Animal Lodge vs Grand Floridian

[GabbyLou]

This will be our first time to Disney. Kids are 5 & 8. We are booked at GF but looking at pricing, AL looks enticing! Wanted to be close to Magic Kingdom & monorail, not sure if it's worth the extra $1,500.

Booked free dining, AL shows availability for free dining too.

Help!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

If the focus of your trip is Magic Kingdom, the GF location cannot be beat. From AKL, assume 25 minutes each way by bus to Magic Kingdom, 20 minutes to Epcot and HS, and 5 minutes to Animal Kingdom, excluding wait times to get on a bus.

GF is 5 minutes to MK via monorail, about 25 to Epcot via monorail, and 20 to Hollywood Studios via bus, bit more for AK.

Only you can judge what that $1500 means to your family and the time value of that money. I would also compare the value of "free" dining versus a room discount, if one is available on your dates.

 

[busymommy2pink]

With little kids the bus home from MK TO AKL is hard. Often you are left standing and like the PP said, it's about 25 mins. My hubby and I decided we probably wouldn't stay AKL again without a car. We do LOVE it and plan at least one resort day as well. $1500 is a large chunk of money for us though, depends on what that amount means to your family. Alternately you could take a taxi or uber to contemporary every MK day and walk on over, we've been guilty of doing this as well. It works wonderfully and even a week of taxi rides would likely be less than the $1500. One way cost us about $13 from AKL to contemp.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Note also that it is a bit longer to RETURN from MK to GF, since the resort monorail goes in only one direction, and thus coming from MK makes stops at CR, TTC and Poly before getting the GF. Many people prefer the boat back to GF for this reason; not so much that it is shorter, but it's a bit more soothing for the time spent.

 

[mickeynut1]

This will be our first time to Disney. Kids are 5 & 8. We are booked at GF but looking at pricing, AL looks enticing! Wanted to be close to Magic Kingdom & monorail, not sure if it's worth the extra $1,500.

Booked free dining, AL shows availability for free dining too.

Help!

We've stayed at both and love both for different reasons.

GF:

- beautiful/relaxing grounds
- one stop from MK (4th coming back)
- variety of dining options
- 2 nice pools
- new splash play area for kids

AKL:

- quite/peaceful atmosphere
- great dining options
- nice pool
- several animal viewing areas around the resort

The GF is usually near the top of our list of choices when deciding where to stay, but we also love AKL. The GF is convenient to MK with monorail/boat access, but we think the buses at AKL are very efficient. AKL is out away from everything, but we never find it to take more than maybe 5 extra minutes to get around compared to other resorts. AKL being sort of isolated is a positive to me as it makes for a quiet and peaceful atmosphere (just my opinion). The GF will provide a larger room (with a daybed) and more convenient access to MK, but AKL is unique. With all of that said, I don't think you can go wrong with either resort as they are both great places to stay and I think you'll have a great time no matter which one you choose. Good luck .

 

[VisionDisney]

AKL is my favorite, especially if you have children. The buses are very efficient and the surroundings cannot be beat.

 

[Babsy]

We've stayed at both and love both for different reasons.

GF:

- beautiful/relaxing grounds
- one stop from MK (4th coming back)
- variety of dining options
- 2 nice pools
- new splash play area for kids

AKL:

- quite/peaceful atmosphere
- great dining options
- nice pool
- several animal viewing areas around the resort

The GF is usually near the top of our list of choices when deciding where to stay, but we also love AKL. The GF is convenient to MK with monorail/boat access, but we think the buses at AKL are very efficient. AKL is out away from everything, but we never find it to take more than maybe 5 extra minutes to get around compared to other resorts. AKL being sort of isolated is a positive to me as it makes for a quiet and peaceful atmosphere (just my opinion). The GF will provide a larger room (with a daybed) and more convenient access to MK, but AKL is unique. With all of that said, I don't think you can go wrong with either resort as they are both great places to stay and I think you'll have a great time no matter which one you choose. Good luck .

I agree with everything that Mickeynut1 said. I would like to add that the GF has the extra advantage of being walking distance to the Polynesian and only a monorail ride from the CR. Also you can watch the Wishes fireworks and the ELP from the GF, which is really nice!!

Good luck choosing! Both resorts are awesome!

 

[720L]

If your kids were in strollers I'd say GF because the monorail is easier than buses with them. But AKL seems more kid-oriented to me. There are stories around the firepit, smores around a firepit, cultural safaris were CMs teach you about the country they are from, animal viewing areas. My kids loved The Mara-small food court with TVs they can watch while they eat. My kids also liked the pool/slide better.

 

[VisionDisney]

Which ever resort you choose, GF or AKL, you cannot go wrong. Last summer we stayed at AKL and absolutely loved it. We intended to stay there again this summer but at the last minute I changed it to the Poly CL. I made the change because we wanted to experience the Monorail resorts on our Mother daughter trip.

 

[T00dles]

We have also stayed at both and loved them!

Obviously the location of the grand Floridian for going to the MK wins over AKL. But AKL is a truly immersive resort experience! Being able to see the animals outside your window is truly special, plus the dining over there is really good. Stuff that I am unable to get where I live. Also its the only resort with cast members from other countries.

