WL vs AKV Kidani

[ktink]

DH & I are currently staying at WL this September. He has never been to WDW. It's been several years since I've been. I've never stayed at a deluxe. Please tell me the pros & cons to both. TIA

 

[Marthasor]

AKV Kidani is lovely, but it's quite remote from the rest of WDW (except AK and DS) and doesn't have a ton of restaurant choices. If you want a quiet, off-the-beaten-path vacation, this is a good choice.

WL is in the MK resort area so offers quicker access to MK (via boat or bus) and has more QS choices. You can also take a bus (and in "normal" times) to Ft. W to access all that Ft. W has to offer. If resort boat service is back by your trip, you might also be able to access CR by boat from there. Just to be a little closer to other locations, I would choose WL.

 

[ChanaC]

Here's what I can think of off the top of my head, although of course pros and cons vary between people.

WL Pros:
-Close to the Magic Kingdom, with boat service to it
-Lots of great dining options
-Close to Ft Wilderness if you are interested in checking out some outdoor activities like horseback riding or archery (pending covid openings)
-Nice pool
-If fireworks ever come back I've heard of people say they could see some of the higher fireworks from the dock or from some of the higher floors that face MK.
-Most of WL is in one building, except for some of the DVC rooms

WL Cons:
-This is just my opinion, but I've never been a huge fan of the theme. The lobby just feels dark and musty. I think it might be cozy on a cold and rainy day, but on a nice summer day in Sept I would prefer being in a place with more windows. That being said, it does feel sort of isolated from the rest of WDW which is nice sometimes.
-While it's close to MK and even sort of Epcot, it can be a long trip to Animal Kingdom*

AKL Pros:
-Of course, the animals! Even if you don't do a savannah room there is a really cool overlook into the savannah
-I really like how each of the AKL resorts are all in one building. It just makes it so much easier to go from place to place inside the resort, and it's great on rainy days
-Close to Animal Kingdom
-Also has good dining options (I've always wanted to try Sanaa, I've heard great things about it)

AKL Cons:
-Far from the other parks*
-It's the only deluxe resort that doesn't have an additional transportation options. All the other deluxes have monorails, boats, or now Skyliners. Even now some of the moderates and values have Skyliner access or boats to Disney Springs.
-Kidani is smaller than Jambo House, and while it has Sanaa and a pool, Jambo has the better pool and Mara (the quick service). You can walk or take a bus over but it's not as nice as it being "right there"
-Since AKL is so far from everything and doesn't have that alt transportation, it really does feel pretty isolated sometimes.
-The pools are nice, but I don't think they rank super high compared to other WDW pools, especially the deluxe ones. But if you don't plan to spend much time around the resort this may not be relevant.

*Unfortunately, WDW is so spread out that there isn't really any resort that is super central to everything (maybe Caribbean Beach)? If you're really close to one park, it usually means you're also really far from another.

 

[RanDIZ]

I own DVC at both. Love the fact that both are 2 resorts in one. Kidani and Jambo at AKV and Cooper Creek and Boulder Ridge at WL. This gives you access to more restaurants and pools. Yes, AKV is further than all parks except AK, but I actually like the remoteness. AKV arguably has the best restaurants on property.

Depending on what will be open in Sept. can really be the deciding factor. If you’re planning multiple days at MK, then maybe I’d go with WL due to the proximity of everything around the monorail loop. PPs covered the Pros and Cons.

 

[Nabas]

We have stayed at Kidani and Wilderness Lodge several times. We are even DVC members at Kidani.

With that said, the Wilderness Lodge is better:

• WL has a fantastic lobby that really sets the mood for its theme. Kidani's lobby is probably the least impressive of all Deluxe Resorts.
• WL has better pools. Kidani is a fairly large Deluxe Resort and its one pool is always overcrowded.
• WL has better dining options. We really enjoy eating outdoors at Geyser Point. Kidani has Sanaa, which is enjoyable, but WL also has Artist's Point (currently closed) and Whispering Canyon.
• WL has a food court for quick service dining. Kidani has none.
• WL lodge has a much better store for shopping. Kidani's store is tiny.
• WL has boat service to the Magic Kingdom, a nice change from the buses. It's all buses at Kidani.

Kidani does have a few advantages:

• Kidani rooms are larger.
• Kidani has the Savannah. If you pay for a Savannah View room, you get to watch giraffes walk by every day from your balcony!

 

[TCRAIG]

That’s the beauty of Disney resorts - I did NOT like the food at AKL - but I think the pools at AKL are far better than the pools at WL....

 

[Nabas]

That’s the beauty of Disney resorts - I did NOT like the food at AKL - but I think the pools at AKL are far better than the pools at WL....

We love the pool at Jambo House; it's one of our favorites. However, we were there a few weeks ago and, with everything closed due to COVID, Jambo House feels like a ghost town at the moment.

The pool at Kidani is too small for the resort. It's almost as hard to get a seat there as it is at Stormalong Bay.

