Disney's ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE Information & Questions

[wmoon]

We did the night safari and it was AWESOME! I think dinner at Sanaa would be a great way to start off your evening.

The vehicle goes very slowly, there are some bumps but I don't think that it would cause any tummy trouble. We actually had a little girl on our trip sleep lying on the bench seat for all but 5 minutes of the trip.

Here's a little tip: you can take photos through the night vision scope. Line up your phone/camera with the eye piece. We have cool photos of the animals and each other this way.

I think one of you is talking about the night safari at Animal Kingdom Lodge (hotel) and one of you is talking about doing the Kilimanjaro Safari at Animal Kingdom theme park at night.

The original question was about the night safari at the hotel. It's not the kind of bumpy that makes you motion sick. It's the kind of bumpy that would make you uncomfortable if you have some kind of medical issue which makes your body unhappy if jostled. Maybe a bad back, for example, or recent surgery.

In the past, you had to be staying Club Level to do the now-discontinued Sunrise Safari. You could do the Wanyama or Night Safari if you were staying in any room or dvc villa at Jambo or Kidani. Not sure what the current rules are.

Another thought about the night safari at the hotel. When we did it last year, the night vision "goggles" were actually a... Monocle? Is that the right word? It only goes over one eye. So yes, you can hold it up to the lens of your cell phone and take a picture. But in order to do that, you are holding the phone and holding the night vision device and taking the picture.

On my iPhone 6, I found I had to take the photo by pressing one of the buttons on the side of the phone which are normally used to make the volume go up or down. I could not take the picture by tapping the screen the way I normally do. I just physically could not get my hand to tap the screen while holding the device to the phone.

Thanks so much for all the advice. It did seem a little pricey at $70 each so its great to read good things about it. We are doing to keep it as a surprise for DS.
I will move my Sanaa reservation to that night.

 

[wmoon]

How much is the night time safari? How do you book it? TIA!

I got put through to the recreation team after phoning the disney dining team from the UK. It worked out at $223 dollars for the 3 of us. It lasts an hour and you check in at Kidani Village.

 

[Bree]

Just upgraded my pkg to AKL standard view room.

What's my chance of getting a room with a bunk bed??

The room description on Disney's website says this:

Standard View
Views of Rooftop or Parking Area
2 Queen Beds or 1 Queen Bed and 1 Bunk Bed or 1 King Bed and 1 Day Bed
Sleeps up to 4 Adults

Touring plans room finder shows just a handful of standard rooms with bunk beds. It wouldn't hurt to request it. If you get it, you get and if you don't.....you're still at an awesome resort!

 

[thumper*]

Thank you so much for the beautiful pics. We are staying at AKL for the first time in September, Savannah view, and it's overwhelming trying to decide which room/area/view to request. Your post is so helpful!

Your welcome, knowing folks find it helpful makes it worth while to take the time to post.

 

[Whizzy]

Hi all, we are starting to plan our next trip in June 2017,during our trip it is DH 40th birthday so we are looking for ideas to make things extra special. This will be the firstt time staying on property,we have chosen AKL which will include thedining plan. We are considering staying at club levelbut are unsure it will be worth the additional cost given we will have the dining plan.

Has anyone stayed at club leveland had the dining plan? Is it worth the extra cost? Is it likely to be allocated a Savannah viewroom?

 

[brooke789]

I'm sure this is already covered but can anyone tell me what kind of coffee makers are in the room? Just regular coffee? Keurig? Something else?

Thanks!

 

[lovetotraveltx]

I'm sure this is already covered but can anyone tell me what kind of coffee makers are in the room? Just regular coffee? Keurig? Something else?

Thanks!

Regular hotel room or villa? In the villas they have a regular drip/Mr Coffee type. I usually bring my own filters and coffee from home

 

[pepperandchips]

Great, I see it! Thanks! I had begun to scroll through some of the posts, but you definitely helped narrow it down! That is DEFINITELY a great "standard" view! Since I used a TA, should I have her note it on my reservation, or can I note it myself? Thanks in advance!

Either one. If you are using a TA I would just ask her to note it in your reservation. You can always double check the request when you arrive.

I did happen to see that and it does look like a good substitute for savannah view! Was that in a particular building?

I know another helpful poster has already described the layout of the buildings. This room was on Kudu trail facing the sunset savanna. It was room 2374.

 

[Mama Lo]

Has anyone stayed at club leveland had the dining plan? Is it worth the extra cost? Is it likely to be allocated a Savannah viewroom?

I have stayed at club level but not with the dining plan.You will be able to eat breakfast every morning plus there are appetizers and desserts if you are at the hotel during that time. I think that you would be better off if you could get a room only discount at CL and paid out of pocket for dining (unless its during free dining). You can do a lot of number crunching to determine "worth" of the dining plan, most likely financially it won't be better especially if you don't normally eat dessert at every meal. Plus when you get things like desserts and soft drinks at table service they add tip on that you might not have ordinarily ordered.

