The Excalibur Hotel, the medieval-themed, castle-shaped hotel in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, may not be the most glamorous accommodation in the city, but the dependable Excalibur offers good, solid value for money in a prime Vegas location. The hotel is also one of the more family-friendly places to stay on the Las Vegas strip.

Staying at the Excalibur
The Excalibur Hotel, a Vegas favorite since 1990, has more than 4000 guest rooms and suites, ranging from standard guest rooms, to remodeled “widescreen” rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows and flat-screen TVs, to luxurious guest suites. All accommodations include wireless Internet access, cable TV, built-in hair dryers, and irons & ironing boards. Room rates at the Excalibur are generally more affordable than those of adjacent casinos, such as the MGM Grand, New York New York, and the Aladdin.

Facilities
Although Las Vegas is best known for its casinos, there’s lots more to do at the Excalibur than gaming. New is the 4-D SpongeBob Squarepants action ride for kids of all ages. There’s also a full-service spa and salon, a wedding chapel, and a landscaped swimming pool, complete with an adults-only area and private cabannas to rent.

Slot machine's inside the Excalibur Hotel

Gaming

The Excalibur boasts 100,000-square-feet of gaming space, accommodating a variety of games. There are slot machine, ranging from 1-cent to $100; the popular “Poker-Pro” electronic poker machines; 24-hour live Keno; a race & sports book; and table games, including blackjack, craps, roulette, Pai Gow poker, and mini-baccarat. The Excalibur’s “Player’s Club” rewards gamers for play with free play, comps, and access to VIP events. photo credit: g-hat

Shopping at the Excalibur
The shopping arcade at the Excalibur is called the Castle Walk. Shops there include Dragon’s Liar, which sells a variety of wares with dragon motifs; the Excalibur Shoppe, which features the hotel’s logo items; The $10 Shoppe, a place to buy affordable fashion; and Kids of the Castle, a place to shop for toys, books, and gifts for the kids back home.

Dining
The Excalibur offers a wide range of dining options. Among these are:

• Dick’s Last Resort - a casual eatery where being surly is expected
• The Roundtable Buffet - an all-you-can-eat buffet open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily
• The Steakhouse at Camelot - a Zagat-award-winning eatery that features steaks, chops, and seafood. Open for dinner nightly.
• Regale Ristorante Italiano – An upscale Italian bistro open for dinner each evening.
• Sherwood Forest Cafe - The hotel’s 24-hour coffee shop features traditional favorites at any hour.
• Village Food Court - The home of a variety of popular fast food eateries, including McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Quizno’s, Krispy Kreme, and Starbuck’s

Inside the Excalibur Hotel

Entertainment

In addition to swimming, shopping, and gaming, visitors to the Excalibur Hotel can enjoy “Tournament of the Kings,” the city’s most popular dinner show, complete with live jousting and Medieval cuisine; “Thunder from Down Under,” a review that features Australia’s hottest hunks; the Louie Anderson comedy show; and a variety of live musical acts.
photo credit: Thomas_Jung

Contact Information
The Excalibur Hotel
3850 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Las Vegas, Nevada
702 597-7777
Reservations: 877 750-5464

photo credit: Mike Schmid

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Las Vegas Excalibur Hotel: Affordable and Convenient

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This luxury style resort is conveniently located within minutes of Walt Disney World (about 1.5 miles from the main gate of the theme parks) and 20 minutes from the Orlando airport. The resort itself is located on 65 acres of land that are beautifully maintained, while the hotel contains a spectacular atrium that fills the entire resort with a sun drenched glow.


photo credit: mrkathika

photo credit: mrkathika

photo credit: mrkathika
The layout of the resort allows you to experience three Florida environments, the Everglades, the old world charm of St. Augustine and the island fun of Key West. Rooms at the hotel are separated by these three sections, with the room’s decor matching the theme of the Florida location. The layout of the hotel also matches these Florida themes, allowing you to walk through the mist of the Florida Everglades (including visiting the alligator bayou), or walk through the Spanish fort reminiscent of old St Augustine.

