TheMouseForLess Resort Reviews

TheMouseForLess members review Walt Disney World resorts.

Animal Kingdom Lodge
MFL Animal Kingdom Lodge Information Page
WDW Website: Animal Kingdom Lodge

Submitted By: Dunn Family

Name Of Resort: Animal Kingdom Lodge

Date Of Stay: 7/8/05 - 7/10/05

Type Of Resort: Disney Deluxe - Savannah view

Rate Paid During Your Stay: $220/night plus tax, on Florida resident discount HOWEVER we used our Disney Visa points to pay for the entire thing.

Room Sleeps: 5 - It had 2 queen size beds and a day bed.

Please Rate The Following On A Scale From 1-10 (10 being the best):

Theming: 10
Room Size: 10
Amenities: 10
Quality: 10
Cleanliness: 10
Transportation: 8
Recreation: 10
Value: 9

Over All Rating: 10

Don't Miss: The POOL is great for younger kids. It has zero entry depth, and the slide is fun but not too intimidating for preschoolers and elementary school children. Also, the pool is less crowded than other pools because the resort does not allow pool hopping.

Room Location Suggestion: We had a savannah view room of the Arusha savannah, which looks out over the right side of the resort. Giraffes wander over the entire area, HOWEVER I could see fast food icon signs from International Drive off in the distance and it took away from the feeling of "escaping to Africa." I would recommend if you are spending the money to do this, get a savannah view room overlooking the interior semicircle of the resort so you won't see the golden arches off in the distance.

The Mouse For Less Tip: Refillable mugs at the Mara. Also, when we choose to stay here, we enjoy the whole resort as a destination and we spend our time here instead of going to the parks. We hung out at the pool, and did some of the kids events (T-shirt painting, etc.)

Comments: This is an awesome resort, and BOMA has the best brunch on property. I also love the gift shop.

Submitted By: The Waite Family (Bob and Mary)

Name Of Resort: Animal Kingdom Lodge

Date Of Stay: May 21 – 27, 2005

Type Of Resort: Disney Deluxe

Rate Paid During Your Stay: $155 Per Night ($139 + $16.00 (Sales Tax)) for Six nights for a total of $930. This was an Annual Pass Rate for a Standard View Room.

Room Sleeps: This particular room could sleep Three and One Infant or Toddler in a Pack and Play. We received a complementary upgrade prior to check-in to a Pool View Room. We were given a King-Size Room which was actually a handicap room. The room had a King-size bed as well as a small sofa that could pull out to a single sofa sleeper. There was also a Pack and Play in the closet area.

Please Rate The Following On A Scale From 1-10 (10 being the best):

Theming: 10 – We didn’t have any cute little icons like at the Pop Century or any of the All Star resorts, but the ambience of the AKL is just wonderful. It was so relaxing and a nice getaway. There wasn’t the hustle and bustle of some of the other resorts. It was nice to sit out on our balcony and relax with a view of the pool and the tops of palm trees at our level. It was way cool to walk down the hallway and pass by a viewing area and see zebras or giraffes or wildebeests grazing.
Room Size: 9 – The Room was large enough, but I did miss the double vanity as well as the separate sink and toilet/tub area.
Amenities: 10 – Received Mickey soaps, shampoos, lotions and a shower cap nearly every day. Requested turn down service each evening and upon returning from the Parks or Dinner, our bed was turned down with the pillows all fluffed up and there were AKL chocolates and/or an AKL Chocolate heart on our bed. Also all used towels were replaced with fresh ones and the trash removed from the room. We received a copy of USA Today each morning during the regular week (Monday – Friday). We had a small coffee pot in our room and our tea and coffee supply was replaced daily. Because we had a handicapped room, we had a built-in fridge that was concealed by a cabinet. So it looked like a piece of regular furniture.
Quality: 7 -- Enough said – see trip report.
Cleanliness: 4 – When we checked in, I had an issue with the fact that our bed was disheveled. The bedspread was not neat and the TV remote was laying on the bed. That really disturbed me. I wasn’t sure if the bedding had even been changed at that point. I attempted to call the front desk and sat on hold on the phone for 30 minutes. I finally sent Bob down to the front desk to talk to someone. When the Cast Member (CM) tried to call the room, she said the line was busy and Bob told her, of course, it is, she’s on hold trying to get someone down here to answer the phone. Bob called my cell from his cell and told me to hang up and the front desk would call me back. I did and when she called, I told her of the problem. The CM on the phone said they would send someone up. About 10 minutes later, two housekeeping staff members came up with bedding – sheets and pillowcases. I asked that the bedspread be changed as well. They did as I requested. All the bedding was changed and I was given a clean bedspread.

Looking back at the incident, I’m pretty sure that the room was originally assigned to someone else and when they came in, they decided they didn’t want that particular style of room so they asked to be moved. The room then went back into the central pool of rooms and we got it. What should have been done is that when the room went back into the pool of available rooms, someone from housekeeping should have come by and made sure the room was presentable to the next guests. Unfortunately, that is not what happened and we got stuck with a room that really upset me. Even the housekeeping staff was upset that we had been given a room that was not freshly made up.

The next morning, I went down to the front desk and asked to speak to a manager. I spoke to one named Sharon and told her of my previous night’s experience. She acted as if she was writing down everything and was shocked that I had waited 30 minutes on hold without anyone answering my call. I told her of our disappointment and then let her know of an additional problem with our room. While getting ready that morning, I noticed several long black hairs on the floor in the bathroom and since I don’t have black hair and Bob’s hair is cut pretty short, I was certain that neither one of us were the owners of these stray hairs. Plus, while applying sunscreen I had spilled a little on the tiled floor and when I went to wipe it up, I discovered that the floor was quite filthy. That really bothered me as I didn’t feel comfortable walking on the floor after getting out of the shower.

