Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House Review
Jambo House at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is a themed hotel at Walt Disney World. This review features room photos, thoughts on the ambiance, and our opinion on for whom this resort is best suited. Fair warning: what this review mostly consists of is us gushing about Jambo House.
It should come as no surprise that this review is going to be pretty positive. We praised Kidani Village in our review of that, and Animal Kingdom Lodge ranked as our #1 Deluxe Hotel at Walt Disney World. We’ve stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge a few times in different room categories–including both Disney Vacation Club Studio rooms and standard hotel rooms–so this review is long overdue.
One of the big reasons why we love Jambo House, and Animal Kingdom Lodge as a whole is because it achieves an unrivaled level of cultural and thematic authenticity. It also offers much more than a typical hotel–you could do a long weekend here without ever leaving the resort. Suffice to say, there’s more to Animal Kingdom Lodge than its rooms and amenities–you are actually inspired and educated by the resort…
In our Kidani Village Review, I called it EPCOT Center: The Hotel, and I think that is apt. Both Jambo House and Kidani Village aspire to more than simply transporting guests to a different time and place. The presence of “Cultural Representatives” at the Lodge really drives this home, and free daily tours help gain a greater appreciation for the resort.
Thanks at least in part to this, Animal Kingdom Lodge has developed a reputation as the hotel at which you stay when you want a Walt Disney World trip that emphasizes the resort rather than the parks. It’s a lot like Aulani (Disney’s Resort in Hawaii) in that regard, as a destination unto itself with so much to see and do that you won’t feel you’re missing anything by staying in the resort.
While Aulani and Animal Kingdom Lodge are very different thematically, both share that–and authentic design by Imagineer Joe Rohde and his team–in common. Without question, Jambo House is the resort I’d pick if I were doing a long “no parks” weekend at Walt Disney World.
There’s a flip side to that, though. Disney fans often view Animal Kingdom Lodge as the “no parks” resort because of the perception that it’s isolated, and really far from every park (aside from Animal Kingdom).
As we indicated in our Wilderness Lodge v. Animal Kingdom Lodge post, Jambo House is actually closer to every park than Wilderness Lodge, aside from Magic Kingdom. The same would hold true between Jambo House and any monorail loop resort and while I’m not going to run the numbers on every hotel, I’m betting it’s also true of a few others.
I think this misconception about Animal Kingdom’s distance from the parks lies in two things: the seclusion you feel at the resort and the fact that you have to take a bus to every single park. Being able to take a monorail, boat, or walk to even one park can make a big difference, and break up that feeling that you’re constantly on a bus.
There’s nothing magical about struggling to fold up a stroller to get on a bus, or having a standing room only bus ride during which you and other sweaty tourists are constantly stumbling into one another as the bus starts and stops.
While I doubt Animal Kingdom Lodge will ever shed its reputation as being far from all of the parks, I do think that the opening of Pandora: World of Avatar and Animal Kingdom’s nighttime entertainment will minimize this for a lot of people.
Now, being close to Magic Kingdom or Epcot is the “big deal” for most Walt Disney World guests. Those new offerings should tip the scale towards Animal Kingdom a bit more, especially until the “new attraction smell” of the rides in Pandora wears off.
Okay, let’s jump into the review, starting with a look at the guest rooms…
While the rooms in Jambo House do differ from Kidani Village (I know this because I studied the photos), the differences are minimal to my eye.
I’m sure there’s some deep-cut backstory explaining the significance of these subtle thematic tweaks, but it’s probably not going to be obvious to the average guest.
In fact, I can say that if you showed me photos of each room tomorrow without context as to which was which, I’d have no better than a 50/50 shot at guessing correctly.
At Jambo House, we’re big fans of both the Value Studio (cheapest rooms via Disney Vacation Club) and the Kilimanjaro Club Concierge Rooms (the cheapest way to stay Club Level at Walt Disney World).
In terms of decor, these rooms are really a matter of personal preference. They could be described as drab as the color palette isn’t exactly light and inviting, but I love the look. I think it works perfectly for the resort, and not every hotel needs to have an “uplifting” visual motif.
