WL or AKL with small children

[marybdisney]

We are headed to the parks in July and my husband has his heart set on saying at the Wilderness Lodge. From the pictures he thinks the theming is the best of all resorts. However, we've heard the transportation is slow. With 2 small children (4 and an infant) we want to be able to leave the parks quickly if they get cranky, hop a bus/boat and get back to the room. I'm afraid that getting to and from the WL will be difficult. Some people have suggested that the buses to and from the Animal Kingdom Lodge are easier and quicker.

Also, we plan to spend quite a bit of time around the pools and the WL and AKL pools look similar in style. Does anyone have an opinion on which pool is better?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Elk34]

We stayed at WL last month with 7 year old and 4 year old daughters. The WL was wonderful and my daughters loved it. The transportation was great. We never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus and the boat to MK is great. The girls liked the boat ride as much as some of the park rides.

They also really enjoyed the lake. Feeding the ducks, watching the Electric water parade, riding in the watermouse boats. The WL pool was great. They loved the slide and the kiddie pool looked good. The lifeguards had afternoon games for the kids such as duck races where they raced rubber ducks from the river that starts in the lobby until it ends IN the pool. They also played beach kickball. The geyser goes off every hour right by the pool.

In think a lot of the AKL and WL strong points are the same as far as architecture since it was the same artictect who designed both lodges. I personally like the Northwest US decor better than African decor but that would be a matter of preference.

 

[jel0511]

I've stayed at both resorts and I like them both. Personally, whith children that small, I'd choose the WL. The boat to MK is just so convient, and I've never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus. There are two pools at the WL as well as nice walking trails over to FW where there is a petting zoo. The AKL is a BEAUTIFUL resort, and I liked their pool a little bit more than WL's and the savannah view rooms are GREAT. My main concern with the AKL is lack of grounds. I like walking through a resort, and at the AKL everything is just so compact because of the savannahs. Also, a note about AKL transportion, yes the busses are dedicated to AKL, but they run just as frequently as any other resort buses, and the rides are much longer due to it's secluded location. I think the ride to MK took almost 20 minutes!! You probably will be spending a lot of time at the resort due to the ages of your children and naps, so it really gets complicated. If you can get savannah view at the AKL, it might help you and DH get through those naps with something interesting to look at while the children are sleeping. To sum up, I guess, if you can get a savannah view room at AKL, then it's a toss up or WL winning by a hair. If you're only talking getting a standard view room, then the WL wins hands down.

 

[marybdisney]

We couldn't afford the savannah view at the AKL. Which was another reason why we were thinking the WL, because we felt like by NOT having a savannah view room at the AKL we would be missing out on the experience.

Can you take strollers on the WL boat and/or buses? We have a double stroller we are bringing with us (rather than renting at the parks) and weren't sure if stroller were allowed on buses or boats.......

 

[jel0511]

You can roll the double right on the boat to MK, the only time you'll be asked to fold it up is if the boat is REALLY crowded, I only had to do that once after Spectromagic. I had a side by side double stroller and it just rolled right on, so don't worry about size. You'll have to fold up the stroller and carry the kids(well the 4 YO probably can walk on) on the buses, but it's of course allowed.

 

[daannzzz]

Be aware that all the resorts experence slow buses sometimes. I have stayed at 11 of the resorts and there has been at least one late/slow bus event at each. The difference in time on the WL bus is probably 10-15 minutes and shouldn't make a huge amount of difference. I would choose the resort you really want to stay at and stick with it.

 

[giatocj]

We just got back the end of March from a stay at AKL with my 3 year old grandson, and we loved it. We're going back next March and will stay at AKL again...then we're going to try the WL...I'm dying to make first hand comparisons.

One thing about AKL...we waited 40 minutes for a bus to MK one morning...of course, that was the day we had our priority seating for the Castle breakfast, but we just called concierge from the bus stop when we found out we weren't going to make it on time and they made everything right...when we finally did make it to the Castle we were brought right up to a table.

Honestly, that was the ONLY bad thing that happened to us the whole time we were there.

Donna C.

 

[jadedNYer]

MaryBDisney

I am wondering the same thing - AKL or WL. I think I will try to do a split stay. I am not going to spring for a savannah view because my children don't know the difference between standard,pool, or savannah views and that money can go for other things. They will just be happy to be at Disneyword!

 

[marybdisney]

JadedNYer -

We are thinking about splitting our stay also so that we are 3 nights at the WL and then 2 nights at AKL. Everyone raves about having a savannah view balcony and being about to watch the animals while sipping coffee in the morning. We just can not justify the money to get one of those rooms. At $139 a night for the standard view (at least that is what I'm hoping the new code rate will be!!!!) for either WL or AKL we are pushing it as it is.