To answer your other question, yes CL rooms are savannah view.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[pepperandchips]

Jambo friends! Just wanted to report another wonderful stay at our favorite home away from home. Our most recent visit was our first stay at Kidani Village and it was simply wonderful. We booked a 1 BR standard villa using DVC points and I used Touring Plans fax service again to request a room with any partial Savanna view or essentially anything except a parking lot view. Holy cow were we rewarded for this effort!

Upon check in the CM seemed to know which room we would be getting, though it was not ready at that time. He told us just to park near the lobby (Timon elevators) and we would get our text. Later (10:43 AM) we got our text that we were assigned room 7939 - fifth floor partial (mostly) Savanna view with some partial view of the service areas behind the pool. We had a decent view of part of the Pembe savanna with antelope, birds, and okapi. This room is located approximately halfway down the north wing (or left if you are looking at a disney map). Here are the views from our room:


Looking off to the right from our patio - click to enlarge


Looking down from our patio - click to enlarge

The fencing you see separates the savanna from the back of the pool and pool bar service areas. There was also a service road in the distance. These two areas probably define this room as standard versus savanna but we loved it!

 

[JJZMgailey]

Hey, everybody!

I'm just stopping by to share a great video that some of the DISUnplugged team put together about the beloved Animal Kingdom Lodge.

I hope you enjoy it!

 

[Grooovertoo]

In the villas they have a regular drip/Mr Coffee type.

What type of filter do they need? Cone or the flat bottom kind? Also, does Mara or Zaradi have creamer we can take back to the room?

 

[lovetotraveltx]

What type of filter do they need? Cone or the flat bottom kind? Also, does Mara or Zaradi have creamer we can take back to the room?

It was a big Mr. Coffee basket type. I brought a box of those little creamers that don't need refrigeration. They also have powder you can buy and little squeeze bottles of flavored creamer now that don't need to go in the fridge. Don't know about Creamer in Mara but it Mara or the gift shop I'm almost positive you can buy a tiny milk.

 

[thebs19]

Without having to book a "suite" are there any options for a family of 5 (all at least 3 years old and therefore does not qualify for the "4+" loophole)?

 

[Orangeman98]

I'd like to apologize in advance if this question has been asked a hundred times:

We are staying in a 1 Bedroom Villa - Standard View at Jambo House (first visit to AKL). What are the chances of seeing any animals from our room?

Thank you so much in advance!

 

[mmafan]

What type of filter do they need? Cone or the flat bottom kind? Also, does Mara or Zaradi have creamer we can take back to the room?

yes there is creamers at the mara and flavored ones too.......and sugar and stirrers...

 

[mmafan]

I'd like to apologize in advance if this question has been asked a hundred times:

We are staying in a 1 Bedroom Villa - Standard View at Jambo House (first visit to AKL). What are the chances of seeing any animals from our room?

Thank you so much in advance!

only about a 99% chance.....lol I have stayed standard view the last 7 years and ALWAYS had some kind of savanna viewing...

 

[mmafan]

hi all, we just booked a standard room over Halloween week. Do they have trick or treating and characters on Halloween? The activity guide doesn't say either, but i hope someone knows from experience
Also, how do you get from Jambo house to Kidani's pool? How far is it? Looks FAR

When i search room size, Touring Plans comes up saying it is 344 with two queens and a day bed.. but disneyworld.com's photos show only 2 beds and a table/chairs.. and it looks so small, like a value resort. We just stayed at the GF and the Yacht club. Yacht club shows 388 square feet but it felt just as large as the GF, we thought it may have been bigger even, however if the animal kingdom room is 40 sq ft smaller than the Yacht, it sure doesn't look like it! DD 4 would love a day bed to sleep in, so we don't have to take her inflatable bed. However, we have to have the two beds, not one king.

you can walk from pool to pool or they they have a shuttle bus at the main entrance that goes back and forth...super easy

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

Without having to book a "suite" are there any options for a family of 5 (all at least 3 years old and therefore does not qualify for the "4+" loophole)?

Not to my knowledge. That is the worst thing about AKL. We can't stay when we travel with 5. Maybe one day they will add a trundle bed, but those rooms are some of the smallest of the deluxes so that may never happen.

 

[asamklove]

I am in research mode for a family vacation this December. I'm very interested in the AKL as the resort because our kids (to be 5&7yo) really love animals. Our budget would not extend to book a savannah view room, must be standard (even with the free delicious offer).
My question is, what are the opportunities for my kids to enjoy the animals w/o the room with a view? Are there areas on the resort where we can look at the animals? Also, can anyone describe experiences with the special safaris offered?