We stayed at the AKL from December 18-23. It's a busy time of year, but I really have alot of good things to say about this hotel. First of all I requested two adjoining room with bunk beds and they didn't have those rooms available for me, so we were luckily upgraded to a Savannah room 4352. The rooms are small, their was no coffeemaker, it's a little dark, but it's beautiful. To be able to sit and watch the animals just graze without looking at them behind bars is amazing. The hotel lobby and grounds are gorgeous. I have not stayed at any other Disney resort, but I think that it's worth it to try it once. It's expensive, but a unique experience. The food at Jinko and Boma are great. The pool is beautiful. There are alot of activities for the children within the hotel as well. I think that although the price is a little high, the ambience is worth it.

This review pertains to our stay in December – 2004.

NEGATIVES: [Neg. Item 1] Reservation was for a King – Non-smoking room. Upon check-in, no Kings are available. The reservation did not guarantee a King, however, we were shocked to not find a King available when arriving mid-week in the dead period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. After requesting to speak to a manager we were informed that there are 1293 rooms in the resort, however, ONLY 12 are kings. Of the 12, 2 of the kings are in the suites, 8 are handicap rooms, and 2 are regular king rooms. WHAT????? I know that Disney is a family resort, however, advertisements focus on romantic retreats…in what…double beds? [Neg. Item 2] Resort guests are just slobs. Broken glass aound rocking chairs outside. People are just pigs but shame on the resort for not keeping it clean. Pool area was also dirty too. For a resort of this price-range…I expected a far cleaner resort. [Neg. Item 3] Room size is no better than lower priced resorts. [Neg. Item 4] Room living space is no better. We had stayed at the Wilderness lodge last year and found the walls to be paper thin. We could hear people in the adjacent rooms and hear the supersonic flush of toilets in the rooms all around us. The same occurred in this room. Very disappointing. It just goes to show that buildings need to be built to code and sometimes the minimum code is ordered. Soundproofing should really be a main consideration. We were awakened to crying babies as well. What can you do…it’s Disney. [Neg. Item 5] Based on our room assignment, we felt the best viewing of animals in the Savanah rooms were between the region of room numbers 430 through 530. Rooms too close to the Arusha Rock Savanna Overlook will not give you your moneys worth. During our stay – it appeared that at various times of the day – animals would roam. A recommendation is to get close to the viewing tip of Arusha Rock’s peak. You'll have clear images of the animals as they place food/vegetation for the animals to eat. [Neg. Item 6] Insufficient porter service. Upon check-out, over a half-hour wait for them to come to the room. [Neg. Item 7] We found our check-in person to be so rude. Upon being handed our keys – I looked at my wife and thought….are we in Disney? Customer service just isn’t a priority anymore. Get ready if you haven’t been in a while. There’s a reason why they no longer say “Have a Magical Day”. POSITIVES: Fabulous viewing of wildlife. Zebras, Wilderbeasts, Giraffes, and other animals can be seen grazing pretty much all day long. Bring the cameras and enjoy. The resort does provide an opportunity to be in the thick of the animals from your room. We were on the second floor and enjoyed opening the curtains in the morning and viewing the giraffes eating within 30 yards of the window. The resort does have a responsibility to the safety of the animals and I can understand why they have a perimeter between the rooms and animals. Don’t expect to see straws at this resort either…for the safety of the animals those just don’t exist. The lobby design is similar to that of the Wilderness lodge. A huge hangar like structure with African décor. Rooms were decorated well also. My first Disney room to have a complimentary refrigerator. We’ve stayed at the Port Orleans, Coronado Springs, Wilderness Lodge, and Dixie Landing. You really need to dine at the Boma Restaurant for dinner and breakfast at least once. Great Great food for the price. We really enjoyed it and recommend it. You should also try the Mara which is a cafeteria like eatery. Fair prices. The center lobby also had a tv playing round the clock with classic Disney cartoons. A fun place to gather ‘round. FINAL COMMENTARY: The hotel definitely had some positive things to enjoy, however, just not worth the money. Take a bus to the resort and enjoy the sites for free! We had similar feelings to a Dec-2004 Animal Kingdom lodge posting entitled "Not a Deluxe Resort by any stretch - A Total Rip-Off". Customer service really needs to improve. The staff just lacks that go-getter attitude. No exceptional service to be seen. Have the workers lost touch with the Disney ethos? I know I won’t be returning to this hotel for a room but definitely for a meal at Boma. I don’t think I’m ready for an off-site hotel, however, I have to admit – I find the moderate resorts just right. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Happy Travels. The world is just a matter of hours by plane!

