Disney's ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE Information & Questions

[sndral]

I am excited about our stay! Where is the people pen view room located? It would be awesome if our room was off the main lobby. I don't know anything about the room locations there.

Here's a link that shows the people pens - they are located on Sunset and Uzima savannas - you can see them in the inside corners of the places where the arms branch out from the main hallway - look for a fence surrounding dirt. http://www.disboards.com/threads/akl-jambo-house-dvc-room-views.1802330/
This is a map from the DVC section of DIS, but it gives you a good idea of the people pen locations. To the lower left is Ostrich trail - and some of those rooms have views of a part of Sunset savanna. To the upper left is Kudu trail. On the lower right is Giraffe trail which has no savanna view. The upper right is Zebra trail which has pool and Arusha and Uzima savanna views.

....the only std rooms off the lobby are in Ostrich and Giraffe Trails and they don't have any views of animals. However, there are some 'people-pen' views in Zudu and Zebra Trails, but they are definitely a ways from the Lobby.

I don't know for sure how AKL classifies the normal resort room views, but I would suspect that many of the limited Sunset savanna view rooms on Ostrich trail are classified as standard. Likewise the less desirable people pen or inside corner view rooms on Kudu and Zebra trail may also be classified as standard view.

 

[Luv2Run]

So was your room a savannah view??? I love the pictures-I am so excited about our stay.

The pics of the animals weren't taken from our room. I took those from just outside the main lobby. The animals couldn't get that close to our room, unfortunately. We did have a trio of very loud ducks nesting just outside our room, though lol.

 

[tcherjen]

I will definitely post pictures when I get back from our room.

 

[StellaD]

Curious if you did online check in or waited until you got to the resort? I am hopeful for a little pixie dust, but will be happy Sorry. I just saw,your post now.

Curious if you did online check in or waited until you got to the resort? I am hopeful for a little pixie dust, but will be happy either way.

Thanks!

sorry, I just saw this now. We did the online check in. Our only request was an upper floor. The upgrade to savanna view was totally unexpected. But we sure did love and appreciate it. Hope you get a surprise like that too!

 

[Muligan21]

We have been thinking of changing our plans from CSR to AKL. Can't decide if it is worth the extra money based on what i've seen and heard. Looks fantastic and most people have primarily positive reviews with few complaints. This would be our first Deluxe stay so want to make it a good one. We have two kids (8 and 4) and then grandparents as well. So wanting something kid friendly but not a whole lot of walking. However, people always say CBR is too many steps and everyone made it just fine.

Thanks in advance!

 

[DizDaD7]

We have been thinking of changing our plans from CSR to AKL. Can't decide if it is worth the extra money based on what i've seen and heard. Looks fantastic and most people have primarily positive reviews with few complaints. This would be our first Deluxe stay so want to make it a good one. We have two kids (8 and 4) and then grandparents as well. So wanting something kid friendly but not a whole lot of walking. However, people always say CBR is too many steps and everyone made it just fine.

Thanks in advance!

Do you mean you're staying at CBR or CSR...?
1st off , switching is totally up to you...Only you can determine if it fits in your budget or not...Me personally, I/We love AKL/V...Be cause it's a destination all within itself...

I probably wouldn't have even known or tried to spend the extra $$ on a deluxe or a villa, if it weren't for DVC.

Now that brings us back to your original Res. CSR. This is our favorite non DvC resort.... We like to call it a Deluxe Lite....

Almost all the bells & Whistles for a whole lot cheaper.... It has a GREAT feature pool, with some nice smaller/quiet pools too.
lots of places to eat... ( Good ones too ) & IMHO has the BEST BUS SERVICE out of any resort too.... The grounds are nice & the rooms are decorated nicely as well..... AKL/V does exactly the same for us but for some more money...4 great/not good places to eat...2 Awesome feature Pools....Excellent CM's, Very good bus service. Great atmosphere,decor,theming....

Either route you go, I'm sure you'll have a great trip....Unless of course you meant CBR instead of CSR... I can go on & on about my disgust of this place, so I'll leave it at that.

 

[Muligan21]

Sorry for the confusion but we are struggling between keeping our CSR or upgrading to AKL. I was referencing CBR only because so many told us there was a lot of walking but we didn't seem to mind it. We stayed at the CBR 5 years ago but have never stayed at CSR or AKL.

Thanks!

