Category — q. Reviews

Update: the Festival of the Arts is returning for 2018, and unlike 2017, many of its offerings will be available all week long! It will run 1/12 through 2/19/18, with the Broadway offerings (and perhaps others) limited to Fridays through Mondays.

Epcot’s International Festival of The Arts is a new-for-2017 event happening in Epcot’s World Showcase Fridays through Mondays until February 20, 2017.

The Festival kicked off on January 13, and I had a chance to see it this past weekend.

The Festival combines

• Great, albeit pricey, dining
• Dozens of kiosks with art to view and buy
• Interactive opportunities to paint, be photographed into great art, and play with silly living statues
• Seminars and other sessions
• Music–some casual, some distinctive presentations from the Disney on Broadway team

Disney calls it a mix of “visual, culinary and performing arts inspired by cultures from all around the world…a global masterpiece.”

That’s a stretch, but with better food than past Food and Wine festivals, and better visual appeal than past Flower and Garden festivals, it is, by far, my favorite among all the Epcot festivals I’ve attended, and I highly recommend it for returning visitors.

First-timers will enjoy it as well, but will find that it adds crowds to Epcot’s World Showcase on the days it is open.

EPCOT INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS DINING

Dining opportunities are particularly concentrated at the entrance to the World Showcase, but are also found in the Odyssey Festival Showplace (between Test Track and Mexico—the Showplace is the centerpiece of the Festival) and scattered through the rest of World Showcase.

The Festival of the Arts offers the best dining ever seen at an Epcot Festival. Waits are long as much food is prepared while you wait, and prices are also high. The value for money is also very high, and with many $7+ items available for a snack credit, the festival provides the single best argument in years for you to buy the Disney Dining Plan.

I had a chance to try the Charcuterie Palette from the Masterpiece Kitchen…

…the Savory Doughnuts and darling Mary Blair Chocolate from The Painter’s Palate…

…and half of co-author Josh’s deconstructed BLT from E=AT^2 (that’s not, I think, a typo). Because nothing says deconstructed BLT better than a poached egg…

Detailed reviews of the dining options are on Josh’s site easyWDW.com:

• Pop Eats! 
• Decadent Delights 
• The Masterpiece Kitchen 
• The Artist’s Table 
• Cuisine Classique 
• El Arista Hambriento 
• E=AT^2 
• The Painter’s Palate 

EPCOT INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS SHOWS AND GALLERIES

Art, fittingly, is everywhere at the Festival of the Arts.

Begin in the Odyssey Festival Showplace, which includes brief exhibitions of the work of Herbert Ryman and Mary Blair.

The Ryman work is stunning. For more on Ryman, see this.

The Blair material is focused on her early South American work.

While mildly fun and historically very important in the life of the Walt Disney Company–and suiting the Festival’s international theme–it is much less interesting than her later work, which you can find here  or, even better, here.

All over World Showcase are tented kiosks offering mostly Disney-related art to browse through and buy:

EPCOT INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS INTERACTIVE OPPORTUNITIES

There’s lots of opportunities for simple play.

In front of the Future World stage you can find living statues that will mess with you and your kids (check the Times Guide for showings)…

There’s an opportunity to play with a paint-by numbers canvas on the way to Canada…

Scattered through World Showcase are opportunities for you to join famous works…

These folks in France are from the “toxic employee” list.

There’s also some Figment thingy that I paid no attention to, but is a bit of a variant on the Kidcot concept—buy a map and stickers, find Figment-themed picture frames and Figment within them, add the appropriate sticker to the map, and turn the map in for a prize.

EPCOT INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS SEMINARS AND SESSIONS

Formal seminars happen at the Odyssey Festival Center at 1.30p and 4.30, and less formal sessions happen there during the day–check your Times Guide.

Over in Innoventions East you’ll find The Animation Academy, an animation drawing class, where you learn to draw a Disney character under the tutelage of a real animator.

Some have reported that all will end up with a great drawing, but irl your results will vary.

My Winnie the Pooh is above…

…and above is Josh’s Winnie the Pooh. No, he was not trying to add Darth Vader elements; this was just the best he could do.

