Staying in Disney World’s Best Resort – Honest Review

Staying in Disney World’s Best Resort – Honest Review

[Music] Safari Lodge the original concept for this Resort would feature a grand Lobby complete with a cigar lounge and various water features the guest lodging buildings would fan out with wooden boxy facades that had steeped roofs on the top level perhaps the most interesting proposal in this early concept are the Safari Suites what appear to be smaller Villas that are placed along a loop trail ultimately this concept evolved into Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge settling for the final concept that ultimately got built the though much of that original 1997 design would stay the same including the shape of the structure and general Arrangements the resort would begin construction and open 3 years after the Animal Kingdom theme park in April of 2001 since it has largely remained the exact same apart from a few room Renovations this is the latest and is also our room it’s a savann view king bed which we got on the second level which is the lowest floor you can get with this category so upon First Impressions we were pleasantly surprised by the look of this room Disney has been callously refurbishing their Resort hotel accommodations to remove the proverbial character and replace it with literal characters but I’m glad to see that Animal Kingdom Lodge has been largely spared by these Renovations and this room is actually pretty nice it carries on the theming across the entire Resort especially the wooden furniture most of which are custom made for this Resort some even handcarved from Africa you do get a nice cushy sofa with a side table as well as a small desk area area with two chairs down the hall you also get a closet that contains a mini fridge and a curig coffee bar but it’s the smaller details that I really love from the themed mirror to the clay carvings and straw bowls I really love all the aspects that tie this room together now before the renovations each room had bug netting that you’d find in actual African lodges they were strung up as the headboards it’s kind of sad that they’re gone now but what’s replacing them is pretty nice as their wooden headboards that have warm recessed lighting behind it it looks great along with really all the lights in here they can also all be controlled with these buttons above each bedside table speaking of which the bed itself is very comfortable with nice linen to go along with it it’s basically the same across all Disney hotels and they’re nothing special but they are nice the bathroom is equally a nice place an aspect of the room I actually very much understand why a renovation was needed the shower area is a little plain for a room at this price point but it’s passable and I really like the mirror as well as the wooden and granite vanity but the real standout for this room is not even what’s inside of it it’s what’s past the Windows the sunset Savannah this is unbelievably cool you have a hotel room that looks on to a vast Savannah filled with over 30 species of African mammals all in Central Florida it’s truly one-of a kind in North America and you can spend hours out on your balcony enjoying a cup of coffee and just taking in the Ever Changing views in the evening once the sun goes down very small lights fixed on the roofs of the buildings project soft cool light onto the Savannah so even when it’s dark you can still observe all the animals I even did that for my bed which falling asleep while staring at zebras was something genuinely special and of course the amount of times you’re actually going to see animals are never consistent but our room was right next to a watering hole and the Savannah has been designed in such a way that feeding placements will convince the animals to graze around the guest rooms while this is all really great there are some things however that I don’t like about this room despite the lighting doing everything it can to make the space feel cozy the engineered wood floors just counteract it I really wish they kept the carpet in this room as a hard floor just makes it feel a lot more cold not as comfortable of a space the balcony 2o is just not as comfortable as it should be with metal chairs that obviously don’t give you any cushiony that’s especially disappointing for how much time you’ll want to spend out on the space they have some nice balcony chairs for some of the Suites and I just wish they would use it for these rooms especially given the price points I want to take a quick moment and thank this video sponsor Symphony of the sorer I talked about this novel in my bankrupt episode on borders and since I made it I’ve gotten further into this Fantastical story inspired by Dungeons and Dragons It’s a fantasy novel written by Rowan Alexandria Bennett and she’s created a world filled with political Intrigue magic Pirates and an overall Rich atmosphere I’ve been really like liking it so far and I found it to be a very versatile read something you could cozy up with at home but also a story to dive into while traveling I’ll be bringing it with me on my trip to Italy later this month a very appropriate place to read it in fact I love how there’s a grander story being told through the unique perspectives of different characters all with their