A few weeks ago I attended a media event sponsored by Walt Disney World. While covering the event I stayed at Kidani Village.
When I visited Kidani Village last year I did not come away very impressed with the resort”¦but then again I did not stay at the resort.
My first impression was that it took forever to get around the resort. The resort was built in a huge semi-circle, which did not offer any shortcuts to get from one side of the resort to the other.
I also visited Sanaa, the Kidani Village signature sit-down restaurant.
I did not care for the food at Sanaa because it just didn’t seem to do anything for me. I love spicy food, especially Indian food but on this particular night it wasn’t working for me. In fact I got the impression that the restaurant was shooting for an African-Indian cuisine but could not hit the mark.
I also was puzzled by how the resort was constructed. The parking area for the resort was underneath the building. This gave the building a not so authentic African look and I remember criticizing the design.
Of course the location was a huge issue with me. Why would anyone want to stay in the most remote resort on the Disney property?
Let’s flash forward to this year.
Some of my thoughts have changed and this turnaround is mostly due to my experience while staying at the resort.
First let me speak towards the room. I found the room décor to suit me very well. I like the warm colors and somewhat rustic look of the room décor. At the end of the day this décor helped me to unwind.
The Savannah view rooms are very nice and give you a chance to see the animals up close. I had a rare opportunity to watch some young zebras playing and running around one evening out in the Savanna”¦all from my balcony.
Now the parking. I now somewhat understand why the parking is like it is”¦.the many elevators allow you to be fairly close to any elevator you need to get to your room.
Also, when looking out your window you cannot see a parking lot filled with cars”¦.that was something that never crossed my mind last year.
The kiddie and adult pool area is very nice and for the children the kiddie area is almost like a Minnie water park with slides and all kinds of interesting things to do.
Since I am in training mode I made use of the Survival of the Fittest Training place. The state of the art training facility had treadmills bikes, elipticals, free weights and a complete circuit of fitness machines for anyone interested in keeping fit.
The accommodations may not be for everyone as some may feel the rooms are too dark for them and prefer the bright colors of let’s say Bay Lake Towers.
I myself like the warm colors and found that Kidani Village may be the suitable choice for those guests who prefer to have their room off the beaten path.
Having said that I must also point out that the Kidani Village is located in a remote part of Walt Disney World and with the exception of the Animal Kingdom, it is a good distance from the theme parks.
One evening I decided to ride the bus from the Magic Kingdom and it took 35 minutes to get to Kidani Village.
The big question is would I stay there again?
I would but I think my limit would be three days only because I prefer being centrally located while visiting Walt Disney World.
But at the end of the day if you are looking fro a quite respite from the hustle and bustle of the three parks then Kidani Village may be what you are looking for.
This experience has taught me not to ever again judge a resort from the outside in.
“I was a guest of Walt DisneyWorld during this media event. While my (accommodations) were paid for, this in no way influenced my opinions set forth in this blog.”
Love the resort , Love the Animals Love the peace and quite when not at the parks, But they really need a quick service rest. Somthing where you can get snacks and Breakfast. Not close enought to Jambo House to get a quick bite and then back to the room. The price it too expesie to Share a store and a guick service rest. Can see it at the All Stars but not here.
Thank you for the review and for all the informative comments. I really wanted to stay at this resort. We’re normally Polynesian fans, but loved the idea of Sanaa (we’re vegetarian and love Indian food), the great looking children’s play areas (we have two young boys), and like having a kitchen and saving money that way.
However, our youngest son being autistic and kids generally winding down QUICKLY, we simply cannot stay someplace where we will have to wait for a bus and then have a half hour ride on top of it.
So next time, it’ll probably be the Poly again and maybe BLT.
Thanks again,
Julie
I had a short stay at Kidani Village back in May of 2009 with my young son. The biggest drawback for me, was the lack of a counter service/food court type eatery within the Village. It became quite a challenge (especially during the pouring rain) to head over to the Mara either by foot or bus with a young child for a snack or quick bite to eat. I also found the gift shop to be surprisingly small for the size of the Village.
The pool area was wonderful. My son couldn’t get enough of the water play area. And of course, how could you not enjoy seeing the various types of animals right off your balcony.
