AKL vs BC

[Nicole786]

I'm looking for someone who has stayed at both and can offer some advice. I'm doing a split stay and as a surprise for my brother, we're staying at BC our last part of the trip. Last time we were at Disney he said this was his dream resort (he's never seen AKL) and I have always wanted to stay there as well.

However, i've recently been looking at AKL and a savannah view room would be cheaper than our standard BC. I just can't figure out what I want to do! Does anyone have any advice?

 

[Lovetherodent]

Haven't stayed both but faced the same choice. Go back to the AKL, which we really enjoyed, and add Savannah view or go YC/BC standard view.

Here's what swayed us -- AKL has only buses. Not a big deal for most folks, but when you suffer from motion sickness, a crowded ride to the park can leave you feeling queasy until noon. The fam's fav park is Epcot, with HS a close second (I like MK; guess that makes me the oddball). Walk/boatride for 2 parks beats bus for all 4.

AKL has a large, gorgeous pool, BUT it's not deep and the water slide is very tame. YC/BC has a better pool.

Finally, although Boma is my favorite Disney restaurant, YC/BC is right by the world showcase 7 Boardwalk, giving us considerably more choices in dining.

 

[GSLand]

We've stayed at both -
We loved the AKL - we stayed on club level and felt very "cared for". It made for a very relaxing vacation. However, we had to take the bus to any park. DH thought it was too out-of-the-way, but I wasn't sure that was a bad thing.

We stayed at BC June of 2000 and had a lovely upper floor room with a balcony that had a view of Epcot. At BC we really liked being able to walk to Epcot and the boat to Disney Studios. That was great for those late night visits to Epcot - no bus lines! Also we all enjoyed the wonderful, large pool area. I recall a peaceful afternoon at the pool, sitting the the shade.

I would stay at either one again! However on our next trip we are planning to stay at a deluxe we haven't tried before - the Poly

Have fun planning!

 

[jeni16]

I've stayed at both, returning from a stay at AKL just last week. Why I loved Animal Kingdom Lodge, if I had a choice, I would pick the Beach Club again hands down just because of it's location.

You can't beat being able to walk to Epcot & all of the food choices that are there as well as the ones at the Boardwalk/Swan-Dolphin/BC-YC.

The view from a Savannah Room at AKL can't be beat but, I found that we only spent 1/2 hour or so a day on the balcony. Also, the walls seem to be rather "thin". We had to go purchase a box fan to block out the noise from the rooms around us & the flushing toliets.

I would definately stay with the split stay. You should experience the Animal Kingdom Lodge w/ the Savannah View at least once as it's something that you definately don't get to see everyday.

 

[nytimez]

I'm looking for someone who has stayed at both and can offer some advice. I'm doing a split stay and as a surprise for my brother, we're staying at BC our last part of the trip. Last time we were at Disney he said this was his dream resort (he's never seen AKL) and I have always wanted to stay there as well.

I always vote for AKL... however, if BC is his "dream resort," then maybe that's worth something more.

Also, if you like to spend a lot of time in World Showcase at Epcot, BC is a great location.

 

[RMulieri]

I love both.But love BC more.Why? I just feel like the AKL is way too isolated away from everything.Some people like the isolation( I don't).At BC there are lots of places within walking distance to dine.You can walk to Epcot or DHS.The Boardwalk is also there.You can also sometimes see some of illuminations from BC.The pool area is Phenomenal.

 

[TJA]

We've stayed at both. BC wins for us because of the location for starters. We love being able to walk to Epcot countries every single night for dinner if we want to. And being able to watch Illuminations every night. And having the boardwalk right next to us so we can easily enjoy the entertainment and dining there as well. And we also love being able to walk or boat to Hollywood Studios. Also, more reasons to love BC: character breakfast, Beaches & Cream, movies on the beach, great pool, atmosphere.

AKL is a great resort and very unique with the animals. So I want to be clear that I also love AKL. However, for the reasons stated above, we prefer BC.

 

[bamagirl@hrt]

We did a split stay in 2006 of 3 nights at AKL and 6 nights at BCV. It was our first time to stay in a deluxe. We walked into the AKL and I loved it! The lobby was so cool and soothing! We loved seeing the animals, hearing the storyteller, using nightvision goggles to see the animals at night, etc.. We enjoyed Boma and Mara. I remember thinking that I should've just booked the whole stay there, because there was NO WAY I could like BCV better than AKL!

Well....then comes our "moving" day. We drove to the BC & checked in. The lobby there was bright, "beachy", filled with light and laughter. It was the polar opposite of AKL, but I LOVED IT!!! The pool there is AMAZING! We loved burgers and ice cream at Beaches & Cream. It was awesome having a character breakfast at our resort, instead of having to trek somewhere else for one. My daughter & I became addicted to gelato from the Marketplace. There are many nooks & crannies at the BC to sit & read or just relax for a moment. We fell in love with the whole Epcot resort area. Loved being able to walk to Epcot in 5 (?!?!) minutes! The boat to MGM was relaxing. Loved dinner at Spoodles and entertainment on the Boardwalk. And I never get tired of sitting on the beach at the BC, looking across the water at the lights of the Boardwalk.

We really enjoyed both resorts on that trip. They are very different and really can't be compared. But, for us, the Beach Club really felt like home.

 

[Nicole786]

Thank you guys so much!! This is exactly what I needed to hear to make sure I made the right decision. This will definitely not be the last trip we take, so next on the list will be AKL!!

to clarify to an above comment, our split stay starts at POP and moves over to BC after 5 days

 

[pickles]

dump pop and do a split with Bc and AK

then you and your friend will both be happy