All this is a non issue if the new codes aren't good. At $144 rack rate we'll be lucky to afford Port Orelans Riverside. There is no way we can afford the $199 rack rate for the WL or AKL standard views.

Come on codes!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[jel0511]

marybdisney - I'd recommend against a split stay for two reasons.

1. You're stay is only going to be 5 nights, by the time you even begin getting settled, you'll have to pack up and move on. Unless you really LOVE living out of a suitecase, I'd advise against it.

2. The MOST important reason for not switching hotels, you could be without a room from 11AM until 3 or 4PM. Check-in isn't until 3 PM, so you will not be guaranteed a room at your new hotel until then. When traveling with such young children, a lack of place to nap would be a HUGE inconvience. My DS doesn't like sleeping in his stroller and he needs to be in airconditioning, lying down to nap. If your little one is anything like that (and with the July heat tough to nap in a stroller) you'll be in a real pickle if your room isn't available.

Stay at one resort you'll be able to get a real feel for the place, explore all the nooks and cranies and be able to relax, instead of constantly moving.

 

[Nathan's Grandma]

We have stayed at WL two times and with small children it is a perfect place to stay. The boats run all the time and since you will more than likely spend the most time at MK you can't beat it.

Kathy

 

[jadedNYer]

MaryBDisney

I know how you feel - I would like the 139 rate also. The wait has become rather exasperating for codes so I might just stick with the Dolphin with the AAA discount. I am a single parent so convenience is key. I am thinking of doing 3 nights at AKL and 6 at WL. This time we will probably do Chef Mickeys and the Hoop Dee Do Revue (if I can bring myself to actually say those words out loud) so the WL makes sense plus it is convenient to MK and the boat provides an additional transportation option.

If you think it would be difficult to switch resorts I would lean toward the WL and a visit to AKL. One of the reasons I want to stay at AKL is that my third grader is studying Africa so I think it might be "educational."

 

[richard3330]

Hi ,

We stayed at the WL last Xmas/New Year with our 4 year old DS and it was PERFECT!

We never waited more than 10-15 minutes for transportation (and this was HIGH HIGH season!). The transport was extremely reliable and the CM's were superb. The pool area is lovely and ideal for children. It was a very friendly resort - The cast members were great. The restaurants are ideal for children and it is great being able to take the boat to MK.

Personally, we didn't like AKL at all. We found the transport here SLOW and very un-reliable. Also (this may have changed now) but we found that the lobby was always extremely crowded with visitors from off-site or other resorts. We also didn't feel for the pool complex, doesn't compare with WL IMHO. JMO.

Go for Wilderness Lodge - It is GREAT for younger kids!

Richard.

 

[DisneyDadInFL]

Last year we split our 6-night stay by staying 2-nights at AKL and 4-nights at WL. We are from FL so we visit WDW a couple times a year so the switching of hotels was not a problem for us since we had our own vehicle there. If you are planning on switching resorts during your stay you can leave your luggage at the bellhop counter in the morning and they will transfer it to your next stop and it will be waiting for you when you check-in!

As far as my opinion of the two hotels, we had heard so many positive things about WL that is why we stayed there 4 nights compared to the 2 at AKL. We checked in first at AKL with a standard room booked at the FL discount rate of $109 (last August). My wife asked if it was possible to upgrade to a savannah view. We got it for $10 extra per night! DS (6) and DD (5) loved the animals being right out the door. DW and I would wake up each morning to one of our kids opening the sliding glass door with the animal checklist AKL provides to find the animal(s) they hadn't seen yet. We are returning to AKL the end of May for 5-nights with fingers crossed we can upgrade again.

We did not have any difficulties with transportation at all, although the boat from WL to MK was convenient except for the typical August thunderstorm we experienced one afternoon while leaving MK. The only negative I had in comparison to WL was the pool. AKL seemed more like a wading pool.

The other suggestion I have in response to the person with the double stroller with two small children.....RENT the stroller at the park! If you stay at WL bring your own to MK but when you go to other parks utilizing the WDW buses make sure to rent. It is worth the $$$ for convenience getting on and off the bus with the two kids w/out having the stroller to carry. Especially if your kids are sleeping (which will happen) it is very difficult lifting sleeping child out of stroller, taking personnel items out of stroller, folding stroller up and then lugging it on to a crowded WDW bus. DW and I did this the first year and never again!