WL vs AKL...

[tcufrog]

My husband and I have been debating where we should go for our annual vacation in the fall and he finally convinced me that Disney World is where we should go. We'll be taking our two boys who are 5 and 18 months. My older son loves nature and the outdoors so we're trying to choose between AKL and WL. I'm overwhelmed by the information about the hotels though.

We have a few key criteria which will help us choose. We need two adjoining bedrooms, 1 for us and one for the boys. We also absolutely need a full size crib since our toddler is too. heavy for a Pack and Play but not ready for a regular bed or cot (he's an exploring climber who needs confinement) and a minifridge for his milk. Any advice?

I especially would appreciate any advice for guaranteeing a crib. We are willing to pay extra if necessary since it's a necessity.

Thanks so much. I'm so overwhelmed.

 

[Phatoomch]

Both WL & AKL have one bedroom villas which might be an option for you

 

[Harlemgirl720]

If you are doing a villa, I suggest Kidani Village at Animal Kingdom. Though Jambo has 1 BRs, Kidani has two bathrooms and the master has a separate tub and shower. The pool is a little smaller than Jambo's but Kidani has a water play area where they can run around.

The person who designed Wildnerness Lodge designed AKL/AKV so its a similar feel but you get animals at AKL/AKV. Can't beat that.

 

[Avenger117]

I would say AKL too. Both are very pretty and nature themed, but there is no place like AKL. Zebras, Giraffes, etc right outside of the hotel is really amazing for anyone that enjoys nature.

 

[mickeynut1]

We love the MK area so the WL would win out for us if we had to choose between them. But with that said, your boys would probably love seeing animals every day at AKL. Having stayed at both resorts, you really can't go wrong with either one as they are both awesome places to stay. You mention you want adjoining rooms, but I'm thinking you are meaning connecting with a door that can be left open between the two rooms? Either way, one thing to remember is adjoining or connecting rooms would only be a request and is not guaranteed. Disney will do everything they can to accommodate you, but if they're not available, you won't get them; therefore, making you and your husband split up with you in one room with one child and your husband in the other room with the other child. With that possibility, I would look into a villa as others have suggested so you're guaranteed to all be in the same room. Good luck.

 

[Karabee]

I would also pick AKL. There is so much for your kids to do there - so many extra activities and places to explore. WL has extras also, but I've never seen as much going on at any resort as I did ALK. If your kids love animals, they will be amazed. I also think the pool area at AKL is better. It's larger and has more seating.
I'm not aware of any full sized cribs for children so hopefully someone can answer that for you. I would call about that regardless, just to make sure you're hearing it from the mouth of Disney.

 

[tcufrog]

mickeynut1...

Thanks for the advice about the adjoining rooms issue. I guess a Villa is the way to go then.

It sounds like most of y'all are in favor of AKL. How hard is it to get to MK and Epcot from AKL? My older son is also really into geography.

We're thinking about going in November or December. Does either one have an indoor or heated pool? Both of my boys love to swim. My toddler can even swim underwater a short distance so I know they'd be excited about swimming in the fall.

 

[MerriH807]

Both those pools are heated. Kidani Village pool area also has a fun splash area that I am sure your boys will enjoy. Transportation to Epcot and MK will be by bus... The ride to those parks is very manageable by bus.

I guess your decision of a place to stay should also take into account how long you plan at being at your resort vs how long you will be out at the parks. SOmetimes when people have young children, they tend to stay closer to the Magic Kingdom than farther. The kids may also like how they can take a boat ride to Magic Kingdom from WL. SO much to think about. The other properties that have 1 bedroom villas are Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary, Beach Club, and Boardwalk, Saratoga Springs, and Old Key West.

Happy Planning!

 

[Hooked On The Mouse]

I would recommend AKL because I think it's a completely unique experience in a US hotel. Having giraffes and zebras outside your window can't be beat. A 1 bedroom villa sounds like what you want, whichever resort you choose to stay at. And the pools are great at both. It is not hard to get to Epcot or MK from AKL, the bus service is quite good. Make sure you check crowd calendars before you pick a week.

 

[reiella]

AKL is where I'd like to go, but I'd be hesitant because of the distance to MK [especially when contrasted with WL] with children at those ages.

With AKL, the pool is 0-entry, while the pool at WL is not 0-entry, so that may be some concern [I don't know if it would be or not, just mentioning it].

 

[raven69david]

We've stayed at both and prefer AKL. The same designer created both of these resorts, so it comes down to personal preference. With your young kids, they may like to wake up with the animals right outside of their window. Here's a pic of DW and DS last month.

 

[LilGMom]

AKL vs. WL - Depends on personal preference and what you want out of your resort.

WL has some great pros in that it is a short boat ride to MK or even a short boat ride to CR and then you can hop on the monorail to either Epcot or MK. But in November-December time that boat can get pretty chilly if you are stuck on the outside. WL has some great decor and during the holiday season it is really pretty and homey. WCC can be a fun place to eat and VWL has a great little seating area that is a little hidden off the main VWL lobby area. The pool is a standard deluxe pool and I believe all WDW pools are heated in the colder months. I can't comment on the buses at WL because we have never used them.