Moreover, these feel nice while not breaking theme. The Jambo House rooms have a distinct character that stay true to theme without going over the top into garishness. There’s a lot of texture and patterning here, from the detail in the woods to the carpet and in the art on the walls. Jambo House’s rooms work really well.
In a resort where every functional design element also manages to reinforce theme, that’s important. Jambo House’s rooms really offer the best of both words, in my estimation.
A quick glance at these photos will probably give you a pretty good idea as to whether this style appeals to you…
In addition to standard/villa room sizes, Jambo House also offers 1-Bedroom, 2-Bedroom, and 3-Bedroom Grand Villas. Additionally, there are multiple classes of rooms within each size, most notably the savanna view and Kilimanjaro Club.
The latter can actually be booked with Disney Vacation Club points (as a DVC room), and offers the most perks of any Concierge Level experience at Walt Disney World. (We haven’t done it yet, but it’s on our list of things to do.)
We’ve never had a bad view at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Due to the way the resort is laid out, the vast majority of rooms offer a savanna view. We’ve done the savanna view once, and received a pool view 2 other times we’ve stayed at Jambo House. Due to the way the lodge is laid out, maybe around 10% of rooms are going to have a parking lot (or similar) view.
The savanna view does cost extra (in points or dollars), but we feel it’s worth it once, especially for those who will be spending a lot of time in the room. When we did a savanna view room, one morning, absolutely no animals were visible shortly after sunrise. We left for the park and still hadn’t seen anything.
I feel like on days when no animals are out, maybe Disney should send meet & greet performers out there–who else would love to see Rafiki present Simba to Animal Kingdom Lodge guests while standing atop Pride Rock? (No one? Just me? Okay, moving on…) Returning back, the savanna was totally dark, but it was still peaceful to go out on our balcony and sit and relax.
The next morning, same thing with no animals. However, this was our “rest day” so we didn’t head to the park at rope drop. Around an hour after sunrise, there were numerous giraffe outside our room. Seeing two giraffe rubbing necks while I sat there in my pajamas sipping on coffee and watching cat videos on YouTube is an incredibly cool experience that has no counterpart at any other Walt Disney World hotel. (The other takeaway here should be that if you’re only in your room briefly each day, you may never see animals at all.)
This seems like the right point to segue into amenities, starting with that savanna. The significance of this savanna really cannot be over-emphasized. This looks like an African savanna, complete with 30 different species of animals. To have this at a hotel in Florida is pretty mind-blowing.
Fortunately, you do not need to pay extra for a better room view to enjoy it. The huge savanna is right outside Jambo House’s lobby, and you can walk down there (knowledgeable animal experts are available throughout walking trails) or even watch from rocking chairs located on lobby balconies.
Even setting this aside (which is an odd, arbitrary thing to do), Animal Kingdom Lodge would rank near the top of Walt Disney World’s resorts. This is thanks to the rich theming throughout Jambo House. Animal Kingdom Lodge is one part stunning design crafted by the Imagineers and one part authentic pieces on display, including the largest African art collection in the United States.
There are so many hidden nooks and crannies throughout Animal Kingdom Lodge that you’re virtually always discovering something new. On a recent stay, I got lost trying to go back to our room (you laugh, but the hallways are long and sometimes confusing) and after walking in the wrong direction on our floor, I randomly stumbled into a little alcove that had several pieces of art and chairs. There was no reason for this to exist where it was, and I can’t imagine many guests hanging out here, but there it was. A peaceful spot for relaxing. Something tells me this is not the only such spot hidden down random hallways at Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Then there’s the dining. Thanks to its lineup of The Mara, Victoria Falls Lounge, Boma, and Jiko (and Sanaa if you’re willing to walk), Animal Kingdom Lodge has a well-rounded dining lineup that offers a near best-in-class option at every level. Literally every one of these is B+ quality or better and the diverse lineup offers something for any party or palate.
