Reviews

Resort Review: Animal Kingdom Lodge

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WDW Park Planners Rating: 

Location: Animal Kingdom Park Area

Resort Category: Deluxe Resort

Our family has stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge twice over the years, and each time it did not disappoint. This top-tier resort is one of the best Walt Disney World has to offer. Having your morning coffee on the balcony while watching the giraffes pass by is truly breathtaking. You never know what you’re going to see when you look out your bedroom window – the animals are always moving and changing based on the time of day. It never disappoints, and you really do feel like you’ve been transported to the Serengeti.

The resort itself is great, but if you’re going to stay there, you definitely want a savannah-facing room. Half the fun is coming back to your room after a day at the parks and just relaxing while you watch the animals roam.

The rooms themselves are nice and the resort also has some great restaurant options. We’ve tried Sanaa and it was delicious – it also has great views of the savanna, although we went for dinner in January and it was dark already! The property also has viewing areas for the animals which are fun and educational, especially since they always have an animal expert stationed out there to talk and answer questions.  

Our family highly recommends this spot to anyone. The animals aren’t just for the kids – the grown ups love them too!

WDW Park Planners Tip:

The one “con” of this property is that it’s a bit farther away from most of the parks. It’s a short bus ride to Animal Kingdom which is convenient, but our family usually only spends one day at that park (maybe two now with Pandora). One of our family trips was split between the Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Beach Club, which was a great way to do it. A few nights at AKL was perfect, and then we resort hopped to a better location for the other WDW parks!

Planning Tips

Top 5 Must Do Attractions at Animal Kingdom

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Animal Kingdom is unlike any other of the WDW parks. It’s almost 5x the size of Magic Kingdom and it definitely feels that way when you trekking from one attraction to the next. It can be tough to navigate, especially for someone like me who struggles with their sense of direction (and I’ve been there dozens of times!).

That being said, some of the best attractions at WDW can be found at Animal Kingdom. It’s worth a visit if you can squeeze it in to your vacation.  I’ve pulled together our family’s top 5 must do attractions that we make sure to hit every time…

5. Kilimanjaro Safaris

Hop in a safari jeep as you’re whisked away to the serengeti! This family-friendly ride is so much cooler than seeing animals at the zoo. We were able to ride the safari twice this past August, and both times were unbelievable. We saw SO many animals – they were all out and about, and the giraffes even got close to our jeep! Morning is the better time to ride than the afternoon since the animals are more active, but now Animal Kingdom offers night safaris which we hopefully will be able to do soon!

WDW Park Planners Recommendation: for all ages!


4. Festival of the Lion King

Who doesn’t love the Lion King?! This Broadway-esque stage show is one of the best shows in all of WDW. The talent is always unbelievable but unlike a Broadway show, it’s interactive. Sing along to all of your favorite music from the movie while the kids get to join in a parade with the performers. I hadn’t gone to this one in a few years, but when we went this past summer, it was better than I remembered. It’s a good break from the heat, too, if you’re going in the summer.

WDW Park Planners Recommendation: for all ages!


3. Dinosaur

The ride Dinosaur is one of WDW’s hidden gems and one of the most “quotable” rides. Without being a coaster, it’s still a thrill rides with lots of sharp turns, drops, and startling moments – and it’s in the dark. Dr. Grant Seeker sends you back to the time of the dinosaurs in a time rover. Your task is to rescue an Iguanadon before the meteor strikes and wipes out all dinosaurs.  I honestly could ride this one over and over again without getting sick of it, and best of all there’s usually a short wait!

WDW Park Planners Recommendation: for the “big” kids and adults

Height requirement: 40 in. or taller


2. Expedition Everest

If you like roller coasters, you don’t want to miss this awesome ride. As Disney does best, the theming for this ride is one of my favorites. This coaster takes you on a speeding train through the Himalayan mountains – just watch out for the monster of the Forbidden Mountain. There’s nothing better than screaming “THE YETI” at the top of your lungs as you hurl past the lunging Abominable Snowman.

WDW Park Planners Recommendation: for the “big” kids and adults

Height requirement: 44 in. or taller


1. Avatar Flight of Passage

This new thrill ride blew our minds this past August. We’d all seen the movie Avatar (highly recommend watching it before riding this), and the ride truly transports you directly into Pandora. I was lucky enough to ride it several times (see how we did it in the blog post “Ride Review: Flight of Passage”) and am already looking forward to riding it again.

WDW Park Planners Recommendation: for the “big” kids and adults

Height requirement: 44 in. or taller

Check out the other attractions at Animal Kingdom here!