PassPorter Online
PassPorter.com
Award-winning travel guidebooks
Home Florida - Walt Disney World Caribbean - Disney Cruise Line California - Disneyland Resort Anywhere and Everywhere! Travelers Store Message Boards PassPorter's Club Help!
  About Us  |  Customs Office   |   Register Your Book   |   Book Updates   |  Newsletter  |  Articles  |  Photos  |   Follow Us on
Articles Menu
PassPorter Articles
Planning
Disney Dreaming
What Keeps Us Coming Back
Disney for Veteran Visitors
Rumor Round-Up
Finding Answers
Best Disney Trip Advice
Getting Your Disney Fix
How Young Is Too Young?
Top Ten Disney Questions
Tipping (Gratuities)
Timeshare Vacation Offers
Disney World on a Budget
Credit Cards 101
Money-Saving Strategies
Preparing Kids For Disney
Taking Toddlers to Disney
Planning Trips for Others
Convincing Others To Go
Importance of Being Lazy

Preparing For Your Disney Cruise
Ten "Must Pack" Items
Touring With A Group
Chaperoning A Group Trip
Traveling
Ten Travel Tips
Luggage Tips
iPhone, I Travel
Driving to Disney
Driving With Kids
Child Safety Seats
CARES Harness Review
Rental Cars
Amtrak Auto Train
Airline Security
Flying With Kids
Surviving Long Flights
Surviving Bumpy Flights
Surviving Bad Vacations
Surviving Long Airport Waits
Staying Healthy
First Aid on Vacation
Solo Travel
Pregnant at Disney
Dress For Travel
Traveling With Pets
International Travel
Taking A 'Greener' Trip to WDW

