Mark My Words

The Kidani Village annex for Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas will be available for stays beginning on May 1, 2009. DVC members with the Animal Kingdom Villas as their home resort can start making reservations on August 10. If there is any availability remaining, those reservations will become available to all members once the 7-month window opens.

Of course reservations at Jambo House (the existing main Animal Kingdom Lodge building) will continue to be available.

In addition to the new DVC accommodations, the Kidani Village annex will feature a new pool and water-recreation area, a new African spice routes-inspired restaurant called Sanaa (Swahili for "artwork") and other amenities.

Please remember that the completion of the new savanna and the process of acclimating the animals to the new habitat, animals are not scheduled to be on Sunset Savanna from January 15 - April 15, 2009.

If you reserve a savanna-view room during that time period, you really have no control over which savanna you get assigned to. About 30 days prior to arrival, the resort will determine, based on occupancy and booking date order, which members will be assigned to a Sunset Savanna view room. Those members will be notified, and after their stay, will be credited back with a number of vacation points equivalent to the difference between a savanna view and standard view. No additional compensation will be given.

If that doesn't work for you, you might want to think about picking another resort during that time. Of course, if you do go and get the Sunset Savanna view, remember that you can always see animals on the other savannas from multiple viewing locations around the resort.