Animal Kingdom Lodge in July

The hotel- 8/10 overall

The Animal Kingdom Lodge is a whimsical experience, for this stay I chose a safari room with club access. As expected the resort itself is heavily themed, and the safari room was spacious, clean and complete with a view of the animals.

The pros:

• The room was cleaned daily (this was a new experience as I don’t typically stay at a deluxe resort)
• The view of the animals was amazing- Disney Magic for sure
• The hotel had great theming
• Club level provided breakfast lunch and dinner, with snacks. More on that below.

Cons:

• No monorail or skyliner access

Club access

This was a completely new experience for me. For those unfamiliar Disney offers club access at certain deluxe resorts. What I loved was that it was not crowded and they have snacks that can be taken with you (even drinks- I took at least 2 diet cokes at a time and multiple waters- they didn’t even flinch. This was the greed they spoke of in the bible). The ice cream freezer was available for every meal except breakfast, and if there was something you wanted (such as a mimosa) you could request one from a staff member. The food itself was substantial, and unlimited. Here is what they offered:

Day one club level

Safari Snacks

Twilight offerings

Cordials

Day 2 Club Level

Breakfast

Safari Snacks

Twilight Offerings

Cordials

Day 3 Club Level

Breakfast

Animal Kingdom- Yak and Yeti (overall 6.5/10)

Yak and Yeti is a popular restaurant serving pan Asian cuisine. I struggled to give it a rating, with my initial score being 7/10, but I had to drop it half a point because they put a Cabernet Sauvignon floater in one of their cocktails and it was not a good vibe.

The service was great and I was able to replace the drink with a new pineapple-vodka cocktail that was better but still not great.

I ordered potstickers, pan fried, which were drenched in an overly salty soy sauce and I would not re-order.

For entrees I tried the “Korean Beef” from the wok and it was great- flavorful and it had some spice.

I also ordered the “chicken bulgogi bowl” which was spicy and generously portioned.

The entrees were clearly the stars, along with the service and the atmosphere. The drinks and appetizers held the score back.

The Beak and Barrel- sophomore visit (overall 5/10)

• Overall score: 5/10
• Corn cakes- both chicken and vegetarian- 8/10
• Hibiscus Rum Punch: 7/10
• Sirens Whisper: 4/10

Magic Kingdom is home to the well known pirate themed resturant with a 2 drink maximum and a 45 minute limit called the Beak and Barrel. I highly recommend advanced reservations- I went and ordered each version of the corn cakes- one vegetarian and one chicken, the chicken one has great flavor so that would be my first choice.

My first drink was the “Hibiscus Rum Punch Royal” and it was STRONG. This is a great option for rum drinkers, it had a strong rum flavor but was not overpowering, there was a nice fruity yet acidic lime taste as well.

My second drink was the “Sirens Whisper”, this drink came with a warning that it was less sweet than expected. I don’t think I could stomach this as drink number 1 but as drink 2 it was fine.

Side Quests

TikTok famous Cookie Dough Brownie Icecream Sandwich- 7/10.

Found at Terra Treats in AK. Worth a try- it pairs well with a shaken espresso with peppermint mocha cold foam from Creature Comforts (aka Starbucks).

This bracelet that tracks a polar bear- 9/10

One less polar bear to worry about.

Dole Whip– overall 5/10- never as good as you think.

They were serving it in commemorative plastic cups.

Mint MMs from The Confectionary- 8/10 but I will always get them.

Cake bake

The Cake Bake Shop is a whimsical bakery most well known for their $22 pieces of cake. Every time I go to Disney I manage to find my way there for a latte and a slice. My all time favorite would have to be the Oprah’s Mint Chocolate Cake (gluten free as well). I also picked up a few waffles (which were cake like and coated in cinnamon sugar and sparkles). Even though it is a new tradition, I genuinely feel like the quality of has gone slightly down- and you can get better lattes at any Starbucks location on Disney property. Unless you want the experience this can be a skip for most people.

Bottom line: was club level worth it?

Probably. If you have a party of three or more this experience is definitely worth it. To put it in perspective a group of 2 adults and one child will cost $80-$120 at any sit down restaurant. Breakfast will easily cost $60 even at a value resort. While club level was an extra 150-200 per night, you can easily justify the cost. That with the additional service made the choice to book club level worth it in my opinion. That being said- there are less expensive ways to have a Disney trip, but if you are looking to splurge club level is where it is at.