AKL/AKV - Both resorts are amazing and the CMs are so great to talk with and very informative about the animals. AKL Jambo has a really nice playground for the little ones. AKL Jambo and Kidani both have zero entry pools which is nice with little ones and the water play area at Kidani is great. The resort has a lot of animal viewing areas throughout the resort so you don't have to get a Savannah view room to enjoy the animals. You can even get night-vision goggles at night to see the animals and you can often catch CMs feeding the animals and they'll answer questions for you and tell you about the various animals. In my opinion AKL/AKV is a resort experience not to be missed. The buses for AKL Jambo and Kidani only stop at those two resorts and stop at Kidani first so you aren't picking up a bunch of other resorts which can add to the travel time. I think it took us around 15-30 minutes to get from Kidani to MK during our last trip in May.

For rooms you might want to consider a one bedroom villa since adjoining rooms can be requested but not guaranteed. And if you are wanting to go that route renting points from a DVC member or from a rental company (i.e. David's) could save you money as opposed to getting the room through RCO.

Either resort is nice and I don't think you'll be disappointed in either.

 

[tcufrog]

Thanks for the advice. While I love the idea of AKL it sounds like WL might be more practical while my toddler is so young. Where can I find a crowd calendar? Any AKL restaurant recommendations? I'd like to eat there so we can see inside it. My older son is an adventurous eater and loves eating out but my toddler is rather impatient and a picky eater.

 

[Singinglizzie]

Thanks for the advice. While I love the idea of AKL it sounds like WL might be more practical while my toddler is so young. Where can I find a crowd calendar? Any AKL restaurant recommendations? I'd like to eat there so we can see inside it. My older son is an adventurous eater and loves eating out but my toddler is rather impatient and a picky eater.

You might want to purchase a subscription to the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World's "Touring Plans". I find the crowd calendar, indepensable. You can find their website by googling touring plans. Have fun planning.

 

[mickeynut1]

mickeynut1...

Thanks for the advice about the adjoining rooms issue. I guess a Villa is the way to go then.

It sounds like most of y'all are in favor of AKL. How hard is it to get to MK and Epcot from AKL? My older son is also really into geography.

We're thinking about going in November or December. Does either one have an indoor or heated pool? Both of my boys love to swim. My toddler can even swim underwater a short distance so I know they'd be excited about swimming in the fall.

You're welcome . Most people get adjoining or connecting rooms when they request them, but there is always that chance that you won't get them.....so to be safe, I think a villa is a great idea . Even though AKL is a ways out from everything, we didn't think the buses were bad at all. The buses only go to Kidani and AKL, so there's no sharing with any other resort and it seemed to only take about 5 extra minutes getting to any of the parks compared to other resorts. There are no indoor pools, but all of Disney's pools are heated .

Thanks for the advice. While I love the idea of AKL it sounds like WL might be more practical while my toddler is so young. Where can I find a crowd calendar? Any AKL restaurant recommendations? I'd like to eat there so we can see inside it. My older son is an adventurous eater and loves eating out but my toddler is rather impatient and a picky eater.

We love Boma at AKL . It is a buffet so there's plenty of variety, even for the pickiest eater. There are some unique dishes, but regular items as well like chicken fingers, fries, etc for kids (and adults can eat off of the kids part of the buffet too). Boma is a must do for us every trip .

 

[tcufrog]

mickeynut1...

Thanks for the suggestion. I like the idea of a buffet given how impatient my toddler is.

 

[mickeynut1]

mickeynut1...

Thanks for the suggestion. I like the idea of a buffet given how impatient my toddler is.

No problem . I think Boma is good for adventurous eaters as well as picky eaters. We didn't try it for the longest time because I thought it was too unique and thought my picky eater wouldn't find anything he liked. When we did finally try it, we found it had plenty of regular things on the buffet and ironically, it's now one my oldest DS's favorites at Disney.....and he's the picky one .

 

[CanadianPaco]

We'r only just planning our first AKL stay so my only comment will be about the boat ride from WL to MK! It would be such a treat to connect to MK that way and to the monorail system!

 

[EvilQueensRule]

Hi tcufrog - we are taking our first Disney trip in November with our 3 & 5 yr olds (well, almost 3 and 5) and we will be staying in a 1 bdrm kidani villa. My thinking was that we want to have a great resort to chill out at so we don't overdo it at the parks, and I wanted to have other activities around in case it's not warm enough to swim. And I'm hoping the waterplay area will be great for when the kids want to swim/play in water, but we want to stay relatively dry.

It's really easy to get wrapped up in the planning, but have you first looked at availability? I did all my research to pick out the "perfect" resort (the Bay Lake Towers @ Contemporary) but by the time I booked, there was no availability for a villa. I booked back in May, and there were no villas at Wilderness lodge available for our dates in November either. If you're flexible on dates, it might be easier for you. We ended up renting DVC points for our Kidani stay because it's cheaper, but I checked those resorts both on the Disney booking site and through the points rental broker.