own arc so if you want to immerse yourself in a fun New World I really do recommend picking this up and you can do so right now by clicking the link in the description below it will bring you to the Amazon page for the book where you can pick it up in paperback hard cover or on Kindle okay so Animal Kingdom Lodge is a pretty massive Resort excluding the DVC building the whole property is on about 66 acres of land with the hotel itself containing over 1200 rooms so there’s a lot to see and do really from the moment you drive on property you enter a completely different continent from the tall grass that gives you glimpses of the main structure like an animal in the brush on a safari or the small faux campfires that lead you in the Landscaping already sets the scene thankfully Disney has removed the parking fees for guests and after walking under the impressive Port koser you enter something truly special following the Frank Lloyd Wright technique of compression and release you enter through a tight space that is released into this absolutely spectacular Grand Lobby combined with the warm signature scent associated with this Resort the whole atmosphere here is fantastic and the design is genuinely perfect I really can’t imagine how this could have been done any any better everywhere you look you see details that bring together the Aesthetics of an authentic African Lodge made with Native materials like wood mud and straw structural support beams are made to look like massive trunks of wood fastened together with rope four chandeliers are diffused with Kenyan Shields from the Masai people while the floors are rich wood that have golden emblems embedded into them four torches help illuminate the rather intimate and comfortable seating areas below most of them completely custom made by Craftsman in Africa and imported to this hotel above is a suspension bridge that crosses over top a large 16t authentic mask from Nigeria which is beautifully crafted from various vibrant Fabrics in fact this whole Lobby and Resort even is adorned with authentic African art all over the place the lobby alone has various display cases with Incredible pieces some even embedded into the tables even in the most random quiet parts of the resort you’ll find real historic pieces of art at the gift shop you’ll find handcarved animals that are for sale front and center that’s along with a few other authentic pieces you can buy including wine from South Africa there’s even an artisan out front that is carving those wooden animals life really even when you walk to your room there are pieces of Art in these two-story mini lobbies where the building’s lodging structures join each Lobby has a different theme and subsequently has different artifacts this is also complemented by outdoor patios with chairs some even with binoculars all of this is something I find so funny when compared to how Disney promotes Riviera with their authentic custom art meanwhile Animal Kingdom Lodge has probably hundreds of authentic African artifacts and a treasure Trove of pieces everywhere anyways back to the lobby and to the left of that mask you have the Overlook area originally intended to be a cigar lounge in the 97 concept it’s now a lovely and quiet cting area where you can relax lounge and take in some more artifacts and view of the animals from the balcony directly across from it is ug’s fire pit a rather intimate and comfortable area to sit and warm up as you look up you’ll notice leaping Antelope which guides your eyes towards the massive glass windows on the other side it spans almost the entire height of the building and is broken up by rot iron Vines just beyond it is the Savannah and a rather large outdoor pathway that allows public viewing of the animals along with a large fire pit both here and inside the lobby you’ll find animal experts and cultural Representatives that always are incredibly nice and enthusiastic to educate and answer any questions back inside and just below a small bridge on the lobby level you’ll see what’s supposed to be water bubbling up and cascading down a small indoor waterfall the water pools besides a bar called Victoria Falls a detailed space that has some great appetizers and drinks from there the water Cascades down some more rocks and flows down a river leading outside it passes under two restaurants BMA and goo Bulma is a buffet style restaurant themed to a market I’ve eaten here a few times including this trip and it was fantastic the many soups are always great so are the cuts of meat and of course the zebra doome desserts but it’s not cheap at $54 a person plus tax likewise is goo a fine dining restaurant which we did not get a chance to eat at but has great reviews and a delicious looking menu though again with high prices to go along with it just outside of goo’s floor to ceiling Windows is a flowing waterfall that meets up with the same stream that was coming from the lobby it flows down and is made to look like it leads into the pool now the usea pool is very large and is made to look like the pooling area for the aformentioned river in fact when the resort first opened it was lined with green tile that gave it the appearance of a more natural looking Watering Hole though apparently it was perceived by parents that it just looked dirty and Disney was