kapski
Registered: November 2009
Location: NJ
Posts: 5
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Review Date: Fri November 6, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 6
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Pros:
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nice rooms and 3 full bathrooms
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Cons:
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logistical nightmare
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My family of 6 stayed here on 10/25/09-10/31/09. We loved the room. We were all able to have our own spaces. However, there weren't many animals on our savannah. I think it was also a logistical nightmare. Parking below was quite hazardous as there were support poles in the oddest places so you could not see the other guests who seemed to speed through the lot. the pool was a walk through the lobby, around the fron of the resort, past busses and other guests arriving. This was usually done in bathing suits and towels. It just has a very odd make-up.
The cast members were awesome however. Themba, a savannah guide gave a great talk about S. Africa; his homeland. Kasey the cast member who checked us in was awesome b/c we got a great room near the lobby for my mom and dad's sake. Being that I am not a DVC member, It was an intersting experience.
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dizkrazkate
Registered: November 2009
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Wed November 4, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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peaceful, quiet, kids splash area, one bus stop
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Cons:
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no quick service, halls can be long
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We stayed here in a 2br standard view villa 9/19 to 9/25 and we loved it! Three adults and 4 kids and we had plenty of room. The third bathroom in the 2br was very helpful. Although some people feel the decor is too dark, I found it cozy and inviting.
We had a great room location on the 4th floor about halfway between the pool and the lobby overlooking the main entrance. It was a quick walk to the lobby, and we found a shortcut down the rafiki elevator and through the parking lot to the pool. The pool was very convenient though the location did seem a bit odd. My kids loved the pool, and the splash area was heaven sent for my 2 year old. Something for all ages. They had games at the pool in the afternoon for the kids with prizes and everything.
We did a split stay here and at Old Key West and we much preferred Kidani. Although it is geographically farthest to some of the parks, the fact that it has only one bus stop + jambo house made for a quick ride. Actually timing it to the MK was the same as from Old Key West because after we got on at OKW we had to make 4 more stops!
The best thing about Kidani was that the bus dropped us right there at the lobby where we could walk in, fill up our mugs at johari treasures and mosey to our rooms. At night with the kids it was peaceful and very convenient. In the morning we filled the mugs on our way out the door to the bus stop! We did not have a car so we used WDW transportation the entire trip. We had excellent luck with the busses with one wait being 30 min for our friends, we personally never waited more than 15 and it was usually around 5 min.
We saw plenty of animals both in the afternoon and at night. My kids really enjoyed the young giraffe. The only major complaint I have is the lack of a quick service. Even the pool bar does not have quick service. Though Jambo house is a quick walk, sometimes with small hungry kids it is not practical. I think Disney would be wize to add a quick service option here. Overall we loved it, are very happy that we purchased DVC here, and are thrilled to return next August (though we stay at Jambo House).
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tringldns
Registered: November 2009
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Mon November 2, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Gorgeously themed rooms, spacious villas
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Cons:
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No counter service, limited animals on our savannah, small lobby
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We stayed in Jambo house last year but needed a two room villa this year with 6 people so ended up at Kidani as non-DVC guests. Our first impression was ok - found it lacking compared to Jambo's lobby and atmosphere. But it was still nicely themed. Check in was smooth and the CM was great. She gave us a wonderful location for our room - right near the lobby as my mom is recovering from cancer treatments. I'm not sure I'd be happy with the rooms all the way around. They seem like a very, very long walk after a day in the park.
Parking was ok. We had a handicap hang tag for our car but found that there were only two spots in the immediate area of our underground elevator. It worked out ok as there were typically spots near by. Not sure how it would be in crowded times but I did hear that there is complimentary valet parking for cars with handicap plates/tags. We did use that at the Grand Floridian when we took my niece to tea, but never here. Parking underground was nice to get out of the sun but most, if not all of the spaces are next to concrete poles and visibility wasn't great backing out.
I was disappointed in the lack of animals on the savannah. I don't know if they were not used to the area yet, but we typically had one giraffe at feeding time, a couple of zebras later at night and some antelope. And the ever present ostrich. We saw many, many more animals last year. And I found it very odd that they do routine care on the animals between 6 and 10 am. I used to enjoy seeing them first thing in the morning. This year we never saw any animals when we first got up.
The pool was nice but oddly located. You needed to go through the lobby and across the entrance - following a sidewalk away from the resort. My niece loved the spray park that was located next to the pool. I thought that was a nice touch.
Bus service was spotty and we only used it a couple of times as we did have a car. We waited a long time one night for Magic Kingdom bus. And coming back one night from MK we also waited quite a bit.
