Help me understand AKL better!

[lynzi2004]

We are currently booked with no discount at CBR in Dec. Our kids ages 9 and 8 have been eyeing AKL. Today the Disney Visa card discount came out and puts AKL into our price range. I would be booking a standard view room. My understanding is that it has a balcony but not a view of the savanna as those are a separate booking category. The kids are most interested at seeing the animals, so my question is 1. Do any standard rooms have a partial savanna view? 2. Can you see the savanna from various spots around the hotel as we are walking through if we just have a standard room? 3. Does the “deluxe” factor of the hotel trump Skyliner access to two parks? And lastly, is the big pool at Kidani or Jambo, and where is a standard room? I’m confused by the DVC vs regular part of the resort. We’ve never been there. Thank you in advance!

 

[EmilyGahr]

There are definitely some standard view rooms that have partial savanna views or obstructed savanna views. If you look on the Touring Plans website, you can search for room views to see what rooms you should request for the best chance! There are also plenty of spots around the lodge to view the animals.

Regarding the deluxe versus skyliner access- that's a bit tougher! Personally, I think the theming of AKL, as well as several other features of a deluxe resort, trump skyliner access. But will you be spending a lot of time in the resort? Or are you more of a park from open to close type of family?

 

[tobikaye]

Jambo House is DVC on the 5th and 6th floors. The other floors are non-DVC. Kidani is all DVC.

I did not visit the Kidani pool while staying at Jambo. The main pool at Jambo was entertaining enough for my, then, 5 year old niece and nephew.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

We are currently booked with no discount at CBR in Dec. Our kids ages 9 and 8 have been eyeing AKL. Today the Disney Visa card discount came out and puts AKL into our price range. I would be booking a standard view room.

Smart. AKL Standard View is the best value room on property, in my opinion.

Do any standard rooms have a partial savanna view?

Many do. I have always been successful requesting one. But you might get a parking lot, so don't hype up the possibility with the kids. Let them be magically surprised if you get a partial.

Can you see the savanna from various spots around the hotel as we are walking through if we just have a standard room?

Yes.

Does the “deluxe” factor of the hotel trump Skyliner access to two parks?

Yes. If they were both discounted, I really love the Skyliner. But discounted AKL trounces full price CBR (or discounted pirate rooms, which I believe were the other Visa offer. They're terrible.).

And lastly, is the big pool at Kidani or Jambo.

Both buildings have a feature pool, but only Kidani has a kiddie splash pad.

and where is a standard room?

Jambo.

I’m confused by the DVC vs regular part of the resort. We’ve never been there. Thank you in advance!

Jambo is mostly standard rooms with a few villas. Kidani is 100% villas.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Jambo is gray, Kidani is white. The reason they feel like two resorts rather than one is because you can't cut through the savanna that's in between them, so to get from one to the other you have to walk through the parking lot around the Kidani South Trail.

 

[minie_meese]

We love staying at AKL and always spend 1-2 days at the Animal Kingdom whenever we stay there. We own DVC at AKL but have only stayed at Jambo House. All of Kidani is DVC and there are also some DVC rooms in Jambo House. We like Jambo because of the fast food restaurant (Mara), Boma and Jiko (which is not currently open). Kidani just has Sanaa which is great. I don't think they have a fast food restaurant. All of the hotel rooms are at Jambo, I think on the 5th floor. Some standard rooms (DVC and Hotel) do have a partial savanna view and other don't. I am pretty sure every room at Jambo has a balcony. I find the lobby stunning with lots of neat things to look at. There are a number of places around the lodge where you can find covered porches with rocking chairs where you can view the savanna. We would get coffee in the morning and sit there for a while watching the animals. There are also many places outside where you can see the animals. Not sure how it is now, but there have been guides stationed at the different viewing areas to talk about the animals and let you know what to look for. We enjoy the Jambo pool but many people talk about the Kidani pool as better. You have access to both pools. There is a path between Jambo and Kidani, and there is also a van that goes between the 2. We've never stayed at CBR but have stayed at BW and BC so we have taken the Skyliner. I heard it will be down for a while so make sure to check that out if that is a deal breaker. If you plan on spending most of your time at EPCOT and Hollywood Studios CBR is probably more convenient even without the Skyliner.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

