My family stayed in Kidani Village at the Animal Kingdom Lodge this summer from July 7-14th. This is our second time staying at Kidani Village, one of the Disney Vacation Club properties. We’ve stayed at many other hotels in Walt Disney World over the years (10 different ones) and Kidani is one of our favorites.
Pulling up to the resort, the theme is evident right away, with the thatched roof and the drums welcoming you “home”. The lobby is impressive but not as big or as bustling as Jambo House at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We love to look out onto the Savannah, through the two story windows, as we enter the building for a first peek at what animals are out and about.
Once we’ve checked in, it’s off to our room. The way Kidani is laid out it can be a long walk to your room from the lobby. Both times we’ve stayed we ended up with rooms fairly close to the lobby but I can see that the distance to your room could be a problem for some people. We’ve stayed both in a Savannah view and a Standard view. Of course the Savannah view was amazing. What fun to step outside and see the animals of an African Safari right outside your living room. But I was surprised that our Standard View was very green. Of course to see animals we just had to go down the hall to look out the windows or down to the lobby where the lounge is as well as the entrance to the Savannah. We stayed in a one bedroom which has plenty of room for our family of 5, including 2 adults and an 18 yr old son, 16 yr old daughter and a 14 yr old daughter. You can imagine with 3 teens, we loved that our room had 2 full bathrooms and a full kitchen! I don’t even want to think how long it would take for us all to get ready if we didn’t have that second bathroom.
The bus stop is located just to the right of the main entrance. There is a covered walkway to get there, and benches and covers while waiting for the bus. Since our last visit they added TV’s that show Disney infomercials. The buses arrived in 20 min. or less. After picking up at Kidani the bus heads over to Jambo House before heading to the parks, which means we always had a seat (until we gave it up for people who needed it more). The only bus that goes to Jambo House first is the one to Downtown Disney. Keep this in mind if you want to take buses between Kidani Village and Jambo Hosue. Even though it’s only a 5-10 min. walk, you can hop on a bus if you want to.
On a hot day it’s nice to cool off in the pool and Kidani has a great one, Samawati Springs. It can get a bit crowded at midday and when they show movies on the outdoor screen. In the afternoon, cast members host various games for the kids and they can win small prizes. There is a zero entry area, hot tubs, a little slide, a really cool big slide and Camp Uwanja kids water play area. We think the slide is the best one other than the big one at the Beach Club. And the play area is so much fun with kid-size water slides, water cannons, water jets, wading pools, and snakes that shoot water! Maji Pool Bar serves alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and a very limited selection of food. There is also a cup refill station to the right of the bar. Just above the slide is the fitness center. I haven’t used this but my son has. While we relax at the pool he is up there working out. He thought it was great.
Our one complaint at Kidani Village is the lack of a quick service restaurant. The only restaurant is Sanaa, an Indian- and African-inspired table service restaurant with a view of the savanna. Sometimes we are in a rush and would love to be able to quickly buy and eat a meal and this really isn’t possible. In the mornings, we solve this by eating breakfast in the room of food we bought at the gift shop in the lobby. There is a section with food, only slightly higher than a grocery store, and a drink refill station. At Jambo House there is a quick service restaurant, Mara. We have walked over for lunch once and breakfast once. It’s just a little inconvenient and at lunch time very crowded. We did eat at Boma, at Jambo House and my kids didn’t like it, the food was too differently spiced for them. I must point out, they are not the most adventurous eaters, and while I thought the food was good, but not good enough to pay adult prices for my teens not to eat. Jiko is a signature restaurant also at Jambo House which we have not eaten.
Overall, we love staying at Kidani Village and if you’re looking for a little more room, an extra bath, a kitchen and animals outside your window I think you will too!