One night: AKL, Yacht + Beach Club or Wilderness Lodge?

[MeridaMerida]

Hi! We have to fly to Florida for a family wedding and have one night at Disney. We are flying in from a sports tournament out of state so kids will likely be tired. Staying at the MCO airport hotel and checking it in the morning! We visit family in CA every year so we tend to do 1-2 days at Disneyland in CA every year or so but we do not have Animal Kingdom in CA. We have been to Orlando one time a few years ago and did every park. The stay is in June. 2 boys 8 and 10, can stay up late. The family wedding is in Captiva and we will be doing a week at the beach and staying on the water.

Option 1: In the morning check in at AKL and go to Animal Kingdom Park on Friday. Stay all day until it closes at 6. Do a nice dinner and pool time at the resort after. Hang out all day Saturday at the resort + pool, sit down breakfast. Eat at Boma and Saana.

Option 2: Stay at Wilderness Lodge and take the boat over to Magic Kingdom. Come back around 2-6 to the hotel to relax, pool, shower and eat dinner at Storybook Dining. Take the boat back to the park and stay until 11. Pool Day the next day.

Option 3: Stay at Yacht + Beach Club Villas (Studio). Take bus to Magic Kingdom in the morning. Come back around 2- 5 to relax, pool, shower and eat dinner at Yachtsman Steakhouse. Stay at the park until 11. In the morning, do the character breakfast at Cape May Cafe (this is for me, my kids dont really care!) and hang out at Stormalong Bay. Eat at Beaches + Cream.

 

[bookbabe626]

Would the kids (and the rest of the family) rather go to AK or MK?

IMO, if you have a week at the beach connected to this trip, I wouldn’t bother with too much pool time. Why spend Disney Prices to swim when you’ve got a week of swimming elsewhere?

I’d go with either AKL or WL, but I’d skip the pool time and double up on the parks. Do AK and then either MK or Epcot, or with a park hopper maybe try to hit all three, just doing the stuff that’s not in California. You can sleep at the beach.

 

[The Foolish Mortal]

I would go with Option 2

 

[gottalovepluto]

Echo @bookbabe626 . Even if you have to drop hotel to a mod I think it will be worth it. CSR has nice dining options and a tower room will give you a deluxe quality room. I’d even consider pushing onto Disney property late at night instead of the airport stay. Traffic is sooo much better and whats another 40 mins at that point? (If your airport stay isn’t at the literal airport hotel you’re barely saving 20 mins since you have to wait and shuttle to your hotel.)

If only considering your listed options:

Option 1. Since you know DL, MK will be fairly repetitive just a lot more spread out. Tron & 7DMT will be new- that’s about 4 mins of newness combined lol. As a DL vet, I just have a very hard time recommending dropping Disney level money on only MK unless your kids are not into animals.

YC/BC is a hard sell to me when you don’t intend to do EP or DHS due to having to bus so I’d do Option 2 if you’d rather MK>AK.

ETA- country bears would be new so I’ll give MK another 10 mins there

 

[Marthasor]

Hi! We have to fly to Florida for a family wedding and have one night at Disney. We are flying in from a sports tournament out of state so kids will likely be tired. Staying at the MCO airport hotel and checking it in the morning! We visit family in CA every year so we tend to do 1-2 days at Disneyland in CA every year or so but we do not have Animal Kingdom in CA. We have been to Orlando one time a few years ago and did every park. The stay is in June. 2 boys 8 and 10, can stay up late. The family wedding is in Captiva and we will be doing a week at the beach and staying on the water.

Option 1: In the morning check in at AKL and go to Animal Kingdom Park on Friday. Stay all day until it closes at 6. Do a nice dinner and pool time at the resort after. Hang out all day Saturday at the resort + pool, sit down breakfast. Eat at Boma and Saana.

Option 2: Stay at Wilderness Lodge and take the boat over to Magic Kingdom. Come back around 2-6 to the hotel to relax, pool, shower and eat dinner at Storybook Dining. Take the boat back to the park and stay until 11. Pool Day the next day.

Option 3: Stay at Yacht + Beach Club Villas (Studio). Take bus to Magic Kingdom in the morning. Come back around 2- 5 to relax, pool, shower and eat dinner at Yachtsman Steakhouse. Stay at the park until 11. In the morning, do the character breakfast at Cape May Cafe (this is for me, my kids dont really care!) and hang out at Stormalong Bay. Eat at Beaches + Cream.

I would agree with the others. If you are going to the beach for a week, the pools at WDW aren't going to compare.

