the parks.[/QUOTE]

We used one of the grocery services and had some things delivered. We brought our lunches to the pool-what my daughter likes to call "party food"-hummus, crackers, cheese, fruit, carrots, dip-and we often had leftovers to snack on. We did walk over to Mara and buy Zebra Domes!

 

[Caren]

OKW is our favorite resort, but they do have condition issues. I think the problem is partly that the tile is hard to keep clean and partly that they seem to have bought cheap appliances. In their favor, we've always had very prompt service when we bring a problem to their attention. On our last trip we had a guy out late at night to fix an issue with the disposal, which had caused the sink to leak.

Kidani is on our to-do list, but somehow we have the next two trips planned for OKW. It just feels like home there.

 

[ABE4DISNEY]

Yes, Kidani is a hidden gem among the dvc villas! So glad that you loved it!!

BTW, if you don't mind my asking, what building and area were you staying at OKW? TIA!

 

[CocosMeme]

Let's deep this our little secret! It is easy now to get in but if we spread the word it may not be! It is absolutely our favorite place to stay.

 

[utahkennedys]

It was Bldg 19
We usually love this area