Hello! I have a decision to make and I’m hoping that you could help me. My DS10 and I are coming back for another Mother / Son trip at the end of August and staying for 7 nights with DDP. I have YC booked because I know that he will love the pool and it is close to Epcot and HS, however, AKL looks like a great place too! He loves animals and AK, they have a QS as well as TS to choose from and the extra money I save will go into the spending money pot. I just don’t know what to do!
I haven’t stayed at YC but I have seen SAB and it is pretty awesome. The resort as a whole seems very grown up.
I’ve stayed at AKL and I can’t really recommend it enough. We enjoyed every aspect of it from the decor to the food. There is just something really awesome about sitting out on your balcony watching the animals.
I don’t think either choice will be one you regret but if choosing AKL over YC will save you a good amount of money that you could use for some other special activity I’d say go for it.
We stayed at WL (my fave) this past weekend and went through YC and AKL (ate at Boma) to check it out. AKL was really cool, but I didn’t totally love it like I thought I would. The lobby felt a little dark to me compared to the brightness of both YC and WL. Seemed very loud and busy. Pool seemed small for the size of the resort. Far away from everything. Animal view was pretty cool but not the amazing breathtaking event I expected. I’d still like to go sometime, but I’d been planning to change our Sept AoA/YC split stay to include AKL, and after the walk through, I decided I like YC better - closer to EP/HS, boardwalk, and amazing pool. Others will feel differently, I know @Outer1 is a big AKL fan so he’ll be able to give you good input here, also.
But really, it’s Disney… how can you choose wrong? 
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I came on here to give you some great insight and have decided that’s a toughie. We’ve only stayed at AKL (once) and looking out of the window to see what animals were outside the room was one of the highlights of the holiday (vacation). Next time we go, we’ve decided to stay at BC for the pool and proximity to EPCOT. I think that they’re both amazing resorts, you just need to decide what you think would work better for you. And you’ll have a great time whichever you decide to stay at.
In August, I would choose YC. It is way too hot then to be in the parks in the afternoons, so the pool is where I would be at that time. My kids are 11&13 and agree. Stormalong Bay is the best pool at WDW. Easy choice for me. I love AKL, and hope to stay there someday, but it wouldn’t be instead of BC/YC if that were an option.
I just did a 3/3 split stay at YC/AKL in April. AKL is my favorite resort. I must admit, I thought after multiple stays at BC and BW that YC would be very similar, but I love YC. They both have great pools ( I think AKL pool is always less crowded). You cannot go wrong.
I have this same dilemma every time I book my room. I stayed at ALK the first year the resort opened and absolutely loved it. There is no other hotel like it. I keep telling myself that I am going to book my next stay at that resort yet when it comes time to make the reservation, I keep going back to YC. For as much as I love the ALK, here are my reasons for choosing YC: #1 convenience - you can walk into WS in about 8 minutes. You can also walk to HS in about 20. You can take a boat to both as well. You can also walk thru EP to take the monorail to MK. The only park you have to take those stupid buses to is AK. #2 I find the lobby of YC to be relaxing and quiet compared to every other resort I have stayed. I am 49, no kids mostly go solo but sometimes my mom 80 comes with me. We like having a quiet place to return to that has much less activity and children running around. There is definitely a different atmosphere at YC, some call it stuffy. There are a lot of business people staying there because of the convention center. With that said the YC does not have any QS restaurants (there is a lounge in the lobby where you can get a few things). I don’t care about that as I am a TS kind of person. We do breakfast next door at Cape May in BC and eat cereal in our room when we choose not to go out. The pool at YC is very nice but admittedly I have never been to it. I go to the pool all the time at home, I just have no interested in it when I am away. It all depends on your priorities. The great thing is, you cannot go wrong with either one.
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Thanks everyone! I appreciate the input. 
I don’t know why choosing a place is so hard! I’m thinking I’ll stick with YC.
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