AKL or Wilderness?

[jemmls]

We are newish DVC owners (home is Riviera). Husband and I were going to book a trip there next spring and then talking to our daughter and her wife we’ve decided to instead go in January (we all don’t like heat) and take our grandson, who will be 2.5. We were going to wait, but they’re hoping to try next year for another and daughter would rather not be at WDW with a newborn or pregnant.

Grandson loves animals so AKL naturally comes to mind. Husband and I stayed in a studio savannah view in 2021 and honestly, the room was like a Holiday Inn from the 70s. The lobby was amazing as was the view. I’m concerned about shelling out 2 years + of points (for us…we don’t have a lot) for a mediocre room. Looking for a 2 bedroom.

We stayed many years ago at Wilderness Lodge when our kids were younger and just loved it. I have enough points to get us a 2 bedroom there. The rooms look more up to date as well. It would also be significantly closer to MK which will be his favorite park.

I only have two days to decide what to go for. I can afford a standard 2 bedroom at either;I would have to buy one time use points to get a savannah view 2 bedroom at AKL.

What would you do?

 

[Electron_si]

We have stayed in 1 BR’s at both and our youngest is almost 2 1/2. It’s really a toss up. The splash area at Kidani is great for a younger child that age and a great place for adults to relax and keep an eye on the kids. WL has a hot tub that is basically bath temp that the 2.5 could enjoy with parents as well as a splash area but the splash area is geared more towards the 3-5 yr range in my opinion.

Rooms at WL are by far better. BR has been recently renovated and the rooms are very nice. CCV is smaller sq ft wise but the rooms are also nice. AKL is dark and dated but has more sq ft space.

I would probably stay at WL and book a Boma or Sanaa reservation and spend some time exploring AKL before or after you eat.

 

[Marthasor]

We just stayed in a renovated, 1-bedroom at Boulder Ridge in March and, oh boy, it was gorgeous. I would highly recommend doing a 2-bedroom there. It was so convenient to get to MK and we also loved going over to Ft. W to go to the stables (they do pony rides for smaller children!) We just love WL, in general - so serene and beautiful with a ton of food and recreation options. I would definitely do a villa at WL (we prefer BRV over CCV) over spending more to get a run-down savanna view room at AKV. You can get your fill of animal viewings by visiting AK or even go to Sanaa at AKV Kidani during daylight hours and watch the animals go by the window while you are eating a meal.

 

[CynBeth]

WL!

 

[Sunshine11]

Wilderness Lodge over AKL for sure. Like pp said, book a meal. at AKL and check out resort and savannah. WL is large on theming and BR rooms have been recently redone!

 

[CarolynFH]

AKV is scheduled for a refurb next year, and I don't think we know the dates yet. So I'd save it for a later trip (when the DGS is older, he might appreciate the animals more?) and book WL for this one.

 

[RanDIZ]

I own at both so you can’t go wrong with either in my eyes. If you’ll be at MK more, then WL is the obvious choice for convenience. On the other hand, nothing comes close to having a Savanah right in property. And the restaurant choices are better at AKV. Boma is my fav.

 

[katyjeka]

We LOVE AK Lodge so I'll go against the group and say AK. I've never stayed at a Holiday Inn that came even close to our room at AK. Maybe we luck out when we go. Animals are our girls favorite thing in the world so AK is a hit. Restaurants are great and the resort is relaxing and quiet.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Normally, based on the resorts, AKL would be our recommendation almost all the time. However, with a refurb coming next year (supposedly), and with a young one in your group (so I assume more time spent at the MK), WL is an amazing option, as well. WL is much more convenient if you spend a couple days at MK. But I do agree with katyjeka, when I say we've stayed at AKL many times over the years, and the rooms are extremely nice and themed (not "Holiday Inn" quality, in our eyes, ever). That being said, it's definitely time for the refurb - those DVC rooms get used hard over the years.

I also agree with the idea to book at dinner at Boma or Sanaa or Jiko, and take some time walking around the animal viewing areas at AKL..... Have a great trip.

 

[Giraffe_Zen]

I would honestly, based on your needs and the grandson loving animals, to hands down say AKL. I have never stayed in a room at AKL like a holiday inn (no where close) but I will say that more than likely you stayed in a regular hotel room years ago, and this time would be staying in a villa. I'd suggest Kidani over Jambo, but it's really up to you.

Have fun!

 

[katyjeka]

I would honestly, based on your needs and the grandson loving animals, to hands down say AKL. I have never stayed in a room at AKL like a holiday inn (no where close) but I will say that more than likely you stayed in a regular hotel room years ago, and this time would be staying in a villa. I'd suggest Kidani over Jambo, but it's really up to you.

