Hi Rhiannon,
Welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! How exciting to have an upcoming trip to the Walt Disney World Resort planned. Although I have not stayed in a villa, Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of my favorite resorts. You are in for a treat!
When I make plans, I always make dining reservations for all of the table-service restaurants we plan to visit. We then just typically just walk-in to quick service restaurants except Be Our Guest. We always make a reservation at Be Our Guest even if it is for breakfast or lunch because it can get crowded! Although I have seen families walk-up to a table-service restaurant and get a same-day dining reservation, I have also seen lots of families turned away because restaurants are full. My suggestion is to always reserve when you can.
Remember that there is a nominal fee that will be charged to your account should you not show up for the reservation. It sounds like you also have a
dining plan. With the dining plan, keep in mind that meal and snack credits are allocated based on the number of nights of your stay. So, on the
Disney Dining Plan, for a 10 night/11 day stay, each person 3-years old and over on the dining plan would receive 20 meals (10 quick-service and 10 table-service) for the entire trip.
Rhiannon, the last time I stayed at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, we dined for breakfast at
Boma - Flavors of Africa. The food was delicious and the chefs incredibly nice. The best part of my previous stays, however - the animals standing right below my balcony!
Magic, memories and Minnie Mouse hugs,
Donyell