Disney's ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE Information & Questions

[pixie921]

There are a bunch.... Just off to the right of the back of the lobby..
Also to the left is where you check in...There's a room just beyond that, that has artifacts and informational stuff...It's usually where the Well informed CM's give you an awesome history lesson of their culture. It is nice an quiet and you can see some animals too.

Also out by the pool. beyond the smaller secluded hot tub ( *<--this is a nice spot too ), where the Flamingos are is kinda peaceful.

Thank you! I'll add these to our list.

 

[sndral]

...
We would be looking at staying a full week...
So I am leaning towards renting DVC points through Davids. If you had a choice of the following 3 options which would you pick:

1. 1 Bedroom Club Level and Regular Dining

2. 1 Bedroom Club Level with QS Dining

3. 1 Bedroom Value Level with Deluxe Dining

Thoughts?

There are 5 possible 1 br. club villas and they book up really fast, a lot of owners can't even get them right when booking opens for AKV owners, so the probability that you will be able to book one as a rental for a full week is not good. There are 10 1 br. value villas - so you have a slightly better chance at getting one of those - but they book fast too.
That said, AKL sounds like a great fit for you given your daughter's interests, why not rent points for a savanna view villa?
Then decide regular or quick service dinning. If you don't want to tie your daughter & her friend down with too many sit downs get quick service and add a few extra out of pocket dinners/lunches freeing up some CS credits for breakfasts. I use snack credits for breakfast - usually fruit or yogurt which you can store in the full size frig in the 1 br villa.
It's great to drink coffee and eat your breakfast on the balcony while you watch the animals on the savannah.
I think your daughter would love the Wanyama Safari one night (approx. $190 per person) you spend an hour and a half on the AKL savannahs followed by a multi course meal at the Signature restaurant Jiko (w/ wine pairings.) You must be staying at AKL/AKV to do the safari, it's limited to 12 guests and unforgettable.
You might also look into lunch with an animal specialist at Sanaa (approx. $50 per person) you get to have a multi course lunch at Sanaa with someone who actually cares for the animals at AKL - you learn a lot about the animals.

 

[sanapp]

Would it be easier to get a club level studio renting dvc points? Since there are only 3 of us we would have enough room. With the club level lounge we could easily do quick service and just pay pop for a special meal or two.

 

[cjhudson]

Would it be easier to get a club level studio renting dvc points? Since there are only 3 of us we would have enough room. With the club level lounge we could easily do quick service and just pay pop for a special meal or two.

The sites will do a search for you. DVC rental store will do it for free. David's charges $50 to search. Whichever site you choose have them look for you.

 

[sanapp]

We haven't been yet to tell you about the rooms but I know that we couldn't eat enough food to justify the deluxe plan. Out of your 3 choices I would choose the first.

Deluxe doesn't end up being to much food for us if we do a sit down character breakfast or an early lunch and then a signature dinner or dinner show. This is how we did it last time and it worked out really well. Would often choose a salad as my appetizer and then just sorbet or something lite for dessert. I am just concerned if DD and her friend would enjoy the food or not.

 

[MissKIA]

Is it possible to request to be in a certain section? We have a pool view room booked, and according to the map it looks like we could either end up in Zebra Trail or Giraffe Trail. I REALLY would like to be in Zebra trail cause I want to be as close as possible to the Mara so I can easily run down for coffee and a snack in the morning. I'm pretty sure it doesn't come up on the online check in , so is there another way to request this?

 

[DizDaD7]

Is it possible to request to be in a certain section? We have a pool view room booked, and according to the map it looks like we could either end up in Zebra Trail or Giraffe Trail. I REALLY would like to be in Zebra trail cause I want to be as close as possible to the Mara so I can easily run down for coffee and a snack in the morning. I'm pretty sure it doesn't come up on the online check in , so is there another way to request this?

I'm sure there is....Just an FYI. The Zebra trail isn't all that far either. Maybe an extra 2 minutes or so....But the plus to being there is the shortcut to the bus stops...To and from....Comes in Handy..

