Category — d. Where to Stay at Walt Disney World

OVERVIEW: KIDANI VILLAGE AT DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM VILLAS FOR FIRST TIME VISITORS

Note: guests at Kidani Village are eligible for Disney World’s Early Entry program, and have the ability to pre-book as early as  seven days before check-in Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass rides. They are also eligible for its Extended Evening Hours.

Kidani Village at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas (a Disney Vacation Club resort) is a wonderful place for returning visitors to Walt Disney World to stay.

For typical first-time visitors, I don’t recommend the Disney Vacation Club resorts.

That said, these “DVC” resorts can be a great choice for first time visitors with large families, needing extra sleeping spaces, or looking for a more comfortable place to stay.

Among the Disney Vacation Club resorts, Kidani Village ranks second or third, depending on room type.

THE DISNEY VACATION CLUB RESORTS

You can have a spectacular visit at any Walt Disney World resort. However, this site recommends that typical first time visitors to Walt Disney World avoid the Disney Vacation Club resorts, while noting that these resorts are wonderful for visits after the first. (You can find extensive detail on the DVC resorts here.)

This recommendation comes from the simple fact that the distinguishing feature of these resorts–extra space and full kitchens–will not be of much value to first-time visitors following one of the itineraries on this site, as they won’t be used much.

That said, the Disney Vacation Club resorts represent more than 10% of Walt Disney World’s total rooms, and are very appropriate for first time visitors with large families, needing extra sleeping spaces, or looking for a more comfortable place to stay.

Because of this, I’m providing a series of up-to-date reviews. I’ve stayed in six different villas and studios in Kidani Village, and this review is based on those stays. It includes:

• The summary page you are on now, plus more details:
• An overview of theming and accommodations at Kidani Village
• A three page photo tour of a Studio and a One Bedroom Villa (the two combined being a Two Bedroom Villa):
  • Photo tour of a Studio at Kidani Village
  • Photo tour of the Living/Dining/Kitchen Space in One and Two Bedroom Villas at Kidani Village
  • Photo tour of the Bath and Master Bedroom in One and Two Bedroom Villas at Kidani Village
• Amenities and Dining at Kidani Village
• The Pool at Kidani Village
• The Art of Kidani Village

ACCOMMODATIONS AT KIDANI VILLAGE

Kidani Village has four room types

• Studios, which sleep four in a space similar to a regular hotel room
• One Bedroom Villas, which sleep five in a two bay space, one bay a master suite with a king bed and the second bay offering another bath and living, dining and kitchen spaces, with fold-out beds for three
• Two Bedroom Villas, which sleep nine and essentially combine a One Bedroom Villa and a Studio
• Grand Villas, which sleep 12 in a two story space twice the size of a Two Bedroom Villa.

Resorts are ranked on this site for first time visitors based first on their kid appeal, and then on their convenience.

On this basis, Kidani Village at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas comes in fifth overall of the Disney Vacation Club resorts.

(See this for resort rankings.)

However, there’s a little variability here depending on room type and family size.

• Studio rooms (right third of the floor plan): fifth-best, after Studios at the Polynesian Villas and Bungalows,  the Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, the Copper Creek Villas at the Wilderness Lodge, and the Jambo House Villas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• One-Bedroom Villas (left two thirds of the floor plan): third best, after the Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and the Copper Creek Villas at the Wilderness Lodge 
• Two-Bedroom Villas (all of the floor plan): for families that can fit into two two-person beds in one bedroom and a king in a second, fourth best after the Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and the Copper Creek Villas at the Wilderness Lodge and the Jambo House Villas.  For families that can’t, and thus also need to use the sleeper sofa and/or sleeper chair in the combined living/dining/kitchen space, Kidani Village is the second best of the DVC options, after Copper Creek
• Grand Villas: Third best after Copper Creek and Jambo House

That said, some unique room features make Kidani Village a better choice than Jambo House for some first time family visitors.

Kidani Village has a number of very strong positives.

• It is one of only a few Disney Vacation Club resorts that can fit 5 people in a One-Bedroom villa, or 9 into a Two-Bedroom.
• Along with Jambo House, it uniquely presents savanna views of animals roaming.
• Changes it reflects to the older layouts of the typical Disney Vacation Club villas makes it among the most livable of DVC one bedroom villas.
  • The kitchen/dining/living room area has been both widened and deepened.
  • This extra space has been used to add both a second full bath to One-Bedroom Villas, and enough living space in the living room that it can be used even if the fold-out sleeper sofa is being used.
  • (These features carry over to two bedroom villas as well.)