 

[imthemamahere]

We have been thinking of changing our plans from CSR to AKL. Can't decide if it is worth the extra money based on what i've seen and heard. Looks fantastic and most people have primarily positive reviews with few complaints. This would be our first Deluxe stay so want to make it a good one. We have two kids (8 and 4) and then grandparents as well. So wanting something kid friendly but not a whole lot of walking. However, people always say CBR is too many steps and everyone made it just fine.

Thanks in advance!

Upgrading to a Deluxe (or from a value to a moderate, or staying onsite vs offsite) is a very personal decision - you need to weigh what's important to you and your family on this vacation. A stay at AKL is totally worth the money to me, but I can't promise you it'll be worth it to you!

Animal Kingdom Lodge is totally kid-friendly. Especially for those ages. My son, who was 4 1/2 the last time we went, found just as much magic in the resort as in the parks. On waking, he immediately wanted to step out onto the balcony to greet the animals with a big "Good morning!" and every night, he had to step out and whisper, "Good night, animals!" before he went to bed. (There are plenty of places to view the animals from if you don't get savanna view, but it definitely rocks to have the view right outside your own window!) Sure, the hallways are long - but then there's a walk at any resort, right? The values/moderates have separate buildings. AKL is entirely under one roof. (Well, two, because there's Jambo House and Kidani, but you walk through one lobby and over to your room, no need to walk between the two locations unless you want.) At the end of a long Disney day, the hallways feel like they're miles long, but it's really not that bad. EVERYTHING feels miles away when I've been on my feet for 15+ hours! On the flipside, for the grandparents coming along for the trip, the resort is very peaceful - lots of places to sit and relax if they aren't quite as energetic as the 4 and 8 year olds. The pool is terrific, the activities around the resort are great (if you spend much time there), the food options are terrific... and you can clearly tell I love the Animal Kingdom Lodge, soup to nuts. But again, my love for it does not mean you'll agree that it gives you enough bang for your buck.

Give a little thought at what you most want on this trip. If you'll mostly be seeing the hotel only as you exit in the early morning/return late at night, and you'll be using the room mostly just as a place to shower and crash into bed, stay where you've already booked, then use some of the $$ you've saved on a premium experience that you'll remember well past the end of your trip. If you'll be in your room/at the resort for breaks, using the pool, checking out the savanna, etc, I'd definitely say give Animal Kingdom Lodge some thought.

Either way, enjoy your trip!

 

[kimmar067]

Do you mean you're staying at CBR or CSR...?
1st off , switching is totally up to you...Only you can determine if it fits in your budget or not...Me personally, I/We love AKL/V...Be cause it's a destination all within itself...

I probably wouldn't have even known or tried to spend the extra $$ on a deluxe or a villa, if it weren't for DVC.

Now that brings us back to your original Res. CSR. This is our favorite non DvC resort.... We like to call it a Deluxe Lite....

Almost all the bells & Whistles for a whole lot cheaper.... It has a GREAT feature pool, with some nice smaller/quiet pools too.
lots of places to eat... ( Good ones too ) & IMHO has the BEST BUS SERVICE out of any resort too.... The grounds are nice & the rooms are decorated nicely as well..... AKL/V does exactly the same for us but for some more money...4 great/not good places to eat...2 Awesome feature Pools....Excellent CM's, Very good bus service. Great atmosphere,decor,theming....

Either route you go, I'm sure you'll have a great trip....Unless of course you meant CBR instead of CSR... I can go on & on about my disgust of this place, so I'll leave it at that.

....what HE said..........hmmmmm, funny, I don't usually agree with my brother.....

 

[VAfamily1998]

Hi! So I was at AKL a little over a week ago (for the Princess half marathon weekend.)
I LOVED the resort, but something has been kind of bothering me.
I had reserved a savanna view room, and the requests I made during online check in were for the Kudu trail and a higher level floor. We first arrived around 10 am, but I thought they would text me the room number when it was ready so I didn't go to the front desk and instead we headed straight for the race expo and then a park.
We returned to AKL around 4:30 pm and I went to the front desk because I had never received a text with my room number. The front desk clerk told me it was because my room was already available before we arrived on the Magical Express. I didn't quite follow that but whatever and he gave me the room assignment.
I wish I remembered the room number--but it was somewhere after 43XX down a long hall. I didn't mind the long walk down the hall--but when I arrived at my room I was VERY disappointed in the view. It was a view of a fence. Literally just a metal fence up close. No animals. And I understand that there may be times that animals are NOT in view--but really there wasn't much land between the room and this fence--and no trees or anything else that I can imagine would appeal to animals to make them want to hang out there.

