Animal Kingdom Lodge - Public Viewing Areas

DisneyFamily123

Use the Force, Luke!
Joined
Jul 14, 2009
Messages
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How are the areas of Animal Kingdom Lodge where animals can be viewed? Thank you very much for information, tips, opinions.

We have 2 standard view rooms now and it will cost $661 x 2 rooms to upgrade to Arusha Savanna view. I could use that $1300 to enhance our disney vacation in other ways.

Wanyama Safari with dinner at Jiko (now open to all AK lodge guests) $190 per person.

Animal Viewing with Night Vision at Uzima Overlook

Other Public Viewing Areas?

Kid's Programs?
 
Sanaa has two viewing areas right outside their restaurant.

There is a long walkway with a fire pit. At dark, they have CM's that hand out night vision goggles that you can see the animals at night.

When you first go out the door, look behind you and there is a second floor viewing area; I am not sure how to get to it - we had two very tired children and they were ready to go home.

Also, the food at Sanaa is superb and the CM's are great there. They love to talk about Africa.

There is also a storyteller on the AK side; if the weather is inclement they take it inside to the fireplace in the lobby. Wonderful story tellers.

You can check out all the activities on the AKL Lite thread.
 
There is no reason at all to spend that money on the view... There are viewing areas all over the resort. And down every hallway there are floor to ceiling windows about every 50 ft to see the savanahs also. The pool area even has viewing areas! Once I was sitting in a jacuzzi, pink drink in hand, watching a giraffe! Where else but Disney can you get that? I wouldn't think twice about your room choice. I didn't know that about the safari being open to all guests now! That's a great thing - we have always wanted to do that. Have fun! Jane
 
what is a better restaurant to eat at if you want to view animals after and wander the resort?? Sorry to jump in here:)
 

what is a better restaurant to eat at if you want to view animals after and wander the resort?? Sorry to jump in here:)

It really depends on you. Jiko is a Signature and is far and away the best of the three, IMO. However, it is a quiet and more romantic and may not be the best restaurant for the little ones (of course you could feed the kids at The Mara, which is a nice CS, while you and your DH have a nice romantic quiet meal without them, and then pick them up after your meal to wonder around a bit).

Sanaa is at Kidani and has a really nice viewing area with a much better firepit than Jambo (again, IMO) really close to the restaurant, which most people go to while waiting for their table. Also, if you are eating durring daylight hours, you could be lucky enough to sit at a table that faces the savannah. We really enjoy Sanaa, but the food is not for everyone.

Boma is the safe choice, seeing as it is a buffet. It's one of the few buffets that I don't mind paying OOP for. You could get your moneys worth on soups alone. The dessert offerings are pretty good too (personally, we don't LOVE Zebra Domes the way some people do, but they are decent and are part of the buffet). While the food is good, my favorite thing about Boma is the way the smell of the wood grill/smoker makes the resort smell late morning.

All the restaurants are pretty much in the middle of the resort (Jiko and Boma are 20 feet from eachother, if that) which makes it pretty easy to wonder around.

OP, if it came down to upgrading to a savannah view or going on the Wanyama, without hesitation I would choose the Wanyama. We did this in October on our first night (moments after I proposed) and it was without a doubt one of the best experiences in all of WDW. First, you go on a guided tour of the savannahs. There is only a max of 12 people allowed per night (and you must be 8+, unless you rent out the whole safari for your party). The guide talks about the different animals and how they are cared for, etc. etc. etc. You really get up close out there (a giraffe stuck it's head into our safari vehicle, to give you an idea), not to mention you can get some great shots of the resort from an angle not everyone gets to see.

After about an hour and a half or so in the savannahs you get an amazing feast at Jiko. Bread service, a few appitizers and a few entrees are all served family style to the table and a trio of desserts are served individually. Wine pairings are included in the price. The chef will come out and talk about each of the dishes and the service is top notch and quick with a refill of wine, soda, water and coffee. To us, $190 (which includes tax and tip) is almost a steal for the experience. The guests we took the safari with were really nice and friendly and we all really had a great time.

The only thing I will add is that I highly suggest doing it early in your trip, this way you can apply some of the things you learn about the animals to when you view them through out your trip, but don't book it for your first night. I lost a ton of sleep in the 180 days leading up to the trip, fearing that something would happen that would cause us to miss the safari and being out $380. I was actually more nervous about that than proposing. In any case, AKL is an amazing resort and no matter which way you go, you'll have an amazing time.
 
It really depends on you. Jiko is a Signature and is far and away the best of the three, IMO. However, it is a quiet and more romantic and may not be the best restaurant for the little ones (of course you could feed the kids at The Mara, which is a nice CS, while you and your DH have a nice romantic quiet meal without them, and then pick them up after your meal to wonder around a bit).

Sanaa is at Kidani and has a really nice viewing area with a much better firepit than Jambo (again, IMO) really close to the restaurant, which most people go to while waiting for their table. Also, if you are eating durring daylight hours, you could be lucky enough to sit at a table that faces the savannah. We really enjoy Sanaa, but the food is not for everyone.