Also you might not want to stay at the GF for the first time, you might not want to go anywhere else after

 

[Disney Spaz]

We love GF and VGF is our DVC home resort. We have also stayed many times at AKL and really enjoy it.

Hands down though I would say that GF is the better choice if MK is the park you plan to spend a lot of time at.
While the buses are very efficient at night the bus ride can really be too much for a 5 year old. I remember many a times I had to carry young children back to the room because of falling asleep on the long bus ride back to the room.

 

[Belle83]

We loved AK and stayed there on our honeymoon. With kids that age I would pick AK with a stroller I would say GF.

 

[Shanti]

If this trip is mostly about visiting the Magic Kingdom, stay at the Grand Floridian. You'll save over an hour in transportation time each day, minimum. It will also allow you to take breaks from MK during the middle of the day, and come back later for fireworks and/or Extra Magic Hours. This will go a long way toward preventing meltdowns with the kids.

We're going to stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge this summer and are really looking forward to it. It's mostly going to be a water parks & resort trip, and I think AKL will be great for that. But for visiting the Magic Kingdom, the convenience of the monorail resorts cannot be beat.

 

[TJA]

We've stayed at both and also have 2 kids.

One thing I can say for certain is with a stroller involved it is worlds easier to stay at GF than AKL. We stayed at AKL with a stroller and I have strong memories of trying to load buses with stroller/kids. Not sure if a stroller pertains to your family or not, but just thought I'd mention that.

Other things we consider:

Location: We LOVE being near MK and being able to watch Wishes right from our own resort. Especially with young kids. It's so nice to not have to fight crowds at MK and simply find a cozy spot to watch the show right from "home." Also, monorail to MK is first stop. Boat from MK to GF is first stop.

Convenience: Again, with young kids, it's so nice to be near so many character meals. 1900 PF right at GF, Chef M at CR, Ohana at Poly, and the ones right at MK. All connected by monorail.

Room size: The larger rooms at GF fit our family of 4 nicely -- 2 queens plus a daybed and they are super comfortable beds.

I actually don't compare prices anymore (we have been AP holders for 13 years). I just make sure I get a discount on the room we want and that it's a price we can handle. Now last month we stayed at GF but it was over Easter week and prices were sky high, so I split the stay with a moderate (POR). We probably won't do that again (live and learn) but that was my way of affording the high price of Easter week...

 

[720L]

I just wanted to add that if you are spending most of your time in MK, I would stay at the Contemporary. You can walk to MK, no messing with buses or monorail. I know that wasn't one of your choices, just thought I would mention it. I loved watching wishes from the balcony with the kids all clean & in their pajamas ready for bead.

 

[Aurora0427]

Stay at the GF! It's a great location if MK is your primary focus and there are lots of great things to do at the resort. Not to mention all of the great dining along the monorail. We just love the overall ambiance of the resort. Plus the rooms are larger.

We are dying to try AKL, but we spend the majority of our time at MK and have the dreaded stroller. So it'll be a few years, but that resort is on our list!

 

[larissawbb]

Split Stay!!!! Best of both worlds and very easy to do.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

They are both gorgeous, yet, very different resorts. If your goal is to be close to MK, I would encourage you to price out Poly and CR as well. Both great resorts and both on the monorail. You could potentially stay on the monorail but get that price down a little bit. AKL is gorgeous, but you will be sacrificing location (except proximity to AK) and room space. You will also sacrifice proximity to other monorail resort offerings (restaurants, etc.). I just got back from WDW today and actually used uber on a few occasions and it was great (I was traveling with DS8). If you feel comfortable doing that (they have uberFamily in Orlando), you could stay at AKL and uber to the parks to get there a little faster (if taking uber to MK, ask them to drop you off at CR).

 

[Lisann]

This will be our first time to Disney. Kids are 5 & 8. We are booked at GF but looking at pricing, AL looks enticing! Wanted to be close to Magic Kingdom & monorail, not sure if it's worth the extra $1,500.

Booked free dining, AL shows availability for free dining too.

Help!

First...Welcome, GabbyLou!

You really can't beat the convenience of the Grand. If the $1500 is killing you to spend, then go with AKL, but as a previous poster said, don't look at it that way. I don't. I look at what I can afford and where I want to be. GF is beautiful and the kids will have plenty to do. You will love not wasting so much time traveling to and fro.

 

[oceanmarina]

We have stayed at both, (my kids are 8 and 10) My kids loved both and had a fantastic time at both. Yes MK is just a 15 minute bus ride away if you stay at AKL, but if you are spending a majority of time at MK, the Grand Floridian is your best bet. My husband strongly preferred the GF because he felt that AKL was a lot of schlepping and felt far away from everything. It's so easy to get to MK from the GF. Just a quick boat ride or 1 stop away on the monorail, very convenient to MK. One thing I adored when we stayed at Kidani Villas was having a savannah view and watching the animals from our balcony. If I were you I would do GF first and save AKL for another trip. Good luck with whatever you decide!