I called the front desk (and I understand that's just a central call center) who was able to connect me with someone who was able to switch my room--she even gave me a few different options and I was ultimately happy with my new room. She also told me that a lot of guests really like the room I was originally assigned because "it is close to the barns."

So while I feel a bit petty bringing this up on here, since I was allowed to switch rooms, it makes me wonder what would have happened if they DIDN'T have other rooms available for me to switch to? And are there REALLY people who like my original room's view that much? What does "close to the barns" mean in terms of animal viewing? Did I just happen to catch that view at an off time and normally there are tons of animals hanging out in that narrow strip of land next to the fence?

Thanks for any insight-I guess I'm just wondering if they were trying to "pull one over on me" (pay for a Savanna view, but really just get a view of the fence.)

FWIW, once over the initial disappointment, AKL was awesome--just a kind of bad first impression, you know?

 

[Muligan21]

Great! Thanks for all the insight. We went for AKL. Going to be our first Deluxe. In terms of the money, we just happen to get a really nice pin in the mail that made it work for not much of a difference in terms of money. So it may be our only chance for a Deluxe for a little while. Regardless, we are very, very excited and I appreciate the responses!

 

[aleh021]

Great! Thanks for all the insight. We went for AKL. Going to be our first Deluxe. In terms of the money, we just happen to get a really nice pin in the mail that made it work for not much of a difference in terms of money. So it may be our only chance for a Deluxe for a little while. Regardless, we are very, very excited and I appreciate the responses!

You most definitely wont regret it I can 100000% guarantee that! Staying there is an adventure of its own.

 

[maranara]

Hi! More questions for my first visit (and thank you to everyone who has been SO kind and helpful!) - we'll be traveling at the end of January, so the weather likely won't be ideal for swimming. But...knowing my kiddo...weather will not stop her. Are the pools heated? When I last visited in January 2003 (eek!) we definitely swam - even spent a day at Blizzard Beach - but I can't remember much more than that. THANKS!

 

[TeeterTots]

Hi! More questions for my first visit (and thank you to everyone who has been SO kind and helpful!) - we'll be traveling at the end of January, so the weather likely won't be ideal for swimming. But...knowing my kiddo...weather will not stop her. Are the pools heated? When I last visited in January 2003 (eek!) we definitely swam - even spent a day at Blizzard Beach - but I can't remember much more than that. THANKS!

They are heated but chilly. It wouldn't stop my kids either. Some have been complaining the pools have been colder than usual.

 

[RachelTori]

Hi! So I was at AKL a little over a week ago (for the Princess half marathon weekend.)
I LOVED the resort, but something has been kind of bothering me.
I had reserved a savanna view room, and the requests I made during online check in were for the Kudu trail and a higher level floor. We first arrived around 10 am, but I thought they would text me the room number when it was ready so I didn't go to the front desk and instead we headed straight for the race expo and then a park.
We returned to AKL around 4:30 pm and I went to the front desk because I had never received a text with my room number. The front desk clerk told me it was because my room was already available before we arrived on the Magical Express. I didn't quite follow that but whatever and he gave me the room assignment.
I wish I remembered the room number--but it was somewhere after 43XX down a long hall. I didn't mind the long walk down the hall--but when I arrived at my room I was VERY disappointed in the view. It was a view of a fence. Literally just a metal fence up close. No animals. And I understand that there may be times that animals are NOT in view--but really there wasn't much land between the room and this fence--and no trees or anything else that I can imagine would appeal to animals to make them want to hang out there.

I called the front desk (and I understand that's just a central call center) who was able to connect me with someone who was able to switch my room--she even gave me a few different options and I was ultimately happy with my new room. She also told me that a lot of guests really like the room I was originally assigned because "it is close to the barns."

So while I feel a bit petty bringing this up on here, since I was allowed to switch rooms, it makes me wonder what would have happened if they DIDN'T have other rooms available for me to switch to? And are there REALLY people who like my original room's view that much? What does "close to the barns" mean in terms of animal viewing? Did I just happen to catch that view at an off time and normally there are tons of animals hanging out in that narrow strip of land next to the fence?

