Animal Kingdom Lodge, Wilderness Lodge, or Boardwalk? Help!

[hiddenmickey06]

Hey everyone! I am going to the world in december with my sister and really want to go all out since it may be our last trip for a long time. Right now we are booked to stay at Pop Century, but I was thinking of making a major upgrade to either Animal Kingdom Lodge, Wilderness Lodge, or the Boardwalk, and I need some help figuring out which would be better to stay at. If anyone has any opinions about these resorts, good or bad I would like to hear them. What is the bus transportation like? Also how are the amenities, and dining options of these resorts? I want to make sure I get my money's worth(especially since I can't really afford it anyway). Thanks in advance!

 

[LostHillBillie]

I can tell you about wildernes lodge

It is very nice and has boat service straight to Magic Kingdom. We stayed there last october for a week and loved it. The pool is nice and the jacouzzi is perfect.
The restataurant downstairs is unfortunately not as great as it could be due to the somewhat limited menu selections.

We are trying animal kingdom this year but I have no experience yet with that hotel.

-losthillbillie

 

[SiriusBlack]

AKL is awesome, but I don't like the theming quite as much as Wilderness Lodge. WL is my favorite resort I have stayed it. The central hall is open and pretty amazing. The pool is great, and the boat service is unique. I haven't been to boardwalk much aside from an evening or two there, but I say WL is the best bet out of the three.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

We stayed at WL this past Dec...brother/SIL stayed at AKL that same trip. The design concepts (i.e. before you add in the theme) are similar, but since WL has a woodsy feel- we liked WL a little bit better for a holiday trip. We all also agreed WL had a better location if you're spending a lot of time at MK. Bus service at WL varied, but the the boat was great...of course it was in the 30s & 40s + windy...so a bit chilly on the dock, but we still really liked having that as an option. We didn't go into BW nor have I stayed there, but a coworker's parents really enjoyed their stay there back in November. Your room would be bigger if you stayed at BW and you'd be closer to Epcot.

Since you bring up budget- WL and AKL should wind up being less $ than BW depending on the kind of room you book.

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

I've stayed at each resort numerous times and this is the advice that I would give you.
Wilderness Lodge-closest to the Magic Kingdom which is the park that guest with young children frequent the most so this resort with it's boat to Mk would be your best bet. I think that the bus service to the other parks is good also. It's one of the less expensive deluxes with the standard view room being on the same price range as Animal Kingdom Lodge which is also one of the less expensive deluxes. (depending on room category)
Animal Kingdom Lodge- Since you do have the savannas this resort is the furthest away from everything so the bus trip can be a little long depending on which park you want to go to. Also unless you don't mind the long bus ride this is a beautiful hotel especially if your family are animal lovers. It's my person favorite.
The Boardwalk Inn- If your children are older or if it will be just adults this hotel is perfect since you can walk to Epcot from here or take the boat to the Studios. Bus to AK and Mk run pretty regularly.

If you are looking to save I would go with either the WL or AKL. No kids? Go with AKL as long as the bus ride won't matter. If it does go with WL.

Pam

 

[worldfanatic]

In my opinion, you've picked the best 3 resorts on WDW property.
Can't go wrong with any of those. LIVE IT UP!!:sohappy:

 

[DizneyPryncess]

Boardwalk is a huge favorite of mine. Of the 3, it's the only one that you can actually walk into a park from - Epcot & Hollywood Studios. You can also walk to Fantasia Gardens mini-golf. I love the pool there, it's Circus themed & has a water slide. We found it to usually be pretty quiet & peaceful.

At night, it's a beautiful walk around the Boardwalk with all kinds of things going on. As far as dining goes, you have a lot of places along the boardwalk to eat. We usually ended up eating in the parks, but went to ESPN Club a lot as my husband is a sports fanatic.

I like Wilderness Lodge better than AKL of those two. If I can't walk to a park or take the monorail, I don't like to pay deluxe costs, but that's just me personally. All 3 resorts are very nice!

