Animal Kingdom

[FirstTimeDisneyVisit]

We are heading to the Animal Kingdom baby !!!!!!!!! May 18th !!!! we are very excited and cant wait !!! Thank you all for all your info and stories, it helped a lot !

 

[wendyt_ca]

We did a split stay our last trip and did 3 nights with a Savannah view and it is totally worth the upgrade if you do the Savannah vie (ask for the sunset savannah). It was such an amazing experience and I don't think I can ever go back down to a value again lol. We were staying at Mods the last few trips prior to this one and were going to do a mod but upgraded cause we got the 35% off for AP. But yes it was definetely worth it, I had also always dreamed of staying there and I was not let down at all. We made sure to schedule some resort time as well to enjoy the room. When down there we ended up purchasing DVC so I am staying at AKL in April again with my friend and I cannot wait to have a full week there!

 

[wendyt_ca]

seems like if we can afford we might possibly stay 9 days and enjoy the place.. our other idea is to stay at allstar again when we try to go during xmas time. i doN'T think it would be warm enough for the pool so just basically a place to stay .. Saw a show on tv about Disney during the xmas season and it looks amazing !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Disney is amazing at Christmas especially the castle dream lights they are just stunning. And Osborne Spectacle of lights are phenomenal!

 

[FirstTimeDisneyVisit]

We did a split stay our last trip and did 3 nights with a Savannah view and it is totally worth the upgrade if you do the Savannah vie (ask for the sunset savannah). It was such an amazing experience and I don't think I can ever go back down to a value again lol. We were staying at Mods the last few trips prior to this one and were going to do a mod but upgraded cause we got the 35% off for AP. But yes it was definetely worth it, I had also always dreamed of staying there and I was not let down at all. We made sure to schedule some resort time as well to enjoy the room. When down there we ended up purchasing DVC so I am staying at AKL in April again with my friend and I cannot wait to have a full week there!

Hey Wendy
thank you very much for the input, my gf is all over this lol this is her dream spot as well !!! we are staying savannah view but didn't know about the sunset part i will def let the gf know! we are doing 8 days and are def already planning 3 days for resort fun and super excited just typing this ! we got a our dvc dvd and was intrigued by it but unless we missed something seems to be a lot of money once i heard finance i knew we where in trouble lol.

as for the xmas thing we are def going there late this year for our 2nd trip! we have heard and seen many shows about Disney at xmas time and Love it ! we just saw a cooking show with Guy Fieri at Disney during xmas time just amazing !

Enjoy your time and thanks again for your help sharing your story !

 

[tink70]

I am all for staying at the nicer resorts, that being said it is not always easy to afford them! But keep in mind the moderates are also very nice too! Coronado is our favorite moderate.
My tip for you as a first time visitor is to hit the parks early then after lunch head back and enjoy your resort for a few hours. Then head back, usually we head to a different park, for dinner and a night at the parks. This way you miss the afternoon crowds, and you also get some quality time at your hotel.
I actually just changed my hotel to AKL also. My DD saw the pics and wanted to see it, so I know your excitement!

 

[ugadog99]

I'm actually posting from Animal Kingdom Villas, Kidani. AKL is our favorite resort, hands down. We've stayed in all different resorts at all different levels. We have a favorite in each category, but if you want a super special experience, AKL is it! If you can swing it, take her to Animal Kingdom Lodge.

 

[wendyt_ca]

Hey Wendy
thank you very much for the input, my gf is all over this lol this is her dream spot as well !!! we are staying savannah view but didn't know about the sunset part i will def let the gf know! we are doing 8 days and are def already planning 3 days for resort fun and super excited just typing this ! we got a our dvc dvd and was intrigued by it but unless we missed something seems to be a lot of money once i heard finance i knew we where in trouble lol.

as for the xmas thing we are def going there late this year for our 2nd trip! we have heard and seen many shows about Disney at xmas time and Love it ! we just saw a cooking show with Guy Fieri at Disney during xmas time just amazing !

Enjoy your time and thanks again for your help sharing your story !

You sound like me lol! Yes the Sunset view is much better there is more animals in it then the other Savannahs. We were originally put in a room with barely any animals in the savannah and no giraffes (which was what I wanted to see) so DH called down and they moved us and it was just so amazing there were so many animals! If you are going later in the year as well you should get an AP if you havent already it will save you a lot. Another great time to go is around Halloween cause the party is excellent and Hallowishes are Disney's best IMO. We went in 2010 and arrived on Halloween so we got the party and stayed 12 days so we ended up also getting the Christmas decor.

 

[JESSketeer]

You sound like me lol! Yes the Sunset view is much better there is more animals in it then the other Savannahs. We were originally put in a room with barely any animals in the savannah and no giraffes (which was what I wanted to see) so DH called down and they moved us and it was just so amazing there were so many animals! If you are going later in the year as well you should get an AP if you havent already it will save you a lot. Another great time to go is around Halloween cause the party is excellent and Hallowishes are Disney's best IMO. We went in 2010 and arrived on Halloween so we got the party and stayed 12 days so we ended up also getting the Christmas decor.

Hello!

Girlfriend, who's so excited to stay at AK, here!!

Thanks so much for mentioning the Sunset view, we'll be sure to ask! That was one thing I was worried about, not being able to see as many animals as I would like from our view. So it sounds like Sunset is definitely the way to go!

We are definitely going again towards the end of the year for a short stay to enjoy the Christmas decor! You mentioned getting an AP, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly is an AP? I'm all about saving money, and I noticed you've mentioned it before also, so it must be worth it!

