AKL Savannah View Worth It?

[mp2bill]

My family is going for a 7-day visit in August. It's my younger daughter's birthday on the last day, and I'm thinking it might be a treat to tack on another night at AKL with a savannah view so we can wake up to the sight of the animals on our last day.

My question is, is it worth it? I've heard that it's not a guarantee that you'll see any animals, and given that we'll have to check out by 11, I'm worried that it'd be a waste of time and money. So what say you?

 

[PerGron]

You’ll absolutely see animals! Not a guarantee it’ll be every species on the savannah, but there will definitely be animal out there. I stayed for two nights in October and between the three mornings we had, the giraffes were out by the window every morning, we saw zebras and wildebeest most days, and a few of the other antelopes were there pretty frequently as well.

We were at Kidani Village in literally the second to last room on one side so we didn’t expect to see too much, but the way the keepers spread the food around to keep the animals active, you’ll definitely see something. Plus, even if not there are viewing areas at the lobby during checkout!

 

[mp2bill]

You’ll absolutely see animals! Not a guarantee it’ll be every species on the savannah, but there will definitely be animal out there. I stayed for two nights in October and between the three mornings we had, the giraffes were out by the window every morning, we saw zebras and wildebeest most days, and a few of the other antelopes were there pretty frequently as well.

We were at Kidani Village in literally the second to last room on one side so we didn’t expect to see too much, but the way the keepers spread the food around to keep the animals active, you’ll definitely see something. Plus, even if not there are viewing areas at the lobby during checkout!

Awesome. Thanks for the info!

Just out of curiosity...are there animals there all day, or do they corral them up at certain times (specifically, any time before noon)?

 

[PerGron]

Awesome. Thanks for the info!

Just out of curiosity...are there animals there all day, or do they corral them up at certain times (specifically, any time before noon)?

They’re out 24 hours a day. In the morning they call each species in one by one for a wellness exam and whatnot but it’s usually only like an hour per animal. At no time are there no animals out on the savannah.

Also, if you’re staying at Jambo House and are back early enough the night you’re staying over I highly recommend going and doing the night vision goggles by the pool. They’re provided by some of the keepers and educators and you can get a good look at some of the animals in the darkness which is super cool!

 

[Vacationeer]

What are your plans that last day? We tried this room once and loved mornings and evenings on the balcony. Even though checkout is 11am you can still hang back and enjoy the resort. You can walk down by the trails, use the pool and hot tubs, eat at the quick service or other restaurants, explore the lobby.

Check out The DIS video walk through. It’s a gorgeous resort. Would be worth it especially if you could spend some time exploring around.

 

[RememberWhen]

My family just did a few nights at Kidani in February, and I loved it. I would really like to stay there again, but my kids were somewhat unimpressed. Here are a couple pictures from our room:

We saw giraffes, zebras, antelope of some kind and an ostrich.

 

[mp2bill]

They’re out 24 hours a day. In the morning they call each species in one by one for a wellness exam and whatnot but it’s usually only like an hour per animal. At no time are there no animals out on the savannah.

Also, if you’re staying at Jambo House and are back early enough the night you’re staying over I highly recommend going and doing the night vision goggles by the pool. They’re provided by some of the keepers and educators and you can get a good look at some of the animals in the darkness which is super cool!

Awesome. Thanks!

 

[MissViv]

We booked a standard room and were upgraded to a Savannah. I would NOT pay extra for the Savannah. There are too many other areas where you can see them and most kids are really not that interested!

 

[ajmellu7]

Yes yes and yes. Stayed there 3 years ago and am back for 3 weeks in august staying club level from the uk. The place is just incredible. I love it, my daughters love it, but we are huge animal lovers and this is about as good as it gets as far as we are concerned.

 

[nickys]

They’re out 24 hours a day. In the morning they call each species in one by one for a wellness exam and whatnot but it’s usually only like an hour per animal. At no time are there no animals out on the savannah.

Also, if you’re staying at Jambo House and are back early enough the night you’re staying over I highly recommend going and doing the night vision goggles by the pool. They’re provided by some of the keepers and educators and you can get a good look at some of the animals in the darkness which is super cool!

The night vision goggles are, or were, available at both Jambo and Kidani. But I don’t know if they’ve been available since the resorts re-opened. Definitely worth doing if you can though.

 

[eliza61nyc]

Absolutely worth it for us. We did a 7 night Stay in 2018. We saw animals every morning. Wonderful way to start the day

 

[SteveAZee]

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Absolutely worth it for us. We did a 7 night Stay in 2018. We saw animals every morning. Wonderful way to start the day

My yard. How much do they charge per night?

 

[the.dreamfinder]

I’d like to add that the animal tend to be most active earlier in the morning. I’m a early riser these days, so that isn’t a problem for me but it might be for a family having done a week at WDW.

AKL is the most Resort of the deluxe resorts these days and if you’re staying for a night, try to focus your day there since there’s so much great stuff between the educational and cultural programing, the pool, and the dining now that Jiko is back. Could be a really nice way to end a vacation!

Here are some photos from my Savannah room on my last trip.

 

[kalel8145]

I’d like to add that the animal tend to be most active earlier in the morning. I’m a early riser these days, so that isn’t a problem for me but it might be for a family having done a week at WDW.

AKL is the most Resort of the deluxe resorts these days and if you’re staying for a night, try to focus your day there since there’s so much great stuff between the educational and cultural programing, the pool, and the dining now that Jiko is back. Could be a really nice way to end a vacation!

Here are some photos from my Savannah room on my last trip.
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Very cool. That's on our bucket list one day. Once we're only paying for the two of us, we'll be able to swing it.

 

[Sbk1234]

Something to keep in mind is the inherent danger involved in staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Not the animals, but for me, after a whole stay of hearing me repeating all those bad Jungle Cruise jokes over and over again, my family would kill me.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

There are a lot of standard view rooms with views of savannas. We've stayed at AKL several times, have never paid for savanna view, and have always gotten one. We haven't stayed at AKL since January 2020, but every time we have, some sort of savanna view is an option in the room requests. I know it's not a guarantee, but it's the key reason why I refuse to pay the exorbitant upcharge for savanna view.