Wilderness Lodge or Kidani??

[msb821]

Hello!
We are making our way to Disney in June with a group of 7 people (all over 18 y/o). We currently have a DVC reservation at the Wilderness Lodge for a 2 bedroom. It will be 3 out of the 7 people's very first time at Disney World. I am aware that the construction is ongoing at Wilderness, and this struck up some sort of concern. But I thought the amount of restaurants and the boat access to MK at WL was worth it. But, I was looking at other DVC availability just incase and it's between Kidani, Saratoga, and OKW. I've stayed at all 3, and Kidani was my favorite. Should I switch our vacation over to Kidani or just stick to WL? I have stayed at a Kidani 2 bedroom and the resort itself was very beautiful, except for those daunting, never-ending hallway walks to/from your room, lack of quick service food and longer bus rides. I am just worried that not only my guests, but also myself will be turned off by the construction at Wilderness, especially for the first-timers.

All advice is appreciated, thanks

 

[lostpro9het]

I'm biased but IMO Kidani > VWL, or whatever boulder garbage they are calling it now. Now, with first timers they may not care about the bed where they rest their head and in that case then resort doesn't really matter. Also, the bus ride journey is a red herring IMO. Sure bus ride from VWL may be close to MK but lengthy to everywhere else. The bus ride from AKl to every park, other than AK, is not, IMO, lengthy by any means when you consider the shared bus that wilderness has. Regardless, your crew should have a great time but I'd still choose Kidani given the theming. Don't forget that Sanaa now does a QS breakfast and Mara is a quick 5 minute van ride from Kidani.

 

[Phonedave]

It really is a matter of opinion. Me, I don't like Kidani, but I love VWL. That's just me. I would still choose WL, even with the construction. But again, that is just me. I don't like the location, decor, or amenities of Kidani. Others love it.


-dave

 

[DABIGCHEEZ]

IMO... Kidani easily. But unfortunately, it is not my trip.

 

[Parrothead4life]

Both the WL and AKL Kidani are fabulous. I just love animals and the decor of the AKL so I would choose that resort.

 

[dis_adventures]

Hey!! We recently stayed at Kidani Village in December and Saratoga Springs in August. In the past, my fiances families stayed at Old Key West. We have not stayed at Wilderness Lodge.

Here are my thoughts:
* Old Key West has larger rooms as it was one of the first DVC resorts.
* Saratoga is beautiful and spacious as well. I would suggest staying in the springs area. It is a great central location.
* Kidani was amazing, IF you stay with a savanna view.

So my pick would be Kidani. To answer your concern "I have stayed at a Kidani 2 bedroom and the resort itself was very beautiful, except for those daunting, never-ending hallway walks to/from your room, lack of quick service food and longer bus rides."

We found a perfect location of the hotel for those long walks. On or last trip we stayed on the second floor in the second to last corridor. See the map below where the red mickey is located. It was a closer distance to the Jambo House lobby than to the Kidani lobby. We loved it! It gave us multiple options for food, pools (Jambo house pools have flamingos!!), buses and bars. We did find that the bus service was a little less frequent than at some of the other hotels (but it could have been due to the time of the year).

The awesome new addition to Kidani is that they have an amazing quick service breakfast option! Sannaa has both grab and go or quick service options. The quick service is delivered to your table. Some of the tables even have a view of the animals grazing on the savanna. The breakfast platters were great, the eggs were made to order, and it was a great value If you remember to bring your mugs- you can fill them up with coffee then get a bottled drink with the meal to save for later.

Overall, if you are really trying to "wow" your guests, the views are AMAZING at Kidani on the Sunset Savanna. We suggest you request to stay on the right side of Kidani Village in the second building from the end with Sunset Savanna view on the second floor. Its a perfect location to go to both Kidani Village lobby and Jambo House lobby which gives you a lot more options and it has a wonderful view with a lot of very lively animals.

This was our view from our room!