Much more on accommodations at Kidani Village begins here, including photo tours of all the major accommodation spaces.

DINING AT KIDANI VILLAGE

Dining at Kidani is wonderful, but for a hotel that can sleep almost 3,000 people, it is quite limited.

The principal venue is the wonderful Sanaa, with a quick service breakfast in the morning and table service lunch and dinner the rest of the day.

There’s also a few lunch-style items at the pool bar, and a reasonable stock of food for the 300+ full kitchens here in the gift shop.

There’s more options at Jambo House, but because of the architectural layout of Kidani–which is designed to maximize the number of rooms with savanna views–it can be more than a mile’s walk to the quick service eatery in the main Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House facility.

Besides walking, you can take one of the park buses–ask the driver if its next stop is Jambo–or the van shuttle available at the guest drop off outside the lobby.

For more on dining at Kidani Village, see the second half of this page.

THE POOL AT KIDANI VILLAGE

The pool at Kidani, Samawati Springs pool, is among the more fully featured and delightful of the Disney World pools.

Kidani guests can also use the pool at Jambo House.

There’s a detailed overview of Kidani Village’s pool here.

KID APPEAL AND CONVENIENCE AT KIDANI VILLAGE

Kid Appeal. Both of the Disney Vacation Club resorts at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge–Kidani Village and Jambo House–have stunning kid appeal based on the views of wild animals available from the balconies of rooms with savanna views, and from many public areas.

In addition, the Jambo House Villas have a jaw-dropping lobby.

Kidani Village has its own lobby.  While lovely and charming for adults, it simply does not compare to the kid impact of Jambo house. (The image is from one of my holiday visits; your Christmas decorations may vary…There’s a view of the lobby windows at the top right of this page.)

Convenience. Both of the Animal Kingdom Lodge DVC properties are incredibly convenient to the Animal Kingdom theme park.  (You cannot walk there, however–buses or driving are the only options.) They are distant from the other three Walt Disney World theme parks.

Just as Jambo House is more kid-appealing, it is more convenient for first-time visitors than Kidani Village. Kidani’s basic convenience problems are long walks and limited access to quick-service dining.

Kidani Village is a separate set of buildings on the Animal Kingdom Lodge campus, and does not have within it a permanent regular quick service dining establishment.

Kidani Village also has some distinctive negatives, mostly already noted—its distance from theme parks other than the Animal Kingdom, and its limited quick service dining.

BEST AND WORST ROOMS AT KIDANI VILLAGE

For those seeking an Animal Kingdom Lodge Disney Vacation Club experience, for most room types, Jambo House is a better choice than Kidani Village.

• Studio rooms: Prefer Jambo House, because of the stunning lobby and better access to quick service dining
• One-bedroom Villas: Prefer Kidani Village, for a much more livable floor plan, with extra size and a bath for each sleeping space
• Two-bedroom Villas:
  • Families that can fit into two beds in one bedroom, and a king in a second, should prefer Jambo House for its lobby and dining flexibility
  • Families that need to use the sleeper sofa and/or sleeper chair in the combined living/dining/kitchen space should prefer Kidani Village for its extra size and third bath
• Grand Villas: Prefer Jambo House for more square footage, the kid appeal of the lobby, and more convenient dining

If you do reserve Kidani Village, request a savanna view room on the third or fourth floor (these floors provides the best views).

• If quick service dining at Jambo is also an issue for you, ask for a savanna view room near the Jambo House. Specifically, ask for a room near the Zazu elevator.  (The best of these are even numbered rooms 7338-7346 on the third floor, and 7438-7452 on the fourth floor.)
• If quick service dining is not an issue, request a savanna view room between the lobby and the elevator most convenient to the pool–the Rafiki elevator.  Even numbered rooms 7614-7622 on the third floor, and 7814-7820 on the fourth floor, are the best of these.

The online check-in form will not let you get this specific, so you’ll need to call.

The map shows all of the Animal Kingdom Lodge complex–Kidani Village in on the left. Note how far the most distant Kidani rooms are from the center of Kidani. I get them as about a quarter mile away.

BEST FOR:

Larger families, families seeking a bit of extra privacy or more beds, families looking for a more comfortable place to stay, families looking for particularly kid-appealing space.

WORST FOR:

Families on a budget, families looking for a particularly convenient place to stay.

MORE ON THEMING AND ACCOMMODATIONS AT KIDANI VILLAGE

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THEMING AND ACCOMMODATIONS AT KIDANI VILLAGE

Kidani Village is one of many Disney Vacation Club options at Walt Disney World. These resorts are available not only to DVC members, but also to everyone else, just like any other Disney World offering, through the regular Walt Disney World website or resort reservations phone number at 407-939-7675.

