If things work out, our family and another family will be at WDW this summer. We have stayed at WL and really love the place, but our friends haven't been to WDW since EPCOT opened. Since I frequent these boards and that I am a certifiable Disney nut, I am doing the planning. Our friends mentioned that they like animals, so I thought AKL would be neat but what are the other advantages or disadvantages to AKL over WL?
Pros of AKL over WL?????
- Thread starter Ratpack
- Start date
I have stayed at AKL but not WL yet, but here's my list of pros and cons:
AKL Pros:
*VERY unique theming - something I personally think everyone should experience once.
*Savannah views are incredible. When we stayed there, the first night, there was a giraffe feeding so close to our balcony it was literally breathtaking
*It's a fun resort to just stay and do resort things. You can check out all the animals, the guides are extremely knowledgable.
*The pool is a perfect fit as "The Oasis" - it's a simple pool, with a simple slide. Perfect. There is also a hot tub or two and a playground for the kids
*The food! Boma is fantastic. We weren't impressed with Mara's selections and have yet to try Jiko. But in general, people are impressed with the food.
*Rooms - you can get bunkbeds here, which you can't at many other Deluxes, although you can get them at WL.
AKL Cons:
*Location. Some feel it's too far away from the action. But keep in mind that AKL has direct busses and doesn't share with other resorts. I think reports have MK being the longest bus ride at 15 minutes, which isn't much faster than driving a car anyway.
*Pool - some people feel the pool isn't jazzy enough, the slide not exciting enough. Again, my opinion is that it fits the Oasis theme and to make it another SAB would be out of place.
*Rooms - some people think the decor is too dark and there isn't enough lighting. I would reply again, that it's theme. African woods and colors are traditionally dark. Frankly, I don't need to apply makeup when I am on vacation - I am not here to snag a mate - as long as I can see towash my face and brush my teeth I am not going to complain.
*Room related - some people also claim the soundproofing is not good. After reading these boards, I have seem someone complain about the soudnproofing at every Disney resort. It's not something that affected me and not something I personally will obsess about until it becomes a problem. This was mostly in regard to noisy neighbors and the turbo toilets.
WL Pros - remember from someone who has yet to stay there
*Theme - I love the log cabin look. But I love AKL better - just different. I do plan to stay at VWL at sometime.
*Location - that boat to MK is pretty convenient
*Food - I understand that Roaring Forks is a much better counter service place than Mara
WL Cons - again, just my perceptions
*Transportation - I understand the bus system has improved but it won't be direct to parks, you still share busses with other resorts which means more stops before the final destination.
Hopefully my AKL experience is helpful and as I said, my WL lists are perceptions only so they can be taken with a grain of salt if need be.
AKL Pros:
*VERY unique theming - something I personally think everyone should experience once.
*Savannah views are incredible. When we stayed there, the first night, there was a giraffe feeding so close to our balcony it was literally breathtaking
*It's a fun resort to just stay and do resort things. You can check out all the animals, the guides are extremely knowledgable.
*The pool is a perfect fit as "The Oasis" - it's a simple pool, with a simple slide. Perfect. There is also a hot tub or two and a playground for the kids
*The food! Boma is fantastic. We weren't impressed with Mara's selections and have yet to try Jiko. But in general, people are impressed with the food.
*Rooms - you can get bunkbeds here, which you can't at many other Deluxes, although you can get them at WL.
AKL Cons:
*Location. Some feel it's too far away from the action. But keep in mind that AKL has direct busses and doesn't share with other resorts. I think reports have MK being the longest bus ride at 15 minutes, which isn't much faster than driving a car anyway.
*Pool - some people feel the pool isn't jazzy enough, the slide not exciting enough. Again, my opinion is that it fits the Oasis theme and to make it another SAB would be out of place.
*Rooms - some people think the decor is too dark and there isn't enough lighting. I would reply again, that it's theme. African woods and colors are traditionally dark. Frankly, I don't need to apply makeup when I am on vacation - I am not here to snag a mate - as long as I can see towash my face and brush my teeth I am not going to complain.
*Room related - some people also claim the soundproofing is not good. After reading these boards, I have seem someone complain about the soudnproofing at every Disney resort. It's not something that affected me and not something I personally will obsess about until it becomes a problem. This was mostly in regard to noisy neighbors and the turbo toilets.
WL Pros - remember from someone who has yet to stay there
*Theme - I love the log cabin look. But I love AKL better - just different. I do plan to stay at VWL at sometime.
