Taste of Disney

May 2015 Trip (Review 1)

THE GRADUATION CELEBRATION KICKS OFF WITH A ONE NIGHT CL STAY AT ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE!

 

Our 17 hour drive was finally over when we arrived at the security gate for Animal Kingdom Lodge at around 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday, May 13th. After parking and entering the lobby, it wasn’t long before we were escorted up to the 6th floor to complete the check-in process with a member of the concierge staff. While doing this, we were offered sangria (for the two of us over the age of 21) or jungle juice (which I believe is a combination of pineapple, orange, and guava juices?). And we of course accepted the offer…

Their sangria consisted of jungle juice topped with red wine. When mixed together this was very tasty and a great start to our vacation, especially after a 17 hour drive.

At first we were told that our room was ready but then they said that the room we had been assigned was one with bunk beds. When I questioned this, I was told that the bunks would probably not be a comfortable fit for any of us since we were all adults. So back to the computer they go to find a room with 2 queens which was clean and ready for the three very weary travelers. No success. We were told to grab some breakfast before they closed down the breakfast service at 10:30 and they would keep checking for an available room. So we did. I guess I was super tired though because I don’t remember what I had and I completely forgot to take any photos. (But no worries, there will be breakfast food photos. You will just have to wait until the next morning. ) Before long the Kilimanjaro Club lounge was deserted, except for the staff and the three of us. Having nothing else to do, my kids pulled out their laptops and I took out my camera and started taking pictures.

 

The view of the beautiful lobby from the 6th floor lounge…

It was about this time that I noticed that the CM that had checked us in had disappeared. I asked the one remaining CM who was manning the concierge desk and was told that my CM had left for the day and this new person did not know that we were waiting for a room. So back to the computer, but still nothing available. By this time it was 11:30 and the Afternoon Refreshments were brought out.

There were cookies, both chocolate chip and sugar cookies with sprinkles…

Gummy bears…

Granola bars…

This was labeled as Afritude Spiced Nuts…

And this was called Arusha Trail Mix…

Barbecue Kettle Chips…

Goldfish crackers…

Yogurt-covered pretzels…

And your standard fruit selection of bananas, oranges, and apples…

Drinks included water, jungle juice, lemonade, and iced tea…

These Afternoon Refreshments are served until 3:00, but thankfully we were not there quite that long. At 12:40ish, I was told that if we didn’t mind switching from the Zebra Trail room (that we had apparently been assigned to) to the Kudu Trail, then there was a room ready for us. Heck yeah, at this point I would take the Chunky Gal Trail, the Boogerman Trail, or even the Old Butt Knob Trail…all actual trail names, by the way. So off we went in search of our room on the 4th floor, Kudu Trail. Before our trip, I thought I read somewhere that all of the concierge rooms were located on either the 5th or 6th floors, but I now know that these rooms are all suites or DVC. If you book a regular concierge room then I believe you will be placed on the 4th floor, two floors down from the Kilimanjaro Lounge.

Want to know what I did next on this trip or just want to share a comment on this review? Click here to go to this trip’s blog post!