Beyond the savanna, art collection, stellar napping corners, and dining, there are the expected amenities that you’d find at any Deluxe Walt Disney World resort, from a pool with water play area, to a fitness center, etc. If you’ve researched hotels at Walt Disney World, you know the basics.
I know pools are a big deal for a lot of families, and Jambo House’s is solid. It’s a large, lush, and has a nice play area. Personally, I think it lacks a hook or defining characteristic that makes it stand out as compared to the elite pools at Walt Disney World. Your mileage may vary.
Overall, Animal Kingdom is one of our favorite resorts at Walt Disney World, and Jambo House is our preferred wing of the lodge (over Kidani Village), making it truly the creme de la creme. It’s unrivaled thematically, offers a treasure trove of details to explore, the most well-rounded dining options of any hotel, and is priced below most other Deluxes. Even before considering the savanna, it’s competitive for best overall resort at Walt Disney World. The savanna pushes it over the top. Only weak transportation options give us any pause about recommending it. Even with that, we are pretty comfortable saying that this is the objectively-best hotel at Walt Disney World.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Do you agree or disagree with our take on Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House? Are you a fan of this resort? Think it’s one of the best hotels at Walt Disney World, or does its location hurt it too much for you? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
We stayed here in Jan 2017.
On the night we arrived we requested that someone from housekeeping check the room for bedbugs as we know there is a problem with them in the US. The housekeeping manager came with a pest controller and turned the beds upside down checking them. The pest controller was very chatty and said he had many years’ experience in the industry. He also sprayed an ant infestation in the bath and told us the ants would not come back.
We had bites during the first few nights of our stay but assumed this was a mosquito or something since we had reassurance from the pest controller about bedbugs. On the 5 night of our stay we came home from the park and found a bedbug on the wall and ants in the bath.
We were moved to a new room that night at the opposite end of the hotel. However that night we woke up itching with fresh bites.
Had a terrible ordeal and lost 3 days and nights of our holiday just dealing with this. One of the days we were forced by night manager Wendy to stay all night till 8 am sorting our belongings out (22 trash bags were sent to be heat treated)!
They moved us to a third room in Kidani Village.
Night manager Wendy was especially horrible, gave us false promises regarding keeping a room locked for us so we could come back and check for our stuff, but when we came back the next day the room had been turned upside down.
He also intimidated me and my 2 children in the middle of the night, he forced us to come to the second room at 2am in the far end of the hotel, then refused to talk to us and walked off leaving us stood there. Then he came back with a security guard, and when we asked him what was going on said, ‘Wendy is the boss. We do what Wendy tell us.’
Wendy also let slip that they deal with 2 bedbug cases per week in this hotel and that they had another case as well as ours while we were there!
Stay away from this hotel, especially rooms 2502 and 2581 in Jambo and 7834 in Kidani.
We were very worried about bringing the bed bugs home, and when we were there they said ‘don’t worry, we will look after you even when you are back home, you are dealing with Disney!’ However when we tried to get in contact with them from home they refused to give us any advice on what to do with our stuff and will only talk about our claim for compensation. So 2 months later we still have our luggage in suitcases in trash bags, we feel abandoned, isolated and traumatized.
I agree with everything in this review! My stay at AKL quickly made it my favorite resorts. 2 things that shouldn’t be overlooked here: 1, some of the rooms have bunk beds which is a really great feature when you have two kids; 2, there are so many activities beyond just the usual resort amenities. AKL has several different cultural activities throughout the day that offer fun and educational programs. These are geared toward kids but I’d be lying if I didn’t enjoy them just as much as my 5 year old did. A lot of the activities are labeled “bead” activities so that the kids can earn a bead for each program they attend/complete. Here is where I totally agree with the AKL = EPCOT Center. We learned so much about African culture and animals on our trip. I wish I knew all of this before we booked because I would have added another resort only day. Needless to say, I am in complete agreement about this resort, it is amazing and beautiful and could be a destination unto itself. As always, thanks for the enjoyable read, Tom!