photo credit: mrkathika
The resort itself contains over 1400 guest rooms (including 106 suites and nine Presidential Suites). Choose from the Key West guest rooms, with cabana striped fabrics or Everglades guest rooms with rustic and soothing décor. St. Augustine rooms offer guest a Spanish/Mission style décor. For a step up in luxury you can book an Emerald Bay guest room – offering extra privacy and exclusive additional amenities.

photo credit: mrkathika
Dining options are abundant at the Gaylord Palms. For fine dining you can visit the Old Hickory Steakhouse. Known for its Black Angus steaks, and award winning wine list, they offer the perfect upscale dining experience.

photo credit: mrkathika

photo credit: mrkathika
Casual diners can choose from Sora, Sunset Sam’s Fish Camp and Villa de Flora. Two bars/lounges are on site and quick snack options are also available at the resort. You can also enjoy in room dining.
Recreation options at the resort include two pools and a Recreation Park. Clearwater Cover contains the main, family oriented pool with an octopus waterslide, a sand play area and a water play area for kids. The South Beach Pool area is an adult only luxury pool. The Coquina Dunes Recreation Park offers guests a Bocce Court, an Executive Putting Course and a Croquet Lawn.

photo credit: mrkathika

photo credit: mrkathika
Kids can also participate in La Petite Academy Kid’s Station, a supervised activity station for kids between the ages of 3 -14.

photo credit: mrkathika
Adults can visit the Canyon Ranch SpaClub for a deep cleansing facial or island scalp massage. Get pampered with a manicure and pedicure or for those looking to workout – visit the resorts 4,000 square foot fitness center.

Overall the Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee Florida is a top notch luxury style hotel, right in the heart of Central Florida. World class accommodations and service make this one of the best resorts in the Orlando Florida area.

Gaylord Palms Review – May 2008
This was actually our second visit to this resort. The first visit being as part of a business convention trip back in 2005. This year’s trip was part of a nine day stay in Orlando, with four nights at the Gaylord Palms. The overall layout and grounds at the resort are truly spectacular. The check in process was handled very professionally; we were even allowed to check in a few hours before the posted check in time. Our rooms were located in the St Augustine section of the hotel, with inside balconies, which were a nice touch. It was nice to sit out on the balcony of the room and enjoy the view – you almost forget you are looking inside the hotel. With the atrium style roof and the lush gardens below you – it is hard to believe you are not outside.

photo credit: mrkathika

photo credit: mrkathika

photo credit: mrkathika
We were traveling with two small children so the family pool area was a hit. The large octopus pool was great and the water splash area was refreshing. The tables by the pool area worked out well for having lunch poolside – the only drawback is that you have to order food at the bar and walk it back to the pool area. Our stay included two weekdays and Saturday and Sunday. The weekdays by the pool were fine, but when Saturday hit – it seemed like the hotel became overrun with children. The pool area was unbearable on Saturday – the size of the pool (although quite large) could not accommodate the number of people using it. Also with no lifeguards on duty – the patrons in the pool were out of control – with children climbing UP the slide from the pool, running around the deck area, moving chairs too close to pool edge, etc. It was obvious the pool area could not handle the crowd. The resort does have a second pool, but it was for adults only.

photo credit: mrkathika

photo credit: mrkathika

photo credit: mrkathika
The service received during our stay was excellent – I would definitely recommend this hotel. The size of the rooms was great for a family of four. Adjoining rooms are also available. This resort is geared for conventions, but often will have special rates during the non-convention times of year. If you can secure a good deal on a room here, you will get to experience a top luxury hotel in the heart of Orlando.

photo credit: mrkathika

photo credit: mrkathika

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Gaylord Palms Hotel Review

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The charm and appeal of this resort is obvious from your first arrival at this moderate Disney location. The theme of the resort is a Louisiana Bayou, with its plantation style and rustic style guest rooms. The mansion type rooms are part of the Magnolia Bend section of the resort, while the rustic lodge type rooms are in the Alligator Bayou area.

