I think Animal Kingdom Lodge appeals to a certain type of person...we find the theming is magnificent and we always sense the lobby is deserving of a hushed awe...similar to the way many feel when they step into the cool, cavernous lobby at Wilderness Lodge. It is different than the lobbies of other resorts (which have their virtues but look more like traditional hotels).
Because we are the kind of people that have no problem suspending our disbelief (otherwise what on earth would be doing at Disney?) we found ourselves easily swept up in the romance of sitting on a verandah at night and watching zebra and other animals moving silently through the (ok, artificial) moonlight. It has been a dream of ours to stay at one of the great safari lodges near Nairobi, and although AKL is a far cry from that, we find it a magical substitute to try and follow the animals' movements at night, and delightful to wake up in the morning to a giraffe opting out of its hay bag to instead vandalize some tree. We appreciate the efforts that have gone into making this completely planned environment look natural...and even accidental.
One morning we came down to breakfast at Boma, which seems to ALWAYS smell like something impossibly tantalizing is grilling, and a group of servers from Africa in color splashed native dress suddenly burst into song. If it was rehearsed, it didn't look it. And their faces appeared content, and happy, not harried like waitresses at Denny's. By the campfire one evening a young native of Kenya told a wonderfully funny (on both kids and adult level) fable about a chicken using enthusiastic hand gestures and facial expressions. My kids were transfixed. We learned to listen for the subdued drum beats that play around the resort are so easy to miss. Tons of extras, like the artifacts in and around the lobby, the big rocking chairs on the "secret"' verandahs, the pool that hides the truth of its chlorination...and more we have yet to discover.
It's why we just bought add on points for AKV, because the savannah view room prices at AKL are so high, our AP discounts are pretty worthless on rooms other than All-Stars most of the year, and we want to be able to stay at AKL at least one or two nights every other visit. Everyone seems to have their favorites-and for all kinds of very valid reasons. I'd say buy or add on points at the place that makes your heart race most!
