Imagine transporting seamlessly to a different continent. Imagine the thrill of viewing exotic wildlife from the comfort of your balcony. And imagine a luxury hotel with a modern yet timeless feel, filled with exotic details. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, a deluxe resort hotel located just outside Animal Kingdom theme park, fulfills all the above points with ease. If you’ve ever dreamed of exploring the exotic nature of Africa, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is the closest you’ll get outside of visiting Africa itself.
Easily Disney’s most ambitious hotel at Walt Disney World, the hotel is a beautifully themed resort hotel to the wilds of Africa. The lobby is grand at six stories tall. Cultural relics line the walls and hallways. Cultural representatives of various African countries roam the common areas, eager to tell stories of their time in Africa. Famously, African animals, like zebra and giraffe, roam the grounds outside and are visible from most hotel rooms. Offering a romantic vision of an African themed lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge is a testament to the wonders of nature and the cultural elements of Africa. Stella and I stayed here in February 2017 and we knew right away this hotel is special.
Fresh off our first trip to Disney World in September 2016, we decided to head back to Walt Disney World after landing a great deal for a club level room at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Through the course of research, we learned Animal Kingdom Lodge is consistently rated as one of the best hotels on property. Looking through pictures online, the hotel looked gorgeous and different from a lot of Disney’s other hotels. Once we arrived in Orlando and took Disney’s Magical Express to the hotel, we were not prepared for the experience we were about to encounter.
Theming
As a sucker for theming, Animal Kingdom Lodge blew us away. Just like Animal Kingdom park, Animal Kingdom Lodge executes its theming perfectly. We both agree Animal Kingdom is Walt Disney’s World’s best theme park and the Animal Kingdom Lodge is the resort’s best themed hotel. It’s obvious the Imagineers went all out to try and create the most authentic and exotic African wilderness experience possible.
As I said above in the intro, the hotel theme is meant to transport you to a romanticized version of an African wilderness. First, the hotel is isolated. Unlike the Magic Kingdom resorts or the EPCOT resorts, Animal Kingdom Lodge is not located by any other properties. The isolation helps exemplify the exotic, African theming. If I am in the African wilderness, it’s doubtful civilization would surround me. Once we arrived at the hotel, I did feel isolated, with just the massive lodge occupying space in the vast wilderness. Trust me, you cannot see anything else outside the hotel grounds. And it works.
The hotel building itself looks like it belongs in the African wilderness. Although I am not an expert on lodge architecture, Disney convinced me this building could easily be in the African savanna. Once inside, you are greeted to a massive lobby, reminiscent of the grand lobbies at the Grand Floridan or the Grand Californian.
Yet, the lobby at the Animal Kingdom Lodge feels so much more inviting. Whereas the lobby at the Grand Californian feels dark and the lobby at the Grand Floridan feels sterile, the lobby at Animal Kingdom Lodge feels welcoming. The lobby at Animal Kingdom Lodge is six stories tall and includes a massive window of the same height looking out towards the back of the hotel.
The window allows plenty of natural light to enter the lobby. Plus, the window also allows you to step outside and see the “African savanna.” Animal Kingdom Lodge is known for its actual living savanna. Yes, the grounds of the hotel include living, breathing animals one would find occupying the real savanna in Africa.
During our stay, I remember giraffe, zebra and gazelles roaming the hotel grounds. The animals were not guided by anyone. The grounds are structured to really look like the animals are freely roaming around in the wild.
To my knowledge, no other hotel in the US features a working African savanna. Animal Kingdom Lodge is designed to take you to Africa. With real animals occupying the hotel grounds, it hits a home run.
Back in the lobby, the African theming continues. Cultural representatives can be found all over the lobby, ready to tell a story from their homeland. Hotel staff greet you in Swahili, building that sense of theming. I also noticed a ton of details carved into the design of the building and plenty of relics echoing a piece of African cultural. Disney easily could of just used the animals to justify its African theme.
Instead, Disney went the extra mile and themed every inch of this resort hotel. I know we didn’t see even half of the details built into the hotel. Everyday we found more and more hidden details. Thankfully, it means we need to go back.
