Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Kilimanjaro Club Level Concierge – Our Review w/Photos and Video
Hi everyone!
My birthday gift this year was a one-night stay at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge in a concierge Kilimanjaro Club room. It was booked only a couple of days before my birthday, so we didn’t end up partaking in the Sunrise Safari – maybe next time! I’ve heard so many good things about it.
We have had a variety of experiences with club level lounges this year. A friend staying at the Boardwalk Resort invited us to be part of his room for a few days earlier this year in the Boardwalk Resort Innkeeper’s Club – I had to go out of town for those exact dates, but Jeff says it’s his favorite club level experience on property so far. We also stayed one night at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge’s Old Faithful Club in February, and you can read about that here. My favorite club level experience in 2013 has been the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, but Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is a very close second.
Checking in at the Front Desk at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
When we stay at club level, it’s usually for one night at a time. It’s a treat for us, and we rarely ask for any extra services (dining arrangements, etc.) In this case, we did have a few discussions with the concierge staff about future dining arrangements, which they were happy to help with. They also assisted us with a Be Our Guest lunch reservation as part of Fastpass+.
We did talk about our Be Our Guest Fastpass+ experience on our Mousesteps Weekly Show #67! You can see Jack Skellington and Sally were in it too, we left the resort to meet them at Epcot (they will be at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party this year, for the first time ever!)
When we arrived at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, we weren’t met outside by concierge staff. I’d read several reviews stating this can happen, so I didn’t expect to be met. We went to the standard check-in desk, where we were given MagicBands (in “Iconic Gray” and unpersonalized, since we booked so close to the trip). We already have been testing our personalized MagicBands for the past month, you can read about that here! The front desk forgot to give us our welcome packet, but we asked for it in the club level after breakfast. Our room wasn’t yet ready, but we learned it would be on the 4th floor looking toward the savannah (the Kilamanjaro Club is on the 6th floor). There is no guarantee of view when booking club level, but I do believe that guests in concierge are given priority.
Animal Kingdom Lodge Club Level View
I’ve stayed previously at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge three times. The first was just before the resort opened. I was a Disney Reservations Center Cast Member, and received a one-night test stay in a Deluxe Pool View room. The second was with a friend and her son for a couple of nights in a Savannah View room. The last time was while I was an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, during a FAM working trip – I was given a Standard View Room during that visit (and rarely saw it except for at bedtime). Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is a gorgeous resort and worth staying at in any room type, but having a Savannah View room is incredible. Where else can you see giraffes and other animals from your balcony?
We visit Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge semi-regularly, including for Jeff’s traditional birthday breakfast at Boma. I’ve often looked toward the club level lounge, wondering what it’d be like to stay there.
We tapped our MagicBands on the keypad in the elevator, and the 6th floor button illuminated. The club level lounge is spacious and nicely decorated in African themes. Breakfast is very similar to any other Walt Disney World club lounge that we’ve been to – with mini-muffins, cereals, croissants, yogurt, fruit, coffee, juice and more. The Jungle Juice that is available at Boma (and elsewhere now under different names) was available all day. Breakfast (Miamko) is from 7:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Our Breakfast in the Kilimanjaro Club
Mini-Muffins for Breakfast
Fruit Choices
Elephant Decor
Fresh Fruit is Available All Day
Hot Water for Tea, Coffee, Hot Chocolate
After breakfast, we were offered mimosas at the concierge desk. We were asked if we’d like mimosas several times over the 2 days, along with beer and wine (which is out only in the evening, but can be requested anytime). I wish I liked mimosas more than I do!
Mimosa
We’d left our phone number for a text message when our room was ready, but that never came. Our room ended up being ready at about 2:15 p.m. We were away from the resort for a while due to a work meeting, but our room was ready when we came back. Two chocolate animal-shaped lollipops were placed in our room with a welcome letter, and an expanded assortment of H20 bathroom amenities were on the sink (soaps, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, toothbrush w/toothpaste, solar gel).
