Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas — Kidani Village

Is it worth the money?

Yes if you take a savanna view, and the maths is unusually clear. Roughly $211 a night buys a room where large African animals walk past the window at breakfast, and nothing else on property sells anything like it at any price. Guests who have done it rarely describe it as an upgrade; they describe it as the reason they went.

No, if you take a resort view. At $506 for a car-park outlook with bus-only transport, you are paying deluxe-villa money for a room whose only advantage is being able to walk to Sanaa. Saratoga Springs is $485 and walks to Disney Springs. A resort-view Kidani studio is the weakest value in the villa portfolio.

So this is a resort where the room category, not the resort, is the decision.

Where to eat here

Every restaurant here with its own page on this site, with the typical spend a head from that page.

• Boma – Flavors of Africa · Table service, about $58
• Jiko — The Cooking Place · Signature dining, about $85
• Sanaa · Table service, about $48
• Sanaa Lounge · Lounge, about $25
• Victoria Falls Lounge · Lounge, about $20
• The Mara · Counter service, about $18

What the rooms are actually like

Sleeps up to 4, not counting infants — the table below says which room that takes.

Every room type, and who fits in it

Disney returns one room list for the whole property, covering Kidani Village and Animal Kingdom Lodge and Jambo House. It does not say which rooms belong to which, so neither do we. Straight from Disney’s own booking data, checked 2026-09-19. Occupancy excludes infants — Disney counts a baby in a cot separately, which is why a room that “sleeps 5” here can appear as 6 on their site.

Which room should you request?

A long, curved, four-storey building wrapped around the Sunset Savanna, with the rooms on the inside of the curve facing the animals. It is markedly quieter than Jambo House on two counts: these are villas, not hotel rooms, and the lobby is small and intimate where Jambo's is a destination in itself.

The length of the building is the trade-off: from the far end, the walk to Sanaa and the lobby is real. Kidani has covered parking underneath, which no other Disney Vacation Club resort offers and which matters more than it sounds in a Florida August. Transport to every park is bus only.

What are the pools like?

• Samawati Springs Pool — has a slide

Disney’s own recreation page accounts for 2 pools across the wider resort — we list 1, so this is not the full set. Named by Disney: Uzima Springs Pool, Samawati Springs Pool. Disney’s pool page, read 2026-09-19.

What has changed recently?

Kidani Village opened in 2009 as the second half of Animal Kingdom Lodge and has not been substantially rebuilt since. Rooms were refurbished in the early 2020s. The most recent change that affects a booking is pricing, not building: the savanna-view premium has widened, and at about $211 a night in 2026 it is now a bigger decision than picking between the two buildings.

Working from here

workable

The rooms are fine for it — kitchenette, table, two chairs — and the savanna outside a savanna-view room is the best window on property to work next to. What Kidani lacks is anywhere else to go: no counter service, no café, and a small lobby. The Library, a sitting room with a fireplace and a savanna balcony, is the one good spot and it is small. For a working week, Jambo House next door has more places to sit.

Common questions

Kidani Village or Jambo House?

Kidani has larger studios, covered parking, a quieter lobby and Sanaa. Jambo House has the grand lobby, three savannas, and far more food — Boma, Jiko and The Mara, which is among the best quick service at any villa resort. The usual advice holds: Kidani if you want the room and the quiet, Jambo if you want the atmosphere and the dining. They share the Sunset Savanna and you can use both.

Is the savanna view worth the extra money?

In 2026 it is about $717 against $506 for a resort view, so roughly $211 a night. That is the largest view premium on property and it buys the only thing at Walt Disney World you cannot get elsewhere. If the animals are why you chose this resort, pay it; if you are choosing on price, a resort-view room here is poor value against Saratoga Springs at $485.

Is there quick service at Kidani Village?

No, and it is the most common practical complaint. Sanaa is table service only and Maji is a pool bar. For counter service you go to The Mara at Jambo House, which is an internal shuttle or a fifteen-to-twenty-minute walk. If you have young children or want breakfast in the room, plan for that before the first morning.

How big is a Kidani Village studio?

About 366 square feet, sleeping four in a queen bed and a double sleeper sofa. Published figures conflict — DVC Fan gives 366 and explains that Kidani studios are roughly 50 square feet larger than Jambo House's 316, while some outlets print 316 for Kidani itself. Disney publishes neither figure. The larger number is the better-supported one.

How do you get to the parks from Kidani Village?

Buses only, to all four parks and both water parks. Animal Kingdom is the closest by a distance; Magic Kingdom and EPCOT are among the longer bus rides on property. There is no boat, monorail or Skyliner. Kidani's covered parking under the building makes driving noticeably more pleasant than at most resorts.