Animal Kingdom Lodge - worth a visit for non-guest?

[ExpatDisneyLover]

Akl is a great place to visit - really worth seeing. If you want to visit in the day time you can always eat lunch at Sanaa at Kidani Village - great food, for a decent price and you might see some animals while dining!

Oops didn't read someone just posted that -

LOL - enjoy your visit! It is a beautiful resort!

 

[KeroKero]

Our past two trips we ate dinner at Boma, after our day at AK. We get to the AKL about an hour before our reservation so we can walk around the grounds which are stunning!

After dinner we take the bus from AKL to DTD, browse around before grabbing a bus back to whichever resort we're staying at.

 

[kelleigh1]

I hope this helps...
http://allears.net/acc/aklmap.jpg

Thank you!

I'm going to have to check to see what our plans were for the day/night we're dining at Jiko and try to work in some time to really see the resort. It's on my list of places I think I'd like to stay, so I want to check it out a bit.

 

[kaligal]

I don't think it is worth it. The animals are not always around when you go out to the viewing area. Very hit or miss.

I do love the AKL. It might be my favorite of the WDW hotels. I just don't think any hotel is worth the bother of going to see.

But if you really like hotels and think you would enjoy going there, who am I to stop you?

If you like the art and displays, walk the halls of the hotel. It is kind of boring and you might raise an eyebrow with security, lol, but they display stuff in the halls.

 

[GreenDog]

We stayed there last year. I say absolutely yes. The place is beautiful. The lobby alone is worth seeing. The observation points to watch the animals are great and you can get some very up close views. The art work is fascianting and the restaurants are very good. I certainly recommend Boma or Jiko.

 

[CruznLexi]

Back in 98 we went over to have a QS breakfast and toured the resort beautiful resort less than 2 months later we bought into DVC at Kidani and now call it home!

 

[Walleandeva2011]

last time we went to wdw we stayed there and my wife loves it there simply for the QUICK SERVICE RESTAURANT of all things . She loves the Mara and we're going back there this time just for a meal there watching old disney cartoons.

Incidentally, does anybody know where I can find the music that plays inside the mara?

 

[dacky041208]

I'd say definitely schedule a meal there on an AK day and go enjoy! Be sure to stop at Mara on the way out and grab some zebra domes! yum!

 

[Eljay]

Back in 98 we went over to have a QS breakfast and toured the resort beautiful resort less than 2 months later we bought into DVC at Kidani and now call it home!

How did you manage that, since the AKL Jambo House opened April 16, 2001 and Kidani opened May 1, 2009?

 

[kaligal]

last time we went to wdw we stayed there and my wife loves it there simply for the QUICK SERVICE RESTAURANT of all things . She loves the Mara and we're going back there this time just for a meal there watching old disney cartoons.

Incidentally, does anybody know where I can find the music that plays inside the mara?

LOL, I love the Mara, too! Nice atmosphere, cool potato chips. I really, really like going there.

I don't know what music they play in there. You should ask in the gift shop. I asked at the Poly once, if I could buy the music they play around the pool and the woman said, "No, no we don't. If I had a nickel for everyone who asked me!"

You can buy a CD of the music played in AK.

 

[Walleandeva2011]

LOL, I love the Mara, too! Nice atmosphere, cool potato chips. I really, really like going there.

I don't know what music they play in there. You should ask in the gift shop. I asked at the Poly once, if I could buy the music they play around the pool and the woman said, "No, no we don't. If I had a nickel for everyone who asked me!"

You can buy a CD of the music played in AK.

Maybe they should start selling the music then

Seems that everybody wants that piece of their vacation after they return home. I have tried to find the MARA SPECIFIC songs everywhere. I went onto the unofficial AKL website, I scoured the DIS Radio when it was in existence for them, but they only had the AKL songs, not the Mara's which are different. When we go in a week hopefully they don't say "If I had a nickel for everyone who asked me...."

Thanks though

 

[kathy884]

I think so, if you have the time and the interest. We are in a similar boat to you -- love AKL -- but would not be willing to pay the bucks to stay there -- usually stay at lovely offsite condo resorts and get such good deals.

Part of this depends on whether you like checking out resorts. We do. On three different trips what we did was book a dnner at BOMA for about seven, go early so we could wander around the outside of the resort in the daylight, etc. Then we had dinner. After dinner, we checked out the inside of the resort and gift shops. Then we went outside and used the night goggles just to have that experience. They had cool fire pits, story tellers, etc. -- our teens were a little too old for that so we didn't do it, but it looked really cool.

Obviously I think it's worthwhile to do and have gone three times.

Note, though, last time we were not as happy with the BOMA buffet as on our first two visits. They had taken off some of our favorite flavorful African dishes for less exotic fare. If it was in the budget and I was not with picky eaters, I think I'd really like to try JIKO, their signature resturant.

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Not your question, but the other resort that we make a stop like this at is the Polynesian, doing dinner at Ohana. On this one, we sometimes take the monerail over to the Contemporary and Grand Floridian and the little boat over to Wilderness Lodge (see their little geyser, etc.). At Christmas time especially the Grand Floridian is really festive.

These are our two favorite resorts we would never stay at that we love to hit because of the beautiful grounds.

 

[Heidi Lou]

It is absolutely worth it! One of my favorite things to do is hotel hop, and although AKL seems to be out of the way maybe more than others, it is well worth the trip. It fascinates me everytime! You have to go at least once!