Animal Kingdom Lodge

I can now give my two cents on the AKL. AWESOME!!! The resort is sooo beautiful - our one-bedroom villa was spacious and comfy! I was worried because we were using all available bed space and thought we may be cramped. Not the case at all! We stayed in the Jambo House - next time we will try Kidani Village. We liked Kidani's pool better!!

I read several times about how terrible the bus service to AKL was and we were worried - but didn't need to be. Buses ran frequently and we never waited more than 10-15 minutes for any bus.

We will stay at AKL again for sure! It was wild to walk into the room the first afternoon and look down on a giraffe having a snack!!
:thumbs::thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:

That must have been some great view when you first checked in.

We spent 5 nights at AKL in January and I agree it was awesome. The theming in the resort was brilliant. Our room was spacious and very comfortable, also very well themed. But nothing really beats opening your curtain in the morning and seeing a giraffe walking around. We also had short waits for buses. We are going back in November for three nights at Kidani Village.

If you liked Jambo House, you will love Kidani Village!!! The rooms at Kidani Village are BIGGER and better in my opinion. We stayed at both during our trip last December. We booked the same type room (two-bedroom villa) at both resorts. As soon as I walked into the room at Kidani Village after having stayed at the room in Jambo House, I told my husband, "It is Kidani Village or not at all." It was that much better. Trust me, once you stay at Kidani Village, you will know what I am talking about. Why do you think it is cheaper to stay at Jambo House?????? :wink:

We had no issues with bus service at either AKL or Kidani Village. Honestly, I think sometimes people talk about what they don't know. They assume since it is out by itself, the bus service is going to be terrible. Then again, some people just like to complain and harp on the negative. :dizzy: Disney Transportation has worked on logistics in the past. I think they know what they are doing. :wink:

Another big fan of Animal Kingdom lodge here - it's my favourite Disney resort (next to the Polynesian) - we really hope to be able to stay there again soon.

Haven't tried my DVC points there yet. Need to try it out. But I always make a point of driving over during my trips and walking the lobby and hotel grounds.

AKL is our favorite as well. DH never wanted to buy into DVC until they announced the AKV. We have yet to try Kidani as I love my pool view at Jambo, but know one of these days I'll have to give in. :D

Strangely enough, the first time we stayed there was after staying at the WL for a week. DH like AKL right away, I HATED it. I pouted for the first couple of days and even tried to get him to switch. Then something happened and I just really fell in love with it. Didn't want to leave a couple days later.

We've stayed at Jambo House (in a studio I think) and we loved our room. It was simply awesome to walk out of your room and see animals at any time of the day. The mornings were very foggy when we were there, but we could still see the animals. We're animal lovers / nuts and would stay at AKL in a second.

My uncle stayed at Kidani Village but was not as impressed. He said there were no quick service locations except at the main lodge and he had quite a distance to go just to get a coffee. I know you can make coffee in your room, but doing so would have disturbed other family members. I don't think he had any other complaints except the distance between Jambo and Kidani.

Obviously, the resort is not for everyone, but we loved it and had a great time.

I'd love to stay at AKL, pref. Kidani, esp. for kid-friendly amenities.

I'm really needing a Disney fix.....thinking Kidani Village this spring.....

Animal Kingdom Lodge is my favorite resort and I stay there every winter. I much prefer Jambo House to Kidani Village, simply because it is a lot more convenient for grabbing a quick bite at the cafeteria or getting a nice drink in the evening. I wouldn't stay at Kidani Village again.

We're planning a trip for May and hoping to stay at AKL. We're not vacation club members, so any tips on what kind of room we should get for good views?
Thanks!

I have a question out of curiosity about AKL. My wife doesn't care for curry at all and I know that Boma has some curry dishes. Can you smell the curry dishes throughout the resort? I know that sometimes the curry fragrance can linger and I was just curious.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BeachClub2011

I have a question out of curiosity about AKL. My wife doesn't care for curry at all and I know that Boma has some curry dishes. Can you smell the curry dishes throughout the resort? I know that sometimes the curry fragrance can linger and I was just curious.

---

Definitely not. We've ate at Boma several times, and I never even noticed a smell in the restaurant. :-)