Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom?

[ppony]

What kind of themeing would you and your kids prefer? North woods or Completely different continent?!?! We've stayed at both and loved AKL so much to end up buying DVC there. North woods theme is pretty commonplace where I live so while it's on a grand Disney scale, it's still, north woods resort feel. the African theme w/ the animals right outside of your window, along w/ the CMs at AKL who are all exotic and adding to the feel of the resort is awesome! All the cool and unusual activities they had for the kids as well as the story time, I have yet to participate in but look forward to w it as our home resort. AND Kidani's pool area ROCKS for kids! Areas for all ages of kids w/o them running on top of each other! My kids LOVED it best of any of the pools areas we've experienced. I wish it was easy to take photos of the area but it's so full or trees and foliage which is AWESOME for shade! LOVED the bar area too (spoken by a non-drinker)! the Now, if you have a car, location is really a non-issue. If you (generic you) visit all of the parks, then AKL isn't really any farther away from 3 of the 4 parks as WL is. What, we're talking a few minutes here? That's not what I'd base my stay experience on. But your length of stay adds a whole 'nuther quotient to the equation I can't exactly reason out. Why only 1 day?? Just as a place to cool your jets after the relaxing cruise? It's a great choice for that! It can be as relaxing or fun filled as you chose it to be.
In the end though, we don't plan on staying at WL ever again. Just didn't do anything for us, and the other resort was SO much more exciting! The ghost ants in our room at WL were just the icing on the cake. Though I know that stuff happens everywhere on property, it was just more of a "sign" for us than anything.

I do suggest quickly looking at a WDW map. that should help. But remember, though something looks far on a map, it's really not. It's just a map of the property and a mile is actually pretty big on the map as opposed to a normal map. That was confusing to write. LOL

 

[Marthasor]

We stayed at AKL for four nights pre-cruise last May and loved it! I had always wanted to stay there, but never did because it really is off the beaten track and if you are going to do heavy park touring, it may not be he most convenient choice. We just wanted to hang out at a resort pre-cruise so AKL was a perfect choice for us! It is so relaxing, interesting and beautiful that I didn't feel the need to go anywhere else. If you intend to just stay one or two nights and not go to a park, I highly recommend AKL. We stayed at WL in August and I really wasn't that impressed. Certainly not as interesting or exciting as AKL in my opinion.

 

[pepe of ohio]

We've done both resorts...AKL, once and WL over 10 stays.....

Won't go back to AKL, didn't see the draw...food was not to our liking, neither was the layout of the resort....animals, very few.....granted the building is unique but that's it....also didn't like the long walks from the room to the lobby, pool and buses....amd only bus transportation...we like WL boat option and being able to catch the monorail from CR alot better.....

WL has all we need, better location, compact resort....easy to get to everything around the resort....boat or walk to FW, water activities, bikes and trails...monorail access thru CR, and then the other monorail resorts....bottom line is...location!

 

[BlovesC]

AKL hands down. I think WL has a gorgeous lobby and is amazing at Christmas, but oh how I detest the rooms! WL rooms look like they're from a motel 6 stuck in the 70s. AKL rooms also have dark wood furniture, but are much more beautifully decorated.

Food wise, it surely depends on your taste buds. I did not like WCC at all, but it gets a ton of love on these boards. I LOVE Boma and the Mara though!

I have to imagine the activities and animals at AKL present fantastic opportunities for kids, both for learning and cultural exposure. But honestly, they're both beloved resorts with pros and cons that depend on your own situation and interests. I'm sure you'll have a great vacation no matter which one you pick!

 

[TeamH5]

What kind of themeing would you and your kids prefer? North woods or Completely different continent?!?! We've stayed at both and loved AKL so much to end up buying DVC there. North woods theme is pretty commonplace where I live so while it's on a grand Disney scale, it's still, north woods resort feel. the African theme w/ the animals right outside of your window, along w/ the CMs at AKL who are all exotic and adding to the feel of the resort is awesome! All the cool and unusual activities they had for the kids as well as the story time, I have yet to participate in but look forward to w it as our home resort. AND Kidani's pool area ROCKS for kids! Areas for all ages of kids w/o them running on top of each other! My kids LOVED it best of any of the pools areas we've experienced. I wish it was easy to take photos of the area but it's so full or trees and foliage which is AWESOME for shade! LOVED the bar area too (spoken by a non-drinker)! the Now, if you have a car, location is really a non-issue. If you (generic you) visit all of the parks, then AKL isn't really any farther away from 3 of the 4 parks as WL is. What, we're talking a few minutes here? That's not what I'd base my stay experience on. But your length of stay adds a whole 'nuther quotient to the equation I can't exactly reason out. Why only 1 day?? Just as a place to cool your jets after the relaxing cruise? It's a great choice for that! It can be as relaxing or fun filled as you chose it to be.
In the end though, we don't plan on staying at WL ever again. Just didn't do anything for us, and the other resort was SO much more exciting! The ghost ants in our room at WL were just the icing on the cake. Though I know that stuff happens everywhere on property, it was just more of a "sign" for us than anything.

