This was our first stay in a Disney property and we found the Animal Kingdom resort a welcome spot. We liked the African theme decor, the plentitude of resting spots, be it sitting in front of a roaring fire in the lodge or out by the viewing decks, the enormity of the swimming pool and the sense that the lodge provided a respite from the frenzy of activities in greater Orlando. We had a room relatively close to the lodge with a nice view of the grazing giraffes and zebras. The kids loved the bunkbeds and Simba's clubhouse, the onsite childcare. I thought the dark decor and dimmed lighting throughout augmented the intended sense of serenity. The holiday decorations were beautiful.
While I would rate our overall experience excellent, I would not rate our dining at the same level. My six year old son thought the breakfast buffet pancakes tasted like "playdough" (I had a taste and would concur) and our dinner seemed overly seasoned with pepper and the salad was overly dressed.
Without exception, the staff was very knowledgeable and friendly. We'd return to the hotel and would recommend it to a family who wants to experience a full theme resort. We enjoyed our stay.

I have stayed here twice now in different locations, and have never been disappointed. The lighting is too little wattage in the rooms? perhaps, if you are performing surgery. You can hear the powerful flush of the adjacent toilets from time to time, pretend you're in Africa and be thankful there are facilities. If you are travelling with little ones, this place is extremely tough to top. The capacity of the pool is 266, which is sufficient for all but the busiest times, the bar is good, hot tubs are secluded and there is a playground for the kids. Mara is not a bad little cafeteria either. One thing: they do nickel and dime a little by making you pay for the fitness equipment. Overall it smells great, looks great and you can definitely spend the day there without even thinking about the parks and mayhem. The best feature: the smokers have to walk all the way to the far reaches for their accomodations, ironic as I here them wheezing past my door to the lobby. Thanks to all you folks who report on here, it takes all kinds to make a world, and it takes all kinds to rate resorts, even smokers.

We spent 5 nights at Disney last week, November 21, 2004. We spent our last 2 nights at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We are a family of 4 with 2 daughters ages 15 and 12.

There were some things about this hotel we loved. For example: The decor throughout the lodge; Breakfast and Dinner at Bomas; We loved the food at Mara's--for a fast-food restaurant it was wonderful!; There were a lot of activities for both children and adults; The bunk beds for the kids; And, most of all we loved seeing all the animals. We took chance a piece looking out our sliding doors searching for animals. Just got some great pictures back!

However, we didn't think this hotel was worth the price we paid (1 night discounted and 1 night full price for a Savannah view room). The room was not much bigger than the value resort we stayed at earlier in the week. The rooms were so, so dark, you literally couldn't see. The maid just cleaned, didn't even lay the girls animals on the beds, or anything. Didn't display my daughter's birthday cards. The hotel is huge and our room was in another state! The parks especially the Magic Kingdom are very far away. You wait at least 15 minutes for a bus and then it is a 15 to 20 minute ride. The only great place is traveling to the Animal Kingdom.

We are glad we stayed there once and got to see the animals. But, I doubt we will be back. Prefer to splurge on a nicer property.

My boyfriend and I stayed in the AKL prior to our Disney Cruise in March 2004. I have stayed at most of the Disney Resorts, including the Deluxe (Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian, etc.) but this was the first time I didn't want to leave the room! The views were stunning, it was great to wake up in the morning to the sound of an Ankole Cattle family in front of our balcony, and watch the Giraffe swander by. If you are an animal lover, this is the place to go. The food and service at the AKL were execellent, everyone was as pleasant as could be. This is also an execellent learning experience for children, there are "hands-on" with the animals and experts from Africa to answer all your questions. I would highly recommend AKL!!!