All in all, it was a pleasant place to stay. I would definitely go again, but like you said, for a short trip.
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Gina,
I keep hearing the same complaints…no quick/counter service and the gift shop is small.
Too bad they did not have something like a quick-service area near Sanaa.
Mike
Hi Mike – thanks for the updated review. We will be staying at Kidani for the first time for the first few days of our upcoming Easter trip (then we’ll move over to the BCV – they are both Home Resorts for us).
We enjoyed our stay at Jambo House last year but after reading some comments here, I’m a bit worried about the transportation to the parks from Kidani. We depend on Disney transporation throughout our trip and we like to get to the parks for those very early EMH openings. We never had an issue traveling to/from the parks from Jambo House. Is the trek to/from Kidani that much worse? And how easily can one travel between Kidani and Jambo – can you walk or must you rely on bus service?
Thanks for your help and your wonderful reviews!
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Hi Val, There is bus service between Kidani and Jambo HOuse. It is a looong walk between the two.
I guess it’s a matter of choice regarding bus service.
k so regardless of whether you take Disney transportation or drive a car from the park to the resort it will be a long trip home.
I would think that taking a bus from in front of the Magic Kingdom to Kidani would be faster than the car option…but it will be close to a 30 minute trip.
Kidani is the furthest resort from TM
We stayed at the Kidani Village the week of President’s Week/Mardi Gras. Which is a busy time of the year due to up North having a week off for Presiden’ts week and people in Louisiana that don’t want to go Mardi Gras go to Disney. We did not have to wait more than 10min. for the bus to pick us up in the mornings and when we left any park at night the bus was always waiting there for us. We did not have long rides to and from any of the parks not even Downtown Disney.
My only down fall to this resort is that when we arrived we were told Kidani did not have quick service which is fine. No one told us that Jamba House had quick service and we could go there since Kidani did not have one. We found out about it the last day of our stay when we were trying to redeem 3 snacks we had left on the dinning plan. Other than that nice resort.
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Cheiron,
Is it me or does it seem like DVC Resorts seem to be lacking in quick-service places?
Great review!
We are DVC owners at Kidani and stayed for the first time in September of 2009. We had a 2 bedroom savannah view villa and really enjoyed our stay. The warmth of the room’s decor and the general peace an quiet really take you away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the Disney bubble. We were amazed at the space we had to live in. It seemed that our master bathroom was almost as big as the standard room my sister and her family were staying in at Jambo House at the time!
One strike, though, was the distance that a guest room can be from the lobby. Our unit was literally the last unit on the wing. We encountered a security guard in the hallway one evening and he said that each wing was a quarter mile long. Whether that distance was true or not, it certainly felt like it when I had to go to the lobby for anything. The curve of the building made for a slightly surreal experience – you could never see the end point of your destination… the hallway just always kept going…
One other thing – I have no idea what the bookings looked like for the resort when we were there, but in our week long stay we – honestly – encountered fewer than 15 other guests at Kidani. It was very weird. Jambo House was bustling when we went over there, but Kidani was always a ghost town. Made for a peaceful, if slightly surreal, experience.
AKV is our home DVC resort. We stayed at Kidani Village for the first time in late October 2009. Loved the low key feel and the opportunities to learn from the Africans employed there. Presentations about their home countries and drumming classes provided wonderful discussions to expand our world view.
When we were there, the bus service was outstanding. Most of the time, we waited less than 10 minutes for a bus to depart, which felt like half the time we wait at other resorts.
The combination of well designed facilities, with animals, art work and recreation staff from Africa make Kidani Village a destination resort that feels very far away from our everyday lives. We enjoy Kidani Village.
Thank you, Mike, for the review. I recall your observations in the first article and remember having similar feelings during a walk through my wife and I made on a recent visit. The warmth and ambiance was almost intoxicating but reality was a only a shortcoming away, yet I am anxious to stay in Kidani.
I can’t seem to find the original article. Can you direct me to it?
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Tom, I don’t think I ever wrote an article on Kidani before.
Hi,
Had lunch @ Sanaa this past Holiday season and loved it.
We’d go back again for lunch and/or dinner.
AK and DVC seem gorgeous to me. This doesn’t include rooms.