Orlando Sanford Airport
Lodging
Choosing a Resort
On-Site Lodging vs. Off-Site Lodging
Disney Resort Primer
Reserving a Room
Key to the World Card
Fun at Resort Hotels
Disney Vacation Club
All-Star Movies
All-Star Music
All-Star Sports
All-Star Vacation Homes
Animal Kingdom Lodge: Perfect for Teens
Villas at Animal Kingdom Lodge
Beach Club
BoardWalk Inn & Villas
Contemporary Resort
Ft. Wilderness Camping
Old Key West
Wilderness Lodge
Home Sweet Home
Grand Californian #1
Grand Californian #2
Grosvenor Resort
Hilton Resort
Orlando Airport Marriott
Priceline.com
Radisson Resort Parkway
Shades of Green
Westin Century Plaza
Making The Most of Bell Services at Disney's Deluxe Resorts
DVC's Old Key West Resort
Cruising
Preparing For Your Disney Cruise
New Ships!
Cruise Security
International Port Security
Convincing a Husband to Cruise
Palo Dinner Review
Vow Renewals Onboard
Cruising With Special Diets
Cruising St. Martin
One in a Million Cruise
Zip-A-Dee-Zip-Line: A Canopy Adventure
A 'Magic' Time In The Mediterranean
A Wrap-Up From DCL's Inaugural Mediterranean Cruise
DCL: Not Just for Kids!
Spa Villas Review
Touring
Laugh Floor Comedy Club
Mickey's PhilharMagic
Fantasyland For Adults
Mission: SPACE
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
Star Wars Weekends
Animal Kingdom
Expedition EVEREST
Surviving the Parks as First Time Parents
Surviving the Holidays
Overcoming Kids Fears
Planning Park Days
Four Parks in One Day
Touring with Toddlers
A Kid's Perspective
A Teen's Take
Educational Epcot
Flower & Garden Festival
Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party
Scary Places (Halloween)
Playing "Millionaire"
Winning "Millionaire"
A Day With Allie
Past Attractions at Magic Kingdom
Meeting Mickey
Disneyland at 50
Future of Disneyland
Beyond the Disney Parks
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Monorail System
California Adventure
Expanding Disney's California Adventure
10 Reasons to Love Disneyland
A WDW Veteran's First Trip to Disneyland
A Disneyland Veteran's First Trip to Walt Disney World
Disneyland Homecoming
Walt Disney World With Pre-Teen Boys
Keys To The Kingdom Backstage Tour
Pirates & Princess Party
WDW with Teens? Absolutely!
Dining
Disney Dining Plan
More Dining Plan Tips
Dining Plan Revisited
Dining Plan Answers
Advance Dining Reservation (ADR) Strategies
Artist Point Review
California Grill Review
Nine Dragons Review
Spoodles Review
The Turf Club Review
Crystal Palace Review
Yak & Yeti Review
Tutto Italia Review
Character Dinners
Dine With A Disney Imagineer
Eating Healthy at Disney
Food Allergies
White Water Snacks
MurderWatch Mystery Theatre
Disneyland Dining: Yamabuki
Disneyland Area Dining: Pirate's Dinner Adventure
Party For The Senses
Artist Point
1900 Park Fare Dinner Review
Making Magic
Romance At Disney World
Beating The Post Trip Blues
Discovering the Magic
Magic of Slowing Down
Unexpected Treasures
Wishes Fireworks Cruise
Backstage Tours
Epcot's Segway Tour
Epcot's International Food & Wine Festival
Taking Great Photos
Taking Great Fireworks Photos
Digital Photo Q & A
Souvenirs on a Budget
Pal Mickey
Birthdays at Disney
Reunions and Gatherings
Holidays (Christmas)
More Holidays
Disney Intimate Weddings
Disney Vow Renewals
Custom Events
Scrapbooking
Preserving Memories
Scrapbooking Supplies
Finding Scrapbook Supplies at WDW
Memories and Milestones
Scavenger Hunts
Geocaching
Hidden Mickeys
Hidden Mickeys Book Review
Richard Petty Experience
More Richard Petty Rides
Ft. Wilderness Trail Ride
Disney Podcasts
MouseFest 2006
Cirque du Soleil: La Nouba
Sharing
Making of PassPorter
Rest of the World
United States:
Big Apple Greeter
City Pass Cards
Hawaii
Hilton Head Island #1
Hilton Head Island #2
Celebration, Florida
Key Largo & Islamorada
Miami, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
St. Augustine, Florida
Space Coast, Florida
Tampa-St. Petersburg
WonderWorks (Orlando)
Knoebels, Pennsylvania
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
San Diego
San Francisco
Anza-Borrego Desert
Grand Canyon
The Poconos
New York City
New York Splash Tours
New York City Dining
New York: Antiques
New England
New Orleans
Nashville, Tennessee
Adventures by Disney: Wyoming
Fort Sumter, South Carolina
Zoos of the World
Universal Studios Orlando
New Attractions at Universal Orlando
Seuss Trolley Train Ride at Universal Orlando
Sanibel & Captiva Islands
Universal: For Non-Thrill Seekers?
Madison County, Iowa
The Great Smoky Mountains
Yosemite
Discovery Cove (Orlando)
Busch Gardens Africa: SheiKra Coaster Review
NASCAR AllState 400
Michigan's Upper Peninsula
Niagara Falls, New York
Blue Horizons at SeaWorld Orlando
International Travel:
London
London Museums
London's Globe Theatre
Kent, England
Bath, England
Great Britain via Harry Potter
Stonehenge
Ireland
Paris
Marseilles
Rome
Stockholm, Sweden
Helsinki, Finland
Quebec City, Canada
Prince Edward Island
South Africa
Leeds Castle
Pompeii
Windsor Castle
Wimbledon
Menorca
Dover Castle
Florence
Monaco
Niagara Falls, Ontario

WHY ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE IS "THE" PERFECT RESORT FOR TEENAGERS


by Michelle Clark, PassPorter Guest Contributor

Probably the biggest decision a family makes when planning a trip to Walt Disney World is choosing where to stay. Even after deciding to stay "on property" (in a Disney-owned resort), the process has just begun. With over 20 resorts, Disney has a resort for just about any taste and budget. Each family is different and has unique likes and dislikes.

  We decided to take our family to Walt Disney World during the Christmas season. Most of our prior trips had consisted of "commando" touring. Early on I learned an important tip: Get up early and hit the theme parks before the crowds arrive to avoid long lines. When my children became teenagers, I learned a new lesson: Teenagers don't want to get up early and hit the theme parks before the crowds arrive! So we decided that this trip would be a fun, low key, relaxing vacation. I promised that I would not pressure my kids to get out of bed and onto a theme park bus. After much deliberation, we selected the Animal Kingdom Lodge for this trip. It turned out to be the perfect choice for our teens, which made the trip much more enjoyable for Mom & Dad!

So what made Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge resort so appealing to our teens? Here are a few examples:

All guest rooms are accessible via interior corridors, and our kids wouldn't have to walk outside to separate buildings. This safety factor put Mom and Dad at ease. Also, our rooms had bunk beds, so no one had to share a bed with their sibling. Ahhh, the sound of peace!

