Category — d. Where to Stay at Walt Disney World

For the first page of this review of Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, click here.

FAMILY SUITES AT DISNEY’S ALL-STAR MUSIC RESORT

Among the value resorts, six-person Family Suites are available at two hotels—Disney’s All-Star Music Resort and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort.

While in the past, the differences between these were quite stark, all to the disadvantage of Family Suites at All-Star Music, after the recent refurb at Music spaces at Music became much more comparable. Key changes at Music that make these items now comparable to Art of Animation include

• Much more comfortable queen beds
• A second bath that is now private to the master bedroom
• A dining table that has room and chairs for four

If money does not matter, Art of Animation is still the better choice, as it has insuperable advantages in

• Theming, both inside and outside the Family Suites
• Transportation, with Skyliner access to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and not-shared buses to the other parks (Music sometimes shares some buses with the other All-Stars at off-peak times)
• Food quality in its food court, with Pop Century’s almost equally good food court not far way

For this, you will pay for Family Suites at Music on average $185/per night less than you’ll pay at Art of Animation. Over my recommended eight-night stay, that’s almost $1,500 less…

PHOTO TOUR OF A FAMILY SUITE AT DISNEY’S ALL-START MUSIC RESORT

Note: the images of a Family Suite at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort that follow are screenshots from a Disney YouTube video.

I’ll add many more photos—and an updated floor plan—after my September visit.

Family Suites at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort sleep six in an area combined from two standard rooms. This means that they have more square feet per possible person and also more bath capacity per possible person than standard four-person value resort rooms. At a stroke, this solves the major problem of such rooms, their small size.

What used to be one entire standard room is the living dining area for all, with a common bath in the back.

You’ll note that neither the seating area nor the dining table will comfortably seat this six people this space can hold—the same is true at Art of Animation.

The prior Rube-Goldberg-esque set of sleeping arrangements has been replace by two queen beds that fold down from the walls, taking away as they do so the couch and dining table.

The beds folded down.

The other half of the space includes a kitchenette (with a fridge, microwave, and coffeemaker), the master bath, and the master bedroom.

Compared to the old floor plan at Music, the master bath and kitchenette have been flopped, making the master bath now accessible only from the master bedroom.

The master bedroom keeps its upholstered chair—although many families will carry it into the living room—and loses the old desk, as most Disney rooms have lost whatever desks they had over the most recent set of refurbs.

All in this set of changes is a great improvement, and Family Suites at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort are now a much mor livable and competitive option than they were before.

AMENITIES AT DISNEY’S ALL-STAR MUSIC

This review continues here.

MATERIAL IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S ALL-STAR MUSIC RESORT

• Overview of All-Star Music
• Accommodations and Theming at All-Star Music
• Photo Tour of a Standard Room at All-Star Music
• The Family Suites at All-Star Music
• Amenities at All-Star Music
• The Pools at All-Star Music

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 150+ stays in them

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!

For the first page of this review of Disney’s Contemporary Resort, click here.

PHOTO TOUR OF A ROOM AT DISNEY’S CONTEMPORARY RESORT

Note: Rooms here are being refurbed, reportedly to an Incredibles theme.

Rooms at Disney’s Contemporary Resort open from corridors–in all Tower rooms but 14th floor suites, the corridor is open to the A-Frame interior and thus to the child, monorail, or flirting noises from below. Higher rooms give better views and less noise.

Here’s the view into the room from the corridor.

As is common, the bath is on side and the closets on the other.

The closet side has the coffeemaker…

…with a mini-fridge, and some small storage shelves, below.

The closet has two parts, one with a luggage rack…

…and another with a safe, iron and ironing board, and what we will come to see as some sorely needed drawers.

Across the hall is the bath, with two sinks, a tub and shower that are not separated from the rest of the space…

…and a toilet in its own space.

The absence of a fully divided bath–with the sinks in one area and everything else in another–makes these rooms a little less handy for families.

The sinks are a bit of a design mystery as well.

Note the close up–a cool design, but the size and flat bottom means limited area to store toiletries, and also lousy drainage from the sink itself.

There’s some storage space under the sinks.

Deeper in the room you’ll find two queens on one side.

Here’s the beds from the back of the room.

A closer view of one of the queens.

The bedside table between the queens has storage.

Between the beds and the bath is a groovy L-shaped desk. Note that part of it rolls out, and can serve as a little dining or games table.

