Closest Disney resorts to Animal Kingdom (2026)

Which Disney resort is closest to Animal Kingdom?

Six resorts tie for closest to Animal Kingdom, at six minutes by road: All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, All-Star Movies, Coronado Springs, Art of Animation, and Animal Kingdom Lodge with Jambo House. All-Star Sports is the nearest of them, 1.4 miles from the gates. Every one of the 32 resorts gets to Animal Kingdom by bus. There's no walk, boat, monorail or Skyliner to this park from anywhere on property.

Six resorts tie for closest, at six minutes by road. We drove every one of the 32 in Google Maps, and Animal Kingdom Lodge isn't out in front on its own the way people usually describe it: the Lodge is 1.5 miles from the gates and All-Star Sports is 1.4. All-Star Music, All-Star Movies, Coronado Springs and Art of Animation all make it in the same six minutes, and Kidani Village takes seven. Saratoga Springs and the Contemporary are the furthest at twelve minutes. And here's the big one: all 32 resorts get to Animal Kingdom by bus. There's no monorail, no boat, no Skyliner and no walking path to Animal Kingdom from anywhere on property. So closer just means a shorter bus ride, and the whole property fits inside twelve minutes of driving. Pick on the savanna, the pools and the price, not the road. We'd book Animal Kingdom Lodge for the savanna, and its splash pads score a full 10, but not for the bus.

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How far each resort actually is, measured

Every resort driven to the Animal Kingdom gates in Google Maps on August 22, 2026, fastest route. One row per physical site: where two or three resorts share a site they share a parking lot and a road, so they share a reading. Every resort on property sits between 6 and 12 minutes away, a spread of 6.

Resort	Drive	Distance	Route
Animal Kingdom Lodge and Jambo House · 2 resorts, one site	6 min	1.5 miles	Osceola Pkwy
All-Star Sports	6 min	1.4 miles	W Buena Vista Dr
All-Star Music	6 min	1.6 miles	W Buena Vista Dr
Coronado Springs	6 min	1.8 miles	W Buena Vista Dr
All-Star Movies	6 min	1.9 miles	W Buena Vista Dr
Art of Animation	6 min	2.9 miles	Osceola Pkwy
Kidani Village	7 min	1.8 miles	Osceola Pkwy
Pop Century	8 min	3.7 miles	Osceola Pkwy
BoardWalk Inn and Villas · 2 resorts, one site	8 min	4.2 miles	Victory Way and Osceola Pkwy
Polynesian Village and its villas · 2 resorts, one site	8 min	5.8 miles	World Dr
Caribbean Beach	9 min	3.8 miles	Osceola Pkwy
Riviera	9 min	4.1 miles	Victory Way and Osceola Pkwy
Yacht Club	10 min	4.3 miles	Osceola Pkwy
Beach Club and its villas · 2 resorts, one site	10 min	4.6 miles	Epcot Resorts Blvd
Port Orleans French Quarter	10 min	6.1 miles	Epcot Center Dr
Old Key West	10 min	6.2 miles	Epcot Center Dr
Grand Floridian and its villas · 2 resorts, one site	10 min	6.4 miles	Floridian Wy and World Dr
Port Orleans Riverside	10 min	6.5 miles	Epcot Center Dr
Wilderness Lodge and its villas · 3 resorts, one site	11 min	5.9 miles	World Dr
Fort Wilderness cabins and campsites · 2 resorts, one site	11 min	6.6 miles	World Dr
Contemporary and Bay Lake Tower · 2 resorts, one site	12 min	6.5 miles	World Dr
Saratoga Springs	12 min	7 miles	Epcot Center Dr

These are drive times, not bus times. They tell you how far away the resort is, which is the one thing you cannot change after booking. The bus is what you will actually ride and it is always longer: you wait at the stop, it collects from the other stops inside your resort, and it drops at the park's bus depot rather than the parking lot. Nobody publishes Disney's bus times, so we are not going to print one and call it measured. Google's own transit estimate for the same trip came back at 37 minutes, which is public-transit routing rather than a Disney bus, so that is no use either.

