Akl Or Wl 1st Trip With Toddlers

[bertegirl]

WE HAVE RESERVATIONS AT THE AKL WITH THE VIEW. WE KEEP HEARING SO MANY THINGS ABOUT THE WL AND THE BOAT ACCESS TO THE MAGIC KINGDOM. DID WE MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE? WE HAVE NO IDEA, THIS IS A 1S FOR THE FOUR OF US. WE HAVE A 6 MONTH DS AND A 4 DD. ANY THOUGHTS ON ONE OVER THE OTHER?

 

[Mrs D]

Are you planning on returning to the room for naps/break during the day? What parks are you planning on visiting?
We stayed at the Villas of Wilderness Lodge in Sept. with our DS3 and DD14months. We really enjoyed taking the boat to MK and went there several times.

Maybe post some more info or questions and we can all put in our 2 cents!

 

[mmmears]

When we travelled with our DD when she was a toddler, we visited all the parks. However, many people with little ones spend most of their time at the Magic Kingdom.

The WL has the great boat transportation to the MK, but uses busses to ALL the other parks.

AKL is really gorgeous, and having the animals right outside your room would be great, too. But you have to take a bus everywhere, and some of those places are far from AKL. (On the plus side, most resorts share busses, which increases the time it takes to get anwhere; AKL has it's own busses and never shares with another resort).

If you are planning on spending lots or most of your time at the MK, then I think that WL is the way to go. It will be easier to go back and forth on the boat and WL is so much closer to the MK. (But it's really no closer to Epcot, DHS or AK than the AKL is).

If you are planning on going to all the parks and going to the MK for only one day, then I would say that you should choose your resort based on its theme or what else it has to offer.

Good luck with your decision! I hope this helps a bit!

 

[tigger_03]

We decided to stay WL this time. Having the boat to MK was very nice. Especially with a 3 and 1 year old. We knew that we'd be at MK more than the other parks so that helped make our decision easier. DH wants to stay at AKL one time but it will be a tough decision because the WL was absolutely beautiful!

 

[MickeyNicki]

We just came back from 5 nights at the AKL and liked it but we decided that the AKL is just too far from everything, takes too long to get to places and too long to get back.

Have stayed at the WL before too and you feel like you are close to the action.

 

[bertegirl]

With our 4 year old DD I think most of our time will be spent at the Magic Kingdom or the hotel pool. So maybe the WL would be better for us.

 

[mmmears]

With our 4 year old DD I think most of our time will be spent at the Magic Kingdom or the hotel pool. So maybe the WL would be better for us.

I dont think you'll regret it for the convenience, plus it's a beautiful resort!

 

[Disney Fan Katt]

Have you thought of spliting your stay at all? We have a two year old and we are staying at the AKL for three nights then moving to the Poly for the remainder of the trip. We have stayed at both and we wanted to spend some time close to the AK then move closer to MK.

We love both of those resorts, but do find ourselves at the WL much more. We enjoy the outdoors and like the walking trails there.

Good luck!

 

[MinnieSummer]

I don't think you said what time of year you are going to WDW but -- you did say you would be spending time at the pool. AKL has a zero depth entry and with a toddler that is a wonderful thing. The pool is also huge with plenty of seating, unlike the pool at WL which is very small and runs out of chairs very early in the day. Also, there is a playground just of the pool at AKL which makes it really convenient. Personally, I've always found the busses at AKL to be much more reliable than those at WL and because you aren't sharing busses, a problem when leaving the parks at the end of the day, the trips are much shorter. Don't get me wrong, I love WL, in fact I'm staying there for Christmas this year but, with little ones I find AKL satisfies my needs much better. There just seems to be more things to do at AKL with the little ones.

 

[brergnat]

Let's just ask this: Does your 4 year old LOVE animals? As in, is she OBSESSED with African wildlife? If the answer is yes, then stay with your AKL reservation. If not, move to WL. Both resorts are about equal in terms of amenities. AKL may have an edge where the pool is concerned. However, I'd say WL has an edge as far as having more to do recreationally speaking. There is Ft. Wilderness right there, you can rent boats (would be a fun thing for you or your DH to do with your 4y/o one day while the baby naps), take boats to the Contemporary and then you have monorail access to those three MK resorts for dining, which is a huge plus. I could go on. WL is fabulous, and also has plenty of wildlife to see on the grounds (ducks, birds, rabbits, otters, deer, etc). At AKL, you might feel a little isolated at the end of the day.

