Resort Review: Animal Kingdom Lodge

Hello, it's Gabe again! I'm here this time with a resort review of Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge!

The lobby of the Kidani Village building

Atmosphere

Animal Kingdom Lodge is themed as a resort that sits among the African savanna. The common areas of the resort house many artifacts from Africa, and the common areas also provide views of the savanna which features live animals roaming about. Animal Kingdom Lodge is definitely one of, it not the most, unique resort in all of Walt Disney World.

Rooms

Animal Kingdom Lodge features a multitude of different room styles and layouts; many are a part of Disney Vacation Club, so there's the standard Studio, 1-Bedroom, and 2-Bedroom villa layouts. There are also rooms that feature a layout that is similar to the more standard rooms at Walt Disney World. The resort also features a unique selection of Concierge level rooms, which are very exclusive and come with a variety of extras included. Rooms are very nicely appointed with dark wood finishes that give the rooms a very African lodge feel. Many of the rooms have a view of the resort's savanna area where guests can step out onto their private balcony and view all sorts of animals including favorites such as giraffe, zebras, and impala. 

Dining

Animal Kingdom Lodge features several different and unique options for dining, all serving up tasty African inspired food. The resort has three sit down restaurant locations. Firstly, there is Boma - which is a buffet style restaurant serving up tasty dishes, including a very nice Seafood Curry soup, and the famous Zebra domes dessert. Sanaa is another sit down restaurant at Animal Kingdom Lodge, this restaurant serves up food in a space inspired by the art and craft work of Africa; right near the entrance to Sanaa is also the only place in the whole resort where guests can view tortoises. Jiko is the most high end sit down restaurant location at Animal Kingdom Lodge, focusing on signature dishes inspired by African cuisine. The quick service location at the resort is called The Mara, and is one of my favorites in all of Walt Disney World! The Mara has a wonderful African Stew which is a mixture of raisins, potato, sweet potato, peas, chickpeas, beef, turkey, and ham served over basmati rice; there is also a very nice chicken pita which comes complete with all the toppings that you would need; The Mara also has the famous Zebra domes desserts!

A portion of the savanna as seen from the Jambo House

Recreation

Animal Kingdom Lodge has two swimming pool areas, one at the Jambo House area, and another near the Kidani Village area. Both pool areas feature a waterslide, there is also a playground, a sports area, and several savanna viewing areas at the resort, the savanna is really a highlight of the resort!

Thanks for reading along! Hopefully someone is now inspired to book that reservation at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge and experience all that the resort has to offer!