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Kelly, the long-time travel agent partner of this site, can also book them for you. See the form near the bottom of this page for how to contact her.

They also are sometimes available to the general public at a discount through renting points from a Disney Vacation Club member or point broker.

Because the two sets of options at the Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge and Saratoga Springs are so different, for review purposes I count thirteen options among the Disney Vacation Club resorts at Walt Disney World.

The overall ranking among them for first time family visitors is as follows:

1. Disney’s Polynesian Villas and Bungalows (studios only)
2. Copper Creek Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
3. Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
4. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas–Jambo House
5. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas–Kidani Village
6. Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
7. The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
8. Disney’s Riviera Resort
9. Disney’s Beach Club Villas
10. Disney’s Boardwalk Villas
11. Disney’s Old Key West Resort
12. Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, main resort
13. Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort, Treehouse Villas

The next DVC offering to open will be Reflections, located on grounds that were formerly part of Fort Wilderness.

 THE THEMING OF KIDANI VILLAGE

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas are described on Walt Disney World’s Disney Vacation Club website as a place where you can

“immerse yourself in the wonders of the wild, surrounded by colorful creatures … Delight in African-inspired details while you relax in accommodations that capture the adventurous atmosphere of the wild. Feel at home in this village alive with the spirit of the savanna.”

The two Disney Vacation Club areas here–Kidani Village and Jambo House Villas–share resources with Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.

The original Animal Kingdom Lodge opened in April, 2001, as the most unique resort hotel at Walt Disney World, and one of the more unique in the world.

This distinction came partly from its stunning lobby, partly from its glorious African art and theming, but mostly from the fact that more than half of the rooms overlook “savannas” filled with wild animals.

Sipping your morning coffee on your balcony with a giraffe 50 feet away needs to be experienced to be believed…

The original Animal Kingdom Lodge also included two table service restaurants, a quick-service dining area, a pool and an exercise area.

In 2008, Disney completed converting some of the Animal Kingdom Lodge’s rooms into Disney Vacation Club rooms, and in 2009 it opened Kidani Village, a separate Disney Vacation Club building with its own lobby and check in area.

Kidani Village also has its own pool, workout area, and adds a third sit-down restaurant to the complex, Sanaa.

When Disney World opened Kidani Village, it renamed the original Animal Kingdom Lodge as Jambo House, to limit–or perhaps simply re-nominalize–confusion between it, its check-in area, and its DVC rooms, and those at Kidani Village.

Among the DVC resorts, Kidani Village’s strengths for first time visitors are its views of animals–especially if you reserve a savanna-view room–its spacious and very livable One and Two Bedroom Villa floor plans, and the fact the One Bedroom Villas can sleep 5 and Two-Bedroom Villas can sleep 9.

Kidani Village’s restaurant, Sanaa–with an Indian-influenced African menu–is also delightful for adults, but has limited options for kids.

ACCOMMODATIONS AT KIDANI VILLAGE

All Disney Vacation Club resorts except the Polynesian Villas and Bungalows have studio rooms, One-Bedroom Villas, and Two-Bedroom Villas.

Most have Grand Villas as well.

Kidani Village floor plans of all room types are on this page.

At Kidani Village, Studios sleep four and have a mini kitchen that adds a microwave and toaster to the usual coffeemaker and mini fridge found in all deluxe rooms.

A photo tour of a Studio begins here.

One-Bedroom Villas have a master bedroom with a king and a private master bath.

They have as well a particularly livable full kitchen/dining/living space with a second bath, and sleep 5.

The three additional sleeping spots are on fold-out furniture in the living space.

• A photo tour of the living/dining/kitchen side of a One Bedroom Villa begins here
• A photo tour of the master bedroom side of a One Bedroom Villa begins here

Two-Bedroom Villas come in two flavors. Lockoff villas simply add a connecting Studio to a One Bedroom Villa. A floor plan of such a villa is below.

Dedicated Two Bedroom Villas have a two queen room instead of the Studio.  They also lose the couch and mini-kitchen, and the second entry. They add–in addition to the second real bed–a second closet. A floor plan of a dedicated villa is below.

• A photo tour of the living/dining/kitchen side of a Two Bedroom Villa begins here
• A photo tour of the master bedroom side of a Two Bedroom Villa begins here
• A photo tour of a second bedroom in a Two Bedroom Villa (as a Studio) begins here.