I thought about a lower rating and not recommending, but as I mentioned above, the rooms were absolutely gorgeous and the CM's that we met were extremely nice. I loved having separate bedrooms and 3 full bathrooms. Kitchen was handy even if we didn't use it a lot. However, if I ever go back to AKL, I'll most likely try to stay at Jambo. Maybe get two rooms instead of a villa. This spoiled me some, but not sure the pros outweigh the cons.
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LiveFreeOrDisney
Registered: April 2007
Location: Dunbarton, NH
Posts: 24
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Review Date: Fri October 30, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Beautiful, quiet, Great cast members
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Cons:
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no quick service
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My DW and DD plus my In laws stayed from 10/25 to 10/30/09. We used our DVC points for a standard two bedroom villa. We were upgraded to a savannah view and stayed in room 7532. The rooms are the best of all DVC resorts and the resort is second only to the Wilderness Lodge.
It was clean, quiet and the cast members did a great job for us while we were there. It just needs some kind of quick service area and it would be a perfect 10.
We had a great time in the pool and my DD wouldnt leave the kids play area.
I recommend this resort to everyone.
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AMH9206
Registered: October 2009
Posts: 3
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Review Date: Mon October 26, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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new, clean rooms; animal viewing; kitchenette
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Cons:
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distance from parks
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We booked a standard room and were upgraded to a Savannah View Studio (#7514) during our stay from 10/9/09 to 10/12/09. Our party consisted of 3 adults and a toddler. We requested a crib, but found out that they do not do full size cribs. However, there is a pack n' play in each room. We were very limited on space when the sleeper and pack n' play were both out. Our room location was perfect since our building was very close to the lobby. I thought parking was very convenient too (which is a must with a toddler.) Another great feature was the kitchenette, which also included dish soap- perfect for washing sippy cups!
This was our first stay at AKV and we LOVED being able to watch the animals. We had a great view of the Savannah and it always stayed busy with animals. The savannah view was definitely a plus during naptime (but I'm not sure I'd pay $60 more per night for it!) We usually stay in the Epcot resort area, so AKV did seem further away from everything (except AK.) We used bus transportation several times and it never took long or filled up.
Mousekeeping came daily and did a great job. We forgot the tip one day, but the days we left tip, they left a towel animal on the bed. Overall, the room felt really clean (probably because it's new.)
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eporter66
Registered: October 2008
Posts: 4
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Review Date: Sat October 24, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Theme, Restaurants, Quiet Relaxing Atmosphere
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Cons:
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Nothing
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We just got back from a 6 day stay at AKV Kidani Village. We stayed in Rafiki building, 1 Bedroom, Room 7911.
A beautiful resort, relaxing, quiet and peaceful. Our room was very quiet, close to elevators (which were very quick). We also liked the parking garage underneath the building, keeps the cars nice and cool on hot days.
Kidani has a small merchandise/grocery store, but Jambo House is a short walk if you want the bigger stores.
The pool area in both locations have a zero entry section. A lot of activities and play areas for the kids, and a nice bar.
The savannah's in both locations allow you to see a lot of animals upclose, at Kidani we saw plenty of Zebra's, Giraffe's, Ostriches and other animals. The fire pit is a great place to relax and enjoy an evening.
The CM's were very friendly and helpful. We spoke with many who were from South Africa and were happy to talk about their experiences there and at Disney.
This is a great resort, and there are a good number of food options. We ate dinner at BOMA which I highly recommend - we did not try the other restaurants but heard many good things.
The only negative we experienced was the toilet off the bedroom was not flushing. We had to call twice, but never had another problem. It really was not an issue having a one bedroom, because the other bathroom worked fine. And maintenance came quickly and fixed the problem.
A great resort - we cant wait to go back
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maxandjakesmama
Registered: October 2009
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Sat October 24, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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very friendly and helpful staff over and above! beautifully detailed resort, plenty of animals to view, pool area
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Cons:
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room distance from lobby, no quick service for meals combined with poor choices for kids meals at restaurants, not enough valet persons working to accomodate guests
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We stayed at Kidani 10/8-10/10 at the end of our 8 day vacation to try it out. We are DVC members and usually stay at BCV. Overall this is a beautiful resort and the staff were wonderful at every encounter. Our one bedroom savanah view room was gorgeous and more than big enough for 2 adults and 2 children. There were plenty of animals to view and the kids loved this. The pool was fantastic and we spent a lot of time there during the heat wave that week. The decor is rich and colorful and we loved looking at the art work throughout, but you do not feel like you are at Disney.
