WL or AKL? What are the Pros and Cons of each?

[thelittlemermaid]

DH and I have been talking about where we would like to stay on our next trip. On our last trip we stayed at ASMo and DH was not impressed. Since we plan on staying "alot" longer we would like to stay some where a little more comfortable. For either place we would request a room with a queen bed w/ the bunkbeds for the kids. The time of our next trip DS will be 11 and DD will be 8.

DS really likes animals, but I know you can only see animals if you get certain rooms at AKL. Which rooms would they be? For anyone who as stayed at AKL, which rooms did you find to have the best views of the animals? Did anyone notice any smells from the animals while staying there?

Now for DH and I, we like the WL. Just looking at pictures of it seems like something DH and I would enjoy. I think DS would enjoy WL cause of the slide at the pool. Does AKL have a slide at their pool?

TIA!!!

 

[Cass]

AKL has Savanna view rooms, Pool view rooms and standard view rooms... you can only see the animals from the savanna view rooms, however - there are a multitude of places in the hotel to see the animals from - even if you stay in a less expensive pool & standard view.

I have stayed at WL & AKL and would say AKL is better IMO, our room at WL was so small compared to AKL and both rooms had bunkbeds.

WL does have better transportation options having the launches right there to MK.. but AKL is just a quick ride from DAK, BB & the miniputt and has excellent bus service.

If it were me I would pick AKL, it is so unique & beautiful. I enjoyed WL too, but my 10 year old is begging to go back to AKL and the whole time kept complaining we were not staying there that trip

You will have a nice time no matter where you stay though

Have fun planning.

 

[Teris]

I love both hotels, but I tend to really favor AKL. I never expirenced any 'animals smells' at all there, even sitting out on the balcony. I loved waking up to the animals. There are three different savannahs, and I believe that the majority of rooms are actually savannah view rooms. There are views of the lovely parking lot as well,, which are considered to be 'standard view' rooms. It's not a petting zoo, so you don't touch the animals. Each savannah has one animal that is unique to that savannah. We usually are on Arushka Savannah, which is one of the larger ones, to the left of the Arushka Rock, where you can walk out and observe the animals from a different view. Also at night, the guide will be out with night vision goggles, which my hubby loved He's really a big kid himself.

The pool is a zero entry pool, which is nice if you have very young children with you. I like the zero entry myself, it's just easier to get in and out of the pool,,lol. There is a slide there for the kiddies as well

I love the theming at the AKL, best of all the resorts. Yes, it's not right in the middle of alot of the action, but when I go to my resort to crash,, I like the idea that it's relaxing and quiet.


Allears has the rundown on both resorts, and is a good place to get info allears, akl info

Either resort will have bunkbeds, but it's a crap shoot,, you may or may not get one even if it's requested. Been there, and ended up with two queen beds. But they were very comfy queen beds

Either resort is a winner tho.

Our next trip is to the WL, but only because I was outvoted by my two teenage daughters,,,LOL.

Oh, and one other thing about the AKL,, they have cctv cameras all over the savannah to keep and eye out to make sure the animals aren't in trouble, or being abused by resort guests throwing things from othe balconies, so be sure to close your curtains if you are undressed!

 

[Taratink]

We chose WL for our upcoming trip. I have a dd almost 4 and ds 5 1/2. We love the MK. We stayed offsite last trip and we loved to take the Ferry to MK. The kids love the boats. My son is very excited about the gyeser (sp?) and waterfalls. The petting zoo at FW is also a plus. We plan to rent boats and bikes this trip. Which I don't think is available at the AK. We also plan on eating at a bunch of the MK resorts (GF,Poly and CR.) I was not crazy about Boma. Many people love it but the spices didn't work for me. We were in awe of the beauty of the AK. Many people LOVE it. Maybe we will try it next time. The AK also has a zero depth entry pool. I think that you will love either resort. Happy planning. Tara

 

[Valera]

We have stayed at WL and visited AKL on our last trip to get an idea if we wanted to stay there again. Here's our opinion:

WL Plus - Boat to MK, Boat access to monorail, lake area, small size, FW close by, and loved the decor.

WL Minus - To be honest, I really can't think of any accept that we didn't really fall in love with the food at WCC.

AKL Plus - ANIMALS, larger pool, and Mara's (loved the Zebra Domes)

AKL Minus - Location, smell (not from animals but from Bomas), and no lake area, no firework viewing.

Overall I don't think you could go wrong with either of these two. My DS (11)wants to go back to WL, stay at AKL, and tops on his list is the Beach Club for SAB.