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"Animal Kingdom
Lodge was the best hotel I have ever been to. AKL has a great pool
with a water slide! Characters sometimes come to the lobby but you
never know who! There are real Zebras and Giraffes which you can
see from a deck or your balcony(if you have one). Bring binoculars!
There is a great fast food place, the Mara right by the pool. Besides
that AKL is one of the newest hotels! Very clean and the cast members
at the hotel were very nice. I suggest you stay there. AKL is the
best! " (7/03)
"I just returned from a stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and
it was beautiful. We stayed at a discounted rate and were upgraded
to a savannah view room when we checked in. I have stayed at several
of the resorts and Disney and the AKL is now one of my favorite.
We got to observe giraffes from our room about three times daily.
We took my grandmother on this trip and she absolutly loved the
trip. I highly recommend the Animal Kingdom Lodge because it is
a very unique experience." (6/03) Jaime Freeman
"The AKL was a beautiful resort. We originally had reservations
for Caribbean Beach but it was going to be closed for renovations.
We got to stay at AKL for the same price. Two years before we had
stayed at Caribbean Beach and absolutely loved it. We had heard
really great things about AKL. We were not disappointed. The kids
loved being able to watch the animals from the balcony. There were
always animals around to watch. The food at Boma restaurant was
really good but some of it had a different taste. The kids weren't
crazy about it. They loved the pool and the water slide. They also
had a table in the lobby where they would have different games for
the kids, all about animals. Every night they would have story telling
around the campfire. It was awesome. My only complaint would have
to be the long, long, walk from the lobby to our room. It was a
killer after a long day at the parks. Also, the rooms are quite
dark. The bright and colorful decor at Caribbean Beach was more
to our liking but both resorts are amazing and we had a wonderful
time each time we went. Good food at Boma, especially their breakfast
buffet. The kids liked the Mara the best because of their great
chicken strips and french fries. A beautiful resort, great scenery,
lots to do. There is nothing like walking out onto your balcony
and seeing a giraffe or zebra!" (10/02)
"We stayed
at this resort two weeks after it opened in April 2001. At this
time our kids were 4 and 7. I also have a 17 year old daughter.
We have been to Disneyworld every year for the past 5 years. The
short review is that we enjoyed the AKL so much that we stayed there
again in 2002 and wanted to stay there again this year - but we
are trying the Yacht Club for a change. The kids were in awe of
waking up and looking out the savanah view balcony to identify Bongo's,
Zebra's, and other exotic animals. Comparing this to other WDW resorts,
the best description is that AKL a "warm" atmosphere. The rooms
are small but very nice. The Staff was excellent. The architecture
is incredible and has that Disney level of detail that you expect.
They did not have any on site character meals as of last May, but
they did have characters come to visit at designated days/times.
After a long day at the park, we would sit with a drink at the campfire
outside and relax. A resort that the entire family loved (4, 7 and
17 plus adults) is hard to find. This benefit may have changed by
now but when leaving the parks at closing, AKL was the only bus
that did not have incredibly long bus (or boat/monorail) lines.
Jiko was an awesome dining experience, great and uncmmon food (like
Salmon smoked in banana leaves), South African Wines, Flatbreads,
etc. Breakfast at Boma is the best I've had in Disneyworld. We are
a little apprehensive about staying somewhere else this year but
it is time for a change - but we will go back to AKL at a future
vacation." (5/02) Steve Michetti
"The room
was clean. Our room was located on the Sunset Savannah, right by
the fire escape. This was our second room because the first had
the smallest view, it was a corner room. I liked the decor of the
room, but it was extremely small, much smaller than that of a moderate
resort that we had stayed in. Dining in Boma was the best part of
the resort! Food was great, especially the soups! Would never ever
stay here again. Staff at the front counter could have been more
friendly. Rooms are just way too small. It was a hike and a half
just to get out of the hotel. Made you feel like a caged in animal.
Next time I am in Disney, I would visit the resort just to eat at
Boma!" (10/02) Amy
"We were fortunate
to be on the savannah by arusha rock. I was there with my 2 nephews
ages 17 and 15. We were in room 2213, the room was smaller than
i expected for a deluxe resort, but for the amount of time we spent
in the room it was fine. The best part of the hotel was the balcony
especially at night. You could hear the animal sounds thruout. We
had giraffes, african cattle and antelope on ours. We took advantage
of the valet parking which was worth the $6.00 a day especially
if it was raining. It was also good if you visited another hotel
etc and they had valet parking there was no extra charge. Everyone
was pleasant and helpful.. I would definetly go back just to sit
on the balcony at night. We had breakfast at boma each day we were
there and dinner twice. Breakfast was fine but we were disappointed
in the dinner. Not too much teenage food, much too different for
my taste. Would have liked mashed or baked potatos. Although i understand
the african theme it was not worth the money... Had a dinner at
mara, which is like the food courts in the other hotels but with
waiter service.. Food was fine. But would not eat there every meal.
Would definitely go back to the hotel and eat somewhere else."
