Animal Kingdom Lodge Room Review- View Giraffes From Your Hotel Room
Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of the best deluxe resort hotels at Walt Disney World. The deluxe resort hotels are the premium luxury hotels offered at Walt Disney World that come with the best perks. My Animal Kingdom Lodge room review covers why this hotel is a fan favorite and why we've stayed here more than once.
The draw of Animal Kingdom Lodge is its close proximity to the wildlife. The hotel is built in the midst of an African savanna style animal habitat which means you can view animals like zebras, giraffes, ostriches, and more from the hotel. You can even book a room that faces the savanna so you can wake up to these beautiful animals every morning!
I visit Walt Disney World frequently and I have stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge often during my visits. This is one of my favorite Walt Disney World deluxe hotel options. Nothing beats the excitement on your family's face when they look out on the balcony each morning to see giraffes and zebras! Keep reading for my full Animal Kingdom Lodge savanna room review to see why this hotel is so popular.
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Animal Kingdom Lodge Overview
Animal Kingdom Lodge is a deluxe resort hotel at Walt Disney World located directly near Animal Kingdom Park. Animal Kingdom Lodge offers standard rooms but also DVC rooms. These rooms offer the chance at great savings if you rent DVC points. Read my review of the DVC Animal Kingdom rooms and my money saving hack for staying at this hotel at a reduced rate.
Animal Kingdom Lodge is surrounded by four savannas that are home to over 200 hoofed animals and birds. There are two main buildings: Jambo House and Kidani Village. Jambo House is where the main lobby is located but both these buildings offer dining, pools and recreation, and savanna views.
The lobby in Jambo House at Animal Kingdom Lodge is also home to one of the largest collections of African art in the United States which you can find displayed all around the hotel with some of the most majestic pieces in the main lobby.
One of the coolest aspects of the Animal Kingdom Lodge is the ease of access for savanna views throughout the entire resort. You can see both sides of the savanna in the hallways that lead up to the rooms, the lobby, restaurants, and outside walkways. This is the reason why this resort is one of my favorites at Walt Disney World. Nothing compares to these wildlife views and it's what truly makes Animal Kingdom Lodge special.
See the Animal Kingdom Lodge map for more information about the layout of the resort, the locations of dining and recreation options, and more.
Animal Kingdom Savanna Room Review
The best way to stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge is to make sure you are staying in a room with a view of the savanna. These rooms all have balconies that overlook the savanna. There is nothing better than waking up to a view of giraffes outside your room eating breakfast.
During our stays at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, we have seen so many animals from our room including giraffes, zebra, ostriches, and more. This is one of my son's favorite hotels purely for this reason. We like to sit outside on the balcony and take in these views.
Cast members also strategically feed the animals so they come closer to your balconies. This is the same for breakfast and dinner so make sure to take a peek outside during the morning and evening. We noticed dinner time is often around 5PM for the animals.
Animal Kingdom Lodge offers a range of room types from queen beds, king beds, studio suites plus 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom villas. All room types have the option of upgrading to a pool view or savanna view. There is also club level service offered for the villas and deluxe studios.
Animal Kingdom Lodge Standard Room Review
During our stay, we stayed in a regular standard room with a savanna room review. Let's get into the details of our stay in this Animal Kingdom Lodge room review.
I love the rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge, they are so beautiful!
The standard rooms have touches of Lion King around the room- notice the mural near the coffeemaker.
The bathroom is spacious and has plenty of room for multiple guests to get ready.
Families with small children will appreciate that these rooms have bath tubs.
The rooms were extremely spacious with plenty of storage. This room can easily fit a small family without feeling like you're all on top of each other.
Animal Kingdom Lodge Amenities
Animal Kingdom Lodge offers the typical set of amenities you can find at Walt Disney World resorts along with the addition of higher end services for guests staying at club level rooms.
Animal Kingdom Lodge lists their resort amenities as including:
- Disney Bus Transportation
- Minnie Van Service
- Complimentary Wi-Fi Internet
- Online Check-In
- ATM
- Banking for exchanging foreign currencies
- Designated Smoking Areas
- Housekeeping Service
- Laundry and Dry Cleaning Services
- Mail Services
- Merchandise Delivery and Pickup
- Resort Concierge
- Disney Signature Services for Club-level rooms
We stayed during a rainy weekend at Walt Disney World and the cast members were going above and beyond organizing games for kids in the lobby which was a nice touch.
Animal Kingdom Lodge Recreation
The Animal Kingdom Lodge pool at Jambo House is a great size and features water slides, comfortable lounge chairs, and a hot tub.
Animal Kingdom Lodge really leans into its unique theming with African wildlife located around the pool area.
The Uzima Springs Pool offers plenty of space, nearby pool bar, food-service location and view of the savanna from certain areas.
My son enjoyed the waterslide and I appreciated the choice of two hot tubs to utilize since it was a bit chilly during our stay.