Tom, other than the subtle design differences, why do you prefer jambo over kidani? We stayed at kidani in the past and might try jambo next time. Thank you! -Ryan
I normally agree with pretty much everything you write. However, after our recent stay at AK, I may never stay again. We have stayed there in the past, so, I was prepared for the commute. However, the wait for the busses at both the resort and theme parks (except HS), was ridiculously long. We waited 40 minutes at the resort for a MK bus. I felt like I was back at All Stars . This shouldn’t override the other wonderful amenities the resort offers, but, it sealed the deal for me. Also, we had had some issues with food left in the hallway by our door when we arrived, which was unwelcoming (I only bring this up bc it stayed there a awhile and I noticed the same in other parts of the hallway (meaning, it didn’t get picked up from going out to coming back). I didn’t feel like this was up to par at a deluxe resort. Thanks for allowing me to vent .
I can’t leave without positives…oh, the guilt. Besides the obvious Savanna,the Mara and the pool were A plus!
didn’t they have a boat to get there? i thought i read that.
I first time visited AKL several years ago, when we made dining reservation at Sanaa. At that point we haven’t stayed in any Disney resort yet, and it was my first ever trip to Disney World. As we didn’t have that much of experience with how things worked – we literally got lost on the way to AKL :))) Somehow we took the wrong bus – we were tired after the full day in parks with a fussy 9 yo. I don’t remember what resort the bus was really going to, but the driver was so nice that he told us – just stay on the bus, I will take you there. And he did! Things like this – what stunned me when I first encountered Disney World. To tell the truth (whispering 🙂 – I didn’t even want to go that first time: what would I see there – plastic castle?! My husband who is an American and has visited before as a kid persuaded me to do that trip for our daughter – before she grew up. Since that first trip I am the one who makes sure we (or at least me 🙂 visit “something Disney” every year 🙂
But that time we first got to AKL – I was totally blown away with the design and atmosphere. We walked around while looking for the restaurant and I could not stop thinking – man! people who were able to stay here and see all this all day long – they were so lucky! :)) The dinner at Sanaa was the whole story in itself: the food, the interior – everything, I could not believe how good everything was. Like for the author – for me Animal Kingdom resort is the best place to stay within Disney, especially if not concentrated on the parks.
My family and I stayed at AKL three times and will visit again later this year. It’s a wonderful hotel that appeals to young kids, parents, and grandparents with the pool activities, savanna, food options, and bus transportation to the parks. I actually didn’t think the buses were any less convenient than taking transportation from other Disney Hotels or from Diwntown Disney. As for the pool, it’s one of our favorite parts of the hotel because it’s a zero point entry, has a slide for kids, and is surrounded by beautiful landscaping to appeal to adults.
Katie , what room did you stay in ? Our first time staying at AKL is sept . We are down for I bedroom Jamba standard .
We actually just did AKL club level for four nights as part of a nine-night NYE / Dopey Challenge trip and it was amazing. The food options were unbelievable (I spoiled my appetite each night), and the club was spacious and had a great view of the lobby. I really cannot wait to get back.
Hi we are staying at AKL thus September for 5 nights . We normally stay at Wilderness lodge . My concern is the distance from magic kingdom and Epcot to AKL . Have the buses gotten better? We are staying in the Jamba house one bedroom with a pull out couch and pull out twin bed . Has anyone stayed in this type of room ? I also wondered when’s a good to check back for fall deals?
On our recent 4-night trip we had no long waits for buses to or from AKL. When I was there in August, though, we actually had a 40+ minute wait for a bus from Animal Kingdom to AKL.
Generally, then, I’d say the buses are maybe a little better than they were in the past. All the resorts are equipped with the monitors that give the wait time, so that makes it a bit nicer (though usually you’re only going to have time to pop your head into the store for a few minutes).
I also was thinking maybe bringing some extra money along for cab rides if needed .
