Reviews of Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House (Deluxe Resort)

Reviews

80

Rating

8.38 / 10

Recommended By

94%



Reviewed by eyluvbug Review Date: 08/12/2016

Rating: (10)
Recommended

We stayed here for our second time June 2016, our first trip to AKL was last year and we just feel in love with it. As frequent visitors to the Beach Club and Poly, I worried that we would miss the ease of transportation and that the resort would be too dark. Not at all! The theming is just impeccable. We had a view of the savannah - I wouldn't want any other. The animals were 24/7 entertainment. Transportation was no bother because we rent a car which really just makes getting around easier and allows us to choose exactly when we come and go to all locations. The pool is large and beautiful. The Mara has wonderful quick-service options, and Boma is a very good buffet. Unlike the Beach Club, the resort is not massive which makes it more walkable and generally convenient to everything. It is now the only resort we want to stay at!

Pros:

Wonderful animals; ambience; theming

Cons:

None
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Reviewed by LeighAnnB Review Date: 04/12/2016

Rating: (10)
Recommended

We stayed at the AKL-Jambo House during spring break 28Mar2016-02Apr2016. We loved everything about this resort!
Theme: A+
Animal viewing: A+++
Dining:A+
Bus Service to parks: A
Guest Service: A++

I would highly recommend staying at AKL at least once just to experience falling asleep with giraffes outside your window and waking up to zebras!

I sent in a fax prior to our stay to request the Arusha savannah and was thrilled that they were able to accommodate the request. We were a close walk to the lobby and had amazing animal views!

We ate at Sanaa, Boma, Mara, and Jiko and enjoyed them all. Mara was very busy but to be expected for quick service dining. It was nice to have a variety of dining choices within our resort.

The lobby was huge and beautiful but also welcoming and comfortable. I spent some time sitting on the sofas reading and just people watching.

My son used the pool and really enjoyed the size and close location to Mara.

I had read that the lighting in the rooms was dim so I took a lighted makeup mirror. I found that I did not really need it. Perhaps Disney has updated the lighting based on reviews? If you are a lady who likes a brighter makeup light, then I would suggest taking a battery operated makeup mirror. I picked mine up from Bed,Bath, and Beyond.

My only complaint would be the size of the room. We had two adults and an 18 year old with us, so the room could be a bit tight for the three of us. We made it work and rotated bathroom time so it worked out well. Since I doubt Disney will be expanding the room sizes, if you are a family who likes a bit more space, either get a bigger room or mentally prepare yourself to be close. 😉

Overall, we LOVED AKL and we can't wait to get back HOME. 🙂

Pros:

Animals, Decor, Dining, Service

Cons:

room a bit small
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Reviewed by Bornwiththeears Review Date: 01/05/2016

Rating: (9)
Recommended

If Mara had a better food selection I would have given this hotel a 10. The bus service was great (we expected longer rides). Our inexpensive room had a beautiful balcony overlooking a view of the animals.

Pros:

beautiful hotel; amazing view of the animals

Cons:

limited food choices
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Reviewed by Edrod1000 Review Date: 10/03/2015

Rating: (10)
Recommended

We just got back recently from our Disney vacation. And this is our second time staying at AKL. We can't ask for the best service. Also at Boma's for breakfast and having Albert as our server. He goes out of his way to make your breakfast the best way to start off your day. We had the savannah view all I can say outstanding seeing the animals from your balcony. Can't wait to go back again.

Pros:

An amazing place to stay

Cons:

None
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Reviewed by Wanda Review Date: 08/18/2015

Rating: (9)
Recommended

Stayed here 8-6 thru 8-13-15. Pool view due to closeness of lobby and restaurants. Like it better than savannah views. So many other places to see animals and pool view is close to everything and is beautiful. Very clean. Like it better than the Polynesian, but no monorail makes it tough. The buses are not crowded at all because they serve AKL only and do not go to other resorts. The staff are very friendly and will help you with anything you need. Carmen at the checkin desk is wonderful. Will stay here again but will get the deluxe pool view due to a little more square footage. Mara, food court, is very large compared to Polynesian and Wilderness lodge.

Pros:

Beautiful views, peaceful, great and friendly staff, very clean

Cons:

None
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Reviewed by mmfan Review Date: 01/09/2015

Rating: (5)
Recommended

We have stayed at several different WDW resorts, and picked this resort for our family reunion vacation due to our Annual Passholder discount. We were disappointed in this resort, and felt for service rendered and the money paid, we would have definitely been better off at a moderate resort. Check in was very slow, we had requested king beds and not necessary to all be near each other, but they originally had us near each other and no king beds. After much discussion, the king bed request was met for two of the rooms. The resort was busier than expected for the beginning of December. The food court was very disappointing, as the resort caters to those wanting a sit down meal experience. Food court selections were very limited and food preparation took a long time. We did not use the pool as it was very chilly weather. Bus service was definitely as issue, service was very spotty with frequent waits of up to 1/2 hour. Buses were usually very crowded as Jambo house is the second pick up.
My DH became very ill our last day, and at least we were granted a check out time of 1 hour later. In all the confusion of checking out and catering to him, some clothing items were left in the room accidentally. After repeated phone calls over a period of 3 weeks, I finally got someone in lost and found to talk to me. The items were never located although I had left numerous messages. I have never stayed at a hotel that did not gladly forward items that were found to their rightful owners. Not the usual Disney experience.
The rooms at the moderate resorts are the same size, and the indoor corridors at a deluxe resort are not that important to us. This deluxe resort provide no additional amenities and was actually lacking in service.