There are a few reason I would not stay again and will return to BCV. The lack of quick counter service was very inconvenient, to have to get 2 children with all their gear onto a bus to grab something when they are tired was ridiculous. A deluxe level resort should offer more convenience to their guests. The valet service was clearly overwhelmed and understaffed, they were doing the best they could but again not up to our expectations. I felt bad even asking for assistance but without my husband on this trip there were times I really needed help managing my kids and my mom in a wheelchair.
Our room was very far from the lobby this wasn't a deal breaker for us but probaly would be for some. Lastly choices for taking walks was very limited. I hope these things can be corrected because the place overall is lovely.
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rlahansler
Registered: October 2009
Location: Orland Park IL
Posts: 4
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Review Date: Mon October 19, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Atmosphere
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Cons:
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Long walk to room
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Stayed here with my family (2 adults and 2 children) 9/26-10/4/09 in a one bedroom villa.
The room was very nice and spacious, loved that we had two separate bathrooms. The master bath was huge, loved the jacuzzi. The beds were very comfortable and their was just the right amount of space for the 4 of us. The rooms are dark, so its very hard to put on makeup. The animal viewing was nice but not awesome. The animals came and went and sometimes there were none.
Negative part was the long walk, we were in room 7882, almost at end. We counted 400 steps to our room from the lobby. They should have shuttle buses from certain parts. Also, wish they had a quick service restaurant.
The staff were all friendly and helpful.
Not sure if we will stay there again, mainly because it's located so far from everything .
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ellamarie
Registered: October 2008
Posts: 12
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Review Date: Tue October 13, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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the setting was beautiful
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Cons:
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a little dark, no food court
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negative first:
Yes the rooms were dark but you got used to it. I can understand why the dim lighting to fit with the theme.
The food court I missed - not being able to pop somewhere local for a quick bite to eat was a bit annoying, but Jambo House wasn't too far and the Market Place was only a bus ride away.
The positives: WOW and WOW!
Our home resort is Saratoga Springs so this is the first time we'd stayed somewhere different with DVC. The room was plenty big enough and the second bathroom very useful. The beds were comfy and everything was so clean and tidy. We were lucky enough to use the under ground parking throughout our stay so when we needed the car it was nice a cool. Can't wait until the bus stops are built because bus waiting was a little crowded at times.
Our maid was such a darling! So clean and tidy. The little things such as loading the dishwasher with our mugs and giving all our dishes a clean (even the clean ones were cleaned again!)
For my daughter's birthday, we were delivered a towel cake! So special and thoughtful considering we couldn't have balloons.
The pool was lovely and so was the kiddies bit with the snakes and buckets.
The savannah was breath taking, the animals amazing and the staff very knowledgable.
We've booked for May already to stay here again!
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eebart
Registered: October 2009
Posts: 10
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Review Date: Mon October 12, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Animals
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Cons:
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No quick service
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My husband and I stayed in a 1 Bedroom Savannah view 10/3 to 10/10. We had a long walk to our room which took over 5 minutes each time. There were only about 6 rooms past ours. The long walk was not fun when wanting to get more beverage in the refillable mug. The accommodations were great. The master bathroom was about the size of my dining room at home. The villa had all the amenities that you would need washer/dryer, vacuum, play pen and even a laundry basket. The kitchen was full size. Had the dining plan so I never cooked. We saw lots of zebras, giraffes, antelope and other animals. The pool area and water slide were fun. Being this far down from the lobby we were only a 5-7 minute walk to Jambo house for a quick service restaurant. I stayed on a points reservation and would probably not stay here if paying cash as the animals were only visible part of the day.
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chrislovesdisney
Registered: February 2006
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Sun October 4, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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2nd bathroom
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Cons:
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rooms were too dark and savannah small
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We stayed in the new area of Kidani Village. our room (7863) the outside savannah, so it was a small savannah. Definitely not worth the same points charged as the rooms on the opposite side with the larger savannah. The 2nd bathroom was wonderful. The room was spacious, although the bathroom was larger than necessary. The lighting in the rooms was too dark, so it was difficult for applying makeup and shaving. Depending where your room was the walk from the elevator to room was a good distance. No food court for a quick bite. Didn't use their restaurants (food not to our liking). The pool area was great, especially for the kids. The feeling of being secluded from the rest of Disney was nice, in a good way. Overall we enjoyed our stay there and the staff was great. If we do stay again, we would save our points and not get a savannah view.
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terrytech
Registered: October 2009
Location: Algonquin, Illinois
Posts: 6
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Review Date: Sat October 3, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Space/views/decor/amenities
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Cons:
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distance to lobby/transportation
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It's hard to give one of our "home" resorts less than a 10, but they have some work to do here. We found it "inconvenient" the morning of check out that we checked our bags at Kidani and they would not allow us to board the Magical Bus at Jambo house after breakfast to go to the airport, but made us do the walk back to Kidani to board (our bags had left long before we did). Only to have to ride the bus back to Jambo to pick up other passengers. No one could explain this exercise to us, but oh well it's done. Further there were mix ups regarding our check out day (housekeeping tried to take over our suite a day early) I think there is some additional training needed here...never experienced this confusion before.