I’ve been reading your blogs for the past few weeks prepping for our April trip -we are doing the first part of our trip without the parks and at AKL jambo – now you’ve made us even more excited!! Thank you!! However, I’m now going to wish every morning there starts with simba being presented to me 🙂
I love AKL for most of the same reasons you have stated in your post. We stayed here on our first family trip 6 years ago – a trip which we thought would be the once in a lifetime trip. That stay changed everything for us! We fell in love with the resort for the ambience, the smell (that amazing wood fired scent goes right through the lobby) the food – supper at BOMA is amazing!! And that savannah view – nothing compares to having your coffee on the balcony with giraffes and zebras below you. Now it is our home resort and loving that we get to experienced all of that over and over!
I couldn’t agree more with this post. During our stay, I didn’t get sick of walking into that beautiful lobby and hearing the atmospheric African music. You are always greeted with “Welcome home” and that was exactly how it felt. The staff were incredibly helpful and friendly (I’m sure this is typical of Disney service but we are British and, therefore, always pleasantly surprised by good service ). Before we visited I was in terrible turmoil whether we had made a mistake as I read opinions that suggested transportation was problematic and the resort was isolated. I’m not sure about others’ expectations but we were very happy with the transportation, found it extremely straightforward and frequent and only on a few occasions when we left the parks at closing did we find ourselves on crammed buses. The Magical Kingdom is no more than 22 minutes away (we regularly timed it) and that was the furthest park. In fact, we relished the air conditioning, resting our feet and having a little chat with other visitors from all around the world. We enjoyed having the Animal Kingdom park on our doorstep as we have an 8 year old and 9 year old. Therefore, we were nearly always at the park by rope drop, to get the most out of the day, and would return to Jambo House for a cool off and pool in the late afternoon. On evenings when the children were tired and couldn’t tolerate queues, we could simply pop into The Animal Kingdom for a couple of hours and soak up the atmosphere, watch the street performers and grab some really excellent food (as a vegetarian – please Tom don’t judge my comments based on that! – I found that the Animal Kingdom had the best range of food). Due to close proximity to the hotel, we were back in our rooms in no time once the children were exhausted and needed their beds. We would have no hesitation about going back. Like Tom I could wax lyrical about the savannah, the decor, atmosphere, food, pool, rooms and service. I think I would find it difficult to stay at another Disney hotel that I would be as overwhelmed by.
I am so excited my family recently booked AKL at Kidani Village this fall!!! Cannot wait!! Tom, your review was great for both of the AKL resorts. Where else can you have animals roaming around your resort, the theme, the beauty, the ambiance, the lush pool grounds!!! Will make sure we have a couple days to spend at AKL in-between our park days!!! I would also LOVE to see Rafiki hold up Simba to all guest and so would my kids!!! Not worried about the distance or buses!!!
We first stayed at the AKL on our Honeymoon. I could not recommend it more to newly married couples looking for a relaxing time in the Happiest Place on Earth. My family went back a second time for my fathers 55th birthday and it is our go to for special trips. While I love Port Orleans for the short trips you can not beat AKL. My husband spent time in Africa as a child when his father was doing Doctors Without Borders. He loves to point out the authentic elements of the resort and listening to the guides. How much does the resort stay with you? Jiko’s is our favorite restaurant on property and we visit AKL at least once a year. When driving in the guard greets us with a “Welcome Home,” I always tear up a bit. Jambo House is home.
We stayed at Jambo House on our last visit, in November 2016, after getting an email offer from Disney to “upgrade” our accommodations (we had booked Port Orleans French Quarter) for an extra $44 per night. After running the numbers, we jumped on the offer.
I had heard that Animal Kingdom Lodge was in the middle of nowhere, and so far away from the parks (excepting Animal Kingdom, of course), that I was a bit reluctant to make the switch. In reality, it only added a few minutes to the daily bus ride. It was kind of a shame that we (myself, wife, 7 year old) spent so much time at the parks (park open to park close, with a mid day break for pool time), because it seemed to be a really nice resort, with lots of activities to do at the resort. We had one of those 10% overlooking the parking lot rooms (actually, overlooking the overhand on the way to the bus area), but anytime we wanted to see animals, it was only a 2 minutes walk to the balconies or the overlook off the lobby. We were definitely glad we made the upgrade.
