We traveled back to Disney this past September and I think I was even more excited than my kids this time around. Mostly because I knew where we were staying. I have dreamed of staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge since I was little. I love animals and one of my bucket-list trips was to go on an African Safari. That hasn’t happened (yet), 🙂 so this was the closest thing to it. The thought of looking down outside of our balcony and seeing animals roam the Savana was like a dream come true for me.
We stayed in the 1 Bedroom Villa with a that included 1 King-Size bed, 1 Queen-Size sofa sleeper, 1 Sleeper chair and an 807 sqft balcony overlooking the Savana. It also had a full kitchen and washer/dryer.
We didn’t tell the kids where we were staying until we got there so they were shocked to see real animals roaming around. After researching the resort we discovered that there were so many things to do there, so on our first day, rather than heading to the parks we decided to relax and enjoy the resort for all its beauty. We stayed at Kidani Village, which is separate from the Jambo House. Both overlook Savanas so we did explore both sides of the resort and both were gorgeous.
Our most memorable moments came from our giant-sized balcony overlooking the Savana. We sat outside with the kids, watched the sunset and the kids used the Animal Spotting Guide to check off all the animals they saw roam by.
Because we travel with food allergies we always opt for rooms with a full kitchen so that we can cook my son’s specialty foods and take it with us if needed. We also love having the washer and dryer. Everyone always asks if I actually wash clothes and the answer is YES! It makes unpacking so much easier when you can come home with a suitcase full of clean clothes.
The resort itself is an attraction. They have everything from smores at the fire pit to movies in the living area, night vision goggles at the Savana and fun activities for kids like cookie decorating, scavenger hunts, slime making, face painting and even making the animals food! Next time, we plan on spending one full-day just exploring the resort.