EPCOT INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS MUSIC

Music at the Festival includes both performances at the Future World stage (see your Times Guide for show times)…

…and a more interesting set of brief Broadway concerts in the evenings at the American Gardens Theater, at 5.30, 6.45 and 8p.

Presented by the Disney on Broadway team, the concerts showcase songs from Disney Broadway productions sung by Broadway stars.

I saw Kerry Butler (who was Belle in Beauty and the Beast) and Kevin Massey (Tarzan) singing songs from Tarzan, Beauty and the Beast, Newsies, and The Little Mermaid.

These two will be returning next weekend, and then the rest of the February dates will see Kissy Simmons and Alton Fitzgerald White doing songs from The Lion King, Aida, Aladdin, and the Little Mermaid.

Passholders and DVC owners can get priority seating, which you are supposed to do ahead of time, but we had no trouble grabbing day of. Your mileage may vary.

The area to do so and/or pick up your reserved badges is in Innoventions East.

Those with priority badges line up on the Japan side of the pavilion. There’s a stand-by line as well, on the Germany side.

As you can probably tell, I love this Festival…and hope it returns next year!

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(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter Resort, see this.)

ACCOMMODATIONS AND THEMING AT DISNEY’S PORT ORLEANS FRENCH QUARTER RESORT

Port Orleans French Quarter is one of 5 moderate resorts at Walt Disney World:

• Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, the first Disney World hotel to be designated a moderate, which opened in 1988
• Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter Resort (opened in 1991 as Disney’s Port Orleans Resort)
• Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort (opened in 1992 as Disney’s Dixie Landing Resort)
• Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort (opened 1997) and
• The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, officially classed as moderate in 2008, but opened (as the Wilderness Homes) in 1986. (Fort Wilderness Campground opened much earlier, but precursors to the Cabins did not arrive until 1986.)

The moderates have much more room than the value resorts, more amenities, and (except for Fort Wilderness) much better landscaping. See this for what you get by Disney World price class.

Although the typical moderate rooms, at 314 square feet (the cabins have 508 square feet), look much smaller than the rooms available at the deluxe resorts, differences in hall/entry layout make the living space of the typical moderates much more comparable to many Walt Disney World deluxes than raw square footage would imply. See this for more on square footage and livability.

Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter Resort is officially “inspired by the romance and pageantry of the historic French Quarter in New Orleans…” where you can “…stroll cobblestone walkways and gaze down ornate wrought-iron railings as you listen to the smooth jazz backdrop and breathe in the sweet smell of magnolia blossoms in the air.”

Port Orleans French Quarter has 1008 rooms in seven buildings. These buildings are divided into a “North Quarter” and “South Quarter,” but, unlike other separately named sections of moderate resorts, have no difference in theming between them.

Rather, all share the same graceful New Orleans theming, and lovely walkways, gardens  and intimate courtyards.

The three story buildings have vertical sections divided by color, ironwork patters, and roof lines to create a bit of a townhouse feel.

This is successful in some treatments…

…but is mostly too low-contrast to be of much notice.

Most of the landscaping of the North Quarter is more intimate and romantic, with more of a street-scape and private garden feel, while the South Quarter is more open with more of a park-like feel. But this will vary by your room location.

Most rooms sleep four two queen beds, but rooms  that sleep two on one king bed are also available. According to Andre Willey’s invaluable PortOrleans.org,

“French Quarter rooms come in five category options: Standard (mostly parking lot views), Garden View, Pool View, River View, and King Bed (which are all corner rooms and could have any of the previous view types).”

The river view.

Connecting rooms and and accessible rooms are also available. To the room capacities of four and two you can add one additional child who will be younger than three at your visit and who will sleep in a crib.

Prices for these bed and view categories vary. Search “Mousesavers.com Port Orleans French Quarter Room Rates” for the latest.

Rooms here were all refurbed in 2018.

The floor plan of a refurbed standard two-queen room is above…

…and here’s a image of the room I stayed in in July 2018.

These two images come from a detailed photo tour of a refurbed two-queen room at Port Orleans French Quarter here.

Among the moderates, Port Orleans French Quarter’s strength for first time visitors is its compactness and ease of getting around. Its biggest negative is its lack of visual kid appeal.

