Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

One of our favorite places to stay at Walt Disney World is the Animal Kingdom Lodge. On our last trip, we booked using our DVC points and had a split stay at Jambo House. Our first three days were spent in a Studio Savannah View Room, and then we spent four days in a Studio Standard View Room.

We were on the fifth floor for both of our rooms. Our Savannah view was all the way at the end closer to Kidani Village, and our Standard view was all the way down at the end on the side with the pool. Above is a view from the bridge over the lobby.

There is a hidden mickey on one of the lights! Can you find it? I’m pretty sure you will only be able to see it if you are up on the fifth floor in the lobby.

Now you can see it a little better with my close up! I LOVE hidden Mickeys and search for them in every park and hotel!

This is a view near the pool and The Mara (quick-dining). Speaking of the pool…

The Pool

The pool at Jambo House is pretty big. It has two hot tubs (one of which was out of service while we were there) and a 60(ish) foot water slide. We tried out the water slide and it was just ok. Later in our visit we tried out the pool at Kidani Village. It seemed a little bit smaller, but the water slide was awesome! It is about 120 feet long and it turns a lot, and you actually get some speed going! I spent a bunch of time going down that slide with my niece and nephew who came swimming with me.

The Rooms

The rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge were very nicely decorated, complete with a hidden mickey towel on the bed. Unfortunately I did not take many pictures of the inside of the room, but it had a queen bed, pull-out couch, dresser with tv, table, mini-kitchenette, and bathroom. I loved the decor and it was a very comfortable room (though a bit smaller than the rooms at Old Key West). My one complaint is that the rooms are DARK. I know it is supposed to be the ambiance and everything, but I at least need good light in the bathroom so I can see myself properly in the mirror!

Here is my view from the Savannah View Room. The building that you see is where the lobby is. As you can tell, we are pretty far away. The halls arc around and we are at the end. This is not normally a big deal, but after a long day of walking around the parks, it is still a bit of a hike from the bus stop to your room!

It WAS a great view, though. I spent every morning and evening (and during the day if we were in the room) looking for the animals out my window. I saw giraffes, gazelles, zebras, antelope, and more. Luckily there is an animal guide inside the room so you can know what the names of some of the animals are.

The View

Below is the view from my Standard View Room. We still got to see the Savannah with lots of animals! It just wasn’t as pretty of a view, which is why it’s cheaper. But, why pay more if you still get to see animals (though I think some of the Standard Rooms are pool view, not savannah view)

This picture is hilarious. The donkey was rolling on his back, just like my dog Maestro likes to do!

All in all, I enjoyed my stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House. They have good restaurants (Boma, Sanaa, The Mara) and a great atmosphere. It is one of the cheaper studios for using DVC points, and the views of the animals are awesome! Just be prepared for lots of extra walking to get around!!!

Have you stayed at AKL before? Did you like it?