Animal Kingdom Lodge...what can I expect?

[Ohana-Means-Family]

Hey Everyone, hope you're all doing well?
Last year my husband and I stayed at All Star Music, and we found a great deal for next year at Animal Kingdom Lodge and we are super excited! Aside from the obvious (animals, gorgeous theming, dining options) what can I expect as differences between the value and deluxe resort?
Thank you!

 

[mouse_luv]

Hey Everyone, hope you're all doing well?
Last year my husband and I stayed at All Star Music, and we found a great deal for next year at Animal Kingdom Lodge and we are super excited! Aside from the obvious (animals, gorgeous theming, dining options) what can I expect as differences between the value and deluxe resort?
Thank you!

More luxe. Upscale restaurants, instead of food courts, inside corridors, whole different vibe, one central bus stop.

 

[lostpro9het]

Hey Everyone, hope you're all doing well?
Last year my husband and I stayed at All Star Music, and we found a great deal for next year at Animal Kingdom Lodge and we are super excited! Aside from the obvious (animals, gorgeous theming, dining options) what can I expect as differences between the value and deluxe resort?
Thank you!

Which house are you in? Jambo offers night vision animal viewing from dusk on. There is an AKL shuttle bus that leaves every 10-15 minutes to take you between houses. While Jambo's pool is bigger but I like Kidani's pool better. Be sure to explore both houses, each offers plenty of animal viewing.

More luxe. Upscale restaurants, instead of food courts, inside corridors, whole different vibe, one central bus stop.

Each house has a bus stop and Kidani is the first to get picked up/dropped off.

 

[nickys]

AKL will have a ton of activities through the day.

The cultural CMs will be happy to chat about the animals and/or their home countries. The resort has the largest African art collection in the US, with tours of the highlights. You can take a kitchen tour or a special nighttime safari of the resort savannah. And don’t miss the drumming lesson and parade in the evening, whether taking part or just watching.

Here’s a link to the activity calendar, which will give you a taste of what to expect.

https://www.themouseforless.com/tripplanning/resorts/wdw/pdf/AKLCalendar.pdf

 

[nickys]

Which house are you in? Jambo offers night vision animal viewing from dusk on. There is an AKL shuttle bus that leaves every 10-15 minutes to take you between houses. While Jambo's pool is bigger but I like Kidani's pool better. Be sure to explore both houses, each offers plenty of animal viewing.

Both Jambo and Kidani offer the evening viewing night vision goggles. Well worth it.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Probably a more peaceful, restful time. The unruly groups tend to book the lesser value resorts. THAT makes it worth the extra money.

 

[mouse_luv]

Which house are you in? Jambo offers night vision animal viewing from dusk on. There is an AKL shuttle bus that leaves every 10-15 minutes to take you between houses. While Jambo's pool is bigger but I like Kidani's pool better. Be sure to explore both houses, each offers plenty of animal viewing.



Each house has a bus stop and Kidani is the first to get picked up/dropped off.

Exactly. Stay there all the time and this is one perk. OP wasn't specific so I wasn't sure what to post.

 

[Ohana-Means-Family]

Thank you everyone! I'm not DVC just a standard room so that means jambo house I believe?

Another question - I know both all stars and AKL are in the animal kingdom area, is it safe to assume the bus rides to MK/HS/E will be a similar length to what we experienced at All Stars?

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Thank you everyone! I'm not DVC just a standard room so that means jambo house I believe?

Another question - I know both all stars and AKL are in the animal kingdom area, is it safe to assume the bus rides to MK/HS/E will be a similar length to what we experienced at All Stars?

The bus times never seem to bad. Also it's only 2 stops so it doesn't spend too much time at the resort. Have a great time. Pros...animals! Ask if they can give you an animal view even of you paid for standard. Never hurts to ask. And lots of times they will help if they can!
One Con...potentially long walks. We were placed pretty far once from the lobby and pool. Its all indoors at least.
My insider tip? If you have a kid with some energy to burn and you want something interesting, take a walk in all the corridors looking at the African Art. Some really fascinating pieces.

 

[Mickey5150]

Expect the worst room on property if you are in the wrong place. Giraffe trail, bottom floor, parking lot view. The rooms overlook the path to the bus stop and the balcony is covered for privacy. Unfortunately this makes the room extremely dark.

 

[YankeeMouse]

There is an intangible that was totally unexpected the first time we stayed there. Peace and quiet. It's stunning, really. Spend some time in a rocking chair at the overlooks along the hallways and you can close your eyes and imagine yourself on a savanna.

 

[Swissmiss]

The cultural CMs will be happy to chat about the animals and/or their home countries. The resort has the largest African art collection in the US, with tours of the highlights.

It’s the largest African art collection on permanent display; we were told there are museums in the US with larger collections, but not all on display.

But yes, one of the really interesting things to do is just wander the halls looking at the art.

 

[nickys]

It’s the largest African art collection on permanent display; we were told there are museums in the US with larger collections, but not all on display.

But yes, one of the really interesting things to do is just wander the halls looking at the art.

That makes sense. The Smithsonian must have more than AKL!

 

[Swissmiss]

That makes sense. The Smithsonian must have more than AKL!

Yes, the Smithsonian has a larger collection (and might be the largest collection outside of the African continent) but not as much in a permanent display. And there may be other museums with larger collections than Disney’s as well, as I only specifically remember the CM’s comparison with the Smithsonian.

 

[plutothedoggo]

My wife and I have stayed at Kidani and Jambo and loved both visits! I will say, that the main pool at Jambo can get quite busy with a lot of little ones running around everywhere. Be aware of that and if you're planning a day at the pool, try and get there a bit earlier than you might want to just in case. Other than that, we absolutely love these two resorts and enjoy walking around both main lobbies and outdoor areas when we visit, even just for dinner. Kidani has a great area outside of Sanaa that you can walk out almost to the middle of the animal area and get over 180 degree view of the area; it's truly amazing towards sunset!

I am so excited for you both to try this resort out for the first time! I know you'll love it and want to go back

 

[danheaton]

Truly stunning theming across the resort, especially in the lobby and other common areas. There's just a relaxed feeling in this resort that you won't find at the Value resorts. It's also a bit more out of the way and seems more like a RESORT than just a place to sleep while taking a trip to Walt Disney World. The rooms aren't as large as some other deluxe resorts, but it's priced accordingly. I also can't recommend the dining highly enough, especially The Mara. It's the best counter-service option at any Disney resort and is a good value too.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Expect the worst room on property if you are in the wrong place. Giraffe trail, bottom floor, parking lot view. The rooms overlook the path to the bus stop and the balcony is covered for privacy. Unfortunately this makes the room extremely dark.

My fiend paying rack rate was given this one. One night he stayed then next they moved his family to a savannah view

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

The theme's so cool. I stayed at Kidani Village 2 years ago. I liked The Lion King theme in the shower.

 

[hooch]

I haven't stayed in a Disney Value resort but I once did a split stay, going from POR to AKL. Noticed a big difference in theming and room finishes. I bet you will love AKL. It's beautiful and unique. So many great details there. Mara food court is really good. Pool is very nice. Savannas are incredible.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

Another cool thing about Kidani Village: they have a couple of hot tubs by the pool.