Is the AKL right for us?

[RaTJ]

I'm going to be visiting Disney World for 7 nights in September of 2009, so AKL's construction should be done by then. I'm coming with my dh and our 2 boys who will be ages 2 and 3. The older one is just nuts about animals. We're debating between AKL and WL. But from what I understand, the AKL is newer and the rooms are slightly bigger, and I think the animals at our window will be a real plus. The only thing I'm really concerned about is the location.

 

[ktcov]

We stayed at AK for our honeymoon in Oct 2006 & had a wonderful time. DH splurged to get a Savannah view room & it was INCREDIBLE. Zebras & giraffes...all kinds of animals right under our balcony. I definately recommend spending the xtra money.

We didnt go to the pool too much, just the hot tubs at night but it was a very nice set up. Never had a problem with a single bus. I think the most we waited was 10-15 minutes. It is farther away from MK than WL, but I didnt think the ride was that bad. Altho I was just excited to be there!

We are taking my in-laws in April & staying at WL, but only because I think they will enjoy the food there much better. My FIL is not very adventurous when it comes to food.

 

[darby01_2007]

Ive stayed there twice and absolutely loved it!! As for the construction, we were just there this past Sept. and if it wasn't for the black cloth hiding the top floor we would,'t have even know anything was going on.

 

[shellybaxter]

I love the AKL but for you I think I would go with the WL. You will be closer to MK where you will undoubtedly spent a lot of time. Your children will probably still need breaks/naps in the afternoon. AKL is farther away from things so it would be harder to get back and forth to the resort in a timely manner

 

[darby01_2007]

Another good thing abou the WL is that you can take a quick boat ride back and forth between the hotel and MK if you don't want to go by bus.

 

[minnieluvzmickey]

We were at AKL Dec.1-5 for my 40th b'day........it was my first time to stay there and I just LOVED it!!! I don't want to stay anywhere else now. The whole feeling of the place is just amazing! I've stayed at WL too and it was nice. But I really LOVE the AKL! The bus service was great! We only had one problem with transportation and it was not AKLs fault. We were trying to get from AKL to GF for dinner...we took a bus to MK and then the monorail to GF.....well the monorail broke........it ended up taking 2 hours to get there.

 

[skoba-nelson]

The only thing your concerned about is the location? At ages 2 and 3 the bus rides will be the highlight of their week's vacation. But what are they now? 0 and 1. In almost 2 years from now will the older one care about animals. IMHO at that young age your savannah view has to be primo for a child that young to spot the animals and keep their attention. AKL offers tons of activities for children every day, but most were over the head of our 5 year old. Things like bead braclelet making, small educational tours/safaris around the hotel and even the folk tale by the firepit didn't interest him.

 

[DizneyNutz]

I'm going to be visiting Disney World for 7 nights in September of 2009, so AKL's construction should be done by then. I'm coming with my dh and our 2 boys who will be ages 2 and 3. The older one is just nuts about animals. We're debating between AKL and WL. But from what I understand, the AKL is newer and the rooms are slightly bigger, and I think the animals at our window will be a real plus. The only thing I'm really concerned about is the location.

But, I would say that you should concentrate your vacation stay on other than the animals, especially for little ones. Find a resort that has something to really keep them occupied (like the pool) and they can see the animals on the trip to AK. Just a suggestion.

 

[Colinsmom]

I'd honestly consider other options. We just got back with our 5yo and 21mo boys, and thought that the room was awfully tight once we had the PNP set up. If both of your kids can sleep in the beds by then, it won't be so bad, but we felt like we were tripping over the furniture (which IMO is too big and heavy for the room size) all week long. If our kids were past napping age, we wouldn't have spent near as much time in the room and it probably wouldn't have bothered us much either!

We were frustrated with the bus transportation by the end of the week. It wasn't horrible most of the time (we had a couple of 30 minute waits for busses), but I felt like we wasted a lot of travel time during the day getting back for naps. Next time around, we'd like to stay at an Epcot resort (Swan or Dolphin with DH's discount) so that we are walking distance from our favorite park, Epcot, and have a bigger room.

The animals at AKL, however, are amazing, as is the theming. It is so quiet and serene at AKL - it's still one of my favorite resorts for theming, just not for room size!

 

[raven69david]

We love AKL and we've traveled with our DD3 now for 3 years to this resort. She absolutely loves it and we will continue to stay there for many years to come. There are alot of things to do for them. There were so many activities to do last week that we didn't know what to do: puppy decorating, ostrich egg decorating, night vision viewing of the animals on the savanna, etc. The activities on the resort board are extensive.

Bus transportation is great and most of the trips to MK usually take 15 to 20 minutes. Of course it always depends on the season you go. It's always best to use your own car to travel to/from the parks back to the hotel.

Construction won't be a problem in 2009.

 

[Kimberle]

I've stayed at both. For kids your age, I'd stay at WL. You'll probably be spending most of your time at MK. WL is much closer. You'll also have more food options at WL than AKL. It's very easy to get to Chef Mickeys, Trails End, etc. as there is a very short (5 minute) boat ride to both CR (monorail access), and FW.

Though I do love AKL, your food options are very limited (and we stayed concerige, too). No sit down resturants open at lunch. 2 resturants available for dinner, and both need ADR's well in advance. You really have to plan your eating while staying here.