The long walk to the lobby from distant "beads" is really the only downside of this resort. If we were 10 years younger, the trade off of the views of the animals in the morning on the savannah would be no big deal for the extra hike. So if you're in better shape than we are in our mid-50's go for it. Seeing a Giraffe, or zebra or ostrich in your back yard at sunrise with your morning coffee is a glorious once-in-a-lifetime experience. OH! we can also 5 star the massages and spa facilities at the at the Jambo house! Treat yourself!!
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jaywalker17
Registered: October 2009
Location: Green Bay, WI
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Fri October 2, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? No
| Rating: 5
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Pros:
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Animals, Theme, Beautiful room
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Cons:
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Layout, no quick service dining, noisy, long walk to pool, valet service
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My wife, son and I stayed in a Savannah view studio 9/26-9/30. We were lucky enough to get a free upgrade to the Savannah view! The room itself was beautiful with a large balcony for viewing the animals, which were abundant.
We were relatively close to the lobby, but I'd hate to be stuck in a room at one of the far ends. The walk would wear you out.
The bus stop was under construction, so you had to board the buses near the lobby entrance. Several times we were driving back and couldn't get to the valet parking area because of a backlog of buses. Also we had to wait up to 10 minutes for a valet driver to be available. After seeing how efficiently valet service is at the BC and BW, this was disappointing.
There was a lot of noise from people walking down the hallways.
To get to the pool, you had to go back through the lobby and walk across the parking lot area. Same to get to the tennis courts and such.
And because it's new, the staff did not know all the answers yet. We were misinformed that there was only one pool entrance (in fact, there is another gate near one of the parking areas that was slightly closer to our room), and that there was just the pool bar for drinks (there is one inside at Sanaa also).
Pool play area was very nice, while the pool itself was small (for Disney) and most of it was less than 4 ft deep.
Sanaa was great! Get the Pork Chop!
Overall we felt that if we had not had the Savannah view or had paid full price (we got an AP discount) we would have been not just disappointed but angry.
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KatieG
Registered: September 2009
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Tue September 15, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 6
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Pros:
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Rooms are big. 2nd bathroom is a plus. Savannah views good.
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Cons:
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Dark. LONG walk from lobby to room
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Longtime DVC member just returned from a long weekend stay at a one bedroom unit in Kidani Village. Loved the sleeper chair and sofa - my two teen-aged sons were delighted to have their own bed. Extra bathroom was wonderful as well. Master bath was extremely spacious (almost too big). Rooms were dark. Our toilet had a long "wait" time between flushes - problem in the morning! However, the walk to our room (we counted over 500 steps) from the lobby was just ridiculous! We joked about needing to drive the car to the other end of the garage to get to the lobby. Wasn't so much an issue in the morning when everyone is full of energy, but at the end of the day it is a very, very, very long walk. We were on the 4th floor, room 7869, and it was a hike. Would have liked a quick service restaurant there as well.
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skeets024
Registered: August 2006
Location: NY
Posts: 10
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Review Date: Thu September 3, 2009
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 5
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Pros:
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theming and decor, pool area, savannah vieW
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Cons:
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layout, distance to pool, furniture in studios
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We stayed for 6 nights 8/21-8/27 in a savannah view studio. We were 4: myself,husband, 4 year old daughter and 2 year old son. While the room and furniture were beautiful (#7256) we found that it was not very functional. Studios have limited space as you know and the couch was NOT the wonderful all one piece couches that you find in BCV. You had to remove the seat AND back cushions which were huge and then try to find a place to put them. I found the bed to be hard an uncomfortable. It also had 4 huge decorative pillows that had to be removed in order to sleep. The lighting in the bathrooms were much too dark.
We also were in a lock off and the area with the door had a lot of wasted space. I found the kitchen counter to be smaller than in other studios. The balcony was spacious and views of the animals were numerous. I don't understand why they didn't push back the resort and parking so that the pool would centrally located as it is at Jambo. It was a very long walk from our room in Zasu parking area. They offered outdoor movies on the sport courts which were across the parking lot and near the bus stop. I would imagine it's noisy.
Sanaa was great but the service was a little slow. We were seated by a window and had decent views of animals. The pool and play area was great as was the slide.
Overall it's beautiful and I am glad I stayed there...once. We'll stick to our favorite area from now on, Epcot resort area.
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