Moved from AKL to WL. Anything I should know?

[Mousemom]

We decided to spend the extra money and switch to WL. We love AKL but have stayed there a few times and have always wanted to stay at WL. Have plans to eat at Whispering Canyon, breakfast and dinner. We have eaten dinner there before but never breakfast. Anything that you would recommend? Also, we could only afford the standard room. Tell me the good, the bad, and the ugly of a standard. Are all the standard rooms parking lot views and are they a long walk to the pool and food court? Anything that we should know, activities or things to see while staying there. Can't wait, only 26 days!

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

We stayed a standard view 2 years ago and loved it. Our room overlooked the service entrance but we could see the MK fireworks at night--priceless!! While we have stayed both, I think there is less walking at WL. It is easy to get to the pool, bus stop, etc. I like AKL for the animals but WL is still my favorite for its theming and coziness. Hope you have a magical time!

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

We prefer WL over AKL, simply because of the location and better transportation at WL. I really like AKL, but the transportation is a nightmare, so we won't stay there again. WL is beautiful and so close to everything. You made a wise choice.

 

[Mousemommy1]

We decided to spend the extra money and switch to WL. We love AKL but have stayed there a few times and have always wanted to stay at WL. Have plans to eat at Whispering Canyon, breakfast and dinner. We have eaten dinner there before but never breakfast. Anything that you would recommend? Also, we could only afford the standard room. Tell me the good, the bad, and the ugly of a standard. Are all the standard rooms parking lot views and are they a long walk to the pool and food court? Anything that we should know, activities or things to see while staying there. Can't wait, only 26 days!

I have not stayed at AKL, but after an 11 day stay WL CL, we LOVE the WL. You cannot go wrong, IMO. You should make a request for a higher floor in the North Wing!!! This will get you a brand new room, and also, a potential view of Wishes from your balcony!

We ate at Whispering Canyon Cafe for lunch and it was absolutely delicious!!! We got the skillet and it was wonderful!

Have a magical trip!!!

 

[lwake]

LOVE, LOVE LOVE THE WL!! This is our favorite place to stay at WDW. Like it even better than GF! We stay in the standard rooms and have been above the service/lobby area all times. Don't worry if you get one of these rooms, noise isn't a problem from the lobby or Whispering Canyon Cafe. We have eaten at Whispering Canyon Cafe for dinner. The food is great and plentiful! I am sure that breakfast is the same. We generally eat breakfast at the Roaring Fork (country/bounty breakfast) using a quick service so that we can save out table service. The breakfast there is great! The walks to the pool are short. In an effort to save time, we have boated to the Contemporary and then walked to MK. Sometimes the water taxi line to the parks can be longer than the wait for the Contemporary and we definitely don't mind the extra 5 minute walk as we are a family of exercisers. I would recommend just walking around the resort. They have the topiary buffalo and the geyser that blows throughout the day. If you call ahead far enough in advance you can ask to raise the flag with the "Ranger." We've never been quick enough with our request, but if you are staying for 11 days, then you may have good luck. I believe that you'd get a certificate. You will be closer to everything by staying at WL. The distance from everything is why we haven't stayed at AKL. Have fun!


36 days until 25th anniversary trip with DH. Going to try YC.

 

[WDW Goofy]

Our favorite thing about WL is how compact it is. The boat to MK can't be beat. Also the boat to the Contemporary is a great bonus, easy access to the monorail resorts for dinner or resort hopping. I don't know if you have other dining plans, but if you can swing it, try eating at Artist Point. It is expensive, but we ate there for dinner Christmas Day and were blown away. It's one of the most underrated restaurants on property.

 

[justcantwait]

I don't know how old your kids are, but there are 2 activities I would recommend if you have time at the hotel. The first, which you should request as soon as you check in, is to be a flag family. You get to go up to the roof first thing in the morning and raise the flags. The view, from what I've heard, is fabulous from there! Second activity is the scavenger hunt. If your children are a little older (I'd say 8 and up), it's quite challenging but you get to see a lot of the resort while trying to find the answers. You can get the scavenger hunt sheet from the check-in desk. Another thing my kids liked was walking around near the pool. There are ducks and rabbits that are very used to people, so you see them frequently. What we adults found most enjoyable about WL was simply sitting on our balcony with a cup of coffee or glass of wine, listening to the music, and people watching. I'm sure you'll have a great stay there. Enjoy!

Kathy

 

[prune1977]

We decided to spend the extra money and switch to WL. We love AKL but have stayed there a few times and have always wanted to stay at WL. Have plans to eat at Whispering Canyon, breakfast and dinner. We have eaten dinner there before but never breakfast. Anything that you would recommend? Also, we could only afford the standard room. Tell me the good, the bad, and the ugly of a standard. Are all the standard rooms parking lot views and are they a long walk to the pool and food court? Anything that we should know, activities or things to see while staying there. Can't wait, only 26 days!

We've stayed at both & there's great things about both. I actually preferred WL though. More compact. A lot better transportation. We booked standard but when we got o our room it was courtyard. Beautiful balcony & we could watch the electric parade at night. Dining choices were awesome at both places but took much longer to get to dining places at akl. I wasn't impressed with transportation at AKL. I'm surprised there was a price difference, when we went they cost us really close to the same. Don't get me wrong we loved akl too just preferred WL.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

We love the walk to Fort Wilderness through the woods. It is so beautiful and secluded, and then from there you can do FW activities, take a Bus to any park, or take the boat back to WL or on toward the Contemporary or MK.

The location of the Resort on Bay Lake is just perfect for us. It feels secluded but is so close to everything. We loved renting a boat and exploring the lake too.

We also booked Standard view, and on our first stay it was upgraded to a beautiful inner courtyard view overlooking the pool. You can't expect such an upgrade, but it does happen a lot. If you look at the map on the first page of the Wilderness Lodge thread, there are relatively few Standard View rooms. These do overlook service areas, but the majority of the hotel is either Woods or Courtyard view, and who wouldn't want a free upgrade.

No matter what it should be a great trip. Enjoy!