It’s ironic that one of Disney’s best resorts is also one of their most ambitious to date—and no, we are not talking about Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser.
When most people think of Walt Disney World resorts, we think of Disney’s Magic Kingdom resorts—places like The Contemporary, Polynesian Resort, or Grand Floridian. Known for their impressive theming, these resorts ooze Disney magic. Also frequently considered are Disney’s Epcot resorts thanks to their classy theming and easy access to both Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Though I’m late to the party, I may have discovered a new favorite… and I can’t believe it took me this long to visit what might be Disney’s best overall resort.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge opened in 2001 as Disney’s only resort situated distinctly close to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. While all of Disney’s resorts hold unique characteristics and amazing theming, this new resort aimed to fulfill one of Walt Disney’s dreams in a fresh way: to allow Disney guests to get up close to the world’s animal’s not just in parks, but in a resort environment.
Divided into two parts—Jambo House, the original resort building, and Kidani Village, a Disney Vacation Club Villa expansion added in 2009—Animal Kingdom Lodge places guests right in the center of a series of sprawling savannahs rich with African wildlife. Guests visiting might see giraffes, African cattle, zebra, antelope, impala, kudu, wildebeest, or a wide range of birds like Marabou storks, ostrich, hornbills, African geese, cranes, and pelicans. Guests can either visit these animals by exploring the resort grounds, or by staying in a savannah view room, placing the animal’s grassy habitat right outside your window. It was an ambitious venture, but it has proven one of Disney most successful resort concepts.
We recently had the pleasure of staying for the first time at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, in a 2 Bedroom Villa with a Savannah View at Kidani Village. How did Animal Kingdom Lodge measure up to some of Disney’s other top contender resorts? Did the experience match the hype?
Here’s what we found and what you need to know about Disney’s most unique resort…
1. The theming is incredible
Like much of its namesake park, Animal Kingdom Lodge is a celebration of all things Africa. Having actually visited central Africa before, I can safely say they did an excellent job capturing the spirit of this diverse and beautiful continent.
From the moment you drive up to Animal Kingdom Lodge, you are transported to another world. Like Disney’s many other resorts, theming is king, and Animal Kingdom Lodge immediately invites guests into a world both cozy and rife with opportunities for adventure.
Designers and Imagineers paid extreme attention to detail throughout the resort. The resort exterior is designed to make the space feel more intimate, less sprawling than other Disney resorts. Lighting is subdued to give the distinct feel of illumination available in an African safari lodge. Patterns and designs marking the decor were inspired directly by those found in African villages, and much of the wooden furniture was crafted in African countries like Zimbabwe. Art is found in abundance, a Maasai rope bridge crosses the lobby, and striking water features both inside the lobby and throughout the grounds give a distinct feel of life and beauty.
2. It’s all about the animals
There is no question that the animals are the chief attraction at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Even before ever staying there, we visited the resort many times to explore the grounds and watch the animals.
Each of the resort’s animal residents are cared for meticulously by a team of caretakers, veterinarians, and specialists, including regular health checks and enrichment activities. Particular care was given during the resort’s design to make each savannah feel like a natural and welcoming environment for the animals, where they would each have a good amount of freedom to roam.
The environment at Animal Kingdom Lodge is so appealing to the resident animals, that I recall some years back hearing a story about a gazelle (of some variety) at Disney’s Animal Kingdom that kept disappearing from the park’s savannah, only to be found later amidst the animals at Animal Kingdom Lodge. It turned out he was skillfully leaping the fences between the park and the resort, determined to stay at the resort savannah. Disney caretakers eventually permanently relocated him to Animal Kingdom Lodge (and addressed the issue with the fence). I have yet to find another source verifying the story, so take it with a grain of salt, but it’s a good testament to the quality of care provided at Animal Kingdom Lodge.
How about the location?
3. It’s more isolated than other Disney resorts
Animal Kingdom Lodge stands out from Disney’s other resorts for another reason—it feels utterly separate from the rest of Walt Disney World in many ways.
