Disney Vacation Club to Build Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Villas
 Disney's
Animal Kingdom Villas will be part of Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge,
which Travel & Leisure Family magazine recently honored with the
No. 4 spot on its list of the 50 greatest family resorts in the United
States and Canada.The new, home-like
accommodations are scheduled to open in phases beginning in fall 2007,
with completion scheduled for April 2009. The project's first phase will
include 134 remodeled accommodations on the fifth and sixth floors of
the existing Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, and subsequent phases will
include construction of 324 Vacation Homes in a new village of
buildings, for a total of 458 Vacation Homes. The project also calls for
construction of an expanded animal savannah along with a new
table-service restaurant, a themed pool and water-play island, a
merchandise shop, sports-and-recreation facilities and more.
Disney Vacation Club, now celebrating its 15th
anniversary, offers flexibility and savings on decades of future
vacations at Disney destinations and more than 500 other vacation
hotspots around the world. Membership has doubled since 2000 to include
more than 100,000 families, which represents more than 300,000
individuals from more than 100 countries and every U.S. state.
"I am delighted to announce that our Members will have
yet another place to call home with Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas,"
said Jim Lewis, president of Disney Vacation Club. "This begins another
exciting new era for Disney Vacation Club as we continue to explore
future destination possibilities both domestically and internationally."
Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas will be the eighth
Disney Vacation Club Resort, joining five others at the Walt Disney
World Resort, one in Vero Beach, Florida, and one on Hilton Head Island,
South Carolina. Memberships have sold out at the first six Disney
Vacation Club Resorts, and sales remain ahead of schedule at Disney's
Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, which opened in May 2004.
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Here’s a quick tour:
Namukelekile! (Zulu - nă mu ke’ le ke lĕ): Welcome All of You!
The entrance to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, featuring lush foliage,
leads to the thatched-roofed main lobby. The lodge’s shape -- resembling
a horseshoe -- is based on the traditional kraal (pronounced “crawl”),
or corral, a design used in African villages to keep homes and livestock
safe from harm.
Designed by Peter Dominick (who also designed Disney’s
Wilderness Lodge at Walt Disney World Resort and Disney’s Grand
Californian Hotel at the Disneyland Resort), the six-story resort features
towering thatched roofs complemented by rich woods and golden tones. The
grand lobby features a large, mud fireplace, natural lighting and giant
dormer windows that provide spectacular views of sunrises and sunsets over
the animal-filled savannah.
At night, incandescent lighting twinkles, resembling
fireflies and soft-glowing campfires. Just outside the lobby, an elevated
kopje, or rock outcropping, puts guests within 15 feet of the animals, and
gives an extraordinary, near-panoramic view of the animal reserve.
 Guest
Rooms: Handcrafted Beauty
Nestled on 74 acres west of Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park,
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is built in the middle of its own
savannah, providing most of the rooms views into the animal sanctuary,
with other rooms offering views of the Uzima Pool and Springs. Guestroom
balconies overlooking the reserve put guests within 30 feet of the rich
grasslands.
Each of the lodge’s 1,293 rooms feature handcrafted
furniture and art -- much of it made in Zimbabwe. Rich woods and vibrant
colors showcase the art of African craftsmanship. For instance, some
headboard designs have been inspired by “butterfly” masks. The Royal
Suite features a domed, hut-like living room that’s truly “fit for a
king” with a kitchen, dining room and sweeping porches offering
spectacular views of the savannah.
Accommodations range in size from standard rooms, to
one- and two-bedroom suites. Concierge-level rooms also are available.
Each room sleeps four to eight guests with a variety of choices. King-size
beds, queen-size beds and bunk beds are available in rooms throughout the
resort.
A World of Amenities
Famous Disney service and deluxe amenities combine to create an
unforgettable adventure at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. The resort
features a 9,000-square-foot, themed feature pool -- which offers a
poolside view of the savannah -- as well as two bubbling spas. The
Zahanati Massage and Fitness Center offers facials, body treatments and
massage therapy. Featured for the younger set: Simba's Cubhouse, a
children's activity center; Pumbaa's Fun and Games arcade; a pool and
the Hakuna Matada Playground.
A Culinary Journey
The resort's restaurants "recreate the flavors of
Africa," said Dieter Hannig, senior vice president of Walt Disney World
Food & Beverage. "As the world gets smaller, we have the opportunity to
be a trend-setter, borrowing flavors from many of the 53 countries in
the continent of Africa . . . fruits from Kenya, spices from North
Africa, basic products, bold flavors."Hannig,
who was once a hotel chef in Kenya, journeyed to Africa with other Walt
Disney World chefs to research the latest cooking trends and to hear
culinary experiences from African chefs. He's taken that influence and
instilled it in each of the restaurant locations at the new resort.
