AK or WL which one?

[Meekogsd]

We are booked at POFQ Dec 11-18. I'd like to surprise my mom w/ an upgrade to either AK or WL. It's just going to be 2 adults. I love the fact WL is close to MK but I love the animal aspect of AK. I'm afraid of AK distance to most of the parks. What other pros and cons should I waiver? Which one would you choose. This will be a one time thing for us, we are usually POP people. Thanks for the help in deciding! Oh and by the way....free dining....YAHOO!!!!

 

[MinnieSummer]

The travelling from AKL is not a big deal. In fact I have found that it really doesn't take that much longer than travelling from the monorail resorts in most cases. AKL doesn't share busses but the others do so whatever time you might make up by being closer you lose by sharing the bus. WL sometimes shares with Fort Wilderness Campground which adds time as well, So taking that out of the equation, I would look at what parks you plan on spending the most time in. Two adults in MK the most, or in Epcot, or the other parks the most? Personally, I love AKL. I like WL and have stayed there with only good experiences but my preference is AKL. If the idea of the animals is appealing to you go with AKL. The dining is better at AKL as is the gift shop, the pool, the scenery... Just my opinion

 

[Meekogsd]

ooooohh, gift shop. Where was my head?!?!?! I forgot about that important aspect

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I would go with the Wilderness Lodge because in my opinion they have a better overall location. Plus they also have more transportation such as a boat to the Magic Kingdom if you don't feel like taking a bus over there. They also have another boat which goes to the Contemporary and Fort Wilderness.

 

[Kimberle]

I have stayed at both. Honestly, book the one that you're most attracted to. WL is closer to MK, but the distances to the other parks are really not much different from both resorts. They are both wonderful and you can't go wrong with either!

 

[MinnieSummer]

Yep. The gift shop at AKL has some of the most unique items. They have the normal stuff but they also have a lot of things that you can only find there. And the atmosphere is so amazing. It is rustic yet elegant, peaceful but fun. I can walk in the lobby of AKL and just feel this peace come over me -- of course that could be the knowledge that I won't have to cook or clean or make a bed for the duration of my stay but I don't think so.

 

[mickeynut1]

I have stayed at both. Honestly, book the one that you're most attracted to. WL is closer to MK, but the distances to the other parks are really not much different from both resorts. They are both wonderful and you can't go wrong with either!

I agree . We've had great stays at both, with AKL not being any more time consuming than WL concerning transportation . Both resorts are beautifully decorated for the holidays.....it just depends what you're looking for as far as location and atmosphere .

 

[iloveeeyore]

We have stayed at both and honestly...it's toss-up (DD leans toward WL, I lean toward AKL, with DH and DS undecided). There were things that we liked better about each.

The distance between AKL and the parks is not enough of a reason to choose WL. We found the bus transportation equal to all parks except MK and AK (with WL having far superior transportation to MK and AKL having far superior transportation to MK). It was the same to the other parks. We thought the boat to MK from WL was way overrated and after the first day, we used the bus. Restaurants are always a matter of taste, and no matter where you stay, you can always dine at the other, but I would give the edge to the food at AKL (we actively disliked WCC, loved Roaring Fork and Artist Point; we love Boma and Mara, and are divided about Jiko).

I agree with the previous poster who suggested you go with the theme that appeals to you most. You really can't go wrong with either!

 

[MickeyNicki]

Out of the two I would pick WL...but would rather stay at POFQ over the AKL and WL if that was the option

 

[Aristocat92]

I would choose WL because AKL is much farther than WL is.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

I have stayed at both and prefer AKL as a resort. The ONLY thing I did not like about AKL is how far it is from everything except AK & BB. I liked WL though but AKL definitely has better dining and gift shop and I loved seeing the animals!!

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

The AKL has managed to snag the prestigious AAA Four Diamond Award! http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...imal-kingdom-lodge-earns-four-diamond-status/

The AKL has also been named the 2011 World's Best for family resorts according according to Travel and Leisure. http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2011/family-hotels GO AKL!

I will be staying at AKL for the first time for our upcoming trip. Even though I made the decision long before all the accolades for AKL were received this year, it has made me that more excited to stay there.

