WL or AK????

[CJmomNC]

We are having a tough time deciding between Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom. We have ds4 and dd6. We are looking at the rooms with the bunkbeds. Staying one week in October. What do you think?


Thanks,
amy

 

[Wendi2000]

Your kids are at the perfect age for Animal Kingdom Lodge. What could be better than a hotel with wild animal savannas right outside? Not only do they get to see many, many, many animals, the pool is wonderful... zero entry with a fun slide. They can also go out at night and see the animals with night vision binoculars. I got my son his own pair of binoculars the first time we stayed there - we had a Savanna view room and we loved to sit on the balcony (eating donuts) and watch the wildlife. There are also tons of kids activities if you are around the hotel during the day or in the evening. I highly recommend it! Oh yeah, they have fantastic bus service too!

 

[Seahunt]

Both are fantastic in their own way, but with kids that young I think the AKL would be a really memorable trip. Just watching their faces when they first spot the animals out on the savannahs (ooo giraffes!) would be way too cute.

Storytelling around the firepit and the native guides talking about the animals also add to the atmosphere. Mara is great for snacks (and clean!).

But the WL has lots of great features too (I remember DH & I sitting in the rocking chairs in front of the lobby fireplace with a glass of wine saying that it was wonderful!), so whichever you choose you really can't go wrong. I would probably split resorts and stay half of the week in each, just for the experience....

 

[robroy]

We have stayed at both and it’s a hard choice. The Wilderness lodge is closer to everything, you can take a boat to the MK, or take the monorail from the Contemporary which is next door. The Animal Kingdom is wonderful were else you can you look out your window and see animals everywhere. The AK is great for little kids but it is only buses between any park. But if I remember right it had the first stop outside of almost all the parks. You can’t make a bad choice. We love both my kids are a little older and split on which is their favorite.
Hope that helps a little.

 

[happybratpack]

I don't think you can go wrong either way...but I would pick the AKL. The kids love the pool area, the animals, etc. Even though it's busses only it does not share with other resorts which is a big plus IMO. The boat from the WL to MK is definitely a plus though if you're spending the majority of time there.

See, I'm no help.

 

[danielle782001]

We all seem to have the same problem helping you because both resorts are wonderful.... We love both for kids...

WL is a winner because you can grab a quick boat ride to the MK and we also like spending time at the Fort next door. We love the Roaring Forks (counter- service). They have a playground at the beach and there is a water pagent at night there on the water). Pool is nice (not as good as AK). Love the atmosphere. It truly is a beautiful resort. Oh and the Whispering Canyon is a great place for a meal.

AK has the animals, that great zero-entry pool, great playground, a really good counter-service at Mara, programs for the kids... Did I say the animals??? My kids went crazy for the animals... they loved looking out our window to see different animals throughout the day and looking out different windows and overlooks on the grounds. We do not like the other sit-down dining choices there (I am sure we are in the minoirty, sorry in advance) because we have simple (picky) eaters in this family... Biggest problem is distance from the parks... We rented a car when we stayed there a few weeks ago because we knew time on buses would be an issue... It still took a while to get to MK. So you have to consider the distance... if you don't mind spending longer trips on the buses (or car) you may really love it at the AK.

This is a hard decision.. One thing you really should figure out is how much time you plan to spend at the MK.... WL is better if you plan on spending most of your time in MK... AK would be fine if you are planning to divide much of your time.

 

[stepdisney]

We had this situation last year. I went back and forth and even became a part of the "resort switchers" thread. We ended up at WL. I must say it was very nice to be that close to MK, the contemporary, the GF and Poly. We could access almost any dinner reservation quickly. Now for the hard part. I think AK is better theming. We went to dinner at AK and I can honestly say we'll probably be staying at AKLV next trip. I just love the theming. You don't have to share a bus.

If you are spending most of your time at MK, WL makes the most sense but if you are doing the "go everywhere, do everything" AKL is the place I'd like to come home to every evening.