I would take BCV off the table - IMHO, there is no need to stay there if you plan to go to MK.

I would probably opt for AKL - WL is gorgeous, but AKL is so unique and it also has a better pool if you opt for a pool day. Personally, I would consider purchasing a 1-day park hopper - spend your first morning/afternoon at AK and then hop over to MK for the evening/night. If you really want a character meal, perhaps do Tusker House while you are in AK. Or consider purchasing a 2-day ticket - spend your arrival day at MK to take advantage of the long park hours (I would eat somewhere in the MK park or resort area), then have breakfast at Boma the next day and spend time in AK before heading to your next destination.

 

[MeridaMerida]

Well we have to leave around 2-3 pm on Saturday to get to a wedding related event. So I can’t justify paying an extra $1000 at the parks for a half day. My kids will be tired! We arrive ar the airport on Thursday night at midnight after they were in a sports tournament and played 4-5 games each on Thursday. We plan to stay at the hotel at the airport, not a regular airport hotel. It’s one that is a few min walk from the terminal. I don’t think they will be able to handle two park days and then the wedding (there’s a reception we have to dress and travel to) that’s why I wanted a chill day with a nice sit down breakfast and hanging out at the resort.

 

[MeridaMerida]

Hi! We have to fly to Florida for a family wedding and have one night at Disney. We are flying in from a sports tournament out of state so kids will likely be tired. Staying at the MCO airport hotel and checking it in the morning! We visit family in CA every year so we tend to do 1-2 days at Disneyland in CA every year or so but we do not have Animal Kingdom in CA. We have been to Orlando one time a few years ago and did every park. The stay is in June. 2 boys 8 and 10, can stay up late. The family wedding is in Captiva and we will be doing a week at the beach and staying on the water.

Option 1: In the morning check in at AKL and go to Animal Kingdom Park on Friday. Stay all day until it closes at 6. Do a nice dinner and pool time at the resort after. Hang out all day Saturday at the resort + pool, sit down breakfast. Eat at Boma and Saana.

Option 2: Stay at Wilderness Lodge and take the boat over to Magic Kingdom. Come back around 2-6 to the hotel to relax, pool, shower and eat dinner at Storybook Dining. Take the boat back to the park and stay until 11. Pool Day the next day.

Option 3: Stay at Yacht + Beach Club Villas (Studio). Take bus to Magic Kingdom in the morning. Come back around 2- 5 to relax, pool, shower and eat dinner at Yachtsman Steakhouse. Stay at the park until 11. In the morning, do the character breakfast at Cape May Cafe (this is for me, my kids dont really care!) and hang out at Stormalong Bay. Eat at Beaches + Cream.

This is the OP! Another option is Beach + Yacht club and go to Epcot! I actually loved the world showcase as a kid but my boys are picky eaters and not into shopping. I don’t think my DH and I will be drinking much on the trip either so Epcot doesn’t seem like a good fit? Did your kids this age like it as much as the other parks?

 

[SwanVT2]

AKL plan!

 

[elvispursley]

This is the OP! Another option is Beach + Yacht club and go to Epcot! I actually loved the world showcase as a kid but my boys are picky eaters and not into shopping. I don’t think my DH and I will be drinking much on the trip either so Epcot doesn’t seem like a good fit? Did your kids this age like it as much as the other parks?

Maybe my boys were odd at that age but Epcot has always been there favorite park from the time they were toddlers. They will ride GotG as many times as they can now that the VQ is gone. They’re now 22 and 19 and they love AK EP, HS, MK in that order. But you k ow your boys beat. If planning to do a pool day, I’d probably choose YC/BC for the pool there.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Well we have to leave around 2-3 pm on Saturday to get to a wedding related event. So I can’t justify paying an extra $1000 at the parks for a half day. My kids will be tired! We arrive ar the airport on Thursday night at midnight after they were in a sports tournament and played 4-5 games each on Thursday. We plan to stay at the hotel at the airport, not a regular airport hotel.

MCO Hyatt will work very well then! It’s right there for sure.

Another thought- June is a wet month so you could get rained out of your pool time. Something to consider if you end up with resort time but can’t pool. Pool will be open in rain, but not if there is lightening in the area.

 

[MeridaMerida]

Thanks! I think we are leaning towards AKL. My husband really likes the rides there like Pandora and the hotel is the nicest IMO with the best dining options and maybe the most memorable for the kids. I worry MK we would feel like we didn’t have enough time to do everything and it would seem rushed. The hotel is also a little less. We could get a 1 BR Villa for the price of a studio or standard room at Yacht Club. Does anyone know which rooms we should get to guarantee a refurbished room? Will kidani all be redone? This is last week in June.