*Location - that boat to MK is pretty convenient
*Food - I understand that Roaring Forks is a much better counter service place than Mara
WL Cons - again, just my perceptions
*Transportation - I understand the bus system has improved but it won't be direct to parks, you still share busses with other resorts which means more stops before the final destination.
Hopefully my AKL experience is helpful and as I said, my WL lists are perceptions only so they can be taken with a grain of salt if need be.
I have stayed at both the WL (courtyard View) and AKL (Deluxe Savannah view). I think all around the WL is a better resort. Best WDW pool (IMO), best themeing, better location, better food, and friendlier staff. Having said that however, the views of the Savannah from your room are amazing, and something very unique which alone may make the AKL a better choice for many. I still enjoy the views of the lake from the WL better though. The food at the AKL was very dissapointing to me after all the positive reviews I heard. I had a couple of unpleasant encounters with the staff which I have never experienced anywhere at WDW before, and the location is very remote and not very many places to escape the heat. I would say that if you are a regular WDW guest, then you MUST experience the AKL at least once. Having been there once, I have no desire to return. BUT, if you are taking someone to WDW for the first time WL would be the best - you can always tour the AKL and still see the animals that way without staying there - you probably won't be in the room that much anyway to enjoy the savannah view from the room which in my opinion is the only perk of staying at AKL.
alyssa810
<font color=purple>It's much more fun on the boat<
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2001
- Messages
- 4,017
Having stayed at both resorts here's my take:
WL was our first time staying onsite; we had a courtyard view with on the first floor, which was a flight down from the lobby, and we could walk right out our patio to the pool. I thought the CM were very friendly and informative, and after hearing my BF and I had recently gotten engaged, we came back to our room to balloons, an autographed picture from Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and 2 mickey pretzel lollipops.
We did have a handicapped room, so it was just a shower and had one of those annoying slide doors, but we liked the room a lot. Our biggest complaint was about the transportion. The boat to MK was terrific, but we were very disappointed with the bus transportation. So much so that we decided to never be without a car on site again.
At AKL, we booked a standard room and were upgraded to a pool view, which was awesome. The CM who checked us in didn't seem "Disney-cheery" but the CM who brought up our luggage was awesome, pointing out the AKL channel on the tv and some other points of interest around the resort. Since we had our own car, we had no problems getting around the World. We also saw lots of animals, and had pleasant interactions with one of the CMs on the Savannah.
I think that you'll probably get a better rate at AKL than WL too, if that's a factor. We only ate at the cafs, and we had breakfast at the whispering canyon once, so I can't really help out on the nicer restaurants. Since the layouts of the two are somewhat similar, I think the theming was awesome at both...I would suggest a car though, no matter where you stay!!
Have fun!!
WL was our first time staying onsite; we had a courtyard view with on the first floor, which was a flight down from the lobby, and we could walk right out our patio to the pool. I thought the CM were very friendly and informative, and after hearing my BF and I had recently gotten engaged, we came back to our room to balloons, an autographed picture from Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and 2 mickey pretzel lollipops.
We did have a handicapped room, so it was just a shower and had one of those annoying slide doors, but we liked the room a lot. Our biggest complaint was about the transportion. The boat to MK was terrific, but we were very disappointed with the bus transportation. So much so that we decided to never be without a car on site again.
At AKL, we booked a standard room and were upgraded to a pool view, which was awesome. The CM who checked us in didn't seem "Disney-cheery" but the CM who brought up our luggage was awesome, pointing out the AKL channel on the tv and some other points of interest around the resort. Since we had our own car, we had no problems getting around the World. We also saw lots of animals, and had pleasant interactions with one of the CMs on the Savannah.
I think that you'll probably get a better rate at AKL than WL too, if that's a factor. We only ate at the cafs, and we had breakfast at the whispering canyon once, so I can't really help out on the nicer restaurants. Since the layouts of the two are somewhat similar, I think the theming was awesome at both...I would suggest a car though, no matter where you stay!!
Have fun!!
MinnieGi
DVC/BWV
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2001
- Messages
- 4,264
We've stayed at both AKL and WL and our opinion is hands down AKL won our heart!!!!!! Now WL is very nice too, its just that we liked the hotel layout, cm's, restaurants, pool, and savannah theme better at AKL.
Of course everybody has their own opinions, but ours is AKL!
We've stayed in a courtyard WL room and pool view AKL room and would still choose to visit AKL again over WL.
This is what we found:
During our visit AKL cm's much friendlier than WL staff from front desk to housekeeping and restaurants.
