Thinking of doing a quick trip this October for MNSSHP, and trying to decide between these two properties. Always wanted to stay at AKL, but I’m concerned about the transportation to and from MK, where we’ll be spending most of our time. WL would probably be the other alternative, because I’ve always wanted to stay there as well.
How much of a bear is it to get around when you are at AKL, and how does it compare to relying upon the boats to get to and from WL?
DH and I did a WL/AKL split stay in January and loved both resorts, so I don’t think you can make a bad choice between the two! With that said, we had to stand on the bus ride back to AKL from MK…and it felt like it took quite awhile. Even so, I adored AKL and would stay there again in a heartbeat - I’d just splurge on a cab at the end of a long day in the parks.
Last October we did our “one night only” mnsshp trip and stayed at WL! It was really great and we loved being close to mk for the party. The boat ride over took way too long though… But the best part was at 12:30 at night the bus out took about 3 min back to the resort! The pool was closed when we went last October though 
we are trying out AKL this oct for mnsshp! Not too worried about getting to mk from there… Just make sure we are giving ourselves a bunch of time… For some reason we are always running late for mnsshp… (I blame the pool/pool drinks 
) anyways… I don’t think you can go wrong between the two… But we will see in October I guess 
I timed my AKL to MK trip multiple times in April. The bus driver claimed 10 minutes but it was almost always 15. I will admit I prefer AKL to WL. That being said, I think WL may be the best choice here. I hate WL buses. In December WL shared with GF and the traffic around these resorts in mid December was crazy which made the buses a nightmare. The boat to WL though was amazing! I left MK after the Christmas party and I was in my room by 12:35.
When I looked into AKL you can rent DVC points to stay there pretty reasonable.
I’ve stayed at WL twice and visited AKL for supper but didn’t stay. Both are beautiful but I have to admit, after the majestic beauty and serenity of WL, I was a little underwhelmed by AKL. If going mostly to MK, I would ABSOLUTELY stay WL, especially because it’s so easy to hop the boat over and back in the evening if you just want to “pop out” to a park for a couple of hours. I love the quiet pool at WL even more than the main pool, surrounded by giant conifers and woodsy sounds and smells. Also, WL is an extremely compact resort and easy to get around. (But from WL, be prepared that buses to other parks do seriously suck at least 25% of the time.)
We’ve done both. We are pretty relaxed travelers, not hard core touring plans and we go slow & enjoy the journey as much as the destination. All that to say 15 minutes on a bus versus 10 minutes on a boat doesn’t mean anything to us.
We really prefer the food options at AKL and the overall design and theme. WL sure is pretty and relaxing. For a quick 2 night type vacation that’s focused on MK I might just go WL since you wont be spending much time at the resort.