Help from those who have stayed @Animal Kingdom Lodge

[GalacticGobbler]

We are going to stay @ Animal Kingdom Lodge for the first time this spring. We have booked a savannah view room.

My Question is
Which savannah should we request, or should we even request a particular one? Is there any difference between them?

Thanks

 

[Michael72688]

Originally posted by GalacticGobbler
We are going to stay @ Animal Kingdom Lodge for the first time this spring. We have booked a savannah view room.

My Question is
Which savannah should we request, or should we even request a particular one? Is there any difference between them?

Thanks

Not that I noticed, but they were all great, are room was up toward the top, but I dont really think the position makes a difference! Now I went in Sept. 2001 so things may have changed, but the food wasn't the best, it was some African stuff, I was sick the whole night after eating it, but that is just one small problem, everything else is great! Plus if you go to the pool, watch for Giraffes they come up really close and eat from the tree's is is truly an awesome sight! Hope you have fun

 

[ToTBellHop]

It's my favorite Resort on property! I LOVE Animal Kingdom Lodge! All of the savannah view rooms are fantastic, but if you want a view of the main savannah, I believe it is called Arusha Savannah, while the other two smaller savannahs are Uzima (by the pool) and Sunset. My room overlooked Uzima--it was fantastic. Sometimes you will need to search for animals, of course--they aren't in each savannah 24 hours a day, but they are pretty much always somewhere in site; just spend some time looking; it's well worth it!

 

[TURKEY]

I stayed at AKL over Christmas. I had a pool view room, but I loved the view from of the savannah that I could view right next to my room. I can't remember the name, but it was the interior one that you can see from the lobby area.

 

[Mitzer]

We stayed there Christmas 2001 and had an Arusha Savannah view. I must say it was the best room view I have had on property. The animals come by the balconies, but are limited to the distance they can approach. The resort also has a common viewing area outside that I thought you could see the animals from better... but there isn't anything like waking up and seeing those precious giraffes peeking up at you frist thing in the morning. We had a great view and really thought the extra money for the savannah was worth paying. Also, Boma's is great. We have eaten there many times and loved each experience. Jiko's is yummy too :slurp: . My suggestion is that if you decide to try one of these places, know ahead of time that they are African flare restaurants that serve native dishes. They use alot of spices and they tell you this up front. If you aren't adventurous or have picky eaters, think twice. My husband and nephew are both cautious eaters, but loved Boma's. The smell from the restaurant comes up into the lobby area and is just wonderful. Hope you have a great vacation and love AKL as much as we did.

 

[tweetypez1]

Here's my advice - request 3rd floor (lobby level) near the lobby. You'll save tons of time and walking. It's a good walk from the back of the lobby to the bus stop and some of those hallways are long. 3rd floor helps avoid stairs and elevators. Might not seem like a big deal on day 1, but when you get back from a park exhausted you will thank me!

 

[disneydarling]

I just posted a question about AKL under a different thread, but should have come here first. OOPS!

I'm wondering about AKL in Oct.
My husband, Marc, thinks it will smell funny from the animals in the heat of Florida.

Any thoughts?

 

[Mitzer]

Originally posted by disneydarling
I just posted a question about AKL under a different thread, but should have come here first. OOPS!

I'm wondering about AKL in Oct.
My husband, Marc, thinks it will smell funny from the animals in the heat of Florida.

Any thoughts?

I left you a comment on the other thread...go read. Didn't want to repeat it over here. SORRY

 

[tweetypez1]

Originally posted by disneydarling
I just posted a question about AKL under a different thread, but should have come here first. OOPS!

I'm wondering about AKL in Oct.
My husband, Marc, thinks it will smell funny from the animals in the heat of Florida.

Any thoughts?

It was 80 degrees in November - No smell except the sweet wood fire oven smell from the restaurants that permeates the entire lobby. I have never heard of anyone here or there complain of the smell. Hope this helps!

 

[disneydarling]

That does help, thank you! I feel better about 'pushing' to stay there now!

Wish me luck!

 

[AkiraRaptor]

We've been there twice, last year and the year before. We just love it, and we'll be staying their again on our next trip. I'm hoping the be able to swing the cost of a suite for a week. :lookaroun

We've been on the main savanna Arusha, and the savanna to the right of the lobby (if your facing the Arusha Rock) which I think was Uzima.

The difference is in they animal types. Zebras are only in the Arusha savanna. The Sunset has the birds, and Uzima has a lot of the small antilope animals. When we stayed the first year we were on the 2nd floor, and the antilope would sleep right out by our balcony every night (at about 30 feet away). There is an electic fence (that kinda looks like fans of grass) that stops the larger animal from getting close.

Both times were in October, and we had no smell except from Jiko and Boma...and they are worth smelling! :slurp:

 

[marypopmom]

I agree with some of the other posters. Definetely get a 3rd floor lobby room. The waits for the elevator and the long walks down the hallways totally frustrated my kids after a long day in the parks. Also don't get a 5th floor room. We did, thats the reason we will never stay there again. A total waste of money and no animals to be seen except when they were coaxed around with the feeding truck and by then all we saw were animal behinds. My kids were totally disappointed. We have crossed this place off our list. Its a nice place to visit and eat at, but we have decided on the polynesian.

 

[DanStat]

Get a room off of one of the two main wings.

The ones that span to either immediate left or right of the observation wall.

 

[Elaine]

AKL

We stayed there in the month of June...no smells. It was one of the best experiences I have ever had. Our room was over the Pelican Pond. Each morning they feed the animals at 6am. I got room service to bring coffee and a continental breakfast at 5:45 and sat on my balcony for feeding time. The giraffes were the best. We explored all over the building and went out to every observation point. We never have spent so much time in any resort. Usually you sleep, shower and get to a park. This was a whole new experience. EXCELLENT!!! 6 days to go.

 

[bears163]

what was the cheapest and when?

 

[bears163]

what was the cheapest and when you have stayed at AKL.

 

[Mr. Toad]

We stayed there last May and would definately stay there again. We had a 4th floor Savanah view room overlooking the Sunset Savanah. During the middle of the day there were not many animals but in the morning and early evening there were a lot of animals. As stated by others, there was never any animal smells while we were there.

We also loved both restaurants (Boma and Jiko). If you like wine then try the South African wines at Jiko as some of them are very good.

I would definately stay there again and when we go in June (at the Beach Club villas) we plan on eating at AKL.

Here is the view from our balcony:

 

[TURKEY]

Originally posted by bears163
what was the cheapest and when you have stayed at AKL.

Value season is the cheapest time to go. It should be running now and through February...also other times of the year. Check a book like Burnbaum's for the days of the value, normal, peak seasons. I'm not sure if Disney's website has the dates on it or not.


A standard room is the cheapest. You'll more than likely get a view of nothing spectacular, probally a parking lot. Then you have pool view, which over look the pool. The most expensive is the savannah rooms which overlook the savannahs where you can see the animals.

I had a pool view room, but I wasn't far from a window where I could look out at the savannahs. It's easy to get to a spot in the resort where you can see the animals. It's up to you if you want to spend the money to be able to see the animals from your room.