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Published by Authors 01-06-2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By
chezp
on
01-06-2008, 05:32 PM
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| Our first stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge had been in May 2004 and we were both really looking forward to it. Somehow, it just didn't live up to our expectations and I suspect a lot of that was down to a particularly nasty set of insect bites I experienced while staying there. While the Cast Members were very good about it and moved us to another room, it just didn't leave good memories of the place. Still, we continued to visit, as it's home to one of our favourite Disney restaurants, Boma and, when we heard that the Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas would be the latest addition to the DVC family, We booked on the first day that bookings opened to those who hadn't purchased points at the Lodge and all we could get for the nights we wanted was a one bedroom villa with a standard view. I was a bit disappointed not to get a savannah view, but I wanted to experience the facilities and the theming, so it wasn't the end of the world. Fast forward to December 2007 (see our trip report). Our room was on the fifth floor of the main building. All of the new DVC accommodations are on either the fifth or sixth floors, depending on whether you've booked concierge. You can book concierge here, along with value accommodations and of course standard and savannah views, so there's a lot of choice. Eventually, more DVC accommodations will also open in the new Kidani Village building that's currently under construction and is due for completion in 2009. When we walked into our toom, the first thing that struck me was the size of the place. It seemed very big. For those who don’t know, with a one bedroom DVC villa, you get a full kitchen and I mean full! It’s literally got everything you could ever want, along with a living room, bathroom with a spa bath and main bedroom. Of course, because these rooms are all brand new, they have all the latest mod cons like flat screen TV’s, so my husband was in his element. I immediately loved the décor and all the little touches. We could even see Simba in some of the artwork and one of my favourites was the savannah sunset décor above the bath. A really neat touch. We wandered around for a while, just taking it all in and taking photos of everything we could see. It was truly stunning and far beyond my dreams. It was easy to see how a family could stay here for a week, especially with all the storage space. Everywhere you looked, there was space to put things. It was so luxurious and you just had everything you could ever want or need here. As you can probably tell, I was very impressed with the latest offering from the DVC, but if I had one complaint, it would be that it was very dark in there. Part of that was down to the theming of the place, but part of it was also down to the lack of lighting as well. There didn’t seem to be many lights anywhere in the villa, but that was really my only issue with it. As for the view, we had a lovely view over Uzima Pool from our huge balcony - it felt like it went on forever! We did wonder if it would be a bit loud, but once the doors were shut to the balcony, you couldn't hear a thing. With them open, you did get strains of children playing in the pool, so it seems that the soundproofing here was first class. As to the rest of the resort, I've already commented that Boma is one of our favourite restaurants on property and we also returned to Jiko during our stay, enjoying it a lot more than on our first visit, although it's still not one of our top favourites. The real draw here is the animals though and we spent a lot of time at the savannahs, as we didn't have a savannah view. We were very lucky and, during the course of our stay (and visits back later in the vacation), we saw a herb of zebra up close, kudu, giraffes, ostriches and a herd of Ankole cattle. You really do need to try and get to the savannahs at feeding time, which is early morning and mid afternoon, as then you will see a lot of animal activity very close to you. As we walked around the resort - particularly the main pool, hot tub and the kids’ play area, we also couldn't help but think how quiet and peaceful it was. I think that’s one of the great beauties of Animal Kingdom Lodge. It’s so far away from everything that you do feel as if you’re in the middle of nowhere and really out on an African savannah. It's great theming, but of course, that is one of the problems with this resort - it is literally on one of the edges of Disney property, away from most places and it does take longer to get around from here. We weren't troubled at all by any construction noise during our stay, although I know other people have been. It was a bit odd to see the cranes in the distance (and I mean the mechanical ones, not the animals!) with work underway on the DVC resort, but they did do everything they could to disguise them. Pros:
Cons:
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By
Colexis Mom
on
01-06-2008, 05:36 PM
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| We have stayed many times at the Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort. In fact, it is our favorite resort to stay at  Our first trip to AKL was in May 2004, followed by December 2004, April 2005, December 2005, and August 2006! The one thing I love most about the Animal Kingdom Lodge is walking into the grand lobby, and the smell of incense burning! It just calms me, and to look thru the huge panes of window at the back of the lobby, it's just so comforting. I feel like I've been transplanted to Africa, never mind that I'm in central Florida! We also enjoy walking down the various trails (both inside the Lodge and outside) to see all the different animals. Seeing a baby giraffe just a few weeks after it has been born and watching it from not too far away was thrilling. On our first trip to Animal Kingdom Lodge, we reserved a regular room, and were happily upgraded to a savanna room, overlooking the Sunset savanna. Magical! We've also had rooms overlooking Arusha Rock (my favorite area), and we've had a pool view room on the Zebra trail as well. While we did miss the view of the