With over 2000 rooms in this resort, the size of this Disney property is quite overwhelming. The resort includes a registration area, gift shop, food court, sit down style restaurant, small lounge area and marina. The main swimming area is called Ol’ Man Island, which includes a large pool with a slide, a hot tub, and a kiddie pool area. There are also five other pools throughout the resort. These are usually the more “quiet” pool areas, but do not have lifeguards in attendance.

photo credit: mrkathika
Other forms of recreation at the resort include renting surrey bikes (up to four persons can ride at once), or paddleboats. Rates are posted at the Riverside Levee area of the resort. They also have a catch and release fishing hole at the resort, which is great for children. It is open 7:00am to 3:00pm and is located in the Ol’ Man Island area. Carriage Rides can also be arranged at this resort – details are in the lobby area.

photo credit: mrkathika
The food court area is located near the registration area – which is quite a walk from most resort rooms. The food court offers a variety of food options and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. It works well for guests looking for a quick meal before hitting the theme parks or a quick bite anytime during the day. For a more relaxed restaurant style meal, visit Boatwright’s, located next to the food court. Here you can enjoy a more varied menu of choices for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

photo credit: mrkathika
The gift shop is called Fulton’s General Store and is quite large for a resort gift shop. They sell the standard souvenirs in addition to a good selection of food and convenience store items (toiletries, magazines, books).

photo credit: mrkathika
Port Orleans Riverside has a sister resort – Port Orleans French Quarter – you can visit and use the amenities of either resort if you are staying at a Port Orleans resort. You can travel by a Disney bus or take a boat from one resort to the other.

photo credit: mrkathika
The best feature of this resort is the landscaping – the details used to create a realistic southern bayou are truly magical – as you walk the pathways of the resort you really feel you have traveled to the Old South. This resort is great for families and first time visitors to Disney World.

Trip Review – May 2008

photo credit: mrkathika
This Disney trip was taken the week before Memorial Day in 2008. In the past we have stayed at all other moderate resorts on Disney property, so we wanted to give Port Orleans a try. From the descriptions of the Port Orleans properties, we chose the Riverside, as it seems to have Southern charm about it. We definitely did see that appeal – the grounds were meticulously maintained and our room in the Alligator Bayou section did really bring to mind a Louisiana type bayou right outside our room.

photo credit: mrkathika

photo credit: mrkathika
We enjoyed the main pool area – although it was extremely crowded. The slide was a hit with the kids. The bar area located next to the main pool was convenient, as was the pool’s location to the food court area. We did visit one of the quiet pool areas but the pool had not been cleaned so we moved on to the main pool for that day. We ate in both the food court (more than once) and the restaurant (breakfast) – both were good.

photo credit: mrkathika
We visited the gift shop – which was great – they stocked everything you might need (toothpaste, razors, etc), food items for snacking and a ton of souvenir items.

We did not use any other recreation areas, but we did see people renting the bikes and the carriage rides.

photo credit: mrkathika
Rooms at the resort are adequate – not what you would consider roomy – but they do work for families with small children.

photo credit: mrkathika

The only negative aspect of the resort is its huge size. Walking anywhere from our room was FAR. The main pool is centrally located, but unless your room is right next to it, you have quite a walk ahead of you. Also the signage on the paths is poor, we got lost several times when going to pool, or food court. We also saw many other guests wandering aimlessly around saying – “do you know how to get to …..”.

Overall, the resort is beautiful, with great detail on the landscaping and theme. It works well with families with children – I would not recommend to older adults unless a lot of walking is not an issue. It is not the type of resort you can run down from your room to grab something from the food court – it is quite a haul. We wound up driving our rental car from parking lot near room to lobby/food court area – walking took way too long.

