The savanna or the Skyliner, at very different rates. Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, from about $525, if you want giraffes and antelope below a Savanna View balcony, at extra cost, Extended Evening Hours on select nights and Jiko for dinner; Disney's Pop Century Resort, from about $195, if you would rather keep the money for the parks, with a Skyliner station five minutes' walk from the lobby.
A thatched game lodge on the edge of Walt Disney World, with giraffes and antelope outside the Savanna View balconies and zebras on some of its savannas.
$$$From about $525 a night
Choose Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge if
Children who love animals
Animal Kingdom days
Couples who want a themed base
Walt Disney World trips with a car
The catch
Disney sells the savanna only with the Savanna View rooms. The entry Resort View faces what Disney describes as rooftops or the car park, and on an early-February Tuesday the Savanna View costs $740 a night before tax against $527, $213 more.
Disney's cheapest Skyliner hotel on standard rates: gondolas to Epcot and Hollywood Studios, early park entry and a food court for dinner.
$From about $195 a night
Choose Disney's Pop Century Resort if
Epcot and Hollywood Studios days
First Disney trips on a budget
Families of four
Early starts at the parks
The catch
There is no table-service restaurant. The Everything POP food court, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and crowded at peak meal times, Petals Pool Bar and pizza delivered to the room are the choices on site, so order ahead in the My Disney Experience app or plan dinners in the parks.
Disney's Animal Kingdom LodgeDisney's Pop Century Resort
FunctionalDesign-led
CouplesFamilies
Central & walkableRemote escape
Smart spendSplurge
InternationalStrong sense of place
Food secondaryDestination dining
Explore outsideStay at the hotel
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
Area
Walt Disney World, Animal Kingdom area, United States
From the centre
5.9 km
Airport
39 min from MCO
Price band
$$$
Typical rate
From about $525 a night
Rooms
Not confirmed
Last renovated
2019 (opened 2001)
Pool
Outdoor
Beach
None
Spa
No
Adults only
No
Restaurants
4
Parking
Yes
Selected by
Independent research
Last checked
October 2026
Disney's Pop Century Resort
Area
Walt Disney World, Skyliner area, United States
From the centre
2.8 km
Airport
34 min from MCO
Price band
$
Typical rate
From about $195 a night
Rooms
2,880
Last renovated
2026 (opened 2003)
Pool
Outdoor
Beach
None
Spa
No
Adults only
No
Restaurants
1
Parking
Yes
Selected by
Independent research
Last checked
October 2026
The verdict
The savanna or the Skyliner, at very different rates. Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, from about $525, if you want giraffes and antelope below a Savanna View balcony, at extra cost, Extended Evening Hours on select nights and Jiko for dinner; Disney's Pop Century Resort, from about $195, if you would rather keep the money for the parks, with a Skyliner station five minutes' walk from the lobby.
Good questions about Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge vs Disney's Pop Century Resort
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge or Disney's Pop Century Resort?
The savanna or the Skyliner, at very different rates. Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, from about $525, if you want giraffes and antelope below a Savanna View balcony, at extra cost, Extended Evening Hours on select nights and Jiko for dinner; Disney's Pop Century Resort, from about $195, if you would rather keep the money for the parks, with a Skyliner station five minutes' walk from the lobby.
Is Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge worth it?
Book Animal Kingdom Lodge for the savanna, and pay for a Savanna View room so that it is outside your balcony. Plan on Disney's buses or a car for the parks, and give Magic Kingdom days an early start. A large, heavily themed Disney resort where the savanna outside the window is the point and the parks are a bus or car ride away. Expect families, a relaxed pace and African cooking, and pay for the Savanna View to get what you came for.
Does Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge have a pool or a beach?
It has an outdoor pool. There is no beach; the nearest is a drive away.
Is Disney's Pop Century Resort worth it?
Book Pop Century for the cheapest room on the Skyliner at Disney's standard rates, early park entry and free parking, and pay $32 more for a Preferred Room near the lobby. Plan dinners in the parks, and keep a late-January trip clear of the Skyliner's closure from 24 to 30 January 2027. A 2,880-room Disney value resort themed on 20th-century pop culture, where the point is the gondola to two parks and the early entry, not the hotel itself. Expect a busy, family-filled base with three pools, a food court and rooms built for sleeping between park days.
Does Disney's Pop Century Resort have a pool or a beach?
It has an outdoor pool. There is no beach; the nearest is a drive away.
The view