I'm going a little against the general consensus on this. Since you already have other trips planned for the MK and Epcot areas, I would go with AKL. Club level at AKL is my favorite, the entire feeling of the resort is so relaxed and peaceful. The addition of club level benefits for the same price as GF would also be a nice bonus. I guess it just depends on what you're looking for in an anniversary trip...if you're looking for a park-heavy trip, then the perks of club level wouldn't be as important. AKL's pool is gorgeous, and I like the feeling in the club level lounge as well as both hotel lounges. We've taken drinks and coffee from the lounge and relaxed on our balcony. We've also just relaxed at the firepit in the lobby or savanna overlooks.
To me, AKL only seems far from MK. It is really not noticeably further from the other three parks, but then again, the buses don't bother me. I found myself more annoyed with being crammed into the resort monorail on our GF stay. We also have no issue ubering if the bus stop looks crowded, or if we're going to another resort for dinner, etc. Again, it depends what kind of trip you're planning...lots of parks, more resort time? We actually spend most of our time at Animal Kingdom and Epcot instead of MK, so the distance doesn't bother us.
BWI was very convenient to Epcot and had some fun nightlife, but the hotel itself was my least favorite of your three choices. I think it was just a personal preference on theming, there were no glaring issues or anything. We stayed CL at both, and I think I had too high of expectations for BWI CL after all the adoration on these boards haha. The Grand Floridian is beautiful, no doubt, but for some reason to me it seemed SO much busier and wasn't as relaxing for us. We stayed in mid-late November, and maybe it was more crowded than normal due to people checking out the beautiful Christmas decor? The overall vibe of AKL is just more our speed, again, just personal preference.
There are multiple posts in the CL thread showing the food offerings in the lounge, as well as a few recent vlogs on
youtube. Depending on the timing, you can enjoy the lounge and amenities prior to actual check-in time and until midnight on checkout day. We've used this when we've had a flight after checkout time. There is really not a bad choice in the bunch, I just think it depends on your personal preference. AKL was our first deluxe stay, and we ended up buying a DVC contract there. We've tried every other deluxe, and they all have their unique perks, but AKL feels like home to us. I'm sure anything you choose will be a wonderful trip, happy anniversary!!
for an adults only trip.
