Hobbies, Family, & Geekery from a Stay-at-Home Dad
Hotel Stays: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
Way back in 2018, we were lucky enough to enjoy another staycation in a Disney Resort. I’d like to take this time to thank Disney for inviting us out there and taking care of us. It was awesome of them to do that.
Oh wait, no no, I mean generally speaking. You know, they invite everyone and take care of all the guests. I didn’t mean they PERSONALLY invited me out and paid for everything in return for a detailed blog post to promote their awesome hotels. Hahahahaha, that would… That would just be silly, wouldn’t it? ….Disney? Would it be silly?
(…call me)
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge sits way out on Disney property. Generally speaking, compared to Animal Kingdom, most of the parks and hotels are fairly close to each other. Hollywood Studios and Epcot are pretty close. Magic Kingdom is on it’s own freaking planet, so that doesn’t really count. But Animal Kingdom sits on the edge of the Disney World map. They did this in case any of the animals got loose, the chances of them disturbing or hurting the other theme parks are minimal.
I’m just kidding, that’s not true. Ooooooor is it?!
Ok, seriously though, AK feels like it’s out there. And that’s perfectly fine. Because a stone’s throw from the Animal Kingdom park, is a resort that is more experience than hotel.
Animal Kingdom Lodge (AKL) is everything you want in a Disney hotel. It’s hard to walk in through the front doors and not be blown away, as you may have noticed from the pictures already. The magic doesn’t stop there either, especially for those who have a view (more on that later). It’s one of those places you see on a site and wonder if it’s really worth it. Well, I’m here to tell you yes. Yes it is.
I’ve been sitting on these pictures, much like dozens of other posts, for more than a year. Remember, this is a trip we took back at the end of 2018’s summer. Maybe one day I’ll blog about current stuff, haha.
Ok, there’s a lot to take in with AKL. We knew this going in as it was the second time we had stayed there. Back when I was working in a kitchen and my wallet was bursting at the seams (LOL), I took the wife (then girlfriend) here to celebrate her graduating nursing school. Ever since then, I’m talking since the day we checked out, we wanted to stay there again. It really leaves this feeling in you that you stayed somewhere special.
And that feeling hits you square in the face the second you clear the doorway and enter the main lobby. You want to talk about making a first impression! There’s so much happening in the lobby, I couldn’t stop taking pictures of it. Calling it grand and breathtaking is about the best way to describe it.
My favorite aspect of it isn’t how spectacular it is either. It’s how it feels so natural. How it keeps with the theme of nature and feels like a living place. The wood, the vines overtaking the huge window, the chandeliers and how they look like flowers. The theming feels so perfect.
I’ll stop going gaga over the lobby now, but I think you can tell I can keep on going.
Moving on, away from the lobby – because, you know, you won’t be sleeping in there – let’s talk about the rooms. Boy, oh boy, the rooms. Now, this isn’t guaranteed, but if you book the right room, you could be getting views like this.
Trust me. You want to be getting views like this. (Depending on your camera lens)
The hotel is designed to surround the savanna, giving you beautiful views of all sorts of wildlife they have out there at any given time. And therein lies the magic of the Animal Kingdom Lodge.
The ability to wake up, open your curtains to see the morning sun, and being greeted by zebras, giraffes, gazelles, and all sorts of other life that walks about the savanna. There are over 30 different species of African wildlife to admire.
This right here is why you want to stay in AKL. No, no. Not feeding time for the giraffes. I mean, if there’s an animal worth booking a stay for, it’s this guy right here!
He was hanging out right under our balcony one day, angling his head to check out what we were up to. Felt like he was trying to speak to me, I know it.