Rooms
As Club Level guests, we skipped the main check in area and checked in upstairs in the Club Level lounge, the Kilimanjaro Club. With the lounge located on the top floor of the hotel, they placed us on the 4th floor with a savanna view room. Once we received our welcome gift (African chocolates), ate breakfast and sipped a Jungle Juice Mimosa (or two), we headed to our room.
Each wing of the hotel is themed to a trail. For example, our room was located down the Zebra Trail. After walking for just a few minutes from the elevator, we found our room. We opened the door with our Magic Bands and discovered the room continued the exotic but luxurious theming. Our room wasn’t huge, but prefect for just the two of us with a king sized bed. Images of animals lined the walls as did references to the Lion Kong.
However, the most important feature was our balcony. Usually, we could care less about the view. And normally, Disney does not reward us with a view anyways. But at Animal Kingdom Lodge, a view is an absolute necessity. I don’t know how many hours we spent on our balcony, sipping Jungle Juice Mimosas and watching the animals graze in front of us.
We checked our balcony each time we woke up and entered the room from the parks. We wanted to see which animals were outside and if we noticed any new animals. Better yet, our room was located right next to a feeding area, guaranteeing at least one animal each time we looked.
When booking a room at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, ensure it is a savanna view room. The hotel offers non savanna view rooms and they really do not include a view of the savanna. Rather than take a risk, book the correct room ahead of time. Trust me, you won’t regret spending some extra money to wake up each morning and see animals grazing right in front of you. It is the best perk of staying at this hotel.
Dining
Like the Polynesian, the Animal Kingdom Lodge includes a stacked dining lineup. The Lodge arguably has the best dining lineup of all the hotels at Walt Disney World. It includes the highly respected signature service restaurant, Jiko – The Cooking Place. It includes a fantastic counter service restaurant, Mara, bars, pool bars, lounges and Sanna, another fantastic full service restaurant.
The food ranges from generic theme park fare to menu items representing the cuisine of Africa. The hotel offers food for any palate, from boring American food to flavorful African meals. If it wasn’t for Trader Sam’s at the Polynesian, I would give Animal Kingdom Lodge the win. I probably should, but I love Trader Sam’s way to much. Anyway, below is a breakdown Animal Kingdom Lodge’s dining options:
- Jiko – The Cooking Place: Animal Kingdom Lodge’s signature dining restaurant. Jiko serves African, Indian and Mediterranean inspired dishes with a menu that changes seasonally. For those staying Club Level, the evening appetizers are cooked and served in the lounge with chef’s from Jiko. Reservations are accepted and highly recommended. A “resort casual” dress code is also enforced.
- Boma – Flavors of Africa: Animal Kingdom Lodge’s buffet restaurant. In the morning, the buffet includes eggs, French toast, omelets, Kenyan coffee and South African quiche. For dinner, seafood, grilled meats and South African wines are served. Additionally, the buffet does not host characters. Reservations are recommended.
- Sanna: Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, the restaurant is known for African cooking with Indian flavors. Sanna is also known for its bread service, offering nine different unique dipping options as well offering views of the savanna as you dine. Reservations are not needed for breakfast, but highly recommended for lunch and dinner.
- Sanna Lounge: Located right outside Sanna, the lounge serves appetizers and salads, along with specialty cocktails and beer/wine from South Africa. The lounge is first come, first serve.
- The Mara: Similar to Captain Cook’s over at the Polynesian, The Mara is the hotels quick service restaurant, serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night snacks. The menu hosts meals influenced by African cuisine or typical American options. It is also located right next to the pool, making it a convenient option for a quick snack. Food can be eaten at The Mara and taken to-go. The Mara also allows mobile ordering via the Disney World official app.
- Maji Pool Bar: Typical pool bar, serving cocktails, beer and wine. It also serves food, such as sandwiches and salads.
- Uzima Springs Pool Bar: Another pool bar, offering the same type of food and drinks as Uzima.