Pros:

lovely surroundings

Cons:

food court
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Reviewed by SNC Review Date: 11/30/2014

Rating: (9)
Recommended

We stayed at the AK Lodge Jambo House for one night to complete our weeklong Honeymoon at Disney (Started at Poly, Next Beach Club, then AK). We were so impressed! Neither of us had ever been to this resort. It was absolutely Amazing! Friendly, warm, super clean and inviting and full of beautiful details in the decor. The lobby was gorgeous, with big overstuffed chairs and couches and the most beautiful Christmas tree I have ever seen. I loved the fire pit in the lobby and the viewing platforms and looking at the amazing African Art throughout the resort. Stayed in Savannah View room on the third floor. Loved the Decor! Mosquito netting and warm earth tones. The animals of course stole the show! Zebras, Giraffes, Ostrich and Wildebeast right outside our window. We loved looking out and sitting on the patio. This is a great resort to stay at if you want to avoid the parks and just have a restful vacation. Only drawbacks were the lighting was dim (easy to bump into something) and it took forever to walk from our room to Mara to grab sandwiches and drinks. But I'm not complaining! It was terrific and we really want to spend more time here!

Pros:

Relaxing, Animals right outside your window

Cons:

Rooms are far from facilities/restaurants, dark interior
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Reviewed by powlen21 Review Date: 09/23/2014

Rating: (8)
Recommended

We stayed at The Animal Kingdom Lodge for our honeymoon. Overall, we were very pleased. Be sure to try the night vision goggles to view the animals. I recommend paying for a standard room. There are plenty of areas throughout the resort to view the animals.

Pros:

animals, atmosphere, pool

Cons:

uncomfortable bed sheets, not the most knowledgeable staff, didn't care for food court
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Reviewed by RSZB Review Date: 06/29/2014

Rating: (9)
Recommended

This was my first stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We checked in early (7:30am) with plans to arrive at Hollywood Studios by 9:00am. Check–in was a bit bumpy – our early arrival and reservation request were both met with disapproval and uncharacteristic resistance from the attending cast member. Even though I supplied a cell phone number, I wasn’t notified when our room became available. I’m choosing to believe it was a coincidence. All the other cast members we encountered here were friendly and conversational.
We stayed in room 2308 (Sunset Savanna – which was a reservation request) and had wonderful views of giraffes, zebras, cattle, cranes, and an ostrich. The animals tended to stay close to what looked like a viewing platform at the Kidani Village. The room was amply sized for the 2 of us on a girls’ trip, but the size would work for a family with 4 adults.
The lobby is beautiful and worth checking out in detail. There is art work on display throughout the resort. I enjoyed exploring the pathways that wind through the inside and outside of the resort. There are many opportunities to sit and view animals. The gift shop has a variety of merchandise including refrigerated drinks.
Two restaurants are located inside Jambo House and a quick serve is accessible from an outside covered walkway. We ate breakfast at Mara (quick serve), which had hot and cold selections with indoor and outdoor seating available. We ate dinner at Jiko, which was relaxing and enjoyable.
At night, we walked around the large zero entry pool and there was a fire pit with rocking chairs outside the main back doors from the lobby. The animal viewing areas around the pool were closed when we passed by around 10pm.
The bus service was fine. A longer ride is to be expected due to the remote location of the resort. We rode the bus to and from Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and EPCOT.
The guest laundry area came in handy. There seemed to be more dryers than washing machines. I used a dryer which was $2 for 20-30 minutes. A change machine was available.
I would recommend the Animal Kingdom Lodge for a “more than going to the parks” vacation. The inviting atmosphere encourages planning time to spend at this resort.

Pros:

atmosphere

Cons:

none
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Reviewed by Breeze1979 Review Date: 05/30/2014

Rating: (6)
Recommended

The overall experience of staying at Animal Kingdom was good. The resort is true to its name!

However, we had a pool view, bunk bed room. The view of the pool was poor....it was more of a view of the outside seating area of The Mara. Our room was tiny....we had stayed at Coronado right before checking into AKL so we were saw a contrast in the size. There is a lot of room in the sink area but the bathroom size and lighting is terrible! Also we didn't feel wowed by the amenities.....a bit disappointing.

We are glad we tried this once though.

Pros:

Animals

Cons:

Room size
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