An Evening Out at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

One of my favorite resorts (okay, most of them are great) is the Animal Kingdom Lodge. In this post, Lisa takes us out for the evening at this wonderfully themed resort.-Nick

By: Lisa Green 

 

When we’re at Walt Disney World, there’s one resort we love to visit, even if we’re not staying there – the Animal Kingdom Lodge.  Beautiful and unique, completely different from any other Walt Disney World property, the Animal Kingdom Lodge offers visitors wonderful dining options along with the chance to step out the massive and gorgeous lobby’s back door and experience something amazing – over 30 species of African wildlife roaming around the savannah.

We may have stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge only once, but we make sure we spend an evening there on every Walt Disney World vacation.  We make our visit to this spectacular resort fit into our plans in one of two ways:  If we’re dining at Boma, we head straight there from the Animal Kingdom Park (a relatively short bus ride) at the end of the day.  Boma’s casual and relaxed atmosphere makes it fine for us to eat there in our park-touring attire.  If we’re eating at Jiko, we like to dress a little nicer, so we’ll make time to go back to our resort and clean up before striking out for the Animal Kingdom Lodge – which may take an hour (or more) to reach by Disney transportation – sounds like a time drain, but believe me, it’s worth it!

We try to arrive at least 60-90 minutes before our dining reservation.  This gives us plenty of time to stroll through the lobby, go out onto the savannah overlook, take in the views from every angle, talk to an African Cast Member about their home country, and see how many different types of animals we can spot.  There are chairs available for relaxing while checking out the animals.  If you’re traveling with children and looking for educational opportunities, the savannah overlook is an excellent one.

Before dinner, we like to stop for a beverage at either the Cape Town Lounge and Wine Bar (near Jiko) or the Victoria Falls Lounge (overlooking Boma).  Both of these watering holes offer wonderful selections of African wines and beers (and non-alcoholic options).  Not sure what to order?  The bartenders are knowledgeable and friendly – they’ll be happy to help you with your drink selection.  It’s the perfect way to relax, unwind, and soak up the atmosphere so special to Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Our entire family loves the food at Animal Kingdom Lodge!
Boma – Flavors of Africa:  This buffet is unlike anyplace else at Walt Disney World!  There is absolutely something for everyone.  Picky eaters in your group?  They’ll find plenty of choices.  Adventurous appetites?  Yes, indeed – this is the place!  I love trying new foods and my biggest problem at Boma is making sure to save room for dessert.  I love the soups and salads (especially the watermelon rind salad – it’s delish!), then I love the amazing variety of African-inspired dishes from which to choose.  Finally, the dessert selection, which includes the much-loved Zebra Domes, offers a wide variety of different confections – sure to please anyone with a sweet tooth.

Jiko – The Cooking Place: A bit fancier than Boma, I’d put Jiko on par with the likes of the California Grill (at Disney’s Contemporary Resort) or the Flying Fish Café (at The Boardwalk).  While there is an extensive kids’ menu, this is my recommendation for families with older children or couples out for a romantic evening.  The service is excellent and the meal is paced for enjoying more slowly.  If you’re like us and enjoy wine with dinner, select a bottle with your server’s assistance, or have a pairing with every course to sample a few different types of African wines.  The artisanal cheese platter is our favorite appetizer here and no entrée has ever disappointed.  Even our picky eater (Joseph) loves eating at Jiko. (This is a signature dining experience and does have a dress code – read more here.)

Sanaa – Designed to recreate the feeling of a spice market, Sanaa (located in the resort’s Kidani Village area) offers a variety of dishes from chicken, beef, and lamb to fish and vegetarian selections.  Raymond and I will be experiencing our first dinner at Sanaa in October and cannot wait to try the highly praised Indian-Style Bread Service appetizer.

If you want an evening away from the parks to relax and enjoy some excellent food and amazing sights, a visit to the Animal Kingdom Lodge is an excellent option!  It’s also a great way to check out the resort for a potential place to stay on a future visit to Walt Disney World.

Have you visited Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge?  What are your favorite things to do there?





 

This article was originally posted on Lisa's Living a Disney Life Blog.
She can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LivingaDisLife and on Twitter at @life_of_green

Please be sure to check out Lisa along with me and David Hodges on The Disney Exchange Podcast!

Throwback Thursday: Walt Disney World - October 2009 - Part 1

By Nick

Back in the day, my social media outlet was the DVC News Forums. I would write trip reports for each of our visits to Walt Disney World and Disneyland, and I'm sharing them here.
Some trip reports were more in depth than others, and this one is on the more descriptive side. Also, as this was a "live" trip report, I jump back in forth in time, making live comments and then going on to describe activities earlier in the day.
Any commentary I make will be in italics.

Part One: Friday 10/2/09

Day 1 - 10/2 - 6AM

This will be a "live" report.

We parked at an off site lot, our 1st time doing this. We usually do Rapid Rover. (A local airport shuttle service in the Philadelphia area.)
This was nice and convenient.
Since it was our 1st time, we got there early.
So early we were the only people on the shuttle, and the 1st people at the Southwest counter.
They don't open until 5AM.
So, here we are the only people at our gate at the moment.
I'd post this now, but Philly has started to charge for wifi!

