Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

I really wanted to like this resort. Our 3 year old loves animals, so I knew he would love going out to watch the animals. He did enjoy this for a little while, and he also enjoyed the play ground. Don’t be impressed by the night vision goggles…they are not that great. I’ve never had a problem with mosquitoes at a Disney resort before, but they were huge here. I guess they can’t treat this resort as well because of the animals. Be sure to pack bug repellent! The pool was clean, but didn’t really have anything for his age like other resorts. We are passholders and visit often, so we have stayed at several Disney resorts. This was our least favorite. I understand there are renovations going on, and that didn’t effect our stay. What bothered me was the lack of maintenance. There should not be thick layers of dust complete with huge dust bunnies along the baseboards in the halls. The carpet in the halls was rolling, which is a major trip hazard. The bedding and bathroom were clean, so that’s why I gave an extra star than I would have. Although the bedding was clean, there were a couple big holes in the pillow cases. Housekeeping during the week was hit and miss. They don’t seem to care there is a “do not disturb” sign on the door…they will call twice during the child’s nap time anyway to find out when they can come clean. Then they won’t show up. We asked them not to call during nap time anymore and they did not. However, they also didn’t come back to clean our room if we were in there. When they did show up, you could tell they were in a hurry. Once I found my son’s stuffed animals thrown on the floor where they had made the bed and didn’t bother to put them back. The next time they removed the bed rails to make the bed and left them thrown on the floor for me to deal with. The dust level around the baseboards in our room was no less than the hallway. If I had not had years of allergy shots, this place would have caused me to be sick all week. We decided to stay here knowing the bus rides would be long. It takes at least 30 minutes to get to Magic Kingdom on the bus, so keep that in mind if you choose to stay here. I will say the food here was very good. If you like the idea of this resort, I would say just come have breakfast at Boma, enjoy the animals, and then go back to a better resort. We have stayed at value and moderate resorts that were better than this one. The night before we left, I took some stuff to the car and put our new Flower and Garden Festival Passholder magnet on the back of the car. When we got to the car the next morning, someone had stolen it! I’ve never had that happen before! We will not be back to this resort. Read less