The part of the “L” that’s closest to the bed is also the dresser. Putting the dresser drawers here, rather than under the TV as is more common, allows for an arty treatment of that under-TV space (see below). But as a result, there’s not much room for these drawers–making the room overall short on drawer space. Moreover, they are inconveniently located.

On the other side of the room you’ll find the TV thingy, a very green hassock, and a couch.

The TV side from the back of the room.

Below the TV is a screen that lights with a switch, creating an interesting interpretation of a fireplace. It’s too big for a night light, and families everywhere wish it were drawers instead.

The couch …

…and flips into a bed. I measured this bed as 72 inches by 30 inches. With no end rails, in a pinch it can sleep a little longer than that. The cushion is 6 inches deep.

At the end of the room is a full-width balcony. Here’s a view from one of our rooms on the Bay Lake side of the Tower…

And here, on a less pretty day, is a balcony from a Magic Kingdom view room.

Some fireworks from the Magic Kingdom view:

Contemporary rooms are spacious, flexible and interesting. But a little too interesting. Design choices limit storage and privacy, making these rooms not quite as family friendly as some others at Disney World.

THE GARDEN WING AT DISNEY’S CONTEMPORARY RESORT

This review continues here.

TOPICS IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S CONTEMPORARY RESORT

• Overview and summary of Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• A photo-tour of a standard Tower room at the Contemporary Resort
• Details on the South Garden Wing of the Contemporary Resort
• The amenities at the Contemporary Resort
• Dining at the Contemporary Resort
• The pools at the Contemporary Resort, and
• More on theming and accommodations at the Contemporary Resort

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 160+ stays in them

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!

OVERVIEW: DISNEY’S CONTEMPORARY RESORT

Note: guests at Disney’s Contemporary Resort are eligible for Disney World’s Early Entry program, and have the ability to pre-book as early as  seven days before check-in Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass rides. They are also eligible for its Extended Evening Hours.

Our most recent visit in September–our seventh, if I am counting correctly–confirms that Disney’s Contemporary Resort, a deluxe monorail resort, is the fourth best deluxe resort at Walt Disney World for first time family visitors.

You can have a wonderful visit at any Walt Disney World resort hotel.

However, this site recommends that first time visitors to Walt Disney World who can afford it should stay at Disney’s Polynesian Resort, a deluxe resort, and that those who can’t should stay at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, a value resort.

(It also suggests that first time visitors should avoid the moderate resorts, while noting that these resorts are wonderful for visits after the first. See this for why.)

Compared to other Walt Disney World owned and operated resorts, the deluxe resorts are distinguished by having (on average) the most amenities, nicest views, best dining options, best transport options, largest rooms, best service, and highest prices.

Among the deluxe resorts, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, a monorail resort, stands out for having some kid appeal, terrific convenience, large rooms, great views from some rooms, and fun dining options.

(See this for much more on resort distinctions by price class–value, moderate, deluxe, etc.)

This review of the Contemporary has seven total pages:

• The overview of the Contemporary Resort that you are now on
• A photo-tour of a standard Tower room at the Contemporary Resort
• Details on the South Garden Wing of the Contemporary Resort
• The amenities at the Contemporary Resort
• Dining at the Contemporary Resort
• The pools at the Contemporary Resort, and
• More on theming and accommodations at the Contemporary Resort

ACCOMMODATIONS AT THE CONTEMPORARY RESORT

Rooms in Disney’s Contemporary Resort are in two areas–the Tower and the South Garden Wing. In the map above (click it to enlarge it) the Tower is in the center, and the South Garden Wing at the lower right.

The Tower is the centerpiece of the Contemporary, with all of its services and restaurants, and the rooms with, by far, the best views–in two flavors, Magic Kingdom views and Bay Lake views. Rooms are being refurbed, reportedly to an Incredibles theme.

The old North Garden Wing–a favorite of many, including my parents–was demolished, and Bay Lake Tower, a Disney Vacation Club resort with its own review here, opened in its former spot in 2010. (On the map, it’s the near-round thingy in the upper right.)

South Garden Wing rooms can be a hike from the Tower and its services, and while a third have patios, none of the rest have balconies. They are, however, a good bit less expensive than Tower rooms–on the order of 70% of Bay Lake view Tower rooms (see above for the view from a Tower Bay Lake view room), and two-thirds the price of Tower Magic Kingdom view rooms.

That said, Garden Wing rooms are still more expensive than standard view Wilderness Lodge rooms, so if you are committed to a deluxe resort, but price is an issue–and you can fit into the Lodge’s 4-person rooms–I’d advise staying at the Wilderness Lodge rather than in one of the Contemporary’s South Garden Wing rooms.

