Reviews of Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House (Deluxe Resort)
Reviewed by WaltDisneyWorldTraveler Review Date: 03/17/2022
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
AKL has hands down the most incredible lobby and unique food options in all of Disney World. Where else can you experience live Africa wildlife right outside your window? The downside is that this resort does not have much outside space where you can walk and enjoy getting close to the animals. Even with a savanna room view; you are still quite far from the animals. The lobby is impressive; but the rest of the resort appears to be an afterthought. Would recommended getting a dinner reservation for either Jiko or Boma; so that you can enjoy the lobby - but would not recommended staying the night.
Pros:
Stellar lobby experience with incredible sit-down food optionsCons:
Long-endless hallways make you fee trapped. No outdoor walking spaces. The quick-service dining is equivalent to a high school cafeteria. The pool is quite boring.Reviewed by PattyMayonaise821 Review Date: 11/11/2021
Rating: (9) Recommended
My husband and I stayed at the Jambo House in a Savanna view king size bedroom for 4 days and 3 nights. First things first it needs to be said: when the animals are out, this is THE BEST view in ALL of Disney.
Jiko was closed when we stayed (Oct 2021), but breakfast at Boma was delicious and unique. Don't sleep on the french toast bread pudding! Also, Zebra Domes not only lived up to the hype, but they surpassed them.
The hotel lobby is amazing. The staff was friendly and helpful, and honestly the bus only transportation is totally fine as long as you're mentally prepared for it. We got to and from each park everyday without any issues, however we didn't plan to rope drop anything (though we did take advantage of two nights of after hours).
The only real negative about this resort might be that the pool is not AMAZING, but it's not bad either-- it's just an average hotel pool so if you plan on doing a resort day, you will probably do more animal watching than pool lounging-- though I think that's totally the point of the hotel!
Pros:
Savanna View, Zebra Domes, Unique dining!Cons:
Average pool.Reviewed by Jfarring513 Review Date: 05/01/2021
Rating: (10) Recommended
There is nothing better than staying at Jambo house for part of or your whole disney stay. Pre-pandemic staying here was always a dream of mine and my partner and I went down for a long trip and booked 4 nights here. We went to the parks for dinner and fireworks one or two nights- but every other moment was spent at the hotel and we left feeling like we had accomplished half of what we wanted- just at a hotel!!!
Jambo house offers gorgeous views of multiple savannahs and even those staying in a room with a standard view can go out to the various porches and verandas to look at the animals and relax or read a book etc.
One thing not offered at the moment (pandemic) but is a MUST DO when it comes back is the art tours. 4pm every other day a cultural representative offers these special tours and goes through a fraction of the insane amount of art in the lobby and throughout the hallways. It was one of the most educational and fun things i’ve ever done at WDW and i visit 3-4 weeks a year. People tend to skip this tour and i IMPLORE you to take it. You’ll be the only ones there and have a private tour with someone who really loves what they do. The real best part is that it’s totally free!! They even teach traditional drums and allow you to practice in a special area off of the lobby.
The Wanayama Safari is a splurge but absolutely the best money to be spent on a tour. You get up close and personal with the animals on the savannah- a giraffe popped her head into our truck to say hello!! And its followed up with a 5 course tasting meal at Jiko which is just out of this world. Victoria Falls Lounge is one of the best bar/lounges on property in my opinion. They have a cheese dip with garlic that is out of this world. I really hope the entire resort re-opens soon and can get back to how things were!
Pros:
Everything! Best food on property everywhere All of the staff is so knowledgeable and always goes above and beyond for you Cultural representatives are so amazing and educate you on anything you would like to know Excellent tours and other activities you can do throughout the day Amazing pool with a gorgeous viewCons:
Only deluxe resort that requires busses to get to all 4 parks and disney springs Rooms at the ends of the hallways are FAR. Do your best to know the exits if you parked down below so you dont have to go to the lobby and back around. Bring your walking shoes for those hallways!Reviewed by Lizard1515 Review Date: 04/25/2021
Rating: (6) Not Recommended
I thought I was going to LOVE this property, but it was just okay. We had some buses take a very long time to pick us up on multiple occasions. The food options were nice but just sort of a pain to get to. We loved the pool area and the animals were awesome of course! It is pretty far from everything other than AK. Overall, not sure if we'd stay there again for the price point. Unless you love animals and AK more than anything it just doesn't impress.
