Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani Village

Reviews

• SS

  SG

  Oct 13, 2026
  3.0
  This was our first time staying at a Disney resort and I wasn't impressed. I'll go over good aspects and disappointments as well. On the good side, buses ran frequently taking us to and from parks at the resort. The parks themselves were entertaining and the food was good though typically not a good value. Parking on site was plentiful and underground. We had an issue with our room on arrival but the customer service promptly took care of us. On the disappointing side, the room was a long walk to get to and ongoing renovations made it worse. Elevators weren't allowed to go to certain floors and it was a labyrinth to get to the room. The "Magic hours" at the park were pretty useless. We maybe squeezed in a ride or two and many rides weren't open during that time. Not very "Magic". It was overall a good trip, though from a value perspective I don't think it was worth the cost to stay at a Disney resort. We paid extra for a savannah view which was okay. We got to see the occasional animal grazing or eating.
• SB

  Sondra Browning

  Oct 11, 2026
  3.0
  Check-in was absolutely terrible. They didn’t have the kids or my husband on the reservation, but did have the two rooms that I booked. It was about 10:00pm, we were exhausted, we had a grocery delivery that was supposed to arrive at any minute and the lady (Sara) at check-in was less than pleasant. After that confusion was cleared up, we were not offered directions to our room, we were pretty much dismissed as a nuisance. It’s dark, I’ve got two teens and my elderly mother with me, circling around the resort trying to figure out where to go. It’s currently getting some refurbishments done which added to the chaos of finding our rooms. Finally got my mom and the girls into their room, but our room number didn’t come up on the My Disney Experience app so I couldn’t access from my phone, I then had to dig in our bags to locate our Disney bands that would open the door. Immediately needed a potty break and the toilet had the water turned off!! It was truly a bad experience the first night but thankfully did not ruin our trip.
• DH

  Dottie Huber

  Oct 3, 2026
  2.0
  I so wanted to love this resort! I booked a one bedroom suite at Kidani for 6 nights for myself and my husband, my son, daughter in law and 4yo grandson. The lobby was closed when we arrived, which is fine, there was an alternate entrance for our room which was close to the lobby like I’d requested. The first day went great, although we had to figure out where to get food, drinks, etc because of the lobby being closed. It was very confusing. Disney cast members are wonderful though, and they did their best to help. Unfortunately, the alternate entrance was closed after the first day, so not only did we lose access to our room, we lost access to snacks and drinks in the makeshift gift shop and had to go to the pool to get drinks. Unfortunately the pool bar was out of ice every time we tried for the 2 days we were there. We had to walk pretty far out of the way and then backtrack to our room. The second morning, we waited through 3 elevators full of people from the top floors before we and the dozens of guests behind us folded up our strollers and took the stairs. Since there were no food options to be had at Kidani, we were forced to take the shuttle to Jambo House to get quick service since we had a dining plan. While there I spoke with the front desk, and ended up with an alternative option. We moved to adjoining rooms in Jambo house. Unfortunately this also meant we lost access to the washer and dryer we’d planned on having, and ended up having to pay quite a lot to do laundry in the laundry room. I completely understand the resort is undergoing refurbishment, but for the amount we paid for this vacation, I kind of feel like we were ripped off. Had I known in advance the issues we’d have had there, I’d have chosen a completely different resort. Honestly, the “perks” we’ve enjoyed at the moderate resorts were far superior to the perks we enjoyed at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Being a deluxe resort, I expected a lot better.
• JJ

  Jim

  Sep 28, 2026
  1.0
  An employee unlocked and opened our door at 9:30 PM We booked Kidani Village nearly a year in advance at Deluxe rates. At about 9:30 PM, someone knocked, and as I got out of bed, I heard our door unlock from the outside. It opened until the security latch stopped it, and an employee pushed a Polynesian resort brochure through the gap. My wife, our two children (ages 2 and 5), and I were in the room. At the front desk, the manager could not tell me who had done it or which team they worked for. Two staff asked whether our Do Not Disturb sign was up. When I wrote to Disney, their response said they reserve the right to enter any room for "any other purpose." It never explained how delivering a sales brochure at 9:30 PM counts as maintenance, safety, or security. A resort that markets itself to families can't tell a guest which employee unlocked his door at night, and its answer is a policy citation and a Do Not Disturb question. If you're booking with young children, know that staff may unlock your door at night, and don't count on the resort to explain why. The lobby was also closed for construction during our stay. We booked nearly a year out, and the closure wasn't announced until July 28. I'm not someone who tracks every Disney closure announcement, and I only saw it a couple of weeks before our trip, with no time to change anything. Instead of the grand entrance the resort is known for, we walked in through a service hallway that opened into a small gift shop. We paid full Deluxe rates for that. A year-long Deluxe booking shouldn't require guests to monitor announcements to learn the resort's centerpiece is closed.
• HB

  Heather Barris

  Sep 24, 2026
  1.0
  I honestly don't know how to write a positive review of our experience at Animal Kingdom Lodge, because by the end of this trip, I felt completely failed by Disney. I want to start with Tanner because he was truly a blessing. He listened to us, cared about what we were going through, and worked to find us a handicap-accessible room after the room we had originally booked was no longer available. I am incredibly grateful for him. But even after Tanner moved us, the problems continued. We were moved to the Yacht Club, and I honestly thought maybe things were finally going to get better. They didn't. We were given an accessible bathroom, yet I was left without basic dignity and independence when trying to shower. The soap dispenser was placed clear across the shower, completely out of my reach. I have to ask: Who designs an accessible bathroom this way? What is the point of calling a room accessible if a person using a wheelchair cannot even reach the soap while showering? Accessibility isn't simply putting a grab bar on a wall or labeling a room "handicap accessible." Accessibility means thinking about whether a person with a disability can actually use the space safely, independently, and with dignity. And then there was the transportation. I was put on Disney buses where the drivers failed to properly buckle me and secure my wheelchair. I was sliding around on the bus. I was not properly secured. I was scared. Let me be very clear: I should never have had to worry about being injured while being transported by Disney. This wasn't one unfortunate incident. It was one problem after another. The wheelchair transportation issues. The room we booked nine months in advance being given away. Having to be moved to another resort. An "accessible" bathroom that still left me unable to safely and independently shower. And then being transported on Disney buses without being properly secured. At some point, you have to stop calling these things inconveniences. These are accessibility failures. I came to Disney with my family expecting to make memories. Instead, I spent far too much of this vacation worrying about whether I could safely get from one place to another, whether my wheelchair would be accommodated, whether I could use a bathroom independently, and whether I would be properly secured on transportation. That is not magic. That is exhausting. And for someone who already has to navigate the world differently because of a disability, having to repeatedly advocate for basic safety and dignity during a vacation is heartbreaking. Disney has built its reputation around being a place where everyone can feel included. But during this trip, I did not feel included. I felt like I had to fight to be accommodated. Disney failed me. And what makes it even more painful is that I trusted Disney to do better. I planned ahead. I booked our room nine months in advance. I did everything I could to make sure our family would be able to enjoy this trip. Instead, this vacation became one nightmare after another. Tanner showed us compassion when we needed it most, and I will forever be grateful for him. But one compassionate Cast Member cannot erase what happened. People with disabilities deserve more than a room labeled "accessible." We deserve actual accessibility. We deserve safety. We deserve dignity. And we deserve to be treated like our needs matter. I came to Disney expecting magic. I left wondering why I had to fight so hard just to be safe.