Tower rooms, while more expensive, are much more centrally located.  Those staying in the Tower are in effect in Walt Disney World’s most compact and easy to navigate resort.

Magic Kingdom view Tower rooms are about 15-20% more expensive than the cheapest Bay Lake view Tower rooms.  But the views, especially of Wishes, can be really fun, so families that can afford this premium should request a Magic Kingdom view from as high a floor as possible.

Standard rooms at Disney’s Contemporary Resort are among the largest on property–smaller among the Disney-owned resort only than those at the Grand Floridian and Disney’s Polynesian Resort.

You can add to this capacity of five a child younger than three who sleeps in a crib. A crib fits well between the closets and TV thingy.

For a photo-tour of a standard room, see this.

For more about the South Garden Wing, see this.

And for more on accommodations (including suites), see this.

DINING AT DISNEY’S CONTEMPORARY RESORT

The quick service option at the Contemporary is weak, but the three table service restaurants, the California Grill, Chef Mickey’s, and the Wave, each can be a great choice.

• The California Grill has great dining for adults, but sound kid appeal as well, and is a fun spot to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks show Wishes from
• Chef Mickey’s is an expensive but fun buffet where families can meet Mickey, Minnie, and the crew
• The first floor Wave is the easiest place at Disney World to get quality dining on short notice.

Forevermore, the Contemporary has the best access to great dining at other hotels of any Disney resort, being just a monorail ride away from the options at the Polynesian and Grand Floridian, and a boat ride away from the options at the Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness.

For more on dining at the Contemporary Resort, see this.

THE POOLS AT DISNEY’S CONTEMPORARY RESORT

There are two pools at the Contemporary, right next to each other. Entirely adequate but essentially unthemed and uninteresting, they are the weakest pools among the Disney World deluxe resorts.

For more on the pools at the Contemporary Resort, see this.

CONVENIENCE AND KID APPEAL AT DISNEY’S CONTEMPORARY RESORT

Resorts are ranked on this site for first time visitors based first on their kid appeal, and then on their convenience.

On this basis, Disney’s Contemporary Resort is the fourth-best deluxe resort for first time family visitors to Walt Disney World.

Kid Appeal.

• Three of the deluxe resorts–the Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Polynesian Resort, in that order–have spectacular kid appeal. The Contemporary has some kid appeal
• None of the moderates do.
• All of the value resorts–Disney’s All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, and All-Star Movies, its Pop Century Resort, and its Art of Animation Resort–have strong kid appeal.

The moderate kid appeal of the Contemporary Resort comes from the sight of the monorail running right through its central atrium—the Grand Canyon Concourse.

Once the excitement of seeing the monorail fades, the architecture of the resort reveals itself to be rather brutal and un-interesting.

Convenience. Disney’s Contemporary Resort is the second most convenient of all the Walt Disney World resorts after the Polynesian in carrying out the itineraries for first-time family visitors on this site.

It has a walking path to the Magic Kingdom.

The option of being able to get to or return from the Magic Kingdom in five to ten minutes without having to wait in line for a transport vehicle can be really valuable, especially right after fireworks or parades, or on peak attendance days when the park might be closed.

The Contemporary is also on the resort monorail loop.  The Magic Kingdom is the fourth stop heading in, and the Contemporary is the first stop coming back.

Access to Epcot is from taking the monorail to the Ticket and Transportation Center–the first stop–and from there taking the Epcot monorail.

Transport to the other theme parks is by bus, each of which is shared by at least one other resort.

Boat service is available to Fort Wilderness (convenient for the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue) and to the Wilderness Lodge (convenient for Whispering Canyon).

BEST PLACES TO STAY AT DISNEY’S CONTEMPORARY RESORT

This site suggests that first time visitors stay in standard rooms, not preferred rooms.

This is because they won’t be spending much time in their rooms.

The single exception is visitors to the Animal Kingdom Lodge, who should always pay for savanna views.

The Contemporary almost qualifies as an exception–I do strongly recommend Magic Kingdom view rooms in the Tower. See the view of Wishes above from such a room.

When you reserve, you pick Garden Wing vs. Tower, and if you pick the Tower, Bay Lake vs Magic Kingdom (officially “Theme Park”) view.

You can also pick an “Odd Room Number.” If you have a Magic  Kingdom view, you can see the evening fireworks  from the queen beds in odd-numbered rooms, and from the couches in even numbered-rooms. Since most will wish to see them from the balcony, anyway, this does not much matter.

