Animal Kingdom Lodge
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Reviewer's Name:
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Janet Twokay |
Reviewer's Email Address:
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not.given@nowhere.com |
Rate / Night (for your stay):
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$1,438 per night |
Date(s) of Stay:
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April 2001 |
Accommodation Used:
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Suite |
Accommodations Review:
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We stayed in a two-bedroom suite that was located on the fifth floor
of Zebra Trail. The suite was pure understated elegance, just beautiful.
The master bedroom had a king-sized bed, a vanity area, and a large
bathroom with telephone. The parlor room had a queen-sized sleeper
sofa, a dining room table and four chairs, a microwave, a refrigerator,
and a half-bathroom with telephone. The second bedroom had a queen-sized
bed, a set of bunk beds, a large daybed, and a full bathroom. The
carpet in the suite was patterned just like a giraffe – it was
very unique (I loved it). The suite had two balconies. The balcony
off the second bedroom was a standard one. The balcony off the master
bedroom and parlor room was dome-shaped and topped with thatching
– it was very large and I found myself spending all my time
on it while relaxing and viewing the animals on the savannah below.
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Why Did you Select This Resort for your Stay?
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The resort was opening while we were going to be on vacation and
I thought it would be fun to be its first guests. |
Room # and Location Description:
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The suite was located on the fifth floor of Zebra Trail. It was
beautifully decorated and appointed. |
Room Location Pros & Cons:
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I fell in love with this suite from the moment I set foot in it.
The two best things about it were the large domed balcony and the
beautiful giraffe-patterned carpet. The suite was understated elegance
and it quickly became my favorite WDW suite. |
Check-In / Check-Out Comments:
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When we pulled up to the front of the resort, we were greeted by
a concierge Cast Member who immediately took us (and our luggage)
to our suite. This was the first time that we have ever experienced
true curbside check-in at a Disney resort and it was impressive. The
concierge Cast Member had a packet of information for us that included
our vacation itinerary and all sorts of information on the Animal
Kingdom Lodge Resort (resort newsletter, animal viewing fact sheet,
and so on). When it came time to check-out of the resort, we used
Disney’s express check-out service, which is always wonderful. |
WDW Transportation Comments:
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WDW bus transportation was fine; we never waited longer than fifteen
minutes for a bus. |
Restaurant / Lounge Review:
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My family dined twice at Jiko’s and once at Boma and all meals
were scrumptious. Both of those restaurants completely exceeded our
expectations with their service and food. The “chocolate cardamom-flavored
candies” at Jiko’s became my all-time favorite WDW dessert.
Yum! And the tomato soup at Boma was out of this World. Yum! The Head
Chef on duty the night we dined at Boma actually came to our table
and chatted with us. I told him that I loved the soup and also the
barbeque sauce. He took my name and e-mail address and within a week
I had the recipes to both of those dishes. Impressive. Boma and Jiko’s
rate right up there with Victoria and Albert’s in my family’s
humble opinion. We can’t wait to go back. I should also mention
that Mara’s was a great place to grab a quick afternoon meal
from while we were lounging out by the pool. And the pool bar was
a wonderful way to spend an evening -- the two female bartenders on
duty one night had my husband and I in stitches -- they were a hoot. |
Pool Description / Comments:
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The pool was incredible. My family loved it. And the Life Guards
were wonderful with the children. In the afternoon they had water
games planned for children of all ages. My little one even entered
the hula-hoop contest that was held on the edge of the zero-entry
area. And she took more than one ride on the “alligator”
float. She also dove for many cute toys that were scattered along
the bottom of the shallow end of the pool (at the zero-entry area).
It was so much fun watching the children have an absolute ball with
the Life Guards and their pool games. |
What Suggestions Would you Give Anyone that is Considering This
Resort?
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Expect to have an experience like no other. The Animal Kingdom Lodge
is the most unique resort. It will completely win you over. It seeps
into your pores and before you know it, you’ll never want to
leave its grounds. Viewing a zebra or a giraffe from the balcony of
your resort room is something that just can’t be described –
you’ll have to experience it for yourself. |
Other Comments:
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The Animal Kingdom Lodge's Cast Members were the nicest ones in
all of WDW -- they were completely top-notch and my family wanted
for nothing. I would stay at that resort again just for the fact that
it has the best Cast Members (in my humble opinion). They were amazing,
all of them, from Housekeeping all the way to the Cast Members in
the concierge lounge. And the Animal Guides who work the public-viewing
areas were just a wealth of information on the animals, Africa, and
Disney. I learned so much from them, and they were a pleasure to speak
with. If you’d like to view my suite photos, here is the link
to my
on-line photo album. |