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The Westin Hotel Long Beach
333 East Ocean Boulevard
Long Beach, CA 90802
(866) 716-8132
StarwoodHotels.com
Directions

The Long Beach Hotel is located on Ocean Boulevard in Long Beach California. The hotel is located resonably close to both Los Angeles Airport and Orange County Airport. Local nearby attractions include the Long Beach Aquarium, Pine Ave Market, Shoreline Park, Rainbow Lagoon Park, and across the street from the Long Beach Performing Arts Center. In addition there are numerous other stores, restaurants, bar or other tourist destinations all within walking distance.

photo credit: mrkathika

The hotel has a large and spacious lobby area with a full service restaurant and bar, a central seating area, and full service check-in desk.

photo credit: mrkathika

photo credit: mrkathika

The hotel also has a small but adequately sized fitness center, pool and hot tub.

photo credit: mrkathika

photo credit: mrkathika

photo credit: mrkathika

photo credit: mrkathika

photo credit: mrkathika

The hotel room itself was a good size and had the Westin signature heavenly bed.

photo credit: mrkathika

photo credit: mrkathika

photo credit: mrkathika

The bathroom had only one sink located in the bathroom, and had a full size tub.

photo credit: mrkathika

The hotel was well maintained, very clean and the staff were always polite and helpful. The hotel did feature vallet and self parking. Unless you are driving a compact or sub-compact car you’re going to find the parking lot a bit cramped. If you are driving an SUV or minivan you may even find yourself taking up two spaces. The tight parking is really the biggest complaint about the hotel.

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The Polynesian at Walt Disney World is a deluxe class resort in the Magic Kingdom area. The Polynesian (or “Poly”, as frequent visitors refer to it), was one of the first resorts to be built at Disney World.

The close proximity to the Magic Kingdom makes it a very popular hotel choice for Walt Disney World guests. The Polynesian hosts a theme of the South Pacific islands, from the lush vegetation in the grand lobby to the intimate details found in the resort rooms. As you enter the main building in the Polynesian complex, you will be in the two-story lobby, also known as the Great Ceremonial House. In addition to the front desk area, here you will also find shops, restaurants, and a lounge. photo credit: abbynormy

photo credit: mrkathika

The resort guest rooms (which number 853) are in small village areas, known as Longhouses. There are 11 of these Longhouses, each named for a different Pacific island. These longhouses are either two or three stories and are set along different areas of the resort.

photo credit: mrkathika

The Polynesian has two pool areas, one main pool with a zero-entry feature and a volcano slide, and one “quiet” pool. You will also find a beach area, complete with beach chairs, rocking swings and a breathtaking view of Cinderella’s Castle in the Magic Kingdom. There is also a splash area located near the main pool, where children love to play.

photo credit: mrkathika

You will also find a marina on the property, where you can rent small speed boats (for one or two people), or larger canopy or pontoon boats. These can be used to explore the Seven Seas Lagoon and you can practically drive your boat up to the Magic Kingdom entrance area and watch the crowds enter the park.

photo credit: mrkathika

Although the Polynesian has many things that make it one of the most popular resorts, one of the best features is that the monorail system stops at this resort. This makes for very convenient travel to the Magic Kingdom Park.

photo credit: mrkathika

From the Polynesian Resort you can travel to the Grand Floridian Resort using walking paths. You can also walk to an area on the Polynesian property known as the Luau Cove, where a nightly luau dinner and show takes place. This popular performance books up well in advance.

photo credit: mrkathika

Overall the Polynesian is one of the popular Walt Disney World Resorts and it is easy to see why. The location, room amenities, resort features, entertainment options and cast members make this a resort that guests return to again and again.

Resort Info:

• 853 Guest Rooms
• Check in time – 3pm Check out time – 11am
• Transportation: Monorail, Buses, Ferryboat
• Dining Options – O’hana, Kona Café, Captain Cooks Snack Shop, Tambu Lounge, Luau Dinner Show.

Resort Features:

• Watercraft Rental
• Two Heated Pools
• Beach Access
• Arcade
• Neverland Club – babysitting services

Review of the Polynesian – 2001, September
Just arriving at the Polynesian is exciting – as you drive up to the resort area you realize you have to drive into the Magic Kingdom Park area just to reach it! The Polynesian is one of the closest resorts to the Magic Kingdom. As you approach the resort you will notice that the Transportation and Ticket Center is within walking distance from where you are staying. Arriving at the resort you will be entering the Great Ceremonial House, which is the main lobby area. Here you can check in and are greeted with flower lei necklaces for your entire group. When we arrived a group of singers and dancers were performing in the lobby. The Great Ceremonial House is breathtaking, as you take in the cascading water and all the tropical plants and vegetation.