I am concerned about our view in the Jamba house . Standard view one bedroom villa . How close I wonder to the buses and food area? We are going 9-25 fir 5 nights .
We’ve always wanted to stay at AKL, but never wanted to pay for it. Well, in May were going to give it a try via renting DVC points. We’re quite excited!
I have a booking for July (I know, crazy time to go, but can’t be helped) in the Jambo House Deluxe Villas. The room type is a “studio value”, which seemed to me the same as the regular studios, but it was cheaper, and the description said these rooms could have either a standard or savannah view. So I think I am paying less to be willing to take my chances with a view. Does that seem plausible? Tom, or anyone reading this, do you have any experience with this room type? Is this studio smaller than the other villa studios? Or does it have any other downside that I’m not aware of? Looking forward immensely to this stay, and will be very willing to walk to Kidani for a meal at Saana. We went there on your recommendation, Tom, last year & it was wonderful – special trip to the resort just to try Saana, and we will definitely be back!
It is correct. DVC value studios are in this category because they are a bit smaller than regular studios (similar to a standard hotel room). I’ve been in one and I could barely notice the difference, but they are a few sq ft smaller.
Given that the classification is based on size, the value studio are scattered around the resort and have differente views. You could get Savannah, pool or parking lot view. It is not possible to request or influence in any way which view you’ll get: it’s luck of the draw.
FWIW, the photos in this review with the bed closer to the balcony (as opposed to the wall) are from a value studio.
I stayed in the two different styles about 2 months apart, and could not spot any noteworthy differences; I don’t doubt they’re smaller (since DVC says so), but I wouldn’t have been able to tell on my own.
When you do online check-in make one of your room preference request “kudu trail” all the value rooms on kudu trail are savannah view. (I’m pretty sure)
We were able to stay at AKL this past October (2016). It was our first stay at a Deluxe resort as we usually stay at PO-Riverside but were able to get free dining by staying here so the money evened out. We arrived on a beautiful day, way before check-in time so we had a little while to wonder around and to rest in a nook off the lobby. We thought the resort was beautiful. The little things that deluxe resorts have such as the nicer lounge chairs at the pool, the nicer places to eat, more space in the rooms, etc. impressed us. We even had a room with bunk beds for the kids! The art work situated around the resort is very interesting to look at and the views everywhere we turned were such a treat! We paid for a standard view room, and like Mitchell above commented, we overlooked a small savannah along the Kudu Trail in the Jambo House. This smaller area was really neat too, though, because it meant the animals were closer to us. My 12 year-old son sat on the balcony and watched the giraffes while my husband and I napped in the afternoons. Although the rooms are dark as you mentioned, we found this very “homey” feeling and a great environment for taking those afternoon naps! One of our favorite stops besided looking out at the savannahs was the gift shop. We had a wonderful experience of meeting a man there who dressed in African atire and traded pins with the kids. He talked to them and encouraged conversations about many different topics, then allowed them to pull a pin out of his bag to trade. He was kind enough to take pictures with them as well. Our sons really enjoyed trying to anwer his quiz questions and seeing what they pulled out of his bag. We are park enthusiasts so we didn’t really spend much time at the resort during the first few days to enjoy all it has to offer, which is a shame. Unfortunately, Hurricane Matthew came at the end of our trip and we ended up having to stay indoors at the resort for about 24 hours. Disney did a wonderful job of entertaining us during that time. Games were set up in the lobby, Safari Mickey, Safari Minnie, Safari Donald, and Rafiki came at various times to meet and greet the guests, the arcade games were turned on for unlimited free use, and being “stuck” with eating a buffet at Boma is not such a bad deal! We were also thankful that we had all these things inside one building instead of the way moderate resorts have the guest rooms in separate buildings from the food and entertainment. Although we don’t really stay at our resorts enough to pay deluxe prices on each trip, staying at AKL was a wonderful treat! I highly recommend it.
2004 we were at wilderness lodge for hurricane Francis . Your absolutly correct when your ” stuck” at the resort ,they really have everything organized . We are going in the fall to AKL hoping to get free dining or percentage off room !
