Hey there, Kara. Thanks for stopping by the Disney Parks Moms Panel with your question. I know you've got to be so excited about your stay at
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. It's a beautiful resort and so fun seeing all of the animals roam around.
When my family and I head down to
Walt Disney World, we always leave super early in the morning and arrive around lunchtime. While early check in might be rare, I've been able to enter my rooms many time before the actual check-in time. What I suggest doing is
checking in online 60 days prior to your trip. This is the earliest day that you'll be able to do so. When going through the online check-in process it'll ask for your arrival time. By filling out all of this information, it helps the resort prepare for your arrival and you may be able to enter your room early by doing so. However, even if you arrive and your room is not quite ready, you are free to enjoy all of the amenities that Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge has to offer. You can store your luggage, free of charge, at Bell Services and head out to splish splash
in the pool all afternoon.
If it turns out to be not so nice of a day, you can always hop on the
complimentary bus transportation from your resort to one of the parks or
Disney Springs. If you don't want to use a Walt Disney World Theme Park Ticket that day, Disney Springs is a great alternative. It's a shopping, dining, and entertainment mecca. My family and I always visit Disney Springs at least 2 or 3 times during our trips. We love shopping around
World of Disney, the largest Disney store ever, having dinner at STK and topping off a great meal with some specialty chocolate from The Ganachery.
I hope this helps, Kara. If you have any other questions, please feel free to stop back by and ask. Enjoy your trip!