My kids are not big drinkers, and they don't use the pool. They like being able to go into WS for the occasional drink and snack/meal and they also enjoy being able to walk to Epcot and DHS. They usually don't mention resort restaurants but they really liked Ale & Compass at YC for the food and convenience. They ate a few breakfasts and dinners there. I thought they would end up cancelling some of the ADRs but they used all of them. For deluxe money, I think the Epcot resorts give you the most bang for your buck in terms of pricing and walkability.
They never wanted to stay at AK, mostly because of convenience perceptions. They feel it is too far from the parks.
They also like the monorail resorts but those are at the high end of deluxe prices and you can't walk to Epcot. For the MK resorts, my Disfan youngest prefers Poly. CL if possible
They are trying Wilderness Lodge next fall.
I completely forgot about AK! How difficult is it to get to the parks? I think Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom would be definitely on their list. EPCOT if they had time leftover