What is going on with the design of Animal Kingdom Lodge?

wombat

Active Member
Isn't it about 3/10 of a mile?

I swear some of the complaining on here about distances completely blows my mind. Do people seriously have zero physical activity in their lives, or something?
Surely Disney could build an electric travelator and provide cast members to mop your brow every few feet while you are whisked along. Only joking.
 

nickys

Premium Member
Never once stated that, in fact I actually stated I liked the underground parking, but thank you for completely ignoring my post while attempting to deviate from the original topic.



But, it's not a safari. It's a resort in the middle of a massive tourist area that starts at $300/night.



I know, I broke the number #1 rule on this board, never criticize Disney. My apologies. All hail Disney. 🐑🐑🐑

You said the underground parking was not in keeping with a safari lodge. You then pointed out Jambo had a parking lot. Seemed you preferred the concrete parking lot to me. 🤷‍♀️

And I see you resorted to the latest trend on this board. When someone disagrees with you then you can always accuse them of being a Disney shill, or a forum shill. Or a sheep.
 

Nottamus

Well-Known Member
A sky bridge would ruin it totally by putting (gasp) people in the savanna.....

The walk ( in my opinion) between jambo and kidani is pretty peaceful...takes about 5 minutes....

BUT if that’s too much, there’s the shuttle that picks you up and drives you there. We have done that too.

To each their own, but I don’t think there’s a better planned and constructed resort on property.
 

eliza61nyc

Well-Known Member
Someone with an opinion that doesn't laud Disney! I know, offensive.
Not at all but there is a point where we cross from realistic to ridiculous 😂. What's next? Expecting parking garages to have rides and characters in them. I will say this, careful what you ask for, nothing at Disney is free. You want themed parking lots? Yeah you'll be charged for that.

I do get some of the criticism of Disney. No shade at all in TSL was a huge error fully deserving of a wet pixie dust beat down. No theme in a parking garage?? Not so much.

A themed walk from kidani to Jambo?? it is themed, it's called nature. the entire walk, is landscaped. again "expectations". do you expect to greet Pumba and Timon on that short walk?? Now I was there April 2018 and had absolutely no problems walking to and fro. so I can't see how it took you 45 minutes to walk it.

Now personally, I don't think this is a Disney problem at all. I think this is a Disney "guest" entitlement problem. People come to Orlando during the hot season and then get upset that they have to walk to their rooms after being "hot and tired". Well again what does one expect???

same with the animal viewing, yes I guess it would be nice of you could view the animals from every possible angle in the resort but darn it, is it really hard to actually walk??

We are truly becoming the "wall-e" society.
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These are some of the walkways. they are themed. the plants and landscaping is the theme
 
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CaptainAmerica

Well-Known Member
This has got to be a joke...

The design is 100% due to the safety and vantage points of animals...it has nothing to do with convenience of cars or walks for tourists.

They made the right choice.

What’s next? A thread that asks “why do we really need oxygen?”
Yeah there are many legitimate gripes about WDW but complaining about the design of DAKL is an all time bad take.
 

epcotisbest

Well-Known Member
Not at all but there is a point where we cross from realistic to ridiculous 😂. What's next? Expecting parking garages to have rides and characters in them. I will say this, careful what you ask for, nothing at Disney is free. You want themed parking lots? Yeah you'll be charged for that.
A themed walk from kidani to Jambo?? it is themed, it's called nature. the entire walk, is landscaped. again "expectations". do you expect to greet Pumba and Timon on that short walk?? Now I was there April 2018 and had absolutely no problems walking to and fro. so I can't see how it took you 45 minutes to walk it.

Now personally, I don't think this is a Disney problem at all. I think this is a Disney "guest" entitlement problem. People come to Orlando during the hot season and then get upset that they have to walk to their rooms after being "hot and tired". Well again what does one expect???

same with the animal viewing, yes I guess it would be nice of you could view the animals from every possible angle in the resort but darn it, is it really hard to actually walk??

We are truly becoming the "wall-e" society.

But, all the other resorts where there is african wildlife right outside the room, especially the ones here in the USA, all have multiple viewing decks in every section of the resort, skybridges for your viewing pleasure, parking wherever the heck you want to park, and moving, indoor sidewalks to take you to the resort next door. Disney could have put animatronic animals there instead and the guests could just walk right out and pet them, much more fun than just having to look at the real thing, and less smelly!
 

epcotisbest

Well-Known Member
Not at all but there is a point where we cross from realistic to ridiculous 😂. What's next? Expecting parking garages to have rides and characters in them. I will say this, careful what you ask for, nothing at Disney is free. You want themed parking lots? Yeah you'll be charged for that.