We love staying at AKL and always spend 1-2 days at the Animal Kingdom whenever we stay there. We own DVC at AKL but have only stayed at Jambo House. All of Kidani is DVC and there are also some DVC rooms in Jambo House. We like Jambo because of the fast food restaurant (Mara), Boma and Jiko (which is not currently open). Kidani just has Sanaa which is great. I don't think they have a fast food restaurant. All of the hotel rooms are at Jambo, I think on the 5th floor. Some standard rooms (DVC and Hotel) do have a partial savanna view and other don't. I am pretty sure every room at Jambo has a balcony. I find the lobby stunning with lots of neat things to look at. There are a number of places around the lodge where you can find covered porches with rocking chairs where you can view the savanna. We would get coffee in the morning and sit there for a while watching the animals. There are also many places outside where you can see the animals. Not sure how it is now, but there have been guides stationed at the different viewing areas to talk about the animals and let you know what to look for. We enjoy the Jambo pool but many people talk about the Kidani pool as better. You have access to both pools. There is a path between Jambo and Kidani, and there is also a van that goes between the 2. We've never stayed at CBR but have stayed at BW and BC so we have taken the Skyliner. I heard it will be down for a while so make sure to check that out if that is a deal breaker. If you plan on spending most of your time at EPCOT and Hollywood Studios CBR is probably more convenient even without the Skyliner.

Re: Quick service food at Kidani... Sanaa has a grab-and-go hot breakfast, but other than that you're limited to the pool bar.

I agree, the Mara at Jambo is the main reason we prefer it over Kidani.

 

[Marionnette]

We are currently booked with no discount at CBR in Dec. Our kids ages 9 and 8 have been eyeing AKL. Today the Disney Visa card discount came out and puts AKL into our price range. I would be booking a standard view room. My understanding is that it has a balcony but not a view of the savanna as those are a separate booking category. The kids are most interested at seeing the animals, so my question is 1. Do any standard rooms have a partial savanna view? 2. Can you see the savanna from various spots around the hotel as we are walking through if we just have a standard room? 3. Does the “deluxe” factor of the hotel trump Skyliner access to two parks? And lastly, is the big pool at Kidani or Jambo, and where is a standard room? I’m confused by the DVC vs regular part of the resort. We’ve never been there. Thank you in advance!

1. There are some standard rooms with partial savanna views. As has been recommended, check the touringplans.com room finder to get an idea of where they are located.
2. The main viewing area is right off of the lobby and provides an excellent view of the savanna. In pre-COVID times, cultural representatives were present to answer any questions you might have about the animals you see. At night, they would have had night-vision binoculars for guests to use.
3. Skyliner is a big plus. AKL's finest feature is that once you arrive at that peaceful place, you forget that you're anywhere near an amusement park. You must take a bus everywhere which can make it feel further away from the action than it actually is. It's a trade off but given the unique setting a lot of people find it well worth it.
4. The big pool is at Jambo but you can use both. There's a shuttle that runs between the two buildings or you can take any park bus from Kidani and it will drop you off at Jambo. There is also a marked walking pathway that traverses about a half dozen crosswalks. Other than those crosswalks, you're on a sidewalk the whole way. The walk takes less than 10 minutes.

 

[lynzi2004]

Thank you all for your helpful replies! We are typically park open to close people, BUT will have down time on arrival/departure day as our flight comes in early and leaves late. We’ve stayed at POP (both pre/post Skyliner, POFQ, and Fort Wilderness, so I’m not opposed to buses. Especially if the service is fairly reliable. I’m assuming there is only one stop or is it 2 for AKL? That was a big pet peeve at FW. I realize it will be that way at CBR as well but since I would only be using it for 2 parks, I would just walk to the first bus stop those days. We would be there at a time to take advantage of the deluxe extra hours at well which may come in handy with Christmas crowds! Thanks again for the great help!

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Thank you all for your helpful replies! We are typically park open to close people, BUT will have down time on arrival/departure day as our flight comes in early and leaves late. We’ve stayed at POP (both pre/post Skyliner, POFQ, and Fort Wilderness, so I’m not opposed to buses. Especially if the service is fairly reliable. I’m assuming there is only one stop or is it 2 for AKL? That was a big pet peeve at FW. I realize it will be that way at CBR as well but since I would only be using it for 2 parks, I would just walk to the first bus stop those days. We would be there at a time to take advantage of the deluxe extra hours at well which may come in handy with Christmas crowds! Thanks again for the great help!

2 bus stops, but they're efficient.

Honestly, I love the Skyliner if you're at Caribbean Beach or Riviera, but it's not that much faster from the POP/DAAR station than a bus.

 

[Dakota731]

Does the pool bar at Kidani have breakfast items? Is there a convenience store there?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Does the pool bar at Kidani have breakfast items? Is there a convenience store there?

Sanaa serves quick service breakfast to-go.

Yes, all of the DVC resorts have a sundries store.

 

[emily nicole]

I’d love to know more about the Disney Visa room discount? Google wasn’t helpful. TY!