After a delayed flight and a toddler that didn’t sleep we arrived at the hotel with her in full overtired meltdown around 21:30. We were greeted by every cast member we saw on the way to the check in desk and it’s there we met Jorey. We were welcomed Home and seeing my toddler was beyond exhausted he didn’t fuss. He got her calm by interacting with her asking if she was a princess or knight and gave her a little crown and some stickers. She got what was her 5th wind by that point and perked up. Jorey got us help with our bags and checked us in super fast for which I was very grateful after such a long day. We got up to the room and the Bell Services man (whose name I didn’t catch sorry) was really helpful in showing us the room features without lingering and let us know where we could find the restaurants etc if we were needing to go get some food. He was just lovely. Both Cast Members were just an excellent first impression of the resort. We got a good sleep and had planned a resort day to chill out after the long flight. We went out onto the balcony where we spotted a variety of animals and headed down into Boma for breakfast. Beau was our very attentive server and there was a lady who showed us to our table who was playing peekaboo with my daughter. Breakfast was very good and of course included the infamous Mickey Waffles and jungle juice. We saw peekaboo lady (I also didn’t catch her name and feel terrible because she was awesome) a couple of times, once she was playing drums and she remembered my daughter. My daughter had a diva moment walking by with her shades on and was waving at everyone. The cast members all treated her like she was a celebrity, it was so cute to watch. We went for a swim and this is the only part of the resort I think isn’t as good as it could be. It’s a zero entry pool which is great but no small kids slides or splash area. The pool does have a slide over at its “deep end” which is ok but it’s totally missing a kids bit. I believe there’s one over at Kidani but didn’t want to venture over there. Pool area had plenty loungers and seats but a lot were covered in flowers or leaves that had fallen from the trees and bushes that surround the pool. Not end of the world but our stuff was covered in it when we went back to it after swimming. The pool area is also surrounded by a big ugly fence and the pool bar is separated from this area also but can be accessed via a gate. Feels like the fence could be lowered and moved back to allow full walk around the pool and access to the pool bar as well as incorporating more lounger area near the zero entry bit. The jacuzzis are also segregated which I guess is to try and keep them calm and quiet but I felt like it just added to the disconnect of the pool area. There’s lockers, toilets and showers between the Mara and the arcade which were immaculate and provided towels and toiletries so very useful. But again, depending on where you are positioned in the pool area it’s a walk around to get to the gate then a walk through the pool bar or possibly by people eating outside at the Mara to get to them. The area just doesn’t flow well. We had spent an afternoon over at the Polynesian and given both are deluxe resorts, comparing the pool areas and kids play areas the Polynesian was so much better and just made me think AK was lacking in that respect. Where the AK wins out is the Savannah viewing areas. There are a few of these around the resort which means even if you don’t have a Savannah view room there’s an area you can go and see the animals on site. There were always cast members in the area who were very knowledgeable about the animals and the conservation work that Disney does. There’s also daily activities which I think most resorts do such as fire pit s’mores and tie dying T-shirt’s etc. It wasn’t always clear how to participate but the cast members running them were very helpful. Didn’t really get a chance to use Simbas clubhouse as I thought it was a babysitting service. I did pop in to pay for the tie dye T-shirt and noticed adults in there with their kids. If I’d known it was a stay and play type scenario I probably would’ve made more use of this. Food at the Mara and Boma were excellent and we made use of the Mara quite a few times. Unfortunately it’s another area that lets the hotel down as it doesn’t flow well. Bakery and coffee at one section, a sectioned off queue for hot food, chilled grab and go at the other side and then two tills behind this area that you walk by as you enter. When this area is busy (which is most meal times) it becomes very congested and difficult to navigate. Queues at the till area were often long and sometimes food was cold by the time we got to the table. Feels like The Mara has been an after thought as again it doesn’t flow well. But have to say all the food we had was very good. More cashiers at peak times or a bit of reorganisation would solve its negatives. Another cast member that was excellent at this resort was Katlego. He let my daughter play the drum and was announcing her arrival and departure in the lobby, it was very sweet. He gave her a sticker as well which made the Elsa on her T-shirt she was wearing one day have an eye patch. Made for some funny photos! He was so friendly and patient with her it was lovely to watch. Rooms were always clean and whilst we didn’t utilise mousekeeping everyday, they always greeted us in the morning and checked in with us to see if we needed anything. One day we returned from the park and mousekeeping had clearly caught my daughters toys watching tv! We had a Savannah view room which was close to the lobby as requested and was fantastic until Week 2. Week 2 the hotel started some refurbs on the area opposite us which resulted in an ugly fence being put up around the Savannah and animals staying away from the area. There was also a fair bit of noise. We put up with it for a couple of days before complaining that if we’d been told at check in about the scale we would’ve requested a different room. Given how much we paid for the room it’s just not what we paid for. It wasn’t pleasant to sit on the balcony for the noise or the obstructed view. I did love how peaceful the resort was (up until that point) and despite negative reviews about the buses we didn’t have any issues apart from once when the Hollywood studios bus was MIA. Getting home after the shows was very slow across the board and surprisingly the worst park for this was actually Animal Kingdom. Bus took forever and my daughter decided she needed to use the restroom as one arrived (that we wouldn’t have got on anyway as there was a massive queue) and I had to hike back to the ones at the entrance to AK. We decided to utilise Lyfts after that. Overall though, the hotel is beautiful, cast members very friendly, food excellent and there’s so much to see and do. A couple of mild niggles with the flow of some of the hotel amenities but by no means a deal breaker. Hopefully our next trip isn’t impacted by refurbishment works. Read less