photo credit: mrkathika

We were then taken outside where a bell person took us to our longhouse by riding us in an open air cart to where we were staying. When we arrived at our longhouse, Samoa, we were taken to a second floor room. The location of the longhouse was good – it was near both pools and close to the fast food area in the Great Ceremonial House.

photo credit: mrkathika

Our room has two double beds and a daybed. The room was a nice size, included a balcony area, a table and two chairs inside, TV/armoire and bathroom area. We had booked two adjoining rooms, so with the connecting door open our rooms seemed even bigger.

photo credit: mrkathika

While staying at the Polynesian we traveled to the parks via the monorail and the boat launch. Both were great forms of transportation – it was wonderful to leave the Magic Kingdom on a busy night and be able to get right onto a direct monorail to the resorts.

We enjoyed the main pool area and loved the zero entry pool – as you could just walk into the pool as you would the ocean at the beach without a steep drop-off. The kids loved the volcano slide and I loved the underwater seats in the pool where it was great to relax as the kids enjoyed the swimming.

The beach area is my favorite, as you can relax on a hammock, rocking swing or beach chair as the kids play in the sand. You can stroll on the beach area, around the Seven Seas Lagoon and enjoy the view of Cinderella’s Castle and the Contemporary Resort. As we were enjoying the beach we were able to view people parasailing at the Contemporary. It was quite a sight to watch! We also enjoyed watching the nightly fireworks shows from the beach at the Polynesian. There a speakers throughout the beach area to allow you to hear the soundtrack to the performance. The view is truly magical.
I liked the eating options at the resort. We grabbed a quick breakfast bite (bagels, muffins, coffee) at the Kona Coffee Bar – as we headed out the door to the monorail. The Kona Café restaurant was a great sit down breakfast option (the Mickey pancakes were a winning choice). We also ate dinner at the Kona Café, where the meal was terrific but the dessert was phenomenal. We had heard great things regarding Ohana’s but did not have time to have a meal there. We did buy many meals/food items at Captain Cook’s – which is the quick service food area. Set up like a cafeteria, you will find fruit, cereal, yogurt, sandwichs, etc set up in a self serve area. You can also order cooked to order foods such as burgers, pizza and hotdogs. At this food area you can purchase the refillable mugs that can be used on your entire trip.

I would give this resort very high marks in service and amenities. The location cannot be better. It is one of the highest priced Disney Resorts – but if you can afford to stay here you will be very happy with your choice of resorts.
photo credit: Thomas_Jung

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Walt Disney Polynesian Resort Review

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The Wilderness Lodge at Walt Disney World in Florida.

photo credit: mrkathika

This Disney deluxe class resort is located in the Magic Kingdom area, between the Contemporary resort and Fort Wilderness. The “theme” of this resort is that of a National Park, as the entire resort has a lodge feel that captures the spirit of the American West in the early 1900’s. The parking area is conveniently located in front of the lobby area of the hotel and is within comfortable walking distance to the hotel.

photo credit: mrkathika

The lobby itself is very breathtaking as its architecture includes massive log columns and totem poles. A large fireplace in the lobby welcomes you with comfortable rocking chairs, as a babbling stream runs into the lobby, creating a very peaceful mood.

photo credit: mrkathika

Main Waterfall Wilderness Lodge The general store located just off the lobby, includes souvenirs in addition to general merchandise such as food items and toiletries. It is a good resource for forgotten items, such as disposable razors, or to satisfy a food craving (Entenmanns’s doughnuts).

photo credit: mrkathika

The hotel has 728 guest rooms; each includes two queen-size beds, in addition to a table and chair. Storage for your clothing can be found in the TV armoire that has limited drawer space. The bathrooms are a bit small, but the vanity areas are outside of the bathroom, which helps when multiple people are dressing/washing at the same time. Most rooms have a balcony, but the upper floors do not have an unobstructed view, as the architecture creates almost an enclosed balcony on those upper floors.
Second Pool Wilderness Lodge The hotel has two pools, a main one and a more quiet pool. Life vests are available at the marina area and can be used for the length of your stay (at no charge) – this is a service for all hotel guests and is provided on a first-come, first-served basis. This is a great feature when traveling with small children.