 

[Kerim1983]

Hi all! October 1-10 my family of 4 (including my 3 & 5 year old's first time), my mother and mother in law, and also my Grandparents who will be 86 and 84 (will be their FIRST time!!) will be heading to AKL. Renting through David's DVC, standard 2 bedroom villa in Kidani. Can and should I request a room close to the lobby for my Grandparents? Is there any other requests I should make or tips you can give me for our stay? Thank you so much for any input!

 

[indyannamom]

Is AKL a relaxing resort to spend my vacation???

I currently have a reservation for POR. Then DH suggests that we should spend $600 more for a bunk bed room at AKL. I have never stayed at these places.
Pictures of POR look so serene and relaxing which is what I need at this vacation.
Pictures of AKL look loud and busy and remind me of Great Wolf Lodge in PA, except for the savanna view which we will not have. The bunk bed room will have a pool view.
But I know my kids (8 and 4) will get a better sleep in bunk bed instead of sharing a bed through out our 5 nights stay.

Please help me make a decision!!!

DH and I stayed at POR in October for a kids free trip. I was so excited about staying at POR because of the setting and the beautiful grounds that resort has. We enjoyed our trip, and the resort was pretty, but I don't think we'd stay there again. We've stayed onsite before at CR and Poly. There is a difference between a Mod and a Deluxe resort, but none of those differences are why we wouldn't choose POR again.

If you were to ask my DH which to pick...he'd say AKL without a doubt.

We realized while we were on that trip, that we really enjoy resorts that are enclosed, without all the buildings being seperated. It makes a difference if there are rainy days, or even being more secure letting kids go down to fill mugs or whatever.

We love the theming of AKL and found it just as charming and beautiful as POR's grounds...just in a very different way.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[dgbg100106]

Hi all! October 1-10 my family of 4 (including my 3 & 5 year old's first time), my mother and mother in law, and also my Grandparents who will be 86 and 84 (will be their FIRST time!!) will be heading to AKL. Renting through David's DVC, standard 2 bedroom villa in Kidani. Can and should I request a room close to the lobby for my Grandparents? Is there any other requests I should make or tips you can give me for our stay? Thank you so much for any input!

October

PghPiratesGirl, Sep 29th - 6th, AKL

Kerim1983, 1st - 10th, AKL

Disneymom1126, 14th - 22nd, AKL

Ruth B, 20th - Nov 1st, AKL

 

[COscrapper]

I have a question, and this may already be somewhere answered, but I am looking at possibly renting DVC points for Oct for here. Can anyone tell me the difference in the value studio and standard studio? I did not see anything that said value on the firs page. Thank you!

As others have said, you need to jump on that now. We are renting points for our first family trip to WDW Oct. 29-Nov. 5, and wanted a standard studio. All 3 of the main brokers had long waitlists for AKL, and while we were on said waitlist, we watched standard studios get gobbled up for some of our dates - so we decided to rent directly from an owner and by that point we had to upgrade to Savannah view just to get our dates. That was several weeks ago so I would imagine availability is even less now.

 

[TheFloatingBear]

We're staying at AKL for 6 nights in April and I can't wait!

I'm looking for some ammunition to convince my DH to change up our "date night" plans....currently we have reservations at Jiko, then we figured we'd enjoy the lounge, hotel grounds, etc.

I would love to change it to the Wanyama Safari! I just called and they have availability for 2! It would be expensive, however, Jiko is a signature restaurant, so I figure dinner would be expensive anyway, plus it looks like the food after the safari is from Jiko.

It sounds amazing - can anyone share their experiences? Any feedback would be helpful! Thanks!

 

[DizDaD7]

We're staying at AKL for 6 nights in April and I can't wait!

I'm looking for some ammunition to convince my DH to change up our "date night" plans....currently we have reservations at Jiko, then we figured we'd enjoy the lounge, hotel grounds, etc.

I would love to change it to the Wanyama Safari! I just called and they have availability for 2! It would be expensive, however, Jiko is a signature restaurant, so I figure dinner would be expensive anyway, plus it looks like the food after the safari is from Jiko.

It sounds amazing - can anyone share their experiences? Any feedback would be helpful! Thanks!

I'm sure @kimmar067 will chime in on this one....She's eaten here b4 and raves about it....I've yet to eat here, but have only heard great reviews...

