Deciding between Animal Kingdom Lodge and Ft. Wilderness

[manonw]

We are planning a May '12 visit to WDW and can't decide between Animal Kingdom and Ft Wilderness. There will be 3 adults (my daughter will be 20) and 1 child (my son, 7) in our group so we are doing a 1 bedroom villa. I'm getting overwhelmed by reading reviews online so I was hoping I could get some advise from anyone that has stayed at one or both resorts.. Also, I've seen reviews as to what part of the resort was best to stay.. As specific as room numbers.. So any advise in that area would be appreciated as well. :-)

[lily23]

you can't go wrong between these two choices, but my vote is for wilderness. I prefer the theme, but that is a subjective choice. I really enjoy the boatride to Magic Kingdom, an attraction in its own right. The geyser is pretty cool, too. The water-fall into the pool is amazing. You don't realize it's the pool til you walk down.

A.K. is bus or car-only transportation. I wouldn't stay at Animal Kingdom without a savanah view room. It's the whole point, and yes you really can see the animals from your room, in the evening only. During the day they are at the park. Beyond that I can't comment on room numbers.

Regardless of where you stay, don't miss a meal at Boma's (in the AK lodge), quite possibly our favorite restaurant in the world.

Don't agonize over this too much, these are both beautifully themed resorts, the best of the best.

[PSUMark]

manonw, do you mean Wilderness Lodge?? Both your original post and lily23's response seem to be referring to Wilderness Lodge rather than Fort Wilderness. Wilderness Lodge is a deluxe resort with DVC villas. Ft. Wilderness is a campground.

[KingEric]

Ok I agree with Lily.

DAK Lodge: Savannah view or bust. If I don't have a Savannah view at this hotel there is 0 reasons to stay there.

WL: feels tucked away in the middle of Disney. The boat ride to MK is awesome a great treat, and there are wonderful spaces all over the hotel, where you can sit down and read a book, watch a fire, and just relax.

[PSUMark]

Also, of those two, my vote is for Wilderness Lodge. The animals at AKL are really cool, but you can also see them at DAK, and how much time will you really spend in your hotel room? AKL is also pretty far out of the way for everywhere that isn't DAK, whereas Wilderness Lodge gives you faster access to most areas of the property you want to go.

They're both absolutely beautifully designed resorts (definitely two of the best if not the best in that regard) but Wilderness Lodge also has a slight edge in aesthetics in my totally subjective opinion. The architecture and landscaping here are just superb.

[harpist1991]

Ft. Wilderness versus Wilderness Lodge doesn't change it much, in my opinion. Either one is preferable to Animal Kingdom. I haven't stayed in AKL or WL, but I did stay in Ft. Wilderness a couple of times and the cabins are amazing. WL's restuarant (Echo Canyon? I think) is amazing. Just don't ask for catsup and you should be fine! Decorations wise, WL takes precedence over all three just because of all the intricate details in the lobby and everything. AKL was cool, but we only visited the one time and now it's like "been there done that". Ft. Wilderness, if you are looking there, has a more groupy feeling. Every night there's a big campfire that Mickey and Minnie attend and there's always people around to talk to.

[lily23]

manonw, do you mean Wilderness Lodge?? Both your original post and lily23's response seem to be referring to Wilderness Lodge rather than Fort Wilderness. Wilderness Lodge is a deluxe resort with DVC villas. Ft. Wilderness is a campground.

I did assume you meant the Lodge

. WL's restuarant (Echo Canyon? I think) is amazing. Just don't ask for catsup and you should be fine!

You know you gotta ask for Ketchup now, right?