Animal Kingdom Lodge or Wilderness Lodge

[Alpha Jeanie]

What are the pros and cons of staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge or Wilderness Lodge? We have stayed at Wilderness 2ce and LOVE it. I'm wondering if this next trip, we should stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Help me decide.

[faline]

We've stayed at both and have enjoyed both. Despite the similarities in general appearance, they are very different resorts.

With Wilderness, we love being in the Magic Kingdom area and the ability to visit the monorail resorts more easily. That said, the last time we stayed at Wilderness was before they reduced the operating hours for the monorail system so I'm not sure how easy it will be to visit those resorts in the evening from the Wilderness location any more. Territory Lounge is, I think, my favorite resort lounge and we enjoy relaxing there. We also love the huge fireplace and the "hidden" fireplaces around the property. Boat service to the Magic Kingdom is another plus.

At Animal Kingdom Lodge, you have the option of being able to see the animals right from your room - it's almost enough, at times, to make you want to skip heading to the parks! Jiko is a terrific restaurant. While Marra is quite a bit larger than Roaring Folks, I think I prefer Roaring Forks for quick service items. The gift sop at Animal Kingdom is quite nice and very large. While they do have a fire pit, I don't think I've ever spent any time sitting around it - either the space is already occuppied or we've just not done it when it is not. I have mixed feelings about the lounge here - Victoria Falls. Visually, it is quite nice and it's a great spot for people watching. However, I just don't find it as comfortable and relaxing to hang out there as I do at some of Disney's other lounges. The biggest negative for Animal Kingdom Lodge is that it feels very remote from the rest of Disney World. True, Animal Kingdom is just a 5 minute bus ride away but the bus to the Magic Kingdom takes a good 20 minutes after you board. Plus, unless you have a car and drive yourself, busses are your only mode of transportation from this location.

Still, you can't go wrong with either choice!

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Haven't stayed at Animal Kingdom and really want to one day, so that's which I would pick. Would love to sit on my balcony and watch animals every morning. I kind of like the remoteness of the resort and I've heard bus service is great. At the WL you have to share buses with GF and the Contemporary, but there is the boat for MK.

Like the OP said, you can't go wrong with either.

[buzznwoodysmom]

Haven't stayed at Animal Kingdom and really want to one day, so that's which I would pick. Would love to sit on my balcony and watch animals every morning. I kind of like the remoteness of the resort and I've heard bus service is great. At the WL you have to share buses with GF and the Contemporary, but there is the boat for MK.

Like the OP said, you can't go wrong with either.

One thing to keep in mind about being able to see the animals from your balcony. Those Savannah view rooms can really increase the cost of your room. I know lots of people deciding between AKL and WL do so because they are similarly priced deluxe resorts. However, if you opt for a Savannah view room it's going to cost more than staying at WL. Just wanted to put that little piece of info out there.

That said, I think they are both wonderful resorts.
We have stayed at WL 6 or 7 times now, have stayed at Jambo House twice, and at Kidani Village once. We prefer Jambo House, but both are wonderful.

We love WL for its grand beauty and its location. It's our favorite resort on property and we plan to continue staying there at least on every other trip.

AKL is such an amazing resort. It's also a very grand, beautiful resort (Jambo), but it doesn't have as good a location, in our opinion. We didn't like feeling so far away from everything. We enjoy having a Savannah view room, but that makes it more expensive than our beloved WL. Of course you can book a standard view to keep the cost down, but then you sort of loose part of what makes this resort so special and unique.

As others have already said, you can't go wrong with either. Being you have stayed at WL already I would suggest giving AKL a try, at least once.

[#1donaldfan]

Haven't stayed at Animal Kingdom and really want to one day, so that's which I would pick. Would love to sit on my balcony and watch animals every morning. I kind of like the remoteness of the resort and I've heard bus service is great. At the WL you have to share buses with GF and the Contemporary, but there is the boat for MK.

Like the OP said, you can't go wrong with either.

I've been lucky enough to have stayed twice at AKL and love it !!! We had Savanah view's both times and there is nothing better than getting up to a cup of coffee and sitting on the balcony watching the animals and reading my bible !!

[RedSoxFan]

I love both resorts; but I think I like AKL a little bit more. Part of me wishes I was staying there in November instead of the GF; but I'm sure I'll love the GF too. As others have said, it's a wonderful resort. I love the gift shop. Busses are not shared with any other resort which I love. I don't mind that it's isolated from everything. We have always gotten a pool view room and just view the animals from the picture windows or outside. It's quite cheaper that way.

[DonaldDuckUSA]

While they do have a fire pit, I don't think I've ever spent any time sitting around it - either the space is already occuppied or we've just not done it when it is not.

We did the fire pit once. We were at the parks late and we missed the event. We mentioned this to a cast member and he said if we didn't make much noise, he'd turn it on and let our small party of five enjoy it late into the evening. It was much smaller than we anticipated. I didn't see how it could accommodate a crowd. We had a nice experience, but it was nothing special.

We had a great time at AK. A lot of people say its too far away from everything. That being said, it was beautiful, unique, and relaxing. Really enjoyable experience. Very special.

[Opus X]

We love W.L.
Havnt stayed at AKl.
So, im biased.....I love W.L. It is so Disney in every way.
And, I love the national park theme.

[Disney4us2]

We have been to AKL twice now (DVC) and love it. We stayed at Kidani both times once with a savannah view and the last visit in a standard room. Have an upcoming overnight at AKL Jambo House in December.

I really love AKL. It feels like home to us. Even though it is more remote, the bus ride is not really that bad. Love the animals and how close you are to them. We went to the fire pit at Kidani and used the night vision goggles. Very cool. One of our best meals was at Boma at Jambo House.

Haven't stayed at WL, but love the grounds. Someday I hope to stay there. So for now my vote would be for AKL.

[brownie]

There's a very good breakfast buffet at Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge. It's a great themed resort and we would really like to stay there instead of just visiting.

[why4k]

We stayed at AKL once and thought it was wonderful. We stayed in a pool view room because it was quite close to all the restaurants, the lounge, and of course the pool. We used all of these alot and it made things very easy. If you use the refillable mugs, you don't want to walk ten minutes across the resort to use them. I have visited WL twice and like the resort very much also. I believe if I still had small children, mine are 16 and 12, I would want to stay at WL because of it's proximity to MK. I wouldn't hesitate to stay at either resort, we just prefer AKL.

[Mitzie]

We have stayed at both..WL once last April, AKL we will be at for the 4th time in 16 days. Yes at first glance the lobby looks very similar but it is all in the details. We love AKL..we like that it is remote..so peacefull. After a day in the parks with the noise and lights to come back and the animal savanah is so quiet. One stay we were on the 4th floor and right off our balcony every night were about 15 Tommy Gazelles and you could just lightly hear them munching on the grass. It might be hard to break away from WL, from what you know and love, but give AKL a try.

[c&d]

I've stayed at both and really like both of them for different reasons. AKL for it's remoteness, it always feels like I've stepped away from all the hustle and bustle when I enter the lodge. WL for it's closeness to MK and to Trail's End buffet. We eat there on our first night.

I like WL lounge much better than AKL. I kept hitting my legs on the spikes on the table. I like Artist Point more than Boma. I like the food court at AKL it didn't feel as chaotic as WL.

I love watching the animals at AKL but I also like having the water sports nearby at WL.

As for pools AKL has a much better pool in my opinion, I love how the sitting area winds around the pool and your not packed into like sardines on the deck at WL.

My favorite part of AKL is the concierge sunrise safari. It was absolutely amazing.

When I took my aunt to visit we split our stay between both resorts. It was the best of both worlds.