If you are considering a stay at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge I would definitely encourage it for anyone whose kids are into animals and/or if you’re looking for a more low-key Disney experience.  A common complaint I hear about Animal Kingdom Lodge is that it is “so far away from everything.”  This is pretty much true!  You are definitely not in the middle of the action while staying at AKL, but there is something to be said about being immersed in this breathtaking African-inspired lodge.

Animal Kingdom Lodge is at the bottom lefthand corner of the picture:

I can appreciate first time guests and those with young children wanting to be close or in walking distance to the Magic Kingdom.  In fact, I often encourage these types of clients to book at a resort with better proximity to the parks or be more centrally located on property.  However, if your kids love animals and you’re willing to go a little off the beaten path for an extra special experience, you will not be disappointed with Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Disney is known for their themed resorts, and this is what makes it fun to stay on property and see how they make each hotel unique.  I could spend an entire trip bouncing around from one hotel to another just to check out all the care taken to make each resort special in its’ own way.

The lobby at AKL blew me away and this picture doesn’t even do it justice:

When we decided to try Animal Kingdom we booked a standard view room, then we reconsidered and bumped up to a savannah view.  We bought the kids binoculars so they could have some extra fun watching the animals off our balcony, and let me tell you – the view did not disappoint.  They took turns sharing the binoculars and shouting about what animal they saw next.  Listen, I’m not going to act like we had an entire zoo in front of our window, but seeing anything was very exciting for us.

The view from our balcony: 

If you’re considering AKL and can only fit a standard view into your budget, do not despair because there are plenty of places to see animals at the resort.  This is a view from Sanaa (a restaurant in Kidani Village) and there is a separate outside viewing area as well:

In your room will be a Wildlife Spotting Guide that tells you what animals you can expect to see on the savannah.  My boys had the most fun looking for the Somali Wild Ass, presumably because they got to say the word ass and not get in trouble.  They carried this around for a lot of the vacation as we walked around the resort and viewing areas.

There are three parts to Animal Kingdom Lodge: The main lodge, Jambo House, and Kidani Village.  The main lodge and Jambo House are where you will see the most action.  Here you will find the main lobby pictured above, the big pool with a medium size slide, a quick service location, two restaurants, and a large gift shop where you can also buy food.

Kidani Village is a more quaint version of the main lodge.  It does have a great pool with two slides, a kiddie splash area, and Sanaa restaurant.  I like to reserve Kidani Village for people who have been to Disney already and don’t mind being even more off the main track than you already are at the main lodge or Jambo House.  You can walk between the two resorts or take the shuttle that runs back and forth.  Each resort has a bus stop for the parks.

Getting to the parks (aside from Animal Kingdom) from AKL is definitely a bigger effort, but with the proper planning it is tolerable.  If I were to book a Disney vacation where parks were not a main priority and I wanted to enjoy the resort and pool, Animal Kingdom Lodge would definitely be one of my first suggestions.  It is also a resort that gets pretty good discounts, so if you’re in the moderate hotel range and looking to upgrade to a deluxe, check AKL rates.

by Ellen Volpe – Co-Owner of ET Family Travel