Is Savanna View At Animal Kingdom Lodge Worth It? | Pictures + Guide
The Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of the most unique hotels in the world being surrounded by an African savanna and dozens of animals!
However, only the Savanna View rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge have views of the animals... and it comes with a steep price!
Our Savanna View Animal Kingdom Lodge Guide walks you through what you need to know about Savanna View rooms and our assessment of if they're worth the upgrade!
Questions We'll Answer About Savanna View At Animal Kingdom Lodge:
- What Animals Can You Expect To See?
- Can You See The Animals All Day?
- Where Are The Best Savanna View Rooms Located?
- Is Savanna View At Animal Kingdom Lodge Worth It?
What Animals Can You Expect To See?
Animal Kingdom Lodge is divided into three different savannas which have a different mix of animals that call these savannas home.
The animals you'll be able to see with a Savanna View room will depend on which savanna your room is located in.
The three different savannas and the animals you can expect to see at each are below:
- Arusha Savanna: Ankole Cattle, Gemsbok, Giraffes, Zebras and Wildebeests
- Sunset Savanna: Ankole Cattle, Bongo, Giraffes, Impala, Ostrich, Waterbuck
- Uzima Savanna: Bongo, Blesbok, Giraffe, Impala, Kudu, Gazelles
Keep in mind that Disney can swap out different animals on these savannas at any time so we can't guarantee you'll see all of these animals but it is very likely!
You may have noticed there are no elephants or lions listed in any of these savannas. There are in fact no lions or elephants at Animal Kingdom Lodge - you'll need to head over to the Animal Kingdom park to see them!
Can You See The Animals All Day?
During our stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, and throughout multiple visits on the property, we've seen the animals start to roam the savannas at around 11 AM.
The animals spend the night in a separate holding area so it takes a bit of time for them to leave this holding area and begin traveling across the savannas where Animal Kingdom Lodge cast members have placed food to lure them closer to guest viewpoints.
After about noon we were able to see the animals all day.
The employees at Animal Kingdom Lodge do their best to spread food around the entire savanna so the animals will spend time by each block of rooms but during our stay, the animals spent most of their time in one area.
Luckily for us, they stayed close to our room but there were definitely rooms that would only ever get the opportunity to see the animals from much further away.
Even into the evening we were still able to see the animals which we learned would roam the savannas until quite late because of a special nighttime safari that Animal Kingdom Lodge runs each night!
It wasn't until about midnight that we noticed Animal Kingdom Lodge cast members luring the animals back into their holding areas away from guest view.
At about 1 AM most of the animals were gone except for some of the storks and herons which always stay out in the savanna areas.
Where Are The Best Savanna View Rooms Located?
From our experience, the Arusha Savanna View rooms are the best!
The Arusha Savanna is home to some of the most iconic African animals including giraffes, zebras, and wildebeests which are also some of the most active animals in the savannas.
The Arusha Savanna is also in a more intimate circular-shaped space when compared to the other savannas, allowing for better overall views and getting as close to the animals as possible.
These rooms will be located in what's called the Kudu Trail and Zebra Trail wings of the hotel which are used to divide up the various sections of the hotel to make finding your room easier.
The Kudu Trail (where we stayed) is an especially great area of the Arusha Savanna as many of the rooms are very close to the animal feeding areas which means they'll spend a lot of time near your room.
The Zebra Trail on the other side of the Arusha Savanna also has some great views but we noticed the animals were spending a lot more time near us in the Zebra Trail.
When booking a Savanna View Room you aren't able to pick exactly what area of the hotel you'd like to stay in or what savanna you'd like to overlook. The only thing you're guaranteed is some sort of Savanna View.
So while your view does come down to a lot of luck, we recommend at least asking at check-in to see what views and more desirable locations are available!
Is Savanna View At Animal Kingdom Lodge Worth It?
The Savanna View rooms at Animal Kingdom Lodge are much more expensive than a standard view (parking lot or other guest areas) or pool view rooms, so this isn't always an easy decision.
We've seen Savanna View rooms typically start at around $200 more per night than a regular view room so you can easily find yourself spending an extra $1,000 in total for a view of the animals.
If you're going to be spending most of your time at the parks and your room is only for sleeping then Savanna View is not going to be worth it.
We'd even go as far as saying if you plan to be in your room for a few hours each day to take a break from the parks then Savanna View still might not be worth it.
You'll get the most value out of Savanna View rooms if someone in your family is an animal lover or if you plan to spend time watching the animals from your balcony.
If you really enjoy animal watching and plan to take time out of your day just to watch the animals roam the savanna then Savanna View is worth the upgrade.
The Savanna view is almost an attraction itself and we recommend carving out some dedicated time to do some animal watching to get value out of this more expensive room option.
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