Animal Kingdom Lodge is really only noticeably close to one other Walt Disney World feature—Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park. Depending on where you are in the resort, it’s easy to forget that fact. A bus ride is still necessary to get from Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge to the park. While the drive to Disney’s Hollywood Studios goes fairly quick, the resort is distinctly positioned towards the lower edge of Disney’s property limits away from the rest of Walt Disney World.
While this isolation means that Animal Kingdom Lodge isn’t positioned as conveniently as other resorts, it does leave the resort with a distinctly cozy feel. We found ourselves frequently wanting to linger at Animal Kingdom Lodge rather than rushing to the parks, to watch the animals and enjoy the calm in the resort’s quieter areas.
One side effect of Animal Kingdom Lodge’s unique position is that it does not offer as many transportation as some other Disney resorts. Bus transportation is the only option for reaching the parks and Disney Springs. While there have been rumors that Disney might extend their Skyliner system to eventually reach Animal Kingdom Lodge, this seems unlikely anytime soon considering the scope of such a project, the intermittent problems Disney has had with the Skyliner, and the company’s penchant for budget cuts in the current season. On a positive note, we have heard guests note that the Jambo House bus stop is one of Disney’s most comfortable.
4. Beautiful rooms
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and everyone has different opinions on what they find appealing in Disney resorts. When visiting Animal Kingdom Lodge, there’s no question you are signing up for a very specific type of beauty—one that greatly appealed to us considering our love for Africa.
The rooms of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas share a rustic coziness marked by intricately carved natural wood features, striking colors, and vibrant tile patterns. Some elements might remind visitors of the old-style rooms at Disney’s Polynesian Resort. We particularly loved the tilework in the master bathroom of our villa, which brought to mind scenes from The Lion King. The standard rooms at Jambo House are simple, warm, and rustic, with extra features added to Club Level rooms and suites.
As for the villas—WOW.
We have stayed in a number of the Disney Vacation Club resorts, with the Beach Club Villas, Bay Lake Tower, and the Boardwalk Villas marking our usual favorites. After this stay, the Villas at Kidani Village are definitely near the top for our favorites at Walt Disney World. While we would still say Bay Lake Tower has the best rooms overall we’ve found, we would put the villas at Kidani Village as a close second, particularly thanks to the option of getting a savannah view room.
This applies across Walt Disney World resorts, but Disney Vacation Club villas remain one of the best options for lodging at The Most Magical Place on Earth. The villas are spacious, comfortable, great for families, and rich with features to upgrade your vacation. At Kidani Village, we particularly liked the tub and large shower in the master bathroom, the inclusion of three full bathrooms, and the excellent kitchen. The latter was particularly welcome as we were able to prepare several full meals which saved us money on our trip overall. Getting groceries was easy as there is a Publix right around the corner from the resort (though expect some significant traffic during busy hours to get there).
We were able to stay at the Villas at Kidani Village thanks to a family member who is part of Disney Vacation Club, but you don’t need this sort of connection to access these rooms. While you can book rooms at Villa resorts directly through Disney, we recommend using Disney Vacation Club point rental sites, which tend to offer some of the best values available for Walt Disney World rooms.
5. Not all savannahs are equal
It has been a dream of ours for many years to stay in a savannah view room at Animal Kingdom Lodge—we were stunned when we actually caught one available due to a cancellation. Going into our first stay, I wasn’t fully familiar with the layout of the savannahs at the resorts, and we did learn that not all of the resort savannahs are the same.
Our stay landed us a room towards the end of the Pembe Savannah at Kidani Village, close to the animal care station and transfer point connecting to the Sunset Savannah. I will admit I was initially uncertain about our position on the Pembe when I first saw it—the concentration of animals seemed lower than other parts of the resort (we initially only saw a zebra, an Ankole cattle, and some Thompson’s gazelle) and it is edged with chain-link since the road to the caretaker station runs along its edge.