We liked the layout of AKL over WL. The AKL restaurants are located on a different floor than the lobby, this cuts noise and traffic out of AKL lobby. The hotel rooms are layed out in a curved fashion with elevators not a too far distance from any rooms.
Pools: AKL pool is zero-entry and very large. It also contains two spa pools. The landscaping is very lush in the pool area and just beautiful to look at. AKL has a cute playground area close to the pool. WL's playground is small and furthur away near the beach. AKL has a big pool bar area with lots of seats and tables overlooking the pool area. Both hotels have toddler pools. The geyser is really cool at WL, but the pool and pool area are smaller.
AKL of course has the savannah areas to look at. They were very cool to see. All around the hotel are observation areas and even out by the pool area you can walk to animal viewing areas. All the animal cm's guides were very nice and genuine about answering your questions.
Transportation: The AKL does not share any buses with another hotel. This was a big plus. When we stayed at WL we had to go pick up another hotel too and sometimes a third. While the trek to MK is the longest from AKL, the trek from WL is longer to AK b/c they have to pick up another hotel. AKL is also fairly close to Epcot and MGM and Blizzard Beach.
Restaurants: While we really liked our visit to AP at WL, we did not care that much for WCC. Roaring Forks, WL's counter service area is very small in comparison to AKL's The Mara. The actual quality of food we found the same at the counter service places, but liked the room of Mara better. AKL's Boma is very good and we loved sampling so many different varieties of food. We did not get a chance to eat at Jiko, but their menu looked wonderful and I've heard great things about it.
Lobbies: Both lobbies are beautiful and both should be seen.
Rooms: We preferred our AKL room decor over WL, just personal opinion here. The rooms was much lighter than we had "heard" from the boards. The second dresser in the AKL rooms is bigger, which was very nice. More surface area on top of it for snacks etc.
Now we did enjoy the boat ride to MK from WL, but overall we liked everything at AKL better.
Gi
Of course everybody has their own opinions, but ours is AKL!
We've stayed in a courtyard WL room and pool view AKL room and would still choose to visit AKL again over WL.
This is what we found:
During our visit AKL cm's much friendlier than WL staff from front desk to housekeeping and restaurants.
We liked the layout of AKL over WL. The AKL restaurants are located on a different floor than the lobby, this cuts noise and traffic out of AKL lobby. The hotel rooms are layed out in a curved fashion with elevators not a too far distance from any rooms.
Pools: AKL pool is zero-entry and very large. It also contains two spa pools. The landscaping is very lush in the pool area and just beautiful to look at. AKL has a cute playground area close to the pool. WL's playground is small and furthur away near the beach. AKL has a big pool bar area with lots of seats and tables overlooking the pool area. Both hotels have toddler pools. The geyser is really cool at WL, but the pool and pool area are smaller.
AKL of course has the savannah areas to look at. They were very cool to see. All around the hotel are observation areas and even out by the pool area you can walk to animal viewing areas. All the animal cm's guides were very nice and genuine about answering your questions.
Transportation: The AKL does not share any buses with another hotel. This was a big plus. When we stayed at WL we had to go pick up another hotel too and sometimes a third. While the trek to MK is the longest from AKL, the trek from WL is longer to AK b/c they have to pick up another hotel. AKL is also fairly close to Epcot and MGM and Blizzard Beach.
Restaurants: While we really liked our visit to AP at WL, we did not care that much for WCC. Roaring Forks, WL's counter service area is very small in comparison to AKL's The Mara. The actual quality of food we found the same at the counter service places, but liked the room of Mara better. AKL's Boma is very good and we loved sampling so many different varieties of food. We did not get a chance to eat at Jiko, but their menu looked wonderful and I've heard great things about it.
Lobbies: Both lobbies are beautiful and both should be seen.
Rooms: We preferred our AKL room decor over WL, just personal opinion here. The rooms was much lighter than we had "heard" from the boards. The second dresser in the AKL rooms is bigger, which was very nice. More surface area on top of it for snacks etc.
Now we did enjoy the boat ride to MK from WL, but overall we liked everything at AKL better.
Gi
kerrynic78
New mom to sweet baby Audrey!