photo credit: mrkathika

The marina area is small, but contains small (two-person) boat rentals, along with larger 4-6 person boat rentals. The nice feature of this marina is that you will be able to drive your rental to the Magic Kingdom area (right up to the main entrance) or you can drive over to Fort Wilderness.
When staying at the Wilderness Lodge, you will have access to the boat transportation to the Magic Kingdom. This is a very pleasant trip, although you must note that the boat will stop at Fort Wilderness on its way to the Magic Kingdom (and sometimes on the return trip).

photo credit: mrkathika

Review of trip- Date of stay – May 26-30, 2005-10-08
Main Waterfall Wilderness Lodge Our family trip to the Wilderness Lodge involved a split stay at a non Disney hotel (4 nights) and then a stay at the Wilderness Lodge (4 nights). Since we were switching hotels at the middle of our stay, we wanted to check into the Lodge quite early in the day and then explore the parks. When we arrived at the hotel we were told we could leave our bags and visit the theme parks while our room was being made up for us. Although we had reserved a standard room, we were told at check in that we would be upgraded to a courtyard view (nice perk)! We then self parked our car and took the boat transportation over to the Magic Kingdom. We did not like that the boat had to stop at Fort Wilderness, as this seemed to make the trip quite longer.

photo credit: mrkathika

At lunch time, we returned to the Lodge and found our room was ready, our bags were taken up to our room very quickly and we spent the rest of the day enjoying the pools and exploring the resort. The geyser along the lake is a very nice feature as it “goes off” every hour. The kids enjoyed waiting and watching for the next blast off.

photo credit: mrkathika

The overall look and feel of the hotel is quite nice. The landscaping and layout are beautiful. Although the hotel advertises a “beach”, it is only a very small area of sand with a few chairs. The rooms were a little smaller than those in the Animal Kingdom Lodge, but work for a family of four (with small children). Families with older children will need more space.

photo credit: mrkathika

Walkway to Boat Dock Wilderness lodge our only negative issues with the hotel were the fast-food area and the access to the pool areas. The food sold in the Roaring Fork (fast food) was very limited and the staff was not very helpful. They also could not provide any bags or boxes for carrying food back to your room (which was a bit of a walk). In regards to the pool, the area was beautiful but we found many guests from Fort Wilderness were taking the boat transportation over to the Lodge and using the pools. This caused the area to be quite crowded and towels and chairs were hard to find. Although on a few days, lifeguards were handing out wristbands, it did not seem as though they were viewing the person’s room key before giving out the badge. When we rode the boat over to the Magic Kingdom, quite a few people traveled back to Fort Wilderness in their bathing suits, after using the pools at the Lodge.

photo credit: mrkathika

Overall we experienced a good stay at the Wilderness Lodge. It worked well for a short stay of 4 nights, for a longer vacation, I would recommend a hotel with larger rooms (Animal Kingdom Lodge, Polynesian Resort).

photo credit: mrkathika

photo credit: mrkathika

photo credit: mrkathika

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Walt Disney World Wilderness Lodge Review

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The Animal Kingdom Lodge located next to Walt Disney's Animal Kingdom Park opened in 2001
photo credit: clyderob

Opened in 2001, this Disney Deluxe resort is located about one mile from the Animal Kingdom Park. The theme of this resort is an African Savanna and Lodge. Everywhere you look, you will see the animal theme from the architecture to the live animals in the savannas. The lodge has nearly 1300 rooms and is home to more than 100 birds and animals, including zebras, giraffes and gazelles.


photo credit: Nancy-

The lobby is filled with colorful artwork and includes a large fireplace made of mud. A suspension bridge floats high above the lobby area. As you explore the grounds you will experience remarkable views of the animals. The resort is filled with animal viewing areas with comfortable seating and some even have viewing binoculars to help you see the animals “close up”.

photo credit: agjimenez

Animal Kingdom Lodge The resort offers both standard view rooms and savanna view rooms. The standard view rooms usually face the parking area. While the savanna views are more expensive, the greatest appeal of this resort is the ability of a guest to view the animals from their rooms. In the savanna rooms you will be able to see the animals as they feed and roam in the savannas.

photo credit: Nancy-

Most rooms have two queen sized beds, while some have a queen bed with bunk beds for the kids. The bathroom area includes the vanity/sink area outside of the actual bathroom which is helpful when more than one person is getting dressed at the same time. Rooms include refrigerators and in-room safes.
The Animal Kingdom Lodge has activities for children that will allow them to learn about the African culture and about animals in Africa. Children are encouraged to participate in these activities to “earn” beads that will be used to create a necklace or bracelet that they can keep as a souvenir.