Grand Villas at Kidani Village sleep 12 in a little less than twice the space of a Two-Bedroom Villa, in three bedrooms (one with a king, and two with two queens) plus sleeper sofas.

At Kidani Village, Grand Villas are two-story spaces.

The master bedroom, living room, dining room, and kitchen are on the first floor, and the two other bedrooms are on the second.

Also on the second floor is a smaller sitting area, lofted to the main living room.

(To each of the capacity figures above, you can add one more kid under 3 at time of check in who sleeps in a crib.)

PHOTO TOUR OF A STUDIO AT KIDANI VILLAGE

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PHOTO TOUR OF A REFURBED STUDIO AT KIDANI VILLAGE

Kidani Village has four room types–Studios, One Bedroom Villas, Two Bedroom Villas, and Grand Villas.

In some two Bedroom Villas, the Studio is the second bedroom. These are called “lock-offs.” In others, built from the start as Two Bedroom Villas, and called “dedicated,” the second bedroom is a little different than a Studio. In these,

• The kitchenette is replaced with a second closet, and the wardrobe is replaced with a storage bench
• There’s no entry to the outside hall from the second bedroom
• Instead of a queen and a fold out couch, you get two queens

All Kidani rooms are seeing a minor refurb–this is expected to be completed in early 2017. I stayed in refurbed Studios twice in later 2016, and the images of this photo tour are from those visits.

You enter a Studio from the hall or, if in a lock-off, either from the hall or from a door near the connecting One Bedroom Villa’s kitchen.

The entry from the hall.

One side of the entry has a mini-kitchen and a small closet.

The mini kitchen has a coffee maker, toaster, microwave and mini-fridge.

The supplies that come with it.

The mini fridge.

The small closet–there’s another clothes storage space in a wardrobe in the main part of the room.

Across the hall you’ll find the divided bath, with the sink…

…and tub/shower on one side…

…and a toilet in its own space on the other. I think a better way to have divided this bath would have been to have put the tub and the toilet into their own private space, keeping only the sink in the other space.

Deeper in the room you’ll find on one side a queen and a fold-out sofa.

A closer view of the queen.

This side from the back.

Between the bed and sofa is this small bedside table, with a bit of storage and also added power points.

The sofa folds out into a bed which I measured as 60 inches wide by 79 inches long.  The cushion is only around three inches deep, so I would not plan to sleep adults or larger kids on it.

The coffee table is split, making its parts easier to move when you need to unfold the bed, and I suppose also more flexible.

The other side of the room has a wardrobe, TV/dresser combo, and table and chairs.

This side from the back.

The wardrobe, when combined with the small entry closet, creates plenty of hanging room.

A closer look at the dresser/TV combo.

The dresser has plenty of storage for the four people this space fits…

…and also has two sets of added power points, left and right.

The last furnishing on this side is a table and chairs.

Each bay at Kidani Village has access to a balcony–given how much fun it is to watch the animals in the savannas from the balconies, this is a great feature.

THE LIVING/DINING/KITCHEN SPACE AT KIDANI VILLAGE

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THE LIVING/DINING/KITCHEN SPACE AT KIDANI VILLAGE

The living/dining/kitchen area at Kidani Village is identical in both One and Two Bedroom Villas. Unlike other DVC villas except those at Bay Lake Tower, the living/kitchen/dining space has its own bath.

These spaces completed a refurb, with wall colors lightened, fabrics simplified, and more power points added, in 2017. This photo tour is of a refurbed villa.

Also like Bay Lake Tower, these villas are more livable than the group that immediately preceded them (Saratoga Springs, Beach Club Villas, Villas at the Wilderness Lodge, and the BoardWalk Villas) not only because of the extra bath, but also because of  the larger kitchen and a dining table and living room that each are larger and seat more.

You enter into a hall with a closet on one side and a bath on the other.

The hall closet has a bit of a clothes rod and the washer-dryer unit.

There’s a small full bath on the other side (there’s another bath in the master bedroom space).

Further in you’ll find the galley kitchen, larger and with more counter space than those in the four offerings noted above.

Outside the kitchen proper is this breakfast bar.

Inside the kitchen on one side is the fridge, range, and microwave…

…and on the other side the sink and some other small appliances.

As in all DVC kitchens, you’ll find this one stocked with all the basics you need to prep, cook and serve meals.

The refrigerator.

In the rest of the room, on one side you’ll find the dining area and part of the living space.

This side from the back.

The dining table, while bigger than most in DVC rooms, is still not large enough for the nine people a Two bedroom Villa can hold.

The living area includes a couch and a large easy chair, and seats four to five–more with chairs brought in from other areas of the villa.