 

[CarolynFH]

Does anyone know which rooms we should get to guarantee a refurbished room? Will kidani all be redone? This is last week in June.

Book Kidani. The refurbishment started there, and some villas are already done, so by June you should have a very good chance of being in a refurbed 1BR. Another reason for Kidani is that the 1BR will have 2 full bathrooms - Jambo has only one.

I prefer Kidani for another reason too - parking is under the building, out of sun and rain. It’s easy to walk from Kidani to Jambo, there’s a shuttle if you don’t want to walk, you can use either pool, and if you’re booking a savanna view you can request a low floor to be closer to the animals (Jambo DVC are all on 5th and 6th floors). If resort view there are plenty of viewing areas in both buildings.

 

[MeridaMerida]

Oh is Kidani not close to the main building? Is the main building refurbished?

 

[Dave006]

Oh is Kidani not close to the main building? Is the main building refurbished?

It is about a 7-10 minute walk between Kidani Village, and Jambo House. The shuttle runs about every 10 minutes over the 0.61 Mile distance.

Yes, Jambo House will be refurbished after Kidani Village is finished. Jambo House will undergo its hard goods refurbishment from May 2026 through January 2027 while Guest rooms at Kidani Village are under refurbishment through May 2026.

Dave

 

[MeridaMerida]

Ok, so the main AKL has older rooms now that won't be refurbished?
What resort would be good to stay at that has renovated rooms and is close to the "main lodge" if it is a villa? And has good transportation to MK? I don't know if I want to stay in AKL if the renovated room is far from the lodge and the others are quite old.

 

[Dave006]

Book Kidani. The refurbishment started there, and some villas are already done, so by June you should have a very good chance of being in a refurbed 1BR.

The refurb at Kidani Village should be done by June for all Studios, and Villas. The Schedule was October 2025 thru May 2026.

Dave

 

[CarolynFH]

Ok, so the main AKL has older rooms now that won't be refurbished?
What resort would be good to stay at that has renovated rooms and is close to the "main lodge" if it is a villa? And has good transportation to MK? I don't know if I want to stay in AKL if the renovated room is far from the lodge and the others are quite old.

You might look at the 1BR at Boulder Ridge Villas and at Copper Creek Villas. Both are at Wilderness Lodge and both recently refurbished. Copper Creek villas are inside the main WL building while Boulder Ridge villas are in a separate building connected by covered walkway, about a 2 minute walk from the main building.

ETA - to get to MK from either one, you can choose from boat or bus. The boat ride is fun!

But really, Kidani isn’t at all “far” from Jambo House. And transportation to MK is the same - Kidani and Jambo have separate buses in the early morning for park opening, but later in the day they share a bus, with Kidani being picked up first.

 

[Marthasor]

Ok, so the main AKL has older rooms now that won't be refurbished?
What resort would be good to stay at that has renovated rooms and is close to the "main lodge" if it is a villa? And has good transportation to MK? I don't know if I want to stay in AKL if the renovated room is far from the lodge and the others are quite old.

If you are going to AK, I would book AKL Kidani. It really isn't far from Jambo (the main resort building) and Sanaa is in Kidani. Kidani also has a nice pool.

If you are going to MK, look at Boulder Ridge Villas at WL. They were recently redone and the walk to the main WL building from BRV is much closer than Kidani to Jambo at AKL. You can take a boat from WL to MK.

 

[MeridaMerida]

Thanks! When someone mentioned the shuttle it seemed far. I’m leaning towards Wilderness Lodge because I’m worried my boys will want to sleep in if we get in at midnight and the time change. We fly from the West Coast. MK is open until 11, AK only 6pm. Do you think we would like Wilderness Lodge? What’s the best accommodation option for us if we rent points? Which villas are nicer or not under construction at this time? Late June 2026?

 

[Marthasor]

Thanks! When someone mentioned the shuttle it seemed far. I’m leaning towards Wilderness Lodge because I’m worried my boys will want to sleep in if we get in at midnight and the time change. We fly from the West Coast. MK is open until 11, AK only 6pm. Do you think we would like Wilderness Lodge? What’s the best accommodation option for us if we rent points? Which villas are nicer or not under construction at this time? Late June 2026?

I believe Copper Creek will be in refurb during the time. Boulder Ridge Villas are gorgeous. WL is awesome!