Visiting Animal Kingdom Lodge

Disney_bound2010

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jan 8, 2010
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82
We are planning to do a dining reservation there in Oct, what is the best time to go in the evening to walk around and see the animals (we will be staying at art of animation) and is there a certain area to go to to see the animals?
 
If you can, try to get there for 5 pm. When we did this in 2011, it was feeding time and they fed them really close to us so we can get a great look. There was a baby giraffe too and it was adorable!

Anyway, just go through the lobby and there you go! Its really neat to just hang out and talk to the CMs. They know their stuff and are really friendly! My kids loved it!
 
We did that one year and ended up staying there the next year. If I recall, we did dinner around 6pm (August) and did a little touring before (gave ourselves about 90 minutes for transportation) and then toured afterwards.

Lots of art and artifacts. Plenty of places to view the animals. This is a great resort. Enjoy!

BTW, Jiko or Boma?
 
LOL buzzliteyear -- my 8 year old was DYING to stay there after we watched the animals and visited the playground/saw the pool. I get the feeling though that wanting to stay there the following year is very common!
 

autismgoesdisney said:
LOL buzzliteyear -- my 8 year old was DYING to stay there after we watched the animals and visited the playground/saw the pool. I get the feeling though that wanting to stay there the following year is very common!

It's a great way to attract business :)
 
Disney_bound2010 said:
not sure which restaurant any recommendations i have a 3,14,11,and 7 yr old

We liked Boma. It's a buffet and a little exotic, but even my picky eaters didn't go hungry.
 
We have 7pm BOMA reservations and I was thinking of leaving a little early to go wander around the AKL to check it out.

When I look at the AKL Map, the playground appears to be located behind the gated Pools.

Are you able to go to the Playground without staying at the AKL?

Anything else to see and play around with at the Lodge that every one ( not just the AKL Guests ) has access to?
 
Jiko is a bit formal for young children (and pricey) so I'd recommend Boma which is buffet style. It's located in Jambo house, the original AKL resort. If you walk through the grand lobby in Jambo and out the back you can wander around the Arusha overlook and see the animals on Arusha savannah. You can also go out by the pool and see animals on Uzima savanah - that's where they have a cm w/ night vision goggles after dark. The gift shop is also worth spending a little time in, I think it's more interesting than many resort shops.
Another option would be to eat lunch or dinner at Sanaa, which is located in Kidani, the nearby DVC building. The lobby is not as grand as Jambo, but Sanaa fronts the Sunset savannah, and it's so cool to look through the windows onto the savannah while you're eating. There's also rocking chairs @ Kidani where you can sit and gaze at the animals on Sunset savannah.
You can easily visit both, say, stop @ Kidani and look at animals from their overlook, and then walk or ride the bus from Kidani to Jambo and look at the animals on Arusha, have dinner, then after dinner go out by the pool to try the night vision viewing.
 
I also think it's best to go before dinner while it's still light enough to see the animals. There are porches in the back of the lobby, or go down the stairs to the Arusha Rock area.
 
The Mara is a nice food court with a lot of options and indoor and outdoor seating. We stayed there in 2003 when kids were about 4 and 5 and again Sept. 2011 and the kids loved it even more at ages 12 and 13! Its a great resort to visit and and amazing one to stay at.
 
not sure which restaurant any recommendations i have a 3,14,11,and 7 yr old

Definitely Boma. They do have children's selections on the buffet and the deserts are amazing. Soups ande salads are great. If they are adventerous there really is a great selection. Jiko is a bit more "formal".
 


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