The full list of recreation options at Animal Kingdom Lodge include:
- Pools at both Jambo and Kidani Village
- The largest pool is the Uzima Springs Pool at Jambo house facing the savanna with a zero-depth entry point and a 67-foot-long waterslide. Two hot tubs are also located nearby.
- The second pool is Samawati Springs Pool at Kidani Village with a 128-foot waterslide and a water playground called Uwanja Camp with three different zones for kids of all ages.This pool area also features a water playground for smaller children to enjoy.
- Jambo House Campfire Activities
- Located at Arusha Overlook 7:00-8:00pm – 7 days a week
- Movies Under the Stars
- Watch favorite Disney films in the fresh evening air by the Uzima Pool.
- Hakuna Matata Playground
- Located at Jambo House
- Pumbaa’s Fun and Games Arcade
- Located at Jambo House
- Wild About Painting at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Locker Rentals for $1 per use near Uzima pool
- Zahanati Massage & Fitness Center- a workout facility featuring equipment, massages and more.
Animal Kingdom Lodge also offers a large gift shop off the main lobby in Jambo House with a good selection of souvenirs and must need items.
Animal Kingdom Lodge Dining
Animal Kingdom Lodge offers a diverse selection of dining options including the signature dining experience, Jiko- The Cooking Place. Read our recent review of Jiko- The Cooking Place to see why this deluxe dining option is a favorite of many Disney fans.
Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House Dining
- Jiko – The Cooking Place
- Dinner
- Be transported to Africa as you taste the fragrant spices and bold flavors of this amazing continent’s cuisine.
- Boma – Flavors of Africa
- Breakfast, Dinner
- Feast on an all-you-care-to-enjoy buffet in an atmosphere inspired by a lively open-air marketplace.
- The Mara
- Get a snack to go or grab a seat in the dining room and enjoy a meal under a canopy of banyan trees.
- Cape Town Lounge and Wine Bar
- Bar Service
- Enjoy an aperitif prior to dining at nearby Jiko – The Cooking place––or stay put and order an appetizer to enjoy with your cocktail.
- Victoria Falls Lounge
- Bar Service
- Park yourself by the glow of a fire pit or sink into a sofa while sipping a selection from the full bar menu.
Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village Dining
- Uzima Springs Pool Bar
- Bar Service
- Linger over libations at this inviting retreat while relishing wildlife sightings at nearby Arusha Savanna.
- Sanaa
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Discover exquisite East African cuisine and enjoy views of Sunset Savanna—home to some 30 wildlife species!
- Sanaa Lounge
- Bar Service
- Try a flight of African wines surrounded by the warm hues of an Old-World spice market.
- Maji Pool Bar
- Lunch, Bar Service
- Sip on a cocktail at this romantic open-air oasis serving up signature drinks, sandwiches and salads.
Animal Kingdom Lodge Transportation Review
The main drawback of Animal Kingdom Lodge in comparison to the other deluxe hotels is that it only offers bus transportation.
We always have positive experience with bus transportation and this recent Animal Kingdom Lodge stay was no different. The bus service was constant and we never waited long at the hotel or the parks. The My Experience App under the ‘Resort' section will show you the time when your bus will arrive at your resort and arrival to each park giving you a good idea of how to plan.
My rule of thumb for rope drop, for any Walt Disney World resort, is to line up at your transportation at least 60-90 minutes prior to park opening.
Animal Kingdom Lodge Room Review- Final Thoughts
I love the Animal Kingdom Lodge and this is one of my favorite hotels at Walt Disney World. This is also a beautiful hotel during the holiday season.
One of the biggest critiques this deluxe hotel receives is how far away it is from the other theme parks (aside from Animal Kingdom) and that it only offers bus transportation. This is a big con if you are interested in using the Skyliner or Monorail to get to the theme parks.
You give up the ease of this convenience for the luxury of being surrounded by African wildlife. For some folks, that's a worthy sacrifice to make! There is no other Walt Disney World hotel that offers such unique theming. You won't see giraffes right outside your window anywhere else and for some families, that's the biggest part of the magic right there. For my family, that's what we love about the resort and I do not mind using bus transportation.
You also have all the amenities a deluxe resort provides and the hotel itself is beautiful with its detailing and the large collection of African art in the lobby.
This is one of my favorite Walt Disney World resorts and one that I love to revisit often!
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- Disney World Dining Guide: Food Options, Budget Tips, Restaurant Guides
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Yes! Animal Kingdom Lodge offers so many great chances to view the African wildlife on the savannas surrounding the hotel plus amazing dining options like Sanaa and Jiko The Cooking Pace
No! The entire lodge is well kept and smells like, well, any deluxe Disney hotel. You cannot smell the animals that live outside.
All rooms above the ground floor have balconies!
Yes, there are plenty of viewing areas to view the animals at Animal Kingdom Lodge.
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