WL or AKL?

[bdink921]

Just returned from a great vacation to WDW--stayed at Pop and liked it. Of course I am already planning our next trip which will be first week of December 2006 (gotta have that next trip in the works!). My DH and I agreed this time we'd like to try a deluxe resort since our stay will only be 4-5 days. I like WL and surprisingly my DH likes AKL. Anyone stay at both? Which did you like better and why? We'll only be booking a standard room and these two resorts fit our budget. Our DS 7 will be coming with us (he doesn't care where we stay as long as there is a pool). The other option in my mind was the Swan or Dolphin if the discount for nurses is available at that time. Any opinions out there?

 

[Jinnyboom]

We stayed at both during our last visit in December. Our consensus is overwhelming ... AKL
AKL is much newer and the food options are by far superior in our opinion. I think your ds would absolutely love ... love ... love the AKL.

 

[Tinkaroo]

I have yet to stay at WL, but just got back from AKL. We have stayed at the Swan, and hand's down, I think AKL is the better resort. It was a wonderful experience, and looking forward to going back (although we're endeavoring to keep trying new resorts).

That being said, I'm planning a trip for the holidays this year, and am hoping to be able to upgrade to WL if an AP discount comes out for our time frame. (We are currently booked at POFQ.) After reading a lot of comments, most people agree that WL is one of the best resorts around Christmas time, I think mainly because it has that woodsy, cozy feeling, and their decorations are supposed to be really neat.

DH and I poked around WL a week ago, and definitely think it is somewhere we'd like to try. Come on AP rates!

Good luck with your decision!

 

[CoolDisneyCat]

We have stayed at both and my family perfers AKL. We like the restuarants much better and find it not so crowded and noisy as WL.

 

[dmslush]

I haven't stayed at WL, but I can't imagine it being a bit nicer than AKL. As soon as we walked into AKL, we were in love and while we may eventually try other resorts, AKL is our 'home'.

Also, I live in TN woods everywhere, cabins easy to find, so I don't get the appeal of WL since I have grown up with those things all around me.

 

[mom22boys]

I just did this exact post about three weeks ago! I think it was called "AKL or WL, which would you choose?" I am sorry, but I have no idea how to lead you to it. But...it is on here somewhere and I got a lot of great responses! After reading all of the responses, we decided to go with AKL. Hope you can find that thread and happy planning!

 

[pouncingpluto]

We're staying at WL in a couple weeks and are looking forward to trying a new place. We've been in the lobby and Artist Point, and it looks beautiful.

However, I just can't imagine anything as cool and unique as savanna view at AKL. We LOVE AKL, and when we get married at WDW in November, we're so excited that most of our guests will be staying there with us so they can see what we keep talking about!

 

[NHBelle]

Definatley AKL!!!! Wl is nice, but AKL is awsome. They have a zero entry pool which is really great for the kids. The decor and atmosphere is so calming after a busy day at the parks. The grounds are fantastic with fun ls and animal viewing areas. The food is fab too. I really felt at the end of the day that we were going back to retreat and not a hotel. Also, they have the best bus transportation. Most resorts share buses and have several stops. AKL does not share, so they go straight to wear you want to go with no stops. Its a real time saver. The WL has a more hunting lodge feel to it and it echos a lot so its noisy. The best t his is probably the view of the castle, but even that is not that great. Good luck!

 

[woody1967]

We have stayed at AKL, WL, and Swan and we all like the AKL the best, then the WL, and then the Swan (myself, wife, 14 year old daughter, and 11 year old son). The AKL's theme fits better to our tastes and was newer. The service was great also. The atmosphere made it seem quiet and relaxing while the WL was more of a camp atmosphere (not a bad thing just different). The Swan was a convention atmosphere and beach theme. Some people have their concerns with the location of the AKL but I must say we had no complaints. The bus service as great and prompt. The WL has bus service and boat service to the MK but if you don't time the boat service just right to the MK it can take 20 or so minutes to get there. That is not bad at all but that is how long it took our bus to get to the MK from the AKL so we did not lose anything there. If you want a quiet atmosphere with an animal theme go with the AKL. If you want a camp atmosphere with a woods theme to with the WL. If you want a beach theme go with the Swan.

 

[Gary M]

We have stayed at AKL twice and WL 19 times. While I don't dislike the AKL, I like the WL much more. The WL is on the lake, which I like and close to the MK. I just like the atmosphere at the WL more than the AKL. We had a savanah room view at AKL both times, so we got to watch the animals. Without the view of the animals from my balcony, I wouldn't stay at AKL.

 

[rt2dz]

WE will be staying at the WL for the first time in 3 weeks. And that is only because AKL had no available AP rates. We all love the AKL. Service, for the most part, is fantastic. The theming can't be beat. I like the "remoteness", it is very peaceful. We do want to try as many resorts as possible, but it will be hard to ever beat AKL.

 

[bdink921]

Thanks for all the info--I think we'll go w/AKL this time. I would love to split our stay, but it's so short that we'll just stay w/ the one resort. I had read a few negative reviews on both AKL and WL so I wasn't sure which we should go with. Then again I read many poor reviews of POP and we really liked it.