Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom Lodge

[RieandMatt]

Hey everyone!

Please help us decide. It will be my DH, our almost 2 year old DD, and me going Novemeber/December 2017. What are some pros and cons of each? Which would be the best for us? TIA

 

[Simba's Mom]

It used to be such a toss up for us until we went to Yellowstone (where the hotel that WL is themed after is). After that, we realized that seeing "the real" Wilderness Lodge (the Yellowstone Hotel, I think is the name) is within the realm of possibility for us, but we'll probably never see a real African Savannah. That's when we decided that Animal Kingdom Lodge would be our choice. We love it!

 

[Capang]

We stayed at WL last trip and are planning Akl this trip. For us, the pros at WL:

• Close to MK
• Great location to explore contemporary and fw
• Horseback riding for 4 yo at fw, as well as great playground at fw
• Nice, manageable pool with nice splash area for small children
• Whispering canyon was a fun place to eat
• Quiet resort
• Boat to MK and nearby resorts offer a relaxing alternative to buses
• Beautiful resort

Cons at WL:

• Buses were slow, however I think this is more hit and miss and likely to happen at any resort at any time depending on a variety of factors
• The counter service didn't have many choices. This seems to be the norm at deluxe resorts. I know CS and POR had more choice than WL when it came to counter service.

As for Akl I can let you know at the end of June! Happy planning!

 

[danikoski]

I've stayed at both...AKL Savannah view is amazing, and I've been to Africa on a safari, and it still was amazing to get up and drink coffee on the balcony and watch the animals. The biggest downside was getting to the parks. If you have a car, not too big of a deal, otherwise it's a bus, and the AKL busses serve both Kidani and Jambo House. It can feel like a very long bus ride, especially leaving MK after fireworks in the evening. That long drive (usually 20-30 minutes for all parks except ASK) can also make it harder to break in the afternoon. It can be done, but it feels like a lot of time on a bus. The hallways at AKL also can feel very long after a day at the parks, depending on where your room is. The resort, with the animals, though is amazing.
WL has the current downside of having construction, but that should be pretty much done by the time you go, except for the South Wing conversion to Disney Vacation Club. I found WL to be exceptionally relaxing. It was a great place to unwind after a day at the parks. Whispering Canyon and Territory Lounge were both excellent. Roaring Fork was great, except for being kind of small. The boat to MK was fantastic and we also took the monorail from Epcot, to TTC, then to either the CR or MK, then boat to WL. You also can take a boat to CAR then resort hopped to Poly and GF. It may not have the animals, but it has relaxation and convenience. It also is relatively small. It feels like home. I enjoyed AKL...I loved WL. So much so, I'm going back in February, even with construction going on.

 

[2girlsR2good]

So much depends on things we don't know--tell us a little more and you may get better help. How long are you going for? What parks are you going to see? What kind of room do you want? How much resort time do you plan to have vs. park time?

I have stayed at (and loved) both. The above list by @Capang is right on.

it still was amazing to get up and drink coffee on the balcony and watch the animals.

THIS! It is amazing. I can't imagine staying at AKL and not getting a Savannah View room. Frankly, if the cost is prohibitive and you're going with a standard view, I'd stay at WL.
Because....

If you have a car, not too big of a deal

This is also true. At AKL, you are "away" from the rest of the world. If you are there for a week and plan to spend most of the day/night at the parks, then you will spend a lot of time traveling. A car will help a lot, for time savings and, if you're like us, time in your van feels like downtime while time waiting for and riding a Disney bus does not.

We loved AKL when we stayed there. We had an extended family group and had a two bedroom villa with a full kitchen. We stayed 2 nights, and were onsite for for nearly 3 full days. Only spent one day at AK, but that was not even a full day and really explored the resort. We talked with a number of the hosts from different countries, explored the art exhibits in both buildings, sat on our balcony watching the giraffes, etc. The kids swam, I used the health club, and we even cooked dinner in our room one night--not so much to save $$ (although we did, and that is always a good thing) but because the 12-year old cousins preparing food for everyone "all by ourselves," they said and all of us sitting around the table playing cards while the animals came and went was restorative and bonding. We ate at Boma--delicious and fun, also noisy and chaotic.

I brought easy to fix breakfast stuff and on the last day we stayed there until the last minute, enjoying our view and just relaxing.

When we've stayed at WL, it's been a different kind of vacation. Just about every day is a park day and we enjoy the variety of transportation--boat, bus, and sometimes monorail (you can take a boat to MK, then hop on monorail to get to Epcot. The bus to Epcot is faster, but sometimes speed isn't the goal....) At WL, you are a quick trip to a variety of options --you can rent a surry and go exploring, we've boated on the lake, campfire at the campground is fun, easy to get to Poly for dinner, even if it is just to try their quick service.

We don't do split stays, but I can see that working for you if you're so inclined and you're there for a week or so. 2 nights at ALK, rest at WL.

 

[mickeynut1]

We've stayed at both and love both for different reasons. Both resorts have beautiful atmospheres, nice pools, and great CS/TS options. The WL is gorgeous during the holidays, but AKL is very nicely decorated as well. AKL is out away from everything, but we found the transportation to be great. The buses only service AKL and Kidani, so there's no sharing with any other resort(s). In our experience, it didn't take more than maybe 5 extra minutes (compared to other resorts) to get to any theme park, water park, or DTD. With that said, if you will be spending a lot of time at MK, WL might be the best choice as you have the boat to MK, as well as a direct bus with no stops. I don't think you can go wrong with either one as they are both awesome resorts. Good luck and happy planning .