Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is getting a makeover!
Animal Kingdom Lodge
A fresh coat of paint is going up on the exterior of Disney’s Animal Kingdom-Kidani Village but it’s affecting some of the view from inside.
While we are excited to see this resort getting a nice little makeover, sadly, guests visiting the beloved table-service restaurant Sanaa will not be able to gaze out the window at the roaming animals at Sunset Savannah for a while.
Window Seating at Sanaa
Sanaa Cast Members are warning diners at check-in that views are heavily obscured for the time being. Views are, unfortunately, limited to only seeing the tops of the giraffe’s heads as they roam! This should only be temporary and we think it’s still worth the trip for their bread service alone, but if you had your heart set on those roaming animals outside while you dine, you may want to take note!
Bread Service at Sanaa!
While we haven’t seen a timeline for the exterior work to be completes, we’ll keep you updated as we learn more on this construction.
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Thx! Please keep us updated as we have lunch reservations there next Fri. Definitely going there just as much for the view as the bread service and drinks but may reschedule for next trip a few months later if view gone.
The view has been compromised for some time. We were there at the beginning of November, had a window seat that was totally blocked. Plus, the lobby was a undergoing renovation as well. You can go outside however to see the animals.
We just had lunch there last week. There is a mesh type wall around the entire viewing area. From far away we saw the heads of 2 Giraffes. At our table there was 2 ladders and empty paint cans at our window. I did mention it to management and they have asked the contractor to clean it up. Highly recommend for the food, service, and the atmosphere inside. Dont go expecting a view…
That’s crazy! They built a hospital here where I live faster than it’s taking them to paint Kidani. They started in September of 2018!
We were also there last week and you can’t see any animals, whilst I did go there for the food it was a tad disappointing, however afterwards we walked up to the stairs and into a lounge seating area, you can go outside here and see all the animals I got some great pics of the Giraffes! Not sure how many people know that, but take a look about, the views are much better than the downstairs outside viewing area.
We stayed at Jambo house last week- safari room. There was construction going on there as well. I think it was a deterrent for some animals. We did not see much- a zebra and couple of wilderbeasts over an entire week. Kinda bummed, but overall great experience. Opted to cancel Sanaa and do T-Rex instead- kids love dinosaurs and although mixed reviews, food was pretty good (out of pocket)
I would not make the trek just for some naan and dipping sauces. No view whatsoever right now. Save the travel time and go elsewhere. The views from the villas, thankfully, are not impacted at this time.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g34515-d1500762-r727047788-Sanaa-Orlando_Florida.html?m=19905
We were there 11/17 and paid extra for the animal specialist experience. It was a terrible experience. There was no warning of decreases viewing area, in fact, when we asked about it after seeing and hearing the construction in the lobby they told us it would still be a rewarding experience. It was awful! All we heard while the animal specialist was speaking was drilling and hammering! Then she took us outside to view the animals from the same viewing area hat everyone else goes to outside. Meanwhile, when booked it said we were going to spend a special experience with the endangered tortoises. Well, as you can imagine, the tortoises habitat was also under construction! What a terrible experience!!! Call before you go to this restaurant!
My family dined at Sanaa on 11/1 and 11/9. The obscured viewing did not detract from our meal nor did it detract from the fun we had together as a family (note: we were NOT warned ahead of time by the staff that the windows would be covered). Life is what you make of it. Learn to roll with the punches, people.
Disney is rehabbing every resort that isn’t new or relatively new in time for the 50th Anniversary in 2021. It’s something everyone is gonna have to deal with until then. Yeah i know it stinks but it is what it is. Also, they simply do not have the man power and time to sit and call every single person who has a reservation at the restaurant and inform them of the work. As a former Resort Reservations CM, they are often not even told of any work being done. When I worked there, we knew that they were adding the new tower. The only reason we found out about everything else being done was because the Manager of Coronado finally got angry enough that we didn’t know everything being done, and sent our bosses and email of complaint.
Our family of 6 and sometimes 8 has eaten at Sanaa several times over the past 3 years and have never enjoyed a window view. Even with reservations made far in advance. Could see why with such a large party, but when my husband and I went back in late summer, we never got to enjoy a window seat with animal view. Guess it’s just the luck of the draw. Don’t recall that the window views were obstructed in late summer, either. Even when you ask, they don’t accommodate, even with a reservation. Love their food. Our grandson and his Dad have birthdays 3 days apart in September, so we went there this year. The waiter was fantastic. Our son-in-law had just returned from a missions trip in an area of Africa the waiter was from, so they had so much in common.
Is the view still blocked? We have reservations for lunch in a couple weeks but I’m not sure we’ll make the trek if the construction is still blocking the windows.
Megan, on our visit last week, the views were back to normal. Looks like the blocked views were very short-lived.