Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

SEVENTH LOCATION

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

What is this fancy place?

Jambo! Welcome to the Animal Kingdom Lodge! Hop on board for a trek through the African safari, and spend a night in a tribal lodge with animals grazing outside your window.  The Animal Kingdom Lodge opened in 2001, and is based off of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park, most notably Africa. It is a tasteful representation and amalgam of various African countries and tribes, with exciting features such as a safari, campfires, live music, cultural demonstrations, and a wonderful surplus of native artifacts.

 First Impressions of the Fancy

I hop off the bus and the sound of drums leads me to the lobby and a magnificent, massive ceiling stretches above me. The structure resembles that of a hut, with a thatched ceiling and a beautiful fire pit.  

The hut is cave-like in ways, with bridges and paths leading me to hidden layers and levels, revealing lounges and restaurants and more spectacular design. 

Lower levels to lounges and restaurants

The person who designed The Wilderness Lodge also designed this resort, so the cavernous layout feels similar. And if the Wilderness Lodge is pristine mountainous beauty, then the Animal Kingdom Lodge is unsullied savanna splendor.

A wall made of windows enshrouds the end of the lobby, and outside is a wonderful view of the safari animals. As I explore, it seems there are no shortage of nooks to relax in and view the savannah. According to the website, the lodge is built in a kraal design, an African-village type of circular architecture. The result leads to continuous views of the grasslands, as the savanna quite literally surrounds the lodge (see a kraal model here).

Fancy Writing Spaces?

Oh how I itch to curl up on a sofa in the lobby and write as music plays! But of course, there are no plugs in the comfy, atmospheric lobby; there are no plugs in the lower lounge either, or at the quick-service by the pool.

lounge

comfy sofa

There are really nice armchairs located in the hallways by the guest rooms…but no outlet there either. It seems like I’m crawling all over this resort, and it feels almost like poetic justice that there shouldn’t be a place for a computer amidst wilderness.

Then I stumble back to the lobby and realize that I had somehow missed a seating area earlier, a smallish room with a view of the savannah, lots of seats, and various exhibits. 

There aren’t any plugs by the table, but there is one underneath the couch. I set up and attempt to relax, even though there is a Vacation Club desk behind me, and all sorts of people are looking over my shoulder (or at least, that’s the way it feels).

I finally get settled in, when a cast member comes out. And she has things with her. Things that speak of a fun-filled learning activity, like a huge map of Africa, and little instruments of the rattling variety, and she looks at me peculiarly and ah!…I’m in her spot. I pack up without a word and she sets up a wonderful demonstration as I slink off to find another place.

I resort to the outdoors. I say ‘resort’ because it’s nearly dark and it’s getting cold out, but it's one of the few places I've found a plug, so I set up in a rocking chair in one of the many outdoor viewing areas. The chair isn’t terribly comfortable; it’s sleek so I’m continually trying not to slip off of it, but the view of the safari makes up for everything. Here I am, writing alongside giraffes and wildebeest. And I’m not even in Africa. Pretty fancily awesome writing space.

When I start to see my own breath, and my fingers numbly hit the keys, I pack up and head inside. I didn’t get too much writing done, due to my long search for an outlet, but now that I know where they are, I’ll have to come back and get some more work done.  

If your computer has battery life…then you’ll have a field day with this resort. There are so many places to soak up the atmosphere that it’s almost ridiculous. Ridiculously awesome.

Fancy Details

Oh man, where to even start? I have never taken so many pictures at another resort, but the Animal Kingdom Lodge is teeming with exciting finds.

Xmas tree decoration

Why use railings when you
can use running deer?

Informative displays with exhibits

beaded skirts of the Ndebele people
in South Africa

Mickey's on the floor. There is a giraffe-spotted floor also

 To the left and the right is a display about the large Ijele mask created by the Igbo people. It is 16 feet high and weighs 240 pounds and is carried by a single dancer. This is one of the only masks to be seen outside of Nigeria, and was commissioned for North American exhibition. 

Fancy Extras

Want to view the animals of the savannah at night? No problem, night vision goggles are available at the pool! Want to hop on a jeep and trundle through the lodge’s lands on a wild safari ride? No problem, there are excursions available for your animal-viewing pleasure.

Want to sit around a campfire inside or outside? Perfect, the lodge has both. But what about roasting marshmallows? There’s a campfire for that as well, called the Ashura campfire that operates on a limited basis.