I do get some of the criticism of Disney. No shade at all in TSL was a huge error fully deserving of a wet pixie dust beat down. No theme in a parking garage?? Not so much.

A themed walk from kidani to Jambo?? it is themed, it's called nature. the entire walk, is landscaped. again "expectations". do you expect to greet Pumba and Timon on that short walk?? Now I was there April 2018 and had absolutely no problems walking to and fro. so I can't see how it took you 45 minutes to walk it.

Now personally, I don't think this is a Disney problem at all. I think this is a Disney "guest" entitlement problem. People come to Orlando during the hot season and then get upset that they have to walk to their rooms after being "hot and tired". Well again what does one expect???

same with the animal viewing, yes I guess it would be nice of you could view the animals from every possible angle in the resort but darn it, is it really hard to actually walk??

We are truly becoming the "wall-e" society.
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These are some of the walkways. they are themed. the plants and landscaping is the theme

But, in fairness, a good part of the walkway goes past some of the Kidani outdoor parking area. Oh, wait, is that good or bad, I can't remember.
 

nickys

Premium Member
But, all the other resorts where there is african wildlife right outside the room, especially the ones here in the USA, all have multiple viewing decks in every section of the resort, skybridges for your viewing pleasure, parking wherever the heck you want to park, and moving, indoor sidewalks to take you to the resort next door. Disney could have put animatronic animals there instead and the guests could just walk right out and pet them, much more fun than just having to look at the real thing, and less smelly!

And they could make sure those animatronic animals actually went past every room several times a day. Put a stop to the “we booked a savannah room and the giraffes didn’t come and outside our window” whining.
 

epcotisbest

Well-Known Member
And they could make sure those animatronic animals actually went past every room several times a day. Put a stop to the “we booked a savannah room and the giraffes didn’t come and outside our window” whining.

Put them on moving tracks and adjust the frequency of their movement according to the season, just like the real ones. I like it.
 

epcotisbest

Well-Known Member
I don't mean to be too hard on the OP, just joking a bit, I suppose because when we stayed at Kidani, we were just blown away by how much we loved it. We spent a week there with the majority of our time spent actually at the resort and going over to Jambo too.
We were in awe of the design, the furnishings, the pools, restaurants, the parking out of the sun and mostly the proximity to the animals.
Now, when we go back, regardless of where we stay, we usually go over to AKL just to wander the grounds and take it all in.
But, my likes and OPs are clearly different. I remain in awe of the place while OP is baffled by the design. Nothing wrong with that, I just don't really understand it.
 

s8film40

Well-Known Member
I used to work there and because I managed valet at both locations I spent lots of time everyday going back and forth from Jambo to Kidani. That walk definitely wasn’t fun, but was good exercise. They started running a shuttle pretty much permanently between the two resorts. So unless that changed you can ride between both resorts pretty easily.
 

Shouldigo12

Well-Known Member
OP, no one has a problem with complaints towards Disney. I pretty sure we all have things we can gripe about. It's more how high your expectations seem to be and how you're handling the responses. I mean you say you like the parking lot, but you also came on here complaining that it wasn't on theme enough. You complain about a walk, even though there's a shuttle available to you so you don't have to walk it. You complain there aren't enough viewing areas, even though there are two right near the lobby alone and people have explained to you why they haven't put more in right in the areas you want them to be. And then when people point these things out to you, you shut down and make the very false claim that it's because we're all just Disney shills who won't allow any criticism.

I get it, the resort is expensive and you want to feel like you got your money's worth. But there's having reasonable expectations and then there's expecting everything to be exactly how you want it to be, which seems to be the case here. There's no reason to be as nitpicky as you're being.
 

HansGruber

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In regards to parking, you stated:
Same at Jambo.

But the parking is NOT the same at both buildings. Kidani is underground, Jambo is a parking lot.
I understand the intent was to hide the cars, but that doesn't deviate from my original point that a parking garage doesn't exactly fit the theme of a resort resembling Africa. Most, if not all (someone educate me here) Disney World resorts don't have underground parking. Why start with AKL?

Seemed you preferred the concrete parking lot to me. 🤷‍♀️

My OP clearly states:
While I love the idea of underground parking...

Again, thank you for completely ignoring my post while attempting to deviate from the original topic. You can lead a horse to water...
 

HansGruber

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Yeah, if you were handing out $100 bills, someone would complain they wanted five $20s instead.
Yes, because accepting free money is the same as having an opinion on a $300+/night resort.
No offense, but if you have anything constructive to add, please do. But your passive-aggressive attitude is sad and counter-intuitive to the discussion.
 

