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5 Reasons to Stay At Animal Kingdom Lodge During Your Next Disney World Trip

Stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge

If you know anything about me, you know I am a Disney fanatic. I mean, I bleed Disney. Recently, my family and I took our third Disney World vacation together and we decided to splurge. Thanks to some deals Disney was offering, we were able to book our bucket list hotel – Animal Kingdom Lodge. This hotel has been a must for our family since we found out about it. It is a bit pricey, but that is why we saved and took advantage of a discount. We just knew we had to stay there. It exceeded all of our expectations and I urge you to book your next Disney World stay there. Here’s why.

AKL Savannah View

The View

Go all in when you stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge – get yourself a Savannah View room. Trust me, just do it. From the moment we walked in to our room, we were thrilled with our selection. From our balcony we could see giraffes, antelope, birds, ankole cattle, and more! We were even provided with a checklist booklet so we could check off the animals as we see them – which the girls LOVED doing every morning and night. There is nothing like waking up and looking out the window to see giraffes having their breakfast. Every morning my husband and I enjoyed our coffee out on the balcony while watching the animals before we got the girls up and ready for the parks. There is nothing like it, and I still dream of those mornings. Peaceful and serene, with a great view!

boma

Boma

I had been told that Boma was a delicious buffet restaurant option at Animal Kingdom Lodge and that you needed to go hungry. Well boy oh boy was that true! We went for breakfast one morning and the food was amazing. Not only that, there were so many options to choose from. I walked away stuffed full. No breakfast will ever compare – and I heard that dinner is amazing as well!

Dining Plan

Dining Plan

You can only partake in the incredible savings and ease of a Disney Dining Plan if you stay in a park resort. I cannot stress enough how much easier this makes your trip – and how much money you can save. We have done the math and we save hundreds when we do use the meal plan. I cannot imagine going to Disney and not doing the meal plan.

AKL Rooms

The Rooms

Not even considering the view, the rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge are amazing. Ours had a double sink, two large beds, a huge TV, and a refrigerator. We actually ended up extending our stay one day so that we could enjoy the hotel room and relax after 5 fun filled days in the parks. The service is amazing, exactly what you would expect from Disney. These are top notch rooms – you get what you pay for, guys.

Animal Kingdom Lodge Kids Activities

Kid’s Activities

Animal Kingdom Lodge has a series of kid’s activities that my girls could not wait to participate in. There are eight different ones and once completed, the kids will all earn a bead. These beads are used to create a necklace for them – and they can all be done in one day. This is the perfect way to keep kids busy if you stay an extra day at the hotel to relax and not go to the parks. My girls still wear their necklaces almost daily. They love telling all their friends about how they earned the different beads.

Now, I know this is one of the more expensive Disney hotels – but I am telling you, stay there at least once.
You will not regret it!

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Sue

Friday 6th of January 2017

AKL is one of my favorite resorts at Walt Disney World. We've stayed here twice and LOVED it both times. Make sure to try the Couscous at Boma. I could exist on that alone!!

MamaSmith

Friday 6th of January 2017

Yes! It was amazing.. too good!

Michaelyn P

Friday 6th of January 2017

This hotel is on my dream list! My husband thinks it is too far from everything, but maybe that is what I like about it! It is it's own little animal centered world and it is such a gorgeous resort! Not to mention Sanaa is the best restaurant I think I've ever eaten at! So yummy! Great post!

MamaSmith

Friday 6th of January 2017

YES! You have to convince him! With the Disney transportation, it is not that far away at all really. And you are super close to Animal Kingdom! You will love it!

T.M. Brown

Thursday 5th of January 2017

We loved staying at Animal Kingdom during one of our stays a few years ago. You hit every point perfectly. Cannot wait to stay again! Great post!

MamaSmith

Friday 6th of January 2017

Thanks! Yes we cannot wait to stay there again either! It really is a great place to go!