Animal Kingdom Lodge vs Wilderness Lodge

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge seen from outside — Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

Disney's Wilderness Lodge seen from outside — Disney's Wilderness Lodge

The short answer

These two get compared because they look alike, but they suit very different trips. Animal Kingdom Lodge has the savanna, which gives it splash pads tied for the best on property and more to do (9 against 7.5), and it's isolated: Magic Kingdom is a 25-minute bus. Wilderness Lodge has a boat to Magic Kingdom, and it scores better for adults (7 against 5) and a little better for under-fours (9 against 8). They tie at 7 for ages 7 to 13, and about $57 a night separates them. Pick the animals or pick the location, because you don't get both.

Choose Animal Kingdom Lodge for families with a child roughly three to eight who'll spend real time at the resort.

Choose Wilderness Lodge for families with a mix of ages doing mostly Magic Kingdom, and anyone who wants a Deluxe without the monorail price.

Animal Kingdom Lodge is about $57 a night cheaper on average, about $399 over a seven-night stay.

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Side by side

Category	Animal Kingdom Lodge	Wilderness Lodge
Nightly rate, on average	$550	$607
Pools	8 / 10	8 / 10	7.0
Splash pads and slides	10 / 10	8 / 10	7.7
Things to do on site	9 / 10	7.5 / 10	7.0
Suits toddlers	8 / 10	9 / 10	7.4
Suits ages 7 to 13	7 / 10	7 / 10	5.9
Suits adults	5 / 10	7 / 10	5.4
Table-service restaurants	2	2
Bars and lounges	2	3
Getting to Magic Kingdom	3 / 10	7 / 10
Overall average	7.1 / 10	7.6 / 10

Averaged across the scored categories, Wilderness Lodge wins by 0.5 points, 7.6 against 7.1 out of ten. That is a summary and not the answer: a single line you care about can outweigh it. Green marks the better of the two on that line. Counts of restaurants, bars and beds are quantities, not scores. The average across all 32 resorts is pools 7.0, splash pads 7.7, things to do 7.0.

The case for each

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

Deluxe · on average $550 a night · sleeps 4 · bus to every park

GoodThe savanna, which gives it splash pads tied for the best on property and ties it for third-most to do. Animals are visible from a big share of the rooms.

Less goodThe most isolated resort Disney runs: Magic Kingdom is a 25-minute bus ride. It scores 5 for adults, against Wilderness Lodge's 7.

Pick this one if: families with a child roughly three to eight who'll spend real time at the resort.

Dining on siteJiko, Boma and The Mara, with Sanaa at Kidani next door: two sit-down restaurants and one signature.

What there is to do on siteThe savanna viewing areas, animal spotting with a cultural representative, Wild About Painting, a playground, an arcade and a spa.

Disney's Wilderness Lodge

Deluxe · on average $607 a night · sleeps 4 · boat to Magic Kingdom

GoodA boat to Magic Kingdom, which beats every Value and Moderate resort. It holds up across every age group and is one of the better Deluxes for adults.

Less goodEPCOT is 4 out of 10 and Hollywood Studios 3, so only one park is quick. And nothing here is as special as the savanna.

Pick this one if: families with a mix of ages doing mostly Magic Kingdom, and anyone who wants a Deluxe without the monorail price.

Dining on siteArtist Point, Whispering Canyon Cafe and Geyser Point: two sit-down restaurants and three bars.

What there is to do on siteFishing, the Electrical Water Pageant from the beach, jogging trails, an arcade and a health club.

Think about who's coming. Animal Kingdom Lodge is wonderful for a four-to-six-year-old, who gets the animals at eye level. Wilderness Lodge is the steadier choice across ages and the better one for adults, but nothing about it is as special as the savanna.

Your family will rank these differently

Ages, budget, room size and which parks you are doing all change the order. Resortings scores all 32 resorts against what your family actually needs, and tells you when not to spend the money.

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Common questions

Which is better, Animal Kingdom Lodge or Wilderness Lodge?

Neither, really, because they aren't competing. Animal Kingdom Lodge wins on splash pads and things to do, thanks to the savanna. Wilderness Lodge wins on getting to Magic Kingdom and on adults. Pick by which of those your trip is about.

Which is closer to the parks?

Wilderness Lodge, by a lot. It has a boat to Magic Kingdom scoring 7 out of 10, against Animal Kingdom Lodge's bus at 3. Animal Kingdom Lodge is only closer to Animal Kingdom itself.

Which is better with a toddler?

Wilderness Lodge, just barely: 9 out of 10 for under-fours against 8. Animal Kingdom Lodge pulls ahead for four-to-six-year-olds, where the animals land best, scoring 9 against 8.

Which is better value?

Wilderness Lodge costs about $57 more and gets you a boat, a better score for adults and an extra bar. Animal Kingdom Lodge gets you the savanna. That's worth the money to a family who'll use it and nothing at all to one that won't.