HansGruber

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
OP, no one has a problem with complaints towards Disney. I pretty sure we all have things we can gripe about. It's more how high your expectations seem to be and how you're handling the responses. I mean you say you like the parking lot, but you also came on here complaining that it wasn't on theme enough. You complain about a walk, even though there's a shuttle available to you so you don't have to walk it. You complain there aren't enough viewing areas, even though there are two right near the lobby alone and people have explained to you why they haven't put more in right in the areas you want them to be. And then when people point these things out to you, you shut down and make the very false claim that it's because we're all just Disney shills who won't allow any criticism.

I get it, the resort is expensive and you want to feel like you got your money's worth. But there's having reasonable expectations and then there's expecting everything to be exactly how you want it to be, which seems to be the case here. There's no reason to be as nitpicky as you're being.

Yeah, I sometimes have high expectations that people can accurately read what I write.

For example, I never once stated that I "like the parking lot". No clue where you got that from. Please, show me where I posted that.
But, if it gets in your way of incorrectly over-generalizing what I'm saying, then please don't.

43-acre wildlife preserve and two side-by-side lookouts are sufficient for everyone. So be it. I expected more from Disney.
 

Shouldigo12

Well-Known Member
Never once stated that, in fact I actually stated I liked the underground parking,
Yeah, I sometimes have high expectations that people can accurately read what I write.

For example, I never once stated that I "like the parking lot". No clue where you got that from. Please, show me where I posted that.
But, if it gets in your way of incorrectly over-generalizing what I'm saying, then please don't.
I believe you said it right here.
 

eliza61nyc

Well-Known Member
Yeah, I sometimes have high expectations that people can accurately read what I write.

For example, I never once stated that I "like the parking lot". No clue where you got that from. Please, show me where I posted that.
But, if it gets in your way of incorrectly over-generalizing what I'm saying, then please don't.

43-acre wildlife preserve and two side-by-side lookouts are sufficient for everyone. So be it. I expected more from Disney.
O

OK serious question, what did you expect.

Now I've stayed at every single deluxe except Yacht club and the only reason why I haven't done yacht club is because I own at Beach club and they are really the same in my brain. lol

I've parked in every one of their parking lots and absolutely NONE are themed. so exactly what are you expecting from a parking garage. heck the lots at the parks themselves are pretty basic. Why would expect a PARKING lot to fit the theme of an African grassland?? again serious question, how does one theme a parking lot/garage. You honestly can't see the bit of ridiculousness in that expection?

Now as far as the resorts themselves, remember the preserves are basically for the animals. If you want to see the animals 24/7 they have a room category for that. Next remember that most of these animals are very sedentary during the day especially in the heat. so I daresay even with lookout peep holes scattered throughout you would probably wouldn't see much.


Lastly maybe that is what they didn't want folks standing in the middle of the resort, there is simply more room at the back of the hotel. you also have to pass the giftshop etc.

Yes the lookouts seem to be sufficient, they never seem to be over crowded and I've never heard of any one complain that they couldn't see the animals because of a space issue.

I think the general feeling is that parking lots and outside grounds are not going to be overflowing with the kind of details that occur inside the resort, to expect them to be might be a bit much.
 
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Shouldigo12

Well-Known Member
O

OK serious question, what did you expect.

Now I've stayed at every single deluxe except Yacht club and the only reason why I haven't done yacht club is because I own at Beach club and they are really the same in my brain. lol

I've parked in every one of their parking lots and absolutely NONE are themed. so exactly what are you expecting from a parking garage. heck the lots at the parks themselves are pretty basic. Why would expect a PARKING lot to fit the theme of an African grassland?? again serious question, how does one theme a parking lot/garage. You honestly can't see the bit of ridiculousness in that expection?

Now as far as the resorts themselves, remember the preserves are basically for the animals. If you want to see the animals 24/7 they have a room category for that. Next remember that most of these animals are very sedentary during the day especially in the heat. so I daresay even with lookout peep holes scattered throughout you would probably wouldn't see much.


Lastly maybe that is what they didn't want folks standing in the middle of the resort, there is simply more room at the back of the hotel. you also have to pass the giftshop etc.

Yes the lookouts seem to be sufficient, they never seem to be over crowded and I've never heard of any one complain that they couldn't see the animals because of a space issue.

I think the general feeling is that parking lots and outside grounds are not going to be overflowing with the kind of details that occur inside the resort, to expect them to be might be a bit much.
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