Returning visitors often find Port Orleans French Quarter to be a favorite, particularly if they have stayed before in one of the enormous moderates and therefore appreciate its relatively compact area all the more, and/or fall in love with the romantic setting. It’s my personal favorite among the moderates, and also the most romantic of the moderates.

See this for more on distinctions among the moderates.

PHOTO TOUR OF A STANDARD ROOM AT DISNEY’S PORT ORLEANS FRENCH QUARTER RESORT

This review continues here.

MATERIAL IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S PORT ORLEANS FRENCH QUARTER RESORT

• Overview and summary of Port Orleans French Quarter
• Port Orleans French Quarter theming and accommodations
• A photo tour of a refurbed standard room at Port Orleans French Quarter
• Amenities at Port Orleans French Quarter
• Dining at Port Orleans French Quarter
• The pool at Port Orleans French Quarter

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 150+ stays in them

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(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter Resort, see this.)

DINING AT PORT ORLEANS FRENCH QUARTER

Port Orleans French Quarter has one main dining option, the refurbed-in-2016 Sassagoula Float Works food court, and two minor options–the inside and pool bars.

Across from the main entry hall of Port Orleans Square you’ll find the bar, Scat Cat’s Club…

…with entertainment many evenings, and, more to the point, bar food–important as there is no sit-down restaurant here. (Mardi Gras Fritters are the specialty of the house.)

Scat Cat’s moved in 2019 to this space, the old tables service restaurant here that was shut down long ago.  I don’t think much of the new space–it has a temporary feel too it–but it is larger than the old space.

The old Scat Cat’s is now where you get beignets at Port Orleans French Quarter–and also function as a coffee shop in the morning.

The main food court, the Sassagoula Float Works and Food Factory, was refurbed in 2016 and lost much of its prior distinctive Mardi Gras decorations.

Above is what it used to look like.

And here’s what it looks like now…

It looks better at night.

It retains only the lightest of Mardi Gras theming here…

…and there.

You order and pay for your food in a small area that not only did not get larger in the refurb (above is the old area)…

…but actually lost some space due to a larger central shelving point.

The food quality–most of what matters–improved after the refurb. Josh really liked his catfish rice bowl.

Josh’s post also has images of the menus that were up the night we went there, and you can also see them online here.

I marveled at the new drink dispensers. (Josh’s discussion of them noted that his dad would be confused…but his picture of a confused person trying them was actually of me–it was a kindness of his to not out my ineptness…but I eventually figured them out.)

Peach Sprite, who knew it would be so good?

Port Orleans French Quarter is the only moderate without a table-service restaurant. It used to have one–Bonfamille’s Cafe–but it was shut down in at the turn of the century as a cost-saving move, and has never been re-opened (it’s now used as a test kitchen).

Even so despite the cramped size and long lines I do like the food court at Port Orleans French Quarter quite a bit–especially the beignets, made while you wait, and the barbecued ribs with sides of corn bread, collard greens and mashed potatoes! If I am staying at Riverside I’ll usually make my way here for beignets and greens.

If you want a table service meal, Boatwrights at Port Orleans French Quarter is about a half mile walk or boat ride away. The increasingly great restaurants of Disney Springs are also accessible by boat.

Outside, the pool bar also offers a few snacks:

The online pool bar menu is here.

And speaking of the pool…

THE POOL AT PORT ORLEANS FRENCH QUARTER

This review continues here.

MATERIAL IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S PORT ORLEANS FRENCH QUARTER RESORT

• Overview and summary of Port Orleans French Quarter
• Port Orleans French Quarter theming and accommodations
• A photo tour of a refurbed standard room at Port Orleans French Quarter
• Amenities at Port Orleans French Quarter
• Dining at Port Orleans French Quarter
• The pool at Port Orleans French Quarter

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 150+ stays in them

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!

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

This review continues here!

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(For the first page of this review of Kidani Village, see this.)

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.

.

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

This review continues here!

The long-time travel agent partner of this site, Kelly, can book you at Kidani Village or anywhere else at Disney World.  Contact her using the form below!

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!</p

(For the first page of this review of Kidani Village, see this.)

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

This review continues here!

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