Sadly, it’s totally possible to not get in on this because not every room has a savanna view. There’s also the standard view, and the pool view. Pool, duh, you’re looking at the pool. Which I heard was great, but we never do pools. Standard view on the other hand is pretty risky as you can get stuck opening your curtains to see the beauty and majesty of the parking lot or the top of a roof. So with all this factored in, you can bet the savanna view is going to be the highest priced room in the hotel. Buuuuuuuuut, if you’re gamblers like us, check it out…
You can book a standard view, and go in on check-in day the earliest you can to see if they’ll be able to upgrade you to a savanna view. Depending on how busy they are – which depends on the season with fall/winter time being your best chance – and other things like if you’re celebrating something special, there’s a fairly good chance they’ll throw a free upgrade your way.
Different animals come out at different times. For example, you’ll only see these white Bongo after the sun sets.
In general, Disney customer service is top notch, and the front desk at AKL has always been great and willing to help you with anything you need. So if you want to gamble and see if you can get that sweet savanna view for the price of the parking lot view, go for it!
Even if they offer the obstructed view – which is what we had – you’re still going to be golden. See in the pictures above, the gated area just below our view? That’s what made it “obstructed”. If you want any more tips on this, message me somewhere and we’ll chat.
Oh yeah, the rooms! All the talk about the views, I forgot to talk about the rooms.
Along with everything else, they’re themed perfectly. Natural elements and colors flow nicely and it’s comfortable for a family of 4. I love the bathroom wall, but that’s probably from my love of maps.
I’m telling you, they really make it easy to get you to stay in the room your entire trip.
Ok, so let’s say you didn’t get the savanna view upgrade and you’re stuck on parking lot duty. The plus side is there’s a ton of stuff to do at the resort. It’s not like you won’t see any animals.
There are numerous lookouts throughout the property. Some are peppered among the hallways to the rooms, a few are located off the lobby, and they all give plenty of opportunities to check out the wildlife.
There’s also a few cool things they have set up for kids that they can partake in.
Various educational programs and areas where at scheduled times they have animal specialists ready to teach you about African animals and ecosystems.
Also really fun things at night in one of the lookouts where they set up night vision goggles so you can see the nocturnal animals in the savanna.
The oldest loved that. It was only scheduled on one night during our stay, and we were out at a park all day. We were ready to pass out in bed but we went to check it out for a few minutes anyway and it was great.
Can’t believe I went all this time without mentioning the food! I’ll hit on it briefly because I’m planning on doing a dedicated post to it. Inside the AKL you’ll have a few options for food. I know Sanaa is on my list of places I have to try. There’s also Jiko – The Cooking Place, which always looks good. But we’ve only eaten at two places here. The Mara, which is the quick service option for the hotel. They’re great if you need a sandwich or something small and quick to tide you over for a few hours. The other place… the other place is called Boma – Flavors of Africa.
Now, this may be a little hard to get through without sounding bias. Because Boma is probably our favorite restaurant on Disney property. This is what I want to dedicate a post to and I’ll have to do it soon. It’s buffet style, and the dishes are African inspired. So you’re getting lots of different spices and such that make a lot of the things you’re having taste pretty unique. Just typing up this little paragraph has me wishing we can go there tomorrow.
I will say though that if you wind up going, in both The Mara and Boma, you’ll find this dessert called Zebra Domes. It’s a chocolate mousse infused with coffee liqueur and it’s freaking magical. Put it on your list of things to do when in AKL. Look forward to that Boma post!
Usually when we go on vacation/staycation somewhere, the hotel isn’t exactly a destination for me. It’s a place to sleep and maybe grab a bite to eat, but we’re not really the type to go somewhere, and stay cooped up in the hotel just relaxing. But Animal Kingdom Lodge? I could stay there for days and never leave property. There’s so much to see and take in, it makes it the best hotel in my eyes for someone who likes to just relax on vacations. Pfft, I know, what a concept right?! Always gogogogogogo with us, but the natural beauty of the hotel make it easy to try your best to enjoy your stay.
Boy!!! am I jealous. I visited Disneyland in 1959 when it was just starting out. Hope you enjoyed everything.