First timer - kidani here we come!

[lorenni]

Finally received my member number, called for my activation and club code this morning and made my reservations for my first trip as a DVCer!

Was pleasantly surprised to get a savannah view two bedroom at AK over Labor Day weekend. Is there something wrong with that time of year? Or is it just that everyone with kids is at home for those first few days of the school year?

Any suggestions for celebrating a second birthday? I was thinking a meal at Chef Mickey's over at CR since he is a huge character kid (hugged every single character he saw on our cruise this last week.) Do the rooms have any cake or cupcake pans if I were to bring a boxed cake mix?

 

[Idreamodisney247]

Finally received my member number, called for my activation and club code this morning and made my reservations for my first trip as a DVCer!

Was pleasantly surprised to get a savannah view two bedroom at AK over Labor Day weekend. Is there something wrong with that time of year? Or is it just that everyone with kids is at home for those first few days of the school year?

Any suggestions for celebrating a second birthday? I was thinking a meal at Chef Mickey's over at CR since he is a huge character kid (hugged every single character he saw on our cruise this last week.) Do the rooms have any cake or cupcake pans if I were to bring a boxed cake mix?

CONGRATULATIONS and WELCOME HOME!!! Chef Mickey's is an awesome choice as is Crystal Palace for Pooh characters, O'Hana breakfast for Lilo and Stitch. I'm not sure if this still exists, but Donald's Breakfastasaurus at Animal Kingdom was definitely my DS's favorite when he was around 2 years old. Since I have yet to do my first trip as a DVC member, I cannot answer the question regarding cake pans.

Good Luck and enjoy years of family fun!!!

 

[TinkandGoofy'sMom]

Congratulations! You will love Kidani. I would book your son's birthday breakfast at Tusker House. For one, it is close by. If you book breakfast for 8am, you should be done in time to be one of the first on the safari. We love the food and characters and Tusker House. The weather at the time you are going will be hot and humid, but crowds should be minimal. I hope you have a wonderful time.

 

[Theaberdeenkid]

Finally received my member number, called for my activation and club code this morning and made my reservations for my first trip as a DVCer!

Was pleasantly surprised to get a savannah view two bedroom at AK over Labor Day weekend. Is there something wrong with that time of year? Or is it just that everyone with kids is at home for those first few days of the school year?

Any suggestions for celebrating a second birthday? I was thinking a meal at Chef Mickey's over at CR since he is a huge character kid (hugged every single character he saw on our cruise this last week.) Do the rooms have any cake or cupcake pans if I were to bring a boxed cake mix?

We just stayed at Kidani last November.

Beautiful place, great staff. Some things to know.
-Firstly call MS and tell them you have a birthday you want to celebrate, then mention it at the desk during check in. They will give them a it's my birthday button. My son's birthday coincided with our last trip and one of his favorite part's of the trip was all the CM wishing him a happy birthday as we walked about the parks.
-You can get night vision glasses from the front desk to watch the animals. It's going to be hot and muggy so you probably won't see much animal activity during the day.
-There is no quick service at Kidani, only sit down meals. Jambo has quick service but you will need to take the shuttle or walk over.
-Coffee choice is limited, beside the coffee maker in your room the lobby store is about the only choice, it's small and you can only get the $20 unlimited mug for there.
-Since you have the two bedroom think about having groceries delivered, you can find many threads on the site about that subject.

 

[lorenni]

Thanks!

Yes, we are planning on having groceries delivered. We have done this in the past but will definitely do so this time since we will have a kitchen. I will be sure to add coffee to the list

I had not thought of Tusker house and have never been to that breakfast - that is a great idea and I will look into that today!

As for the weather, we're in Baltimore. Hot and muggy is just like home, but I'll take AK hot and muggy over Baltimore's Grand Prix weekend and another year of being stuck in our little neighborhood for days on end! And the tiny person still (knock on wood) naps for 2 hours midday, so I'm planning to be out of the heat during the worst of it most days.