Disney resorts near Animal Kingdom, shortest bus ride first

Resort	How you get there	Score	Nightly, on average
Animal Kingdom Lodge · Deluxe	Bus	7 / 10	$550
Animal Kingdom Villas - Jambo House · Deluxe	Bus	7 / 10	$517
Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani Village · Deluxe	Bus	7 / 10	$516
All-Star Movies Resort · Value	Bus	6 / 10	$184
All-Star Music Resort · Value	Bus	6 / 10	$183
All-Star Sports Resort · Value	Bus	6 / 10	$170
Coronado Springs Resort · Moderate	Bus	6 / 10	$311
Art of Animation · Value	Bus	4 / 10	$281
Beach Club Resort · Deluxe	Bus	4 / 10	$736
Beach Club Villas · Deluxe	Bus	4 / 10	$836

There's no table of non-bus routes on this page, because there aren't any. This is the bus ranking, which is the only difference Animal Kingdom offers. It matches the drive times above almost everywhere: everything scoring 6 or 7 is within seven minutes by road, and everything scoring 3 is 10 minutes or more. Two don't line up. Art of Animation scores 4 but drives it in six minutes, level with the best, and the Polynesian scores 3 but drives it in eight. Both ride a longer bus than their distance suggests, because they share a route with other resorts. If you have a car, those two are better placed than their score says.

The three picks, and who each suits

Animal Kingdom Lodge, the best bus ride to the park

Deluxe · on average $550 a night · sleeps 4 · bus to Animal Kingdom

GoodIt scores 7 out of 10, tied for the highest, with a bus ride of about 5 to 8 minutes. The savanna is the real reason to stay, though: the splash pads score a full 10, things to do scores 9, and the animals are right outside the window at breakfast. Standard rooms sleep four, plus a baby under 3, and a two-bedroom villa at Kidani Village next door sleeps nine.

Less goodIt's about $550 a night, and it's the most isolated resort on property. Everywhere except Animal Kingdom is a long bus: it scores 3 for Magic Kingdom and 5 for Hollywood Studios. There's no quick trip anywhere from here.

Scored category	This resort	Average of all 32
Getting to Animal Kingdom	7 / 10	–
Pools	8 / 10	7.0
Splash pads and slides	10 / 10	7.6
Things to do on site	9 / 10	7.1
Suits toddlers	8 / 10	7.5
Suits adults	5 / 10	5.4

Who this suits best: families who want the animals to be part of the trip, and who are doing Animal Kingdom more than once.

Dining on siteJiko and Boma, with Sanaa at Kidani next door: two sit-down restaurants, one signature and two bars.

What there is to do on siteScores 9 out of 10, well above the average of 7.1. The savanna viewing areas, Wild About Painting, a playground, an arcade, a campfire and movies, and a spa and fitness center.

Sold out? Get an email when Animal Kingdom Lodge has a room →

Coronado Springs, the sensible middle

Moderate · on average $311 a night · sleeps 4 · bus to Animal Kingdom

GoodIt scores 6 out of 10 for Animal Kingdom, and at 1.8 miles it's six minutes from the gates by road. It's also the strongest all-round Moderate on property: things to do scores 9, adults score 8, and it has four sit-down restaurants, a signature and four bars, which is more dining than most Deluxes. About $311 a night.

Less goodIt scores 4 for EPCOT and 5 for Hollywood Studios, so it's so-so everywhere else, and it's a convention hotel, which shows in the lobby and in who else is staying there.

Scored category	This resort	Average of all 32
Getting to Animal Kingdom	6 / 10	–
Pools	8 / 10	7.0
Splash pads and slides	7 / 10	7.6
Things to do on site	9 / 10	7.1
Suits toddlers	8 / 10	7.5
Suits adults	8 / 10	5.4

Who this suits best: adults and families with older kids who want a real bar and a real restaurant, and who aren't building the trip around one park.

Dining on siteFour sit-down restaurants, including Toledo, plus counter service and four bars.

What there is to do on siteScores 9 out of 10. The Colors of Coronado painting experience, Spanish mosaic art, volleyball, a jogging trail, a playground, an arcade and a fitness center.

Sold out? Get an email when Coronado Springs Resort has a room →

All-Star Movies, the cheapest short bus ride

Value · on average $184 a night · sleeps 4 · bus to Animal Kingdom

GoodIt scores 6 out of 10 for Animal Kingdom at about $184 a night, the cheapest room on property that isn't a campsite. The All-Star resorts sit in the same corner as Animal Kingdom, so the ride really is short.

Less goodPools score 5, things to do scores 4, and it scores 1 out of 10 for adults, the lowest on property. There's no sit-down restaurant. At quiet times the three All-Star resorts also share buses, which adds stops.

