Wilderness lodge or animal kingdom lodge???

[foreverdreams]

So we plan to book tomorrow evening but can't decide between wl or akl
Both look lovely. We r going for 14 nights and will be myself my husband and our 6 yr old son & our 4 yr old daughter
Any1 been to both or been to either and loved or disliked anything snouts either resort?

 

[OKW Lover]

I love questions with no wrong answers!!!

I'd give the edge to AKL for the novelty of being able to see exotic animals outside your balcony (assuming you get a savannah view room) at any time of the day.

 

[Elise79]

I would pick WL for the boat to MK plus we just prefer it.

 

[OLIVIA'S DADDY]

Both are amazing, big beautiful lobbies, great places to eat, great views. The wilderness lodge is closer to the MK, so that is a plus, and it has a great quick service restaurant for sandwiches, also a plus. The pool is also great, and taking the boat to MK is always fun. AKL is also great, great pool as well. AKL also has all the animals in the savannahs which are beautiful. The place smells amazing and the lobby is just unbelievable at Christmastime, just like WL. The only slight drawback to AKL is the buses and the location so far from the parks. Other than that you can't go wrong with either one, and, as I type this we are currently 14 days away form 11 days at AKL-Kidani and I can't wait! Been way to stressful these last few months. Goodluck and have fun.

 

[RDawn]

We stayed at WL Villas last year & LOVED it. DD8 & DS6 walked across the bridge over the spring in the lobby every time we went past. The spring in the lobby looks like it travels outside & down a waterfall into the pool. There is a geyser out back & you can see the electric water pageant from the beach. The water taxi to MK is a beautiful little adventure.

 

[pieface]

They are both great resorts I think A.K. is a bit cheaper to stay at standard room. There are all kinds of places to watch the animals. I believe the rests are better than W.L. the fast food rest I feel is much better at A.K. good selection. The pool A.K. is big you can sit by the fire pit and just chill and they have a lot of activities for kids. My vote A.K.

 

[staceycanada]

My vote is ALK because you have BOMA right there. Also you can go and watch the animals (even if you don't get savannah room) from the viewing platforms.

However I don't really think you can lose either way.

 

[crabbie1]

Stayed at AKL twice(kidani) and this year WLV which Im probably bias to ad we are dvc members there. Love the location fantastic pool for the kids beach area outdoor movies games etc. just wowed us. Akl is also lovely and def if you have the savannah view. Hard decision but WL is my vote.

 

[Linda67]

I agree with the others, you can't really go wrong either way, they are both beautiful resorts

We prefer WL, mainly because of the boat to MK and the fact that you can hire bikes and boats to explore around the resort

Also, I like to go for a run early in the mornings (mad I know!) and you can't really do that at AKL whereas WL is perfect

 

[wayneg]

Stayed at AKL but we were upgraded to Savannah view, we were discussing it last night about booking again for this August decided against it as the savannah view was too expensive and wouldn't want to stay in a standard room.
Don't know much about WL, been in a few times and looks lovely but I would have to say AKL with savannah view.

 

[foreverdreams]

Thanks for all the replies think we will have to randomly pick one. May 2014 can't come quick enough I spend all day thinking of disney lol xx

 

[clareyfairymouse]

What a good dilemma to be in as these are both beautiful resorts!
I've stayed at both: Seeing the animals close up at AKL is brilliant but you have to be there at the right time to see them.
WL is beautiful and the boat access to the MK is brilliant. The river pageant is great from the beach too.

 

[MrRomance]

So we plan to book tomorrow evening but can't decide between wl or akl
Both look lovely. We r going for 14 nights and will be myself my husband and our 6 yr old son & our 4 yr old daughter
Any1 been to both or been to either and loved or disliked anything snouts either resort?

For novelty value (seeing the animals) you have to go with AKL, but for beauty and convenience you have to go with WL. It's really a personal preference but if I had to make that decision personally and the price wasn't a factor, I'd go with WL mainly because I'm not a fan of the restaurants at AKL and WL has better transportation to MK.

 

[mackay_j]

both are good. Main things I would take into consideration are

1. time of year- In the summer we found AK to have more of an issue with bugs about.

2. the AKL has a better splash zone for kids (completely diff to the AK hotel pool and much much better for children.- but may be more suited to your younger one - My nephews liked it ages 5 and 3.

3. Food - AKL food - although our one of our fav places to eat there may not be as much choice for younger kids unless they eat the usual childrens stuff ~(ours never really took to kiddy food and always shared an adult meal between them, they fortunately loved to try new things ).

4. WL is easier from most parks (MK, HS and EP) to get back to either late in the day with tired young ones or for a break from the heat. AKL easier for AK and water parks.

 

[queendisney]

we loved WL..food court not too good but its got great pools, plus the boat to MK and you can walk to the camp grounds. We also loved watching the water pagent from our balcony. Its just more central for most parks. AKL is very beautiful too and has a better cs restaurant. I'd go for WL..

 

[Lucys dad]

I have never stayed at AKL but have been there to eat ( Jikos is superb ) on a few occassions and also meet up with friends who were staying there. I was staying at WL at the time and loved it so that would be my choice. The boat across to MK is a massive perk. Also, the boat across to the Contemporary opens up the monorail. That said, if your kids are really into Animals then maybe AKL would be a good choice.

Interestingly, when our friends staying at AKL came across to visit us at WL they were very impressed and said they would probably book WL the next time. They felt WL had a much more relaxed feel to it which is something I agree with.

 

[MrsTigger]

We stayed at Akl on our last trip and dined at WL one evening both are lovely hotels WL is great for being so close to Mk but I think I would go for AKL. We stayed in a standard room but it was lovely to have a walk around in the morning and evening to see the animal, restaurants were great and the hotel just had lovely vibe

 

[sammie1884]

We have stayed at AKL before, we loved it! Stayed in a savannah view room which was awesome. If we were going to stay there again I would want a Savannah view room. I love AKL and would stay there again in a heartbeat.

 

[disneyholic family]

everyone is going to have their preference..
both are beautiful hotels..
we prefer the wilderness lodge, just because we do..
not because it's better or worse, just because we prefer the decor....
and we like taking the boat over to the magic kingdom..
but even without the boat, i would prefer WL for the decor....
but you can't make a wrong decision...they're both very nice..

and if you're going concierge, they're both nice as well...