. 
. Our favorite resort CS is Captain Cooks at the Poly, but Mara at AKL and Roaring Forks at WL both run a very close second for us 
. I agree about AKL not being a "glorified moderate". I think both AKL and WL are great deluxe resorts and one perk for both is that they are in the deluxe category, but do not cost as much as the Epcot and monorail resorts. . 
. Just kidding.....AKL is a great resort and we do love it for many reasons. All of the resorts are so different and provide such different experiences that they are all great in their own way .
Well....to all those that were rooting for me to switch to the Poly, and then I did switch, well....
We visited WL again tonight to take the boat to FW and my DH and boys decided that they really do love WL and wanted me to switch back..LOL
After asking them many times if they were sure, they said yep, switch it, so I have switched back to WL.
I switched to Woods view-bunk bed room. I couldn't get a Courtyard view with bunk beds unfortunately, so I took Woods view cause my boys really wanted the bunk beds.
So, need some help..what would be a good thing to request room wise? I like a higher floor, but not sure where in the resort would be a good area to request.
Thanks In advance
Thank-you!! So happy you're enjoying the mini trip report
I'm doing it because SO many diser's have helped me plan our 1st family trip to Disney World, so I am paying it back!
Also, I hope I am able to help other 1st time planners like I was make their planning a tad bit easier!
You will love your pool view, its such a beautiful site to wake up to! Just an FYI- the pool view is a bit loud due to all the swimmers etc, but it didn't bother us one bit! We enjoyed hearing everyone having fun. The noise would die down in the late evening.
Have a Magical Vacation!!!
and are just living vicariously through you in this wonderful report.
I have enjoyed following along OP's trip report too and am also waiting to hear about BC! We stayed there for the first time this summer and loved everything about it!! I agree about the lobby...as soon as I walked in, I immediately felt relaxed. We walked through the YC lobby and did not feel the same.Having 2 young kids, we feel the most comfortable at BC. I really think the difference is the lobby -- many people don't like BC because of Cape May creating families/kids/traffic, but we actually like BC because of all that. Both BWI and YC are very nice/elegant and we enjoyed our stays at both of them, but neither has the same lobby environment/feel as BC does. Also, SAB used to play a very big factor when our kids were toddlers. Again, many people don't like SAB for young kids, but we highly preferred it with young kids. That sandy/shallow water section kept my kids busy for hours. It was so well-liked that it was almost a disappointment to stay anywhere else. Now my kids are age 10 and any resort pool is fun for them, really, but they still will spend more time in the BC pool than any other pool in Disney. We also frequent the arcade at BC and beaches & cream, so everything at BC just seems to suit us. Sorry to get off-topic, OP! Anxious to hear if you like BC!
If you request north wing, high floor you will most likely have a view of the Contemporary and possibly the monorail. Some of the rooms also have a view of the castle and the high fireworks from Wishes. It all depends on whether or not there is a tree in your way. The 6th floor rooms have an enclosed balcony, which means that you have to stand to see out. The fifth floor and lower in the north wing have open balconies, which are normal balconies. There are lots of pictures of the balconies and views over on the Wilderness Lodge facts thread.
http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3111366
The north wing is also very convenient to Roaring Forks counter service and the boat dock.
Glad you liked Blizzard Beach....it's our favorite
We loved Mara too
Glad you enjoyed your AKL stay, but I think you will like the BC
Until you go to the Poly
Having 2 young kids, we feel the most comfortable at BC. I really think the difference is the lobby -- many people don't like BC because of Cape May creating families/kids/traffic, but we actually like BC because of all that. Both BWI and YC are very nice/elegant and we enjoyed our stays at both of them, but neither has the same lobby environment/feel as BC does. Also, SAB used to play a very big factor when our kids were toddlers. Again, many people don't like SAB for young kids, but we highly preferred it with young kids. That sandy/shallow water section kept my kids busy for hours. It was so well-liked that it was almost a disappointment to stay anywhere else. Now my kids are age 10 and any resort pool is fun for them, really, but they still will spend more time in the BC pool than any other pool in Disney. We also frequent the arcade at BC and beaches & cream, so everything at BC just seems to suit us.
Sorry to get off-topic, OP! Anxious to hear if you like BC!
Well....to all those that were rooting for me to switch to the Poly, and then I did switch, well....
We visited WL again tonight to take the boat to FW and my DH and boys decided that they really do love WL and wanted me to switch back..LOL
After asking them many times if they were sure, they said yep, switch it, so I have switched back to WL.
I switched to Woods view-bunk bed room. I couldn't get a Courtyard view with bunk beds unfortunately, so I took Woods view cause my boys really wanted the bunk beds.
So, need some help..what would be a good thing to request room wise? I like a higher floor, but not sure where in the resort would be a good area to request.
Thanks In advance
. We had a bunk bed room when our boys were younger and they loved them. Can't wait to hear how you like the resort. BTW, I'm loving all of your updates .LOVED our stay at AKL, so much so that I think I am having withdrawal from it..hehe
Checked into BC today, so I am going to give my opinion tom evening sometime after a full day at the resort!
To be continued....
.Checked out of AKL today, and was sad to leave. It really is a gorgeous resort and we loved everything about it! The distance really wasn't bad at all, and we loved the quietness about the resort. The CM's were amazing, mouse keeping spot on, and the entire resort is super clean!!
I know we will definitely return to this resort in the near future
If anyone has any other questions about AKL, I would be more then happy to answer them
We checked into the BC today around 2:30pm, so I am going to give my opinion etc..later tom sometime so it gives me a good day to check everything out.
I can say the pool is AMAZING, and we have already spent about 3 hours playing around. LOVE the pirate ship slide, and the sand bottom pool.
We have a standard view room with a full balcony, but was so happy to see that we actually overlook the pool! We are facing the area where they play pool volleyball and the sand bottom pool area is close as well. We are close to the Yacht club side, but our room is close to the lobby too. It takes about 2 mins to get to the pool. We take a short cut, and go down some stairs.
We went to Garden Grill tonight, and I am sad to say it has been my least favorite character meal. I was really looking forward to this meal, but the entire meal felt sooooo rushed by the waiter that we felt stressed while eating which made it not so fun
We quickly recovered after eating and enjoyed some rides in Epcot and Illuminations
Out of the many character meals we have had so far, I am still sticking with the Crystal Palace as my fav character meal, and Boma as our fav non character meal with Ohana as a very close 2nd. We enjoyed Crystal Palace so much that we are going to try and get another time sometime in the next week!
The meals we have done so far are: Boma-breakfast, Chef Mickey's-dinner, Crystal Palace-lunch, T-rex-dinner, Tusker House-breakfast, Garden Grill-dinner, and Ohana-dinner.
One other thing I just wanted to touch on..We had the dining plan while at AKL and we loved it! Thought it was a great deal, and was so convenient.
Anyhow, off to bed now for another fun filled day tom!!!
. 
. I hope you enjoy your stay at the BC.