Our concerns about the Pembe proved short-lived as we were treated to regular animal sightings, including leaping gazelle, regular zebra antics, visits by two roaming ostriches, and sightings of the resort’s resident hogs as well. We also caught sight of a giraffe from the Sunset Savannah which roamed over to the care station to greet an arriving truck.
The most popular savannah is the Sunset, located in between Jambo House and Kidani Village. This savannah is the one visible from Sanaa and tends to see the most animal activity with a rich population of antelope, gazelle, zebra, giraffes, cattle, and a wide selection of birds, including ostrich. While we quite enjoyed our position on the Pembe close to the caretaker station, we would probably opt for a Sunset Savannah room if given a choice on future visits.
Jambo House is home to two more savannahs. The Uzima is the smallest of that resort’s selection, with a population of giraffes, gazelle, and antelope. These rooms are also close to the flamingo overlook, near the pool.
The final Jambo House savannah is the Arusha. Though it isn’t as large as the Sunset, it tends to be another favorite thanks to its large feel and diverse animal population, including wildebeest, giraffes, zebra, antelope, and a variety of birds.
6. Home to some of Disney’s best restaurants
For fans of exotic flavors, Animal Kingdom Lodge is a foodie paradise.
The resort is home to several restaurants and lounges, the most notable of which are Boma, Jiko, Sanaa, and the Mara Pool Bar. While the Mara is decent as far as quick service restaurants go, the real gems to consider are the other three.
Boma is a restaurant we’ve gushed about before. This incredible African buffet provides one of the richest and most diverse culinary experiences you will find at Walt Disney World. It was one of the first full buffets to reopen after the pandemic for good reason—this place is outstanding. While cautious eaters will find some familiar staples at Boma like salads, breads, and potatoes, the restaurant shines for its rich selection of African cuisine. Highlights include fire roasted beef tenderloin, Durban chicken, lamb bobotie, oxtail soup, Tunisian couscous, chakalaka, and Zebra domes.
Across the way at Kidani Village, you will find Sanaa, the resort’s only savannah-view restaurant. I will admit an unpopular opinion—I did not like Sanaa when it first opened. They lean heavily on Indian food flavors (one of my favorite things to eat), and we originally felt these were poorly executed in the restaurant’s opening months. We revisited Sanaa on this last trip, and I am happy to say the food has improved noticeably. You could make an impressive meal out of their popular bread service and salad sampler alone, but our experience with the entrees was good as well. While we still like Boma better, Sanaa is a strong contender on the Disney dining scene.
Last but certainly not least is Jiko—a restaurant we consider one of the best places we have ever eaten at Walt Disney World (alongside Boardwalk’s Flying Fish). One of Disney’s signature restaurants, Jiko recently reopened after a long closure following the pandemic. While we have not had the opportunity to return since the reopening, we fondly remember our previous visits to the restaurant. You can expect excellent service, an elegant atmosphere, and an incredibly rich selection of African-inspired dishes at this top quality restaurant (our favorite remains the Egyptian Kushari from the previous vegetarian menu). While it is more expensive than some other Disney dining locations, the price is well worth it for foodies or those celebrating a special occasion.
7. There is a lot to do
A final point in Animal Kingdom Lodge’s favor—you could easily spend days here having fun without ever entering a Disney park. Recreation opportunities are plentiful at both Jambo House and Kidani Village.
Both sections of the resort have expansive pool areas, particularly over at Jambo House. While we wouldn’t rate these as high as the Yacht Club’s Stormalong Bay, they come close, particularly thanks to their proximity to some of the animal viewing areas. Both resorts sections also have impressive fitness centers and video game arcades.
Other activities throughout Animal Kingdom Lodge include campfire activities, evening movies, a playground, tennis and basketball courts, pool tables, and daily special activities. Kidani Village also has a lovely community room stocked with games perfectly for kids or teens to hang out. Oh, and don’t forget animal watching!
It goes without saying that we absolutely loved our stay and can’t wait to visit Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge again in the future.
What do you think is Walt Disney World’s best resort? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook! Thanks for reading!