Personally, We’ve never stayed at the AK and probably would not. It always seems far away from everything for our liking
Frank
Although the resort is the most remote of all the resorts, this is why we chose it as our home resort and continue to stay there when we come to WDW: 1)the decor allows us to all unwind; 2)there’s nothing like having our morning coffee out on the balcony watching the animals on the savana. It’s so quiet and tranquil. The same applies to the evening/nights. You actually get to watch the animals play and interact with each other. 3)the staff great, they are so happy to share their culture and stories of their home country. The nightly gathering around the outside firepit for story telling is amazing. 4)the resturants have excellent food choices. Our daughter is a vegetarian and she has a very expanded variety of food to choose from.
The resort may not suit every quest, but for us it’s home!
Mike,
Thanks for the updated review. We own here and stayed in September and LOVED it. We didn’t even have a savannah view! One of my favorite things, was that you always go past the shop (read mug refill station) on your way in or out of the resort. This was very convenient and we really felt it helped us get a better value out of our mugs than at say OKW or SSR. Very relaxing in the evening, and we really did feel totally in “the Magic” of WDW. We tend to bus it to the parks at off hours, but the bus trip didn’t seem any longer than riding the bus all around OKW or SSR before even leaving the resort and THEN going to the parks. Can’t wait to stay here again. And for the younger set, my 2 year old gave the water splash area two thumbs up!
Kate
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Thanks Kate.
Mike
I love the parking design! I hadn’t even thought about the fact that no one has to see a parking lot from their villa — good point! The think I like most about the parking is that, when we travel for our summer vacation, our car doesn’t sit in the baking sun for endless hours. No doubt, it still gets hot, but not having the sun blazing down makes a difference — I’m convinced. Thanks for the great info on Kidani!
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Barbie,
I had never thought about the shade factor.
Thanks for pointing that out.
Mike
We’ve been DVC members for a few years now, and bought points at Animal Kingdom so we could stay at Kidani, based on the walk through room set up for DVC members to preview.
We stayed at Kidani Village, in a 2 bedroom suite. The rooms themselves are gorgeous, well-equipped and arguably the best layout of a DVC room on property. There is very little wasted space, the decor is comfortable, and the extra bathroom (3 full baths in a 2 bedroom) was wonderful to get everyone ready in the morning. The pool area is fantastic and easy to get to, and well worth hanging out for a day or two.
We had a savannah view room, which was really cool, and the staff was very knowledgeable and friendly.
The store is disappointing in its quantity and variety of items stocked. When asked, the staff said that Disney is assuming you’re going to share with Jambo House. We stayed nearly two weeks and didn’t go over to Jambo once. As with some of the other dual (DVC/non DVC) properties, I’m disappointed in the ‘sharing’ philosophy. I know it cuts down on cost for Disney, but if I’m staying at a resort, I don’t want to have to go to another one to use the store.
Bus transportation in October of 2009 was also a little disappointing. There was no rhyme or reason as to when buses to parks would show up. We once waited more than an hour for a bus to come for one park.
The on-site food options are also limited. We had groceries delivered to the room, but there wasn’t any place at the resort to get a quick hamburger. I appreciate wanting to stay with the African theme, but a wider appeal menu would be nice.
This resort is a 30-45 minute bus ride from Downtown Disney. Most of the parks were a 20ish minute ride.
We would stay here again, but because we’re DVC members and go to Disney several times a year, our vacations tend to be a lot less frenetic than most. This is a wonderful resort if you want a quiet, romantic, relaxed vacation where you spend a good portion of your time at the resort itself. There’s a bonfire every night where guides describe the animals that wander through the lobby area savannah, which is really cool. If you plan to be up early and out at the parks all day, be aware that transportation time will make coming back for a nap with little ones problematic.
Overall, I’d say that Disney’s design was outstanding, but the execution was less than flawless.
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Jill,
I had the same reaction to the store…not many choices.
Also, I too would have liked to have seen somewhat of a food court presence at Kidani.