In the Tower, higher floors always have better views. In the Garden Wing, there are no balconies, just patios.

BEST FOR:

Any first time family visitors who can afford it, but can’t get into or don’t want to stay at Disney’s Polynesian Resort.

WORST FOR:

Families seeking the highest degree of kid appeal. Families too large to fit its 5 person rooms. See this for more on large families at Walt Disney World.

PHOTO TOUR OF A CONTEMPORARY RESORT ROOM

This review continues here.

TOPICS IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S CONTEMPORARY RESORT

• Overview and summary of Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• A photo-tour of a standard Tower room at the Contemporary Resort
• Details on the South Garden Wing of the Contemporary Resort
• The amenities at the Contemporary Resort
• Dining at the Contemporary Resort
• The pools at the Contemporary Resort, and
• More on theming and accommodations at the Contemporary Resort

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 160+ stays in them

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!

OVERVIEW: DISNEY’S GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT & SPA

Our most recent stay in July 2016 confirms that Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort is the fifth best deluxe resort at Walt Disney World for first time family visitors.

You can have a wonderful visit at any Walt Disney World resort hotel.

However, this site recommends that first time visitors to Walt Disney World who can afford it should stay at Disney’s Polynesian Resort, a deluxe resort, and that those who can’t should stay at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, a value resort.

(It also suggests that first time visitors should avoid the moderate resorts, while noting that these resorts are wonderful for visits after the first. See this for why.)

Compared to other Walt Disney World owned and operated resorts, the deluxe resorts are distinguished by having (on average) the most amenities, nicest views, best dining options, best transport options, largest rooms, best service, and highest prices.

Among the deluxe resorts, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, a monorail resort, has a lot of positives.

It is the third most convenient of the Disney World resorts, bested only by the Contemporary and the Polynesian.  The quality of dining at the resort is unparalleled. The overall architecture, and its associated Victorian detailing, is as delightful as is to be found at Walt Disney World.  Standard rooms–at ~440 square feet–are bigger than those at any other Disney-owned resort except for the rooms in the newer part of the Polynesian.

Its Disney Vacation Club offering, The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, is also marvelous.

On the other hand, it has perhaps the least kid appeal of any Disney-owned resort at Walt Disney World.

It’s the only Disney World resort with a restaurant (Victoria and Albert’s) that does not allow younger kids, and the only Disney World resort whose largest, most central pool (the Courtyard Pool) is not also the pool designed to most appeal to kids.

The kid-appealing pool, the Beach Pool, with waterfalls and a slide, is smaller and isolated on the south side of the resort.

The architecture and Victorian detailing, delightful to adults, will have no special appeal to most kids.  And the public-space decorating scheme–the floors, walls, public furniture, paintings and such–will have little appeal to kids either.

Adults will recognize the decoration as typical of international high-end hotels that do not wish to risk for even a moment appearing stylish.  Those with comfortable elderly aunts will recognize the decor as well.

Guest rooms have just ended a refurb cycle which has made them much less fussy than before. This paradoxically broadens their appeal while losing a bit of the sharpness of the Victorian theming. All in, for most guests the simpler rooms are an improvement.

It’s not that kids aren’t welcome; kids are completely welcome (well, not at Victoria and Albert’s) and will have a ball here.  Rather, it’s that there’s next to nothing about the architecture, detailing, and grounds of Disney’s Grand Victorian Resort and Spa that reinforces that welcome and makes the resort feel kid-appealing.

(See this for much more on resort distinctions by price class–value, moderate, deluxe, etc.)

[Read more →]

OVERVIEW: DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE

Note: guests at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge are eligible for Disney World’s Early Entry program, and have the ability to pre-book as early as  seven days before check-in Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass rides. They are also eligible for its Extended Evening Hours.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge opened in 2001, and was renamed “Jambo House at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge” with the opening of the nearby Disney Vacation Club property Kidani Village in 2009. Recent Disney usage seems to be reverting to the old Animal Kingdom Lodge lingo, so I’ll mostly use that here.

For reviews I count three separate properties here:

• Jambo House, the topic of this review
• The Disney Vacation Club (“DVC”) villas at Jambo House, reviewed here, and
• The DVC villas at Kidani Village, for which see this for a review.

We’ve stayed here nine times, most recently in April. Whatever I call it, the key is this: Jambo House/Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is a great place for first time visitors to stay, bested only by Disney’s Polynesian Resort and Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.

You can have a wonderful visit at any Walt Disney World resort hotel.

