I've always wanted to stay at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge for as long as I can remember. I've read rave reviews about this Disney World resort and many say that this is one of the best resorts to stay at Disney World. Prices aren't cheap, but it's not as expensive as the Grand Floridian. I waited for years for a good deal to come up and one day, I found out about David's Vacation Club Rentals. You can save up to 40% on Disney World resorts as long as you book in advance.

One of the main reasons I wanted to stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge is because you can get a room overlooking the safari with giraffes, zebras, deer and more. Getting the safari room costs extra, but booking through David's Vacation Club Rentals got me a great deal for 3 days.

When you stay at a Disney World resort, you are given a MagicBand. MagicBands are an all-in-one device that lets you enter the parks, unlock your hotel room and buy food and merchandise. This was such a convenient feature of Disney World!

The Lobby

When we arrived at the resort, parking was a breeze and when we walked through the entrance, we were in awe of the beautiful resort. There are two sections to the Animal Kingdom Lodge: Jambo House and Kidani Village. We stayed at the Jambo House and the lobby was much larger compared to the one at Kidani. The decor inside was simply stunning and it really felt like we were in Africa. We checked in and immediately headed upstairs to our room.

The Room

The room was spacious and had a gorgeous view of the safari. We wish we had two beds instead of one queen bed and one sofa bed, but this is the deal we got booking with David's Vacation Club Rentals. We wanted the safari view more than anything else, so this arrangement was fine. The room also came with a little kitchenette, which came in handy when we wanted to warm up some of our leftovers from the Sanaa Restaurant. What we really enjoyed was the view from our balcony. Waking up every morning to see the giraffes and zebras was simply amazing.

Our spacious room at the Animal Kingdom Lodge with safari view

Incredible view of the safari from our room

The Disney Conservation fund (DCF) helps protect zebras

A giraffe getting close to the hotel's balconies

The Activities

There are also a number of activities throughout the day that made for a very entertaining stay. Most of the activities were geared towards the younger guests, such as Drum Cafe and African Face Painting, but they also had plenty of adult activities like the Cultural Tour of Sanaa, Night Vision Animal Viewing and Meet a Savanna Guide. We had the pleasure of speaking with Remsi, a Cultural Representative from Tanzania. He was very friendly and knowledgeable about all the animals on the safari and informed us that some of the animals are rescues and that Disney also supports wildlife around the world. He also explained to us about the different animals at each of the safaris, their characteristics, and where they were from.

ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE www.thetravelpockets.com

The Pool

We spent most of Sunday lounging around the pool, since we wanted to relax after a long day of visiting all 4 Disney World parks in one day. There is a nice bar area and plenty of seating surrounding the pool. We had some margaritas and ordered a sandwich. Everything was delicious and it was so convenient to pay everything with our MagicBand. There was also a jacuzzi area, a safari outlook section, and an area full of beautiful flamingos.

The Dining

There are a number of dining options at both resorts including quick-service, themed, and fine dining. In the mornings, we grabbed breakfast to-go at The Mara. The Mara had plenty of options like pastries, parfaits, sandwiches, waffles, flatbreads and more. The best part about The Marra, was that it had convenient operating hours from 6 am to 1:30 am. We enjoyed drinks at the beautiful Victoria Falls Lounge and also had a great lunch at the unique Sanaa restaurant where you can view safari animals while you dine. We wanted to try Boma for dinner but had too much to eat at Sanaa, so we weren't hungry for a buffet. If you want to dine at one of these restaurants, we recommend making reservations to avoid the long wait times.

Conclusion

Our three day stay at the Animal Kingdom Resort was incredible. We could have stayed an entire week and would have enjoyed every minute of it. The resorts at Disney World are an experience like none other.