Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
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Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge is an African-themed deluxe resort at the
Walt Disney World Resort The Walt Disney World Resort is an entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Walt Disney Company. ...
in
Bay Lake, Florida Bay Lake is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 29 at the 2020 census. It is named after a lake that lies east of Magic Kingdom. All four of the Walt Disney World Resort theme parks, and one of Walt Disney Worl ...
. It opened on April 16, 2001. The resort is owned and operated by
Disney Experiences Disney Experiences, commonly known as Disney Parks, is one of the three major divisions of the Walt Disney Company. It was founded on April 1, 1971, exactly six months before the opening of the Walt Disney World, Walt Disney World Resort. Led ...
. Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge is located in the Animal Kingdom Resort Area, adjacent to Disney's Animal Kingdom. It gives guests the opportunity to view grazing wildlife outside their rooms and public areas in the resort within proximity of the animals, conveying the feeling of being in an African savanna.


History

This hotel was designed by Denver architect Peter Dominick of Urban Design Group (now 4240 Architecture), who also designed Disney's Wilderness Lodge and Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. On October 11, 2006, Disney announced to local media that Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge would become home to the newest
Disney Vacation Club The Disney Vacation Club (DVC) is a vacation timeshare program owned and operated by Disney Vacation Development, Inc., a subsidiary of Disney Signature Experiences, a division of Disney Experiences, a segment of The Walt Disney Company. It allow ...
property, Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas. On February 18, 2008, Disney announced the first phase of this expansion was complete and included 109 rooms. A separate building named Kidani Village was built to the west of the lodge and houses more than 300 villas. The Sunset Savanna was extended to the new structure and more species of animals were introduced. A new pool was built and features water slides and an aquatic playground. Kidani Village opened 65% of its rooms on May 1, 2009. At that time, the main lodge building was renamed Jambo House. The remainder of Kidani Village was completed in September 2009.


Resort


Rooms

* Most rooms are available with either two queen-size beds, or one queen-size bed and twin-size bunk beds. Rooms with a king bed are available but are fewer in count than the others. * Rooms are available with accommodations for guests with disabilities, including rooms with roll-in showers and accommodations for hearing impairments. * Amenities including room service, irons, ironing boards, hairdryers, and make-up mirrors are available for each room. In-room coffee makers and mini-fridges are also available. * All Walt Disney World resorts are entirely non-smoking, made effective June 1, 2012.


Dining

* Jiko—The Cooking Place: This Signature Dining restaurant is located in Jambo House and features African-style cooking with influences from the
Mediterranean coast The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eu ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
. Jiko also features South African vintage wines. The restaurant's interior was designed by Jeffrey Beers International and emulates an African lodge with a color palette in
earth tone Earth tone is a term used to describe a palette of colors that are similar to natural materials and landscapes. These colors are inspired by the earth's natural hues, including browns, greens, grays, and other warm and muted shades. The term earth ...
s. The dining room surrounds an open kitchen which includes twin wood-burning stoves. The private Cape Town Wine Room seats up to forty guests and showcases a collection of wine-based sculptures. ''Jiko'' means "a cooking place" in Swahili, thus the restaurant's subtitle "The Cooking Place". * Cape Town Lounge and Wine Bar: Located near Jiko, this quaint lounge features a wide variety of specialty African wines, along with hand-crafted cocktails, imported beer, and other specialty drinks. * Boma—Flavors of Africa: This restaurant is also located in Jambo House and features African-style cooking in a buffet setting. The buffet itself features items from fifty different African countries. The restaurant was designed to resemble an open African marketplace. Food is prepared in view of diners in open cooking areas which allows for interaction between chefs, cooks, and guests. ''Boma'' is a word in Swahili and several other African languages, meaning an
enclosure Enclosure or inclosure is a term, used in English landownership, that refers to the appropriation of "waste" or "common land", enclosing it, and by doing so depriving commoners of their traditional rights of access and usage. Agreements to enc ...
, such as a fort or a livestock pen. * Victoria Falls Lounge: Perched above Boma, this lounge offers a variety of African wines, beers, specialty cocktails and other drinks. In addition, the lounge also features a small menu of African-inspired bar fare. * The Mara: Located in Jambo House, The Mara is the resort’s quick service restaurant, serving American with African influences. In addition, The Mara features a grab-&-go section with pre-made items including salads, sandwiches & pastries, among others. * Uzima Springs Pool Bar: This watering hole-inspired pool bar is located on within Jambo House. Located right beside the Uzima Springs pool guests can indulge in various cocktails and African beers and wines. Food is also available from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. offering multiple selections from the quick service with the convenience of dining poolside. The Disney Dining Plan is also accepted at this location. * Sanaa: Located in Kidani Village and overlooking the savanna, this restaurant draws its inspiration from the cuisines along the historical spice route of Africa, India, China, and Europe. Serving foods from tandoor ovens as well as slow-cooked specialties, the selections here are filled with flavorful spices of Africa. There is also a lounge area inside Sanaa with a more limited menu. * Maji Pool Bar: Similarly to Uzima Springs, Samawati Springs (the main pool of Kidani Village) contains a pool bar, featuring a variety of cocktails, African beers and wines. Along with this, the bar also features various food options from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. “Maji” translates to water in Swahili.


