Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Alerts Guests with Huge Closures
Guests hoping to soak in the magic of Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge are now alerted to BIG closures starting very soon. Find out which areas will be closed to Guests.
Animal Kingdom Lodge
Disney describes Animal Kingdom Lodge as "Step into the heart of Africa at this magnificent Resort hotel. Inspired by the traditional African kraal, the horseshoe-curved design provides spectacular views of 4 lush savannas that over 200 hoofed animals and birds call home."
Animal Kingdom Lodge is split into sister resorts: Jambo House and Kidani Village. Jambo is the larger "main building" of the resort. When Disney announced there would be a DVC resort here, Disney renamed the main building to Jambo.
Jambo has regular cash rooms as well as DVC accommodations, but not as many DVC rooms as Kidani Village.
Animal Kingdom Lodge Warning
Disney Guests consider Kidani the DVC portion of Animal Kingdom Lodge. Similar to other DVC resorts, you will find studios, 1-bedroom villas, 2-bedroom villas, and 3-bedroom grand villas.
The lobby at Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas-Kidani Village will undergo a BIG refurbishment beginning on August 17, 2026. The work will be completed in stages and hopefully end in early November (just in time for Christmas decorations in the lobby).
Work will be completed in phases for this refurbishment.
Animal Kingdom Lodge Closures
The main lobby and entrance will close for an extensive refurbishment beginning August 17, 2026, and hopefully finishing on October 9, 2026. During this closure, Guest check-in will move to the Palace Library.
Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas-Kidani Village will undergo a BIG refurbishment beginning on August 17, 2026.
The Johari Treasures gift shop will close from August 17 to 28, 2026. Normal operations are expected to return on August 29, 2026.
The north side lobby corridor will close from September 28 to October 9, 2026. During this closure, the north side lobby elevators will be affected, and the outdoor terrace observation deck will be affected.
From October 26 to November 6, 2026, the south lobby corridor will close. This will affect the Community Hall, Safari So Good Arcade, the laundry room, the Palace Library, lobby restrooms, and the outdoor terrace observation deck.
What do you think of this refurbishment? Will this affect your future stay? Share your thoughts with us and share this news with your Disney pals.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Donna loved Disney from an early age. As a child, her family would joke that she lived in "Donna Land." As an adult, she enjoys planning and creating magical vacations for her family. She always brings a little faith, trust, and a little bit of Pixie Dust!
