Bay Lake Towers or Animal Kingdom Lodge?

[emerzmom]

I promised myself several years ago that I would go to WDW for my 50th birthday (this November) but when I had a business trip in April to WDW I had decided to skip the birthday trip...well I have changed my mind. I really want to go.
Opinions wanted:
Bay Lake Towers Standard Studio
or
Animal Kingdom Lodge Savannah
?????

[darthmacho]

I say AKL Savannah, but I'm biased. I'm sure BLT would be a great place to stay, but it's not in my price range right now. Staying in an AKL room with a savannah view is on my WDW bucket list! :mickey:

[RBrooksC]

I would say Bay Lake Towers b/c I rather enjoy the CR and it is so much closer to everything.

[ThanxForNoticin]

Another vote for the savannah view at AKL. It's an amazing resort. And unless you are planning to spend a lot of time at MK (where the location of BLT is much better), AKL has a lot more to offer. Besides the animals and the peaceful feel of the resort, the pools are much better than BLT, and we also think the restaurant options are better.

Happy Birthday, and congratulations on your decision to treat yourself to something special. I can tell already you have made a good decision!!

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Oh, my dream room would be the AKL Savannah View....that's my vote

[KAT1811]

Bay Lake Towers for the location. There is so much to do in the area you can do drinks at the California Grill, EWP, Fort Wilderness (carriage ride), Poly ('Ohana), MK right next door, monerail access. . . :mickey:

[cajunprincess]

We stayed in a Savannah View room at Animal Kingdom Lodge and it was AWESOME!!! That is my vote!

[Rosanne]

I'm thinking it depends on what you are planning on doing while there. If you are going to hit the parks hard, I would probably suggest BLT. If you want to relax and take it all in, I would suggest AKL.

HOWEVER, no matter what you choose, it's a good choice! Two BEAUTIFUL resorts!

[RBrooksC]

Location, Location, Location... BLT is so much closer to everything. AKL seems so out of the way. I would rather stay close to the center of things when in WDW.

[seanyred]

My vote is for AKL Savanah View. Although a MK View at BLT would be awesome too. The atmosphere at AKL I feel is much better, plus if you are looking for place away from the choas there is nothing better than have a nice cool beverage while watching the animals.

On a sidenote to defend the the whole distance thing here are mileage comparisions with using googlemaps.

BLT to:
EPCOT 7.5mi
DHS 7.3mi
AK 10.0mi

AKL to:
EPCOT 6.1mi
DHS 4.5mi
MK 8.0mi

So in actuality AKL is closer to all other Parks except MK compared to BLT. But I will admitt that if you are at BLT your transportation options are much cooler. :mickey:

[AuntLaura]

BLT hands down. With proximity to MK, monorail to Epcot, Bay Lake, other resorts on Bay Lake and Seven Seas, no question in my mind. I actually prefer the Bay Lake view.

[MinnieMommie]

2 of my favorite resorts so a hard question to answer. I have stayed in a studio at both resorts and must say the Savannah view at AKL is one of the nicest studio rooms I have stayed in. So if deciding on room alone I think it is hard to compare a standard studio at BLT and savannah view at AKL(if you are talking MK view at BLT then it would be a different story).

I have never stayed at AKL without a car but if I did not have one it would slant the decision in favor of BLT. Very easy access to MK and Epcot by monorail (or walking into MK).

Think about what you plan to do. If you want to spend a lot of time relaxing at the resort
and don't plan to go back and forth to the parks each day and night AKL is a place to relax and really feel like you are away from it all.

Can you consider a split stay? I sometimes spend my 1st 2 days at AKL and then move on to a different resort for a more frantic pace and intensive Disney park experience.

Whatever you decide you can't go wrong at either resort. :mickey:

[iceicebritney]

Do you like Animals or the close proximity to the Magic Kingdom?

I like the Animal Kingdom lodge. It is a beautiful resort. However, it is rather secluded from a good chunk of WDW Resort.

We spent two weeks at AKL with small children and the long bus ride back to AKL from Magic Kingdom in the afternoons for naps and evenings was brutal. You certainly can't beat the Contemporary's easy access to the Magic Kingdom. However, Blizzard Beach and Animal Kingdom are right around the corner, and those are two of my favorite places :)

Aside from the transportation aspect,the resort has a lot to offer. I love the pool. It's warm all the time, which is very relaxing after long days in the parks. The water slide was the main focus of everyone in our party, even my grandmother! The flamingos are near by and there is a hot tub! The food is some of the best on property. Jiko has amazing wines. BOMA is a fabulous food feast! I stayed at the resort for my 25th Birthday and they really made a fuss our entire stay. From the people behind the desk at check in, to housekeeping and the servers at the restaurants, everyone really made my birthday special :mickey:

[emerzmom]

Thank you all for the great input. INTERCOT people are the best!
I couldn't get either resort for my birthday (too close to Thanksgiving) so I decided to give my daughter a special surprise. She has always wanted to be in WDW for her birthday so that is what we are going to do!
I thought she would love BLT so that is where we are going. 5 nights in late February/early March (her birthday is March 3rd).
I wanted to make it a surprise but this is her last year of college and she will have to miss a couple of days of class...which she said she would find a way to make it work!
Yippee! I have 7 glorious months of planning and dreaming about our next WDW vacation.
Love it!
:mickey:
Julie

[ThanxForNoticin]

Sounds like an awesome trip. Have a great time with your daughter and enjoy BLT! It's still kind of like giving yourself a birthday present, too!

[ozmom]

Congrats on your decision. Sounds like a fun trip with your daughter.

I will also be 50 in November and we will be staying at BLT 12/04 - 12/09 with our grandsons.

Happy 50th :party:

[RAIDER]

Bay Lake Towers for the location. There is so much to do in the area you can do drinks at the California Grill, EWP, Fort Wilderness (carriage ride), Poly ('Ohana), MK right next door, monerail access. . . :mickey:

I couldnt have put that any better myself ....
My choice would be BLT also you get use of the BLT pool and CR :thumbsup:

[ANG]

I would say Bay Lake Towers b/c I rather enjoy the CR and it is so much closer to everything.

Ditto

[Mousemates]

Thank you all for the great input. INTERCOT people are the best!
I couldn't get either resort for my birthday (too close to Thanksgiving) so I decided to give my daughter a special surprise. She has always wanted to be in WDW for her birthday so that is what we are going to do!
I thought she would love BLT so that is where we are going. 5 nights in late February/early March (her birthday is March 3rd).
I wanted to make it a surprise but this is her last year of college and she will have to miss a couple of days of class...which she said she would find a way to make it work!
Yippee! I have 7 glorious months of planning and dreaming about our next WDW vacation.
Love it!
:mickey:
Julie

Enjoy the next seven months (you are right, so much of the fun is in the planning). Hope you have a great trip, I'm sure you won't have any regrets over the choice you made. You simply can't go wrong with that location.

[jonahbear2006]

BLT for convienence, the best restaurants are close by, and you are right by magic kingdom. It also has the observation deck for fireworks. i would say hands down BLT