Animal Kingdom Lodge

It's a feast for the senses to dine at, visit, or stay at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. Even as you walk in, you pass tropical plants and hear African music that makes you want to dance. The music has the perfect amount of energy- not too much buzz but just right! In the lobby, African furniture and decorations, plus African items on display, make for an immersive experience. Browse the gift shop which has some awesome rustic-looking items, plus a tic tac toe board you can play with your kids. It's fun to buy their delicious kids crackers and Snacks with Character (there's a picture of Goofy on the wrapper) dark chocolate bar, and chill in the lobby eating and listening to the music.

For African food, dine at the restaurant in the lobby called Boma- it is expensive though. In the lobby are huge windows looking out on the African savanna! Walk down the beautiful staircase to the viewing areas outside which looks out on the Arusha Savanna. There are three savannas with viewing areas on the property. Music once again greets you, as well as caves and tropical plants. Representatives from Africa stand to chat with you about their cultures at each viewing area. You never know what animals might roam past- zebras, giraffes, ostriches, gemsboks (antelopes with tall spear-shaped horns)...plus many birds such as pelicans. It's a ton of fun!
The second viewing area, called Uzima Savanna, can be seen if you take the lobby (Jambo House) elevator to the bottom floor, walk out the glass doors, and then around the pool. Here you might see giraffes, bongos (antelope with white vertical stripes), kudus (spiral-horned antelope), gazelles, and blesboks (antelope with a white face). But the real stars are the flamingoes that have the funniest loud, frenzied moments. There are also white spoonbills that are so beautiful. 
To see more animals, walk from the front of the Jambo lobby along the parking lot sidewalks to Kidani Villas (to the west). Here you will find gorgeous African architecture, chunky rich brown buildings with colorful accents. And another outdoor viewing area called the Sunset Savanna, if you walk through the lodge lobby to the back. We saw wildebeest, antelope, crowned crane birds (so cute with big yellow crowns), and ankole cattle with enormous horns.
Animal Kingdom Lodge is a deluxe Disney resort, so the price for a room is high.
At Christmastime, Animal Kingdom Lodge has a beautiful tree with African musical instruments hanging on it. I loved it! The music is African Christmas music, which is also wonderful. And there are other Christmas decorations like wreaths and garlands, all with an African theme.
You can catch a free bus to Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park from Animal Kingdom Lodge. If you stay at a Disney hotel you get to enjoy extra magic hours in the parks, plus you can book your fastpass rides 60 days ahead rather than just 30 days ahead.

Directions

To enter Animal Kingdom Lodge, you need to be a guest or have a dinner reservation. If you're a Disney passholder, you can try showing your pass and they most likely will let you in. If not, you can also see if they will let you in, if you're lucky. If not, you can park at Disney Springs in the free parking and catch the free bus to the lodge, though I'm not sure that would be worth it. You can also catch a bus from Animal Kingdom theme park to Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Click on map for interactive view