Every person has a different experience on every trip to any destination/hotel. So it's nice to get a lot of different viewpoints. I have 20 years in the travel industry, own an agency, and became a Certified Disney Specialist about 10 years ago. I no longer book leisure travel (corporate only), but I've "done" Disney about 12 times as a single parent. Sometimes single parents look for different things in our experiences and hotels (like our use of the Contemporary Tower so we could quickly and easily monorail back for afternoon naps when my child was younger). So I thought I'd add my two cents, as I refer to tripadvisor a lot, and think it is an excellent tool in decision making.

For comparison's sake: I've stayed off-site (only if we're visiting a Disney park just for a day), Caribbean Beach, Dixie Landings (now it looks to be half of Port Oleans), the All Star type hotels, Wilderness Lodge, Contemporary (Tower room), the Swan, and taken a Disney Cruise.

I booked AKL because it was going to be COLD on my 2 night trip. I didn't want a "motel" with exterior corridors, no jacuzzi, or to be stuck in a room with nothing to do if it was too cold for the parks. These are the reasons I chose to opt for one of Disney's Deluxe hotels. I'm not one for the "home away from home" properties...I don't have a big family, crave more "action", and am not about to cook a single meal or throw in a load of laundry! I want room service and laundry service...when needed.

I was lucky to arrive on a not-to-busy-for-Disney day. Yes, folks... Disney is a busy place, especially during any school holiday, and you will spend money. No one should be surprised to find this. It's not worth complaining about. It is the number one vacation destination worldwide. There are lines and more lines, but...if you listen to tips, you can save yourself money, time, and a lot of frustration...and you won't be one of those screaming tired families you see. If your line at check in is LONG...plop your kids in front of the TV and be thankful you're not washing dishes instead.

Valet parking was $6 day (great price). Self parking was not a terrible walk (if you were only doing it once). Valet was FAST, even when busy.

We had reserved a Savannah view room, requesting Nonsmoking, bunk beds, near lobby. We got nonsmoking & bunkbeds, as requested. The bunk beds helped distribute kids as well as "open up" an otherwise small room. I feel it's important to note here that many complained their check in agents were "rude", or "didn't honor our requests". Requesting a specific area of the hotel, bedding type, etc...is just that...a REQUST. They'll either be available when you check in...or they won't. They do their best, but EVERYONE can't have the first room down any given hallway, or with a specific bed type or view. We were lucky. We got nonsmoking, only about halfway back through the complex, with bunk beds. I didn't think our animal view was spectacular. But none were really any better than any other. I read a lot of "grass is greener" comments on here about the viewing. But the animals DO roam from area to area. We had mostly birds, but one morning the giraffes all came over for breakfast.

I read there were no coffeepots in room, or that people had to buy coffee refills. I did have a coffee pot, and empty fridge. I didn't use my coffee so I don't know if they would have refilled it. I would have liked to see our soap/shampoo refilled. We used ours, and I think they could have replenished it because, let's face it, that's a souvenir that people love to have. I used to line up hotel toiletries in my travel agency, and they're now on display in glass containers in my bathrooms at home. I think just one bar of soap or shampoo could easily be absorbed in the cost of each guest's stay. Towels were average in quantity and quality. Double sinks in bathroom was NICE! The opposite of the "do not disturb" sign was a "please make up room" sign. As a one time hotel maid...I LIKE that. It's nice to know when the room is free. Another "aside" to other posters who complain that they were "gone all day and their room wasn't made up". Again, the maids work all day 8am-5pm (or so). SOME rooms have to be tidied in the 3-5pm time frame, and SOME rooms must be tidied before 10am...or they just won't all get done.

Toilets were the new, POWERFUL flush type (like a cruise ship). I heard flushing and showers and hallway noise constantly, as well as the crying baby next door through the connecting door (all the time, yikes!). I was disappointed at the overall noise level. It was hard to control the room temperature, even hard for me to understand the controls...but that's probably just me. The views were nice, but I personally would opt for the "standard" room next time (non Savannah view). For me, it wasn't worth the diffence in money. You can see the same views walking down the corridors, and at several viewing areas. And I've known too many people who were "upgraded" to Savannah view rooms anyway (too many Savannah rooms for the people willing to spend the money in them, I'm assuming). It was a fun "extra"....just not for me next time.

