Family vacation 9 of us Disney Boardwalk Inn or Animal Kingdom Lodge?

[Tammy A]

Help me weigh in on pros and cons for each of these resorts for our family's needs.
We are myself, my boyfriend, my 4 kids(21,19,16,14) my handicapped sister, niece (21) and nephew (18). My sister is an amputee and uses a prosthetic however sometimes she may need to use her wheelchair. So either 3 pool view rooms at the animal Kingdom Lodge or 2 rooms at the boardwalk inn garden view. The price will be about the same with the sun and fun discount. Our favorite parks are Epcot and Animal Kingdom with Magic Kingdom loved a lot too. Both boardwalk inn and Animal Kingdom Lodge have roll in showers available. I may rent a mini van also just to make things easier for my sister. I'm pretty sure we will have stragglers every day that can catch the bus if needed. WE always have down time to enjoy the resort so the resort needs to have great ambience and a fun pool. I have also considered 2 Polynesian studios which would run higher in which case we would definitely not get a minivan.

 

[starry_solo]

Do you like to relax at the resorts during down time?

I've never stayed at BW, but have been at AK (although the villa/dvc side). I think 3 rooms would be good for the AK, just so you can all spread out (and have 3 bathrooms)

 

[Tammy A]

Do you like to relax at the resorts during down time?

I've never stayed at BW, but have been at AK (although the villa/dvc side). I think 3 rooms would be good for the AK, just so you can all spread out (and have 3 bathrooms)

We do rest and relax at the resort. We also use the pool and love to explore the resort.

 

[cutigerlady]

We stayed in the boardwalk area for a big family trip and what we liked about it was that it was easy to get to/from multiple parks and have a large amount of stuff to do at the resort. You can easily walk between BW, YC, BC and swan/Dolphin. I find the YC/BC to be cheaper than BW most of the time. You might find the Swan/Dolphin has family suites that would give you more space and would be less $.

We’ve stayed at AKL too and loved it for when we had a non-parks vacation because you could stay busy at the resort. It would have been hard to break away to go to the parks! Getting to everything took longer with the buses. Having the extra space would be nice!

 

[Hopefully]

The Boardwalk will be easier to reach for afternoon breaks. We love that area and the ability to walk to 2 parks. Lots of atmosphere at night and good for your older kids.

 

[tara595]

I've never stayed at AKL but the Boardwalk is one of my faves! The atmosphere is so fun and relaxing and you can walk right to the back entrance of Epcot. It's so pretty and you also hop to the BC and YC. I would say Boardwalk for sure!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Especially with teens, I would choose BWI. It will be so much more convenient to walk/boat to EP and DHS and, especially if you have stragglers at either of those parks or if the teens want to go off on their own, it's super easy. The pool is also a little more exciting with a bigger slide (AKL's pool is much better suited for younger kids, IMHO). With EP and DHS being so close, you may not have to rent a mini-van, either, as I wouldn't recommend driving to MK (parking at TTC is not convenient). There are also a ton of restaurants within walking distance, entertainment on the Boardwalk at night, plus mini-golf just a walk away.

 

[nyy]

Our teens loved the Boardwalk last summer. There is so much to do and a variety of food and fun to make most everyone happy. The rooms are spacious and the footprint of the resort is small. I would highly recommend the resort.
HOWEVER, you would only be getting 2 rooms there. I feel like you might be a little crowded and need 3 rooms and 3 bathrooms. AKL wins for that.

 

[Chrislovesdisney]

Boardwalk is my favorite resort and each time we book a trip, we come soooo close to going with AK but keep changing our minds back to Boardwalk. It’s like comparing city to country IMO. If you’re lookkng for more of a resort feel, I think AK woild fit the bill. But there’s just so many restaurants, places to grab a quick bite, etc. at BW plus the 2 close Parks. Those are the draws for me.

 

[fairygagamother]

Boardwalk rooms have more space & are definitely more conveniently located.

 

[senadler]

If you are considering AKL, you may want to price a 2BR DVC villa. I should accommodate your party, and it is great to have the full kitchen and washer/dryer for a group that size. It's also nice to be in one large space instead of separate rooms.

 

[kaytieeldr]

A two bedroom villa only accommodates eight people over three years old, as far as i know.

I would choose AKL, because three rooms = three bathrooms.

 

[meggiebeth]

If it were three rooms at the Boardwalk I would go for that no questions asked - the location is great and everyone can go off and do their own thing more easily than at AKL where you’re essentially a little cut off, unless you get the bus to the parks. At the Boardwalk you can easily get to Epcot/ Hollywood Studios, or go off for a stroll. HOWEVER, I honestly wonder how you’d comfortably fit your whole party in two rooms - I’m guessing you and your boyfriend will want your own room - it would be difficult to have to share with two of your children or your niece/nephew - in which case I’d really be leaning towards the three rooms at AKL. Could you stretch to three standard view rooms at the Boardwalk, or even at Yacht or Beach Club? If not, I’d personally opt for AKL, even though I prefer the Boardwalk’s theming and location.

 

[Madame]

A two bedroom villa only accommodates eight people over three years old, as far as i know.

I would choose AKL, because three rooms = three bathrooms.

A lockoff sleeps 9 since they added the murphy to the studio portion.