Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge: Is it Worth the Money? 

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Is experiencing the magic of Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge worth the price tag? World SheBuysTravel and her family stayed at Disney’s African safari themed hotel for three days this summer.  Now she’s returned with a full review.  Here’s what you need to know to decide whether Disney’s Animal Kingdom Hotel is a good fit for your family.

My husband and two college-aged kids spent three nights at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Hotel. Here’s our take on whether it’s worth the money.

Is Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge like a safari hotel?

Yes, it is! The hotel is set on a 40+ acre wildlife preserve. In Jambo House, where we stayed in June, most rooms have balconies. Our balcony faced a grassy savanna where giraffes, zebras, ostriches, and other African animals freely wander. So right from our own room’s balcony, we saw zebras grazing, ostriches wandering, and giraffes elegantly nibbling at the treetops.

My favorite quiet morning: still in pajamas, my husband and I watched animals from our balcony, while we sipped coffee. And our kids slept in. While we didn’t see all of them, the savannas have 200 hoofed animals and almost as many birds.

SheBuysTravel tip: We stayed in Jambo House in June. And the experience really did remind me of an African safari we took last spring. We did not visit Kidani Village, nearby villas that are a separate party of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Hotel.

The Lobby of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Hotel

I loved the huge, airy, and dramatic lobby of Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge. A wall of picture windows faces the savanna.  And we appreciated that the lobby had plenty of comfy chairs and sofas for meeting up. Plus, the lobby had nooks and crannies off the sides. Like terraces with rocking chairs overlooking the wildlife savanna, or a cozy area with sofas and African artifacts. So it was easy to find a quiet spot for downtime.

Is Animal Kingdom Lodge worth the money? Well, in a fun, noisy place like Disney World, it’s nice to come home to a quiet place to chill out and relax.

African artifacts at Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge

Some rain at Disney in June was my chance to check out the lobby displays.  I saw authentic carvings, jewelry, and masks from a variety of African countries. And in a quiet nook with comfy sofas, we saw African safari photographs taken in the 1920’s and 30’s by Americans.

Wow, it’s truly like a museum.

In fact, a colorful 16-foot sculpture dominates the lobby of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Hotel. Despite the sculpture’s 240 pound weight, the artist designed it as a dancer’s headdress!

Activities for kids at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Hotel

In addition to the splashy fun of the huge pool area, the Hotel offers specific activities for kids. Activities like cookie decorating and face painting. And also fun educational activities, like a drum circle lesson. Or learning about the animals who wander the savanna outside the hotel.

The big list of activities posted in the lobby was all good news for families looking for indoor fun on a rainy day — and makes Animal Kingdom Lodge well worth the money. Or a quieter afternoon following a morning in the parks. (And for bigger kids like mine, visiting the gym was a good way to work off some Disney treats.)

Convenient transportation at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

During our 3 night, 4-day stay in June, we relied entirely on Disney transportation. First, Disney Express drove us from the airport and back again.  Second, during our stay, we relied on buses to the parks. Those stopped directly in front of the hotel. While we always left extra time in case we needed to wait 10 or 15 minutes for the bus, we never needed a car during our entire Disney stay. Bonus: when it came time to leave, we learned of an extra convenience. Right in the lobby, we checked our luggage with TSA, to be loaded directly onto the plane.

Casual and Fine Dining

My family tried all 3 restaurants at Jambo House in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. When we first arrived, we grabbed salads and sandwiches for lunch from Mara, the informal cafeteria beneath the lobby.

I usually skip breakfast. But my husband and kids so enjoyed the elaborate breakfast buffet at Boma, I joined them one morning. Boma has an open kitchen specializing in delicious grilled meats, meat carving stations, yogurt & fixings, and dishes from dozens of African countries. But we also ate more traditional American breakfast food, like pastries, pancakes, and the omelet bar. And it was fun to watch cooks and pastry chefs working.

We splurged one night on Jiko, the more formal upscale restaurant in Jambo House. It serves foods from both African and European countries. My favorite was the extensive South African wine list. Since portions were huge, I had an appetizer as my main course.

SheBuysTravel tip: Boma’s buffet breakfast was $27 per adult in June, slightly less off-season. For kids aged 3-9, the seasonal range is about $14-19. In addition, there were restaurants at the nearby Kidani Village section of the Hotel that we did not explore.

Savanna view room

Our savanna view room at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge cost $500 in June. To save money, we squeezed all 4 of us into the 2 Queen-sized beds in one room. And depending on your family, that might also work for you. Other alternatives include rooms with 2 king-sized beds, one Quee, and twin-sized bunk beds.

Is Animal Kingdom Lodge worth the money?

Since most of our time was spent at the Parks, and lingering over dinner, the 4 of us were fine squeezing into a single room. And all 4 of us enjoyed a peaceful time on our private balcony, watching the animals wander by.

But rooms without savanna views are less expensive. And since private balconies are only one way to watch the savanna, a room without a savanna view might work. For example, we also enjoyed watching the animals from the public stone walkway that juts into the savanna, and from rocking chairs on the staircase terraces that overlook the savanna.