My love of the Disney vacation destination stems from my parents. When they got married, they decided it would be important to take the kids on vacation each year, as a family. It was something they didn't really have, so they strove to give us that. They succeeded and instilled a love for that place in us that is very deep.
A great deal of my joy while planning my trips, talking about my trips, and actually being on my trips stems from the nostalgia I have. At this point in my life, while I am so far from my family, the thought of Disney makes me happy because I associate it with all the good times we have had there. Most people can't fathom why I chose to get married there or why my husband and I keep going, even though we have no children. To me, Disney means I'm going to have time with family, and that time will be spent having fun, not cooking and cleaning.
In my travels, I have visited the four parks located in Florida, both water parks, a multitude of restaurants, and quite a few hotels. I have only stayed in one value resort; we stayed at Pop Century for a single night. I have stayed at each of the moderate hotels. Coronado Springs is my current favorite moderate resort. I haven't stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter in so long that I don't feel qualified to declare whether or not I like it. Port Orleans Riverside has always treated us well and is where we stayed when we were married. Caribbean Beach is a nice resort, as well.
Our little jaunt to the Animal Kingdom Lodge came about because we had to travel to Florida for Mark's sister's wedding. I can't get that close to Disney and not stop in. When I started researching for this trip, I was planning on us staying at Coronado Springs, in a king room. Imagine my surprise when I was able to upgrade to Animal Kingdom Lodge for less than $100 more for the three nights.
Animal Kingdom Lodge is what is considered a deluxe resort. It's an actual hotel, where the entrance to your room is inside the building. Each room had a balcony or patio for your enjoyment. Obviously, this resort is located near Animal Kingdom. What's neat about it is that you can see animals right outside the building, roaming about. There are rooms with a Savannah view, which means you can see the animals from your balcony/room. I don't have that kind of money, so we opted for a pool view.*
Now that I have given you a bit of background on the hotel and myself, let's actually talk about our experience at Animal Kingdom Lodge. We had driven about four hours up from Miami to reach Disney property. The nice thing about the Animal Kingdom Lodge is that it is relatively easy to find. Disney does an excellent job with their signage. If you know what you're looking for and what area your resort is in, you'll be able to find it. I know when I reach Disney; I can feel it in my bones. For other people, there are signs.
It was raining, but I didn't care.
When you reach any Disney resort, there is a little guard house where you check in. The guard will ask what your business is at the hotel. Whether you're checking in to your room, visiting for a dining reservation, or just stopping by to look around, the guard is super nice and helpful. They'll tell you where you need to go. At the Animal Kingdom Lodge, he actually called someone to let them know we were arriving. It was pretty neat and the first time they've done that. After he told us where to go, he welcomed us home. It's a fun little touch, and it makes me smile.
This is the happy little resort map.
Although the deluxe Disney resorts offer valet parking, we opted not to incur that expense. The regular parking was not that far away. We found a nice little spot and wandered through the entrance into the lobby area.
This particular picture was snapped the morning
we left the Lodge. I was too excited walking in
to check in to take pictures.
The lobby are was vast and impressive. There are cases with different important looking pieces in them. I imagine they're all re-productions, but either way, I wouldn't touch them. I would probably break them.** There is a very African feel to the decor. While it feels different than what I'm used to, it still feels welcoming.
Behold the lobby area!
Yay! Neat light fixtures!
Directly inside and to the left is the Magical Express check in. Since we didn't fly, we didn't have to worry about that. A bit farther in, still on the left side, is the actual hotel check-in. We made a bee-line over there because we were excited to go find our room.
Please step right up for easy check-in!
Getting checked in was incredibly easy. There was no line, so we walked right up. The level of service we received was in line with what we have had at other Disney hotels. The girl was very nice, and when Mark asked if they had any King size rooms available, she called to find out. Lucky for us, they did! We were upgraded at no charge to an accessible room.
Our home for the next few nights was located down the zebra wing. While heading to our room, we spied the animals. You can look through some windows out on to the Savannah, or there is a place where you can go outside and animal watch. There are rocking chairs and a viewer to allow you to see better. If you're an animal enthusiast, it's pretty neat.
Zebra!
After a few minutes spent looking at animals and admiring our surroundings, we sought out our room.
I have nothing clever to say about this.
The room was set up a bit differently, as it was accessible. If they hadn't told us that in the beginning, I wouldn't have even known though. I have never stayed in one of the default rooms, so I have nothing to compare it to.
This was the very comfortable king size bed, with a
pullout bed in the background.
Here is a day-time view of the bed.
Isn't it pretty??
The decor in the room was as nice as that in the lobby area. The colors were very pretty, and the dark wood complemented them nicely. I didn't find any of the basic room ammenities to be any better than those at the moderates, with the exception of the balcony. Those do not exist at the moderate resorts.
That is condensation on the door; it's
not dirty.
I don't know that I would stay at a deluxe just for the balcony, but it was neat. I sat out there and talked to my mom on the phone one afternoon, and it was very nice. The view was great too.
Night time!
Day time!
The washroom was equally impressive. The biggest difference between the moderates and this particular deluxe, as far as the wash area goes, is that the entire bathroom area is its own room. In the moderates, the sinks are with the closet area, with the toilet and shower in their own little closet. Animal Kingdom Lodge was set up more like a real bathroom.
