By Lisa Green
FIVE Great Things about the Animal Kingdom Lodge!
1. Gorgeous Lobby: When you arrive at AKL and pass through its front entryway, be prepared for
a breathtaking experience. The 6-story high lobby is stunning! Huge
and open while still comfortable and inviting, the muted colors in
this expansive, well-themed space welcome guests with an undeniable
charm. If you feel like standing right in the middle and slowly turning
in a circle to take it all in – go ahead! And don’t forget to look up
too!
2. Delicious, plentiful dining options: The dining
at AKL is so fantastic, we will eat here on every trip to WDW no matter
where we’re staying. It’s a perfect way to end the day at the Animal
Kingdom Park as it’s just a short bus ride away. Of all the restaurant
choices at Disney World, I consider AKL’s dining options to be the most
unique. Don’t worry – Disney has a special way of making sure there’s
something on every menu to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters
and the menus at Animal Kingdom Lodge are no exception. The Fam and I
enjoy Boma – Flavors of Africa (buffet – home of the famous dessert
called Zebra Domes) and Jiko – The Cooking Place (table service) so
much, we’ve yet to try Sanaa (table service) although I hear it’s
wonderful. The Mara offers quick service dining and there are two
lounges (Victoria Falls and Cape Town) as well as two pool bars (Uzima
Springs and Maji).
3. Relaxing, well-themed pool areas – Uzima Pool
is an 11,000-square-foot oasis facing the Uzima Savanna. This pool
offers gently sloping, zero-depth entry and a 67-foot-long waterslide.
At Kidani, the Animal Kingdom DVC Villas, you’ll find Samawati Springs
Pool which, while smaller than Uzima, also offers zero-depth entry
and has a 128-foot waterslide. Swimming not your thing? There are also
playgrounds and jogging trails!
4. Learning opportunities for everyone. There are
programs for children, special sunrise safaris (including adventures
just for tweens and teens), evening fire-side African story telling and
more. The Fam and I have enjoyed meeting different Cast Members and
learning about each one’s home country.
5. Oh, yeah – ANIMALS! On three separate
savannahs over 30 species of African wildlife are there – up close – for
you to enjoy (no touching or feeding!). If staying in a savannah-view
room, you can watch the animals from your window. If you don’t have a
savannah-view, don’t worry. Right off the resort’s gorgeous lobby is
Arusha Rock, an elevated savannah overlook with great animal viewing all
day long.
My two cents: This is an incredible place to stay IF
you have some extra time to invest. To appreciate the Animal Kingdom
Lodge fully, you must spend time there – on Arusha Rock, visiting with
Cast Members to learn about Africa, enjoying unique table service meals,
and lounging or swimming at one (or both) of the pool areas. If you
love resorts that are within walking distance of (or a short bus or
monorail ride away from) your favorite park or if you spend all your
Disney vacation time in the parks and none at the resort- Animal Kingdom
Lodge is probably not for you.
This article was originally posted on the Living a Disney Life Blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your feedback. Comments will appear pending moderation.