Boardwalk or AKV??

[DisneyBliss7]

Sorry for all the posts but I need to make a decision quickly Which would be better AKV or the Boardwalk? We have 5 young kids ages 2-9 and I've heard there's a lot of walking at AKV....

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

I'd pick the boardwalk.

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[Mynamewastaken]

BWI here too but that is because AKL does not appeal to me

 

[Jrabbit910]

This is so funny, I was looking into these two as well!!! What appealed to me about AKL was the play area for the kids but I like the location of the boardwalk is great!! Both are beautiful

 

[TDluvsDaisy]

I really like them both. However I think there was more walking at AKV to get to your rooms. The activities at AKV makes up for the long walk though.

 

[mommyarewegoingback]

While I love the Boardwalk area, my kids enjoy AKV for the activities there. Boardwalk has less kids activities and it's benefit is that you can walk to Epcot, Hollywood Studios and have great dining. But my kids enjoy watching the animals, and doing the "bead" activities. So I would say, it depends on if you'll be doing the parks "commando" style or hanging at the resort more. We love both. So you can't lose either way.
-Virginia

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you are looking at BWV or AKV-Jambo House, they both have two bedroom villas that are lockoffs. No dedicated two bedroom villas. That means the second bedroom is a studio connected to a one bedroom villa. Two entrances from the outer corridor. With little kids that might be a concern. Also, the second bedroom will have one queen bed and one double sleeper sofa plus a kitchenette.

Both AKV and BWV have very long corridors.

 

[need2travel]

With young kids you'll probably have at least one stroller and at AK you will have to take buses everywhere but at BW you can walk or take a boat to 2 parks and you can even cut thru Epcot and take the monorail over to MK. We love the location of the BW, it's soooo convenient to everything.

 

[wiigirl]

Boardwalk

 

[pixarmom]

We've stayed at both, and I highly recommend BWI. Our kids are ages 6, 12 and 13, but we've been taking them to Disney frequently since they were each very little. With strollers, we try to avoid buses as much as possible and definitely prefer to boat, walk or monorail.

AKL is great - feels so cozy, beautiful lobby, great TS dining options, and we all love the pools there, but it's just too remote. We planned a split stay between Poly/BWI/AKL-Jambo for January of this year. Before our most recent trip, we had stayed at BWI once and AKL once, and we liked them for different reasons, so we thought a split between them (along with Poly) would be fun. But after our first night at BWI, we unanimously agreed there is no way we could leave BWI and move over to AKV. We love split stays and do them often, so we don't mind moving. It's just that we remembered how much we loved BWI and we couldn't give up that amazing location, view of the lake, or the wonderful BWI CL lounge. So we cancelled our AKV booking and extended our BWI stay.

We were thrilled with our decision to extend our BWI stay. The rooms are so light and bright, we had a great view of Crescent Lake, the music is so peaceful and relaxing at BWI and on weekend evenings, the Boardwalk is lively and fun. The location just can't be beat - there is so much to do/see/eat all around the Epcot resort area and the proximity to Epcot is wonderful.

Good luck with your decision and have a great time!

 

[goofy4tink]

There can be a lot of walking at either of those resorts. If you ended up at the far end of Kidani, you would feel like you've been walking for days!! I've stayed at BWV, in a studio at the end of the furthest hall. I counted the steps from the elevators.....yes, weird, but it's how I pass the time on those long walks. When my friend and I walked from the elevators to the end at Kidani??? Muuuuchhh longer walk than at BW.
I love AKL and Kidani. I own DVC at both BLT and BWV. BW is my 'home' though. That's where we go as a family. The ease of access to both Epcot and DHS is wonderful. The pool area is terrific, and Community Hall is great for kids.

But, you can't beat the animal watching at AKL/Kidani!!! Some find these resorts to be dark...I didn't. I did find WL dark by comparison. But that could have been because I was on the ground floor, facing the woods.

 

[DisneyBliss7]

We've stayed at both, and I highly recommend BWI. Our kids are ages 6, 12 and 13, but we've been taking them to Disney frequently since they were each very little. With strollers, we try to avoid buses as much as possible and definitely prefer to boat, walk or monorail.

AKL is great - feels so cozy, beautiful lobby, great TS dining options, and we all love the pools there, but it's just too remote. We planned a split stay between Poly/BWI/AKL-Jambo for January of this year. Before our most recent trip, we had stayed at BWI once and AKL once, and we liked them for different reasons, so we thought a split between them (along with Poly) would be fun. But after our first night at BWI, we unanimously agreed there is no way we could leave BWI and move over to AKV. We love split stays and do them often, so we don't mind moving. It's just that we remembered how much we loved BWI and we couldn't give up that amazing location, view of the lake, or the wonderful BWI CL lounge. So we cancelled our AKV booking and extended our BWI stay.

We were thrilled with our decision to extend our BWI stay. The rooms are so light and bright, we had a great view of Crescent Lake, the music is so peaceful and relaxing at BWI and on weekend evenings, the Boardwalk is lively and fun. The location just can't be beat - there is so much to do/see/eat all around the Epcot resort area and the proximity to Epcot is wonderful.

Good luck with your decision and have a great time!

You've mentioned the pools are great at AKV....How many pools and water slides do you have access to there? Isn't there just one slide at BW? My kids love water slides and we can't go to a water park on this trip so I wanted to find the best pool possible w/ our budget

 

[pixarmom]

You've mentioned the pools are great at AKV....How many pools and water slides do you have access to there? Isn't there just one slide at BW? My kids love water slides and we can't go to a water park on this trip so I wanted to find the best pool possible w/ our budget

Our AKL stay was in 2011, and at the time, we could use both the Kidani and AKL pools. There are a few slides at Kidani - one tiny slide for smaller children near the zero depth entry, a very fun longer slide that lets out into a deeper area, and another small slide in the water playground area. (That water playground is fantastic for younger kids.) The only problem with Kidani is that you have to load up all your stuff and either hop on a bus to Kidani or walk if you're staying in Jambo. We did that without difficulty and used the Kidani fitness center lockers rooms to change, but that was on a resort day (no parks) our kids are all old enough for the walk (no strollers, swim diapers, supplies, etc.) Then the AKL pool has one big slide and a huge pool with a zero depth entry area.

Yes, the Luna Park pool at BWI has just one larger slide. The playground, however, is located right next to the pool so that's convenient. And we do really love the quiet pool at BWI - no slides, but very peaceful (even with our three boys!)

We take afternoon pool breaks each day, so we appreciate a well-themed, fun pool area. But there is so much going on at WDW that we prioritize other factors (location, access to parks, avoiding buses, dining options, overall atmosphere) over the pools. So even though we prefer the pools at AKL, we prefer BWI overall.

 

[herb102211]

BWI! You can walk to Epcot and HS, as opposed to having to take the bus to all 4 parks coming from AKV. Since you are so close to HS and Epcot, we like to go to the parks in the morning, head back to the resort in the afternoon for pool/nap and back to the parks at night. It's much more convenient to do that from BWI than it would be to have to keep waiting for the buses to/from AKV.