The couch…

…converts into a bed that I measured as 60 inches wide by 75 inches long, on a four inch cushion. It was more comfortable than many other DVC couch beds.

The easy chair…

…converts into a bed that I measured as 30 inches by 75 inches, also with a four inch cushion–it’s more comfortable than the couch.

The presence of both these means that unlike many DVC villas, One Bedroom Villas at Kidani Village can sleep five, and Two bedroom Villas nine.

The design of the various connecting doors means that no one needs to walk through this area while it is  in use for sleeping to get to another room–not true of all DVC villas, and another feature making the design of this space more livable.

The final elements of this space are the balcony–which you can see between the beds above–and the dresser, with large TV above.

Four storage drawers in the dresser, when combined with the closet at the entry, provides plenty of storage for the three people this room will sleep.

As part of the refurb, the dresser got added power points at both sides. Each has two plugs and two USB chargers, for a total of eight power points.

THE MASTER BEDROOM AND BATH AT KIDANI VILLAGE

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THE MASTER BEDROOM AND BATH AT KIDANI VILLAGE

The master bedroom and bath are the same in Two Bedroom and One Bedroom Villas at Kidani Village.

These rooms completed a refurb in 2017, with walls lightened, fabrics simplified, and more power points added. This photo tour is of a refurbed room.

Because unlike most DVC villas the living/kitchen/dining space has its own bath, the master bath is not meant to be shared, simplifying the design challenges and allowing for a much more spacious layout to the master bath.

You enter directly into the master bedroom from the living area, and find the bath on one side.

The bath has a central sink, with the other features on either side–note for example the toilet in a dedicated space to the right.

The closet is also on this side.

The other side has the largest DVC shower other than that at the Villas at the Grand Floridian.

Also on this side is the tub.

The master bedroom has a king bed and  easy chair on one side.

A closer view of the bed.

The bed side from the back.

Bedside tables on either side add storage.

…and power points.

The easy chair shares this side’s bedside table, lamp, and power points. .

The other side of the room has a TV/dresser combo, desk, and luggage rack.

This side from the back.

A closer view of the desk.

The dresser and TV. The TV is much smaller than the one in the living room. Note the power points on either side under the TV.

Dresser storage. There’s no shortage of storage in this room…

AMENITIES AND DINING AT KIDANI VILLAGE

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AMENITIES AT KIDANI VILLAGE

Kidani Village is paired with nearby Jambo House and its services and amenities, but is so distant that it also functions as a stand-alone resort–more like Saratoga Springs than like the Beach Club Villas.

See the map (as always on this site, to enlarge it, click it).

Kidani’s layout maximizes views of the savanna, and there are no paths for guests through the savanna.  So those staying at the far end–marked with an orange “x”–have quite a hike to get to the great amenities and services at the Animal Kingdom Lodge’s Jambo House.

So Kidani was designed with its own drop off (see the top of the page), check-in lobby…

…with a cool view to the savannas beyond…

…and gift shop.

More, probably too much,  from the gift shop, with a focus on food and places to use your refillable mugs, given all the kitchens–and the weak counter service–at Kidani:

Back outside, there’s a bus stop.

Buses (except to Magic Kingdom) are shared with the stop at Jambo House–which means you can use them to get back and forth–just ask the driver or you may end up at Epcot.

Signs indicate the projected time of the next bus. There’s also a little shuttle van that goes back and forth between Jambo and Kidani–ask for it at the guest drop-off outside the lobby.

You can also walk (to Jambo, not Epcot), or of course drive–although the layout of parking at both facilities means that if you drive you’ll likely face a bit of walking anyway.

Across the street from Kidani is a little-noticed or used simple recreation area with shuffleboard, a basketball court, barbecue grills…

…and a pair of tennis courts.

DINING AT KIDANI VILLAGE

Downstairs from the lobby is the wonderful table-service restaurant Sanaa…

…and its bar.

Sanaa celebrates the African-Indian cuisine that’s been developing for centuries from Indian Ocean trading routes. Here’s the review from our book The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit 2019:

From many parts of Sanaa you can see the savanna and whatever animals may be at play there.

In late 2016, Sanaa began offering quick service breakfast from 7a to 10a. At first an experiment, this offering now seems quite official.  See this for a review of breakfast at Sanaa.

There’s more dining at Jambo House.

There’s also a path out to savanna viewing areas…

…and a firepit…

…not currently offering roast zebra.

And then there’s the great pool complex!

THE SAMAWATI SPRINGS POOL AT KIDANI VILLAGE

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