On the other hand, if your DD absolutely would FLIP upon seeing giraffes and zebras outside her window, then you would be a fool to NOT stay at AKL with a savannah view. It really depends on what your family needs/wants out of a resort.

 

[jmamom]

Last time we went to WDW myDD was 5 and DS was 1, and the WL was great - the boat to MK was so easy, you could roll the stroller right onto it. Both kids loved the lobby at the WL too, my one year old just ran back and forth over the bridge all day long. I don't think there is a wrong choice though, its a win-win either way.

 

[decker96]

I would go with WL. My parents stayed at AKL on our last trip and it is really far from everything (except AK of course). While they loved it and the resort is beautiful, they decided they would not stay there again because of the distance. And that is two adults, no kids. We went to Boma one night for dinner and took a bus back to MK to get back to the Poly where we were staying and it was a LONG ride. With kiddos so little, I would want to be closer to MK.

 

[Kimberle]

I have stayed at both. I would recommend WL for little kids. I'd assume you're spending most of your time at the MK. When you take the boat from WL to MK, you can just roll your stroller on, no folding! You're also much closer to CR (Chef Mickeys. etc) and FW (campfire, Hoop De Doo, pony rides, etc) as there is a small boat that runs CR/WL/FW.

AKL is great, but you're on the bus for everything and MK is the farthest park.

WL does have a kiddie pool and a very nice playground right on the beach.

 

[SplashMtnCrew]

We have never stayed at AKL the reason is because it's just too far away, and they only offer bus service. My DH can't handle that, so we stay at WL and DS loves it. On our Epcot days, we go to CR for Chef Mickey's and then take the monorail to Epcot, and then use the bus to go back to WL. So for us, we only take a bus to DHS and AK. We've always recieved great service there, that's why we just keep staying there! If you'll be returning to your room w/ the children for nap time and spending most of your time at MK, WL is the way to go. I've read about people complaining about having to share the buses w/other resorts, which is true, but we've never had it be a problem. What we've experienced is that we only share with GF when picked up to go to a park, never from a park back to the resort. However, Ft. Wilderness shares with WL for pickup and return to resorts consistently.

 

[Britt7]

We have been going back and forth between the two as well. I would prefer the AKL just for the theme and animals, but WL is closer to MK which is were we will be spending most of our time. We found this out last year when DD2 (at the time) wanted to leave all the other parks to "go ride rides" MK has more to offer for this age group. I was still torn until I read that the animals will not be on the Savannah during the week of our trip January 24-31st. This made our decision for us. No sense in staying and not seeing the animals from our room like we had hoped! We will just try AKL another trip - when DD is older.

 

[fuse04]

Last year we stayed at both and to be honest you will not be disappointed by either. Both are lovely resorts and the theming is superb. We stayed at AKL for the first 7 days and then WL for the last 7 days. Having enjoyed AKL so much we were a bit apprehensive of them moving to WL but we shouldn't have been.

AKL has great african theme and of course the animals, and Boma is excellant. Whilst many have indicated that it is a bit isolated without a car, we found the bus service very good and did not find this a problem in anyway.

WL has a great boat ride to MK and the monorail is good to get to off site dining at Contemporary, Polynesian and Grand Floridian. If you get a room on the 6th floor facing MK you can see the fireworks, and of course there is the Electrical pagent in the evening on the lake.

 

[bertegirl]

Thanks for all the great advice. We switched our reservations to WL woods view. Can't wait~ Sounds like a great choice for our 2 little ones. I am sure we will spend most of our time at Magic Kingdom anyway. And rolling our stroller right onto the boat sounds perfect!!! We are going in May 6 to the 12. So hopefully it won't be super busy then!

 

[parrothead928]

Thanks for all the great advice. We switched our reservations to WL woods view. Can't wait~ Sounds like a great choice for our 2 little ones. I am sure we will spend most of our time at Magic Kingdom anyway. And rolling our stroller right onto the boat sounds perfect!!! We are going in May 6 to the 12. So hopefully it won't be super busy then!

Have you made your new reservations for the WL yet? If not, you might want to consider doing so! That way, you will have a better chance of getting into the resort you want!! Just call Disney and ask if anything is available for the dates that you want at WL. Keep your ressies at the AKL until you are able to get into the WL. Hopefully right away!!! Have a great vacation with your family!!!

 

[bertegirl]

Yes we switched them last night. Although, they couldn't guarantee our requests. We did get a Woods View, though. They said they marked that it was my sons 1st birthday and our 1st trip and hopefully that will make our reservation stand out! They said early May normally isn't as busy since the schools are still in session.

 

[mmmears]

I really hope you have a magical time!