Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom Lodge

[debbs0723]

Hi. We have booked from Nov 30-Dec 7 '08. After much debating we decided to splurge and stay in a deluxe. I have two girls 4 and 7.

We are now booked in the wilderness lodge. Everyone keeps telling me that is the place to stay for christmas. I'm wondering after seeing some of the AKL pictures if maybe my kids would like that better. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Debbie

 

[Aliceacc]

The AP at my school RAVED about the Wilderness Lodge last year!! His 2 kids are about the same ages as yours.

I say keep your reservations!

 

[Sysyphus]

You wouldn't really go too far wrong either way, but I'd advise you stick with your WL reservations because it is so much more convenient for MK, which I assume will be your main park priority with two little ones... save AKL for when they are a bit older... there are some fabulous activities at AKL for older kids

 

[PrincessBride07]

I love the WL. I have never stayed at AKL, but been there many times. Really you can't go wrong with either. Personally, I like WL better. One big reason is how close it is to the parks. AKL seems so far away from everything, with exception to AK. So unless your kids really want to see those animals, I would stay where you are at.

 

[simonkodousek]

Christmas at the Wilderness Lodge is so nice! It is also more convenient to the Magic Kingdom.

 

[Samsma]

Stay with the WL! At Christmas it will be wonderful. AKL is great too, but a little removed from everything.

 

[Kimberle]

I have stayed at both. They are both wonderful. With young girls, if you're planning on spending most of your time at MK, then WL is the place to be as it is much closer. It's also very easy to get to Chef Mickeys and the monorail. (I know my dd loved just riding the monorail just for fun at that age.) The boats are cool.

ALK is also wonderful. Beware, there is construction going on for at least another year. We didn't have a problem, but others have reported it did interfer with their view of animals. AKL takes a bit more planning, especially food wise. There are only 2 sit down resturants and neither is open for lunch. They are both very popular so you won't get in without an ADR. If you stay club level, you can book the wonderful Sunrise Safari (extra charge).

 

[katieandemismom]

We've stayed at both (neither one during the holidays though). Personally, I preferred the AKL theming to WL. It seemed richer somehow, and the halls at WL seemed older to me - worn and dated perhaps? WL rooms had been refurbished recently and were nice but not so much our style. That said, dh prefers WL b/c it is closer to MK and the monorail. He also LOVED the boats to CR and MK.

So.... for us, AKL was a better actual resort experience while WL offered convenience. I think you will be happy with either one!

Sarah

PS - Keep in mind we live in rural Ohio surrounded by trees and woods so that may have played a part as well.

 

[LilGMom]

Both are really great and you can't go wrong with either. But the WL is sooooo pretty during Christmas and added convenience of the boat ride to the MK is a plus with two young children, especially if you plan to do the MMVMCP.

 

[sherry8253]

These are my 2 favorite resorts. WL is a boat ride away from MK. You can also watch the light parade on the beach. But the AKL has animals. I loved being able to sit on the balcony and watch the animals in the morning and evening. They also have some great kids activities at AKL - like cookie decorating and story telling by the fire pit in the eve). It is a hard decision. Are you going to have a car? If not, I probably would go with the WL.

 

[septbaby]

Had the same dilemma. Canceled WL and we booked for AKL.

Roaring Forks menu doesn't appeal to me for CS it is very small too
Mara will suit us much better and has a more interesting menu
(pizza, etc. but also fried shrimp, Boma soups, etc.)
We would not eat at WCC or Artist Point
We will definitely eat at Boma, might try Jiko

Pool at AKL is bigger and zero entry (some concern over finding a chair at WL, but I'd think that wouldn't be a factor when you go)
Playground is sand free (not sure about WL) so easy clean up...lol

Check the children's on site activities
- AKL has cookie baking, evening drum parade, pool side activities, etc.
- Storytelling around the fire pit
- Animal viewing

Buses are dedicated so no stops at other resorts so transportation should be either a wash or easier. We did use the bus from AKL to Epcot after dinner on our last trip, very quick (actually missed a bus waiting for my mother) and next bus didn't take too long to arrive.

We did take the launch from the Contemporary to WL and spent an afternoon there (rain showers) we had a good time exploring the lobby and game room.

We booked a pool view AKL room. Would have gone that route or standard at WL.

 

[mslclark]

Our preference is AKL. We like the food court offerings better there. I prefer AKL's pool over WL as well, it didn't seem as crowded to me. I love the gift shop at AKL. But, WL has more transportation options and is closer to the parks. If you're planning on spending a lot of time at MK you might be happier at WL. It's about a 20 minute bus ride from AKL to MK.

 

[wilda]

We chose AKL over WL because of theming. We are from New England and wanted something different (even though the theming is Pacific northwest).

 

[DisneyWorldOct08]

WL is a lot closer to MK which as others have said, is good with little girls. AKL is nice but a bit further away from things. They are both nice though!

 

[DW mouser]

We have stayed at both, AKL at Christmas. This year we are doing our second stay at WL. There are 6 in our party and while I couldn't decide, everyone else wanted WL. That was everyone's favorite between WL, Poly, AKL, and Port Orleans. I voted to try a different one completely but we don't care for GF and we wanted to be close to MK and the monorail. At WL you can take a short boat ride to MK or Contempory for the monorail. You have to do Chef Mickey's with kids and it is hard to get any ADR's if you don't get them far out. I tried 3 months out for out upcoming vacation and finally got a 4pm for dinner. That's much too early but I've called 12 times and got that one on my 5th call. Looks like that will be it unless I get a last minute cancellation! I'm still going to try all this week!!

 

[loafskier]

Those are the two we have stayed at and we thoroughly enjoyed both. The rooms and amenities are similar but (obviously) the theming is very different. I would say stay at WL and save AKL for next time (because there always is a next time after your first trip ). Both have pluses and minuses over each other, so I would put them equal but different.

We found AKL a little quieter, especially the pool area, and it has a more to explore. Although a little far from many parks, the bus service was exceptional. Boma was one of the best buffets at DW in my opinion, we didn't try Jiko.

WL had the boats for MK, a big plus, and the geyser, but the pool was WAY more crowded. Artist Point was very nice and good food, I found WCC to have decent food but was way to crowded and noisy and the antics were not as fun for us or the kids as we had hoped.

I am glad we had a chance to experience both.

 

[MommyBuzz909]

I would choose WL - it's closer to everything...........if that's what you want anyways

 

[MainStreetFireman]

Out of the deluxes we haven't tried yet, these are the two that intrigue us the most from what we have read and seen on visits. WL got the slight edge because of the proximity to MK, so we booked there for this trip. We think it would be unique to have a view of the animals from our balcony, so will hopefully book AKL savannah next trip.

 

[Biggreen19]

I don't think you can go wrong with either resort - although I think that WL transportation is a little lacking. Buses are shared with other resorts, and the boat ride to Magic Kingdom goes from WL to Fort Wilderness, then over to Magic Kingdom, making the boat ride closer to 30 minutes, at least that was our experience. AKL just has buses, but they are dedicated, not shared with other resorts.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Both resorts are nice, and actually very similar. So I think I would go for WL just because your kids are the perfect age for MK and you'd just be a boat ride away. AKL is great, but the long bus ride was hard on our kids. I just feel closer to things when I'm at WL.

Another determining factor would be the view categories that are available. At AKL I would want Savannah view, but at WL I would want Woods view because I think Courtyard view is too expensive for what you get. For the price of Courtyard view you could get standard view at an Epcot resort for about the same cost.