Kilimanjaro Club is the club (concierge) level at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. All deluxe resorts at WDW include a club level, as does Coronado Springs, but Animal Kingdom Lodge is the only one that is bookable via DVC points. In this post, we’ll review Kilimanjaro Club Level at Animal Kingdom Lodge, sharing our thoughts on the value and what’s offered for those staying there.

Animal Kingdom Lodge remains one of the best resorts in all of Walt Disney World. Between viewing the animals outside the hotel’s windows, eating at the impressive collection of restaurants and enjoying the unique architecture, the hotel has everything you could want. That goes for guests that are just doing a resort stay and not enjoying the theme parks too. I’ve praised Animal Kingdom Lodge numerous times and make a point to visit every time we’re at WDW. This post will focus more on the Kilimanjaro Club than the actual hotel, so if you’re looking for a general review of AKL (as the cool kids say) click here. The room design at Kilimanjaro Club was the same as the rest of the hotel. That’s fine by me as it’s one of my favorite rooms in Walt Disney World.

I’ll be honest, my frame of reference to judge club levels at hotels is narrow. Narrow is generous actually. We had never stayed at one prior to our night in Kilimanjaro Club! Part of the reason we’re able to travel so much is by staying at the lowest rate possible at different hotels. The thought of concierge or club level never really entered my mind until I saw it pop up while looking for DVC options during our stay. With that in mind, my lens that I’m looking at this review is relative to common hotel stays at WDW and not comparing it to staying at a 5-star hotel’s club level in New York, Paris or Tokyo. From what I gather, Disney World isn’t up to that level of concierge and service.

Speaking of concierge, that seems like a good place to start. Between our experience and different stories we have heard, the Cast Members at the various club levels at WDW will work hard to fulfill any request you have. This will be especially true when it comes to food and drink at their different buffet options. In that way, the service received is really amazing. But like any request, the more lines that it has to go through then the less likely it is to come to fruition.

What concierge isn’t going to be able to pull off are requests for guests who are trying to sidestep planning a Disney World trip ahead of time. Yes, they’ll try to assist in any dining reservations you want and they have a better ‘in’ than your My Disney Experience app. But they aren’t going to be able to pull all of the strings like arranging Lightning Lanes, getting you past the lines or all of a sudden coming up with the best seats to the shows. They’ll try anything within their power to fulfill a request but it generally still has to be within their power.

This may be the biggest downside of club level across Walt Disney World. I’m a little surprised that things like Genie+ aren’t included in the premium price. Planning a trip to WDW is difficult and I do think that staying at a place like this should come with a few more benefits to bypass that. Knowing that, I’d recommend staying at Kilimanjaro Club (or any club level) on a more resort focused stay. If you’re at a theme park from open until close, the value and luxury of staying here would mostly be lost.

Forgetting the theme park side of things, Kilimanjaro Club does offer value! Before you roll your eyes at an upcharge that can be over $400 over a standard room at times, let’s talk about what actually comes with your stay.

All Kilimanjaro Club level rooms will have a savannah view, which is the most expensive option at Animal Kingdom Lodge. On top of that, all of these will be on the top floor of the hotel, giving the best view possible to watch the animals roam. These rooms are typically $100-$200 more than the standard view rooms at AKL for reference and that’s before factoring in the top floor. If you’re going to mainly be staying at the resort during your stay then this is a nice bonus and makes Animal Kingdom Lodge even more special. We were lucky enough to watch a thunderstorm roll by during our one night here!

Along with the concierge that may be able to assist in any requests you have, the biggest perk of club level at Walt Disney World is the lounge with different (small) buffets throughout the day. Included with that is unlimited soft drinks and alcohol. It probably goes without saying that’s a big perk for adults.

Kilimanjaro Club offers four different food services throughout the day that amount to breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. While it’s billed as small plates and finger food, there’s plenty here to have a full meal. We sampled all of the different buffet offerings and came away impressed. Lunch was the only one that was a little wanting, mainly sticking with chips, fruit and pre-made sandwiches like Uncrustables.

The rest of the offerings had meats, cheeses, salads and some hot offerings like Butter Chicken at dinner. That’s before even mentioning dessert, which had a clear Boma influence and was a highlight of staying there. By the time we checked out, I was very full!

All of the meals and drinks are in a lounge that overlooks the lobby. That’s on the 6th floor of Jambo House, right next to the Kilimanjaro Club rooms. The lounge would seat between 30-40 people and was fairly laid back. There were multiple people, including Melissa, working from the lounge. I wouldn’t say the area is anything extravagant but it’s a cozy spot that feels welcoming.

Outside of a nice little welcoming gift that included some chocolate, that’s the majority of what Kilimanjaro Club offers. We did find out that guests who are staying there can come to the lounge anytime from the day of check-in (for breakfast) all the way through midnight of checkout day. That’s definitely a nice perk and adds some value.

But is it enough value to make Kilimanjaro Club worth the price? Relative to the $300-$400 less guests could pay at the same hotel to stay in a standard room, I’d generally say no. There are a few caveats though. The first is an obvious one but if you have the means then go for it! I don’t think people will be disappointed in the offerings if money isn’t a big obstacle.

If you are working with a budget then going with 4 adults in a room could lead to some value, especially if you take advantage of the beer, wine and food. The same can be said if you’re set on booking a savannah view at Animal Kingdom Lodge anyway. There’s roughly a $150-$200 upgrade from that to Kilimanjaro Club, which is easy to make up for with the food and drinks.

Finally, the best value for this lounge is via DVC points. I’d put a Kilimanjaro Club room as one of the very best uses of DVC points and would recommend it if available. I’d love to see more club options added to DVC’s offering but don’t see that happening.

All in all, Kilimanjaro Club at Animal Kingdom Lodge is a great way to treat yo’ self. If you’re looking for a resort day or two in the midst of a busy WDW vacation, I can’t imagine a better spot to do it. Unfortunately, the out-of-pocket costs match that sentiment which makes this a big splurge.

Have you stayed at Kilimanjaro Club? Let us know your thoughts, along with any questions you might have, in the comments below. Planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Check out our planning guide to help you along the way! Looking for discount tickets to Disney World? Check out this site! If you enjoy what you’re reading here at Wandering in Disney please subscribe to our blog and like our social media pages. You can accomplish both of those things on the right side of this page. If you have any Disney Parks questions please send us an email at wanderingindisney@gmail.com or leave a comment. We’d be happy to help and thank you for reading!