I just wrote this review for another board. (its copy and pasted, so somethings may have already been dicussed)
We did Animal Kingdom Lodge DVC this last trip. Los of pros and cons.
first thing to know, there are
2 separate resorts there and both are HUGE. Jambo is the main house, it has the
large grand lobby, the quick service location and 2 of the 3 AKL restaurants—Jiko and Boma. There is a mix of standard and DVC rooms there. Kidani is the DVC only resort beside it. The layout is very similar except for no grand lobby and no real QS location except for the pool bar. Sanaa is here an it is a great restaurant. From what I hear, Kidani has the better pool and water slide. There is a van shuttle that runs back and forth between the resorts. They each have their own bus location, but share buses, with the 1st pickup and drop off at Kidani and then Jambo.
We stayed at Jambo, and my in-laws stayed at Kidani
Pros:
• Beautiful resort: While I'm not into African decor, it was really ornately decorated and you really felt the African vibe throughout the resort. Lots of artifacts and historic items.
• Animals: I mean, really, its the reason you go there...and they deliver. If you have a savanna room, you'll see zebras, giraffes, and a bunch of different types of antelope type animals. We were able to see them from our balcony, but it took a few days to find their pattern. I expected to wake up and be like Ace Ventura, but there was nothing. It wasnt till we came back mid day one day and thats when we saw the most of them. Both resorts have a
main savanah area near the center of the resort and there are times when viewing is
spectacular. (that was cell phone with no real zoom)
• Night vision. Every night they have a set up where you can view the animals through some military grade night vision goggles. Very stinkin cool. They are magnifying goggles so you can almost make out the whiskers on their faces...at night.
• Cultural: each day they had educational and
cultural lessons at both resorts for the kids taught by CM's actually from Africa. The kids got a special
bead that they tied into a string after each lesson.
• Room size: The DVC studio room there is the largest (by a few feet) of the other DVC studios. And it felt even larger b/c of the layout.
Cons:
• Size: the place is HUGE. We unfortunately got stuck in the last room on our wing and it literally was over
1/4 mile from the main lobby, and 1/3rd of a mile to the pool, QS or bus. At the pool, my son told me he left his swim goggles back in the room...so guess what? He learned to swim without them. lol. In all honesty, it made for a looooong walk back after the parks.
• Kidani: The downside of Kidani is that there is no QS location there. So if you have the refill mugs and like to get your coffee in the morning, it'll be cold by the time you go back to your room.
• Distance: It really is separated from the rest of the property. It is very close to Animal Kingdom and Blizzard beach, but that's about it. Anything else you can expect a good ride back and forth.
Do I like waking up at dawn and sitting on my balcony watching giraffe, zebra, and dear graze while sipping my coffee without ever having to leave my room? Heck yes I do! Truthfully, only you can answer the worth question. We've done savanna views many times and never regretted it.
