akl or wl

[LovinPooh]

I am torn between the two. I could really use some input. I just got back from akl and fell in love with it. Its so beautiful. I felt truly relaxed and loved hanging out ij my pool view room. Everythn bout the place was incredible. We didnt care for boma tho...
Heres my thing. I really like to try new resorts. I have never stayed at wl. We loved whispering canyon. And the proximity to mk is great. We r the family that goes to mk everynite n rides til close since its always dead n the best time to go. When we were there this year it got chilly n we wished we were closer to our room to grab a sweatshirt to go to mk. If i was at wl this would make sense. The location of wl makes more sense for us. But will i b happy n relaxed there?
I have read that wl is like akl. I wouldnt mind a view of bay lake or hearing the mk sounds.
What is the counter service there like? Is it easy to get to to do mug refills?
Any thoughts on this dilema of mine would be appreciated.
Are there any wl lovers out there?

 

[LaurenT]

I am torn between the two. I could really use some input. I just got back from akl and fell in love with it. Its so beautiful. I felt truly relaxed and loved hanging out ij my pool view room. Everythn bout the place was incredible. We didnt care for boma tho...
Heres my thing. I really like to try new resorts. I have never stayed at wl. We loved whispering canyon. And the proximity to mk is great. We r the family that goes to mk everynite n rides til close since its always dead n the best time to go. When we were there this year it got chilly n we wished we were closer to our room to grab a sweatshirt to go to mk. If i was at wl this would make sense. The location of wl makes more sense for us. But will i b happy n relaxed there?
I have read that wl is like akl. I wouldnt mind a view of bay lake or hearing the mk sounds.
What is the counter service there like? Is it easy to get to to do mug refills?
Any thoughts on this dilema of mine would be appreciated.
Are there any wl lovers out there?

I love AKL. I'm an owner at Kidani - have stayed there a few times and will be staying at Jambo in August.
But, if I had the choice between a resort I've done and a beautiful, deluxe resort I've never tried, I'd go with the latter. WL looks very nice, I ca't imagine you being disappointed.
I got a huge deal by booking the value studio at Jambo....staying 9 nights on points that would only get me 6 in another resort....can't beat that!

 

[Eeyore's My Favorite]

We have stayed at AKL 3x and WL once. Both are very, very relaxing. We had savanna view rooms at AKL during all stays and a ground floor pool view room at WL. It was so relaxing at WL just to sit there & have snacks & drinks on the patio & listen to the world go by. We chose to stay there because we were basically just going to Epcot & MK & the boat to MK was great. No delays & hopping the monorail to Epcot was perfect.

The food court is a little bigger than the Mara at AKL. We loved the one at WL because the time we stayed there we could get swirl ice cream, go sit on the beach in the chairs & watch the night time boat parade at the end of the night & then go back to MK if we wanted to.

Hope to stay at WL once more before our passes expire, but we're trying POR next month for a change.

 

[wlvfan]

My parents are dvc members, and we all love to try new resorts as well. Our home resorts are wl and bc. Wl is by far my favorite resort, it doesn't feel like a disney vacation unless we at least visit the wl. The proximity to mk is nice, it is a boat ride that takes a little more time than a bus ride. If you want the fastest trip to mk, either contemporary (walk over) or the grand floridian (monorail) are your best bets. Having said that, the boat ride is nice. Little to no mk noise that I remember, it is not that close. I highly recommend a stay at wl, one of the best resorts period.
If you are having trouble deciding, do a split stay, that's what we are doing later this year. 2 days at a savannah view room in Kidani village and then 5 days at wl. Can't ask for a better stay than that. Akl is a bit remote, that's the only downside to it imo. Hope this helps.

 

[pepe of ohio]

Huge fans of WL .... Over 10+ stays there.... Did AKL once and did not care for any of it, especially location...

WL QS is not huge but ample, breakfasts are decent, I like the whole bacon, eggs hash browns affair and their oatmeal is second to none....

Also it's quite easy to hop a boat, or walk (trail over) to FW, some of the best buffet on property ( breakfast and dinner) ....

Nothing beats having a park close by and especially the MK, plus boating to CR gets you access to the monorail and 3 deluxe resort lounges and restaurants....

 

[tb1972]

I don't think you can go wrong with either, but I'd give WL a try if you've never stayed there.

 

[Wood Nymph]

The location of wl makes more sense for us. But will i b happy n relaxed there?