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2001
- Messages
- 1,406
In May we split our stay between AKL and WL, 4 nights each. We stayed at AKL and when we got to WL, we wished that we had booked AKL for the entire trip. There is absolutely nothing wrong with WL but we much preferred AKL. We liked the pool much better at AKL, the restaurants (Boma is soooo good) and we felt that the CM's were so much more accomodating. We had a problem on our balcony at WL, there were spider eggs and spider's everywhere which is to be expected in Florida, but it was so bad that we couldn't even go out on the balcony because there were literally spiders everywhere. We called the front desk and were told to call Mousekeeping which we did. Nothing was ever done about it even though we made 2 phone calls and went down in person. It was such a beautiful view and we couldn't even enjoy it. All in all they are both beautiful resorts but I will be staying at AKL from now on, there is just something about it that makes me smile!!
Tiffany
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 17, 1999
- Messages
- 4,830
The animals, the atmosphare, the South African Wines, the staff. Sitting on your balcony watching zebra and wilderbeast(sp?) walk by
Did I say the animals? We have never stayed at the WL even though we have visited it often and think it might be a nice place to try for an Xmas visit but we just love the AKL.
AKL all the way I just can't imagine staying at the WL in the summertime, it was great this past winter (I just feel like it's a wintertime resort). They are both great resorts so you really can't go wrong. We enjoyed our stay at the WL it's just that we fell in love with the AKL. The room decor blows away the WL (the walls are to white for me ). I have a toddler and the zero-entry pool is awesome. I much prefer Boma's to WCC and Mara is the best counter service restaurant that we have tried. I think I just prefer the overall theme to the AKL. I enjoy listening to the African music and where else in America can you look out you balcony and see an African savannah?
I just can't imagine staying at the WL in the summertime, it was great this past winter (I just feel like it's a wintertime resort). They are both great resorts so you really can't go wrong. We enjoyed our stay at the WL it's just that we fell in love with the AKL. The room decor blows away the WL (the walls are to white for me ). I have a toddler and the zero-entry pool is awesome. I much prefer Boma's to WCC and Mara is the best counter service restaurant that we have tried. I think I just prefer the overall theme to the AKL. I enjoy listening to the African music and where else in America can you look out you balcony and see an African savannah?Thanks everyone for all the info supporting AKL. Now my only concern is that it appears everyone is referring to savanah views by seeing animals from there rooms. The only room that we will be able to get is standard unless we are upgraded. Is it still worth it?
Even in a standard view, I think AKL is worth the trip. Yeah, you won't be able to see animals from your room, but there are PLENTY of public viewing places in all parts of the resort. And while a savannah view is a wonderful experience, it isn't key to enjoying AKL, although since my stay in a savannah view, I know I won't be staying anywhere else at AKL. Have fun.
MinnieGi
DVC/BWV
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2001
- Messages
- 4,264
We didn't have a savannah view room at AKL and I would still give the thumbs up over WL. We booked a standard and were upgraded to a magnificent pool view room. If they have room they seem to upgrade at AKL more than other hotels. Even in a standard view room the ambiance of the hotel is sooo worth a stay. There are lots of observation areas around the hotel to view animals.
Tiffany
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 17, 1999
- Messages
- 4,830
For me the answer to this question would depend on the price that you can get for a standard view room at the AKL. I have seen posts with people paying $160 a night for a standard view room and I would not pay that much. Sometimes the standard view rooms can go for as low as $109 or $119 a night plus tax. This is an amount that I would consider but not much higher.
tripplanner
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2001
- Messages
- 533
I've stayed at both resorts and love them both. I think AKL is the better resort - friendlier staff, excellant atmosphere, love the rooms, not really fond of Boma except for bkfast, Mara was good. However, I would only stay there if I could stay in a savannah room. There is just no way to describe the experience. I was simply amazed at the animals especially the giraffes. We could actually hear the sounds of them crunching on the leaves as they ate. The WL is a great resort no matter the view. I prefer woods view, but when money is tight standard doesn't really detract from the whole resort experience.
-
Tiana's Bayou Adventure Accessibility Review in Walt Disney World
-
Walt Disney World Reveals Flavors of Florida Menu for Disney Springs Restaurants
-
Disneyland's New Buffalo Chicken Beignet Slider
-
Cute & Colorful Merchandise in the Norway Pavilion at EPCOT
-
Get the New Limited-Time Cupcake in Disney Springs
-
Disney PhotoPass Announces the Return of Borders & Stickers
-
Reservations Now Open for Bourbon Steak Opening at Walt Disney World Dolphin
Save Up to 30% on Rooms at Walt Disney World!
Save up to 30% on rooms at select Disney Resorts Collection hotels when you stay 5 consecutive nights or longer in late summer and early fall. Plus, enjoy other savings for shorter stays.This offer is valid for stays most nights from August 1 to October 11, 2025.
CLICK HERE
