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.

This Hotel is advertised by Walt Disney World (WDW) as a "Deluxe Resort". It offers no more ammenities that the "Value" and "Moderate" rated WDW resorts.

I visited during Thanksgiving week 2004. We booked two king rooms, each upgraded to Savannah View. First, the staff was rather rude. One of our king-bed reservations was not honored. Our Savannah View was actually a view of an empty 10-ft high fenced holding pen that kep animals from getting anywhere near our room. The "vast savannah" advertised (and which we paid to have a view of) was actually a view of the rooms about 250ft away, where we watched people in all stages of undress.

There is no pool service at all, the pool area was a mess with half filled cups, empty cups and spilled drinks all around - making for an insect's dekluxe resort. We actually had to instruct staff to clean up. The same in the fitness facility. It was strewn with used towels ankle deep on the floor and hanging from open lockers. Again, I had to instruct the staff to clean up.

On Thanksgiving, we left for the day at 7:30PM, returning at 2:00PM. Our room had not been made up. We were told we could go to the fitness center to shower if we liked. The valets brought up the wrong car, handed us the keys and walked away.

For a "deluxe" resort, the towels and bathroom products were of the same cheap quality you could find at the All Star Hotel, Port Orleans or Coronado Resorts. There were no coffee makers in the room. The rooms were small. Toddlers and infants were in the pool without simming diapers. I asked front desk staff on half a dozen occasions to speak with the General Manager. Half had no idea what his name was - the other half refused to give me his name.

This place is a big, lovely picturesque lobby space surrounded by a rather mediocre hotel. It is not deluxe. If you truly want a "Deluxe" resort on Disney property, I'd recommend the WDW Swan or WDW Dolphin - they are not Disney owned. The Swan is a Westin and the Dolphin a Sheraton. They are as exhorbitantly expensive as the Animal Kingdom Lodge, except they deliver on every level - especially customer service.

Avoid animal kingdom lodge at all costs. We currently have complaints pending with the better business bureau and the Florida division of consumer affairs. It is misleading advertising to call this place deluxe and they fail to provide services at all levels of measurement. Once yearly travelers might not recognize crap service - we are very experienced travelers and this place is a rip-off.

This was our first stay in a Disney property and we found the Animal Kingdom resort a welcome spot. We liked the African theme decor, the plentitude of resting spots, be it sitting in front of a roaring fire in the lodge or out by the viewing decks, the enormity of the swimming pool and the sense that the lodge provided a respite from the frenzy of activities in greater Orlando. We had a room relatively close to the lodge with a nice view of the grazing giraffes and zebras. The kids loved the bunkbeds and Simba's clubhouse, the onsite childcare. I thought the dark decor and dimmed lighting throughout augmented the intended sense of serenity. The holiday decorations were beautiful.
While I would rate our overall experience excellent, I would not rate our dining at the same level. My six year old son thought the breakfast buffet pancakes tasted like "playdough" (I had a taste and would concur) and our dinner seemed overly seasoned with pepper and the salad was overly dressed.
Without exception, the staff was very knowledgeable and friendly. We'd return to the hotel and would recommend it to a family who wants to experience a full theme resort. We enjoyed our stay.