The pool at the Animal Kingdom Lodge is quite large and offers a zero-entry feature. This allows you to walk into the pool without a dramatic drop into deep water. Kids will love the water slide as well as the Hakuna Matata Playground nearby.

Animal Kingdom Lodge The resort also includes a fitness center and spas (hot tubs) around the pool area. Another nice feature of the resort is an open area fire pit that is right outside of the lobby. Here guests can enjoy night time story telling by cast members, many of whom are from Africa and enjoy the re-telling of folk tales and fables of their homelands.

photo credit: tom.arthur

When booking a room at the resort it is wise to study the layout of the room locations and choose one that is close to the lobby/parking lot or bus station. This is important as the resort is quite large and a walk to your room after a long day at the Disney parks will not be a good way to spend you time.
The best location of the rooms in the savanna section would be near the lobby and also within a comfortable walking distance to the food areas and pool. The savanna rooms on the zebra trail seem to be the best in this category.

photo credit: gruntzooki

The Animal Kingdom Resort is a place where you will enjoy your stay and visitors could easily spend a great deal of their time exploring the hotel, as there always seems to be something exciting to view or an activity to enjoy.

Animal Kingdom Lodge – December 2, 2004 – 8 nights
Animal Kingdom Lodge We were very fortunate to secure rooms at this resort at a time Disney was offering good deals on their deluxe resort locations. We were interested in this hotel as we had heard how wonderful it was to view the animals from your room so we booked a savanna room. The first thing we noticed about the Lodge when traveling there was how far it is located from all the Disney Parks (except of course the Animal Kingdom Park).

photo credit: mrkathika

When we arrived, we were able to check into our rooms right away. The lobby was breathtaking and as it was decorated for the Holidays, the sights were even more enjoyable. The room was very nice and included a queen sized bed and bunk beds. If you have any concerns about having bunk beds in your room you should request the two queen beds when you make your reservations. Our children were young and it took them a few nights to warm up to the idea, so Dad spent a few uncomfortable nights in the bunk before the kids moved out of the queen bed. The amenities in the room were nice, from the refrigerator (which came in quite handy) to the safe and vanity area outside of the bathroom.

photo credit: mrkathika

One thing we were not pleased about was the physical location of our rooms. We were put in the Uzima Savanna which is one of the furthest savannas from the lobby area. It was quite a hike to the room, and was particularly upsetting when we arrived back to the resort after a long day at the parks. In the future, I would definitely request a closer location as the distance from the lobby really made the difference for us.

The pool area was quite large and therefore did not feel “crowded” at any time during our stay. Flotation vests are available at the resort to be used during the length of your stay (at no charge). These came in handy at the pool when children needed them. The Uzima Pool Bar located in the pool/spa area was convenient for a pina colada or other cool drinks. The main food area (for fast food) is called the Mara and is located very close to the pool area. It serves food cafeteria style, with many choices from hot foods to sandwiches, yogurts, ice cream and bakery items.

photo credit: sanctumsolitude

The resort also had a game room and a baby sitting club (Simba’s Clubhouse). One feature that we enjoyed was daily activities for children. From arts and crafts, to games and story telling this resort is extremely “family friendly”. Some activities allow children to earn beads and create a necklace that they can keep.

photo credit: mrkathika

Animal Kingdom Lodge The Animal Kingdom Lodge has many areas set aside for animal viewing and as you walk the resort grounds you will see rocking chairs, benches and viewing machines that allow you to get a very good view of the live animals. On selected nights the main savanna area offers you night time viewing with special night vision goggles.