forced to change it rather quickly regardless this Lush pool area features a bar a gym that also includes a dry SAA and a steam room while just outside of it there’s one of two hot tubs and a kids player on the other side is the mara the Resort’s Quick Service where you can find some really good food like this fire roasted tomato and herbed ricotta flatbread which was $12.7 or for breakfast this Mickey waffle platter which was $10.79 but animals are also not emitted from this area as just beyond the arcade and the second hot tub is another Overlook area which also includes a pond with flamingos this is this is actually where that thematic stream from the lobby ends this is again a really nice Public Access area where you can see the animals they used to have night vision binoculars out here in the evenings but I guess that’s no longer the case this is all within the main Resort which is called the Jambo House right across from it though is the DVC building Disney’s time share division called kadani Village that was built in 2008 and features its own cozy Vibe with a scaled down version of Jambo House’s Lobby though it too is a massive structure that also has its own set of amenities like a family pool tennis courts a full observation platform more lounges and even a restaurant called son it specifically is very well liked especially for its African and Indian style bread service though again very expensive that property also has a bunch of activities in conjunction with all of the complimentary activities here but there are some upcharge ones too you can even take a nighttime Safari around the Savannah it looks pretty cool and I guess is pretty reasonable at around 75 $5 per person plus you do not need to be staying here to go on it if you want to go between both of these lobbies it is pretty easy as you can either walk or take the internal bus service so yeah all of this is fantastic it’s Dynamic it’s fluid literally and it’s Lush Peter Dominic’s Disney hotels have always had a sense of dynamic verticality and that’s definitely prevalent here and it’s why I love the Victoria Falls area so much there’s just so much going on with the architecture and there’s so many little things to discover like there you’ll notice this random hallway that’s actually a guest walkway that connects to other rooms and the lobby and by extension the outdoor observation path it’s also connective and this property just has so many small nooks and secret areas to discover it’s so intimate yet so Grand I forgot to even mention that there’s these two wonderful Lookout points just outside of the lobby I think it’s nearly a perfect design for a hotel but not totally perfect as there are some drawbacks and for me those are in the room categories and Views because Animal Kingdom Lodge is designed in a semicircular form with long lodging Wings there are some rooms with very bad views now I understand that it had to be this way to make this concept work but that also means that people staying in the rooms towards the end of these buildings have a comically long walk all the way back to the lobby likewise is the entire Resort from anything else as a bus ride to all the other Parks except animal kingdom is going to be very long well at least longer than other Disney hotels but what I think is the worst part about this hotel are the very unfortunate room views for the lowest category Resort view those can range anywhere from parking lot views to you being embedded into the rooftop believe it or not even these openings right next to the pathway to the bus station are enclosed balconies for this category but you could also get very lucky and get an obstructed view of the pool or even get an obstructed view of the Savannah it’s a vast hit or miss with this category so I would highly suggest making a room request beforehand when you pick this cheapest category there’s actually a very handy tool called the roomfinder on touringplans.com you can select any room within a Disney hotel and get an idea of what the view is going to be like they also have actual pool view rooms as well as Savannah view rooms the latter is what we got though again not all Savannah rooms are also perfect nor are even the categories above it the suits which this hotel offers in one and two bedroom variants honestly I don’t think they’re anything special they’re basically a standard room with an okay bathroom and a living room glued onto it it’s definitely not a luxurious upgrade though this hotel does offer a club level called the kilamanjaro club with rooms that have preferred views and are close to the lobby there’s also two Specialty Suites both on the fifth floor standing right outside the lobby they’re the Royal Kuba presidential suite and the Royal Assante presidential suite despite receiving recent updates both are still unbelievably beautiful and have been my dream to stay in but I’m not entirely sure if that’s ever going to happen so let’s talk price the lowest category here a standard view room starts at around $469 but I found it as low as $340 a night with a discount before tax a two queen pool view starts at around $56 rack rate but I found them as low as $350 on Disney’s website now our one king bed Savannah room was $480 though with tax it came out to be $540 for the night rack rates for those can