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Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge is a "deluxe" classed hotel resort in the Walt Disney World Resort. It opened on April 16, 2001.
This African themed resort is located adjacent to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park. It is unique in that it allows guests the opportunity to watch wildlife graze outside their rooms and public areas in the resort within proximity, conveying the feeling of being in an actual African savanna. The feeding of animals from the room balconies is strictly prohibited. Video cameras are in place outside to record and discourage such activities.
This hotel was designed by architect Peter Dominick, who also designed Disney's Wilderness Lodge and Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. The three properties are somewhat similar.
On October 11, 2006, Disney announced to local media that this resort would be home to the newest Disney Vacation Club property, Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas. On February 18, 2008, Disney announced the first phase was complete with 109 rooms. A separate building, currently titled Kidani Village, is being built to the west of the lodge to house more than 300 villas. The Sunset Savanna is being extended to the new structure and an introduction of even more species of animals. There will also be a new feature to Disney Vacation Club members: guests now have the option to stay club level while lodging in a villa. There will be a large concierge lounge which will serve to a number of floors; much like Sugar Loaf Key at the Grand Floridian. Also, a new pool exclusive to villa residents is being built. This pool will be more spacious than the villa pool sizes and is planned to have waterslides and an aquatic playground.
Dining
Jiko: The Cooking Place
Features African style cooking with influences from the Mediterranean coast, India and Europe. Jiko also features wines of South African vintage. The cooking staff is headed up by Chef de Cuisine Brian Piasecki. The restaurant's design, created by designer Jeffrey Beers, emulates the ambiance of an African lodge with a color palette in earth tones. An open kitchen includes twin wood-burning stoves surrounded by a 187-seat dining room. The private Cape Town Wine Room seats up to 40 guests and showcases a collection of wine-based sculptures. Jiko is Swahili for "a cooking place", thus the subtitle "The Cooking Place".
Boma: Flavors of Africa
Features African style cooking in a buffet setting. The selection features items from fifty different African countries. The 270-seat restaurant is designed to resemble an open African marketplace. Food is prepared in open cooking areas in view of diners. Boma is a word in Swahili and several other African languages, meaning an enclosure such as a fort or a livestock pen.
The Mara
American food (counter-service)
Rooms
Most rooms are available with your choice of king-size bed (available with daybed), two queen-size beds, or one queen-size bed and bunk beds (available with daybed). Disabled accessible rooms available, 6:00am to midnight room service, Irons, ironing boards, hairdryers, and make-up mirrors in each room. In-room coffee makers and refrigerators available at no charge. Cribs available upon request, In-room safes, Dataport on phone, Disney Channel and ESPN, Newspaper delivery available, and Laundry facilities/services.
Smoking Notice: Effective June 1, 2007, all Walt Disney World resorts are now 100% non-smoking.
The article text above is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge"
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