Since its opening a quarter century ago, the Animal Kingdom Lodge — Disney World’s only hotel to be directly themed to one of its theme parks — has been one of the most popular resorts.
The Deluxe Tier Hotel features a slew of amenities, though the biggest draw is the live animals that graze in the resort’s savannas. On top of that, the hotel is about to get EVEN BETTER.
Since last October, guest rooms in the resort’s Kidani Village at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge have been undergoing a massive refurbishment, which is scheduled to end later this month!
Kidanai Village, which was an expansion to the hotel first built in 2009, is home to several room types, including:
- 1-, 2- and 3-Bedroom Villas (sleep up to 12 adults)
- Villas with Club-Level Service (sleeps up to 5 adults)
- Deluxe Studios (sleep up to 4 adults)
- Deluxe Studios with Club-Level Service (sleep up to 4 adults)
- Rooms and Suites (sleep up to 4 adults)
- Rooms and Suites with Club-Level Service (sleep up to 8 adults)
When the Kidanai Village project is complete, a similar room renovation will begin at the hotel’s original 2001 building, now known as the Jambo House. This project is scheduled to last from May 2026 through January 2027.
Guests staying in these revamped rooms will have access to all of the hotel’s amenities, like pools, dining (including popular restaurants like Boma, Jiko, and Saana), and recreation areas.
Boma - Flavors of Africa Restaurant
Services: Buffet/All You Care to Eat
In addition, those staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge also have access to the perks that go along with staying at a Deluxe Tier Disney World hotel, including:
- The ability to book Lightning Lanes 7 days in advance
- Early Entry to Disney’s theme parks.
- Extended Evening Hours at select Disney theme parks.
- Complimentary transportation.
- On-site and online Disney tickets.
- Advance tee times at Disney golf courses.
If you’re looking for a travel agent to help with your vacation, we recommend our friends at Mouse Fan Travel. They’re experts in the field with over 20 years of vacation planning experience, and they can help take a bunch of the stress out of the entire booking process for you!
A massive construction project at one of Disney World’s most popular hotels, the Animal Kingdom Lodge, is about to end, while another is about to begin. However, by next January, both are scheduled to be complete, with brand new modern room renovations in both the Kidani Village and the Jambo House. Stay tuned to AllEars for more on Disney’s ongoing hotel projects.
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Have you ever stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge? Let us know in the new comments below.
Sorry, room renovations don’t feel like a game changer. But what would be game-changing is if they extended the Disney Skyliner to the Animal Kingdom Resort. The main drawback of this resort is its remote location and its limited transportation options. But having a Skyliner option would truly be game-changing!
No gamer changer here that I can see.