We booked a pool view room, which was the perfect location -- close to the arcade and food court, two areas visited often by our teens. We felt completely comfortable sending them to the food court with their room key whenever they got the munchies. The menu at The Mara, the Lodge's food court, included those important staples in any teenager's diet -- hamburgers, french fries, chicken fingers, and pizza. The chocolate muffins were a big hit for a late breakfast. Of course every breakfast was a late breakfast for those sleepy teens! Since our room was so close to The Mara, it was quick and convenient to use the refillable mugs. And since you can pre-purchase an arcade card for video games, no more scrambling for quarters every day!

For family meals, Boma offers a great variety of food choices for everyone's tastes, from the adventurous eater to the sweet tooth to the picky eater. Our teens really enjoyed breakfast at Boma, especially the made-to-order omelets.

The expansive lobby of the Lodge has many seating areas, which is a perfect place for a teen to "chill out" when that hotel room becomes a bit crowded. Another one of their favorite places to sit and relax was around the fire pit located to the rear of the lobby at the Arusha Rock.

The pool has one of the best water slides on Disney property, and plenty of lounge chairs for sunbathers. The hot tub was another place our teens liked to hang out.

Did you think I wasn't going to mention the wildlife viewing? Even though we didn't have a savannah view room, our teens enjoyed watching the animals on the three savannahs. Their favorite time to see wildlife was at night when a Cast Member brought out night vision goggles. There was a balcony next to our elevator on Zebra Trail with rocking chairs and viewing binoculars. Our teens loved to take pictures there. There are also Cast Members posted at the savannah viewing areas to answer any questions about the animals.

There is so much to see and explore in the Animal Kingdom Lodge that it can keep even the shortest attention spans entertained. They found the various displays of artwork in the Lobby and the hallways interesting, and it is possible that they may even have learned something. Cast members are easy to find and love to volunteer information about the displays.

Zawadi Marketplace is probably their favorite gift shop in Walt Disney World. (Mine too!) They loved to browse through the collections of African-inspired gifts, as well as those classic Disney souvenirs. There is a large selection of jewelry, and they usually come back with quite a wish list. Often there is an artist in the shop drawing or painting who graciously allows teens to observe them at work.

We found the bus service at Animal Kingdom Lodge to be very efficient. We never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus, if at all. Since we let our older teens sleep in and join us later in the day at the theme park, we felt better knowing that they wouldn't wait long for a bus. Their two favorite parks, Animal Kingdom and the Disney Hollywood Studios were both short rides.

If you ask my teens today which Disney resort is their favorite, they will all answer without hesitation "Animal Kingdom Lodge." In fact, they have already told us that we should stay there on our next Disney trip. I'd recommend it to anyone planning a trip that includes teenagers!

 

Related Links: A Teen's Take

Return to PassPorter.com | Ask a Question on the PassPorter Message Boards
 
 

Updated 10/23/08 



Read additional articles from PassPorter.com

Subscribe to our free e-mail newsletter, PassPorter News, published for more than 58,000 opt-in subscribers worldwide. As an added bonus for subscribing, you will receive a 20% discount coupon for the PassPorter Store -- no catch!

E-mail Address:

First Name:

E-mail Format:
-Text/Don't Know  

-HTML

 
 

We respect your privacy and never sell or rent our subscriber list. Subscribing will not result in more spam! We guarantee it.

AddThis Social Bookmark Button

Copyright 1999-2015
by PassPorter Travel Press, an imprint of MediaMarx, Inc.

       LEARN MORE
Learn More With Our Award-Winning Guidebooks


PassPorter's Walt Disney World guidebook

PassPorter's Sidekick for the Walt Disney World Guidebook e-book

PassPorter's Disney Vacation Club Guide

PassPorter's Disney 500: Fast Tips for Walt Disney World Trips e-book

PassPorter's Disney Speed Planner: The Easy Ten Step Program to a Perfect Walt Disney World Vacation e-book

PassPorter's Disney Weddings & Honeymoons

PassPorter's Festivals and Celebrations at Walt Disney World e-book

PassPorter's Treasure Hunts at Walt Disney World

PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line guidebook

PassPorter's Disney Cruise Clues: First-Class Tips for Disney Cruise Trips

PassPorter Disneyland Resort and Southern California Attractions guidebook

PassPorter's Open Mouse for Walt Disney World and Disney Cruise Line guidebook

       SPONSOR LINKS