AKL vs. WL?

[CBCit]

While having a nervous breakdown waiting for the May codes to hopefully arrive I have plenty of time to second guess all our decisions. Although we were set on the AKL if codes are released(otherwise its POR)I am really starting to think WL sounds wonderful too.Help!Any advice will be appreciated.
Also,my 14 year old loves his arcade time,the one at AKL dosen't sound so great,how about the one at WL?

 

[TaurusSES_Sport]

This topic has been discussed umpteen times, why do you do a search on the boards for it.

 

[minniestheone]

We love the WL but AKL is very similar in size. It all depends which theme you want to go with. The WL advantage for us is the short boat trip to MK from the WL. The arcade is alright at WL.

If you are looking for the best arcade, my son swears by the Contemporary-it is huge!! It is bigger than the one at BW, and about 6x the size of the one at the WL. If you don't want to stay at the Contemporary, stay at the WL and take the direct boat from WL to the Contemporary for the arcade! Playing in the arcade after the parks at night helps my teenager wind down. We just make sure we give him an arcade allotment and after that he must spend his own money or it gets out of hand!

 

[Jekka's_Mom]

We just came back from our trip and I did the same thing you did. We had previously stayed at AKL and absolutely loved it. This trip I booked AKL again but my DH mentioned trying something new. Five days before the trip I switched to WL. We enjoyed it but I personally liked AKL better and would go there next time. It really depends on what you are looking for in a resort. I felt that the AKL was more elegant and they really went out their way to share the culture with you. They even had educational activities at the bus stop for my kids! The WL is based on America so there is nothing to "learn". There seemed to be a lot more younger children at WL (under 6). I never went to either arcade so I can't help you there. The bus service is much better at AKL; direct service everywhere with no stopping to pick up at other resorts. The grounds at WL are more "explorable"; there is biking, boating, walking trails. You can't do that stuff at AKL; but you do get to enjoy the animals! I hope this helps. It really depends on your personality and what you are looking for in a resort. They are very similar in design. When we go again, I'd choose AKL.

 

[Terpfan]

We just returned from a split stay at WL & AKL. Having never stayed on site, we liked WL, but AKL was by far our favorite of the two. The kids (9 & 5) loved all of the activities (bead activities, story time, night vision, cookie decorating, etc), the pool, and most of all, the animals. We felt like we could have spent an enjoyable vacation at AKL without going to the parks! Busses were quick, CM's were great, gift shop is fantastic, Boma for dinner was wonderful, I could go on and on.

 

[3Mousketeers]

We just returned from a split stay at WL & AKL. Having never stayed on site, we liked WL, but AKL was by far our favorite of the two. The kids (9 & 5) loved all of the activities (bead activities, story time, night vision, cookie decorating, etc), the pool, and most of all, the animals. We felt like we could have spent an enjoyable vacation at AKL without going to the parks! Busses were quick, CM's were great, gift shop is fantastic, Boma for dinner was wonderful, I could go on and on.

Terpfan - so glad you had a great trip. we're going for the 1st time to AKL in 8 days. i would love to hear more about your trip!!! did you use Simba's Clubhouse? did you happen to do laundry while you were there? did you have savannah view room? did you like the view? if so, what room did you have? just trying to iron the details for our trip - would love any advice!!

 

[PrincessDadx2]

Have been to both and we like AKL better. The amenities are better:

Pool is zero entry and nicer
Mara is a better counter service restaurant
Gift shop/store is bigger and better
Arcade is nicer
Kid's Club is nicer
Kid's activities are better
Laundry facilities are much nicer
Bus service is better

Advantages of WL are the boat to MK and the usefulness of the grounds. You can rent a bike or boat, or go to Ft. Wilderness easily.

Restaurants are a toss up Boma/Jiko vs. Whispering Canyon/Artist Pointe depending on your taste.

The rooms are the same, but our family preferred the animals to the WL theme.

 

[Terpfan]

Terpfan - so glad you had a great trip. we're going for the 1st time to AKL in 8 days. i would love to hear more about your trip!!! did you use Simba's Clubhouse? did you happen to do laundry while you were there? did you have savannah view room? did you like the view? if so, what room did you have? just trying to iron the details for our trip - would love any advice!!

We didn't use Simba's Clubhouse. We did laundry a few times -- not busy at all, everything went fine. We booked a pool view room and were upgraded to Savannah View (don't remember the room # but it overlooked the Uzima Savannah). We loved the view! We got the refillable mug at Mara and thought it was a very good deal (soda, coffee, hot tea, hot chocolate, lemonade). Hope you have a great time.

 

[brando5111]

Have stayed @ AKL when it first opened. We did enjoy our stay. It's a fun experience to see the animals from your balcony. But in all honesty, I like the WL much better. The atmosphere is just nicer in my opinion.

It really depends what theme appeals more to you. I personally find the WL more "attractive" than AKL.

I did not like the pool at AKL - when we stayed there the water was sort of a brown color, I found that it detracted from the appeal. I don't know if they changed this, as I said we were there right after the grand opening and haven't stayed since.

Personally I would not stay at AKL again, unless the price was fantastic. Just not my favorite theme....

Brando

 

[wld]

Having just stayed at AKL, I have to say that I liked this much more than our stay at WL. WL just felt too much like home, but fake. Small food court, terrible laundry room, steamed up big windows most of the time, crappy bus service a lot (and we don't demand much from our buses, we're on vacation). AKL was really warm and welcoming. I only noticed it felt like we were on the bus awhile when going to Downtown Disney, but then it only took a couple of minutes to get to AK

 

[Jekka's_Mom]

Having just stayed at AKL, I have to say that I liked this much more than our stay at WL. WL just felt too much like home, but fake. Small food court, terrible laundry room, steamed up big windows most of the time, crappy bus service a lot (and we don't demand much from our buses, we're on vacation). AKL was really warm and welcoming. I only noticed it felt like we were on the bus awhile when going to Downtown Disney, but then it only took a couple of minutes to get to AK

I have to agree with "wld", the food court was horrible at WL! Way too small. AKL was triple the size and had triple the choices!

 

[CBCit]

Thank you all for your help,I am convinced to stay with my first choice,AKL.Unless of course the codes bring us elsewhere.....

 

[DISNEYFAMILYOFFOUR]

Sorry, but count our family in for WL. For us, being just a short boat ride to MK is the deciding factor.