Just got back from a lovely stay at Jambo House. We took advantage to the low season discount offers and stayed Club Level king on the zebra trail with great savannah view. Our room was not immediately ready, but check in was a breeze with excellent service delivered by Cast Member Chris. I was surprised they are not allowed to take tips, but we put in a good word to the manager.

Room decor was relaxing, bed was firm, and nightly turndown service came with a charming quote card and chocolates on the pillow. We could not hear hall or inter-room noise unless there was a child tantrum going on. I know there are a lot of complaints about dim lighting, but we did not find it to be an issue. More annoying is that the exhaust fan and lighting are on the same switch making it difficult to hear what else is going on in the room. The H2O toiletries were fantastic and water pressure in the shower was one of the best I have had in a hotel.

Club Level food was decent though we only nibbled on fruit for breakfast. Oatmeal, yogurt, pastries, toast, quinoa, sodas, and milk were also available. Great tea and juice selections and the espresso machine was outstanding. You can get South African beer and wine all day on request, and we particularly enjoyed the Tusker Lager. My only criticisms are the lack of protein in the morning (cheese and nuts would have been appreciated) and the water was really awkward to pour out of the large Evian bottles. It is a shame the open lounge overlooks the lobby instead of a Savanna.

The Sunrise Safari was the highlight of the trip and we got some amazing shots. It was worth staying Club Level to be able to participate in this experience and our guide Amanda was excellent. The female ostrich with the male coloring started to attack the vehicle which was scary and hilarious! Wanyama Safari was okay and worth doing once, but we should have scheduled it for our first rather than last night. I loved walking the property anytime of day to take in the animals and atmosphere, especially talking to staff. The night vision goggles were pretty cool also.

We were the first and last stop on the Magical Express with Pop Century and Caribbean Beach making up the other resorts on the trip. It took an hour and 20 from boarding the bus to arriving at AKL and just about an hour to get to the airport. Bus transportation was efficient to all of the parks and we never waited more than 15 minutes. We usually had at least one person in a wheelchair or ECV, and the drivers seemed to treat them and their companions with care, attention, and efficiency.

The day we intended to spend at the pool wound up being a bit ugly, but we had a great time relaxing in the hot tub our last night (should have done this sooner!). It looked like they had a lot of fun poolside activities for the kids as well as an arcade, playground, and nighttime cartoons. We also had massages at the health club which were average, at best. I would opt for Saratoga or Grand Floridian when they finish it up if you want anything more than a relaxing "me time" massage.

We loved Sanna for lunch and it was a short, enjoyable walk to Kidani from Jambo. Breakfast buffet at Boma was very good with some authentic options. Our experience at Jiko was tasty, but as it was part of the Wanyama safari, it was served as a fixed family style menu. I would like to go back and experience it as a regular dinner because what we sampled was amazing and I want more!

We generally do not like to stay in the same place twice and I feel we got the best out of the resort for the time we had. We will defiantly visit again for Jiko and may consider staying there after checking out a few other Disney resorts on our list.

Just spent a short time at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I think they expect that every visitor
is a potential member of Al-Qaeda. Check-in was a full 20 minutes. Then buying tickets for the park, another 20 minutes. And they did it wrong, marking a child's ticket as an adult.
What's the big deal? When you get to the park in addition to the bag check, adults have to do a finger print scan. Total Nonsense.
I went back to fix this at the front desk but when I realized it was a learning experience for all employees and would take 1/2 an hour, I gave up. The staff kept blaming the database.
Food is rather inferior in anything but the best resort restaurants. Yet, you will pay top dollar. Sanaa was a good experience. Chicken was very dry but still okay, shrimp very good.
I haven't been to Disney in 23 years. It's so bureaucratic. I want to spend time in the
park NOT at the hotel front desk!

The Animal Kingdom Lodge at Disney is our most favorite place to stay on Disney property. Although you do have to take a bus to get to any parks, the resort makes up for all of that. Our most recent stay at this resort was in January of 2012 for Disney's Marathon weekend.

The decor in the Lodge is warm and welcoming. The lobby is vast with huge windows in the back overlooking the savannah. The colors are mostly browns, tans, and oranges - very muted. The lighting isn't very bright in the hallways but fits in with the overall feeling.

In the lobby you there is a fireplace and down one level to the right you will find the Victoria Falls Lounge. There is an indoor waterfalls to fit the entire theme of this lounge. Go down one more level and you will find two very popular eating places Jiko (The Cooking Place - a more formal place to enjoy dinner) and Boma (an informal buffet open for breakfast and dinner)

You can exit the lobby and go outside to a welcoming firepit complete with rocking chairs and many viewing areas to enjoy the animals out on the savannah. You will usually find a cast member by the animals who knows quite a bit about the animals and their habits. Take the time to talk to one of these staff members. Many of them are from Africa and have some interesting stories to share.

