Fort Wilderness vs. Animal Kingdom Lodge

[DisneyWood]

Quick question:

We have a current reservation at Fort Wilderness (cabins) this fall in October. We are looking into getting a room at the Animal Kingdom Lodge (standard Savannah) instead. What are your thoughts? I haven't stayed at either place. We will have several children in our party and I thought being able to see the animals would be fun. (how often do you really see the animals from the savannah rooms?)

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[Empress Room]

No comparison

Although Fort Wilderness is nice, in my view, Animal Kingdom Lodge is the best themed and most attractive resort on property. Even without a savannah room (which you apparently have) there are many areas to view the animals from the hotel. There's nothing quite like the magic of waking up and looking out into the savannah and seeing giraffes and bison eating their breakfast!

Speaking of which, both the sit-down restaurant at the resort (Jiko) and the buffet (Boma) are excellent dining choices.

Go with the AKL!

 

[slappy magoo]

Define "several," please.

I'm staying at AKL next week, but it's just my GF & I. With a lot of kids, I'd say go for a cabin, just by virtue of the fact that there's more room in the cabins. I think AKL rooms average between 344-364 sq. ft. The cabins at FW are just over 500 sq. ft.

True, at the AKL the kids can always go out of the room and do other things, but I think when it comes to falling asleep or getting ready in the morning, having the extra space of the cabins will make a BIG difference in everyone's attitude. Even the best-behaved kids can get cranky when in close proximity to family for too long. With a cabin, they can step outside, feel like they're getting some privacy, but STILL be within shouting distance if you want/need them to come back.

Plus, I don't know what your budget is like, but if you want/need to save a few bucks, you can always make some of your own meals at FW, and you're close to the Trail's End Buffeteria, one of the best meal deals in WDW.

You can always have a meal at Boma and let them investigate the Lodge.

Or, split your trip up between both.

 

[rick3236]

Quick question:

We have a current reservation at Fort Wilderness (cabins) this fall in October. We are looking into getting a room at the Animal Kingdom Lodge (standard Savannah) instead. What are your thoughts? I haven't stayed at either place. We will have several children in our party and I thought being able to see the animals would be fun. (how often do you really see the animals from the savannah rooms?)

Thanks for your thoughts.

You are talking about two very different resorts with two very different experiences. Ft. Wilderness Cabins is a Home Away From Home Resort. Your cabin comes wit a full kitchen, large refrigerator and room to comfortably sleep six. I always see animals when I stay there, mostly squirrels.

AKL is a wonderful resort, the theming is among the best at WDW. The rooms are beautiful and comfortable, but its a hotel room. Waking up and seeing the animals is quite an experience though.

Well, it seems like you really can't go wrong no matter which you choose.

 

[jcarriv]

AKL is incredible. How long are you really in your room anyway? Kids are going to want to be out at the parks or at the pool. To me it's a no brainer. AKL!!!

 

[Kadee]

...Well, it seems like you really can't go wrong no matter which you choose.

Just what I was gonna say!

Just don't stress over it. I think you will love it in either place. Either split your stay, or chose one now, and stay at the other on you next trip. (There is ALWAYS a "next trip," right?)

 

[crazygirley]

AKL is an amazing resort. We had a Savannah View room on Ostrich Trail and had animals greeting us every day like clockwork. There were the same four Giraffe, same four Ostrich, same four Ankole Cattle, and same bunch of Bongo and Gazelle outside our balcony every day. It was really someting we looked forward to. The pool at AKL is also much, much, much nicer than the pool at FW for both kids and adults alike. I think the experience at AKL would be more enjoyable for your kids! Have fun on your trip!

 

[NeverEnufDisney]

I haven't been to AKL but Ft. Wilderness offers your kids nightly singalong campfires with Chip and Dale and a Disney movie. At the campfire they can toast marshmallows. You have the Hoop-de-Doo review, the longest running and most popular family dinner show at WDW. There is also Mickey's Backyard Barbeque with good food and singing and music where they encourage the kids to join the fun. There is horse back riding and swimming. Trails End is the best family buffet at the most reasonable price at WDW. This is not to say that AKL doesn't have appeal, but keeping kids happy while you're tired at night seems easier to me at Ft. Wilderness. Also you're much closer to the Magic Kingdom than at AKL. Just a bus to the outpost on the campground and a nice boat ride to the Kingdom.

 

[wolf29]

Comparing the two resorts is an "apples & oranges" type of thing. We have stayed in and loved both. What we did was stay a few days @ DAKL and then moved to the Cabins for the rest of our stay. Both are great, though the AKL rooms are significantly smaller than the cabins. You are able to see the animals quite often from the room, especially early morning. You can't go wrong with either, but with a couple of kids for more than a few days, DAKL may get small. The Cabins also have a full kitchen, which is really a nice thing to have. They are closer to a lot of the attractions, though DAKL is not that far away from it all. Lots of stuff for kids to do at both places. I am glad that we split our time between both places. The move between resorts is a breeze, so if you are staying long enough to make packing & unpacking a minimal of difficulty, why not do both?