I will say this trip is more centered around staying at AKL than going to the parks, we are commando types, so once we are at the parks, we don't tend to leave, lol.

I have nothing to offer on the Wilderness Lodge. Never been there, never will. Just to close to the other fabulous monorail hotels such as the Polynesian (which I love), Contemporary, Bay Lake Tower(DVC) and Grand Floridian. I would never forgive myself, if I have to look at these while staying there.

That said, the Wilderness Lodge has a die hard following and is listed as number 8 on Travel and Leisures World's Best family resorts. And you would be closer to the action.

 

[MissionMouse]

We have stayed at both and would select WL due to its location, time of year in respect to the resort theme and it you are planning going to MVMCP the location is ideal again. Please note the WL is very popular during this time of year, so you want to check to see if anything is available with the room type of interest.

 

[DemoBri1]

If you are going at Christmas I would definitely do WL over AKL, otherwise it is a toss-up. As the previous poster stated if you are going to MVMCP, then you cannot beat the fact that you can take either the boat or bus back after the party.

We've done this on a couple of stays and always enjoyed a nice relaxing boat ride back.

 

[jimandami]

We have stayed at WL once and AKV twice and give the edge to AK, although we liked them both. I think they have a better pool (both at Jambo and Kidani), better restaurants/counter service, better gift shop, and just a better overall feeling. We did not have any trouble whatsoever with transportation from AKL. Having said that, I don't think you can go wrong with either one!

 

[Tinkerbelle's Mom]

We have stayed at both and hands down prefer AKL. We had no problems with the buses at AKL. At WL our experience with the buses was horrible. This had a huge impact on us.

Plus we enjoyed the dining options, outdoor atmosphere, and gift shop much better at AKL.

We did not find the travel times to be long from AKL.

 

[yarddecor]

We take turns staying at the WL and the AKL. The Wilderness Lodge has a good location and I love the "bug" noises throughout the property. The AKL is fantastic especially if you have a savannah view. There is nothing like waking up at 3 AM and sitting out on the balcony watching the animals feeding. AKL has great dining options - much better than WL. The bus rides are longer at the AKL but it's not that big of deal. Either resort is fantastic!

 

[anjalee6]

We have stayed at both and honestly...it's toss-up (DD leans toward WL, I lean toward AKL, with DH and DS undecided). There were things that we liked better about each.

The distance between AKL and the parks is not enough of a reason to choose WL. We found the bus transportation equal to all parks except MK and AK (with WL having far superior transportation to MK and AKL having far superior transportation to MK). It was the same to the other parks. We thought the boat to MK from WL was way overrated and after the first day, we used the bus. Restaurants are always a matter of taste, and no matter where you stay, you can always dine at the other, but I would give the edge to the food at AKL (we actively disliked WCC, loved Roaring Fork and Artist Point; we love Boma and Mara, and are divided about Jiko).

I agree with the previous poster who suggested you go with the theme that appeals to you most. You really can't go wrong with either!

I couldn't have said it better. Ditto.

 

[kathy884]

Both are beautiful resorts, but I'd go with AKL. Part of that for me is that I doubt I'll ever get to Africa for real (This is about as close as I'll get, and it's just such great theming). Now the Wilderness Lodge is lovely too, but I've also stayed out west at some of the National Park lodges that it is modeled after and will be out west for many more great vacations too -- don't need a Disney imitation -- but don't get we wrong -- The resort is lovely and if you want proximity to the MK it's a really good choice.

 

[danceintherain]

We loved our stay at AKL, but we're hopefully staying at WL on our next trip.

We chose AKL for our first trip kind of as a fluke, because DH thought WL looked to "rustic" for a honeymoon. Now that we've visited WL, he has completely changed his tune.

I think once we've stayed at the WL it will become our preference. The major drawback we saw at AKL was the confined feeling of the resort. It was gorgeous, but very compact. There aren't many outdoor areas you can "get lost in." We take breaks during the day and sometimes don't return to a park, so we like to have places to wander. The pathways to Fort Wilderness will fix that. The marina area is also a draw to us, because on our next trip we're planning on spending even more time at the resort to take advantage of some of the activities.

I don't think you can go wrong with either choice, so you should pick the one that has the theme that appeals to you most.