The are lounges scattered around the lodge, some with a view of the lobby, some with a view of Bay Lake and some of them have their own fireplaces, on the upper floors of the resort. You can also sit on the beach, where they have beach chairs and tables, just relaxing. We watched the Electric Light Parade from there one night. Just being by the water is relaxing.

What is the counter service there like? Is it easy to get to to do mug refills?

Roaring Forks is a nice counter service option. My DH and I would share the big breakfast platter every morning, which had pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and potatoes. The mug refill is right there. And it is right off the pool area, very convenient for grabbing a drink before heading to the pool.

We really enjoyed Hidden Springs pool, aka the quiet pool. It is a very shady area, which is nice when you sunburn easily.

It was really easy to get to MK from there. The boat was about 10-15 minutes long, but the bus is only about 5 minutes. We hopped in and out of MK almost every day, something we never did when we stayed at one of the Epcot resorts.

 

[LovinPooh]

I cant thank u all enough for all the info. I think its definetly a perfect fit for our family. Definetly gonna give it a try.
The beach...hadnt even thought of that!
I m really excited about this place now!
Thank you!!!

 

[TaraPA]

I just got back from a split stay between both. While AKL has always been my favorite WDW rersort, we LOVED WL and can't wait to stay there again.

We loved being so close to MK and all the monorail resorts. The boat service between WL & MK was always super fast.

Roaring Forks was great, good food & good service. We were CL so we ate up in the lounge most of the time, but did try RF twice. They have great flatbread pizzas!

To me, AKl feels more relaxed, but WL certainly wasn't a hustle & bustle feeling at all. We walked around VWL and fell in love with that area too!

 

[Mousemommy1]

Our best and most magical stay was at the WL last July!

I cannot say enough about how perfect it was, it has been hard to stick with our decision to stay at YC for our upcoming trip in April (but we want to try every resort).

The place is sooooo relaxing. It's a vacation within a vacation. Coming back from the parks, listening to that wonderful soothing music they play on the bus, and entering the WL after a hectic day of fun is just

We enjoyed having the option of the boat to MK. It was a nice, relaxing ride. We also liked our access to the monorail resorts, via boat to CR. It was such a perfect location.

Watching the EWP from the pool area - awesome!!!

AKL looks beautiful, but the only drawback I see (and we have not stayed there) is the location. For me, paying deluxe prices at Disney better mean that I am getting additional options for getting to the parks, and AKL does not offer that.

I think we may try AKL at some point, as part of a split stay and AKL will be during the "enjoy the resort" part of the trip, but I think you should give WL a shot. There's something to be said about staying in the MK area.

 

[sleepydog25]

I cant thank u all enough for all the info. I think its definetly a perfect fit for our family. Definetly gonna give it a try.
The beach...hadnt even thought of that!
I m really excited about this place now!
Thank you!!!

I've stayed at both, but as you can see in my signature, I am a WL fan. WL is very relaxed, and since it's among the smallest of resorts, it's also quite cozy. The same architect designed both AKL and WL which is one reason they both exude relaxation. At WL, you can walk to FW via the main path--about a mile one way--or stroll along the nature trail that starts out by the bike rental. Rent bikes or boats. Play on the beach. There are sumores over a fire on the beach each night followed by a movie on an inflatable screen, weather permitting. You can ask for a Hidden Mickey hint sheet at the check-in desk and go hunting for those at your heart's desire. The main pool isn't huge, but it does have a slide the kids will enjoy, along with a couple of hot tubs and the geyser that goes off every hour. The boat ride to MK is enjoyable, or you can take a boat over to FW or CR. From the latter, you can hop on the monorail. As for food, Roaring Fork is a solid CS option with everything from breakfast, to sandwiches, to grill items. Though I'm not a fan of Whispering Canyon, many love the food and the hijinks some of the servers do while you dine there. If you want something mostly for mom and dad, Artist Point is a topnotch signature restaurant. Kids are welcome, but if you'd rather have a romantic night out, the Cubs' Den is a great place for the kids to watch movies or play games under the expert, watchful eye of CMs, and it's maybe a one minute walk to Artist Point from the Cubs' Den. I think you'll be thrilled with your time at WL.

 

[clapton]

My choice would be WL. Although AKL is beautiful, it's a bit too far from everything. Love the atmosphere at WL and you can always take a boat over to CR and hop on the monorail. We own DVC at BLT and we always have to go over to WL for at least one breakfast! Have a great trip!

