Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

I'll start with a background of other Disney resorts we have stayed in, as a reference. Pop, All Star Music, All Star Movies, POR, French Quarter, Coronado, Contemporary. AKL is now my favorite! I loved the decor and feel of the resort. It felt "comfortable" and "homey". We have frequented the resort for years on other trips to have bevs at Victoria Falls and many dinners at Jiko. I was excited to finally splurge and stay here. Our room was a Savannah view, about a 1 minute or so walk off of the lobby on the same floor (3rd floor). So very convenient. We woke to a view of giraffes every day, along with zebras and other animals. It always put a smile on my face. No problems with housekeeping. There were always enough towels and toiletries, and a clean room to come back to after a long day. Beds were firm, but comfy for myself, so-so for hubby. We had two sinks and a walk in shower. Only complaint, really, is that we always had to flush the toilet twice and yes, we could hear people tinkling in the toilet above us, and of course their flushes as well. I know this is a complaint with Pop and All Stars, but be aware paying 4X the price a night doesn't get rid of that problem at Disney. We really had no interaction with the front desk as we got our text that our room was ready (about 8pm) while we were on the Magical Express so we were able to go straight to our room upon arrival. We did make a pmt on account with some Disney cards we had, and it was handled quickly and properly. I've had this take forever at other resorts, for some reason. Bus service was good, very little waits that were "long". We also tend to uber quite a bit when we are in a pinch for time or just not in the mood for the bus. Just be clear you are going back to the hotel and not the park. We had two drivers get confused by this. We are working on another stay next January with a friend, hoping it works out. We do feel the price for the rooms is WAY too high, but with our Annual Pass discount this time, we gave it a try. Hoping for the same next year. Read less

Pros - Customer Service from staff was definitely amazing. As we our party of 3 adults and one child walked up Gregory was waiting outside with a card welcoming our party. He then took us upstairs where we sipped Mimosas while we were checked in. There is a Club lounge with complimentary breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, appetizers and desserts at different times throughout the day. Beer, wine, including mimosas are included. The customer service was outstanding from everyone. Our room was large and comfortable for all. My grandson was so excited to see giraffes, zebras, wilder beasts and other animals from our balcony. Cons - the only complementary Disney transportation to parks is by bus. After riding the super fast Skyliner we were spoiled. Buses run consistently and are comfortable but the slowest mode of transportation at Disney. -The kitchens are not equipped with paper plates or silverware. I would definitely stay here again. Read less

Our room was perfect and the lobby was beautiful. Unfortunately they were under construction so we had to walk around the construction and a wait in line till we could get through the walkways at times. The management was extremely kind and the workers very professional. Even with everyone being as nice as possible it did not feel like a Disney experience. I am glad it was not our first experience. The room cost was very high. Suggestions would be if under construction lower prices would be advisable. Read less

Day 1. We arrived at the Animal Kingdom Lodge after 10pm. The Magic Express dropped us off outside. No one on staff met the guests to help with baggage so all of us were forced to haul our bags inside. I asked the Bellperson sitting at the Bell desk where I should go to check in with the Club. Why he and others were not out waiting for the bus to arrive to assist the inbound guests, I am not sure. He directed me to the elevator and told me the 6th floor. Once we boarded the elevator, we found out one needs a coded band to get to the 6th floor so I returned to the Bellperson to inquire how we get to the Club without a band. He then informed me the Club closed at 10PM and we needed to check in at the Front Desk. We did so and were given our bands. Once we arrived at the room the bands had not been coded for our room so I had to walk across the property back to the Front Desk to have them coded. Once we got in the room, we saw that it was set up for another family and a birthday for one of their members. There was no welcome note from the hotel for us even though we were paying for a Club-level room—something we see at virtually all properties, especially ones that declare themselves “Luxury Resorts” as Disney does for the Animal Kingdom. Day 2. At breakfast we spoke with the Club staff about our room configuration for another family. He said that was an error & that the room was meant for us. He did not know why we didn’t get a welcome note from the hotel leadership. We then asked how to reserve time in the resort’s spa for a massage. The Club team did not have a menu of the services offered by the spa to be able to answer if a massage was possible. He suggested we visit the spa when it opened that morning. We had our breakfast and then walked to the spa after the time it was supposed to open. There was no one from the property at the spa. We walked back to the Club and the team member called the number for the spa and verified no one was working even tho it was now 30 min after opening. He then connected to the central spa reservations for all the resorts and passed me the phone to make a reservation. Later, we asked if the rooms came with complimentary bottles of water as we have seen at many other properties in hot/humid climates. The staff told us that that was not something Disney provides in the room. The same was true for slippers even tho the resort provided spa robes in the room. The staff did bring some slippers later upon request. Day 3, 4, 5. After 2 days of staying in the resort and the maid service not taking dirty dishes from the first day, we left a note asking them to take the dishes, swap the sheets and towels. They did take the dishes but did not replace them with clean dishes to be used for coffee/tea until we left a second note asking for the dishes to be replaced. They didn’t swap the sheets or towels tho until we left another note for the maid asking again to do so. One of the times we visited the Club area, my girlfriend had a particularly negative experience with a member of the staff. The staff member looked her up and down frowning. When my girlfriend greeted her, the staff member ignored the greeting and turned away. Not sure why this staff member behaved this way but it did bother my girlfriend as she was very friendly with all the staff. The morning of departure. We called 40+ minutes before we wanted to leave our room, to request the bell person collect our bags to put them in place for the Magic Express. We were told the bell person was on the way. 35 mins later when I called back to ask about the bell person, I was informed they were all busy but one would be with me shortly. I informed them to cancel the call as I needed to be at the bus stop in 5 mins and couldn’t wait any longer. We then had to haul our bags across the property to the bus. My girlfriend is employed by a 4-star property in Asia and my job has me travel extensively so I am staying in 4+ star properties regularly. I have also stayed at the Wilderness Lodge and the Grand Floridian and had exponentially better experiences at both. The Animal Kingdom, tho espoused as one of Disney World’s premium luxury resorts, and tho we had access to one of it’s Club-level rooms, came no where close to competing with any 3-star property I have used in the US or overseas, let alone a 4 or 5 star one. The only saving grace was the attitudes of the staff. Virtually, everyone we came in contact with was friendly, professional and willing to assist (with the exception of the one staff member mentioned above) . The amenities, service and attention to detail at the property was severely lacking especially for a luxury resort. When we return to Disney, we will avoid the property which is a shame as we had such high hopes. Read less