can you help a WDW Rookie?

[WDW Newbie]

I haven't been to WDW since I was a child. One of our closest friends suggested the other night that DH and I and our sons join their family for a trip this December. They have been a few times so they are more familiar with everything but this is all new to me. DH and I talked it over and we are excited about the possibility. I know our friends have been before but they aren't experts by any means either. I was just wondering if I could get some input on some of the things we have been considering.

We were able to get good airfare to go for Dec 8 - 15 so we are set on those dates. Is that a crowded time? In doing a little bit of reading online I hear mixed things about that time.

Our friends suggested a couple of different resorts. They gave us their planning video and we liked the looks of the Wilderness Lodge and the Animal Lodge. Our sons are 2 and 4 and they adore animals. You have to drag them out of the zoo when we go. Our 4 year old wants to be a zoo keeper when he grows up so I think the would like the Animal Lodge but my friend says that that resort is really far away from the parks. Is that a really bad thing? We've done Busch Gardens and stuff like that and I almost think being away from everything would be more relaxing when we leave the parks. DH just doesn't want it to feel like we are completely disconnected and have nothing to do there. The Wilderness Lodge looks good too but no animals. Is the Animal Lodge too far away to be worth staying there? Is deluxe savanna worth the extra money? do you see more animals that way? we can afford it without a problem, but I don't want to just throw money away if it isn't worth it.

the ticket options confuse me. I don't think we will need the water park add on since it is in December and my 2 year old wouldn't get much out of it anyways. Park hop though, is that worth it?

this dining plan. It sounds like it is a good deal but it also sounds like a lot of time sitting at a table wrestling with a 2 year old who doesn't have a long high chair tolerance time. Any parents of little guys have experience with that. It seems like it might be worth it if we were going to be sitting down to eat a lot but I am thinking we will probably opt for fast things fairly often just because I don't want him to be disruptive to other guests. We always do the thing where DH or I take him out if he is fussy but I don't want to be spending a bunch on meals DH and I won't get to eat because one of us is always outside with the kids so they don't bother anyone else.

Anything else I should be thinking about?

Thank you in advance for any help!

 

[klofan]

About the Animal Kingdom Lodge, it is far. But, we didn't mind at all. It's very close to the Animal Kingdom. About a 5 minute ride, if that. A deluxe savannah room is worth it in my opinion. That is the same thing we had. The animals are ALWAYS out. It was one of the neatest things we've ever did in Disney. Here is the bus times...

MGM Studios -- 10 minutes
Epcot -- 15 minutes
Magic Kingdom -- 20 minutes
Animal Kingdom -- 5 minutes
Downtown Disney -- 15 minutes

The only far one is MK. Actually, we spent the most time in MK. But I don't think you'll mind when you giraffes and zebras are right out your balcony.

 

[jordanyosh]

Welcome to DIS.

AKL is a great resort. Beautiful etc......but it is a little more removed from the action...which as you stated may not be a bad thing. WL is a little closer to the MK area which is good and it is a great resort to be at around the holidays with all the Xmas decorations.

The weeks between Thanksgiving and Xmas vacation have traditionally been one of the slowest times of year. However, it seems many WDW regulars choose this time to visit especially for the holiday decorations and activities that happen during this time. It still is quite manageable though.

I am an advocate of park hoppers. With small ones you can hit one park in the AM; go back to your resort and nap; then hit another park in the evening.

 

[Ladyhawke10]

I haven't been to WDW since I was a child. One of our closest friends suggested the other night that DH and I and our sons join their family for a trip this December. They have been a few times so they are more familiar with everything but this is all new to me. DH and I talked it over and we are excited about the possibility. I know our friends have been before but they aren't experts by any means either. I was just wondering if I could get some input on some of the things we have been considering.

We were able to get good airfare to go for Dec 8 - 15 so we are set on those dates. Is that a crowded time? In doing a little bit of reading online I hear mixed things about that time.

