Kidani Village Villa with Savannah View

[PawleyPlatoon]

Hi Intercot Friends!

I need some serious advice here. My husband and I have booked one week in March to stay at Kidani Village Villa. We are guaranteed a Savannah View. It's just the two of us.

The question is: Is the savannah view or Kidani Village for that matter worth the price? We normally stay at Saratoga Springs or Port Orleans Riverside - these are much more manageable for our budget.

My husband loves animals of any sort and I really booked it for him. He's had an extremely stressful year and I want a treat for him. However, I pay cash for all our trips and my budget just doesn't have it. I COULD use a credit card but I don't like to do that.

Suggestions? Comments? Advice?

THANKS!!

Merry Christmas to all!

[mickclub1955]

We haven't stayed at the Kidani Village but we did stay at the AKL on our last trip with a Savanna view and we shared the Savanna with the Kidani Village. We love the savanna at the resort. It is wonderful watching the animals outside of your room. We didn't mind that this resort is far away from everything. It really felt like an escape for us from the rest of the hustle and bustle of WDW. We did walk over the Kidani one evening and ate at Sanaa. It was good (and we are eating there again on our next trip), but get the servers to explain what is on the menu. Some of the items I had were way too spicy for me. AKL is the only resort where my wife doesn't want to leave at our check out time. I have to pull her away from the balcony watching the giraffes, zebra's and all of the other wildlife. If your husband likes animals, this is the resort for him.

[LVT]

I was skeptical about the view. We went in May 2013 and spent a lot of time watching "our" animals during a 2 night stay. We did a split stay to reduce the overall cost. The rest of the time we were in POP.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

I've never stayed there but have seen lots of posts of people who booked standard view and still had views of the animals, plus there are areas in the resort he can walk to "animal watch". I think Savannah view would be nice, but I don't think its worth breaking the bank and going into debt.

[Lindsey310]

We have stayed at AKL jambo house with a savannah view. It was absolutely beautiful. We awoke every morning to view the animals from our balcony while enjoying our morning coffee. We are staying there in February but in a standard room.

HOWEVER, if budget allows, I would book a standard or value accommodation at AKL. you can easily view the animals from the 2 viewing locations while still staying in a deluxe resort. And my personal opinion, I like jambo house better than kidani.

Let us know what you choose!

62 days!!!!

[#1donaldfan]

The pricing to stay onsite, even at a value is becoming very difficult to substantiate, however having stayed at the AKL, with Savanah view rooms each time is very much an incredible experience. That being said, I would never over-spend to see the animals. They have many viewing areas with great views of all the animals. Honestly after the first couple of days we seldom used the balcony, other than for just a minute or so. AKL is a great place to stay, so my suggestion would be get a typical Savanah view room at the main lodge.

[EJS-Houston]

Hi Intercot Friends!

I need some serious advice here. My husband and I have booked one week in March to stay at Kidani Village Villa. We are guaranteed a Savannah View. It's just the two of us.

The question is: Is the savannah view or Kidani Village for that matter worth the price? We normally stay at Saratoga Springs or Port Orleans Riverside - these are much more manageable for our budget.

My husband loves animals of any sort and I really booked it for him. He's had an extremely stressful year and I want a treat for him. However, I pay cash for all our trips and my budget just doesn't have it. I COULD use a credit card but I don't like to do that.

Suggestions? Comments? Advice?

THANKS!!

Merry Christmas to all!

I stayed in the other Animal Kingdom Lodge property with my family in a Savannah View room a few years back. In my opinion it is eminently worth the money if you love wildlife viewing. Be prepared on your balcony with your cameras, especially at dusk.

[Gator]

The view and the balcony is great...for the first few days. By the end of our trip, we didn't really go out on the balcony. We would open the curtains, but not really spend much time looking for animals. But then again, we're all about getting to the parks as fast as we can. If you have a slower pace, that's a great room. Plus, the decor of the room and lobby is just great, with good bus service. I wouldn't do the Jambo House over Kidani. Kidani is better IMHO.

[PlutoPlanet]

Yes, we think the Savannah view is worth it. There are lots of nice hotels, but for the view of the animals, AK is unique. We love having morning coffee and watching the animals. Disney puts enough treats for the animals so that you see a good variety from your room.

[PawleyPlatoon]

Dear Intercot friends,

Thanks so much for the great comments and suggestions. Even though we really would like to stay at Kidani, we have transferred to Saratoga Springs (which we like and have stayed there many times.) I ran the numbers and couldn't justify the expense for just the two of us. *sigh* Perhaps on another trip when my daughter and her husband could go with us, it would be awesome.

Everyone have a blessed and

Merry Christmas

and a

Happy New Year!

Thanks again!

[mickclub1955]

Have a great time no matter where you stay!!!!!

[Simba's Mom]

If you were staying at Jambo, I'd say that the savannah view is definitely worth it. I've always loved the savannah view there. However, my one experience at Kidani in a savannah view wasn't so good (why, oh why, did I decide to try it?). There were hardly any animals on the savannah, and I didn't see any giraffes (my favorite) until the last day of a 1 week trip. I stayed on the savannah that's shared with Jambo house, Sunset savannah, and I was looking forward to seeing the giraffes. And the walk from the lobby to my room was definitely the longest at any resort (and I've stayed in 10 different resorts over the years).

[Disney4us2]

We just stayed at Jambo House for the first time. We had a standard DVC studio which had a partial savannah view. I like Kidani so much more. I like the layout much better. We had a savannah view and were on the 5th floor. I wish it were a lower floor so we could see the animals better. Being on the 5th floor we were looking down at the animals. Still had a good view. I like that the busses go to Kidani first (except the DTD one).

I would request a lower floor, closer to the lobby. The walk to the end of the building is a long one.

Have fun