My hesitations with WL

[Dorisk3]

I'm going on the other side here. While WL and Great Wolf Lodge really are miles apart, their theming is very similar. If you really hated Great Wolf Lodge, WL is a very very spiffed up version of the same theme. Have you thought of AKL instead? Its also one of the less expensive deluxes and you could get a non view or pool view room.

 

[Sue M]

We love WL. It's a beautiful resort, love the boat to MK, and the resort boat that loops around WL, FW, & CR. very handy for ADRs.
We've stayed there 3 times, once with both my daughters so there were 3 of us. We felt there was plenty of room, wouldn't say the rooms were tiny. But if you want larger rooms look at CR or Poly.
I believe the resort is in the mist of room renos right not. I haven't seen the new ones. Soft refurb. Keeping same furniture. Putting in new bedding, drapes, carpet, tiles, etc.

 

[FlyingBelle]

We love, love, love WL - primarily for the following reasons:

1) The decor - DH loves the woods - so it's a no-brainer for us
2) The size of the resort - no matter where your room is, it probably isn't going to be a very far walk to anything - the bus, the food court, the lobby, the courtyard, the boat. Really a "small" resort in comparison to others (IMO)
3) It's a hotel with inside hallways - which is nice when it rains, or is really hot, or is really chilly
4) The boat - nothing calms us more than riding the boat to/from MK. My kids have fallen asleep many times on that boat! (during most peak times, it's a large boat where you don't have to fold up the stroller and make the kids get out)
5) Easy resort hopping - we love to grab a pork sandwich at Capt Cooks at the Poly - it's fun getting there via boat and transferring to the monorail, especially on arrival day
6) The lobby - we love hanging out in the lobby - my daughter learned to walk there. It just is very calming.

All that - and in December it's so charming! One evening they had handbell players - loved it!!!

Now, that said - since the birth of our 2nd child and going to one income - we've been staying at the All Stars as a way to save money on our trip and we enjoy them (especially ASMu). But...

...our last trip a few weeks ago, DS got sick and was up all night crying and stuffy - we would have LOVED to have another room for DD to get some sleep -instead all 4 of us were up most of the night each night.

So, we've decided going forward we'll go less often, and try to get a family suite at either ASMu or AoA. It's unlikely a kid will get sick again, but when you spend so much time and money on a Disney vacation, sleep is important!! The heat and humidity, mixed with the crowds and no sleep - made for a not-so-fun vacation for us. We made the most of it, but at least now while our kids are still young, we all need some sleep!!!

 

[princessallegra]

We have stayed at WL and absolutely love it. It's gorgeous, all inclusive under one roof, and just a warm environment. We have also stayed at the ASMu family suites, as well as eaten lunch at AoA this past trip. I think the biggest thing to think about is at AoA you will have a ton more space, private bedroom for the parents, two bathrooms and a kitchenette. That is a true luxury while at Disney. However, it is far away from most parks and without a rental car you would be relying on buses the whole time, which may be hit or miss. The bus service at WL is top notch, and you have the boat to MK as well. It's so hard to compare such different resorts! Good luck!

 

[KapBoy77]

Thanks to everyone for the input. I really need to sit down with DW and discuss what it is we really want out of our stay. We will certainly look at all the points discussed here.