Wilderness Lodge VS Animal Kingdom Lodge... Which should I choose?

[DaisyNY]

WL would be my pick...as others have said proximity to MK is just a short boat ride away. Makes a big difference when the kids are tired after a long day. Also find AKL to.be a bit dark...beautiful but felt like evening even during the day.

 

[Lacoccinelle]

Having stayed at both, I would pick WL without the slightest hesitation. It is closer to everything, there are two ways to get to the MK.

The layout seems more condensed at WL. I never feel like I have to walk forever and at AK, I got a room the furthest from the bus and coffee and it was a pain.

WL seems crisper and cleaner too. We even chose to stay there last month with the pool closed over AK. We love the love, Roaring Forks, and the ambiance. It really does feel like home.

This all being said. I would look at your dinner reservation choices and see which place falls closer. At the end of the day with a full belly, you want the place closest to you to lay your head. We mainly eat at Epcot and MK hotels so it is a no brainer.
Make a dinner reservation at Boma and visit AK after your day in the park there.

 

[mslhb]

We love WL and always seem to end up choosing it over other resorts. I have been soooo tempted by AK but for us in the end the proximity to the MK cannot be beat. The boat rides are super fun but honestly the direct bus ride is the fastest way to get there. We always get park hoppers and usually spend at least part of each day at MK so the WL is a perfect choice.

 

[luvthemouse71]

I've stayed at both and while I still like WL, AKL is my new favorite. The bus rides aren't that bad and I kind of like that the resort is it's own little world. You could easily spend a few days at the resort alone and not be bored.

 

[gris gris]

Here's what you should do. Go to Animal Kingdom and leave for lunch and ride a bus to AKL. Then go walk out in the public viewing area and then grab lunch at their quick service. Then go back to Animal Kingdom.

You will get everything you want from AKL with a two hour visit. It is a very nice resort, and the animals are great, but those buses are just terrible.

This is exactly what we do!

 

[toodycat]

Both are fabulous resorts. It would be hard to pick for me. Everyone has mentioned the pros to WL being close to MK, and ease of going to the different monorail resorts for dining, etc. And it is a beautiful resort. But AKL is great too, and very unique. Especially if a savana view room fits into your budget. I don't think a 20ish min bus to MK is that far removed, and 15 min to Epcot or DHS, and 5 min from AK park. However if this is your first trip to WDW, I think WL is a good choice to be closer to the MK area. Maybe next time you can try AKL!

I agree. I've stayed at both resorts twice and love them equally. You really can't make a bad choice with those options. However, one of my friends just did her first family trip at WL and said it was perfect. Her kids especially loved the bost ride to MK.

 

[J and R's mom]

For a first visit...stay with WL. I doubt anyone will be disappointed with the stay. It's one of our favorite places to stay. As a matter of fact, it might be time to book there again....hmmmmm.....

And I don't say this lightly. Having sworn off EVER staying at AKL years before (we made a quick stop by the resort to check it out on one of our trips right after it first opened), we ended up giving in and staying there. Why? It was DD's pick for her 10th birthday. Needless to say, we LOVED the experience so much (had an awesome Savannah view), that we went back for a second stay six months later. It was a great experience and our girls (now 10 and 11) really loved that resort...and so did we.

But WL is special. It's such a cozy place to stay with awesome themeing and an equally great location, especially for a first visit.

Most of all...remember to take time to enjoy to little things on the first trip. Don't worry about seeing and doing everything. That's the fastest way to ruin the trip. Sometimes stopping to watch the street show, or ducks (which can make their own show), or any other random thing you come across can be such a better moment than racing to the next Fast Pass or attraction.

Enjoy your trip...you're choosing between two awesome places...so odds are good.

 

[sookie]

We keep heading back to AKL! It is a great resort - if you plan to spend significant time at your resort, it has just about the MOST on resort activities compared to others. The theme is gorgeous, where I find WL to be just kind of monotone like in nature.
They have all sorts of people out interacting with the kids at AKL. From atmosphere (drums) to animal life specialists, there is always something to do and go see.

 

[CraftyMommy]

My vote goes to Wilderness Lodge. I love the pool, love the location, love Whispering Canyon Cafe, the boat ride to the Contemporary for Chef Mickey's, the boat to Magic Kingdom, the boat to Ft. Wilderness for the Hoop Dee Do dinner show, the rocking chairs in the lobby... I just love it. It is my favorite resort!

If I didn't have this crazy goal to stay at every resort I'd stay at Wilderness Lodge every trip.

 

[partigus]

I'm likley partial as I've stayed at WL at least 4 times and never at AKL...While "20 minutes" doesn't seem far- you are 20+ minutes to everything, except AKL. From the WL you are a short boat ride from the MKwhere you can transfer t=and take a monorail to any of the monorail resorts or Epcot. We'll eventually do the AKL- for a short 2 night stay maybe- not a longer one.

 

[Tigger's ally]

For a first visit...stay with WL. I doubt anyone will be disappointed with the stay. It's one of our favorite places to stay. As a matter of fact, it might be time to book there again....hmmmmm.....

And I don't say this lightly. Having sworn off EVER staying at AKL years before (we made a quick stop by the resort to check it out on one of our trips right after it first opened), we ended up giving in and staying there. Why? It was DD's pick for her 10th birthday. Needless to say, we LOVED the experience so much (had an awesome Savannah view), that we went back for a second stay six months later. It was a great experience and our girls (now 10 and 11) really loved that resort...and so did we.

But WL is special. It's such a cozy place to stay with awesome themeing and an equally great location, especially for a first visit.

Most of all...remember to take time to enjoy to little things on the first trip. Don't worry about seeing and doing everything. That's the fastest way to ruin the trip. Sometimes stopping to watch the street show, or ducks (which can make their own show), or any other random thing you come across can be such a better moment than racing to the next Fast Pass or attraction.

Enjoy your trip...you're choosing between two awesome places...so odds are good.

If they stay at WL, they won't have to stop to watch the ducks, they can swim with em!

 

[J and R's mom]

If they stay at WL, they won't have to stop to watch the ducks, they can swim with em!

So true!

 

[gzmtlock]

We have stayed at both and really enjoyed both. We prefer AKL, for many reasons others have mentioned. To those, I will add the feeling of being in an extremely well-themed resort - somewhat removed from Disney. We love WDW (are DVC owners) and being in the parks, and also enjoy a change of gears away from high-energy, in-your-face Mickey to relaxing, lower key hidden-Mickey.

I definitely agree, you can't really go wrong with either!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I'm likley partial as I've stayed at WL at least 4 times and never at AKL...While "20 minutes" doesn't seem far- you are 20+ minutes to everything, except AKL. From the WL you are a short boat ride from the MKwhere you can transfer t=and take a monorail to any of the monorail resorts or Epcot. We'll eventually do the AKL- for a short 2 night stay maybe- not a longer one.

It took us 30 minutes to get from TTC to WL lodge via boat from MK. This was with a less than 5 minute wait for monorail and less than 5 minute wait for boat. Practically neglible time on transfers.

I think it is all a matter of perception.

OP--we saw the pool construction progress today at WL. I say stay the course. They are building a kiddy water play area that is almost the same in design as the one at Grand Floridian (water slide structure with the bucket on top that fills and dumps).