- Cape Town Lounge and Wine Bar: Located outside Jiko, Cape Town Lounge is Jiko’s lounge. Beer and wine, along with a full bar is available. And for those without reservations to Jiko, Cape Town serves the full Jiko menu.
- Victoria Falls Lounge: Located outside Boma, the lounge serves specialty cocktails, beer, wine and small plates.
- Room Service: The Animal Kingdom Lodge offers room service for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu reflects the theme of the hotel, along with plenty of American options for less adventures eaters.
Amenities
If you still have time after eating at Animal Kingdom Lodge’s massive lineup of restaurants, the hotel offers amenities in line for a luxury hotel. From pools, a fitness center and movie nights, the hotel offers a ton of things to do. Seriously, spend some time outside the parks and enjoy the many offerings the hotel offers. We regret not taking advantage of the hotel’s amenities during our stay. As we’ve been to Disney World quite a bit now, we definitely plan to spend more time at the hotel next time we stay here. Below is a list of the hotel’s featured amenities:
- Uzima and Samawati Springs Pool: The pools each feature their own bar and areas for young children. The Uzima Springs Pool features a zero-depth entry point and a waterslide. The waterslide is no match to Stormalong Bay, but it’s fun nonetheless.
- Jambo House Campfire Activities: A fun activity where kids can roast marshmallows around a campfire in a family fun environment.
- Hakuna Matata Playground: Typical playground designed for small children.
- Movies Under the Stars: Evening activity where families can watch Disney movies on a big screen by the Uzima Springs Pool.
- Wild About Painting: For $50/person, adults can paint a masterpiece of their own, while overlooking the safari and sipping a complimentary alcoholic beverage.
- Pumbaa’s Fun and Games Arcade: Typical arcade offering classic arcade games.
Outside the above amenities, the times/activity guide you receive upon check in will highlight other hotel activities not listed on the website. The hotel offers a night and dine safari (for a fee) and a chance to dine with an Imagineer.
Everything is subject to change so check your times/activity guide when you check in so you are aware of everything that is going on during your stay. Like I said above, definitely plan some time to check out a couple hotel activities as it’s great to spend some time away from the parks.
Conclusion
Overall, Animal Kingdom Lodge is an excellent hotel. Along with the Polynesian, the Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of our favorite hotels on site. If you haven’t stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, we recommend you book a room for your next trip. As a Disney Deluxe Resort Hotel, Animal Kingdom Lodge is on the more expensive side, compared to value or moderate hotels. But, the Animal Kingdom Lodge is usually cheaper than the other deluxe resort hotels (At the time of this review, a standard room was $424/night).
In comparison to other deluxe resort hotels, the Animal Kingdom Lodge is isolated. I mentioned it as a strength for theming, but it is a weakness for convenience. Whereas the Magic Kingdom Resort Hotels and the EPCOT Resort Hotels offer walking distance to one park or easy transportation options like boats or monorail, the Animal Kingdom Lodge does not offer any options other than bus. Even a bus is required to Animal Kingdom theme park.
Thankfully, the resort hotel is usually on the cheaper end. It offers plenty of dining and recreation options for those who would prefer to stay in and not take a bus somewhere else. During our stay, we experienced no issues with the bus. And since the hotel is isolated, all buses for Animal Kingdom Lodge are not shared with any other resort hotel.
Finally, as a Disney Resort Hotel, it offers the standard perks for hotel guests. This includes complimentary Magic Bands, Fast Passes 60 days out and the Magical Express. As a deluxe resort hotel, it does offer Club Level service and the ability to pick Fast Passes 90 days out. We stayed Club Level during our stay and loved it. Stay tuned for a review of our Club Level experience.
Thoughts?
Thank you for reading our review of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge! Again, it’s a great hotel. For our next trip to Disney World, we were thinking of booking a room at the Contemporary, although I think we might stay here again instead. I loved this hotel.
What do you think? Have you stayed here before? Did you like it? How many animals did you see? Anything else we should cover? Let us know in the comments below! And for those staying Club Level and wondering about the 90 Day Club Level Fast Passes, check out our review here! Stay tuned for our Club Level review of the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Once again, thanks for reading!
