Everything is changing, really need advice now!!

[tahlanicki]

So this morning I got a pin, yay, go me!!! We are going in OCt for our honeymoon and I had been planning on a mod, did all my research on a mod, posted polls on mods, and now have no intention of staying at a mod!! So I'm thinking, since money is still a concern even with the pin, that WL, AKL, or SSR. I would love the Poly but even with the pin it's a huge jump in price. So, what are the pros and cons to these 3? Thanks so much

 

[elizflynn]

I picked WL because I think it has a more intimate feel to it and the location is great with just a boat ride over to MK! Did you consider any of the other deluxes or are those not in your price range?

 

[KatMark]

Haven't stayed at any of them, but I would pick the AKL as that is the one which holds the most appeal to us as far as the theme and the layout of the resort (and like the food there as well). SSR would be second (we visited in September and it really is a beautiful resort). The WL holds no appeal to us as far as theme, food and very rude CM's on our two visits to the resort.

 

[BabyRN]

I REALLY wanted to stay at AK when I got my 40% off, but Poly was cheaper. I think it's because my family size though. There's just something about the savannah view I really wanted!

 

[tahlanicki]

These are the 3 deluxes that are in my price range, but we can afford to upgrade to a savannah view at AKL, is that worth it? It's not much to upgrade it....that's what I am leaning towards....

 

[GrumpyBelle]

I have stayed at all 3. My choice would be either AKL or WL. It depends on what you like. SSR was also nice, it just wasn't my theme.

 

[RobinHoodGirl]

Of the 3 I've only stayed at WL but I loved it and would stay there again in a heart beat!

Nice boat ride to Magic Kingdom... Nice boat ride to the Contemporary to get the monorail, love the landscaping and the look of the lobby just to walk around, or sit and people watch.

 

[megan926]

In my opinion you can't go wrong with WL or AKL.

I voted for AKL b/c it is almost an attraction. You can see animals roaming around which is pretty cool.

And also...Boma is there! Best restaurant on property (imo)!

WL is great too...location is great!

 

[DJFan88]

I totally picked the AL because we are also considering it instead of CSR for the same reason (discount, not honeymoon part). It just appeals to me, while the other two hold no appeal, and the price is just the right jump, not too high with the discount. Although the CSR looks great too, if no discount is available another year, that would be where we would try, so this may be our chance to try an upgrade.

 

[damone]

I'd go for WL. We've stayed there 4 times and always had excellent service. Location it's the best of those 3. You're right on the water, so you can see the Electrical Water Pageant every night. Great dining options. AKL we haven't stayed at, and while it's very nice, just seems a bit out of the way. Saratoga Springs I have no desire to stay at. Way too spread out and out of the way.

 

[disney pro]

I voted AKL because there is nothing like stepping out on your balcony and seeing zebra, giraffe's, etc... And yes the SAVANNAH view is well worth the money. The AKL is my favorite of all disney resorts. the CM's are wonderful and if you can swing CL I would go for it. It is your honeymoon after all.

Congrats on your up coming marriage.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

My vote was for the Wilderness Lodge because among the resorts your asking about I think they have the best theme.

 

[KarenC]

I have stayed at all three within the last year. My vote would be for WL. I like taking the boat to the Magic Kingdom and personally love the theming. Our last trip was to AKL with a Savanna view room. What a disappointment--we hardly saw any animals and so our premium view was of dirt, mud and chainlink fence. Definitely not worth the money. SSR was fine.

 

[Corwin]

Between WL and AKL, we like WL the best. We love the look and the feel of the resort. It's so relaxing! I love everything from the music in the lobby to the animal tracks in the paths. The lobby theming is amazing. We also love the boat ride over to MK.

We have never had any problem with any of the cast members there. They've all been fantastic. In fact, we've had the best service at WL that we've experienced at any of the resorts we've stayed at.

As for AKL (we actually stayed in an AKV room in Jambo House), we liked the resort theming, but the savannah view and the animals weren't as interesting as we thought they would be. The biggest negative for us was the extreme remoteness of the resort from every park except for AK. It seemed to take forever to get anywhere.

With respect to signature restaurants, we love both Artist Point at WL and Jiko at AKL. Jiko probably gets the nod there. It was fantastic. As for counter service, both Roaring Fork at WL and the Mara at AKL are comparable. There's far more seating at Mara, though. We didn't particularly care for Boma at AKL. The pools and hot tubs are comparable at both, too.

We liked both WL and AKL better than the Polynesian. While the Polynesian resort itself is beautiful, and the size of the rooms is a plus, we didn't like:

• having to walk outside to our room
• the unacceptably low water pressure (One morning, I couldn't take a shower, and it took 30 minutes to fill the tub for a bath.)
• the lack of a hot tub at the resort
• the dust in our room, which never felt clean even after being "cleaned" by room service
• the food and inadequate seating at Captain Cook's (We ate there just once, which was once too much, and ate breakfast every other time at Kona Cafe)

On the other hand, we absolutely loved the coffee press at the Kona Cafe!

 

[tahlanicki]

Ok, so its between WL and AKL, the thing being I like the look of AKL more but it seems like Wl is in a better location?

 

[pixarmom]

Ok, so its between WL and AKL, the thing being I like the look of AKL more but it seems like Wl is in a better location?

We've stayed at WL multiple times in the past, and we loved it. I agree that the rooms at AKL look great, but location/transportation options are a big factor for us. We loved the boat ride to MK, and we could also boat to CR and use the monorail from there. So if the location issue is important, I would go with WL over AKL.

 

[LuvLuvLuv]

WL has a honeymoon suite on CL... The price with a pin isn't horrible. We will be there in Nov. It is $3460 for 6 nights, DxDDP and 7 day park hoppers. Just to give you an idea. You can check the pictures on allears.net

 

[tahlanicki]

WL has a honeymoon suite on CL... The price with a pin isn't horrible. We will be there in Nov. It is $3460 for 6 nights, DxDDP and 7 day park hoppers. Just to give you an idea. You can check the pictures on allears.net

Im not sure what CL is?

 

[KatMark]

Im not sure what CL is?

Club Level

 

[ElizabethB]

For a honeymoon, I'd want a king size bed! I'd go with the hotel and room type that can guarantee it. Unfortunately, kings can't be guaranteed at the deluxes, but they can at the moderates. At the deluxes, they are a request, unless you book specific room types where they are guaranteed (e.g., a honeymoon cottage at Boardwalk Inn or certain GF or CR categories).

Also, a king is guaranteed if you book a one-bedroom villa at SSR.