Animal Kingdom Lodge - standard view rooms

[cksmummy]

I am taking my 9yr old to Disneyworld in early January and it's been a dream of mine ever since I knew it existed to stay at Animal Kingdom to see the animals from my room. I solo parent and bring my son over to the USA each year to see his Dad, and going to Disney is the special thing that my son and I share. I have just 'bitten the bullet' and booked us a room for one night at Animal Kingdom in a standard view room. They have Savannah views available, but that extra $150 seems too much on an already stretched budget. For those of you who have stayed in the standard view rooms, what are the best places you went to in the resort to see the animals? Are there any standard rooms with partial savannah views and if so, how would I go about asking to be placed there? I know it's only one night, but I want to make it as special as possible. Thanks guys!

 

[ZebraDomeCrazy]

Hi there, you've made a great choice in Animal Kingdom Lodge! There are plenty of animal viewing areas throughout the resort.... Right out back from the main lobby is the main viewing area. In addition to this, there are animals beyond the pool area, a small area near the meeting room, just past the check-in desk. Down all corridors there are large windows and seating areas to see the animals all over. The animals roam around the resort, so you will see different ones at different times. As far as standard rooms go, we have booked standard view many times and been free upgraded several times! Don't count on that, but it does happen. We have also had standard rooms with animal views! Once we had a room at the end of a corridor, from our balcony if you looked left, you saw animals... Right, you saw the pool... This room was right above the jacuzzi behind where the pool bar is. Beware if you get a room here, it is also very close to the flamingos, which are crazy loud at 5am! This past trip we got a std room, 3214, right near the lobby, down the kudu trail. Our balcony was on the sunset savanna. It's not super pretty savanna, which is why I assume it has been classified as standard view. We had tons of animals, even one night there were four giraffes right outside! Understand the Lodge is very large with long corridors. If you were looking to pay more for a view, I would suggest a pool view. This gets you guaranteed close to the pool, food court, and on the side of the bus stop. You will love the lodge and the animals no matter what room you get! Enjoy!!

 

[ZebraDomeCrazy]

Just thought of something else..... There is a shuttle van right outside the front door that goes back and forth between Jambo and Kidani (DVC side). It runs all day continuously. Kidani also has amazing animal viewing areas right outside their lobby as well.

 

[cksmummy]

Wow, thanks for that amazing info!!! I'm really excited about our night at AKL! I see you have been to a number of resorts, do you mind if I ask about some of them? I'm looking at All Stars Music, POFQ and CSR. Thanks!

 

[ExpatDisneyLover]

AKL is amazing! I think you will find it worth every penny! I would not pay to stay in a savanna view room if my budget is tight - you make get a partial savanna view anyway plus there are lots of places to see animals around the resort. There are lots of activities for kids as well - marshmallow roasts, night vision goggles, bead making, drum playing - and the pool is excellent too. ENJOY!!

 

[ZebraDomeCrazy]

You're very welcome! Yes, of course, here are some of my thoughts on those resorts...

All Stars Music - it's been a while since staying at this resort, but what I remember from then.... All All Star resorts have fantastic food courts, with many choices, both made to order and packaged. The buses run very efficiently, although the loading areas are not covered, so the heat,sun and Florida rains can be tough. The pools are large, with plenty of chairs, but no slides, or shady seating areas. The theming is really fun! Super large icons are everywhere.

POFQ - this is a really lovely resort. Much more self contained than its sister resort of Riverside (although that's another great place!) There is only one bus stop at the front of the resort. Depending on the time of the year, and crowds, you may share buses with Riverside, which has several interior stops. There is a small lounge inside the lobby, plus a pool bar. The pool is fun,, with a great slide and theming. There is also a kiddie pool and a jacuzzi. The buildings are all pretty close to the pool and the lobby/food court. You can walk along the river to the Riverside resort, and also use their pool and restaurant. One of the best perks of this resort is the boat ride to Downtown Disney. Very convenient and a really lovely trip in itself!

CSR - so, this is another moderate resort, but because it is a convention center, it has many features of a deluxe resort. It has a fitness center, a salon, a sit down restaurant, a lounge, a waterside bar, plus a huge pool, with a great slide, volleyball court, jacuzzi, pool bar, and game room. The grounds are very pretty, but the layout is large. There are several bus stops within the resort. The rooms were recently renovated, and are very pretty. They now have queen size beds, which is a huge plus. There are sliding wooden doors between the beds and the bathroom, which helps for families getting dressed and ready for the day.

That's what I can think of off the top of my head. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask!

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

AKL is awesome. So far, our favorite resort on property.

We have twice stayed in standard rooms and both times had views of the savanna. That is a luck-of-the-draw situation, but regardless of whether you wake up in the morning and see the animals, you can still see them all over the resort.

Will you be eating there? I highly recommend Sanaa. You can eat and watch the animals at the same time.

For the night and morning that you are AKL, I would not spend a lot of time at a park. Really take advantage of the resort- the pool, the animals, the restaurants.