Recreation & Amenities

* Pools: The resort features two main pools: ''Uzima Springs'' (Located in Jambo House) & ''Samawati Springs'' (Located in Kidani Village). Both pools feature zero-depth entries & waterslides along with a lush African-inspired setting within the resort's savanna. Resort guests have access to both pools. In addition, Samawati Springs contains ''Uwanja Camp'', a water playground containing three distinct areas (''Observation Station'', ''Departure Zone'' & ''Base Camp'') and featuring various water cannons, play structures, interactive water features and a tipping bucket. * Playground: Jambo House also contains a
playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people wi ...
for children, ''Hakuna Matata Playground'', featuring various slides and other play structures. The playground itself overlooks the flamingo area and surrounding savanna. * Arcades: There are two arcades that service the main buildings of the resort: Jambo House has ''Pumbaa's Fun and Games Arcade'', while Kidani Village has ''Safari So Good Arcade''. Both arcades contain a mix of classic and modern arcade games. * Fitness Centres: The resort features two fitness centres featuring a large collection of workout equipment, ranging from weights to treadmills and other cardio equipment: ''Survival of the Fittest'' services Kidani Village, while ''Zahanati'' is located in Jambo House. * Spa: In addition to a fitness centre, ''Zahanati'' also features a full-service spa, offering a variety of massages and facials. * Sports: Kidani Village has two different courts for guests to use, a half-court for
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
, and two
tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
courts. Both courts are accessible to guests at Jambo House as well. * Shops: The resort features two gift shops: ''Zawadi Marketplace'' in Jambo House & ''Johari Treasures'' in Kidani Village. Both shops features traditional gift shop items, along with both resort-specific and Animal Kingdom merchandise. * Other Activities: Like many of the other resorts on property, Animal Kingdom Lodge features other activities for guests to enjoy, including "Movies Under the Stars", pool events, painting, a community hall containing various tabletop games, and campfires (located in both areas of the resort), to name a few.


Savannas

Around the lodge, there are three total 11-acre savannas (Sunset Savanna, Arusha Savanna, Uzima Savanna) housing a variety of African mammals and birds including
addax The addax (''Addax nasomaculatus''), also known as the white antelope and the screwhorn antelope, is an antelope native to the Sahara Desert. The only member of the genus ''Addax'', it was first described scientifically by Henri de Blainvil ...
, Ankole cattle, bongo, bontebok, eland,
gemsbok The gemsbok (''Oryx gazella''), or South African oryx, is a large antelope in the genus '' Oryx''. It is endemic to the dry and barren regions of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and (parts of) Zimbabwe, mainly inhabiting the Kalahari and Nami ...
, Grant's zebra,
greater kudu The greater kudu (''Tragelaphus strepsiceros'') is a large woodland antelope, found throughout East Africa, eastern and southern Africa. Despite occupying such widespread territory (animal), territory, they are sparsely populated in most areas d ...
,
impala The impala or rooibok (''Aepyceros melampus'', lit. 'black-footed high-horn' in Ancient Greek) is a medium-sized antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. The only extant member of the genus '' Aepyceros'', and tribe Aepycerotini, it ...
,
okapi The okapi (; ''Okapia johnstoni''), also known as the forest giraffe, Congolese giraffe and zebra giraffe, is an artiodactyl mammal that is endemic to the northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa. However, non-invasive gen ...
, red river hog,
reticulated giraffe The reticulated giraffe (''Giraffa reticulata'' or ''Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata'') is a species/subspecies of giraffe native to the Horn of Africa. It is differentiated from other types of giraffe by its coat, which consists of large, p ...
,
Thomson's gazelle Thomson's gazelle (''Eudorcas thomsonii'') is one of the best known species of gazelles. It is named after explorer Joseph Thomson (explorer), Joseph Thomson and is sometimes referred to as a "tommie". It is considered by some to be a subspecies o ...
,
waterbuck The waterbuck (''Kobus ellipsiprymnus'') is a large antelope found widely in sub-Saharan Africa. It is placed in the genus ''Kobus (antelope), Kobus'' of the family Bovidae. It was first Scientific description, described by Irish naturalist Will ...
, white-bearded wildebeest, Abyssinian ground hornbill,
blue crane The blue crane (''Grus paradisea''), also known as the Stanley crane and the paradise crane, is the national bird of South Africa. The species is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. Description The blue crane is a tall, ground-dwelling bird, ...
, East African crowned crane,
greater flamingo The greater flamingo (''Phoenicopterus roseus'') is the most widespread and largest species of the flamingo family. Common in the Old World, they are found in Northern (coastal) and Sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian Subcontinent (south of the Him ...
,
Marabou stork The marabou stork (''Leptoptilos crumenifer'') is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae native to sub-Saharan Africa. It breeds in both wet and arid habitats, often near human habitation, especially landfill sites. It is sometim ...
,
ostrich Ostriches are large flightless birds. Two living species are recognised, the common ostrich, native to large parts of sub-Saharan Africa, and the Somali ostrich, native to the Horn of Africa. They are the heaviest and largest living birds, w ...
, pink-backed pelican, and Rüppell's griffon vulture.


References


External links

* {{Walt Disney World 2001 establishments in Florida Hotel buildings completed in 2001 Hotels established in 2001 Animal Kingdom Lodge