Scored category	This resort	Average of all 32
Getting to Animal Kingdom	6 / 10	–
Pools	5 / 10	7.0
Splash pads and slides	6 / 10	7.6
Things to do on site	5.5 / 10	7.1
Suits toddlers	4 / 10	7.5
Suits adults	1 / 10	5.4

Who this suits best: families who spend their days in the parks and their nights asleep, and want the money to go on tickets.

Dining on siteOne food court and one bar. No sit-down restaurant.

What there is to do on siteScores 5.5 out of 10, below average. Pools, campfire activities, movies under the stars, a jogging trail, a playground and an arcade.

Sold out? Get an email when All-Star Movies Resort has a room →

How the Resortings score works

Every resort is scored out of ten on how it reaches each park, using the fastest route Disney actually runs: a walk, the monorail, the Skyliner, a boat or a bus. The number is the route, not the distance on a map, because a resort a mile away on a bus is further in practice than one two miles away on a monorail. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no booking commissions.

What the Animal Kingdom bus is really like

Animal Kingdom closes earlier than the other parks, often at 7pm or 8pm, so the bus line at closing is one huge rush instead of the long trickle you get at Magic Kingdom. Leaving 20 minutes before close, or staying an hour after the crowd goes, both beat joining it.

Animal Kingdom Lodge’s advantage is real but small. 5 minutes against 25 saves about 40 minutes on a day you go in and come back once. That's not a reason by itself to spend about $550 a night. The savanna is.

Because every resort is on a bus, the usual rule flips here. At the other three parks you can pay for a better way in. At Animal Kingdom you can't, so put the money into the resort itself. Animal Kingdom Lodge earns its spot on the animals, not the bus.

There's no transport advantage worth paying for at Animal Kingdom, so treat every number on this page as a tiebreaker, not a reason. Most families spend one day at Animal Kingdom, and one day of bus rides isn't worth reshaping a booking around. Score all 32 against your whole park list, and let the resort itself decide it.

Your family will rank these differently

Ages, budget, room size and which parks you are doing all change the order. Resortings scores all 32 resorts against what your family actually needs, and tells you when not to spend the money.

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Resort sold out for your dates? Set a room alert and we will email you when one opens.

Common questions

Which Disney resorts are near Animal Kingdom?

By road, six tie at six minutes: All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, All-Star Movies, Coronado Springs, Art of Animation, and Animal Kingdom Lodge with Jambo House. Kidani Village is seven. The All-Star resorts cost about a third of what the Lodge does.

What is the closest Disney resort to Animal Kingdom?

By road, All-Star Sports, 1.4 miles from the gates, in a six-minute tie with five others. By bus, Animal Kingdom Lodge and its two villa buildings, Jambo House and Kidani Village, score highest at 7 out of 10, with a ride of about 5 to 8 minutes against about 25 from the Magic Kingdom side. Either way, you're on a bus, because every resort is.

Can you walk to Animal Kingdom from any Disney resort?

No. Not one of the 32 resorts has a walking path to Animal Kingdom, and there's no boat, monorail or Skyliner either. It's the only one of the four parks where the bus is the only way in.

Is Animal Kingdom Lodge worth it for the park access?

Not for the access alone. It saves you about 40 minutes over a single park day compared with a resort on the Magic Kingdom side, which doesn't justify about $550 a night by itself. It's worth it for the savanna: the splash pads score a full 10, things to do scores 9, and being close to the park is a bonus.

What is the cheapest resort near Animal Kingdom?

All-Star Sports, from about $170 a night, with Music at about $183 and Movies at about $184. All three score 6 out of 10, one point behind Animal Kingdom Lodge, at about a third of the price. Coronado Springs also scores 6 at about $311, and it's a much better resort.

Which resorts are furthest from Animal Kingdom?

The Magic Kingdom side: the Contemporary, the Grand Floridian, the Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness all score 3 out of 10, a bus ride of about 25 minutes. If Animal Kingdom is a big part of your trip, think twice about those.

Which resorts are in the Animal Kingdom area?

Six are six minutes from the gate by road: Animal Kingdom Lodge and Jambo House, All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, All-Star Movies, Coronado Springs and Art of Animation. Kidani Village is seven. None of them can walk in, and every Disney resort gets to Animal Kingdom by bus, so the only real difference is how long that bus ride is.

Which Disney resorts are closest to Animal Kingdom?