We have stayed at both the AKL and WL. Here's a comparison for you, I copied from an old post of mine.
The Pool-The pool is much bigger at the AKL. The AKL has 2 hot tubs(as does the WL) but one of them is larger, about twice the size. Then there is another hidden hot tub about the size of the ones at WL. They both have a water slide that's about the same. They both have pool bars too.
The *food court*. The AKL, Mara, is run differently then the Roaring Forks at the WL. At the Mara, it's much larger and you order your food and then they bring it out to your table, either inside or out. They have a bigger menu then I remeber the RF having, I think. They have a lot of desserts and bakery products as well, great chocolate chip cookies-lol. In the sitting area there is a TV that plays Disney movies too. We ate at the mara alot and really enjoyed it. At the Roaring Forks you order your food then they call your # and you go and get it. RF is much smaller then the Mara.
The rooms- Are very similiar in size and design, there are no major differences.
The view- We had a courtyard at the WL and a savannah at the AKL. Both were great and equal in their own ways. At the AKL you can have a view of animals, there are 3 different savannahs. We were on Zebra Trail overlooking the Arusha Rock savannah, we saw Zebra, Kudu, Giraffe and Ankole. At the WL we has a courtyard view and had a view of the waterfall, pool and lake. We watched the Electric light parade every night and could also see the geyser go off. At night we left our sliding door open to hear the waterfall.
Then lobby- The WL lobby apears larger then the AKL, not sure if it actually is or not. Both are beautiful, the AKL had more little paths and decorative bridges in it. They also have a suspended bridge that 's on the 4th floor. Oh the major difference is the lobby is on the 3rd floor at the AKL, it took some getting used to since our room was on the 2nd floor and we went up to the lobby. Different but no big deal-lol. The lobby at the AKL also has a lot of overlook areas onto differernt levels. you can look down onto the bar and Boma restaurant. They both had TV's with videos. They are both beautiful in their own ways.
Transportation- The major difference here is that the AKL is all busses. I worried about this but was proven there was no need to. The busses were great, in 2 weeks the longest we waited was 15 minutes and that was only 2 times. The rest of the times it was FAST. The longest ride was to the MK and it took about 15 minutes. They were rarely crowded even the week after Easter and we didn't share any busses with other resorts. Now I have heard that WL is now sharing busses with Fort Wilderness and people that came back recently complained the busses were a mess. They do have a boat to the MK at the WL and you can also take a boat to the Contemporary Resort. If you do that you can then jump on the monorail to Epcot. Then you'd only have to take the busses to MGM and AK. Hopefully they will go back to not sharing busses at the WL soon. The AKL busses don't share with any other resort, which was nice and cuts down the ride times too.
Both resorts have child care and fitness centers. The AKL also has a spa.
Overall I fell in love with the AKL, I thought it was just wonderful and I didn't want to leave. We even went back to the WL to visit and compare-lol. Even though I loved the WL and thought it coould NEVER ever be replaced as my #1, the AKL did it, I was very surprised.
I worried so much before we went and I shouldn't have the AKL was NOT a disappointment.
I hope this wasn't too confusing to read! Have a great trip!!
