Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

Ashlyn Rimsky

We were promised an early check in at 3:30 AM after a 20 hour drive and did not get a room until about 3 PM (12 hours later), causing us to sleep uncomfortably/awkwardly in the lobby. The staff member we talked to basically shrugged her shoulders and said oh well. No pixie dust for us, I guess! The hotel itself is nice and the rooms are large and clean. The animals out on the shared deck are beautiful. Outside of the check-in desk staff everyone was nice. Our room was right above the construction zone, so the noises and views werent what you'd imagine for animal kingdom. All of the staff for the bead activities were amazing, and that was a cool perk of the hotel. They have pottery painting which is reasonably priced and was fun. The pool and hot tub are nice. However they close promptly at 10 PM - we wish they were open a little later like the pools at Saratoga Springs. You have to pay for or sign into a Disney+ account to watch Disney shows and movies which felt crazy. All in all it is a nice hotel and we enjoyed our stay, but the start of our stay put a bad taste in our mouth. We would have gotten a separate hotel for the first day if they had not promised an early check in over the phone.

Beanlene

My mother, brother, and I stayed at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge following my father's memorial service, and it was exactly the place we needed to be. After an emotional few days, we were looking for somewhere peaceful where we could spend time together, recharge, and create some positive memories. Animal Kingdom Lodge provided that in every way. Watching giraffes and zebras from the savanna, enjoying the beautiful surroundings, and simply being together was incredibly restorative. What makes this resort special is that it feels both immersive and calming. The cast members were kind, the atmosphere was welcoming, and there was a sense of peace throughout our stay that is hard to put into words. One moment we'll never forget happened as we left for the airport before dawn. A large owl was sitting in the middle of the road. As we approached, it turned and looked at us before silently taking flight. Whether it was simply a beautiful wildlife encounter or something more meaningful, it felt like a memorable and fitting end to a very special trip. Thank you to everyone at Animal Kingdom Lodge for helping my family find some comfort, joy, and healing during a difficult time. We will always remember our stay.

Meleah Pugmire

We came to the resort after taking a Disney cruise not anticipating going to the parks at all. We chose this resort because of its amenities and the animals for our children. We had a pretty subpar view of the Savannah. We overlooked the animals stalls but surprisingly we still had a giraffe and zebra outside of our room which brought a ton of joy to my children. The pools are very fun and beautiful. The staff were very kind. We got to the pools later in the evening to find out they closed them due to lightning. Our children were sad but the front desk were able to give us a later check out the next day so our kids could still enjoy the pools the next day. I loved the free onsite parking. The hotel does seem old. You see it in the carpets and elevators. But overall it’s very clean and nice. One tricky part of the resort is there is a lot of walking even to just your room. If you want to use the pools on the other side of the resort you have to take a bus. But what can you expect it’s on a large piece of property so the animals have a place to roam. The staff were very friendly and just as excited as my kids to see the animals. I got the hotel at a very good deal so if I could get that deal again I would definitely stay here for at least the day we go to animal kingdom kingdom.

Paige Rolin

While the resort is BEAUTIFUL, it really is not a deluxe experience. It was so cool to wake up every morning to see the safari animals but that is where the magic ends for me. I had a much better experience at moderate and value resorts for different reasons. Our room felt smaller, the bathroom felt smaller with weaker water pressure, and the thing that I think bothered me the most was that there wasn’t a real mini fridge, only a beverage cooler! So there was no way to store real food in the room. Which was a real problem since there wasn’t any food anywhere in the resort available after park close?!? Not even a vending machine sandwich! The first night we got back after the deluxe hotel after hours and were starving only to be told there were no options for buying food anywhere (unless we wanted to spend 40+ on DoorDash). Luckily we brought snacks but the after hours didn’t have any food places open for two hours then to get back to the resort and also not have access to food was ROUGH. Additionally, it was hard to be as far away from the main circle as AK is. Now, we knew that going in, but it’s important to think about when booking that going anywhere besides animal kingdom park will be about 20/25+ minutes. Overall, while the resort is really pretty, I probably won’t fork over deluxe money to stay here again.

Kelly Berry

The lodge itself was absolutely beautiful. It felt more like a lodge you would book to just enjoy everything they have to offer versus going to the parks and disney springs. The lodge was also a bit too big for myself for some that's not an issue but for someone dealing with mobility issues it can become difficult. Our room was at the far end of the hotel. This was a blessing and a curse, it was nice because it wasn't loud and you didn't hear anyone else, but in order to get to anything else at the hotel or to get to the buses you had to make a long trek. The service didn't feel like the usual welcoming disney staff that you would expect. It felt like typical staff at a normal hotel instead of disney where staff/cast members go above and beyond. Overall it was a good lodge/hotel, but not something I'd go out of my way to stay at again.