Animal Kingdom Lodge Questions

[The Foolish Mortal]

So my partner and I are planning a trip next year and are considering staying at AKL. We have never stayed there. On the Disney website, there are rates listed for AKL, AKL Jambo house, and AKL Kidani Village. What are the differences between these three? The rate for AKL is significantly more. Is there something more special about that than the other two? And are all three located in the same place? Thanks for any info

 

[IsThatYouTigger]

AKL is the actual hotel. Jambo House is the same thing as AKL, but when you book it means two different things. Kidani Village is the Disney Vacation Club hotel. AKL Jambo House is Disney Vacation Club rooms within the AKL hotel. Kidani Village rooms are at the all Disney Vacation Club building. Both are on the same property, just separate buildings with different stores and restaurants and pools. They share buses. If you don't want to stay in the timeshare DVC portion book AKL. DVC rooms will only have 1 bed and a pull out sofa, but will have a microwave. The regular hotel rooms will have two queen beds or a king bed configuration. It does seem more confusing than it should when you sit down to explain it!

 

[Deb & Bill]

If it says studio, one bedroom, two bedroom, grand villa, it's a DVC unit. There are some one and two bedroom suites that are not DVC units. So you get standard hotel room, DVC villas, suites. And it might say AKV Jambo House and AKV Kidani Village instead of AKL.

AKV Jambo House is the fifth and sixth floors of the main lodge except for a few two bedroom suites (remember suites are not villas and villas are not suites). AKL Jambo House is up to and including the fourth floor of the lodge. AKV Kidani Villas is the entire building that is a ten minute walk from the main lodge.

 

[grumpy28]

I'm glad u asked OP. I was looking at this hotel for a stay next year and so confused!

I am hoping to book for 5 people (2 adults, 3 kids ,all over 3) next spring. With an awesome savanna view hopefully. What's my best option (and cheapest)?

 

[Spencer Wright]

One thing I will advise is to not spend the money on Savannah view unless you spend a large amount of time in the room during the day, from about 8am-8pm.

There are windows and outside viewing areas all throughout the hotel through which one can see the animals quite easily.

It is an absolutely gorgeous hotel with amazing restaurants and I highly recommend!!

 

[Deb & Bill]

One thing I will advise is to not spend the money on Savannah view unless you spend a large amount of time in the room during the day, from about 8am-8pm.

There are windows and outside viewing areas all throughout the hotel through which one can see the animals quite easily.

It is an absolutely gorgeous hotel with amazing restaurants and I highly recommend!!

Now I would say the savanna view is the reason to book AKL/AKV. You can get that pool, parking lot view at any hotel. But you cannot get a savanna view at any other WDW hotel. It feels so decadent to sit in your bathing suit or pajamas on your balcony watching the animals on the savanna. And sitting in your room, watching the animals means you don't even have to go to the parks if you don't want to.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I'm glad u asked OP. I was looking at this hotel for a stay next year and so confused!

I am hoping to book for 5 people (2 adults, 3 kids ,all over 3) next spring. With an awesome savanna view hopefully. What's my best option (and cheapest)?

You cannot get a standard AKL hotel room since they only sleep four. There might be a deluxe room (not sure they still have them) or a suite. Or get a one bedroom villa at Kidani Village. You'd get a master bedroom with a king sized bed and separate master bath with a large soaking tub and a stand alone shower, one queen sleeper sofa and one twin sized sleeper chair and a full standard bath with combo tub/shower.

 

[VAfamily1998]

One thing I will advise is to not spend the money on Savannah view unless you spend a large amount of time in the room during the day, from about 8am-8pm.

There are windows and outside viewing areas all throughout the hotel through which one can see the animals quite easily.

It is an absolutely gorgeous hotel with amazing restaurants and I highly recommend!!

I agree with you. I stayed in a savanna view room, but was gone during the day most of the time. I noticed that the times I was in the room (morning and evening usually) there weren't always animals out on the savanna.
The next time I stayed at AKL I decided to save money and get a standard view room. I requested "somewhere quiet" over the phone. They assigned me to room 5101--which is right above the driveway/portico!!! I immediately went downstairs and asked if they could please switch me somewhere else and they were able to give me a room FAR (very long walk!) down the Kudu trail. There was no savanna view--in fact it was a view of some ugly building and fencing, but there were TONS of animals outside at all hours of the day and night! I was very happy with that room.

 

[grumpy28]

You cannot get a standard AKL hotel room since they only sleep four. There might be a deluxe room (not sure they still have them) or a suite. Or get a one bedroom villa at Kidani Village. You'd get a master bedroom with a king sized bed and separate master bath with a large soaking tub and a stand alone shower, one queen sleeper sofa and one twin sized sleeper chair and a full standard bath with combo tub/shower.

Thanks for the reply. Sounds expensive. Might be out of our budget. Fingers crossed a good discount comes out.

 

[sndral]

You cannot get a standard AKL hotel room since they only sleep four. There might be a deluxe room (not sure they still have them) or a suite. Or get a one bedroom villa at Kidani Village. You'd get a master bedroom with a king sized bed and separate master bath with a large soaking tub and a stand alone shower, one queen sleeper sofa and one twin sized sleeper chair and a full standard bath with combo tub/shower.

A Jambo 1 br. villa would work too, as the 1 br. villas at Jambo also have a sleeper sofa + chair and sleep 5 (except for the value villas,) although they only have 1 very large bathroom compared to Kidani villas's 1 br.s which have 2 bathrooms.

 

[The Foolish Mortal]

Thanks for all the feedback and info. Not sure what we will do. Its only two of us for a three night stay. We plan to spend one entire day at AK and another day at TL

 

[anneboleyn]

It feels so decadent to sit in your bathing suit or pajamas on your balcony watching the animals on the savanna. And sitting in your room, watching the animals means you don't even have to go to the parks if you don't want to.

At first I read the bolded part as "birthday suit" and was about to suggest against that lol

 

[jodybird511]

If you are thinking about the DVC units, you should consider renting points--that can save you a lot of money (like a couple hundred dollars, even just for a couple nights), as opposed to a cash reservation directly through Disney central reservations.

 

[bigeyedfish]

Also the DVC units do not provide housekeeping!

 

[jodybird511]

They do if you are on a cash reservation.

 

[allsaintsatx]

Thanks for all the feedback and info. Not sure what we will do. Its only two of us for a three night stay. We plan to spend one entire day at AK and another day at TL

AKL is amazing. If a Savanna View room is in your budget I highly suggest it. A PP said it wasn't worth it after 8pm, but I disagree. There were lots of animals out after dark, I spent about an hour on our balcony one night at about 10-11pm, just listening to the animals move around underneath us and eat grass. it's a totally crazy sound! I didn't know what it was at first and then realized there were about 6 animals (wildebeests? Can't remember!) under our room grazing. It was so unbelievably relaxing to listen to. And so quiet at that resort!! I mean, I could hear animals chewing food! And no other sounds at all. That's such a great memory.