We rented DVC points to stay in a Savannah View room last year and loved it! We have two small children, so we took an afternoon break from the parks every day. My daughter sat on the balcony almost every second we were in the room looking at the animals, and there were nearly always multiple species visible. It was more than the standard rooms, but we offset that by booking a value room in Kidani Village for half of the trip and a Savannah room in Jambo House for the other half. It worked out to right at $200/night on average. We had never stayed on resort before and would like to try other resorts, but we had such a good time at Animal Kingdom Lodge that we are considering doing the exact same thing the next time we go.
We did the same thing this fall and also have two little girls! We absolutely loved our experience here! If you were planning on spending all day at the parks it probably isn’t worth it, but we spent quite a bit of time in the hotel and it was an amazing experience’
We stayed in a Standard View Room on the Kudu Trail wing back in November 2015. My wife and I don’t have pets and aren’t really animal people. To be honest, the only reason we booked here was because Caribbean Beach didn’t have any more Free Dining rooms left. We were blown away. Now we had to hike to our Standard View room on the Kudu trail (it was one of the very last rooms on left) but we were pleasantly surprised that we had a view of a small savanna area (near where the animals get cared for…i think). When I realized that the rooms are usually the cheapest out of all the deluxes, this easily shot to the top of the Deluxe resort rankings, in my opinion.
We’ve been back to Disney twice since that visit and stayed at Value resorts, but the next time we want to go Deluxe, Jambo House is where we will be staying.
We go to Disney based on the value of our money, and I think Animal Kingdom Lodge has ruined all the other Deluxe resorts for me from this perspective. I grew up going to the Poly with my parents in the late 90s, and have longed to go back there since. But when I start to look at the Value of a room at say the Poly versus Pop Century. What am I really getting out of paying somewhere near 4 times the amount of money? Monorail access, a shorter commute to MK, a pretty sweet pool, and fireworks view from the beach, (and obviously nicer amenities all around.) When I start to compare that price point and the value that comes with it versus Jambo House, Jambo House blows the Poly out of the water (in terms of value…to me). You are basically getting unlimited all day access to a version of Kilimanjaro Safaris, all from the comfort of your balcony. I’m an accountant, so maybe I worry about the value of our vacations too much.
Anyways, Jambo House is great! And smells delightful! (I haven’t seen many people write about the smell of the lobby…but my wife and I thought it was out of this world!)
I agree! We love the Polynesian but it’s hard to wrap my mind around paying twice the cost of a stay at AKL-when the Poly isn’t twice as good! That’s not to take away from the Polynesian it’s just a testimate to how great AKL is. And yes, the smell….that’s actually why I responded to your post. It’s so heavenly. If I could bottle it up and wear it as perfume and douse it on my whole life, I would. When you go back to AKL, I can promise you’ll have a flood of memories come back to you from your first trip just because of smell of the lobby!
The smells – YES! I have never mentioned it to any of the people I have raved to about AKL, because it just seems like an odd thing to fixate on, but I love the smells. Walking through the lush vegetation surrounding the pools, I often find myself stopping just to enjoy the amazing scents a little bit longer.
If enough of us start putting the pressure on Disney, maybe we can get them to start offering one of their “signature scents’ air fresheners for AKL. 😉
I’m so jealous of everyone who have stayed at AKL and loved it. Our first and only time there, I found it hard to navigate. There were long lines at the front desk and concierge so I stopped a few mousekeepers to ask where the Mara was and while all were wonderful and friendly, had no idea what I was talking about, and just kept directing me to the front desk. I eventually ended up standing in the long line at concierge to ask for directions from a surly CM. We had a room on the 4th floor of the Jambo House off the Kudu Trail, and the toilets sounded like F-16 jets. Every time my neighbors flushed, ZOOM! Vroooooom! Every time we flushed, vroooom! We could hear every time our neighbors used the bathrooms from showering to flushing. The views, decor, and theme were spectacular, however. We saw animals all the time. The room was spacious. Just for a Deluxe, I expected a more restful experience in the rooms than Values, and better Cast Member service.