The pool at Wilderness Lodge during our recent stay:

 

[Nabas]

The pool at Jambo House a few weeks ago. Despite beautiful weather, you can see that nearly all deck chairs are empty:

 

[CanadianMerida]

I've stayed at both and personally prefer Kidani. WL is great for location (close to MK) and pool, but I think Kidani beats it in all other ways. The room feels larger and the restaurants are better (Mara at Jambo House beats Roaring Fork at WL, in my opinion, and Sanaa at Kidani is delicious!). If you spend most of your time at the parks or outside the hotel, WL is probably for you, since it will just be a place to sleep. But waking up to zebras and giraffes outside your room at Kidani is just incredible! I happily spent hours on our balcony with some food, drink and a good book.

 

[Nabas]

I've stayed at both and personally prefer Kidani. WL is great for location (close to MK) and pool, but I think Kidani beats it in all other ways. The room feels larger and the restaurants are better (Mara at Jambo House beats Roaring Fork at WL, in my opinion, and Sanaa at Kidani is delicious!). If you spend most of your time at the parks or outside the hotel, WL is probably for you, since it will just be a place to sleep. But waking up to zebras and giraffes outside your room at Kidani is just incredible! I happily spent hours on our balcony with some food, drink and a good book.

I just checked, there is no announced opening date for the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I don't think Mara is open at the moment. (Maybe just for breakfast?)

The OP asked about Kidani. So I was comparing WL to Kidani.

IMO, Jambo House is better than WL when everything is open. However, at the moment, walking through Jambo House is a bit unnerving.

We love watching the giraffes walk by from our room!

 

[CanadianMerida]

I just checked, there is no announced opening date for the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I don't think Mara is open at the moment. (Maybe just for breakfast?)

The OP asked about Kidani. So I was comparing WL to Kidani.

IMO, Jambo House is better than SL when everything is open. However, at the moment, walking through Jambo House is a bit unnerving.

We love watching the giraffes walk by from our room!

I see what you mean! I always combine Kidani and Jambo in my head since they are so close to one another. I love those giraffes!

 

[ktink]

Thank you all for your input! WL is lovely & the boat was one of the main reasons why I went ahead & booked it. I've always wanted to stay at AKL & even though Jambo is closed I decided to go for Kidani! Thanks again!

 

[Nabas]

Thank you all for your input! WL is lovely & the boat was one of the main reasons why I went ahead & booked it. I've always wanted to stay at AKL & even though Jambo is closed I decided to go for Kidani! Thanks again!

Are you booking a Standard View or Savannah View?

 

[ktink]

Are you booking a Standard View or Savannah View?

Standard there weren't any Studios with Savannah views

 

[Nabas]

Standard there weren't any Studios with Savannah views

Just keep in mind that a Savannah View at Kidani is this:



While a Standard View at Kidani is something like one of these:

 

[ktink]

Just keep in mind that a Savannah View at Kidani is this:

View attachment 565942

While a Standard View at Kidani is this:

View attachment 565945

Yeah, I'm hoping a Savannah view opens up for the week that we are there.

 

[RanDIZ]

We love the pool at Jambo House; it's one of our favorites. However, we were there a few weeks ago and, with everything closed due to COVID, Jambo House feels like a ghost town at the moment.

The pool at Kidani is too small for the resort. It's almost as hard to get a seat there as it is at Stormalong Bay.

The pool at Wilderness Lodge during our recent stay:

View attachment 565899

The pool at Jambo House a few weeks ago. Despite beautiful weather, you can see that nearly all deck chairs are empty:

View attachment 565900

Wow! They both still look empty. We stayed at CCV and Kidani in Dec. and the pools pretty much mirror what you have here. Kidani pool was more busy then. It was crazy walking through Jambo in Dec. We were literally the only people in the lobby and around the Savanah. There may have been one or two families in the pool but that was it. I think there were more lifeguards.

 

[Leight19]

I think you got great advice but I’d just like to add a lot will be situational and reliant on when you travel relative to reopening.

Food: akv is top notch for food in normal times but with covid and reduced options dining is currently very limited. That said, wilderness lodge is also excellent dining and could be argued bettter then akv pending personal tastes (Point for wl)

travel: Transportation is often listed as biggest negative for akv due to how far it is and only buses. Wilderness lodge clearly has an advantage here. However, I’ve heard postive things about kidani with a car so may not be an issue if you drive.

Room size/quality: It sounds like you are doing studios but in case I misread kidani really starts to shine when moving to the 1 bedrooms. If you are doing studio I don’t think there’s much difference between the two.

Entertainment: I think both resorts in normal times have great options for resort entertainment but am of understanding that akv is severely scaled back now (bead activities and night vision goggles on hold I believe). However, at the end of the day akv has a savanah so even with things closed It would be a win in this category for me.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I'm DVC and WL is our home resort and we love it there. I find it very relaxing and after a day at the park, I decompress easily. It's close to the MK, only a boat ride away. You're also close to the campgrounds if you're into that. Geyser Point is great and beautifully located. The QS, Roaring Forks, has a large variety of menu items to choose from. Whispering Canyon is an all you can eat skillet meals with endless milkshakes. Get a room with a view of the lake, it's so pretty. I think they main draw for AK is the restaurants but I don't think all of them are open yet. A minus of AK is it's location. Far from everything.

 

[Shellyred8]

We enjoy both. However, in post-Covid times until more dining options open at AKL, I would vote for WL. We rely on WDW transportation when we are there and eat on-site. So, right now, there are more easily accessible dining options from WL. You can boat over to MK and then hop on the monorail to get to one of the monorail resorts for additional dining options.

Have a great trip!