We found the best time for viewing animals from your room was in the early mornings. You will see resort workers drive through the savannas with food for the animals. They would refill the food in certain areas and we would then see the animals come for a feeding. It was great to be able to see the animals so close up. The balconies were used quite a bit just watching the animals go by.

We would consider staying at this resort again. If we did we would be sure to be more specific about where we want our room to be located. We would also be sure to have our own rental car, as the only transportation is the bus service, and the distant location of this resort leads us to believe the bus trip would be quite long.

Overall this is definitely a deluxe style Disney resort that has something for everyone to enjoy.

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This post originally came from Kathika Travel Blog. Stop by and read our most popular travel blog posts.

Walt Disney World Animal Kingdom Lodge Review

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This moderate class hotel located in the Epcot area has over 2000 rooms spread over a sprawling 200 acres. When you arrive at the resort complex your first stop will be at the Custom House, the hotel’s lobby area – here you can check in, buy theme park tickets, make dinner reservations or visit the front desk for any hotel issues.

The rooms are section off into “villages”, each named for a Caribbean location. At check in you will be told your rooms location. If you are driving to the resort you can then move your vehicle to a parking area located right outside your room area. If you arrived without your own car you will be taken to your room location by a cast member – the check-in area in not within easy walking distance of most hotel rooms.

Main Patio Area Disney’s Caribbean Beach Club Resort All villages are two story buildings, with outside corridors. Each room has two double beds, a table and chair area, TV/Armoire and separate bathroom area (with a double sink area outside the actual bathroom). The rooms are a decent size, with enough room for four people.

photo credit: mrkathika

photo credit: mrkathika
The resort boasts six pools, one main pool with separate pools in each village area. The food court area is in the Old Port Royale Section. Here you will find one sit down restaurant, Shutters, along with cafeteria style fast food areas that offer many food choices. You will also find an arcade and shops.

The Caribbean Beach Resort is convenient to all Disney parks, whether using your own vehicle or Disney’s bus transportation. This resort has several bus stops throughout the complex.
Patio Eating Area at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Club Resort This colorful resort definitely has a tropical feel and it a great family location. Kids will love the pools, the beach area, and the playground. This moderately priced Walt Disney World is a popular choice for families.

photo credit: mrkathika

Caribbean Beach Resort – Review – Nov/Dec 2005
We arrived at this resort the day after Thanksgiving. The location was in the Epcot Resort area and quite easy to locate. As we drove up to the Custom House we did notice the tropical theme of the hotel. Cast members were dressed in white and the Custom House was decorated in tropical colors.
Our rooms were located in the Trinadad section. We did find it convenient to have our car parked so close to our rooms. It helped when touring the parks all day and then having to carry two tired children back to the rooms each night. The rooms were comfortable with two double beds. The drawer space was adequate. The doors to the rooms open up to an outside corridor, so people can be walking around past your room and window – which is an important thing to note.

The bathrooms are quite small, but I did like that the sink area is outside the actual bathroom. This helped when getting dressed in the morning, as one person could be in the shower while another was dressing near the sink area (a curtain is provided to separate the sink area from the beds and provide privacy for dressing).

photo credit: mrkathika
Pool at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Club Resort During our stay we only used the main pool, and it was very nice. The slide was a big hit and the pirate theme was a good touch. We did not spend much time exploring the resort but did find it to be very family-friendly.

The full service restaurant was not opened during our stay. We were limited to the cafeteria style food choices, which was not always what we were looking for. It did not seem very crowded during our stay, but during peak periods, I would imagine the lines for food and to pay would be quite long and slow moving.

I would recommend this resort for families; the moderate pricing makes it a good value for an enjoyable vacation. It does not compare to the ambiance of a deluxe resort. It you are expecting the grand lobby, the all-out theming and the over the top services, this resort might disappoint you. Overall the Caribbean Beach Resort is a hotel I would recommend.

photo credit: mrkathika

photo credit: mrkathika

photo credit: mrkathika

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This post originally came from Kathika Travel Blog. Stop by and read our most popular travel blog posts.

Walt Disney Caribbean Beach Club Review

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