Am I missing something at the Animal Kingdom Lodge? Maybe staying there would be different? We went there to hang out one afternoon and my impression was:
Way out of the way, hidden, hard to find different buildings/location
Cool lobby, but wilderness lodge is more impressive
Grounds are not beautiful, but bland.
Not many animals around, hard to see them.
Pool area is just ok.
Restaraunts look very nice- but non resort guests can visit them any time.
Feels disconnected from the disney excitement.
Museum-like quality of decoration instead of resort-like feel
It really isn't out of the way and hard to find. If you know your way around WDW, it is actually easier to find than several hotels.
Except for the rooms, there is nothing at any hotel that you cannot experience as a visitor.
It is extremely similar to the WL. They're practically the same hotel; they just have different themes. Same shape, same smallish rooms, same gigando lobbies, etc.
The animals are more plentiful at feeding times. Sometimes you won't see any. I never understand why people say they see them "all the time" because they aren't out all the time. But you will see lots of animals if you stay there. Just not all the time.
It is not an upbeat, brightly colored place that screams "FUN!" It's an oasis of peace in the middle of all that screaming. That may be the best part...for me, anyway. They do have that parade of kids making noise every night, but it doesn't last long and isn't bad...and it's kind of cute. Even that fits the theme, too. Far less annoying than the Limbo at CBR (which is also cute.)
Boma isn't my favorite place to eat because I'm not big on that type of food, but the Mara is my favorite of the Deluxe QS places. There is just something about the Mara - the decor, the colors...the chips!
A lot of people LOVE Boma. Before Le Cellier was the hot restaurant, it was Boma, believe it or not. Everyone just HAD to eat there and try Zebra Domes. Always booked, lol. Then it was Le Cellier...now that is falling out of favor. I don't know what next...but Boma is still liked by many. Sanaa and Jiko are also VERY well liked by people who enjoy that sort of thing. People go there just to eat in those restaurants.
The rest of it is all opinion and the AKL is definitely not for everyone. If you think you might like it, you will probably adore it. But many people do not care for it, which I totally get.
I think it's a little slice of heaven. Best attention to detail and immerses us in the overall theme more than any of the hotels. It's my favorite of the Disney hotels for many reasons. But I like all of them except CR/BLT, lol.
And it has a kick- gift shop.
You didn't miss anything, I don't think. It simply was not your cup of tea. Not everything is for everyone. Just different strokes.
I'm sure you'll find one you like a lot!