It may look small in the picture, but the shower was actually
quite roomy. It had plenty of shelves, as well, which are lacking
in the moderates.
The vanity area, while nice, is not much different than Disney's
moderate resorts.
This toilet was scary powerful. I imagine small children
would be afraid of it. If you stood in front of it while flushing,
it was only too happy to spray you with a bit of water.
It was not refreshing.
All in all, the room was very nice. The colors all worked well together, complementing the decor. I liked the theme they had set up. It worked well and was cohesive throughout the resort.
Now, after rooms, the next most important thing to Mark and I is probably food.*** Animal Kingdom Lodge is home to two table service restaurants in the Jambo house area, which is where we were. The more expensive and fancy of the two is Jiko. We didn't eat there, but I have heard good things.
We did, however, eat at their other sit down restaurant, Boma, and it was great. Mark pretty much declared it the best meal of the trip. It is an African inspired buffet. They had a ton of curry, so Mark was in seventh heaven. For the less adventurous, they also had standard Americanized options. While it was expensive, it was no more than most other dinner buffets on Disney property, and it provided a unique dining experience.
Look at the ceiling! You don't want to see food porn.
Since you've read this far, I suppose you earned some
food porn. Behold the yummy desserts!
You can look down into Boma from upstairs.
So I have a thing for ceilings at Disney! What of it?
Don't judge me!
I must say, we loved the food we had here. As is par for the course, whatever I chose was the superior meal. Luckily, it was all good anyway. The area was clean, with plenty of seating, and the attendants were incredibly nice.
More food porn!
The sit down restaurants at Animal Kingdom Lodge trump those at the moderate resorts. When it comes to variety in the quick service arena, the moderates are leaps and bounds ahead. It seems that to have more interesting dishes, you must sacrifice variety. We really enjoyed the food at Mara, but I would want more options if I was staying for an entire week. There is no clear winner between moderate or deluxe when looking at quick service meals.
I do have to give Animal Kingdom Lodge the edge on in room dining though. In a moderate hotel, there are a few things you can have delivered to your room, mainly pizza. At the Animal Kingdom Lodge, there was an entire menu that spanned breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They even had fancy desserts. This came in particularly handy, as I was on a mission to get us out of the room early in the morning. Since I could order breakfast to be delivered whenever I wanted, it really sped up the process.
Those are Kellogg's Frosted Flakes.
Show them the proper
respect.
We had a 7:00AM delivery on our first morning. Everything we could have needed was provided, including a toaster! It wasn't cheap, but it was worth it. It fit our schedule, and the food was delicious. I wouldn't do it every day of the trip, but splurging once or twice is fun.
Since we've eaten, it's time to go swimming! We don't really have to wait twenty minutes. The pool at Animal Kingdom Lodge has zero entry, meaning in one section, you just walk into it. I would imagine it is great for young children. Additionally, there are hot tubs and children's areas. There is a slide, which we both went down. I think we were the only adults, but it was fun anyway. I'm pretty sure the lifeguard was laughing at us.
Here you can see both the zero entry part and a duck!
Now, most of the moderate Disney resorts have a theme pool, like the main Animal Kingdom Lodge one, but they also have what are called quiet pools. There were no additional pools in our deluxe resort. Since the big pool wasn't that crowded, that was fine. I rarely, if ever, use the themed pools at the moderates because they are usually crowded. I like having those additional pools to utilize.
Aside from all the animal viewing areas, they also offer a unique experience in the evening. You can borrow a pair of night vision goggles and watch the animals. It was really, really neat, and I probably would have enjoyed it if I wasn't being eaten alive by bugs at the time. It had rained all morning, and the bugs were very thick that night. I sustained at least six bug bites in the five minutes or so we spent looking. I didn't really encounter bugs in other areas of the resort, so be prepared with bug spray if you choose to do this experience. It was something I'll probably never have the opportunity to do again, so I suggest you take advantage of it if you are there.
All in all, I really enjoyed our stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. It was very fun and different. That being said, if you have to pay rack rate, it really isn't worth that much more money. My favorite resort is still Coronado Springs, which is actually a relief. It's probably good that I'm not addicted to deluxe resorts. I'm glad I was able to have this experience though. I'm sure if the opportunity arose again, I would jump on it. My dream is still to stay at the Polynesian, but I don't have that kind of money yet.
If you have an animal lover in the family, you should try to stay here at least once. We saw plenty of animals without paying for the Savannah view, but if you have the money, go for it. There are viewing guides in the rooms, as well. The people working in this hotel really want you to have a good time. They're amazing in every way. That alone is worth the price of admission.
Here, you can see the balconies from the outside.
I'm standing down by the pool, and Mark is
waving. Hi!
Yet another shot of the lobby.
I just can't do it justice.
Here, you can see some of the cases.
It's time to say good-bye. This
was one of the last pictures I took
at Animal Kingdom Lodge. I was waiting
for Mark to bring the car around.
*We were able to see a different kind of animal, a human animal. You are a human animal. You are a very special breed. For you are the only animal who can talk, who can reason, who can read!
**I bet they're heavy, which means they're expensive.
***If we were younger or skinnier, it may have been the pool, but we'll get to that later.
The restaurant serves lots of curry and the toilets are very powerful. This is probably not a coincidence, but rather, a well calculated design decision.
ReplyDeleteScore one for the Imagineers.
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