Pros:
Animals on property, well themed, nice new rooms, great poolCons:
buses take a while, no other transportation options, dining is all over the placeReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 12/31/2020
Rating: (2) Not Recommended
Stayed at all the deluxes...will never stay at this one again!
Pros:
Nice lobby, good food, animal viewCons:
Unpleasant staff, no coffee in the morning, too far from everything (always a bus), rooms are small and inconsistent, unfortunately not as clean as it should beReviewed by DisFan14 Review Date: 12/09/2020
Rating: (7) Recommended
If you’re looking for a place where you can get away from the hustle and bustle of a disney vacation, this is it. While the lobby, food, and views are unbeatable, you’re going to spend a lot of time on the bus. 20+ minute rides to magic kingdom. If you decide you’re okay with that then go ahead and pay the extra money for a savannah view room. Other views are just not worth the money/long bus rides.
Pros:
Beautiful resort with great foodCons:
Long bus rides and not worth the money if not savannah viewReviewed by Merwolf Review Date: 11/18/2020
Rating: (10) Recommended
Totally love this resort, and have stayed here a number of times because I love animals and by gosh they have them here. Favorite way to spend the morning was get some breakfast (best buffet on property, miss it now due to Covid) and then walk around to all the viewing areas to take pictures of the range of animals that live there. Bonus last time - baby zebras. The lobby is big and gorgeous, they have a good sized shop, and I agree with others here to spring for a savannah view room if you can. The restaurants, especially Jiko, are amazing. You do need a bit of an adventurous palate but adventure. It's delicious and worth every dime. A nice touch is the firepits inside and out, and the beautiful artwork on display.
Pros:
Animals. Lobby. Immersive. You can easily spend resort days here and not miss the parks (at least, I don't)Cons:
Depending on where your room is, you could be in for a long, long, walk to the bus station, or anywhere really. Only transportation option is bus, and AKL is near AK, and far away from the other three parks because animals.Reviewed by goblues38 Review Date: 11/17/2020
Rating: (7) Recommended
Nice and quiet. A bit dark in the color pallet, but that is ok. The pool at Jambo house is one of the better pools on property. Plenty of spaces to get lost in in here. go find a bench and relax and people or animal watch.
In regards to a Savanah View Room. meh.....it is nice...but not a must have. We end up making jokes about it. the 1st time you see a zebra it is cool...but the 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 9th time loses its luster very fast. Skip the Savanah View and save some cash. One time we had a view of the front porch where people would load and unload cars. We sat for what seemed like hours just laughing at people losing their mind trying to load a car full of way too many bags for the ride home.
Pros:
Very consistent experience. We have stayed her 4 times over the past 15 years and it is always what we expect. Good food service, great drink service.Cons:
It is a little farther out but you only notice it on the bus ride to MK or possibly Disney Springs. Everything else is just fine in regards to the busses.Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 09/20/2020
Rating: (9) Recommended
We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge in November 2019 for 2 nights. Unfortunately they were doing renovations at the time so I will put that aside and just say the room needed to be refreshed and that’s what they were doing. I just wish I had known before I booked it. We would definitely go back again because the resort is amazing. The lobby and the decor and the animals and the trees are just beautiful. We have visited the resort several times. I absolutely love going there. The food is unique and delicious but not so adventurous that you can’t find something if you’re picky. The location is a little further so you need more time to travel but it’s not that bad. Disney Springs is probably the longest trip and Animal Kingdom is really close.
On the first night of our stay, I spiked a fever so I basically stayed in the room both days. I spent a lot of time on the balcony of the room overlooking a stream and the pool area and it was so peaceful and beautiful. All I wanted was soup and they have the best soup I’ve ever had. If you have to be sick on a Disney trip, this was definitely the best place to be. Animal Kingdom is my favorite park and AKL is like having a room there.
Pros:
Animals, landscaping, foodCons:
NoneReviewed by sydneyhum Review Date: 06/09/2020
Rating: (8) Recommended
This was the first Disney resort I ever stayed at. It is full of Disney magic, but it is SOOOOO far. Seeing the animals on the Savanna was awesome. If you want a more relaxed trip and will spend a lot of the time at your resort then it is worth it, but if you just want a resort to rest your head after a long day at the parks, choose a more convenient resort.