 

[LovinPooh]

Most of our time is at mk. This resort seems to make sense "deluxe budget" wise. With the nites gettn cooler it would b great to be able zip back to the room if need be. Love the boat as transportation as well.
I think i would most def go for a courtyard view. I can look at the woods at home...far too many woods ugh lol. I was reading on allears that some balconies dont have the rails and are enclosed. so in order to see u gotta stand up. Gosh i hope that made sense..i cant remember how it was worded. And that some courtyard views will ovrlook the villas.
I never make room requests but would it be worth asking for a room with open balcony looking over main pool? Or will it most likely be that?
Planning trips without this site years ago must have been awful lol.
U guys r so great

 

[Wood Nymph]

I was reading on allears that some balconies dont have the rails and are enclosed. so in order to see u gotta stand up. Gosh i hope that made sense..i cant remember how it was worded. And that some courtyard views will ovrlook the villas.
I never make room requests but would it be worth asking for a room with open balcony looking over main pool? Or will it most likely be that?
Planning trips without this site years ago must have been awful lol.
U guys r so great

Those are called dormer balconies. They are enclosed and you have to stand to see out of them. We had a dormer balcony when we were there last month. We could see the castle and the fireworks, most of them, from our 6th floor woods view room. But we are going to request an open balcony next time.

You can try requesting an inner courtyard and open balcony room.

 

[Lisa71]

Loved WL...loved it and boat to MK ...good dining...

 

[sleepydog25]

Most of our time is at mk. This resort seems to make sense "deluxe budget" wise. With the nites gettn cooler it would b great to be able zip back to the room if need be. Love the boat as transportation as well.
I think i would most def go for a courtyard view. I can look at the woods at home...far too many woods ugh lol. I was reading on allears that some balconies dont have the rails and are enclosed. so in order to see u gotta stand up. Gosh i hope that made sense..i cant remember how it was worded. And that some courtyard views will ovrlook the villas.
I never make room requests but would it be worth asking for a room with open balcony looking over main pool? Or will it most likely be that?
Planning trips without this site years ago must have been awful lol.
U guys r so great

Here's a link to a thread where the first photo shows the courtyard view from one of the rooms with a dormer balcony. You can tell they had to stand to take the picture, and if you look across at the other wing, you'll see what the balconies look like. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2969675&page=200

 

[LeahA]

I love AKL we have stayed there 3 times and we have stayed at WL 1 time. We loved WL too! I vote for trying something new and staying at WL. Then you will know for sure for future trips where you would like to stay!

 

[mickeynut1]

I am torn between the two. I could really use some input. I just got back from akl and fell in love with it. Its so beautiful. I felt truly relaxed and loved hanging out ij my pool view room. Everythn bout the place was incredible. We didnt care for boma tho...
Heres my thing. I really like to try new resorts. I have never stayed at wl. We loved whispering canyon. And the proximity to mk is great. We r the family that goes to mk everynite n rides til close since its always dead n the best time to go. When we were there this year it got chilly n we wished we were closer to our room to grab a sweatshirt to go to mk. If i was at wl this would make sense. The location of wl makes more sense for us. But will i b happy n relaxed there?
I have read that wl is like akl. I wouldnt mind a view of bay lake or hearing the mk sounds.
What is the counter service there like? Is it easy to get to to do mug refills?
Any thoughts on this dilema of mine would be appreciated.
Are there any wl lovers out there?

We've stayed at both and WL is just as great as AKL, IMO. WL is an awesome resort and we loved having the boat to go back and forth to MK (as well as to the CR). Roaring Forks is one of our favorite resort CS places (which is comparable to Mara) and is conveniently located for mug refills. The WL is not only convenient to MK, but it's convenient to the monorail resorts for shopping, dining, or just visiting. I think the WL is a great choice and I don't think you would regret trying it. Good luck.

 

[mmmears]

I love AKL, and have visited WL for dinner a few times but never stayed there (although I hope to one day). It really sounds like you should give the WL a try. There are lots of similarities between AKL and WL -- and if you really are a "MK every day" family I think you would really appreciate the location of the WL. (If you have a hard time tearing yourself away from AKL, you could always do a split-stay and spend a couple of non-MK days at AKL). But from what you wrote, I really think it makes sense to give the WL a chance.

 

[LovinPooh]

Thank u
I think it seems like a good fit too. I would kick myself for not trying it.