animals from our balcony, there were many opportunities to watch them in other areas of the resort. However there's nothing more great that waking up, opening up the blinds, and watching the animals right outside your door! If you can afford the savanna room, I'd highly recommend it at least once! I can't say enough good things about the pool at the Animal Kingdom Lodge resort. Having the zero entry with small children is a godsend. They could just walk in and out at their own leisure (and power). The pool is quite large, not too deep, and has a great water slide that we've spent many hours going down! My kids have also enjoyed the playground here. While not large by any means, it was big enough to keep them entertained (and to help them burn off some energy)! The kids have also found many things to do at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We've participated in decorating animal cookies at Boma (in the afternoon). They've made animal Christmas ornaments in the lobby, and done animal rubbings as well (putting paper over "stamps" in the floor and rubbing with a crayon). Traversing the trails looking for animals is also a favorite of theirs, as well as rocking in the big rocking chairs on some of the overlooks. Don't forget the night vision goggles as well out on Arusha Rock - another fun experience! The food options at the Animal Kingdom Lodge are varied and should suit everyone's needs. We love Mara for it's great selection (including Zebra Domes  ) and having cartoons playing in the back to keep the children entertained. Boma is a fantastic restaurant for both breakfast and dinner (we've done both). Don't forget to ask for the "frunch" at breakfast....a delicious juice drink. Dinner had a variety of both traditional and African offerings, and even this picky meat and potatos girl had no problem finding plenty to eat! We finally made it to Jiko on our last trip, and had an outstanding meal. The food was delicious, and again, quite a varied selection from which to choose. Even the kids enjoyed their meal here, especially the desserts.A big selling point for me on the Animal Kingdom Lodge is not having to share a bus with another resort. While the location of the Lodge is somewhat remote, we've been lucky enough to have great bus experiences, and things aren't really that far when you're not making 3 of 4 stops along the way. I'd highly recommend the Animal Kingdom Lodge .... It's our favorite  Pros:
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Last edited by Colexis Mom : 01-08-2008 at 02:39 PM.
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By
Jenny Pooh
on
01-08-2008, 02:01 PM
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| Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge is by far the most unique hotel on property. You WILL feel like you are in Africa as soon as you see the entrance sign surrounded tall grasses that you might see in a Savannah. As we drove in I felt like we were very separate from the rest of the property and I didn't really like that. Of course you are 5 minute bus ride to Animal Kingdom but all the parks are a bit of a hike. The lobby was very similar in height and look to Wilderness Lodge but that is where the similarities end. Lots of interesting artwork and such to look at. The gift shop is just off the right of the lobby and down from that is the staircase down to the sit down restaurants. We had a Savannah view room and it did not disappointment. The zebras were just below us and I could hear them ripping up the grass to munch on! The room was a bit darker than I like but it was just fine for this trip. Bathrooms had all the usual things in it, nothing unusual. One thing that did bother me but probably only because I was just starting to have morning sickness was the constant wood smoke smell. As soon as you step off the bus it hits you. Like I said it was probably due to morning sickness and nothing else. The animal look out areas were great. And I wish we had gone to fire pit but we didn't have time. The pool was great. I really enjoyed walking in and out of the pool rather than climbing up the ladder. It's a zero entry pool which was kind of looks like a lake surrounded by rocks. Right near the pool is the quick service food court. It was convenient as you could just run in to fill your mug up while we were relaxing by the pool. Pros
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By
Caldercup
on
01-09-2008, 08:31 AM
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| I've stayed at the AKL three times (twice in concierge.) The hotel wraps itself around your heart the moment you walk in from the portico. The vaulted ceiling in the lobby makes you draw in your breath -- and that gives you the opportunity to smell the wonderful spices in the air. The staff is extremely helpful and very warm. We've had some of the best conversations with the Cast Members, many of whom are from Africa and love to talk about their homeland with joy and animation that makes me want to visit. The rooms are spacious and have lovely carved furnishings. The double-sink is a blessing and the large closet is great. The beds are firm and really helped my back and legs relax after a long day in the parks. The savannah view is worth the money -- there's nothing like watching the sun rise over the animals grazing at your feet. You can even hear them crunching as they eat! The pool has a zero entry area that's wonderful for little kids. It's worth bringing goggles just to see how well the imagineers have made the bottom of the pool look like a natural watering hole. The hot tubs are great too! The Mara is a very nice quick service food spot with great grab-n-go options and a unique menu. Boma is hands-down one of our favorite places to eat -- don't forget to ask for the Frunch (a fantastic fruit juice!) I haven't tried Jiko yet, but people rave about it. One tip, try to walk around and see as much of the authentic African art, textiles and artifacts as you can. Also notice the amazing light fixtures of the whole resort -- from the bathrooms, to the elevators, hallways, lobby, and restaurants. Concierge is amazing and the Sunrise Safari is worth every penny for concierge. Love, love, love this resort! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Last edited by Caldercup : 01-09-2008 at 08:34 AM.