The resort's signature restaurant is Jiko-The
Cooking Place, featuring cuisines from around the globe: banana
leaf-steamed Chilean sea bass with asparagus puree, mushrooms and
apples; oven-baked garlic chicken tagine with grapefruit, olives and
herbs. Appetizers are equally imaginative, like maize tamales with
truffle oil, herbs and spices. Jiko is Swahili for "cooking place."
Along with the adjacent Cape Town Wine Room and Cape
Town Lounge, Jiko features South African wines. Jiko's interior design,
inspired by Disney's "The Lion King," is by Jeffrey Beers, known for his
wildly creative interiors. (Jiko
menu)
Boma-Flavors of Africa is
the name of the family "marketplace" restaurant featuring an exhibit
kitchen with a wood-burning grill and rotisserie. Boma in Swahili is "an
open, natural space that provides a safe and sheltered place in the
bush." The 270-seat restaurant is open for
breakfast and
dinner.
Two other dining locations at Disney's Animal Kingdom
Lodge: The Mara, named after the Mara River, a quick-service
eatery serving breakfast, lunch and dinner -- and Victoria Falls,
the mezzanine lounge overlooking Boma, serves gourmet coffee and teas,
South African vintage wines, international beers and cocktails.
24-Hour Animal Viewing Opportunities
The savannahs will be home to more than 200 mammals and birds representing
a cross-section of the African palette -- greater kudu, Grant’s zebra,
wildebeest, giraffe, impala, marabou stork to name a few. Thirty percent
of the mammal species are Walt Disney World-exclusive to Disney’s Animal
Kingdom Lodge. The hoofstock and birds will roam freely on the savannah
where resort guests may enjoy 24-hour viewing opportunities.
Landscape: The Art of the Earth
Landscape design at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge began long before the
resort opened its doors, with the first vegetation planted and secured two
years ago. The rich environment is designed to simulate the landscape
systems of the African continent -- forested lands, river systems,
grasslands and the bush. Tall thryalis and pampas grass cover the ground
in front of the resort, while red and pink hibiscus, bright clusters of
red, orange and scarlet Ixora, fragrant white jasmine and green pygmy date
palms border the Uzima Pool. Behind the lodge on Arusha Rock kopje is the
signature tree, Peltophorum dubium -- or Yellow Flame Tree -- the canopy
tree most recognized as the one on the African plain.
Art: A Celebration of Culture
Reflecting the romance and beauty of African culture, Disney's Animal
Kingdom Lodge features an extensive collection of authentic African art.
Approximately 380 museum-quality pieces are featured in public areas
throughout the resort, with more than 4,000 handcrafted works in the
guestrooms.
In fact, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge contracted an art consultant,
Mary Hannah, to bring the collection of art to Walt Disney World Resort.
"The idea is to show that Africa is a vast continent full of gifted and
culturally diverse people," said Charles Davis, an African art expert
who collaborated with Hannah.
The centerpiece of the resort's collection is the Igbo Ijele (pronounced
e-bo e-gelay) mask, featured in the lobby. The Ijele, created by the
Igbo people of Africa, is a massive creation that towers more than 16
feet tall and is eight feet in width. In Africa, the mask signifies an
important event or celebration and makes rare appearances. No other
Ijele, which is the largest mask in tropical Africa, is known to exist
outside of Igbo land. An African Safari
Experience
Club-level guests can observe birds and animals during the Wanyama
Safari, a 3½-hour experience that includes an excursion aboard a
specially designed vehicle and dinner at Jiko-The Cooking Place. The
sunset safari strives to recreate the essence of an African experience
with free-roaming wildlife in an authentic environment, taking guests
into the three savannahs that horseshoe Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.
The sunset safari is offered three times a week with a maximum of 14
persons. Price is $160 for guests aged 10 and over, and $80 for guests
aged 8-9. Programs For All Ages
A series of kid-friendly programs and adult enrichment opportunities at
the resort increase guests’ knowledge and appreciation of the African
culture. Children can hear African folklore around the outdoor firepit,
become a Junior Safari Researcher or Junior Chef of the Day at the resort.
Guests of all ages can also learn from the lodge’s Savannah Guides in
programs that show differences in animals’ physical and naturalistic
behavior, while adults take part in wine tasting (the resort boasts the
largest collection of South African wines anywhere in the United States)
or a self-guided tour of the resort’s extensive art collection.
Authentic Merchandise in the Marketplace
The festive, 5,300-square-foot Zawadi Marketplace carries authentic
crafts, clothing and other distinctive merchandise from Africa.
Woodcarvings, Zulu baskets, hand-painted dishes, batik fabrics and
hand-made jewelry are offered -- even clothing inspired by African
tribal wear. African artisans demonstrate wood carving, painting,
jewelry making and more. Character and resort logo merchandise also is
available. |
Theme:
One of Disney’s deluxe resorts, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
includes three African-inspired restaurants, a thatch-roofed lobby
with a massive mud fireplace and flowing stream inside -- and an
elevated kopje, or rock outcropping, as part of the
landscaping, which puts guests within 15 feet of the animals for an
extraordinary view of the reserve.
