Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is currently only open to Disney Vacation Club members. Through renting points from a Disney Vacation Club member I had the opportunity to stay at Jambo House in a studio this past November.
Animal Kingdom Lodge has two separate resorts essentially. Jambo House was built first and is the main resort. It includes both DVC villas as well as regular guest rooms. Kidani Village was built later but is exclusively a DVC resort. Cash guests can book a room there through Walt Disney Travel as well but its mainly the place for DVC members. At this moment due to the pandemic and demand only the DVC rooms at Jambo House are available for guests.
As I noted, I stayed in a studio this past November for what would have been the runDisney Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend. That race weekend was canceled due to the pandemic. Upon arriving at Animal Kingdom Lodge I was greeted by cast members outside but as I moved inside it was like a ghost town. The DVC rooms at Jambo House only account for a very small number of the overall rooms at the resort. I had a 5th floor room which is where the DVC villas are at Jambo House.
A DVC studio rooms is very much like a normal hotel room. There is a queen sized bed and a pullout couch. In the normal hotel rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge you would have two queen size beds and no couch. The aspect I was most excited for with this stay was having a savannah view. There is nothing like having animals right outside your room. Now at times those animals can be noisy but it is still amazing. Upon my first step out on the balcony I could already see a giraffe just standing underneath a tree.
Another difference with the studio rooms is the kitchenette. You have microwave, toaster, separate sink, coffee pot, and dining utensils such as plastic and paper plates, forks, and napkins. Overall the room for just me was perfect. I did not need anything more in that room. The view was fantastic and it was clean and comfortable throughout my four night stay.
Going back to the rest of the resort as I said before it is very quiet. Jambo House has an incredible grand lobby which takes your breath away when you see it. At the back of it are large glass windows overlooking the savannah. While the quiet and serene aspect is great for a relaxing vacation the biggest thing current lacking is amenities. Jambo House and Kidani Village both have feature pools and great ones at that. DVC members can use both of them. On this stay I didn’t end up going to the pool but did walk around one morning to take a look. Next time I stay here I will definitely be taking advantage. Dining is where this resort is currently lacking. At Jambo House when I was there only the pool bar was open and only during the weekend. Kidani Village does have the incredible Sanaa which the Crescent Lake Club did dine at one night as well as the gift shop which sells grab and go food. Outside of what was available at Kidani which can be a hike to go back and forth to nothing else was available.
In non-pandemic times, Jambo House has Boma, Jiko, The Mara, and the Victoria Falls Lounge. At this time none of those things are open and we have no reopening dates. Now I understand why they don’t open these but even just having The Mara open for grab and go offerings would have been great. Thankfully, I managed without but overall this was my biggest issue with my November stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge. More things not currently offered are things like dining with animal specialists, and the Wanyama safari and dinner.
My friends who I was on this trip with had rented a car so they would often pick me up and drop me off after our days at the parks but they were not staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge. I did utilize busing a couple times and it was not my favorite experience. When heading to Epcot on day one it was quite a wait to get a bus to Epcot. I had similar issues with Animal Kingdom which confused me considering Animal Kingdom is the closest park. It was clear they did not have as many buses running to Animal Kingdom Lodge at this point. Hopefully this has improved since.
Overall, Animal Kingdom Lodge is a gem. It is not the best located deluxe resort by any means and amenities are currently lacking but when things come back I will be without a doubt. I typically visit every trip just to go to Sanaa. Waking up and sitting on the balcony watching the sun rise and the animals make their way out onto the savannah is something I could do for a lifetime. If you have the means I highly recommend a stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge. My biggest recommendation would be to hold off until more is open at this resort. However, if you are okay with limited dining offerings and amenities go ahead and stay there as soon as possible.
So, have you been to Animal Kingdom Lodge and what do you think of this Walt Disney World deluxe resort?
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