 

[skeeter]

My personal favorite is Animal Kingdom Lodge--I have never been so impressed with any resort as I was with AKL. To walk in to that lobby at night after returning from the parks was so refreshing. The whole experience is intoxicating. Either choice will be special for you, but for me, the magic of AKL can not be matched--hope this helps! :animwink:

 

[NeverEnufDisney]

It truly is an apples and oranges choice that you should base on your family's likes and dislikes. As long as you chose the experience that you're most comfortable with you can't go wrong! The only way to get the bad experience is to chose something out of your family's character and comfort.

 

[KaliSplash]

I'd definitely say the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I haven't stayed there, but our favorite location is the Wilderness Lodge, by the same designer. Only drawback to AKL is distance from most parks.
But then, I'm definitely a hotel sort of guy, as compared to a camping sort of guy.

 

[DisneyWood]

AKL is an amazing resort. We had a Savannah View room on Ostrich Trail and had animals greeting us every day like clockwork. There were the same four Giraffe, same four Ostrich, same four Ankole Cattle, and same bunch of Bongo and Gazelle outside our balcony every day. It was really someting we looked forward to. The pool at AKL is also much, much, much nicer than the pool at FW for both kids and adults alike. I think the experience at AKL would be more enjoyable for your kids! Have fun on your trip!

We have booked a standard Savannah room for $183/night. Do these rooms have pretty good views? Do we have a balcony? What about binoculars, do we need to bring a pair?

We simply decided on AKL b/c of the animals and the pool. We probably didn't give Fort Wilderness a fair shot, but we could all be together at the AKL at that rate. (we have a decent size party-grand gathering)

Are there any character breakfast/dinners at the AKL?

45 days in counting :sohappy: :sohappy:

 

[disneydummy125]

We have booked a standard Savannah room for $183/night. Do these rooms have pretty good views? Do we have a balcony? What about binoculars, do we need to bring a pair?

We simply decided on AKL b/c of the animals and the pool. We probably didn't give Fort Wilderness a fair shot, but we could all be together at the AKL at that rate. (we have a decent size party-grand gathering)

Are there any character breakfast/dinners at the AKL?

45 days in counting :sohappy: :sohappy:

You will have a great view from almost all of the Savannah views. Yes, you will have a balcony and will not need binoculars. But, I recommend that at night you go to the main savannah viewing area, which is right off of the lobby, because there they have a CM with night vision binoculars. They are awesome!

Sorry, but there aren't any character meals at AKL. There is a character breakfast in the AK at Donald's Breakfastorus which is pretty close so you could go there.

 

[DisneyWood]

Thanks for the input. I will make sure that we go to the main viewing room in the lobby as well. I didn't figure that AKL had any character meals, so that is okay. We are really looking forward to our stay there.

I still can't believe the rates.

Does anyone know (ballpark) how long it takes to get to each park from AKL? I obviously realize that we are close to AK, but how far from:
1. Magic Kingdom
2. Epcot
3. MGM
4. Downtown Disney
5. Blizzard beach

Thanks again.

 

[DisneyWood]

Oh yeah, are there a limited number of animals we will be seeing during our stay? I noticed in all of the pictures that there are Giraffes, Zebras, etc. I have yet to see Elephants, tigers, lions, etc.

Is it closed off for those animals or is it the luck of the draw? We will be happy either way, just curious.

 

[wolf29]

As far as seeing animals from your room, you may want a small pair of binoculars. You don't need them, but they are good to have. You will receive an guide to the animals that can be seen from your room upon checking in. Besides zebras and giraffes, there are ankole cattle (they have GIANT horns), as well as different species of antelopes & gazelles. Travel time to various theme parks varies, but not really more than 20-30 minutes by bus, less by car. MK is farthest from DAKL and that is a fifteen minute drive by car. You are going to be amazed by the Lodge. It is the most amazing place at which I have ever stayed.

 

[wdwdave09]

Animals at AKL, etc.

There are both a limited number and type of animals at the AKL. No elephants, tigers or lions (or other large cats) - these are all at AK itself. But there are more than zebra, antelope and giraffes as well.

Make sure and try Boma as it is an awesome restaurant with some of the best food at WDW (IMO). It serves African-style food, buffet style. The desserts alone are incredible!! They have pasta, chicken and PB&J for the kids if they don't want to venture away from normal American fare.

I noticed you mentioned Blizzard Beach. You didn't mention the ages of the kids but you might want to consider Typhoon Lagoon (TL) as well or instead. I visited both with my family last October and of the two, I thought TL was more 'cozy' and better suited for younger kids (mine were 6 and 9 at the time). It is definitely more lush with lots of foliage. It feels like being at the "islands." It doesn't have the 'monster' water rides that BB has but it did have snorkeling with sharks, rays, etc. which my 9-yr old said was here favorite part of the park. The kids also enjoyed the giant waves at BB. The family raft rides were a blast as well.

Either way, you can't go wrong. Enjoy your trip!