Kidani Village

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

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My first encounter with Kidani Village was in the rain. In December. (sigh.) But the World was dressed for Christmas, and even the weather didn't dampen any spirits.

I was welcomed into the lobby by some Christmas Carolers, and enjoyed some Christmas tunes while checking in. No lines, no waiting. I like checking in that way.

I was first struck at the size of the lobby. It was like seeing Sleeping Beauty Castle after seeing Cinderella Castle so many times. I've described Jambo House's atrium as Grand. Kidani's is Cozy. At the same time, I was pleased to see that the atrium was instantly recognizable as being part of Animal Kingdom Lodge.

The biggest difference in the Atrium, is the lack of rooms (and corridors). Thus, if you're in one wing of the hotel on the third floor or higher, you have to go down to the lobby level to get to the other side. The gift shop is small, but has a selection of typical hotel food for the room.

This recognition extends to the rest of the hotel as well. If you've stayed at Jambo House at some point, you'll feel right at home at Kidani. From the rugs, to the hall decor, to the room decor, to the views off your balcony into an animal savanna. It all says "Animal Kingdom Lodge". That's a good thing.

Map of Disney's Animal Kingdom Resort, Kidani Village. Click on the map for a larger view... Map ©Disney

Kidani is surrounded by two savannas. Sunset, which is shared with Jambo House, and the newest savanna, Pembe. The public viewing area for Pembe is by the Samawati Spring Pool area.

I do like the pool area more here than at Jambo. It seems to be more sculpted into the landscape, and with the Savanna overlook and the kid's play area separating the pool from the hotel, is more a destination in itself. At Jambo, I felt like part of the display for the guests in the pool view rooms.

One of the things I really did like, was the under building parking. It was raining when I moved into Kidani, and being able to unpack the car in the dry was a plus. It's usually a short walk to the elevator, which has a very quick and smooth movement. Not Tower of Terror quick, but very fast and thus quickly available. The elevators are placed so you never have to walk more than a couple of building segments to your room, making the hated luggage unload less hated. (Did I mention the first time I was in Jambo House my room was really far from the lobby?) Friends of mine did complain that if you're in the far reaches of one of the wings, that the hike to the lobby and transportation got old, really quick. (But that's true of any room that's really far from the food/bus area. See my Art of Animation page... :-)

The Rooms have HDTV's, with a box that allows you to connect to the TV via HDMI, VGA and standard video with stereo audio RCA connections. All the rooms are Villas. The studio I was in had a microwave, toaster; and larger 'fridge and a larger capacity coffee maker than a deluxe or moderate.

In 2009, the biggest drawback I thought Kidani had was no breakfast service, nor counter service. The Mara in Jambo is the closest counter-service, with both Mara and Boma serving breakfast. I drove back and forth, and it wasn't that painful. (They now have a shuttle bus that runs between the resorts.) If you have a one or two bedroom villa, you'll have a kitchen, so you can at least cook something, and the store in Kidani's lobby has food for those who don't have a car available.

You can read more about my 2009 Kidani Village in my December 2009 Trip Report. You'll see the same pictures, but in more of a chronological order... :-)

My second stay at Kidani in 2012, was on rented DVC points from a friend. (Thanks, Laura!) We rented a 2-bedroom villa when I brought along Mom, a mobility handicapped parent. (You can read all about that from my Sept/October and March 2012 Trip Reports.)

Kidani Village: Entrance, Lobby, Registration, Bus Stops