Day 1 - 10/2 - 5PM

I'm sitting on our balcony. It's a standard room, as it doesn't face a savannah.
But we have a great view of animals. We are in a far from the lobby room on the "Kudu Trail".



Room 4382. It faces a holding/ rest/ feeding area. Our 1st view was of several ostriches a couple of wildebeest, and a bunch of red river hogs, and a giraffe. At this very moment, the sunset safari is just
entering the safari under our room. The rooms are very nice. I will say that complaints of it being too dark are somewhat true, but only in the shower. Otherwise, it's a great room.

We arrived in Orlando 30 minutes early, and got to the AKL via ME about 11AM.



Our room was ready! So we went up and dropped of our carry on, and went to eat at
The Mara. I had the African Stew, DW the Mara Salad. The salad was good, the stew was terrific.
We came back to the room about 12, and our luggage had arrived!
We changed and went for a swim. It's a big, nice pool.



Then back to the room, showered, and went walking around the resort, checking out different
savannah overlooks.
We did pin trading with "The King Pin" at the Zawadi Marketplace, then relaxed till 4PM.




We took the Culinary Tour of Boma and Jiko. At Boma we got a soup sample of our choice, and
a Zebra Dome.



At Jiko we tried 3 different breads and 3 spreads. All excellent.



DW asked for the soup recipes, and they gave us a folder with 12 recipes.
Dinner at Boma at 625PM.

A giraffe just walked up, and started eating. This really is a pretty cool resort.





Day 1 - 10/2 - 845PM

Back in the room. Crashing out. Just downloaded and quickly went through pics.

Dinner at Boma was very good. The soups were great. The pork loin was very good, if you got a juicy piece, and the deserts are outstanding.
They have replaced my favorite dish from the last time we ate there, prime rib, with what they
say is a better cut of meat, but is not as tasty.

After dinner, on the way back to the room, we got a picture in the lobby.



The Fastpass CM, grew up in the same hometown as my wife, so they chatted for awhile.



Time for bed! It's been a long day.

Please stop back next Thursday for part 2!

The Disney Exchange- Episode 8 Show Notes: Dining at Animal Kingdom Lodge

By Nick

Podcast:  Play in new window | Download

-The Disney Exchange is Lisa Green, David Hodges, and me, Nicholas Maglio 

-Main Topic- Animal Kingdom Lodge Table Service 

-Before getting into our main topic we talk about a subject near and dear to my heart. Me.
More specifically my most recent trip to Walt Disney World in January, when we stayed at the Boardwalk Villas with my favorite view from a resort, maybe, perhaps, ever.

-I also talked about going with 2 children of different ages, and how different it was, as we have only ever been with one. Lisa asked about some first time experiences from that trip, and I talk about Hollywood and Vine, and Trattoria al Forno.

-We talk about the highlight of the trip. Meeting Dave Hodges.

- I get somewhat negative about a not so magical evening at the Magic Kingdom. We keep it real on The Disney Exchange folks.

-On to our main topic. First we discuss Sanaa, which is located at the Kidani Village side of the Animal Kingdom Lodge. This was the best service Dave has had at Disney.

Dave and Lisa argue about discuss the best thing on the menu.

Various menu items, such as the bread service are discussed in detail.

-Next is Jiko at Jambo House. Lisa and I talk about what is so wonderful about it, and wine is talked about on more than one occasion.

I mention it being my favorite meal of 2011. The whole year maybe.

-We hop over to Boma, my favorite buffet.  

(Please note, and forgive me-this episode had connectivity issues, as you will be able to hear, and I talk over Dave a couple of times, even more than usual, due to the fact that at I was unable to hear him speaking.)

I talk about favorite menu items, specifically the beef on the carving station and Zebra Domes.

-We briefly discuss The Mara, the counter service restaurant located at Jambo House.

-The Wheel of DIStany: Favorite attractions that have been around half our lives:
Dave: Space Mountain
Me: Haunted Mansion
Lisa: Jungle Cruise

Thanks for listening, and if you enjoy the show, please leave feedback on iTunes!
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My Favorite Buffet - Boma at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

Boma is a buffet with an African flavor and has many different multicultural influences as well.
The restaurant has an open kitchen, a wood-burning grill and a rotisserie.



There are several areas featuring a variety of foods, such as a wood roasted meat section, salads, and soups.
We love the soups. They change them frequently, but usually include a few of these:

Chicken Corn Porridge
Smoked Tomato Soup
Creamy Carrot and Ginger Soup
Coconut Currey Seafood Soup
Cote D'Ivoire Seafood Gumbo
Butternut Squash Soup (which is more like a dessert, it's so sweet and creamy)
She Crab Soup (my favorite)



My wife really enjoys the different dips and breads.



 But you have to save room for dessert. Like the rest of the buffet, there is something for everyone.


My very favorite thing though, is the Zebra Dome. Zebra Domes consist of a thin layer of white cake, a dome of Amarula Liqueur mousse, coated in a white chocolate ganache with a dark chocolate ganache drizzle and are one of the most talked about foods at Disney World!

Boma is open for Breakfast and Dinner, and we enjoy both.

There are offerings for every taste, from simple to adventurous, so I highly recommend it for a large group. I can't imagine anyone in the group wouldn't find something they like.

Portions of this article were originally posted on the Tips From the Disney Divas and Devos Blog, where Nick is a contributing writer.