 

[mrsap]

I’d love to know more about the Disney Visa room discount? Google wasn’t helpful. TY!

Here’s the wording in the email:


Cardmembers can enjoy special discounted rates on select rooms when you use your Disney® Visa® Credit Card to book, for stays most nights from December 12-24, 2021. Rates will vary based on room type, Resort and travel dates.1

Booking Period:
Now – December 24, 2021
Travel Dates (for most nights):
December 12-24, 2021

For example, use your Disney® Visa® Card to book a stay most nights from December 12 – 24, 2021, at these Resort hotels:

• 25% off at Disney’s Animal KingdomLodge1
• 20% off at Disney’s Art of AnimationResort Suites1
• 20% off at Disney’s Port OrleansResort – Riverside1

Ask about other great rates available at these Disney Resort hotels:

• Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
• Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
• Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
• Disney’s Riviera Resort
• 
  
• Phone # 1-407-939-7865
• 
  Hope that helps!

 

[emily nicole]

Here’s the wording in the email:


Cardmembers can enjoy special discounted rates on select rooms when you use your Disney® Visa® Credit Card to book, for stays most nights from December 12-24, 2021. Rates will vary based on room type, Resort and travel dates.1

Booking Period:
Now – December 24, 2021
Travel Dates (for most nights):
December 12-24, 2021

For example, use your Disney® Visa® Card to book a stay most nights from December 12 – 24, 2021, at these Resort hotels:

• 25% off at Disney’s Animal KingdomLodge1
• 20% off at Disney’s Art of AnimationResort Suites1
• 20% off at Disney’s Port OrleansResort – Riverside1

Ask about other great rates available at these Disney Resort hotels:

• Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
• Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
• Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
• Disney’s Riviera Resort
• 
  
• 
  Hope that helps!

thank you! It actually doesn’t work for our December dates, we are going earlier in the month, but thanks! I wonder why they didn’t send me an email.

 

[DanielleOG]

If your room is in Jambo house in the main building, does that mean the hallway to your room looks down over the lobby? I'm trying to figure it out just from that map.

 

[Marionnette]

If your room is in Jambo house in the main building, does that mean the hallway to your room looks down over the lobby? I'm trying to figure it out just from that map.

Only a few rooms overlook the lobby when you exit your room. Most of them are DVC villas.

 

[lanejudy]

I wonder why they didn’t send me an email.

I've found promotional emails from Chase regarding the Disney Visa are hit-or-miss. Sometimes I receive one, other times I don't.

 

[NicoleLarson]

We are currently booked with no discount at CBR in Dec. Our kids ages 9 and 8 have been eyeing AKL. Today the Disney Visa card discount came out and puts AKL into our price range. I would be booking a standard view room. My understanding is that it has a balcony but not a view of the savanna as those are a separate booking category. The kids are most interested at seeing the animals, so my question is 1. Do any standard rooms have a partial savanna view? 2. Can you see the savanna from various spots around the hotel as we are walking through if we just have a standard room? 3. Does the “deluxe” factor of the hotel trump Skyliner access to two parks? And lastly, is the big pool at Kidani or Jambo, and where is a standard room? I’m confused by the DVC vs regular part of the resort. We’ve never been there. Thank you in advance!

I think most of your questions have been asked but I'll go through these:

1. Yes, there are a lot of standard views that overlook the savannahs (there are 3, Arusha-main, Sunset, Uzima), no standard views on the Arusha. They are called standard because these rooms overlook the "people pens" (where people would go if the hotel was evacuated) but they do indeed have a pretty good view of the savannah. Note there are some "parking lot" view standard rooms, however, there's lots of foliage here and I think you would have to really try to even see the parking lot. So worst case senario, you are looking at some trees.

2. YES! TONS of spots located all over the resort. Lots of overlooks, most with rocking chairs to sit and relax

3. This is very personal. I'm not a skyliner fan myself, park open and close (long lines) if there's bad weather it will not be running, etc, so AKL would trump CBR is every way.

4. Both resorts have large pools with slides. You will be at Jambo house, not Kidani but you can use the pool there too. Kidani does have a splash pad, Jambo has a playground.

5. Kidani (DVC only)- Jambo DVC on floors 5 and 6. All other floors are regular hotel rooms.

Lastly, AKL really feels like a true resort. A destination within a destination. It's great to walk in the beautiful lobby and take a deep beath and get away from the hustle and bustle of the parks. In addition, you will be there during the holidays and the lobby is just breath taking! You won't regret it, it's very magical.

 

[Sunshine11]

I would choose a deluxe resort versus a moderate resort most times if the price is comparable. AKL is a resort destination in itself. Ask for partial savannah view!