 

[FirstTimeDisneyVisit]

I'm actually posting from Animal Kingdom Villas, Kidani. AKL is our favorite resort, hands down. We've stayed in all different resorts at all different levels. We have a favorite in each category, but if you want a super special experience, AKL is it! If you can swing it, take her to Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Awesome, i would say enjoy your time but i am sure you already are !

 

[ElizabethG]

Hello!

Girlfriend, who's so excited to stay at AK, here!!

Thanks so much for mentioning the Sunset view, we'll be sure to ask! That was one thing I was worried about, not being able to see as many animals as I would like from our view. So it sounds like Sunset is definitely the way to go!

We are definitely going again towards the end of the year for a short stay to enjoy the Christmas decor! You mentioned getting an AP, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly is an AP? I'm all about saving money, and I noticed you've mentioned it before also, so it must be worth it!

There are four savannas at AKL/AKV. I'm guessing the pp who mentioned not seeing giraffe was staying at Kidanni. Kidanni Villiage is made up of DVC villas only. Jambo house has a combination of regular rooms and DVC villas.

Kidanni has views of Pembe and Sunset Savannas. I really enjoyed Pembe, but there are no giraffe. We were on the end, so we saw them a couple of times.

Jambo (main lodge) has views of Sunset, Arusha, and Uzima Savannas. I can't speak to Uzima from experience, but WDWInfo website lists giraffe as among the animals there. Sunset and Arusha deffinitely have them! If you book a regular lodge room (not a villa), Arusha is a separate booking category.

Even when traveling to the parks for the day, the savanna view balcony is a great way to start and end your day.

FYI: An AP is an annual pass. If you are going more than once in a year, it can be cost effective. You will also have access to discounts including the tables in wonderland card for dining discounts.

 

[JESSketeer]

There are four savannas at AKL/AKV. I'm guessing the pp who mentioned not seeing giraffe was staying at Kidanni. Kidanni Villiage is made up of DVC villas only. Jambo house has a combination of regular rooms and DVC villas.

Kidanni has views of Pembe and Sunset Savannas. I really enjoyed Pembe, but there are no giraffe. We were on the end, so we saw them a couple of times.

Jambo (main lodge) has views of Sunset, Arusha, and Uzima Savannas. I can't speak to Uzima from experience, but WDWInfo website lists giraffe as among the animals there. Sunset and Arusha deffinitely have them! If you book a regular lodge room (not a villa), Arusha is a separate booking category.

Even when traveling to the parks for the day, the savanna view balcony is a great way to start and end your day.

FYI: An AP is an annual pass. If you are going more than once in a year, it can be cost effective. You will also have access to discounts including the tables in wonderland card for dining discounts.

We're planning on staying in the Kidani Village so we will definitely ask for Sunset, thank you! Starting and ending our day with the view of the savanna is exactly what I'm looking forward to! I can't wait!

What about the restaurants in AKL, should we definitely make a reservation to dine there at least one night?

 

[wendyt_ca]

I stayed in Jambo house. Sunset is shared by both. Yes the AP is annual pass so if going twice in a year it's the most cost effective way for tickets and u get unlimited visits with hoppers plus we got a 35% off our room for purchasing one. You also get 10% off most stores around Disney and a couple of restaurants. We went in Oct and I'm going again in April so I purchased the AP

 

[ElizabethG]

We're planning on staying in the Kidani Village so we will definitely ask for Sunset, thank you! Starting and ending our day with the view of the savanna is exactly what I'm looking forward to! I can't wait!

What about the restaurants in AKL, should we definitely make a reservation to dine there at least one night?

We have never been to Jiko, but have heard great things. We don't plan on going to any signature restaurants until the kids are older. Boma and Sanaa are great. Sanaa is our favorite of the two. It is located right at Kidani, which is nice. Last time they were running a little late for reservations, but we didn't mind at all. They gave us a pager and we could walk out onto the fantastic viewing area outside the restaurant.

 

[JESSketeer]

We have never been to Jiko, but have heard great things. We don't plan on going to any signature restaurants until the kids are older. Boma and Sanaa are great. Sanaa is our favorite of the two. It is located right at Kidani, which is nice. Last time they were running a little late for reservations, but we didn't mind at all. They gave us a pager and we could walk out onto the fantastic viewing area outside the restaurant.

Thanks, Elizabeth!! We will be definitely be making reservations at Sanaa!

 

[jujube]

Last spring I stayed at AKL, Jambo and it is fabulous! It is my favorite deluxe. I'm trying to get my teenager to try it but she loves BW. Maybe when she's older. It's a beautiful resort and the meal at Boma was the best ever at Disney in the 38 years that I've been going to Disney World.

 

[FirstTimeDisneyVisit]

we might of hit a snag !! we wanted to go in may for the International Flower & Garden Festival . Forgot one major thing my though my boss is expecting his second child in may !!! so sad .... i mean they said ican still go but me on call but who wants to do that !!!!!!!!!!!

 

[jtovey56]

We're booked for May 23-29. It's our first time at a Deluxe. We've been to all the moderates. This is a special trip as our oldest is graduateing from high school. It seems like only yesterday that he was 3 & we were on our fist family trip staying at ASM for three days. Now its AKL with park hopper, water parks, & dining plan.
Jim

 

[FirstTimeDisneyVisit]

We're booked for May 23-29. It's our first time at a Deluxe. We've been to all the moderates. This is a special trip as our oldest is graduateing from high school. It seems like only yesterday that he was 3 & we were on our fist family trip staying at ASM for three days. Now its AKL with park hopper, water parks, & dining plan.
Jim

Awesome have a great time ! those where teh dates we planned on goign or just around till this lil miscommunication at my job !