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By
millie
on
01-09-2008, 12:04 PM
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| Depends on what's important to You I stayed here once at a travel agents learning seminar and I LOVED it, but I was alone, with only another agent (who I didn't know sharing the room) The quality was amazing everything was perfect from the entrance in the lobby to the view from the window. I could not find a problem there at all, even if I wanted to. Acessibility is by bus ONLY and it is quite a distance away from everything except the AK. I personally think that for the price of a Luxury Resort, there should be some other form of transportation to and from the parks. AND the waits were long between buses I wasn't paying for the trip that I was on, but I checked on the price they would have charged and found it to be high in comparison, although you ARE staying in a VERY unique situation so it IS understandable. The Theme is unbeaten by any restort ever made Disney or Non. The Amenities...top notch Disney, as far as things go but I marked them down to a 9 because of two points...the first is the distance between the lobby and my room. I found it to take away from the experience of the day at the parks to then have to walk all that distance when I got off the bus. The other point is minor but the lighting throughout the entire inside of the resort seemed to be too dim. I guess that it is part of the themeing, but I found it a little to dim in the common areas. As for Magic, once again Disney hits the mark, I would go even higher if the rating would allow it. Where else could you enjoy your morning cup of coffee on the balconey to you room as you watch giraffe waltz by ?? Over All just an '8' but this resort is a definite "MUST-SEE" even if you decide NOT to stay there. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Last edited by millie : 01-10-2008 at 12:04 PM.
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By
tio marco
on
01-09-2008, 08:53 PM
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| THIS is Disney Magic at its best....there is nothing like looking out your window and seeing wild animals casually walking around. Plus, Boma is one of my favorite restaurants and Jiko isn't bad either!!  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By
mickeycrazy
on
01-10-2008, 08:13 PM
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| We stayed in June of 2004 for our anniversary. We booked a standard view room but were upgraded complimentary at check in to a savannah view room. We loved this resort!!! We have stayed at GF, Poly, and CR and had good experiences at all of them, but AKL is our favorite. We found this resort to be a completely transporting experience. The smells that fill the lobby, the huge window and bridge overlooking the savannah, and the warm decor are beautiful. We loved coming back from the parks every day just to walk through the lobby. The rooms were lovely as well and had lots of beautiful furnishings and touches, such as the mosquito netting canopy and the hand carved armiore and headboards. And what can beat sitting on your balcony with your morning coffee and watching the giraffes have breakfast on the savannah. We didn't mind the busses since AKL was the only stop it seemed not to take as long as the resorts that have to share routes with each other. The gift shop was amazing. We enjoyed Boma for breakfast, but not for dinner (too exotic for us during dinner). We loved it so much we bought DVC here so we can keep coming back! Cons: Resort is large and walks to your room can be very long! It is more distant from all the other parks except AK. Some don't like the bus only transportation. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Last edited by mickeycrazy : 01-10-2008 at 08:16 PM.
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By
Wendyismyname
on
01-11-2008, 07:37 AM
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| I'm in the not quite a fan club for Animal Kingdom. We stayed for a couple of nights in Oct. 2005 for my daughter's 10th b-day. It is so far removed from the other places and of course bus is the only transfer option unless you want to rent a car. That doesn't bother me too bad though. I guess I'm not too much into all the animals, it's like having a zoo outside your balcony. I had reserved and paid for a deluxe pool view but was upgraded to a savannah view. The room itself is nicely decorated, we did really enjoy that. Boma is a pretty good buffet and we like to eat there nearly every trip. But there's just something about the resort that doesn't exactly thrill me. It might be the wood burning in the lobby. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By
Joy J
on
01-11-2008, 12:48 PM
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| Review of Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas I'd originally stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge in August, 2003. My only complaint about AKL at the time was the rudeness and lack of knowedge on the part of some of the front desk staff. This time around, I did not encounter any rudeness whatsoever but I did find the staff to still be less than knowledgable in important areas. For example, perhaps because AKL is new to the DVC family, the staff are not still fully aware of how DVC works. Whatever the reason, there was a tremendous amount of confusion regarding my room reservation when I checked in and it took a VERY long time to get it sorted out. Also, apparently Disney is having trouble with some of the new furniture they purchased for the DVC accommodations. For example, our sofa bed was broken and the only way they could get it to work for the night was to have someone from maintenance come up with a crowbar and actually pry it out of the frame. All of this was happening late at night and it took three separate Disney cast members coming one at a time to our room before the issue was eventually resolved. And they did change our room to a different one the next day so that ended our room woes. In my opinion, a lot of the problems with the staff at AKL and Villas stem from a lack of communication between their