I do suggest quickly looking at a WDW map. that should help. But remember, though something looks far on a map, it's really not. It's just a map of the property and a mile is actually pretty big on the map as opposed to a normal map. That was confusing to write. LOL

Ya we're only doing 1 night to kind of wind down after the cruise.. We're doing Sea World and a behind-the-scenes tour there the day BEFORE our cruise... For now we thought the cruise would be enough - do the parks too and we're breaking the bank. Lol Plus, not doing the parks will give the kids something to look forward to if we do it for DS's 5th bday (cruise is DD's 5th bday present)

 

[ppony]

Ya we're only doing 1 night to kind of wind down after the cruise.. We're doing Sea World and a behind-the-scenes tour there the day BEFORE our cruise... For now we thought the cruise would be enough - do the parks too and we're breaking the bank. Lol Plus, not doing the parks will give the kids something to look forward to if we do it for DS's 5th bday (cruise is DD's 5th bday present)

We're going to do what you are going to do around our next cruise too. Last time we stayed a few days before and then cruised and went home, next time, we want to flank the cruise w/ WDW time. ENJOY all of it!!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Personally I would go with the Wilderness Lodge because in my opinion they have a better overall location.

Plus you have the option of taking a bus or boat to the Magic Kingdom and they also have a seperate boat which goes to the Contemporary and Fort Wilderness everyday from 6:45 AM - 11:30 PM.

 

[Belle83]

I'm debating between AKL and WL for our next trip, too (well, and possibly Coronado Springs).

Like others have said, they are not close to one another and you would have to take a cab or bus. You can get to WL by boat from the Magic Kingdom, though. Disney guests do not have to pay for parking at the theme parks.

I think that the restaurants sound better at AKL (Jiko in particular) but WL is so close to the restaurants at the Contemporary and Grand Floridian.

If I had kids, I would pick WL because of the location. You can see animals at Animal Kingdom (except your trip is only one day..). If you are not going to any parks, I would stay at AKL.

 

[Marthasor]

I agree with Belle83. If you aren't going to any parks, it's AKL hands down. The pools are fantastic - you can use the pools at both Kidani and Jambo. They have great activities for the kids and, we thought, fantastic food!

 

[KARN4U]

Well it sounds like this is your first trip to Disney. Too bad you are only staying one night because it is absolutely the most wonderful place on earth for family time. We just returned from AKL and it is a beautiful place. You do not even feel like you are in the USA. We had a room facing the savannah and my DD 10 spent so much time on our balcony watching the animals ahe didn't even want to go to the parks! It is definitely very cool to wake up and have your morning coffee with giraffes and all the other animals. AKL is really an experience all on its own. There are animal guides all over the animal observation areas who answer questions about Africa and the animals. My DD loved asking questions and having that personal time with the people. She did many of the activities in the hotel and the pool games were great as well. My husband and I found we were playing the quiz games by the pool! I have gushed about AKL and having never stayed at WL cannot give any input on that place. But, really, you're in Disney, how wrong can you go! Have an awesome trip!

 

[NMJoe]

I've not stayed at WL, but my week-long stay at AKL in early-mid-December was nothing short of magical.

The lobby is stunning, the rooms were warmly decorated with great views of the animals (we had a savannah room) and the ancillary facilities were just wonderful (I happen to really like Jiko's and Boma's food, and Victoria Falls is just fun).

I can't say enough good things about the resort and wish I were there right now!!! Now, from everything I've read, and based on my own tours of WL, I don't think you can go wrong with either. It's like asking if you should have king crab or lobster for your meal (at least it is for me).

Good luck and have fun!!!!!

Joe

 

[danceintherain]

You need to be careful about staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge just for the animals, especially since you're only planning on one night.
You're looking at possibly not being able to check into your room until 3pm (usually you can get into your room earlier, but not always), then checking out at 11am the next morning. While you'll probably see some animals, and you can use the public viewing areas when you're not in your room, the area in which they keep them is large. You could get lucky and see tons of animals close up, or you could see very few from a distance.
They do have other activities during the day, and a it is a gorgeous resort, but it is fairly cut off from everything else on the Disney property. I would have no trouble staying there again for a short trip, but I've been to Disney and the Animal Kingdom Lodge before.

Personally, for a one night stay without parks, I would stay at the Wilderness Lodge. You can walk to Fort Wilderness and partake in the activities there (Campfire sing-a-long), or take a boat over to the Contemporary resort and take the monorail around the loop (though I'd have a hard time seeing the castle and getting closer).

You do not get free admission to the parks for staying at a Disney hotel, so it might be better to stay at AKL, so you don't actually see the castle at any point in your vacation.

 

[kaysmommie]

Our family has stayed at both AKL and WL. We prefer AKL hands down! It's just better themed, nicer pools, & better foodcourt. Boma is amazing! They have so many activities for the kids that we could even skip a park day. The animal viewing is awesome and the walkways are really neat too. So many CM's out feeding the animals and answering questions for guests. We had a standard view but could see the animals from many windows and look out spots inside and outside the resort. They even have night viewing goggles you can use to see the animals when it's dark out. The buses were great during our stay. It took like 15 minutes to get to MK though but at WL the boat also took almost 15 minutes as well. WL is nice but not as amazing as AKL!

 

[Deb & Bill]

I've seen deer at Wilderness Lodge when I walked the approx one mile path from WL to Fort Wilderness. Last summer when we were at Old Key West, there was notification that a bear had been seen along the golf course/waterway. These animals are just native to the area and not brought in and managed by Disney. So you might not see any animals at WL and Villas at Wilderness Lodge.

 

[leahanne33]

I love both resorts and I think it depends on how much time you want to spend at the Magic Kingdom. You can't beat being just a boat ride away at the WL. Otherwises, I lean towards the AKL because the atmosphere is like no where else in the World. It is a magical place indeed!