I kinda booked this entire portion of my escape in a weird order. Normally I would book a cruise then put the pieces together around it. Well, we were holding out for discount releases for the sailing we wanted so I did things backward. In retrospect, I must've been pretty confident in my discount prediction. We booked flights and hotel at least a month or more ahead of the cruise booking itself. I was just a weeeee bit stressed during that time. What if no discounts were offered???? We'd have just paid more. Duh. LOL!
So, we had a savanna studio at Kidani to look forward to for 2 nights. It was perfect for just the 2 of us to rest up for our next adventure. I rented points from another WDWMagic'er (thanks @
EOD K9 !) and got a phenomenal deal, way better than even Disney's best discount rate for the time period. Works for me!
I had never been to Kidani before. We've stayed at AKL/Jambo before but never even seen Kidani. I really was taken with the beauty and details. It's very similar to Jambo House but somewhat different and a more intimate scale. I don't want to say "smaller" because that could be perceived a lesser amount. It's not lesser in terms of quality or attention to detail. It's just more intimate, like going home kinda.
Interesting.
This is the name of the small shop off the main lobby area.
As soon as I got to my room I checked everything out then started my laundry. Oh come on! It's been daaaaaays since I've done any laundry! I'm dying here! Instagram shot!
Yes, I just took a picture of my laundry. Studios don't have in-room washers & dryers but that's okay. There's a complimentary laundry room. That's a nice perk. A lot of my clothes had to be hung to dry (can't be fading or shrinking stuff) so I got creative. When I was finished hanging things up I stood back and thought "Wow. That kinda goes with the theming here. I've decorated!"
By the time I had everything squared away I had heard from Tammy (@
Disneyfalcon ). She was checked-in at her resort and taking care of some emails. Yes, if you are her client she will even return your emails and take care of things when she can while she's traveling. Seriously, people. Get with the program. Best. Agent. Ever. I headed out to go meet her at her room then we'd shop the monorail resorts together. I could see clouds out on the horizon so I didn't want to chance a walk in the rain if I took buses. Plus, I was looking for fast transportation. Cab it is.
Out front of Kidani waiting for my taxi.
That looks familiar.
Over to Contemporary I went. I'm used to $20-ish cab fares including tip wherever I go on-property. Granted, it's been a few years since I've needed cabs on-property. Just thought I'd mention that Kidani to the Contemporary was roughly $25-$30 after tip. Little more than I anticipated but still, worthwhile for peace of mind and convenience.
Tammy was at the Contemporary for an agent conference thing. She had a Garden Wing room. Still, I thought it was awesome. Made me a little nostalgic for our Contemporary stays. We shopped the around the monorail resorts which was fun. Guess what I went back for???
That's the end of pics for the day. No clue why I did that but whatever.
Returned to Kidani to dress for dinner tonight. Another $25-$30 taxi.
Dressed in a cute dress & inappropriate shoes
p). Took another $25-$30 taxi back to the Contemporary.
Met @
Billy6 & his gorgeous wife who were sitting & chatting with Tammy near the Outer Rim Lounge. That was so cool to meet Billy & Heather. They're really very sweet. Heather is a very good sport for indulging Billy & his internet friends. I know that seems weird to other people. I try to keep that in mind.
We headed to the 2nd floor check-in area for our California Grill time. Joanna, Jess, Siobhan, and Courtney all met up with us for dinner. Still totally can't believe I have no pictures of this. I know at least Tammy will. Joanna, too.
Dinner was lovely. Perhaps the service a little slow. Courtney and I both were a little
at the fact I had to remind our server she had forgotten to bring me the beer I ordered. They have quite an extensive list! Forget what I had for dinner. I think I was most impressed with dessert. We did see Wishes from our table. It was fun. Not sure I'd want to spend all that for a meal again but it was decent. I think I might've been more impressed if our service was more prompt. Lots of dead time. I guess maybe they think everyone is there for Wishes so drag it out. I don't know. The checks seemed to take foooooreeeeeeever but then that could easily have been exagerated in my mind because now that my tummy was full I was just dying to go to bed. I'm so pitiful.
Courtney was a doll and shared a taxi back to our resorts. She got dropped at Coronado Springs then I continued on to Kidani. I wasn't out the full amount on the taxi this time but it was still at least $20 or so for me. I can't believe I spent so much on taxis today! Just over $100 for the day. Eeeek! I need to stop being such a particular little princess, huh?
I showered & got in my jammies when I got back. Sorted some of my luggage. Tracey was a bit delayed getting off the ground in Houston so he was a little late getting in. I must have decided to rest my eyes for a few minutes. I jumped from a dead sleep to my feet thinking I had missed him telling me he had arrived. I looked at my phone and he had already sent a text saying he was on-property. I literally ran, still half asleep, out the front doors of the lobby and sat. I bet my butt didn't even have time to warm my seat when the DME bus pulled up with Tracey. Wow! That was close!
Tracey looked around the room only briefly before he jumped in the shower. I'd say from the time he walked off the bus to us curled up going straight to sleep was 1/2 hour max. It had been a long day but finally I wasn't alone anymore. It was a feeling like no other. Such relief.