However, this site recommends that first time visitors to Walt Disney World who can afford it should stay at Disney’s Polynesian Resort, a deluxe resort, and that those who can’t should stay at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, a value resort.

(It also suggests that first time visitors should avoid the moderate resorts, while noting that these resorts are wonderful for visits after the first. See this for why.)

Compared to other Walt Disney World owned and operated resorts, the deluxe resorts are distinguished by having (on average) the most amenities, nicest views, best dining options, best transport options, largest rooms, best service, and highest prices.

Among the deluxe resorts, Animal Kingdom Lodge stands out for having stunning kid appeal, so-so convenience, smallest rooms, and moderate prices (prices are very low for not-recommended “Standard View” rooms–at Jambo House, you want a more expensive Savanna View).

(See this for much more on resort distinctions by price class–value, moderate, deluxe, etc.)

This review of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge has

• This page, a summary overview
• Theming and accommodations at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• A photo tour of a standard room at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Amenities at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Dining at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• The Uzima Pool at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

ACCOMMODATIONS AT DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE

Standard rooms at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge are tied with those at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge as the smallest deluxe rooms on property. Rooms at the Animal Kingdom are slightly different than those at Wilderness Lodge–the connecting door and coffeemaker/mini-fridge are in opposite positions.

The bedroom component of these rooms is smaller than even those at the moderate resorts, being almost a foot narrower and, on the long side, 2.5 feet shorter.

(On average, Animal Kingdom Lodge bedrooms are about 9 inches shorter than moderates, counting both the moderate’s shorter and longer sides. See this for more on comparative Disney resort room sizes.)

Most of these rooms sleep four–two each in two queens.

Rooms with a queen and two bunk beds are also available.  I measured the bunk bed mattresses as 72 inches long and 36 inches wide. Because of the frame, the top bunk sleeps a little shorter than that, though the lower frame has toesies gaps that let me stretch my 5’11” out fine. Both cushions are 8″ deep.  (Bunk bed rooms are more expensive than two-queen rooms.)

Rooms with one king bed are also available.

You can add to this capacity of four a child younger than three who sleeps in a crib.

Partly because of these room sizes, and partly because it is not directly accessible to a theme park, standard view rooms at the Animal Kingdom Lodge are among the least expensive of the deluxe resorts.

More on accommodations at the Animal Kingdom Lodge is here, and a photo tour of a standard room at the Animal Kingdom Lodge is here.

Note that these rooms saw a light refurb in 2019-2020. I’ll post updated images and floor plans shortly.

THE POOL AT DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE

Note: see the top of this page for the closure of this pool from early September to early December 2018!

The Uzima Springs pool at the Animal Kingdom Lodge combines fun play and a water slide for kids with hidden nooks and a fun bar for adults.

One of my favorite pools at Disney World, there’s more on Uzima pool here.

DINING AT DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE

The Animal Kingdom Lodge has two great restaurants, Boma for families and Jiko for couples, plus a strong quick-service offering.

Sanaa at nearby Kidani Village is one of my favorite restaurants at Disney World.

There’s more on dining at the Animal Kingdom Lodge here.

KID APPEAL AND CONVENIENCE AT DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE

Resorts are ranked on this site for first time visitors based first on their kid appeal, and then on their convenience.

On this basis, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is the third-best resort for first time family visitors to Walt Disney World.

Kid Appeal.

• Three of the deluxe resorts–the Wilderness Lodge, the Animal Kingdom Lodge itself, and Polynesian Resort, in that order–have spectacular kid appeal.
• None of the moderates do.
• All of the value resorts–Disney’s All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, and All-Star Movies, and its Pop Century Resort and Art of Animation Resort–have strong kid appeal.

The kid appeal of Jambo House at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge comes from its sense of exotic African adventure.

The architecture of the resort recalls the great national park lodges of East Africa, and the resort itself is filled with wonderful authentic and replica artifacts, and instances of Sub-Saharan African art.

This architecture is crowned by Jambo House’s magnificent lobby, stunning in its own right, but also reminiscent of that of the Wilderness Lodge. (Peter Dominick was the architect of both.)

This architecture alone would be enough to put Jambo House at the Animal Kingdom Lodge near the top of Walt Disney World kid appeal.

Add the animals, and you have something even more special.

The Animal Kingdom resort is surrounded by savannas, each of which is populated by dozens of wild African mammals and birds.

Most rooms have a view of these savannas…and waking up to a giraffe outside your balcony is a very cool way to start your day! (All animal shots in this review are zoomed.)

Savanna views are also available from many public spaces.

