Animal Kingdom Lodge

Resort Location:
AKL is located in the Animal Kingdom Resort Area. If you go towards Animal Kingdom there will be an exit to the Lodge.

Resort Recreation:
AKL offers a variety of recreational activities for kids and adults. Upon check in make sure there is a Daily Activities Schedule in your welcome packet to see the days, location and time of the resort activities. Some of the activities include: arts and crafts such as cookie decorating and bead creations, tours such as the culinary tour which takes you through Jiko and Boma (even a small taste test) and the Primal Parade. AKL also offers Animal Viewing with Night Vision (an extra fee does apply).

In addition to tours, animal viewing and arts and crafts the Lodge also offers the Uzima pool with a waterslide, arcade and a health club for all resort guests (no extra charge for use).



Although it is not listed as a recreation option in your hotel guide, there is also the AKL lobby which had many places to longue and even a little living room complete with Disney cartoons.

Resort Dining:
You have six dining options at AKL. First there is the grab and go market place “The Mara.” Here you can grab things such as sandwiches, soda, chips, fruit cups, cookies and coffee to take with you to the pool, your room or the parks.
There are two spots in the lodge for drinks, Victoria Falls which overlooks Boma and Uzima Springs which is located near the Uzmia pool.

The two sit down restaurants are Boma and Jiko. Boma is a buffet style restaurant with many tastes from the African marketplace. They also offer a kid's only section of the bar (features dishes such as macaroni and cheese and French fries). Boma is a very popular restaurant and one of the chefs there informed me that if you would like ideal dinner times you should make reservations at least a week in advance. You can make reservations by calling 407-WDW-DINE.

Jiko is a causal sit down restaurant (make sure to see your resort guide book about the dress code). They boast a light flavorful cuisine and offer a large wine list. Reservations are strongly encouraged.

Your sixth option for dining while at the Animal Kingdom Lodge is Private Dining. The Private Dining menu has many selections and is offered 6:00am to midnight. Stay tuned for my review of Taste of Boma to find out more about the room service selections.

Resort Rooms:
The details in the rooms at AKL are amazing. Upon walking into the room (we had a standard room with a standard view) I immediately wanted to know where they bought the furniture and where I could buy it myself (I actually was not able to find out so if anyone knows please let me know). From the beds to the sinks everything was well themed and absolutely gorgeous. Each room has a little balcony overlooking (depending on preferred or standard) either the savanna or the rest of the Lodge. To ensure the safety of the animals AKL does have video surveillance on the balconies. To make sure you are not peeked on in your room they advise you in all the resort literature to close your curtains when you would like privacy.

Resort Pictures from our stay:








More pictures of our stay at AKL can be found in my flickr album.

Our Impressions of AKL:
AKL has an amazing presence. When we pulled into the resort grounds Norwood and I were in awe at the size of the Lodge and the detail of it. The grounds (as you would expect from any Disney Resort) are well kept and absolutely beautiful. We loved that everything was contained within the building. No long walks outside (unless you want to) which was really nice because it rained the entire time during our stay. We were also impressed by all the little nooks for lounging. Although it was very busy the Lodge did have a home like appeal about it.

The only thing that was disappointing was the fact that we had a standard room (no view of the savanna). When you book your stay at AKL make sure to ask for the preferred rooms with the view, it is absolutely wonderful to be able to sit on your balcony in the morning and watch the animals eat.