This was our first time staying on Disney property and I was blown away! The lobby is striking when you first enter it with high ceilings, large windows, and African artwork (sculptures, tapestries) all around. The lighting is low pretty much everywhere, which bothered me at first with all of the dark wood and just feeling overall slightly dark, but then I came to find it relaxing and cozy. There is a fire in the lobby that you can sit around any time of day, as well as views of the savanna and a place where you can walk out and observe the animals. We tried two of the hotel's three restaurants, The Mara (quick-service) and Jiko (fine dining) and Jiko was excellent; The Mara was convenient and adequate. I loved all the included activities they had for kids -- from African drumming to creating enrichment for the animals to traditional face painting to learning about the animals that live in the savanna, etc. Our Magic Bands made things extra easy, and the Marketplace in the hotel has basically everything you could need (or want to take home!). The pool was beautiful and always heated to the perfect temperature, with plenty of room for swimming as well as a very fun water slide. We stayed in a pool-view room and I actually liked that view better than that of the savanna -- not as arid and there wasn't any construction noise (they're currently renovating a wing off the savanna view rooms). Our only criticism is that our room was a bit small and seemed crowded, but this didn't bother us with all the nice amenities and conveniences. The bus transportation to the parks was timely and easy (though crowded if you take the bus back to the hotel after the nightly fireworks). We also took advantage of the free Magical Express when we left, and it was so convenient to check our bags at the hotel instead of dragging them with us to the airport! My 5 year old son was given a safari hat and plenty of stickers and a coloring book during our stay, and everyone was very kind to him. He (and we) loved it! I would stay here again with or without kids; it was just beautiful and luxurious. Read less

Whilst the AKL is a little out of the way compared to some other Disney resorts, it makes up for it with its amenities, restaurants and staff. We enjoyed every aspect of our stay (we only had a 'standard view' room). The savanah overlooks dotted around the hotel are a great way to view the many animals around and there are often knowledgable guides around to explain what you're seeing. The night-vision was particularly good fun in the evenings! All 3 table service restaurants were great, and the quick service options at The Mara were a cut above our previous stay at the Beach Club. We will definitely be returning! Read less

I think that my expectations were too high. I have never been to impressed with any of the Disney hotel properties over the years. In fact, I would never choose to stay at one again. This time I was traveling with a couple other families and one of the families picked this hotel. It seemed like it was going to be a better experience given the reviews and the coolness of the theme there. However, it was exactly what I expected when I was trying not to book a Disney hotel. First of all, given the rooms and property, this hotel should not be as expensive as it is.... I mean you are paying a rate that you could actually get a really nice five-star room for each night. Per other travelers that have given a poor review, this hotel is in need of renovation. The carpet is old, furniture is old and I had a giant spiderweb on my balcony. It just didn’t seem clean. We had the savanna room and we hardly saw any animals. We may have seen two giraffes and a few birds the entire visit. The room is dark and bathroom is icky. I had horrible shower pressure in the shower. The grounds had funny red bugs everywhere and the pool was icky to me too. It just wasn’t resort like. Pool furniture was icky and there was just a big bin of towels (small towels) out there. We spent our first days on a Disney Cruise and the second part or a vacation at this hotel. Given how much we enjoyed the cruise, this stay was disappointing. I couldn’t wait to leave. We were granted executive club access upon check-in and that was really nice. The staff there was very accommodating and the food was really good. Had we not had this amenity, I do not know if I could give this property one star. I feel like I was staying in a 2 1/2 star motel property but paying five star rates per night. One of the other families saw a housekeeper fling nose mucus (snot) onto the carpet in the hallway. She did not want to report the lady because she feared her room would not be attended did to properly. If I ever came to Disney World again I would definitely stay in an outside property and drive into a park. The Disney hotels are somewhat convenient but not so nice and certainly not worth the money. I didn’t take any pictures of the room as I was not impressed. I don’t want to remember staying here. Read less