There were a lot of kids activities going on at the hotel (night viewing, crafts, story telling). Too cold to swim (though some dared...in 40 degree weather with barely heated pools!), but the pool/spas looked very well kept and inviting. The grounds were beautiful. That is certainly something Disney excels at EVERYWHERE...all parks, all resorts..the grounds are fabulous.

Lobby was...well, GORGEOUS. 3 stories high maybe? Stunning African inspired decor. The usual TV area to entertain the kids while you queue up at Guest services or check in. A relaxing lounge was just off the lobby ...conveniently on your way to dinner. Pit fires inside and outside were lined with rocking chairs. We were lucky to see the hotel as it was decorated for Christmas. It was just nice to get off the bus from the park and walk inside. You could feel your tired body go "ahhhhh!", peace again. Seemed like there were not as many sundry item choices for that forgotten toiletry in the gift shop...as there were at some other resorts. May be imagining that. I can recall having no car one my first trip, and not a single place in Disney sold "pull - up" diapers. I was amazed!

We ate at Boma for 1 dinner and 2 breakfasts. Not outstanding. Serve yourself buffet, which I'm not fond of anyway. I love a big selection, just don't want picked over food or to queue up for it. It's been touched by kids with snotty fingers and tastes rather mass/cafeteria prepared. There were some "fun" choices at dinner, worth $25 for an adult easily, but $25 for a 12 year old to eat chicken fingers and mac & cheese? Breakfast was nothing special there either. We also ate at Mara (quick bite type dining) twice. Nothing special....served the purpose it was meant to. At least I never saw it "crazy" the way the Value Resort (All Star) food courts are. It's embarrasing to see people who looked like they hadn't eaten in weeks attacking those places. Blech, makes one lose their appetite. But Mara was kept clean and pretty well stocked. We ate at Jiko's once (table service). The best of the restaurants by far, nice selections, interesting appetizers. We tried the goat/sheep cheese appetizer tray and something (can't recall the name) cooked in corn husks (mmmm...tasted like hominy with the consistency of tofu in a hearty herb sauce...tasted much better than it sounds, great flavor). Good service. But, again, just nothing to write home about. Though I did get into every restaurant without reservations in less than 20 minutes each time. I must say I've never had a really GREAT meal at any Disney property or park. But we don't go there for the reknown food, after all.

Walk to the hotel's bus transportation was not bad at all. Bus waits were normal (no matter what other reviewers say...they may have had a few bad wait times...it happens at every hotel sometimes). But the ride lengths and waits for buses was VERY normal, compared to other hotels.

Bottom line. Loved the theme/decor/ambiance. I'd go back (except there are SO many other properties I want to try first). I would not pay the Savannah price (we paid $275 a night, plus we had to book an extra night just to meet their minimum requirement...and we didn't use the room that night). I would not plan on eating there as often (too many other choices abound). Liked the relaxed atmosphere. Liked the shorter and interior walk (unlike places like Caribbean Beach, where they had their own shuttle within the hotel complex), or the BACK of the value resorts...where you can have a long walk back to your room when you're tired. It's a very good hotel. It's not a 4 star hotel. But then, it doesn't claim to be. AAA currently (12/04) rates it 3 star...and it's a VERY high 3 star.

Our family of four spent five nights at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We had reserved a Savannah view room and a few days before the trip I requested a inner savannah view. We arrived around midnight and were given a room as far as you can get from the main lobby. They told us it was a Savannah room but it was little more than a view of the parking lot and a small fenced in area where they said the animals feed. I called right away and asked to change rooms. They said they could not do it that night but to try in the morning. I called first thing at 6:30 am and they moved us to the inner Savannah view. It was a thousand times better. My question is why they didn't put us there in the first place as we were able to move right away the next morning. If we had not been given this new room our feelings about the hotel would have been terrible. A pool view would have been better.
On our last stay to Disney World we stayed at the Grand Floridian and we really missed being by the monorail. The buses were pretty frequent but one morning we had a charater breakfast at the Contemporary for 7:00 a.m. and had to hire a taxi as the buses were not yet running.
On a positve note, the main lobby was beautiful and the kids liked the bunk beds. Both restaurants, Boma and Jiko, were way above most of the restaurants we dined at in Disney.
The staff was ok but not overly friendly and the pool was fine but not exceptional. On our next visit we'll be returning to the Grand.