(9/02) Linda Kruk
"This
is a fantastic place! We loved the African Theme and found all the
cm's to be great. A lot of the cm's are from Africia and have interesting
stories to tell. We went the end of August so it was hot but not
crowded at all. We got to know the staff at BOMA by first name.
The food eas excellent and service was even better. My family isn't
sure whether or not we can try another hotel! We are going back
Jan 03 and can't wait to stay there. The room was very clean and
we had a fa n tastic view of the savanah. My 8 year old son loved
the animals and the pool.(which I thought was too warm). I woulg
recommend this hotel to everyone!" (9/01) Kelley Valley
"WOW!!! The
Animal Kingdom Lodge was great. The lobby was breathtaking. The
smells from the wood burning stoves in the restraunts drifts throughout
the lobby. I would set up a cot and sleep at the check in if I could.
The rooms were ample size and very nicely decorated. The wild life
scenery seemed to change minute by minute. The pool was alot of
fun, and my kids and I loved the water slide. We payed for our stay
months in advance. Imagine our surprise at check out when we were
a d vised of our $16.00 phone bill for local calls made at .75 each!
We payed over $1,000.00 for a hotel stay and we were nickeled and
dimed for local calls at a deluxe resort. This was however was the
only down side to this resort. We would stay there again for sure,
but would bring the cell phone." (6/01) Tim Handy
"This
place will knock your eye out. A new level of theme resort..very
African. Huge 5 level lobby is full of African style decoration
and a large collection of art and crtifacts. The savannah view rooms
look out over grazing African wildlife (nothing dangerous) and there
are also some other good places to view the animals if not from
your room. If you go concierge as we did, AKL has the best concierge
lounge of those we've seen with the most food and a serve yourself
espresso , latte, etc. machine that set Disney back a reported $25,000.
The resort, including the rooms, has very low illumniation. A cm
at another resort told me they see a number of guests transfer out
of AKL because of the darkness. The novelty does start to get old
and this is not a resort in which I could be comfortable for a long
stay.
Boma one of the best buffets and the most unusual with its African
foods. Jiko has some very good food. Not as ethnic. We were seated
near the kitchen, not usually a good location. In this case it was
because one of the chefs kept coming to our table and the one next
to us to see how we were doing and discuss how the food was prepared.
A real fun dinner and very good food.
More kids running around the place than some of the others."
(2/02) Steve Rosenstein
"What
a fabulous hotel! Rooms: Very clean with lots of nice touches, like
DOUBLE basins OUTSIDE the bathroom. The beds were VERY comfy and
there were beautiful hand carved headboards and cupboards. Note
- we had a first floor pool view room. Not recommended because your
balcony feels like its in the middle of a rainforest without any
views. Food: Boma is excellent. Well planned and presented buffet
with loads of choice. Interesting food while being guest frindly.
Don't fork out for Jiko - nicer location but the food isn't worth
the price. Pool+Facilities: Pool is very warm with a small slide.
Wasn't as themed as expected. Nice bar. Don't expect the savannahs
to be huge. They are interesting, but only for a while. Lots of
cosy sitting areas around resort. No significant entertainment -
just campfire stories. Staff: All were friendly, and they include
real Africans for authenticity sake. This hotel is magnificent -
much nicer than even the Floridian which we saw. Remote location
wasn't as much of a problem as we expected. Truly recommended."
(12/22-12/27/2002) J Briggs
"We
chose this resort for our second visit to wdw because this was the
only one with a concierge room available at the time I booked and
we had such a great experience staying concierge at the Polynesian
last year Sept. 2000. This is a pretty cool resort with all of the
animals around and the African theming throughout. Our room was
on the 5th floor on the Zebra trail with a savannah view that faced
into the "center" of the resort. We saw a wide variety of animals
from our balcony including the ever popular and easily identified
giraffe and zebra. We also saw plenty of different varieties of
cattle and antelope. The weather was great and we were able to sleep
with the balcony door open(but you have to close the drapes for
privacy as there are cameras looking at the rooms to make sure you're
not feeding the animals)without being bothered by bugs or noise.
The zebra wing curls up around the pool so it was a short walk from
our room to the elevator for pool, lau n dry, and the restaurants.
I know that many rooms in the resort would be a pretty long walk
to the pool and counter service restaurant. And our room was quite
a walk from the bus stop at night when you are carrying a sleeping
child. Our room was a little too far from the concierge lounge but
I don't think I would have traded my quiet room and great view for
closer proximity. The rooms on the 6th floor are all designated
concierge but they are all right off of the main (huge) lobby and
don't have great balconies.
The concierge lounge was nicer to hang out in than the one at the
Polynesian. The had a self serve cappacino/latte/steamedmilk machine
that was pretty hard to beat and the South African wines were good.
The food served from 5-7 was interesting and good but lacked variety
from night to night--alot of skewered meat, much of it fairly spicy."
(11/01) Maureen
"We
arrived at about 6pm in the evening. I am still so impressed at
how small the resort looks when driving to it. The increased use
of landscaping adds to idea that you are driving right into Africa.