various departments. As a result of this, things get overlooked. For example, we didn't get our trash and towel service or full room cleanings on the appropriate days and each time, I had to phone in order to get any service at all. Perhaps the biggest complaint I have about AKL at the moment is the placement of one of their designated smoking areas. It is located just to the left of the front entrance as you exit the doors. The problem with this is that EVERYONE has to walk right through this area on the way to and from the buses. It is a highly unpleasant experience and could prove to be a health and safety issue for those guests with health problems such as asthma or guests with children who don't want to expose their kiddies to second-hand smoke. Those glitches being said, everything else about Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas was as magical as it could possibly be. The bus service was the best I've experienced on property. Yes, the resort is a little farther away from most of the parks but I didn't find the travelling time to be even as long as the buses from other hotels mainly because of not having to share with any other resort or not having to make multiple stops within the resort itself. The decor in the new villa rooms is stunning and there is a ton of room for clothing. We had a full size closet plus an armoire and tons more space in the drawers below the television unit. The flatscreen TV and DVD player are also welcome additions to the studio accommodations. From our room overlooking the Arusha savanna, animals were visible pretty much 24/7 and we spent a great deal of time on our balcony ooh-ing and aah-ing over them. I was amazed by the wealth of activities available for folks of all ages. I tried their culinary tour and found it to be fantastic - much better than I had anticipated. As always, their restaurants didn't disappoint, the pool and hot tub were wonderful and the grounds were as gorgeous as ever. I will definitely stay here again but not until they resolve the issue concerning the placement of the designated smoking area. Joy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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By
disneydance
on
01-25-2008, 12:25 AM
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| Who says you cant write a review six months after your stay We stayed at the AKL 6 months ago from today and i miss every aspect of it. Everyone always had a smile on there face we loved. Everything about I will just give each section a review My Overall Rating- My overall rating was a 10 everything was wonderful only thing that could of made the trip better was cooler weather but why am I talking about that as we were there in June and June is like only the hottest time of the year especially coming from Washington where it rains all year long Quality- Everything was up to standard I believe our room had been recently renovated as there were plasma tv in our room everything was there that we needed and this made our trip quite enjoyable. We also knew about construction before we had arrived thanks to disboards.com but decided not to switch resorts as we had wanted to stay at AKL for quite some time and we didnt know the next time we would be back as we are from Washington it isnt like we can make a day trip to WDW happen in a heart beat and Disneyland is more covient so we knew we would probally be down there a few more times before we got back to WDW Accesibility- Everything was very accesable they have the zero entry pool which is great and plenty of elevators so I think it was very accesable for anyone Affordability- The cost for our room was quite spendy at least in my opinon we spent about $350 a night on hotel room alone we had a Savannah view room with bunk bed which i knew was going to be more expensive than a standard room with out bunk beds and also we went during the Summer season so it made it even more spendy but all in all we would be happy to pay the price again with all things considered Theme- The theme at AKL was amazing we really felt like we were in Africa as I had read mousesavers.com foward and backward in my sleep and also disboards.com foward and backward in my sleep I knew many things and tricks to make the most out of our vacation even before i had heard of the Passporter we knew what to expect and many of the little details down to the bedding. Everything was amazing and if you would have not told me i wasnt in Africa but in Florida i may have never known Ammeities- The amenities at AKL are quite nice as it is deluxe there were 3 restraunts i bar/lounge and a pool bar all at AKL. Also there was a arcade, a gift shop, a wonderfully themed pool with a waterslide, animals, night vision goggles, ect. and many other fun things to do well here at AKL we were not bored for one single moment Magic- The magic here at AKL was amazing there were alot of disney touches from the hidden mickeys across the hotel, the mickey carpet in the hotel hallway, the hidden mickeys were everywhere. Also the Cast Members made this trip very magical the Cast Members at Zawaidi get a honorable mention, there was this one cast member there(I'm bad and forgot her name) that got to know our family since there seemed to be one family in Zawaidi 24/7 which said we love to shop and love to spend money lol they learned where we were from and by the end of our trip we would talk to them lots. Disney and AKL is a place that brings tears to my eyes I hope you see how much I loved AKL hope you have enjoyed reading my review of one of the greatest hotels around AKL | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Last edited by disneydance : 01-25-2008 at 12:28 AM.
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About This Page: This is a discussion on Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort (Disney Deluxe/Deluxe Villas Resort) Reviews and Ratings within the Disney World Resort Hotel Reviews & Ratings, part of the PassPorter Community - Message Boards and Forums; Watch grazing wildlife on 33 acres of African savanna at Disney's Animal Kingdom Resort, located near Disney's Animal ...
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