Quick Tour of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort | Walt Disney World
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of my favorite resort hotels at Walt Disney World, offering guests an experience like no other. Prepare to be captivated by the immersive atmosphere, incredible wildlife encounters, and award-winning dining experiences.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort | Walt Disney World
Welcome to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, starting with the lobby you’ll notice it’s filled with authentic museum pieces, artwork, and wood carvings.
This one-of-a-kind hotel offers a unique experience that will transport you to Africa. You will absolutely forget that you’re in Central Florida.
Animal lovers will be delighted to know that Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge is home to over 30 species of African wildlife.
Set amidst a sprawling savannah, you’ll discover giraffes, zebras, and gazelles roaming freely.
Yes, Animal Kingdom Lodge is in a remote location on Disney World property. It is sometimes criticized in guidebooks for being far away from the parks.
But that’s the point! This resort needs to be in a remote location. It needs to be relaxing and tranquil, away from Disney theming, traffic, park noise, and fireworks.
Being able to escape the theme park atmosphere while on vacation is a good thing, and only Animal Kingdom Lodge can do that.
And it’s not that far from the parks. Animal Kingdom Park is 5 minutes away by bus. Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios are about 10-15 minutes away.
I think it’s a little unfair to say that you shouldn’t stay here because it’s too far from the parks. No hotel at Disney is close to all 4 of the theme parks.
There are 2 sections to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge:
Jambo House - the primary hotel complex with a combination of standard hotel rooms and villas.
Kidani Village - the all-villa section of the resort, with no standard hotel rooms.
In this review, I’m focusing primarily on Jambo House.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
Room Categories
There are 3 main room categories
Resort View - the most economical. Offering standard views of parking areas, rooftops, and/or landscaping.
Water View - overlooks the pool area. While the pool is pretty at night especially, these rooms can be noisy. Early morning power washing of the pool furniture starts around 6 am.
Savanna View - views of the wildlife safaris.
All rooms have a private balcony with 2 chairs.
Jambo House | Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
One of my favorite things about this hotel is that you don’t need to book a Savanna View room to enjoy the views of the animals.
There are a number of overlooks around the hotel that anyone can enjoy.
Scenic overlook at Jambo House | Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
The resort is U-shaped so there are plenty of opportunities to see the animals throughout the hotel.
If you book a Savanna View room, I recommend waking up at dawn for at least one day on your vacation, grabbing coffee, and sitting on your balcony.
The animals are very active at dawn. You’ll see the animals playing with each other and some even calling out to other animals.
Once the sun comes up, the animals begin to chill out.
A common misconception is that you need to get to Animal Kingdom Park early in the morning to see the animals.
But by the time Animal Kingdom Park opens, the animals are already done playing.
The best time to view the animals in the theme park is late afternoon, as the sun begins to set. But if you’re staying at the Lodge, pre-dawn is the absolute best time.
Standard rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge have 2 queen beds and sleep up to 4 people.
Most other Deluxe Resorts at Disney World can sleep up to 5 guests so Animal Kingdom is unique in that way (Disney’s Wilderness Lodge too).
1 Bedroom Villa - Jambo House
1 Bedroom Villa - Jambo House
Animal Kingdom Lodge also offers villa accommodations. These are “home away from home” rooms and villas.
Deluxe Studios are similar to a standard hotel room but include a queen bed, a pull-out sofa, and a small kitchenette.
Studios are priced comparably to standard hotel rooms and are great options especially if Standard View hotel rooms are sold out or if you prefer to have 1 bed and a sofa, instead of 2 queen beds.
Also offered are 1, 2,3, and three-bedroom units - they have a living room and kitchen with full-size appliances.
One of my favorite things about the 1, 2, and 3-bedroom villas is that have an in-room washer and dryer. This means you can pack light and do laundry in the room.
Room Layouts
Standard Room Amenities
Hair Dryer, Coffee Maker, In-room safe, Mini-refrigerator, Internet - Free WiFi Service, Telephone with voice mail, Iron & ironing board. Microwaves can be requested at no extra charge.
Club Level at Animal Kingdom Lodge
When you stay Club Level at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, you'll be greeted by a personalized check-in and luggage assistance.
But the best perk is having access to the Kilimanjaro Club Lounge. Here, you’ll enjoy continental breakfast each morning, refreshing snacks and evening hors d'oeuvres and desserts.
You can also enjoy complimentary beer, wine, water and soft drinks. Club Level guests receive an array of unparalleled benefits to enhance their stay. The dedicated Club Level concierge service is at your disposal, ensuring that every moment of your vacation is seamless and magical.
As a Club Level guest, you can also arrange Disney Minnie Van Service from Orlando International Airport (for a fee.) This service is available exclusively to CLub Level guests.
Making Room Requests
I make room requests for clients all the time and have learned a few tricks of the trade that help increases your chances of having your requests honored. But requests are never guaranteed.
Based on my client’s feedback, my room requests are honored about 80% of the time.
Tips for making room requests
It’s better to leave room requests as general as possible. The more general they are, the more likely they will be honored.
Requests for a room near the bus stop, a particular room or building, or “high floor” are viable requests and have a great chance of being honored.
I do not recommend requesting a room that is outside of your category. Free upgrades are highly unlikely because the resorts sell out nearly every night at Walt Disney World.
Room Rates
The Pool at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge has one of the best pools on Disney property. By design, you’re surrounded by the hotel where you can see the thatched roof of the lobby, foliage and the animal savana is right there too. You can literally hoop out of the pool and see what the animals are doing.
Also nearby is a pool bar, whirlpool, and a play area for little ones.
Animal Kingdom Lodge Dining Options
Inside the resort are several restaurants, Jiko The Cooking Place has won multiple awards and specializes in African wine.
Boma at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
There’s also Boma, an African buffet-style restaurant. There’s also Victoria Falls Lounge and The Mara, which is the resort's quick service restaurant which is especially popular for breakfast.
Animal Kingdom Lodge Theme Park Transportation
Animal Kingdom Lodge is located just outside Animal Kingdom Theme Park. Disney Bus transportation is provided to areas of Walt Disney World.
Disney Minnie Van service is also available.
Club Level guests can book Disney Minnie Van service to/from Orlando International Airport.
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Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Address
2901 Osceola Pkwy, Kissimmee, FL 34747
Phone: (407) 939-1936
Darren is an Orlando-based travel advisor and writer with Magical Vacations Travel, since 2008. Readers of the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World rate him as a Best of the Best Disney Travel Agent.
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