Boma is the safe choice, seeing as it is a buffet. It's one of the few buffets that I don't mind paying OOP for. You could get your
moneys worth on soups alone. The dessert offerings are pretty good too (personally, we don't LOVE Zebra Domes the way some people do, but they are decent and are part of the buffet). While the food is good, my favorite thing about Boma is the way the smell of the wood grill/smoker makes the resort smell late morning.

All the restaurants are pretty much in the middle of the resort (Jiko and Boma are 20 feet from eachother, if that) which makes it pretty easy to wonder around.

OP, if it came down to upgrading to a savannah view or going on the Wanyama, without hesitation I would choose the Wanyama. We did this in October on our first night (moments after I proposed) and it was without a doubt one of the best experiences in all of WDW. First, you go on a guided tour of the savannahs. There is only a max of 12 people allowed per night (and you must be 8+, unless you rent out the whole safari for your party). The guide talks about the different animals and how they are cared for, etc. etc. etc. You really get up close out there (a giraffe stuck it's head into our safari vehicle, to give you an idea), not to mention you can get some great shots of the resort from an angle not everyone gets to see.

After about an hour and a half or so in the savannahs you get an amazing feast at Jiko. Bread service, a few appitizers and a few entrees are all served family style to the table and a trio of desserts are served individually. Wine pairings are included in the price. The chef will come out and talk about each of the dishes and the service is top notch and quick with a refill of wine, soda, water and coffee. To us, $190 (which includes tax and tip) is almost a steal for the experience. The guests we took the safari with were really nice and friendly and we all really had a great time.

The only thing I will add is that I highly suggest doing it early in your trip, this way you can apply some of the things you learn about the animals to when you view them through out your trip, but don't book it for your first night. I lost a ton of sleep in the 180 days leading up to the trip, fearing that something would happen that would cause us to miss the safari and being out $380. I was actually more nervous about that than proposing. In any case, AKL is an amazing resort and no matter which way you go, you'll have an amazing time.

just to reassure you for the future...
My DD and I signed up for Wild Africa Trek last Aug. Set to take the 8:30 am tour after arriving the afternoon before.
Well, of course there was as weather which caused us to miss our connection and the soonest they could get us there had us arriving at the resort at 2 am. I didn't think I'd be able to get my 8 year old to do it after a day I'd delays and no sleep. I called Disney in a panic. They were extremely accommodating and moved us to the 4:15 tour.
Disney rocks!
 
Changed to Kidani Village Savanna View!!!! Yes!!!

It was only $225 more to be in a 1 bedroom villa instead of having 2 standard rooms at Jambo. How awesome is that? Looking forward to this trip. That is with the military discount.

We have 2 standard view rooms now and it will cost $661 x 2 rooms to upgrade to Arusha Savanna view. I could use that $1300 to enhance our disney vacation in other ways. .....?
 
what is a better restaurant to eat at if you want to view animals after and wander the resort?? Sorry to jump in here:)

All three have different cuisines, so I would choose them based on that; they all have viewing areas.

Sanaa is my favorite, for both cuisine and viewing.
 
All three have different cuisines, so I would choose them based on that; they all have viewing areas.
.

Jiko has a viewing area?? We have eaten there and stayed at AKL twice and didn't see any viewing area. Both Jiko and Boma face the pool, not the savannah. (which is not to say that they aren't scenic, and you are certainly free to walk over to the wildlife viewing areas before or after)

Personally, we like Boma best, then Jiko, then Sanaa. I am a fan of Indian cuisine and Sanaa's version of it was a little too mild/homogenized for me. Jiko and Boma have an African flair that we find more unusual and tasty.

But Sanaa *does*, as PP pointed out, have a savannah view, so surroundings are probably the most attractive of the three.
 
Changed to Kidani Village Savanna View!!!! Yes!!!

It was only $225 more to be in a 1 bedroom villa instead of having 2 standard rooms at Jambo. How awesome is that? Looking forward to this trip. That is with the military discount.

Congrats on the switch. Not only do you get the savanna view but a full kitchen, washer and dryer and awesome master bath!
 
We're staying at POFQ but will be eating one night at Boma. Are there any resort viewing areas for visitors of the resort? I definitely don't want to infringe on any resort guest only attractions!!
 
We're staying at POFQ but will be eating one night at Boma. Are there any resort viewing areas for visitors of the resort? I definitely don't want to infringe on any resort guest only attractions!!

Check out the Sunset Lounge (lobby, on the left, beyond check-in desk) and also out onto Arusha Rock: from lobby, down the steps to the 2d floor (lobby is 3d floor) and out to Arusha Rock :)

Re. restaurants, the only one with a savanna view is Sanaa, over at Kidani.
 
Check out the Sunset Lounge (lobby, on the left, beyond check-in desk) and also out onto Arusha Rock: from lobby, down the steps to the 2d floor (lobby is 3d floor) and out to Arusha Rock :)

Re. restaurants, the only one with a savanna view is Sanaa, over at Kidani.

Will do. Thanks!
 













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