I told Sharon that we were on our way to the Parks and that I would really appreciate it if someone from housekeeping could be informed of our problems with the bathroom and would like to return to a bathroom that had been swept of any stray hairs and mopped clean. She assured me that it would be taken care of.

Upon our return that evening, I discovered that none of the things I had asked be done were done. I was really upset at that time. I called down to the front desk and asked to speak to another manager. This time, my wait wasn’t nearly as long. I was transferred to a housekeeping manager and told her of my problems the previous night and of my discussion that morning with Sharon. I told her that I guess there must have been a communication problem because my bathroom floor was still filthy and the hairs were still there. I was polite and not yelling or anything. I tried to stay cool and calm, but when I got off the phone, I told Bob he would have to deal with housekeeping when they arrived because there was no way I was going to. The person I talked to on the phone was very pleasant and very apologetic and acted that she was shocked that we had undergone such treatment.

Bob dealt with the housekeeping staff and I sat on the balcony enjoying the night air. They scrubbed and swept the floor and replaced our towels. She emptied our trash cans and then applied a room freshener spray into the room.

All these little things occurred within our first 24 hours, but after that, our stay was what we had hoped for. And I didn’t let these incidents spoil our trip for us.

Transportation: 8 – We had a rental car and only used the bus system two times – once to go to the Magic Kingdom for an early breakfast at Crystal Palace and in the evening on another day for our Liberty Tree Tavern PS. Our wait for the MK buses was about 10 minutes both times.
Recreation: 9 – One pool and two hot tubs. There is a child’s playground. No boats or bikes to rent from AKL. The arcade looked to be pretty good though. And there is a fitness center at the resort that is complementary for AKL resort guests.
Value: 10 – For a deluxe, the price can’t be beat. We debated staying at the Beach Club or the Boardwalk or even the Poly, but the prices were at least $100 more a night. That was $600 we could spend on other things besides our resort stay.

Over All Rating: 9

Don't Miss: There are so many things to do at this resort that you could skip a few days at the Parks and take advantage of them. We did the night vision goggles one evening and we were the only ones on the viewing area for a little while. We also did the culinary tour which is held daily – either at 3:45 or 4:00. You head to Jiko’s where you get to interact with one of the Chefs and are given a Taste of Africa appetizer to sample. The Chef explained the different breads and dipping sauces to us. And then he went over the menu with us and told us what each item is and how it is prepared. Then after we had asked all your questions, etc., we were escorted over to Boma where we met with one of the Boma Chefs. The Chef went through each station and told us what each food would be for that evening and what the ingredients were, etc. I really enjoyed that because even though I have dined at Boma on four separate occasions, I wasn’t as daring in my food choices as I could have been. It was nice knowing what was in a particular dish or how it was made ahead of time.

Some other available activities are – Horticultural Activity (held on Wednesdays); Cookie Decorating (daily at 1:00) in Boma; Medallion Rubbings (daily) in the lobby; Spirit of Africa Art Tour (daily) at Ogun’s Firepit; African Folktales (daily) at Arusha Rock Firepit; Cultural Safari (daily) at the Sunset Lounge; and Poolside Activities (need to contact a lifeguard for more info). There is also an opportunity to build an African Bead Necklace by participating it the following activities – Flamingo Feedings (Flamingo Pond); Animal Tracking (Arusha Rock); Garden Safari (Flamingo Pond); The Music of the Savanna (Sunset Lounge); and Wildlife Games (Sunset Lounge).

I was instructed to check out the activity board in the lobby next to the Bell Stand or next to the stairs in the Boma waiting area for specific times. Unfortunately, I didn’t write down the times for each activity.

Room Location Suggestion: We had booked a standard view and received a complementary upgrade to a pool view room prior to our arrival. I had inquired at check-in about an upgrade and was going to be willing to pay for the upgrade when the CM told me that we had already been upgraded to a pool view. This was my third stay at AKL and I’ve had a pool view each time – even a deluxe pool view once – and for me, staying in a savannah view is not that important. If we were there for only a couple of nights, it might be nice. But unless you’re planning to spend a lot of time in your room and hanging out on the balcony, I can’t justify the extra cost. There are lots of places to see the animals from. Lots of viewing areas with rocking chairs. We happened to be on the third floor – same level as the lobby – on the Uzima Savanna. While it wasn’t the closest room to the lobby, it certainly wasn’t the farthest away either. We were near an elevator that would take us down to the first floor near the laundry room and the Cub’s Den. We didn’t use the Cub’s Den, but we did use the laundry room one afternoon.

The Mouse For Less Tip: We purchased the unlimited refill mugs at $11.99 each. Bob would go down each morning and get coffee and a Diet Coke for me. He would also head to Mara and get us refills in the evening. And it was nice having a refill while doing laundry. I think we did get our monies worth out of the mugs. Plus, Bob has a nice souvenir to carry coffee in on his way to work in the morning.

We did save $100 a night over the rack rate using my Annual Pass. And having an Annual Pass entitled me to purchase the Disney Dining Experience Card for $50 and even though there was only 2 in our party, we were able to recoup the cost of the card in a single trip.

Comments: Animal Kingdom Lodge (and Wilderness Lodge) are the least expensive of the deluxe resorts. I have stayed in both and wouldn’t hesitate to stay in either again. Once you go deluxe, it can be a little difficult to scale back to a moderate or a value, but if I was traveling alone, I would certainly do it. It is nice to be in a resort where the rooms are connected by hallways because if it’s raining outside, you don’t have to don a poncho or carry an umbrella to get to the food court or the lobby.

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