We have stayed at both with 3 ds. At the akl we did have a bad experience and we wont go back there but I do think you would definetely enjoy it. Its more geared to kids and the animal views are great. There werent alot of kids activities when we were there but I see that has improved alot. The gift shop is great and so is the lobby, pool, on site child care and ease of snacks and mug refills. The bus was a long ride but think of it, that bus is usually dedicated just to the akl, so alot of times there were very few of us on the bus for mid day breaks etc. Our biggest problem at the akl was that we paid for a deluxe savannah view and our room was high up and we hardly ever saw any animals except when the feed truck came as a bribe for them and we usually saw animal butts, that was it, very disappointing when you bring binoculars, disposable cameras for each kid etc. Get a room on the lobby level. I saw that is where all the rooms were ooohhing and aahing each day, making our ds very disappointed.
Now for the swan, we stayed there is august. There is absolutely no disney theming in the place. Our teens didnt mind it, but little kids sure would I bet. It is definetely geared toward adults. Our ds loved the pool and sandy beach. I have commented that I did notice the lifeguard was not very attentive and was glad my guys are strong swimmers. No kids activities that were supervised but lots of play options, playground, beach volleyball, water slide etc. Also our biggest pain was the lack of a close snack and drink refil place. I made gatorade in the room alot. After a long day in the parks you dont want to hike over to the dolphin for a snack. But their transportation was definetely a plus to us as was the pool and also had access to watercraft rental etc.
With your kids being that little I would probably pick the akl if you are spending alot of time in the resorts. Good luck deciding. Also any dining option at the swan was a little overpriced in my opinion. We did get airline miles so that helped.
