Jump to:
"This post may contain affiliate links. Check my disclosure policy for more information"
As part of our ‘Disney-moon’ and before departing on our first ever Disney Cruise we decided to splash out and book a deluxe hotel (or two!) for a couple of nights during the third week of our Orlando stay. We chose both Bay Lake Towers at the Contemporary and a savannah room at Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge review
It was day 15 of our three week stay; the rest of our party were leaving that day so we packed up with them, took our bags to Animal Kingdom Lodge super early and headed on into a park.
Hotels near Animal Kingdom theme park
Animal Kingdom Lodge is located just minutes from Animal Kingdom theme park and is located to the
When we arrived at the resort the
Unless we were to ever resort hop again it’s unlikely we would ever have to experience using bell services as we usually land in the afternoon and head straight to our room so this was very new to us and really weird to check in so early!
We arrived and asked the bell man to bring our bags up before making our way up to the room. After a bit of a delay (which wasn’t ideal to be fair as we had another hire car to go
We had already looked around the resort on a previous trip which is why we booked it because it’s so beautiful but looking around as a non guest is not the same as being a guest!
Best room at Animal Kingdom Lodge?
We were little bit in awe of the room. The view was amazing, the decor of the room beautiful… we had never stayed in something so posh as you can probably tell from the vlog at the very end of this post!!
The room itself was a studio. It had a small kitchenette and a balcony (both of which was amazing particularly if you have children). If you have the opportunity to stay in a room with a balcony; that extra space where you can just step out side and grab some fresh air is a god send as we found also when we stayed at Old Key West. It had a small refrigerator and a microwave which helped massively with my baby particularly with regards to bottles and keeping milk cool.
It was a lovely size too as you will have seen in the vlogs. The settee came out as another bed, my youngest was in a ‘pack and play’ which is what us Brits call a travel cot and there was really ample space.
The other thing which was pretty awesome was that we had a savannah view… we overlooked grazing zebra, giraffes and gazelles roaming free.
Animal Kingdom Lodge restaurants
It was quite late when we got back that first night but we were super hungry so Hubby nipped downstairs and brought back a kind of DIY room service?! He went down to The Mara, a quick service restaurant located not far from the pool area, and brought some food back to the room. Nothing special and probably didn’t help the fact that hubby had trekked the Sahara (slight exhaduration there!) to bring it back to the room.
We didn’t dine at any of the restaurants on property but that’s because they weren’t really our cup of tea. They are extremely popular and apparently delicious. If we weren’t such a picky family we would’ve gone 100%!
It’s the only thing I didn’t like about the resort it’s very big. It was quite a walk from the room to the pool, or the restaurants. From experience a lot of the pools at Disney resorts require a walk. The only one we’ve stayed in so far that doesn’t was Bay Lake Towers where we literally took the elevator down to the ground floor and walked out the back.
Animal Kingdom Lodge swimming pool
We did obviously check out the pool; I mean we had to it was massive!! It was our first experience of a Disney pool and it didn’t disappoint. The slide was small enough for my then 4 year old and the size of the pool meant although the resort is really big you wouldn’t have thought it with the amount of people in the pool.
Would we go back to Animal Kingdom Lodge?
This is a tough one because it’s a beautiful resort and usually comes out as the cheapest deluxe resorts in quote but I don’t think we would rush back.
We wouldn’t ever eat in the onsite restaurants, although they get super reviews they are a little too
It’s located near the Animal Kingdom Theme Park which is the furthest park in to Walt Disney World so you do find yourself passing everything before you get there. For us it’s just that tiny bit too far out and we know now having stayed at Old Key West that we’d much prefer the be located more centrally.
The only real downside though is the location and that it’s a little bit too big I feel. But it’s an absolutely beautiful resort in the most amazing setting.
If you got value out of this or feel it would be something some one you know would love to read too then feel free to share (or PIN to read again later!)
..and if you love Disney, Orlando & the surrounding area as much as I do feel free to check out some of my previous posts below:
5 things to get excited about coming to Disney World in 2019
Everything we know about the Disney Free Dining 2020
Cheap things to do in Orlando | 10 Orlando attractions for £20 or less!
Travel agent trickery – how to avoid
Walt Disney’s Old Key West resort review
How to do Walt Disney World in 7 days!
10 fun facts about Mickey Mouse that you may not know!
Post Cruise day room review of Hyatt at Orlando International Airport
Where to have a quick breakfast in Walt Disney World
Vanellopes Sweet Treats on the Disney Dream
Packing for Walt Disney World – a trip must have!
Liberty Tree tavern restaurants review
Top 10 tips on travelling to Walt Disney World with children
Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House review
How our last Disney trip cost just £197!
Top 5 reasons to visit ‘Ohana restaurant at Polynesian Resort
Make savings and save book seats 72 hours in advance with Virgin Flying Club!
Where to get cheap official Disney merchandise outside of the parks?
Tusker House Animal Kingdom restaurant review
Best stroller rental in Orlando?
Manchester Airport Hotel & Parking – Clayton Hotel review
Manchester Airport Hotel & Parking – Premier Inn Runger Lane South review
5 things I disliked about our last Disney Cruise
Crystal Palace Magic Kingdom restaurant review
Disney Free
Top 10 tips on how to get the most from your FREE Disney Dining plan!
How we got our Disney accommodation for FREE!
Top 5 things to do in Florida with kids (besides Disney!)
1 Comment
[…] in Clermont. However since staying onsite for just 4 nights for our Disneymoon back in 2015 at Animal Kingdom Lodge and then in 2018 at Old Key West we are now hooked. Things are just sooo much easier being so close […]