Our room was on the Disney Vacation Club Level and we had a studio suite which consisted of one Queen bed and a pull out sofa. Only my husband and myself were on this trip so the room was just the right size. The double sinks have their own section apart from the toilet and bathtub/shower. We also had a small area with a fridge, microwave, and toaster. Our room had a view of the savannah. During the colder times, you will not always see a lot of animals out and about. This is especially true in the early colder mornings. We did not spot one animal any morning of our stay but we were always up pretty early and it was still cold outside by Florida standards.

Our room was spotless and the bed was very comfortable. There was a small balcony outside of our room with two chairs where we were able to view some animals during the warmer afternoon hours when they were out and about.

By the pool, you will find Mara - a quick service place to eat. There is also a bar by the pool. The excersise room is state-of-the art. Seriously good for a hotel - like a small well stocked gym and kept very clean.

Even if you don't have a room with a savannah view, you can still enjoy the animals as there are many public viewing areas along each of the floors for guests to use.

Each time we stay in this resort, we feel relaxed and transported to something out-of-the-ordinary.

If you are traveling with children be sure to ask about some of the special programs they hold throughout the day. I have seen children do rubbings of animals, learn how to recognize animal prints, and other assorted things to go along with the Animal Kingdom theme.

My wife and I (24 and 25 years old) stayed there a week from 1/25/12-2/1/12. First, let me mention that we are Florida Residents and Annual Passholders, so we did get a discounted rate for the hotel (especially it being value season!). We originally requested a king bed, savanna view on the 2nd floor.

Check-in was fine, however they couldn't get us a king or a 2nd floor room, but said it would be available the next day. First night we were on the 4th floor in a savanna room (directly across Kidani Village's Sanaa restaurant. My wife saw some animals and thought it was great. The next day we were transfered to a Arusha Savanna view on the 2nd floor by Zebra's Trail (king bed)! THIS VIEW WAS AMAZING! My wife loved the animals and the animal keeper saw her out on the balcony and put the lettuce in the trees right by our window so she could have a closer view of the giraffes. Very nice.

Rooms are pretty normal hotel rooms, nothing fantasy or 'Disney' about it, but they are clean. The hotel itself is very clean, you won't smell the animals. The lobby in beautiful, however I feel it was missing the 'Disney' touch. Where is Mickey in Safari gear or any character paintings? The only Mickey and Disney items are in the hotel shop.

Staff was very friendly, my wife just discovered pin trading and she annoyed everyone there, but they did it with a smile lol.

The property is beautiful and you can see the animals on countless places (they have observation decks with binoculars and even night vision goggles at night). Some restaurants also have a view of the Savanna.

Boma was great for BREAKFAST as it's a buffet and was responsibly priced. We had the dinner buffet there once, it was pretty good, but nothing to repeat. We had breakfast 5 out of the 7 days at Boma though. Breakfast would be fine for children, but the dinner was lacking in the kid's food department.

We tried Sanaa the first night, the food wasn't bad at all, but it's not our thing (very African/Indian type style), so we didn't enjoy it too much. Also it was packed so it took us a while to get served. The menu is decently sized but if your not adventurous in your food, then you might want to pass. They apparently do accommodate children as I saw a few eating a pizza, however if we had kids I don't think we would take them there. It's not too kid friendly.

We passed on Jiko because of the menu, as the only thing we would really have wanted was the Filet Mignon which was $43.

The Mara is there quick service downstairs, we ate there for lunch a few times and to get snacks. It's easily the best place to eat if you have kids, they have burgers, sandwiches, pizza, milks, cereal, salads, etc. The food was very very good. If you buy the souvenir cup, you can have free refills at the restaurant the entire trip.

NOTE: Room Service is only until midnight and the Mara closes at 11:30, during that 30 minute time, the R.S. menu is very limited. Don't bother unless you want a special desert or shrimp, I ordered a burger the first night and then the next night I went to the Mara. Same burger, $7 more if you order through Room Service. SO make the walk if you can.

The pool is nice and we went in once, but it was way too cold. The hot tub is nice as well.

As for the bus system, we went during a time that wasn't really busy, but the longest ride took maybe 20 minutes? We didn't mind it at all. We used the buses the entire trip.

My parents and my two younger sisters (13 and 15) came by to see the room and the animals; the animals were a huge hit! They loved it. We are actually planning on saying at Kidani Village later this year!

Overall this is a wonderful property. I liked it, my wife LOVED it. Seeing the animals outside your balcony is very cool, but I prefer the whole Disney experience, which I thought was lacking some in the hotel. IF this is for adults and teenagers, definitely go, if you have small children that won't get a huge kick out of the animals, or will get bored after 25 minutes or so, then go to another Disney property