Other wonderful elements both big and small continue the African theme, from art objects…

…to wonderful designs–some as simple as repeating forms.

Jambo House Convenience.

Jambo House at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is least most convenient of the deluxe Disney Resorts

It is distant from all the theme parks other than Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and you can’t walk to the Animal Kingdom–all theme park transport is by bus.

Buses from the Animal Kingdom Lodge do not serve any other Disney resorts, but there are two stops–Jambo House and sister DVC resort Kidani Village.

BEST PLACES TO STAY AT JAMBO HOUSE

This site suggests that first time visitors stay in standard rooms, not preferred rooms.

This is because they won’t be spending much time in their rooms.

The single exception is for visitors to the Animal Kingdom Lodge, who should always pay for savanna views.

The Animal Kingdom Lodge is on the right on the map–Kidani Village is the undulating structure on the left. Rooms fronting Arusha savanna are the most popular–and $30 per night more expensive. Arusha savanna is in the middle of the “arms” of the Lodge–the part that looks like a tilted half-circle.

For most first time visitors, the extra cost of Arusha is probably not worth it. But if you do sign up for Arusha, request a “Zebra Trail” room (the Lodge is laid out in “trails”)–this will put you closer to the pool and restaurants.

But be sure to reserve a savanna-view room, whether Arusha or not!

Also request a third or fourth floor room, about halfway down the trail.  The third and fourth floor rooms have the best views, and halfway down the trail gives the best balance between quiet and walking distance.

BEST FOR:

Any first time family visitors who can afford it, and prefer its theme to those of the Polynesian or Wilderness Lodge.

WORST FOR:

Families too large to fit into its 4 person rooms. See this for more on large families at Walt Disney World.

ACCOMMODATIONS AND THEMING AT DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE

This review continues here.

TOPICS IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE

• Summary and overview of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Theming and accommodations at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• A photo tour of a standard room at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Amenities at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Dining at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• The Uzima Pool at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 160+ stays in them

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!

The weakest parts of Disney World guidebooks and websites tends to be their material on the Disney World resort hotels.

This makes sense, as it takes both time and money to stay in and carefully assess them (and all their major room variants), which most aren’t willing to commit.

A common claim is that Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation are larger than standard rooms in other value resorts, and another that Caribbean Beach rooms are much larger than those in the other moderate resorts.

Both these claims are wrong, but you’ll see them all over the place on sites and even prominent guidebooks. Since I’ve had my tape measure with me in almost all my stays in nearly a hundred different Disney World rooms, I don’t make those particular errors—although I make plenty others!

I’ve stayed in–and measured–all the moderates and all the values about a million times, but not until last week was I in Caribbean Beach and then another moderate, and Art of Animation and then another value, on the same trip with my 25 foot tape measure in hand. So instead of measuring these on different trips with different tape measures, it was all on the same trip and the same measure.

Here’s the results.

CARIBBEAN BEACH ROOMS ARE A TEENY BIT LARGER THAN OTHER MODERATE ROOMS

Rooms at Caribbean Beach (CB) are 12 feet 9 inches wide. Rooms at Port Orleans French Quarter (POFQ) are the exact same width. (I’m accurate to within half an inch or so.)

The bath of each has a depth of about 71 inches.

The depth of the main bedroom area at POFQ is 19 feet 7 inches along the longer wall. The same dimension at CB is 19 feet, 11 inches—about 4 inches more.

Averaging the impacts of my possible  measurement errors, CB rooms may have 5 more square feet than POFQ rooms—an un-noticeable distinction.

LITTLE MERMAID ROOMS HAVE NEAR IDENTICAL DIMENSIONS TO OTHER VALUE ROOMS

I got identical measurements* in both my Pop Century and Art of Animation Little Mermaid rooms.

Each came out as 11 feet 9 inches wide, with a bathroom depth of 66 inches and a sleeping space depth of 18 feet 2 inches along the longer wall.

I did notice for the first time one material difference among the layout of these rooms.

Pop rooms are laid out with the first bed much closer to the entry door—seven inches closer–than Little Mermaid rooms, and as a result the far bed was seven inches further from the bath wall at Pop than at Little Mermaid.

The Little Mermaid rooms were laid out more like the All-Stars, with more space at entry and less by the bath. I prefer the layout of the Little Mermaid and All-Star rooms, as at Pop the first bed crowds the entrance.

*Since two of the three Little Mermaid buildings were built at the same time that Pop was built, and those buildings were then planned to be the other half of Pop, this is of course utterly predictable…

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