Animal Kingdom Lodge’s Awesome Reimagined Rooms
Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House is one of the latest resort room reimaginings, with the hotel rooms recently redesigned. This was one that had us concerned, as AKL is an exemplar of themed design, and the old rooms continued Imagineering’s great work that can be found throughout the rest of the hotel.
Despite this, many casual guests and even Walt Disney World fans were critical of the Jambo House guest rooms. While thematic integrity is great, rooms also serve practical purposes and need to be a pleasant space for guests to decompress, get ready, etc. Unfortunately, many Walt Disney World visitors found the old rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House to be dark and dreary, with a dated appearance. For our part, we mostly loved them–but also could understand all of this criticism.
We were nevertheless apprehensive when hearing that Jambo House would get new rooms, as Disney’s track record with recent redesigns has been hit or miss. Some reimagined resort rooms have been excellent, balancing form and function; others have been bland or sterile, which is the exact opposite of AKL.
In a way, it’s unsurprising that Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House would receive excellent and thoughtfully-done new rooms. This is because Animal Kingdom and its adjacent resort are two of the last bastions of consistency and integrity in themed design at Walt Disney World. Typically, Imagineering gives special care and consideration to its projects at Animal Kingdom as a result.
From a thematic perspective, these are arguably the strongest park and resort in Florida. I don’t know if this is just in my head, or if Jambo House and Animal Kingdom have a ‘guardian angel’ high up in Imagineering (perhaps having a name rhyming with Bro Bologna). When it comes to Animal Kingdom, it seems like even the thematically incongruous projects (like Pandora – World of Avatar) are done with a deft hand and thematic integrity.
Before we get into the good of the new rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House, let’s start with the bad. There are some things that we’re guessing many of you won’t like, including us. The first is our obligatory complaint about the lack of a bed runner. This “industry standard” move was to be expected, even though a handful of Disney Vacation Club resorts have somehow managed to elude the bed runner police.
Next is the laminate floors that are meant to give the look of hard wood flooring. We are torn on this–when done nicely and properly maintained, carpeting is my preference. However, it gets worn too easily and quickly at Walt Disney World, so I’m fine with this change.
Finally, walk-in showers instead of bathtubs. I’m 100% on board with this change but, then again, we don’t have kids. In any case, all of these changes were inevitable, so it’s hard to fault Animal Kingdom Lodge too much for changes happening everywhere else.
Okay, now the big changes unique to Jambo House’s new rooms, almost all of which are good…
Headboards previously were quite similar to the current carved design, but lower to the head and with linens draped from the ceiling behind them. The new look maintains the authentic African look, but is more robust and substantial.
They’re also an upgrade in terms of lighting. Now, in addition to the bedside sconces, there’s also uplighting from the headboard itself and ceiling lighting along the (also new) ceiling trim.
It’s tough to adequately convey the lighting via photos, but here’s how the room looks with all of the lights off except for the uplighting and ceiling.
I’m a total sucker for moody lighting, so this scratches me right where I itch. It’s wonderful. Perfect for late nights while watching television or if someone is (trying to) see animals on the safari from the balcony.
Here’s a wider view of the room, once again with all of the lights on.
There is a lot going on here, both in terms of texture and design, but it’s never too much. (Imagine that–our concern with a new room design is whether it’s too much instead of too little!)
On the right is the dresser, television, and a small table with two chairs.
On the left above is a themed luggage stand, which to my knowledge is a Walt Disney World first. There’s also a mini-fridge, which now is connected to the closets and has shelving above it. This is a practical improvement.
This area is a mix of old and new.
The dresser, chairs, and television are all new. The wall decor is not new, nor is the table.
Most of pieces of furniture are upgrades over their predecessors, while the chairs are a lateral move. As for the mirror…it depends.
The previous mirror here had a jagged look to it, and was a bit more fun (this same mirror is still in the King guest rooms), but it didn’t have any lighting.
I’d say the square mirror plus the light fixture are an upgrade. Where you stand on this probably depends upon whether you want another light fixture.
The new mirror also has more splashes of color. I think this is a good thing here, as Jambo House’s old rooms could be accused of not being sufficiently vibrant.
One thing we appreciate about the room reimagining at Animal Kingdom Lodge is that they’ve managed to incorporate Lion King details in a tasteful manner.