start at around $672 but obviously we got it on a discount in fact if you do your research beforehand you can find some really good deals like this Savannah room on price line for $396 all in with tax now Above This are the club level rooms and they can start at $775 a night which honest ly isn’t too bad though they will climb well past $1,139 for a one-bedroom Suite or $1,900 for a two-bedroom Suites both of which are definitely bad values probably the same can be argued for the presidential Suites which come in at around $3,500 a night but they have to be specialty booked on the phone and yeah they’re designed for VIPs not regular vacation bookings however apart from thirdparty booking sites offering deals there is one other way to save at this Resort remember there’s a whole DVC area both at kadani Village and the entire fifth floor of Jambo House so when people rent out their DVC points people can buy them through third-party broker sites it’s absolutely not a perfect system and will require sacrifice in a variable schedule but you can get a DVC room here which is honestly kind of better than a normal room for just $189 a night if you can jump through all of the Hoops that’s a great deal all right so let’s break all of this down and see where it lands hands with an actual rated score I call my scoring system Jake isn’t any good score and it’s out of five categories each out of 10 for a potential perfect score of 50 out of 50 we’ll start with the location an Animal Kingdom Lodge is the furthest Disney hotel from all of the other parks and that’s often a demerit for many people personally I don’t mind it and I kind of like how secluded and quiet it feels on the far end of the property so I’ll give it a 6 out of 10 amenities here are plentiful from three highquality restaurants a quick service various bars and lounges the theming the art the animals and so much more I literally couldn’t ask for anything else so it is a perfect 10 out of 10 luxury and quality is also really great with real handmade materials that make up many public spaces there’s authentic art beautiful architecture and outfacing public spaces that provide special moments to see animals it’s all really great especially when considering the cost of the lower-end rooms however while those rooms are good they’re not great and they don’t feel overly luxurious for the price points so I think it’s a fair N9 out of 10 service was also great while the core staff were friendly those who really stood out were the cultural representatives and animal experts who were all fantastic it’s another N9 out of 10 value is a little harder to decide upon obviously for $189 it’s an unbelievably great value though if you want a guaranteed Savannah room we paid a more average rate of $54 $ and while my biggest issue was a lack of carpet I don’t think it’s hard at all to completely justify it on how insane it is to have a room that overlooks these animals with all of that considered I think it’s a very good 8 out of 10 that brings the total score to 42 out of 50 a pretty great score that only Rivals Cabana Bay down the highway due to its great value proposition but when you compare this to other luxury hotels or even other Disney hotels it blows them all out of the water and I think Animal Kingdom Lodge deserves it this is a unique creative and gorgeous hotel that is truly oneof aind it has clear inspiration but it thoughtfully adapts it into its own thing clearly a lot of creative minds from The Architects imagineers Consultants artists landscapers all of them have poured so much thought and Care into how this would come together and I think the final result speaks for itself I mean it’s absolutely Timeless it’s one of the only Disney Resorts that haven’t seen major Renovations and it doesn’t need it it largely looks the same as it did in 2001 and it holds up damn near perfectly so if you’re planning a Disney vacation and have the money stay here I think even with some minor dislikes with our room I am not exaggerating when I say this is one of the greatest hotels ever built in North America this was a much more positive look within Walt Disney World and I am curious on what you think of this Resort thanks again to Symphony of the sorour for sponsoring this video and you can find a link to buy it right now in the description below I’ll catch you all in the comments but until then my name is Jake and thank you very much for watching

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Since it opened in 2001, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge has stood as a spectacular piece of engineering and thematic design. It also offers some of the most unique room types which overlook a real African savannah. But, it’s also very expensive… So today let’s find out if it’s worth the money!

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Jake’s is it Any Good Score (Spreadsheet) – https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nNuXPlwjCo8ljCtUPkifPjWiaOq1N67Tac_bXnSZMMQ/edit?usp=sharing

Chapters:
Opening – 0:00
History – 0:28
Room Tour – 1:48
Hotel Amenities & Design – 6:03
Drawbacks & Room Types – 13:25
Price – 15:36
Score & Final Thoughts – 17:26

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Bright Sun Travels 2024

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