WL or AKL w/ 5 yr old son?

[AngieInOH]

I've been planning on booking POR AB for Nov, but if the free dining would come out for then I'm thinking it will cause me to upgrade to Deluxe. According to my calculations it would be an extra $700. Is upgrading worth it?

So which deluxe (WL or AKL) would be better for a family of 3 (Me, DH and 5 yr son)? Right now I'm leaning more towards WL due to location. Close to MK, Poly and Contemp. I do have a question: when you stay at WL is it feasable to use the monorail? I mean would it save you time by going to Poly or Contemp and jumping on the monorail? It also seems like WL has more things for kids to do.

My DH saw the planning video and thinks it would be really neat to stay at AKL with the animals (my son would love them too). Thing is we wouldn't be able to afford Savanna view and could only hope for an upgrade. Is there anything else that AKL offers that would give it an advantage over WL?

 

[poohkinandpiglet]

My 5 year old DS and 4 year old DD loved both the WL and the AKL. We split our trip and stayed in the WL for 5 nights then the AKL for the last 2. The WL does not give you access to the monorail. You have to take the bus or boat to MK.

I would really suggest splitting your stay between the two resorts. We move to AKL at the end of our stay and save AK park for last so we don't have to travel back to the MK area of WDW. It works out well.

 

[Dizzyworld]

The pool at AK I think is a zero entry which is nice for a 5 year old. On the other hand you have things you can do at Fort Wilderness too if you stay at WL. My family really likes both resorts. Have fun at either place.

 

[poohkinandpiglet]

Dizzyworld is right-- the close proximity of FW is great. They have a petting zoo, horseback riding and the FREE campfire singalong/movie every night. You can buy s'mores kits at the campfire.

 

[mapmakerj]

Me,my DH and DS-5 just stayed at AKL in Dec. DS loved it! He loved the pool and slide and they had lots of activities for him. He decorated giraffe cookies at Boma, listened to storytelling at night by the fire and made mosaic tree ornaments out of broken ostrich eggshells. They also had several other activities available but we didn't make it to those. We had a Savannah room but my DS liked going to the Arusha Rock common area better. You can see a larger variety of animals in that area then what we could see from our balcony. We would go back but probably not pay for a savannah view, as there are so many public viewing areas. We loved this resort!

 

[Joy]

Hello poohkinandpiglet,

You did exactly what my family (DS 6 years old and DD 4 years old) will be doing for our trip Feb 2006 and our kids are just about the same ages too! Do you have any tips? Was 2 nights enough time at AKL? The last day of our trip flight leaves at 3, we dont' know if we should go to the parks or just hang out at the AKL. Did you have a car or did you have Disney transfer your luggage? Sorry for all the questions.

 

[poohkinandpiglet]

Joy,

We DID have a car on our trip but only because we went to Disney's Vero Beach resort for 3 nights following WDW. You will be fine without one since they will transfer your luggage for you while you are at the parks.

We spent two half days at AK park when we really could have done everything we wanted to do in one. When we stay at AKL again on our upcoming October trip, I'm going to slow down and spend more time enjoying the pool and the lodge activities. We rushed too much last year and didn't do all the things the lodge has to offer. They have craft projects for the kids and cookie decorating in the early afternoon.

My advice: slow down enough at the end of your trip to really enjoy the AKL and by all means eat (at least one meal) at Boma. By the way, the AKL buses are great- quick and efficient!

 

[band_man]

Have done both with kids around that age. Both are great. You will not be disappointed with either choice. You will find people here with strong feelings for each of those resorts. Both are great for kids.(and adults)

 

[AngieInOH]

Now I'm thinking of doing a split stay. Esp if we stay 9 nights like my DH would like to do. Maybe 5 nights at WL and 4 at AKL. It would be like having 2 different vacations!

 

[poohkinandpiglet]

That sounds like a GREAT plan!