The entrance sign, with the now familiar DAKL logo, is *huge*, and
nicely illuminated at night. Driving up to the security kiosk, you
still don't see much of the resort, but the theming is already present,
particularly by the roadside lights, which appear as small African
fires by the side of the road.
Walking up to the front of the resort, I was still
struck at how small it looked. Looking at the front of the resort,
the Standard View rooms all overlook the parking lot. I learned
later that other Standard View rooms are by the pool, but are not
pool view...more like roof view. Anyone with a Standard View room
will *not* be able to see animals. Period.
We had to wait about 15 minutes before the rest of
our tour group arrived. What pure torture. I was so excited to get
inside for the first time! From the front, you really can't even
see inside the lobby. There are a set of double sliding doors between
the outside and the inside. The second set are all wooden, so you
can't see inside until you are actually inside.
Everyone's here! Finally! We move inside and finally
through the second set of doors. I had been comparing this resort
to Wilderness Lodge in my mind, so I was first struck at how much
smaller the lobby was. It seemed just as long, but not as wide.
However, as I moved through the lobby, I slowly realized how absolutely
beautiful the interior is. The lobby is 4 stories tall with wonderful
chandeliers at the top resembling Zulu shields. The balconies on
the 4th floor are carved into designs of animals running in a pack.
There are wonderful African-themed discs (huge!) in the floor all
the way through.
The front desk! It's huge! Black tapestries with animal
designs line the back of the front desk, symbolic of African royalty.
And those odd designs under the desk? African symbols for money.
Of course!
The lobby is filled with authentic African artwork.
One could easily spend an hour or so looking and marveling at just
the artwork found here. The mask is the most impressive...that's
the huge piece of art to the left that one wears on his head for
the good luck of their tribe. But, there's so much else to see here.
African ladders, masks, costumes, sword sheaths, handbags, hats,
etc, etc, etc.
We headed to Sunset Lounge as our first Savannah stop.
This lounge has become one of my favorite places in the Lodge. It's
cozy and warm and filled with items that represent the Europeans
view of Africa. I'm a sucker for black and white photographs and
the walls are lined with them. Then it's out to the balcony for
our first view of the African Savannah.
My first thoughts were about this "dirt road thingie"
all around it. I wasn't expecting it, but, of course, there has
to be some boundary between the Savannah and the hotel. Once I was
over the odd look of that, I was sucked in to how beautiful this
area was. My first trip there I saw giraffe at the watering hole,
and I couldn't help but smile at what a unique place I was going
to work. And the sun was just about to set on Sunset Savannah, making
it all quite beautiful.
Back to the lobby now, where I could truly just gaze
on the masterpiece that is the glass picture window. From the ostrich
lamps, down the wooden steps, and outside to Arusha. Animals everywhere!
Zebra right next to the boundaries. Giraffe! Ankole Cattle! And
the Lodge itself stretching out *very* far in both directions. No
sign of civilization here, as I truly started to believe that I
was in a game reserve. And then the best view in all of Animal Kingdom
Lodge. Leaving Arusha Rock, looking back into the lobby through
the great window. Darkening outside, with the bright warm lights
of the lobby shining through...beautiful.
Off to see the rooms. Small? Yes, but I'm used to
the Polynesian rooms. The rooms here seemed identical to the ones
at Wilderness Lodge. The furniture is beautiful...and from the balcony...more
animals! Right there at your fingertips...so cool!
The restaurants were closed, but since that first
trip I have eaten at two. The Boma breakfast I had (for my birthday!)
was probably the best breakfast I've ever had at Disney. A great
selection of traditional American dishes (for the not-so-adventurous)
and neat African entrees (for those of us who like to dare!). The
African juice blend was the best. I've also since eaten at The Mara,
which was typical of most resort counter-service, with a few African
dishes thrown in.
Down to the pool we go...which I thought was quite
large. I know there's been lots of discussion about disappointment
with the pool, but I disagree. I find it a lively and large place,
with a huge pool bar, two spas, kiddie pool, and water slide. Maybe
not as themed as what I'm used to at the Polynesian, but very nice
and very African.
Yes, you may not see animals. But that comment seems
to come from people who spend about 5 minutes on their balcony before
and after their visits to the park. You have to give them some time
to appear...and you may certainly not see *anything* on a first
cursory glance. This is truly a destination resort, and I can certainly
see folks staying here and never setting foot into a park.
Since my first day there, I've been lucky enough to
see several sunrises above the Lodge building, throwing its light
into the savannah below. I've seen giraffe running towards the sounds
of something in the trees. I've seen ostrich try to steal food from
the animal keeper truck. I've seen the newborn baby Ankole Cattle
feed from its mother. And I've seen bongo try to swim in the flamingo
pool. It all took time to see, and some patience...but it was all
well worth what I invested in just standing around, waiting to see
what would happen next.
I don't know if this resort will be for everyone...but
that's pretty much true of any WDW resort. As with Animal Kingdom,
you have to enjoy the Lodge on its own terms....spending time learning
about the culture, talking to its people, studying its artifacts,
and observing its very special cast members out in the wild. There
are stories to hear around every corner, and I hope everyone invests
the time to hear everything the Lodge has to tell."
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