I usually don't post on this board, but I just had to say something about the AKL.
My family and I just returned from our trip to WDW and a stay at AKL. Let me just say that when we drove up to the lodge for the first time it was like being in another world! I felt like a kid all over again! This place is soooooo beautiful, and I'm glad we decided to stay there. I was hesitant at first, but this place is just unbelievable to me. It's like a Shang-ri-la!~
The only things negative I can say (and they're minor compared to all this resort has going for it) is that the kiddie pool is small, and it's a bit of a walk to Mara, the food court. Also I wish the Mara had a larger selection of hot food items for lunch and dinner, but the times we ate there the food was very good! They will make a salad for you fresh as you're waiting. The chicken chowder soup is yummy too!
I also want to add that it's extremely hard to pass up a visit to Boma while you're staying there. In the evening when the scent of all that delicious food wafts through the stairway down to the restaurant, well, it's just too hard to pass up! I thought the food was delicious, and it is definitely a selection you won't find anywhere else I can think of.
Where else can you wake up and walk out onto a balcony with your cup of coffee and watch animals grazing in the morning? Too incredible!
I realize everyone has their own opinions about the resorts, but as far as mine goes, I'd stay there again in a heartbeat! The staff is so friendly, and the CM's who work with the children's activities are the best! Oh goodness, I'm getting a little homesick for the lodge already!
Go and have fun! I don't think you'd regret a stay here.