The map below shows each new Animal Kingdom Disney timeshare area, and expected completion dates.

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Jumbo House will offer Studios, 1 Bedroom Villas, and 2 Bedroom Villas, with select rooms including Concierge Services. Non-Concierge Villas will be considered Value Villas as the rooms sizes will be somewhat smaller then comparable rooms in the new Kidani Village. In early 2009, the new Kidani Village will bring an interactive water play area and feature pool, another full-service restaurant, and an additional savannah with some new animals not currently seen at the Lodge.

Kidani Villas Studios feature one queen bed and one full-sized sleeper sofa, flat panel TV, DVD player, a kitchenette, and will be 366 sq ft sleeping 4 guests.

The Kidani 1 Bedroom Villas feature a master bedroom with a King-sized bed and whirlpool tub, a living room with a queen-size sleeper sofa and pull-out sleeper chair, flat panel TV, DVD player, full kitchen, washer/dryer, and will be 807 sq ft. sleeping 5 guests.

The Kidani 2 Bedroom Villas feature all the same amenities as a 1 bedroom plus either one queen bed and full-size sleeper sofa (lock-off with studio) or two queen-size beds (dedicated 2 bedroom villa) in a separate bedroom with a private bathroom. These accommodations will be 1173 sq ft. and will sleep 9 guests.

The Kidani 3 Bedroom Grand Villas feature a master bedroom with a King-sized bed and whirlpool tub, a living room with a queen-size sleeper sofa flat panel TV, DVD player, dinning room, full kitchen, washer/dryer, and 2 two second floor bedrooms each featuring 2 queen-sized beds and a private bathroom. These grand villas will be 2201 sq ft and will sleep 12 guests.

Pricing for Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas DVC Membership starts as $16,640.00 plus annual dues.

As always, this information is subject to change, and you should check with Disney Vacation Club to confirm any details.

25 January 2007: Disney Animal Kingdom Villas officially announced

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COPYRIGHT 2007. THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY

Lake Buena Vista, Fla. -- Disney Vacation Club is developing a new time-share resort on Walt Disney World property to meet ongoing strong demand for its unique vacation-ownership program.

Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas will be located at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, which readers of Travel & Leisure Family magazine recently honored with the No. 4 spot on their list of the 50 greatest family resorts in the United States and Canada.

"We continue to see strong demand from families who want to build a lifetime of unforgettable memories by vacationing in ways they never dreamed possible," said Jim Lewis, president of Disney Vacation Club. "I am delighted to announce that our members will have yet another place to call home with Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas. This begins another exciting new era for Disney Vacation Club as we continue to explore future destination possibilities both domestically and internationally."

The Disney Vacation Club accommodations will feature intricate African-inspired details and home-like amenities, and most will offer sweeping views of an expanded savanna inhabited by a variety of African animals. Members who call this resort "home" will live their very own true-life adventure in a setting inspired by the intrepid explorers and historic expeditions of 19th century Africa.

Walt Disney Imagineers are designing the new village of Vacation Homes to feel curiously at home in the natural world. The architectural style will evoke the look of a thatched-roof, hewn-timber structure that will appear to emerge organically from the land beneath it, drifting in and out of view from lush landscapes like a giraffe hiding in the tall grasses of the savanna. Add authentic artwork, imaginative architectural details and Disney's world-class brand of storytelling, and the result will be an immersive village unlike any other.

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COPYRIGHT 2007. THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY

These new accommodations are scheduled for development in phases with an anticipated opening beginning fall 2007, with completion scheduled for spring 2009. The project's first phase will include 134 remodeled accommodations on the fifth and sixth floors of the existing Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge building, and subsequent phases will include the construction of 324 Vacation Homes in a new building on the resort property, for a total of 458 Vacation Homes.

The highly anticipated project also calls for construction of a new table-service restaurant, themed pool and water-play area, fitness center, merchandise shop, sports-and-recreation facilities and more.

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COPYRIGHT 2007. THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY 

Disney Vacation Club, now celebrating its milestone 15th anniversary, is an innovative time-share program that lets families enjoy flexibility and savings on future vacations at Disney destinations and more than 500 other popular vacation sites around the world. Since 2000, Disney Vacation Club membership has doubled to include more than 300,000 individuals from more than 100 countries and every U.S. state.

Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas will be the eighth Disney Vacation Club Resort, joining five others at the Walt Disney World Resort, one in Vero Beach, Fla., and one in Hilton Head Island, S.C. Disney Vacation Club has sold out of memberships at its first six resorts, and sales remain ahead of schedule at its seventh property, Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, which opened in May 2004 near the Downtown Disney area at the Walt Disney World Resort.

23 January 2007: Disney Vacation Club at the Animal Kingdom Lodge update

Back in October 2006, Disney announced that they were planning to expand the popular Disney Vacation Club to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. 134 units will be converted from existing rooms on the 5th and 6th floors at the resort, and a new wing, with 324 properties will be built. The first conversions will be ready by late 2007, with the remainder built by mid 2009.

Some more details have just been revealed about the new wing. It will be built on the left hand side of the resort (if facing the front entrance), and will consist of 18 connected buildings, in the shape of 2 horseshoes. Each building will be 5 stories tall, and there is the possibility that parking will be on the first level. As well as savannah overlooks, the new extension will have it's own check in building, swimming pool, tennis courts and animal support buildings.

12 October 2006: Disney Vacation Club coming to the Animal Kingdom Lodge

Disney are expanding the popular Disney Vacation Club to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. 134 units will be converted from existing rooms on the 5th and 6th floors at the resort, and a new wing, with 324 properties will be built. The first conversions will be ready by late 2007, with the remainder built by mid 2009.