The above Simba in the dresser (which is also new) is one example. Another is here:
We are fairly indifferent to rooms featuring Disney characters. If it works with the theme, great. If not, a lack of characters is also totally fine. (Say it with us: Disney characters do not equal theme.)
With that said, it’s nice to see the authentic African style mesh well with subtle Lion King touches here. The two don’t clash, and neither feels forced or awkward. Best of both worlds.
The one exception to this is arguably the Hakuna Matata art in the bathroom; I’d personally prefer some authentic art, but whatever. It’s not a huge deal.
That aside, these new bathrooms are nice. This is pretty similar to the old bathroom, but with the patterned (and overly-busy) wallpaper removed, plus better lighting and more storage space. The mirror is also different and the new rectangular sinks are more on-trend, but those are lateral changes.
I also like the new light fixtures and curtains.
The curtains are colorful and nicely patterned (and have some hidden Mickeys, if you’re into that). The design of the sconce lighting also adds more texture to the rooms.
It’s hard to convey the full appeal of these new rooms, and if anything, I feel like I’m underselling them here.
We both liked the old rooms in Jambo House, finding them thematically rich and pure, but also a bit on the drab side. These new rooms remedy our prior complaints with some pops of color, plus more texture, and design that is as (or more) thematically rich.
At the same time, some problem areas (like the busy look of the bathrooms) and dated styles have been freshened up. There’s also a litany of practical improvements like USB ports, luggage storage, and the wonderful new moody lighting options. The end result is a new room that strikes pretty much the perfect balance of theme, luxury, and practicality.
There are potentially some minor quibbles to be had with the new rooms in Jambo House at Animal Kingdom Lodge, but all things considered, these are a home run. We would take these in an instant and without any second thoughts over the old rooms. That’s not something I can say for any of the previous Deluxe Resort redesigns at Walt Disney World.
Ultimately, Imagineering did an incredible job with these new rooms at AKL, and whomever designed them should also be tasked with more room reimaginings at Walt Disney World. These do an excellent job of balancing themed design with a functional and pleasant space, with something for everyone–whether you’re a hardcore fan of themed design or a casual guest who just wants an inviting place to crash after a long day in the parks.
Even more than before, we highly recommend Animal Kingdom Lodge as a place to stay during your Walt Disney World vacation. While all-bus transportation to every theme park is a definite negative, the efficiency of the buses has improved tremendously in the last several years, so this is no longer the ‘dealbreaker’ that it once was. In every other regard, Jambo House is an excellent resort. Now we can add top-tier new rooms to its list of strengths!
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Your Thoughts
What do you think of the new rooms at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House? Do you agree or disagree with our review? Do you prefer the look of the old or new rooms? 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!
I had a thought – what if Disney has purposefully made Beach club and Boardwalk ‘boring’ and Animal Kingdom more ‘exciting’ to help drive more guests to who theming is super important to AK instead of the over booked Beach Club and Boardwalk?
Do you know if this refresh will apply to the Jambo House studios as well as the hotel rooms?
Also, maybe I was in a minority, but I loved that bathroom wallpaper! As I brushed my teeth I would just explore it with my eyes! But, I guess you can’t have everything…
I loved the wallpaper too!
The rooms like nice…I just think the beds look sterile and uninviting. I would have kept carpeting as well. Otherwise, the rooms look quite nice.
Looks great! I love the AK Lodge. Not a fan of laminate wood flooring — at all — but understand from their side why they would do it. Thanks for the update — keep up the good work!
This is great news! Jambo House is our ‘home’ resort and the dark, drab rooms were our only complaint. Crossing my fingers that our pool view Zebra Trail room will be redone in time for our February 2020 trip. Thanks for the info Tom!
Thanks for the fab review Tom. I loved the rooms before the update but wow! I’m blown away with the new look.
It looks like the ceiling fan has been removed, we prefer to use the fan but heyho everything else looks perfect, can’t wait to go back 🙂
The only complaint I have with the new room style has nothing to do with theming, floors or the lack of a runner, it is the height of the beds. I understand the why of the design, however, having a wife who is vertically challenged and has had both knees replaced the height of the beds is a bit problematic. Also, I can see where it would be a problem for families with smaller children and the risk of falling out at night. That being said they look great.