Mike
I’m curious as to why it took 35 minutes to get from MK to KDV. I drive home from the Contemporary pkg lot 3 nights a week ( which exits right across from the MK busses), and go to Osceola Pkwy, but then go east towards the Loop. I travel a good 6 miles east, much further than KDV would be, and am usually home within 25 minutes of entering my car at CT. The only real slow part is from the MK till you end up on World Drive, after going slow by the Poly and all. Was there some sort of delay at the original AKL, or am I missing something?
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It was at the end of the day and there was a lot of traffic which made for a slower speed on the bus.
That plus the fact that the bus stopped at Jambo HOuse to let guests off added a few more minutes.
My family stayed at Kidani Village last year. We had a dedicated two bedroom villa with a Standard View. I must say, I was impressed. This particular room had a view of the main pool and its lush greenery, and looking to the right we were able to enjoy a Savannah View with assorted animals. I know all of the room locations are not that special, but we really enjoyed our stay.
Thanks for the review, and I feel that your assessment is right on the mark with what we feel about Kadani.
We are DVC members who chose AKL as our home resort, and love staying at Jambo and Kadani. The great thing about on site at WDW is the resort choice which, as you note, does result in complete different experiences.
We split our 9 day Christmas trip between Bay Lake Tower and AKL, and although both were awesome, it was like two entirely different vacations. After a few days with the crowds and kinetics of BLT in the shadow of MK, AKL was serene, soothing and made us feel like we were no where near civilization.
In Fall, 2009, my family and I took our 15th trip to Disney World. We requested to stay at Port Orleans-French Quarter, my favorite. Upon arrival, we were told we were “chosen” to enjoy a new, more expensive resort – Kadani Village. I had requested 2 double beds at French Qtr and a room adjoining my other family, if possible. To my surprise, when we returned from the Magic Kingdom after fireworks we were in a room with a queen size bed and a sofa bed and not adjoining family. I was livid – at midnight, I was told we could be moved but by now, my 4 yr old grandson was asleep. It was very inconvenient – no signs how to find the food court, and it was too far for walk anyway, we were told by the staff. I swore I would never return to Disney ever, ever again. I have now softened up and we are planning a May trip but not to this overpriced, inconvenient place!!!!
The one bed villas are very spacious – two bathrooms mean getting ready in the morning was really quick.
With regards to the parking – another plus is that your car is in the shade
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June,
I never thought of the shade factor.
Thanks for that point.
Mike
The one bedroom is VERY nice at Kidani, but you just can’t emphasize enough how far the resort is from just about anything. The bus system is horrible. In fact the only thing I remember about my trip was the long waits for and on the bus. The resort is great for a short trip that you do not leave the resort. Good pool area great restaurants at Jambo. Would have to be desperate to stay again.
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George,
I think that most people would agree with you that location is the one issue that most people have regarding both Kidani Village and The Animal Kingdom Lodge.
However, they are both perfect theme wise to be close to DAK.
Mike
I like this review of the resort. It would be fun to see reviews of all resorts in your blogs. Whatever happened to the other part of the Pop Century Resort? you know, the 1900-1940’s with the Generation Gap Bridge.
Connie,
There may be a possible announcement later this year regarding Phase 2 of Pop Century.
Mike
Did you try the Sanaa restaurant again? If so, how was it this time?
I did not get a chance to try Sanaa again.
Everyone should try it at least once.
Hi, I enjoyed reading this 🙂
I’m planning to stay at a DVC resort for one night in June 2011, before heading off on a Disney Dream cruise the next day!
If we stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge.. would you recommend a room at Kidani Village, or in Jambo House?
We just want to relax at the resort after the 9 hour flight, not race off to the parks!
Many thanks, I really enjoy your blog & WDW Today podcast 🙂
Emma
Surrey, England
Emma, you must try Kidani Village.
Mike
Dear Mike,
I also like the fact that the rooms are a bit ”warmer” here then in other resorts and as you said it helps me as well to unwind after a long day in the parks or where your travels may take you.
In my opinion the reason my family bought into AKLV as our home DVC resort is simple, at AKLV I feel totaly removed from all of the hustle and bustle of being at WDW.
Some friends have asked me whats the best and worst part of being at AKLV? One answer for both the best thing about the resort is that it’s far away from everything, and the worst part of the resort is that it’s far away from everything…..I guess it just comes down to personal preference.
Thanks for you insights,
JOHN