Staying in Disney World’s Best Resort - Honest Review

Since it opened in 2001, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge has stood as a spectacular piece of engineering and thematic design. It also offers some of the most unique room types which overlook a real African savannah. But, it's also very expensive... So today let's find out if it's worth the money!

Main Channel - @BrightSunFilms

Chapters:
Opening - 0:00
History - 0:28
Room Tour - 1:48
Hotel Amenities & Design - 6:03
Drawbacks & Room Types - 13:25
Price - 15:36
Score & Final Thoughts - 17:26

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Bright Sun Travels 2024

Presented in 4k

[ageoflove]

Completely agree. This is what you would expect as a theme park hotel: An extention and continuation of the park itself, not just a place to sleep.

[Skip_Andrew]

As someone who has worked at this resort, thank you so much for referencing the cast and especially our wonderful cultural representatives! They are truly what makes this resort so special. One thing I'd love to add for anyone interested, the art you mentioned is something we love to represent and we actually hold tours regularly showcasing them. Apparently, it's the largest collection of African art on display in the entire country (though the Smithsonian does have us beat but we actually display all of ours) so definitely check out as much as you can since it truly is authentic pieces from Africa!

[halfghostgirl]

I think one of the things that makes this Disney hotel the best is the lack of Disney in the hotel.

[flacht_]

Honestly, I’m loving having these book sponsorships. It’s so unique and I just love the sponsorship of smaller folks rather than a big company!

[kittylaroux]

I will likely never stay at a Disney resort, yet I will watch every review video Bright Sun puts out.

[meggy]

I luckily worked for a Disney subsidiary years ago and got a massive discount on my stay at Animal Kingdom lodge, I never would have been able to afford it otherwise. It truly is a beautiful hotel, and seeing the animals at sunset is magical, and I'm so glad you enjoyed it too, was nice to feel like I was back there.

[rowanalexandriabennett]

So glad for my book to be a small part of the Bright Sun family again! What stands out about these truly excellent Disney products is their intentional restraint of using IP, just letting good things stand on their own. I feel Disney has trouble differentiating between inspiration and wallpapering these days.

[ldmc]

My family stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge in 2013.

We booked one of the non-savanna rooms, and while I'm sure it wasn't cheap, I'm pretty sure that it was in the $300-$350 range (else we wouldn't have stayed there. +$500 a night for a room? No way). Well, some weeks or month before vacation, my father called to see if we could add two days (he was able to get off work earlier), and we did. So we arrived, checked in, and the cast member mentioned something like "oh cool, so you're staying in a savanna room?" and we were like, "uh... we are?" Somehow our added-days update caused some weird magic that upgraded our room and not the cost.

Although it stormed about half the late-afternoons that we stayed (and I was terrified of storms back then), it was an absolutely amazing experience. Chances are we'll never stay there again, but that's solely because of its cost now and not its quality.

End of story. Amazing video. Big fan. So long and thanks for all the fish!

[UchihaKat]

My epxerience seeing this video:

*Sees headline* Okay... Sure.
*glances at picture and realizes which resort it is* Oh, you made the correct choice.

Animal Kingdom Lodge is def the most amazing of the disney resorts. Though Yacht and Beach Club will always have a special place in my heart for their amazing pools and boardwalk location.

[John_Locke_]

I get so excited when there's a new Bright Sun Travel video. These never dissapoint.

[jec]

As someone married to a South African and who has been to Africa multple times, I can attest to AKL being the closest thing in North America to actually being in Africa, and the new rooms bring it even closer. Also that if you go to the more adventurous stations at Boma, they do taste accurate to how they taste in a high-end resort on the continent. The most obvious miss is really that they don't sell biltong!

[RankingTheMouse]

Jambo House Lobby is truly one of the greatest hotel lobby's in the world. While the rooms aren't elite, the rest of the resort more than makes up for it, & it's one of the very few theme park resorts where you could EASILY fill multiple full days without ever stepping foot in the Parks. As always, great review Jake 👏 your honesty & transparency with the bad makes the praise that much more beautiful

[atsunome]

Me: “Woah, this resort is so cool and detailed, it’s hard to believe that this is a Disney-“

Jake: “And high prices”

Me: “there it is.”

[Nobrabra]

I hope the animals can sleep at night with those spotlights on them lol

[CourtCarter]

We have not stayed there, but have dined there many times. I will never forget taking my parents there in 2023. They had not been to Disney in over 20 years, and had only ever been to two parks. My husband and I took them to AKL to have breakfast at Boma. It was in early January, so the tree was still up. I will never forget the shock on their faces as they stepped out of that foyer into the lobby. They literally both stopped in their tracks and looked up. You could see the awe in their faces. We spent quite a bit of time roaming around after our breakfast. It's a truly gorgeous resort.

[mattmoore]

We will be staying here in August and after watching this video, makes my hyped to experience this place for myself.

[liannemk]

Will confirm that Jiko is one of the finest restaurants in Disney, with an excellent South African wine selection if you’re into wine. Well worth the “special occasion” pricing.

[amandavanderzee]

I stayed here with my grandparents and cousin in 2006. It was the most magical hotel experience I have ever had. We spent the first hour and a half just looking at all the art and details around the hotel. I had previously stayed at the Grand Floridian and Animal Kingdom Lodge was just a way more fun experience.

[angelicaperez]

I think you make excellent points about all the hotel amenities! The only thing I disagree with is your opinion on carpets in hotel rooms. I know it's not as cozy, but it I think it's a much more hygenic option.

[Tonymanero]

I understand why the price you pay affects how you rate any hotel. My girlfriend and I recently spent 2 nights (midweek/offseason) at a popular Mid-Atlantic oceanfront beach hotel. The cost was $99 per goes up to $599 per night in the summer. So, ..obviously, we just ignored any imperfections.