 

[RachelTori]

We're staying at AKL for 6 nights in April and I can't wait!

I'm looking for some ammunition to convince my DH to change up our "date night" plans....currently we have reservations at Jiko, then we figured we'd enjoy the lounge, hotel grounds, etc.

I would love to change it to the Wanyama Safari! I just called and they have availability for 2! It would be expensive, however, Jiko is a signature restaurant, so I figure dinner would be expensive anyway, plus it looks like the food after the safari is from Jiko.

It sounds amazing - can anyone share their experiences? Any feedback would be helpful! Thanks!

Wanyama is SO worth the money! You have an awesome tour out on the Savannas at the Lodge, followed by a fabulous dinner at Jiko! It does cost more than if you just ate a meal at Jiko, but it is absolutely, positively worth the extra money!! We've done it 3 times now and will definitely do it again in the future!

 

[TheFloatingBear]

Wanyama is SO worth the money! You have an awesome tour out on the Savannas at the Lodge, followed by a fabulous dinner at Jiko! It does cost more than if you just ate a meal at Jiko, but it is absolutely, positively worth the extra money!! We've done it 3 times now and will definitely do it again in the future!

Thanks for the reply - it really sounds spectacular! DH is definitely interested - there was availability on one of the days we had available, but the IPO was closed by the time I called - I'll call back when they're open!

 

[TheFloatingBear]

I'm sure @kimmar067 will chime in on this one....She's eaten here b4 and raves about it....I've yet to eat here, but have only heard great reviews...

What's seems nice about it is that you still have food prepared at Jiko, but it appears it's a prepared menu (meaning you don't get to order off the menu) and you eat family style with the people on the safari. DH and I are both fairly adventurous eaters, so we'd probably like most things that are offered!

 

[ashleym337]

I'm staying at the villas and can't wait! Is there a thread for just the villas?

 

[NicoleLarson]

Would it be easier to get a club level studio renting dvc points? Since there are only 3 of us we would have enough room. With the club level lounge we could easily do quick service and just pay pop for a special meal or two.

Studios are even harder than 1 beds. I own there and can usually get a 1 bed at 11 months out but it's very difficult to get a studio. Once again there's only 5 and if someone books a 2 bedroom then they are essentially booking a 1 bed and studio so that limits it even more.

 

[sndral]

...
I would love to change it to the Wanyama Safari! I just called and they have availability for 2! It would be expensive, however, Jiko is a signature restaurant, so I figure dinner would be expensive anyway, plus it looks like the food after the safari is from Jiko.

It sounds amazing - can anyone share their experiences? Any feedback would be helpful! Thanks!

I've really enjoyed each of my Wanyama safaris. My most vivid memory from our first was the ostrich sticking his head into the safari truck. My avatar was taken during the second and is a shot of Godon being a bad giraffe and getting ready to stick his head into our safari truck. Last December on our third safari both the ostrich and Gordon were better behaved, the highlight for me that trip was seeing the baby zebra behind the scenes.
You gather in the little room by Jiko and have some appetizers and drinks. You then walk out to your safari truck and spend about an hour and a half driving through each of the 3 larger savannahs. The driver and interpretor both work with the animals and are quite interesting plus they answer questions - it's great if you're an animal geek like me. Then you have a multi course dinner with wine pairings at Jiko. IME most of your fellow safari goers are friendly people and by the time dinner rolls around it's a relaxed and fun social dinner. The chef does explain the food offerings.

 

[TheFloatingBear]

That's unbelievable, @sndral ! Thanks for the details - I am particularly obsessed with giraffes so I hope we meet Godon! We always have fun meeting people at Disney (that's our favorite part of the bus rides!) so I think the dinner will be nice. Hopefully it will still be available when I can reach the IPO!

Talking about it with DH, we're feeling a little guilty about doing it for date night and not with the kids! Last night my DS11 said, "I hope we go in a safari car and get really close to the animals! Can we do that?"


But it would be a lot of $ and I don't think they'd enjoy the food as much - they're kind of picky eaters and that would be a lot of money to spend to listen to them complain about food! We're doing so much fun stuff this trip, I'm hoping they don't notice - we've done a date night every trip and they love being in the kids' place, so hopefully...