Our friends suggested a couple of different resorts. They gave us their planning video and we liked the looks of the Wilderness Lodge and the Animal Lodge. Our sons are 2 and 4 and they adore animals. You have to drag them out of the zoo when we go. Our 4 year old wants to be a zoo keeper when he grows up so I think the would like the Animal Lodge but my friend says that that resort is really far away from the parks. Is that a really bad thing? We've done Busch Gardens and stuff like that and I almost think being away from everything would be more relaxing when we leave the parks. DH just doesn't want it to feel like we are completely disconnected and have nothing to do there. The Wilderness Lodge looks good too but no animals. Is the Animal Lodge too far away to be worth staying there? Is deluxe savanna worth the extra money? do you see more animals that way? we can afford it without a problem, but I don't want to just throw money away if it isn't worth it.

the ticket options confuse me. I don't think we will need the water park add on since it is in December and my 2 year old wouldn't get much out of it anyways. Park hop though, is that worth it?

this dining plan. It sounds like it is a good deal but it also sounds like a lot of time sitting at a table wrestling with a 2 year old who doesn't have a long high chair tolerance time. Any parents of little guys have experience with that. It seems like it might be worth it if we were going to be sitting down to eat a lot but I am thinking we will probably opt for fast things fairly often just because I don't want him to be disruptive to other guests. We always do the thing where DH or I take him out if he is fussy but I don't want to be spending a bunch on meals DH and I won't get to eat because one of us is always outside with the kids so they don't bother anyone else.

Anything else I should be thinking about?

Thank you in advance for any help!

My son LOVES animals and Animal Kingdom Lodge is his favorite (he's six but has been going since he was 2). There's a great playground there, as well, and a campire at night with a storyteller near the lookout area...my son loves all this stuff. We've stayed at the Wilderness Lodge, too, but he prefers AKL because of the animals (there are even flamingoes next to the pool area, among other animals--the place is fantastic).

That said, it IS far out from the parks, especially if you have two little ones. When we visit, we usually spend a few nights (usually 3 or 4) at AKL and then switch over to a resort that is near Epcot or MK. My son spends a LOT of time at MK (though he likes Animal Kingdom, which is close to AKL, too). For this reason, we love the Grand Floridian--aside of the fact that it is beautiful, close to MK, and has lots of children's activities--like a pirate cruise, tea party (that my son loves as well as girls) and an adventures in cooking class for kids.

If you really like the theming of the WL (most do, it's beautiful also) than you might want to start out at AKL and then switch over to the Wilderness Lodge for the last few nights of your stay. Disney moves your stuff and you just take the Disney transportation over to the park that's near your new resort, and go from there. The reason for switching to the WL during the second half would be to be close the the Magic Kingdom--you are just across the lake and at night you will have a fireworks shows, an electric light parade, and during the day you can hike over to Fort Wilderness for a petting zoo and other trails (there's also the Hoop Dee Doo show). Whispering Canyon at the WL is a great restaurant for families (lots of fun but unusual ) and what's great about being near MK is that you can go over to the other resorts in that area like the Grand Floridian, Contemporary or the Polynesian for lots of wonderful dining and shopping options (not to mention the MK itself). You can also easily do the GF activities for children from WL because they are open to all children, but you will be closer there since it is in the general area.

I wouldn't miss AKL if you can help it--it's definitely a hotel to experience, but you may want to consider staying in two resorts to get a greater range of experiences for your trip.

Some people think it's a hassle to move, I love moving for all the reasons listed above, and I have a young child myself.

Just a thought

Otherwise, based on location and all that you are interested in, I would probably say Wilderness Lodge if you want to only stay in one resort the whole trip

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

Park Hopper option is definately worth it. With you having little ones going back to the resort for naps and such during the day seems like it might be a must and it's so nice to have the option to not have to go back to the same park that night and go over to somewhere else. For ex AK usually closes around 5pm, so if you went to AK in the morning stayed till 2 went to the room and had a nap and left the resort around 4 you wouldn't have put 1 hour to enjoy the rest of that day in a park. But if you took park hopper you could go over and spend the evening in epcot which is open at least until 9.