4th Floor Savannah View Room
Letter with Chocolate Lollipops
Expanded Amenities, Which Also Included Toothbrush w/Toothpaste
Welcome Home Card
Bathrobes Are in Concierge Level Rooms
Hidden Mickeys in Shower Curtain
Looking Toward Balcony
Zebra Design in Chair
Giraffes Grazing – View From Our Balcony
Jeff did a great job on all of our videos, including this one of our room and balcony!
After breakfast, snacks (Vitafunio) had been placed out from 11:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. These included chocolate chip and macadamia cookies, house chips and fruit (the fruit was out all day long). Unsweetened ice tea, sodas, coffee, tea, milk and Jungle Juice were among the beverage assortment.
Kettle Chips
Gummi Bears and Granola Bars
Macadamia White Chocolate Chunk Cookies and Chocolate Chip Cookies
Here is a look at the club level experience, including breakfast and snack service:
New to me was a tea course (Chai) from 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Scones with cream and tea cookies were set out – the scones were delicious! This might have been my very favorite of the different services. Tea cookies and other goodies were available.
Tea Cookies
From 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., evening offerings (Kisikusiku) include assorted cheeses, appetizers, vegetables. Beer and wine are available all day upon request, but are put out at this time. There is a separate children’s area that included small meat roll-ups. For us, there was enough to make a dinner out of the offerings – but this service would make a great starter to a light meal (I wouldn’t eat here before Boma!) Some appetizers offered do come from Jiko and Boma. Each appetizer is placed on a separate plate, which is different than other concierge levels we’ve been to.
Appetizers
Crispy Breads, Cheese and Hummus
Crispy Tofu with Boma Mustard and Toasted Almonds
Turkey Patties
Smaller Table for Children, With Vegetables and Ham & Cheese Rolls
Crispy Vegetables, Including Asparagus and Carrots
Turndown Service Included 3 Chocolates and a Card
Service from 8:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. is desserts and cordials (Rehema). By the evening, it was hard to even think about food! Of course, we did have to try a few items. 🙂
Desserts
Indaba Wine
Here is our video of the appetizer and dessert service:
One of the most frequent questions we get about staying in a Walt Disney World club level room is if it’s worth it. If you are not spending much time at the resort, it might not be. I rarely use the concierge services that include making dining reservations. If you like to stick around the resort quite a bit, it’s certainly a nice indulgence – and if you have a family, just the included breakfast will help recoup the extra cost. Instead of paying $6.25 – $8.25 per beer at a bar (plus tax and tip), you can partake at club level, included (Jeff especially enjoyed the Tusker beer at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge). And when we had to get work done, we brought our computers up to the lounge during tea (Chai). I wish we could do that all the time! It does look like there is a bit of a price jump for 2014 – instead of $130 or so more than an Animal Kingdom Lodge Standard View room, it appears to be closer to $160.00 more (but we also didn’t receive a Standard View room – we received a Savannah View).
Giraffes Outside of Our Room
Two Giraffes
Food is Left Out For Zebras
Zebra
Giraffes Eating Food Left on Trees
What sets apart Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Kilimanjaro Club for us was the staff. Almost everyone working upstairs was so helpful and friendly – Jeff felt the same way about the Inkeeper’s Club at the Boardwalk Resort. The Cast Members at both concierge levels were especially outstanding and memorable.
I do wish the lounge overlooked the savannah – but our room did, so we enjoyed some of our food on our balcony. We spent hours watching the various animals roaming about – especially the giraffes and zebras! It was a wonderful birthday, and we look forward to staying at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge again in the future. In the meantime, we do have a Boma dinner planned with friends this month – it’s hard to stay away from the resort! If you are interested in pricing for Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, or any resort, visit Fairy Godmother Travel and let them know that Mousesteps sent you! They are our partner travel agency.
Here is a bonus video, of the Kidani Village pool slide. We actually prefer that pool to the Jambo House.