Hi Terri! Welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel!
I'm so excited to hear that you are staying at
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge very soon! One of my most recent visits to the Walt Disney World Resort included a stay at this beautiful Disney Resort hotel and I love how quiet and peaceful it is!
The last official word I received about the option of declining "Mousekeeping" (housekeeping) in exchange for a Disney gift card, was that it was available at select Disney Resort hotels that are in the value and moderate categories. The "Service Your Way" program includes a $10 gift card for each night that Mousekeeping is declined and cannot be declined for the last night of your stay. For example, a 7-night stay where Mousekeeping is declined would warrant a $60.00 Disney gift card. Since you are staying at a
Deluxe Disney Resort hotel, this would not include Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge in that offer. However, things are constantly changing at the Walt Disney World Resort, so I encourage you to ask the Front Desk when you arrive for your stay to see if this is now an option for you!
One of the things my family and I enjoyed during our stay at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge was searching for "hidden Mickeys" around the resort. We found quite a few ... more than any of the other Disney Resort hotels we had previously stayed in! I just love the little added details that Disney uses to add some extra magic!
Enjoy your vacation, Terri! Please let us know if you have any other questions.
Tabitha