 

[AkiraRaptor]

If it's price based, like Pam said, AKL tends to be the cheapest. If you're looking for a totaly different resort experiance, AKL again. If you want my pereference...AKL. How'd you guess? :ROFLOL: Sorry, could't resist.

I've never stayed at Boardwalk or WL, but have visited many times and had many dinners at both. They both look great to stay at and each have there own plusses.

WL is close to the MK. Boardwalk is in the middle of everything, and near the back entrence to Epcot, always a big plus.

Tough choice. Good luck.

 

[hiddenmickey06]

Thanks for all of your replies! All of you offered something worth hearing.:sohappy: I think we are going to go with Animal Kingdom Lodge. I really want to stay at all of these resorts someday, but this one is number one on my list. We just upgraded from Pop Century to Port Orleans French Quarter for now. I am going to wait until the end of June, I think, until I make my final decision and to make sure we can actually afford it. But, thanks for all of your help and suggestions everyone!

I have a few more questions about AKL now if anyone cares to answer. What room views are the better ones? Does the bus stop have seperate areas for each park, or are they all jumbled together? Is Boma better for breakfast or dinner? Thanks in advance!

 

[slappy magoo]

The only major "con" for AKL as far as I'm concerned is location - there's no boat to any parks, no stroll to Epcot or DHS. However, from my experience the bus line is amongst the best (if it's better or worse since they added the DVC wing, I don't know). Great food, great pool(s), and of course the animals. The gym is great, too, if you want that sort of thing on vacation. I've actually stayed at all three of these resorts, AKL is the one dearest to my heart, but now that we have a kid with another on the way, I'd probably be more inclined to go for WL or BW just for the proximity to at least one park. But I'd be thrilled if I had to "settle" for AKL.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

The only major "con" for AKL as far as I'm concerned is location - there's no boat to any parks, no stroll to Epcot or DHS. However, from my experience the bus line is amongst the best (if it's better or worse since they added the DVC wing, I don't know). Great food, great pool(s), and of course the animals. The gym is great, too, if you want that sort of thing on vacation. I've actually stayed at all three of these resorts, AKL is the one dearest to my heart, but now that we have a kid with another on the way, I'd probably be more inclined to go for WL or BW just for the proximity to at least one park. But I'd be thrilled if I had to "settle" for AKL.

I stayed at Kidani in Jan, and I thought the bus service was the best of any of the deluxe resorts I have stayed at.

 

[ScoutN]

I stayed at Kidani in Jan, and I thought the bus service was the best of any of the deluxe resorts I have stayed at.

Unlike PORFQ/RS, CBR, and a few others there are only two stops. That is my favorite thing about the service there; you do not get stuck for 10+ minutes going around the entire resort.

 

[AkiraRaptor]

Being DVC members (and AKV owners), weve stayed at both resorts many times now.

The two resorts have one bus stop each. Each bus stop at each resort has a seperate bus for the 4 main parks, and they share the water parks and downtown disney busses. These can change a bit throughout the day based upon how busy things get.

If I remember correctly, but this may have changed since October, all the busses except one visit Kidani first, then Jambo House second except I think the Downtown Disney bus. It hits the two resorts in oppisite direction. That way you can hop a bus back and forth between the two resorts instead of walking.

Like I said, that could have changed.

Savanna rooms are the best, but are the most expensive. There is a conciege level as well, they are higher up. But higher isn't always better. The trees have grown a bit since its opened in 2001 and I've found they they can obscure good views of the animals when you up high.

As fo Boma. We like breakfast much better. I save dinner for special places, and while Boma is a good place to eat, there are better for dinner IMO. Jiko right next door is a top notch place. And it really isn't that much more in cost. But you will get a world class African flavored meal. Sanaa at Kidani is also wonderful for both lunch and dinner.

And as much as I love Jiko, Sanaa can really get your love of food going. I've had 3 meals there so far, and each time I go away loving the food even more.

And even if you can't swing staying there, you should visit and book a dining experiance at Boma, Jiko, or Sanaa. And don't forget to see the animals!

Hope that helps, have fun!