We had an absolutely magical time on our 8-night stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village. The scenery was African inspired from the architecture to the color-schemes. This resort is sure to delight all animal lovers.
We had the pleasure of staying in a 1-bedroom villa savanna view which gave us the luxurious views of the animals directly from our rooms. My husband I were very leary of spending the extra Disney Vacation Club points to stay on the savanna because we do not spend a lot of time in our room, and we also wanted to make sure that if we spent the extra, we would actually see animals. Well, Disney did it again, perfection, we saw animals every single time we were in our room…even at night.
About our party
We are a family of 5. My 3 children slept out in the living room area on both the queen sleeper sofa and the sleeper chair. This is a chair that converts to a twin size bed. We also enjoyed the 2 full-baths as well as the in-room laundry facilities which we used daily.
The room was very spacious, and even though we really did not use the kitchen because we use the Disney Dining Plan, we really enjoyed the extra space for breakfast and relaxing after a long day at the parks.
*Tip-Bring your favorite DVD’s..there is a DVD player in the room.
*Tip-We packed an entire suitcase with breakfast essentials such as, bagels, cereal and ground coffee. You can purchase cream in the resort shop as well as milk.
*You can request more patio chairs from the front desk as their were only two for our party of 5.
One feature we absolutely loved was the Jacuzzi tub! I realize this is a frivolous find in a resort room but it was so nice to unwind at the end of a long day and relax with a glass of wine in this amazing tub! I can see where this would be a big benefit for travelers.
*Tip-Pack your favorite bubble bath!
Kidani village is a lot smaller than Jambo House which allows for a more quaint atmosphere. When I did online check in we requested to be on a high-floor, close to the elevator and lobby. Of course, Disney always does their best to honor guest requests and they did! We had a wonderful room location that was just 3 doors down from the elevator and about 3 minutes total to the lobby. We use both Disney transportation and refillable mugs from the Disney Dining Plan, so it was very nice to be close to the lobby for convenience.
*Tip-Be sure to have your Guru Agent add your request to your reservation by calling in as well..this adds an extra note for the resort to see.
We usually add in a small amount of time for the pool but being that we went to Disney in August, we had to add in a bit more time than normal for cool-off time. The pool area at Kidani Village was so relaxing! They had an amazing pool bar which was very close to the pool area. You can get adult and non-adult drinks, quick service and also refillable resort mug stations a the bar. In addition, during the day you will see a server walking the pool so that you don’t even have to leave your pool chair.
The pool features two slides, a larger family slide and a small slide for smaller children, although we saw plenty of adults taking advantage of the small slide too. :0) There are several points of entry for the pool, zero entry pool stairs, and ladders. For those that want some relax time, you will enjoy one of the two hot tubs around the pool which are nicely situated away from high-traffic areas.
There is also a nice water feature play area for smaller children. My youngest two are 6 and 9 and did not really use it much but for smaller children I could see this area being a nice feature. Don’t forget that Disney provides complementary life-vests and at the deluxe level and above pool towels.
If you are like my husband, you want to make sure to keep up with your workout routine. Not to fear, there is a fitness center in the pool area and it is equipped with all of your favorite machines.
The lobby area was small but so relaxing. There is an animal viewing area right there in the lobby which was always full of people day and night. I found it a very relaxing location of the resort.
Now for a few things that could use some tweaking….
We knew in advance that there was not a quick service restaurant on property but did not think it would bother us. Well…it kind of did. The walk from Kidani to Jambo was not terribly far but in the 107 degree heat and also with me recently having surgery on my ankle I found myself not wanting to walk that whole way. Disney did add a shuttle to and from Jambo to Kidani and back but you have to wait for it and sometimes we were not in the mood. This is not a huge deal but I thought it was worth mentioning.
The transportation at Kidani is just as it is review everywhere..it is SLOW! We waited WAY too long for a bus and this was every single day, not only at our resort but at the parks too. We would get up early and hit the bus stop at 7:45 am and a bus would not come until 8:35 or 8:40 on several occasions. They did have boards that listed when the next bus was coming but the time always changed on it. The next time we stay here we will be renting a car.
*Tip-Parking is free at any of the resorts or theme parks when you stay on property.
*Tip-Disney Transportation picks up from Kidani first and then Jambo house with the exception of when going to Downtown Disney.
Some things to note:
- When you stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge stay savannah or don’t bother!
- Be prepared for slow buses or rent a car.
- While many people say Animal Kingdom Lodge is too far off from everything, I say that everything is far from something. The issue is not the distance from the parks, it is the rate at which the buses come for pick up..that is what is worth mentioning.
Be sure to stay-tuned as I review more aspects of Animal Kingdom Lodge!
Contact us today to begin planning your magical vacation! Call 877-825-6146 or email us at admin@thewdwguru.com. You can also click below to request online pricing.
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