My wife and three-year-old daughter went with me to Orlando this past week. I had a seminar held at the Boardwalk, but we stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge. I could not have been happier with that decision.
I walked around Boardwalk, the Polynesian, and the Wilderness Lodge to compare the facilities. The pools were about the same, but AKL had the nicest playground of the group. Also, AKL had a host of activities (music, animals, adventure, food, story time) that my wife took our daughter to over the three non-theme park days we spent there. Of course the zebras, giraffes, impalas, flamingos, secretary birds, etc. that roam the grounds were a big hit.
Telling fact--three days at the resort and there was enough to keep our three year old busy that she only watched about 30 minutes of TV a day (while mom was showering, etc).
The evening meal at Boma was a little out of our 3 year old's comfort zone, but the breakfast there was excellent. My wife and daughter found enough variety at The Mara for three satisfying lunches.
The room was very spacious for the three of us (four would have been comfortable), and our daughter loved the bunk beds. Nicely decorated for adult tastes, but the animal and African theme was great for the kiddo.
If this had been a "typical" Disney vacation with us at parks each day, I probably would not recommend the extra expense of a deluxe resort. But this was money well spent with my being tied up in a conference for three full days and the ladies staying at the resort.
I walked around Boardwalk, the Polynesian, and the Wilderness Lodge to compare the facilities. The pools were about the same, but AKL had the nicest playground of the group. Also, AKL had a host of activities (music, animals, adventure, food, story time) that my wife took our daughter to over the three non-theme park days we spent there. Of course the zebras, giraffes, impalas, flamingos, secretary birds, etc. that roam the grounds were a big hit.
Telling fact--three days at the resort and there was enough to keep our three year old busy that she only watched about 30 minutes of TV a day (while mom was showering, etc).
The evening meal at Boma was a little out of our 3 year old's comfort zone, but the breakfast there was excellent. My wife and daughter found enough variety at The Mara for three satisfying lunches.
The room was very spacious for the three of us (four would have been comfortable), and our daughter loved the bunk beds. Nicely decorated for adult tastes, but the animal and African theme was great for the kiddo.
If this had been a "typical" Disney vacation with us at parks each day, I probably would not recommend the extra expense of a deluxe resort. But this was money well spent with my being tied up in a conference for three full days and the ladies staying at the resort.
