ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE, KIDANI VILLAGE

Welcome to the African savanna at Animal Kingdom Lodge!

I really had my heart set on taking the kids to this particular resort (even though we didn't splurge further for a savanna view room - not that there were any left when we booked anyway), and I'm glad we went ahead and did it on our first Disney trip (and yes, I'm saying first, since we fully intend to return every other year or so if we can). We spent a lot of time outside viewing the animals on our first day/night (even attending a night viewing demonstration with night-vision goggles!), but otherwise stuck to viewing them from the plethora of windows in the lobby and hallways as we passed through (because at the end of the day, we were so tired and hot that the last thing we wanted to do was go sit in the heat any more).

 I'll talk more about what we'd do differently next time in another post, but suffice it to say that you spend very little time at your resort, not sleeping, unless you plan it in (and we did not plan it in on this trip, since we packed a LOT into just 4 days). Next time around, we'd stay at a less expensive resort and stay for an extra day just to have a "resort day" in the middle to rest and relax and enjoy the plethora of amenities available.

Like 24/7 Disney cartoons playing in the lobby (which highly entertained small children during check-in, coffee refills, consults with the concierge, etc.)

 Yes, they had a fire going. In June. And we enjoyed it. (This was before venturing into the Florida heat wave for the next 6 days though...)

 There were giant rocking chairs on every porch for animal viewing. And free safari hats for the kids.

 The pool at Kidani Village was great! It had a splash pad, playground, waterfall, a couple kid-sized waterslides and big waterslide (which James pleasantly surprised us with by riding it without prompting, joining Cora and I at the top of the line before we'd even gone down once - and he LOVED it, and continued to ride it over and over again every single night we were there!), a large pool with a zero-depth entry side, and two hot tubs. The fitness center was on site, as well as a well stocked bar, the free soda machine, and short-order food orders. This is why we'd love to plan more time at the resort next time. Or just go to an all inclusive resort somewhere and call it good! 

 (Turned out you're not allowed to ride head-first...)

 Late on our first evening there, the kids decided to wear the provided life vests (they had smaller sizes for the little kids - don't worry, we redirected Cora to the correct version after she came running up swallowed in that one), and we let them do so for the duration of the trip. I'll be honest, I never expected to just sit back and lounge while my (almost!) 5- and 6-year-olds ran out of sight, climbed stairs, and rode big waterslides without my standing at the bottom to catch them. The area was well staffed with lifeguards, we set limits for the kids and showed them where we'd be sitting, and turned them loose. Maybe it's just Disney, but I felt like they were completely safe, and it was so nice. Not that we didn't ride the waterslide ourselves and swim with the kids, but it was nice that we could lounge around at the end of the day (often 9-10pm...) and rest our weary feet!