OKW was Hit By Pitch, haha 😀
That’s not as bad as striking out, or the worst offense “strikeout looking”. At least OKW made it on base, right? We’ve never stayed but have a room booked next trip. Honestly I much prefer this update to 2010’s update, that felt a bit granny’s retirement house for us. The biggest disappointment is that the 960sf 1BR only has one toilet. A separate tub and bath help, but a 1 tub/shower, 2 sinks, 2 toilets configuration would’ve be more useful to us.
The above Animal Kingdom rooms are nice (and expensive!), and the Pop and All Star rooms are a huge step up from what they were, but the rest are very underwhelming — including the latest resorts.
Guests stay “on-property” because they want Disney theme’ing and immersion. But these new “room upgrades” make the resorts look like other I-95 hotel up and down the East Coast.
Will the villas be updated at Jambo/Kidani or is this just the hotel rooms at Jambo? The look is great, but the lack of a bathtub is a real issue for parents with small kids. Washing a tired, slippery toddler in a hotel shower is no fun for anyone. I realize the industry as a whole is trending towards showers but I’d imagine the rate of families with small children or special needs kids/adults wanting baths is much higher at Disney than at comparable resorts elsewhere.
The rooms look amazing! I wish Disney would do something different with the bedding though.
I agree. The stark white bedding looks out of place.
It’s a big meh for me. I especially don’t care for the beds including the white bedding. It’s very boring.
Why do people think ‘meh’ is a word? It’s almost worse than ‘irregardless’…
The one syllable meh conveys indifference and uninspired simultaneously so it wins for efficiency. Kind of like ‘passable mediocrity’, which is an inefficient syllable/keystroke glutton.
I’m really glad they didn’t go with those stupid vessel sinks. That sickly fad is long past its expiration date.
We will GREATLY miss the ceiling fans that were in the old rooms. Very disappointed that they are gone. That said, almost all of the other changes looks amazing! Excited to see them in December
Wow I’m so disappointed! While the theme is better than the other renovations, it always was a great theme room in my opinion. I just hate the boring white beds and hard, smelly fake wood floors! We have stopped going to hotels with these remodels so since they continue, we will certainly be cutting back if not eliminating our Disney hotel stays. Maybe Disney won’t miss our business for now, but it’s still how I feel. This hotel, Boardwalk, and the one All Star seem to be all that’s left without bad remodels but they’re on the way, so time to look at those Good Neighbor hotels or Swan-Dolphin.
Has Kidani house also been updated too at Animal Kingdom?
I was wondering the same thing….
I’m one of the electricans working on the project and it’s a on going thing we are alloted so many rooms at one time we started in January and it’s about a 1.5 long project
I love the fake wood floors! I have a dust mite allergy so this is perfect for me. Even without an allergy though, it’s just cleaner. Carpets are a germ fest.
WOW! Maybe Disney heard the outcry from people complaining that they’re making everything look too generic and have decided to theme the rooms once again. Now if they would only restore their Disney stores to their glory days and leave the “warehouse look” to Amazon!
I’m staying here for my trip for the grand opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge! I can’t wait!
These rooms look great! As always, thanks for the thoughtful review.
Disney did a wonderful job on this refurbishment. I am glad the décor did not become sterile like other resort refurbishments. I do not care about bed runners, tubs, or carpeting. I like when Disney characters (especially the classics) are incorporated into the décor but I dislike the Hakuna Matata picture.
How difficult would it be to offer a paid option to access to your site that eliminated advertisements? I feel like a goalie swiping away all the flashing boxes fighting for priority as I peer into the tiny space left to me without distraction. As a result, I tend to read through in a rush before the peripheral blitzkrieg gets the better of me,.. it’s not impossible, just a less pleasant experience than your musings deserve,..
Oh I completely agree. Many times I don’t finish the article as it gets tedious to continue.
I’m 100% fine with the ads given the high quality of the blog. Tom’s content and photos are unlike any other blogs.
“How difficult would it be to offer a paid option to access to your site that eliminated advertisements?”
I’m sure it would be possible to do, but it’s beyond my skillset. Sorry!
We stayed in Jambo house the first week of August, giraffe trail. I wish we had gotten a newly remodeled room. It was nicely decorated, just seemed a little old. Animal Kingdom Lodge is beautiful and probably my new favorite place to stay!