 

[appleorchard]

We just got back from Kidani. During the first part of the trip, in a 1BR, we saw mostly cattle in the morning. In the second half, in a 2 BR, we saw nothing in the morning. Before 9:30 am or so, the animals are all getting checked out. You won't see them until after that. The best time to see them is around dinnertime--I think they feed them near Sanaa then so that dining guests get a good look.

We saw giraffes and zebras from room 70, I think it was. Something that ended in 21, anyway! From the other side, 7-something 46(I think) we didn't see the giraffes or zebras up close.

We weren't crazy about the walk to the pool--unless we just didn't see it, it seemed like we had to walk through the lobby to get there.

 

[Kidanifan08]

HOME!!

AKV is our home, as well, and we love the quiet peacefulness of the resort. Kidani has a great pool and splash area for the little ones. Our son is 7 and we joined DVC when he was 2-1/2. The savanna view rooms are awesome. With the stroller, you may want to request lobby level, near the lobby. Also, there are several stroller rental services in Orlando. We have used Magic Strollers and Kingdom Strollers. It's nice to not have to lug the thing through the airport, and the rental places have sizable strollers with storage, which an umbrella style stroller from home does not provide. Magic Strollers is operated by the same folks who do the Owners Locker, which is something that you may want to learn more about, as well.

Regarding the , keep in mind that you cannot have balloons at AKV, due to the risk of harm to the animals. I don't remember if there are baking pans, but the kitchen supplies are fairly minimal. I think Glad makes a disposable baking pan that would be light and easy to pack. Alternatively, you could order a custom cake from Disney, but it may cost you $35-50. Just google birthday cake at Disney World.

We like Chef Mickey for dinner, but not so much for breakfast. If you don't have a car, you need to take a bus to MK and then walk to CR. Crystal Palace is great for breakfast, and if you can get a reservation before 9AM, you can get into the park before the other guests and get nice photos in front of the castle. It may be a little late for those early reservations at this point, although it is a slow time at WDW. I have to agree with others, the breakfast at Tusker House is great! We did Hollywood and Vine once, but didn't really like that. The Garden Grill at Epcot is another nice character experience with the "big guys" that has really good food.

Definitely make time for Sanaa if you like interesting asian/african flavors. Boma is very good as well. We have yet to eat at Jiko -- hard to do with a little one.

 

[lorenni]

I snagged a breakfast reservation on the morning of his birthday at Tusker House - great tip so thanks, team!

It's a 5 day trip and I'm planning to chill for about half of it - pool days on day 1 and day 5 and maybe one park a day. In fact for our trip next year we have a week and i'm considering Fort Wilderness as that also seems like a good place to relax with the tiny person and not do parks everyday. At this rate i may not see my home resort (BLT) for years!

So we have reservations at Sanaa for dinner on arrival day. I'm hoping to grill out on his birthday - how is the grilling situation there? Are all supplies provided? Gas or charcoal?

I know there is a list somewhere of the kitchen supplies. That said - I've been hoping for an excuse to get those individual silicone cupcake things for the oven so maybe this is my chance. I'm gluten free so I'll likely bring a cake mix from home.

We live in the city and walk everywhere so the distances at Kidani don't phase us much. From what I've read we'll want to request a room near the rafiki elevator, right?

 

[Sunshine22TX]

Finally received my member number, called for my activation and club code this morning and made my reservations for my first trip as a DVCer!

Was pleasantly surprised to get a savannah view two bedroom at AK over Labor Day weekend. Is there something wrong with that time of year? Or is it just that everyone with kids is at home for those first few days of the school year?

Any suggestions for celebrating a second birthday? I was thinking a meal at Chef Mickey's over at CR since he is a huge character kid (hugged every single character he saw on our cruise this last week.) Do the rooms have any cake or cupcake pans if I were to bring a boxed cake mix?

If you go in the baking aisle of your grocery store, you can find aluminum cupcake liners with paper liners in-between. These are are actually strong enough to form the shape of cupcakes without the actual cupcake pan. I take them in the suitcase and make blueberry muffins at DVC.