Thanks for any insight-I guess I'm just wondering if they were trying to "pull one over on me" (pay for a Savanna view, but really just get a view of the fence.)

FWIW, once over the initial disappointment, AKL was awesome--just a kind of bad first impression, you know?

If your room was ready before you arrived on DME, you should have still gotten a text with the room number. Several times recently when I have taken my phone out of airplane mode, before we were even at the gate, I've gotten a text with my room number. Technology being what it is, there was one time in the last year when I didn't get an email and when I checked with the front desk, they clearly showed it being sent, time-stamped and all. I guess it's still out there somewhere in the universe!

As for the first room you were given, it doesn't sound like a true savanna view room. I like to walk to the end of Kudu and check by the barn for animals, but I wouldn't want that to be my view!! There are likely only 2 times a day you'd see animals there. I truly doubt that a lot of other guests request that location, but that was a good attempt by the CM!!

I was going to suggest you send an email to Disney, even though you don't remember the room number give them a description of the room location and your view. They have in the past "reclassified" rooms - it sounds like this one should likely be a Standard View.

I don't know for sure what they would have done had there not been other Savanna view rooms available for you. Often times you hear that they offered to move the guests the next day. But if the room is classified as a Savanna View in their system, they really wouldn't have to offer you anything (unfortunately).

 

[lovetotraveltx]

If your room was ready before you arrived on DME, you should have still gotten a text with the room number. Several times recently when I have taken my phone out of airplane mode, before we were even at the gate, I've gotten a text with my room number. Technology being what it is, there was one time in the last year when I didn't get an email and when I checked with the front desk, they clearly showed it being sent, time-stamped and all. I guess it's still out there somewhere in the universe!

As for the first room you were given, it doesn't sound like a true savanna view room. I like to walk to the end of Kudu and check by the barn for animals, but I wouldn't want that to be my view!! There are likely only 2 times a day you'd see animals there. I truly doubt that a lot of other guests request that location, but that was a good attempt by the CM!!

I was going to suggest you send an email to Disney, even though you don't remember the room number give them a description of the room location and your view. They have in the past "reclassified" rooms - it sounds like this one should likely be a Standard View.

I don't know for sure what they would have done had there not been other Savanna view rooms available for you. Often times you hear that they offered to move the guests the next day. But if the room is classified as a Savanna View in their system, they really wouldn't have to offer you anything (unfortunately).

 

[HairyChest]

hi guys,
Ive booked my first stay at akl kidani standard studio. I was wondering if you guy have any suggestions as far as room requests are concerned? jambo was fully booked but I want to do boma and hang out at jambo alot. is there a certain room request I should make? how about pool view so I don't stare at a parking lot on the balcony? thanks!

 

[dgbg100106]

Can you add us to the list? We are staying June 15th-25th.

June

Pixie36, May 30th - 11th, Jambo House

Cjhundson, May 31st - 3rd, AKL

Brooke789, 2nd - 12th, AKL

DaisyMom09, 4th - 11th, AKL

JerseyGuy, 8th - 12th, AKL

huey578, 11th-18th, kidani

Ipuffyheartdisney, 11th - 18th, AKL Kidani

ZOOMAMA, 11th - 18th, AKL

RBLWMN, 13th - 17th, Kidani

Dbktmc, 15th - 25th, AKL

Minnesota!, 19th - 25th, AKL

Debelfish, 23rd - 30th, AKL

 

[DizDaD7]

Great! Thanks for all the insight. We went for AKL. Going to be our first Deluxe. In terms of the money, we just happen to get a really nice pin in the mail that made it work for not much of a difference in terms of money. So it may be our only chance for a Deluxe for a little while. Regardless, we are very, very excited and I appreciate the responses!

Congrats..As others have stated I doubt you'll be disappointed...But be forewarned, Once you get bitten by the Deluxe Bug, it's very hard to drop back down in category..(LoL)

BTW The restaurants are awesome.

 

[DizDaD7]

hi guys,
Ive booked my first stay at akl kidani standard studio. I was wondering if you guy have any suggestions as far as room requests are concerned? jambo was fully booked but I want to do boma and hang out at jambo alot. is there a certain room request I should make? how about pool view so I don't stare at a parking lot on the balcony? thanks!

I'd usually just say close to lobby is best....If I had a choice between the North wing & the south, I'd suggest the south, for it is closer to the bus stops ( shortcut ) to be exact...