Have fun!

I don't mean to take over the original post but am curious why you say Kidani over Jambo. We have a September stay reserved and the only place available with a 2 bedroom was Kidani so I grabbed it. We've only ever stay at Jambo.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

I'll answer your question based on our experience. The best thing about a Kidani 2BR over Jambo is the extra bathroom. There are 3 in a Kidani 2BR. We also prefer the room layouts in Kidani. Keep in mind, Kidani was built from scratch as a DVC resort, and there are many more rooms there. Jambo House was the original Animal Kingdom Lodge, and they eventually decided to redo and revamp some of the rooms at the 'cash' resort and turn them into DVC rooms. So the rooms at Jambo were not originally DVC villas. Now the rooms on floors 4,5,6 (I think those are the floors!) are DVC villas. The rest are regular cash rooms. We also like the underground parking offered at Kidani below the resort.

The down side is most of the restaurants, the large souvenir store/shop, and the better of the 2 pools (our opinion, not everyone's!) are at Jambo. The great news is you have access to both sides of the resort when you stay there, so you can use both pools. You just might need to walk to get there!

 

[RanDIZ]

I don't mean to take over the original post but am curious why you say Kidani over Jambo. We have a September stay reserved and the only place available with a 2 bedroom was Kidani so I grabbed it. We've only ever stay at Jambo.

Being an owner, I’ll also throw my opinion in as well. Kidani has the nicer pool and I’m a fan of the underground parking. On the flip side, for Jambo, I like to take advantage of the value rooms if available, a bigger more grand lobby and the better restaurant choices, especially my fav Boma.

 

[katyjeka]

I'll answer your question based on our experience. The best thing about a Kidani 2BR over Jambo is the extra bathroom. There are 3 in a Kidani 2BR. We also prefer the room layouts in Kidani. Keep in mind, Kidani was built from scratch as a DVC resort, and there are many more rooms there. Jambo House was the original Animal Kingdom Lodge, and they eventually decided to redo and revamp some of the rooms at the 'cash' resort and turn them into DVC rooms. So the rooms at Jambo were not originally DVC villas. Now the rooms on floors 4,5,6 (I think those are the floors!) are DVC villas. The rest are regular cash rooms. We also like the underground parking offered at Kidani below the resort.

The down side is most of the restaurants, the large souvenir store/shop, and the better of the 2 pools (our opinion, not everyone's!) are at Jambo. The great news is you have access to both sides of the resort when you stay there, so you can use both pools. You just might need to walk to get there!

Thanks, with 4 girls (2 of them teens) the extra bathroom is a huge bonus!!!

 

[DeeBee3]

I'd say WL - Boulder Ridge is most recently renovated. Copper Creek is also nice though people do complain about room sizes. I would look at pics of both to see which style you prefer.

The boat ride to MK is neat and we love the lobby and overall feel of the place. We do own there so we are partial, of course.

 

[hertamaniac]

There is only one driving factor for me at WL based on the question. It's MK proximity since that appears to be the primary driver.

But, for us, Kidani is a much nicer resort if it's resort centric stay. We stayed 2BR Savanna view and loved it. The appliances were dated, but fully functional and hardly noticed a need for a refresh. The balcony is massive on a 2 BR at Kidani, and we spent mornings/evenings watching the animals frolic. But we're locals and at that time didn't do any theme parks. Sanaa being downstairs using the mobile app was a breeze and enjoyed eating it in our villa/deck.

 

[roydavid7771]

Judging by your reaction to the rooms at AKL, sounds like you already made up your mind. I'm a WL guy myself, AKL was just a bit too far off the beaten track for me.

 

[beccasmom]

We love the animals too, but prefer WL. I like to have a car at AKL to avoid taking buses everywhere. BRV has been renovated and it was very well done. We stayed in a two-bedroom unit last September and really enjoyed it. The lobby is equally beautiful and the pools are great. AKL for sure has terrific restaurants, but WL has some fun choices like Geyser Point and Artist Point.

 

[Mazz519]

We love WLV for its closeness to the MK taking the ferry there is great… My wife loves AKL but has to have a Savannah view room, she can spend all day on the porch looking at the animals

 

[toodycat]

We have stayed in two bedrooms at Kidani and Jambo and loved them both. However, with a child that young, I think the bus ride to MK from AKV or in the other direction when the child is tired, might be a bit of a strain. So, I would say WL. The pool is a lot of fun and the boat to MK is a great convenience as well as a novel for little kids.