Mouse Extra

On this date in 2001, Disney World opened the doors to the Animal Kingdom Lodge.  Six years later, the Lodge stands as one of Imagineering’s crowning achievements, and perhaps the best explanation of why people love to stay on property.  Though other hotels may have better and more luxurious rooms, nothing can match the Animal Kingdom Lodge for theme and overall “wow factor”.

Now the lodge is growing in leaps with the addition of the Disney Vacation Club’s Animal Kingdom Villas.  Perhaps coincidentally, the Vacation Club has sent members an email with a link to a preview video of this potentially amazing spot.  The plan is to have a new restaurant, shops, and water play area, but the real draw is the addition of a new savannah, filled with the wonderful animals that make the Animal Kingdom and the Lodge so terrific.  I am not sure how long this link will last, but try it here.  The video has some terrific shots of the lodge.

I have been in many discussions with Disney’s critics over the value the Disney Vacation Club offers the company.  While I can’t speak to how much it brings in, the amount of investment being poured into this relatively small space, when compared to Saratoga Springs and Old Key West, is certainly as sign that it is substantial.  It’s one thing to bolt a bunch of villas to the side of a hotel.  It’s another thing entirely to build a mini-zoo for it as well.