Standard AKL or WL!!! ARGH! Can't Decide.

[tinagirl]

Ok, here's the spiel.
Pros & Cons: where would you stay? We would stay in a standard bunk room (requested, I know, not guaranteed - we will be bringing an aero bed in case) in either place, so the room won't change much, but what about the resort?
Pros:
AKL has a theme that we've never seen before
AKL has the Savannahs.
AKL has Boma, Jiko, & Mara
AKL has Pool overlooking the Savannah
AKL has close proximity to AK
Cons:
AKL has far proximity to amost everything else.
AKL does not have much in the way of amenities that WL does not have.

Pros:
WL has Boat Launch to MK
WL has close proximity to most things especially the Poly (Can you say Tonga Toast?)
WL has Boats for rent
WL has Pool with Waterfall (Does it have a slide?)
WL has Bikes to rent
WL is close to Fort Wilderness so the amenities there are available like Tennis, Petting zoo, and horses.
WL has traditional Christmas decore, which is important for when we go from the 14th to the 22nd.

Cons:
WL has a theme we have stayed at before (Grand Californian at the Disneyland Resort here in Anaheim is nearly the same - Granted, it is a bit different, but not by much).
WL has been known to have darker rooms
WL has buses that stop at other deluxes on the way to other parks.

We will be traveling with 2 22year olds, one 19 year old and one 15-16 year old (Age change during our stay). (I'm so nice to my dearest cousins) We will be there for 8 days. We are planning on spending at least one day at Downtown Disney doing Disney Quest & La Nouba, and we will most likely take one evening after parks close to go to Fantasia Gardens, so ease of transport to the Swan is important. We will most likely spend one day at each park, then take the DQ/DD day, then maybe half a day at a water park if weather permits, following with hopefully tennis, and bikes or boats, then hitting our favorites again for the rest of our stay.

Are there any pros or cons I am missing?

I need to be decided by Sunday for AP rates.

Any help would be welcome. I'm really pulling my hair out, because 2 of us want AKL and 2 want WL (I'm leaning toward WL). I'm just trying to make the right choice. And don't have much time to do it.

Thanks Bunches
~Tina

 

[Gary M]

The WL pool does have a slide. We have stayed at both places, more than once. We feel more comfortable at the WL, but the AKL is also very nice. It's just a matter of what theme you want.

 

[tinagirl]

I also had a question.

If you get a "Deluxe room" (i.e. Junior Suite) at WL does it have a higher occupancy?

Meaning:
We will have 3 adults, so we will be paying an extra $25 per night, bumping us up to about $145 per night plus tax at WL OR AKL, but if a Deluxe room costs close to $145 per night, and doesn't have an extra charge, then we may do that. (of course, this may just be wishful thinking.)

I was also wondering if any MODs had a suite with at least 3 sleeping zones (i.e. 3 beds, 2 beds and a daybed, anything like that) which would be less than $145.
We don't think we could all cram into one Mod Room, and can't afford 2 mod rooms ($170pn), but a suite or "deluxe room" at a mod, may be ok. I'm just unsure.

The rest of my family wants to avoid all stars like the plague, and they aren't fond of Fort Wilderness either, as we camp in similar cabins at Frasier Park, in California anyways. They want something more "comfortable".

Any other tips?
~Tina

 

[tinagirl]

I just found out that a "deluxe" at WL cost upwards of $300. Does anyone else have ideas for $150 pn or less? Or, at least more opinions on how folks found AKL & WL?

Please...
~Tina

 

[Tinkbell]

I've stayed at both WL and AKL. At the WL I had a woods view room. We could see the MK fireworks from the balcony but other than that, the view was no big deal. At AKL I had a standard view with an obstructed view of the animals. It was nice to see the animals from the balcony but I really enjoyed exploring the hotel and seeing which animals were out on the other svannas. There really is so much to see there. I loved both hotels. If someone offered me a chance to go back again today and I had to pick between the two, I would choose the AKL.

WL had the boat shuttle to MK, but you needed to take the bus everywhere else. You also had to share the bus with other resorts. When I stayed there a few years ago we had to share the bus with the Poly, GF and sometimes Fort Wilderness. Now, I think they only share with Fort Wilderness. The bus service at the AKL was top notch. Sometimes we were the only ones on the bus. We did not have to stop at other resorts and crowd into the bus. I did not feel far away from anything because the bus service was outstanding. We visited the MK resorts and used the monorail. I don't know if they are using less monorails these days , but we waited longer for the monorail than we did for any bus to or from the AKL. The longest ride you will have to a park is about 15 minutes to the MK, and it was probably a shorter ride than that.

If you get a standard AKL room you will be fine. There are so many nice places to see the animals at the resorts, some of them have comfy rocking chairs to sit in. So my vote goes for the AKL. You won't be disappointed.

 

[tinagirl]

Does anybody else by any chance have an opinion?

I promise that this will be the last time that I bump this...I don't want to take away front page board time, I'm just in really dire straights, and though I know that no one here will tell me what to do, I'm really asking what would YOU do?

Sorry for being obnoxious by bumping this...just ignore it if I'm being a pest.
~Tina

 

[Gillian]

AKL has dark furniture, and the lights are a little on the dim side, so you can cross darker rooms off your WL cons list

I think that since you've never stayed anywhere like the AKL, it would be great to try it. The bus service really is good, even though you aren't near much of anything.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[Tesabat]

It doesn't look like you have a lot of resort time planned, but yet want to do a lot when you ARE at a resort...and it sounds like doing a lot is actually activities!! (For me, resort times means actually lounging in comfy chairs gazing out at the view or relaxing by the pool!) So, I'm not sure if everyone in your party would consider visiting an overlook and talking to the guides about the animals an activity.

I love WL and am currently very psyched about going to AKL, but for your party - I think I'd give the edge to WL and then plan an evening or afternoon at AKL so that you can eat at Boma, visit the overlooks, see the animals, the lodge, etc.

OR, better yet, as you are staying for several days - why not split your stay?? That way everyone gets what they wished for. Good luck with your decision and have a great trip!

 

[Micca]

Those two resorts are very cool. I'd say if you really love exotic animals it's AKL. You won't go wrong at either place.

 

[caskar]

We stayed in both this summer. We loved AKL. WL was nice but something about it I didn't like as much as I thought I would. Maybe it was that we just got off the Disney Magic and nothing at WDW matches that IMO or it could be because we are from an area where there are trees and ponds. AKL was beautiful and we learned alittle about a different culture-maybe that was it.

Both resorts are beautiful. If you are going to spend a lot of days at MK then Wilderness lodge is close. We split our stay among 4 resorts for the purpose of convience to the parks. WL-MK, AKL-AK, Dolphin-Epcot&MGM, Contemporary-MK.

I think it is a win-win situation.