I'd say no on the water park option for December, too. You never know what the weather will be like, and it may be a little chilly for a day at the waterparks. If you decide why you are there and want to go then just buy a one day ticket. We have always gotten all the extras on our tickets and never found time for the water parks, and have only done disneyquest once and it wasn't worth the difference in the price (IMHO).


If your little ones love animals go with AKL savannah view, we have never stayed there but visited the resort and loved it. Alot of dissers swear by WL for christmas decorations, but I have never even been in WL, so I don't know too much about it.

 

[5kwallace]

We stayed at the AKL last Dec. 4-11th with our 3 year old DS. We all loved this resort. The bus service was great. You do not share with another resort. The food options are very good. We were able to swim a few days in the pool. My DS loved the water slide. I also am an advocate of the park hopper option. I would not include the water parks. We have had this option in the past and never had time to use them. Part of our stay it was cool and the other parts were warm. We stayed at the WL this past April and we also loved it too. The boat ride to the MK was fun. Most of the time we shared boats/buses with Fort Wilderness. This adds time to your trip. In some instances it made for a longer ride to some parks than from AKL. I don't think you can go wrong with either choice. Both AKL and WL are great! They are also very similar and you can tell they were designed by the same architect.

I personally would not add the Dining option. You are spending a lot of time eating, trying to make ADR on time. With a 2 year old it pays to have flexibility when it comes to dining, at least in my experience. We almost always use the Counter Service restaurants. We find it is better than trying to keep him busy while waiting on a table, for the food in sit down restaurants. I know you will have a great trip no matter what you decide.

 

[stschaefer]

My two cents on the Dining plan - a snack, a counterserve, and a table service for $35 - what a steal. Your table service could be Beaches and Cream (just like a counterservice), or one of the many buffets to chose from so your son isn't antsy. Also, you have choices of Character Breakfasts that your 2 or 4 year old would love. Also if you chose to eat at the Lodge - I hear there are great choices there too. You don't have to choose the pricy sit down meals to have a great time. Look at allearsnet for suggested menus and you may find places you will like. Just an idea - DW and I took DD3 for our first trip to WDW as a family this year with free dining plan and it was a great service and DD loved the character meals!!!

For this time of year - you may be lucky with not needing ADR's. This time is a light time - guide books show that September and the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas are low attendance points. Places could have short waits for dinners. Hope you have a great time.

 

[missymagic]

I haven't stayed at either of the resorts but both are beautiful. I have visited both.

I would definitely recommend getting the hopper pass. It is nice to be able to go to one park and leave if you want to go to another one for a parade or a show. Or even go back to the room freshen up for dinner, nap or get ready for a night out in the evening. It is not that much more and is definitely worth it.

Being a newbie to DW my biggest reccommendation is don't try to rush around to get everything squeezed in. I have 2 girls myself (5 & 8). They have been going to Disney since they were born. The more you try to squeeze in the crabbier they can get. Enjoy everything you do let them explore. Pick and choose if they start having "a moment". You can always go back later or another day if you have the hopper pass. Don't stress yourself.

 

[Gary M]

If you decide to stay at the AKL you might consider one of the adults buying an annual pass. With the annual pass you can get a room thru the Best Rate Program (BRP) at a nice discount. With the BRP you can get a savannah view room for $1,639.12 for your 7 night stay, without the BRP the same room will cost $2,185.40. This is a savings of $546.28. The Annual Pass will cost an adult $420.68. The AP is a park hopper pass. The 8 day hopper pass will cost $226 per adult. The savings using the BRP is $356.60 and you have an AP to use if you decide to go back to WDW within the year. If you decide to get a water/pool view room it would be $429.24 less expensive.

I hope my figures are correct, if not I'm sure someone will let me know.

You might check www.mousesavers.com for discounts.