In a rut- Help me pick!!

[mster425]

I'm sorry to start another thread like this but I'm totally stuck! Got the go ahead from DH to upgrade to a deluxe using our 40% off pin

Who we are: late 20's, no kids, our favorite parks are DHS and AK. We loved WL on our Disneymoon. We are going to Epcot 2 days at least, DHS one day, MK one day, and the water parks.

Here are my options: AKL, standard view. rent a car
We have 3 ADR's at AKL already bc I thought I might want to upgrade to there and they all sound delicious. One is a VERY early Boma bkfast.

Poly, standard view- no car
We have ressies at Ohana and Kona- but the Poly is so easy to get to from anywhere else, unlike AKL.

BWI, standard view- no car. This resort looks really fun and we can walk to Ep and DHS, which is huge.

I think my big hangup is making it to the 735 AM Boma ADR from BWI or Poly, which is dumb, right? that's what taxis are for!!

Any opinions? I'm leaning toward BWI since we don't really care about being close to the MK...but AKL would be cool too! I think I'm stuck on "I'll never be able to do deluxe again," and if that were truly the case I think I'd regret not staying at the Poly as an adult, to see what the hype is about

 

[skywaywaver]

Personally, with no kids, I'd pick either Poly. If you feel like you might regret never staying there (but I'm sure you'll be back in deluxe someday ), do this. But I've always wanted to try BW too.
I think AKL costs too much for us to be so far away from MK and Epcot. But we're just not that into AK and MGM.

 

[ktlm]

I've stayed at both AKL and the Poly as an adult [ and POR ( called Dixie Landings back then) and WL (3 times, once was on our honeymoon too )]. For an adult couple with no kids, my suggestion would be AKL Savannah- no car. DH and I did this in 2003 before DD was born. There is absolutely nothing like sitting out on your balcony in the morning watching the giraffes go by. We did not find the transportation from AKL to be bad when you don't have kids and strollers to worry about. It is by far my favorite resort for a no kid stay. We just stayed at the Poly with our 3 year old a few weeks ago. It is a great place to stay and when you are dragging a little one, the monorail and close access to MK is a huge plus. Still, if it were DH and I, I would pick AKl because of the Savannah view. I don't think I would get hung up on never staying at a deluxe again. First, I think any hotel at WDW is great, deluxe or not. Second, there will probably be a code or deal in the future that you can use to get there again. If you are planning on having kids in the future, I would do AKL now because when the kids are little, you are going to want to stay at a place closer to MK, so it may be several years before you can stay at AKL again. I'd love to stay at AKL again, but with a little one it just doesn't work for us right now. I can't wait so stay there again when she is a little older!

 

[mmmears]

I would stay AKL with a savanna view and no car. Taxis are cheaper than rental cars if you don't use them all that much. Plus AKL is a wonderful place -- truly unique and just amazing. We hate WDW busses in general, but have not had any trouble when staying at AKL. Really special place -- we felt like we were transported to another world altogether. Watching the animals from our balcony was a highlight of our trip to WDW.

2nd Choice would be BWI because of the location. We haven't stayed there, prefer YC/BC, but it's the same great location with the same access to the 2 parks and the restaurants in the area and at Epcot. I think you'd appreciate the easy access to Epcot and DHS. IMO the theming isn't as special as at AKL.

3rd Choice would be Poly. If you don't want to go to the MK, then you're paying top $$$ to stay at a MK resort for no good reason. I like the Poly, but we usually just stay there for the few days we spend at the MK. It's convenient to Epcot, but nothing like the convenience of staying at the BW, and at a higher price.

Hope this helps!

 

[hockeybabe]

I'll say BWI since I really wanted to stay there for part of my trip, but no rooms less than club level for the dates I wanted. We love WL, and there was no way we weren't going to stay there at least part of our trip, but I kinda wanted to try BWI for a couple nights. So, I vote BWI!

 

[mickey2minnie1]

Although the Poly is always my first choice, that is because MK is my favorite park.

Given your plans, I would go with the BW or AKL Savannah view. The BW looks like a very busy and fun scene, while the AKL looks beautiful and very romantic. Think about what kind of vacation you want. What do you want to come back to after a long day. Both are great choices!

Once you decide, you have to trust that you made the best decision for you!

 

[BoomNLeon]

AKL can be far from things, but it is very unique and a wonderful escape. Love the other 2 resorts, but AKL is my pick. Great accommodations and the cast is so nice.

 

[mster425]

wow thanks! I'm surprised at the overwhelming support for AKL! I think DH is leaning more toward the BW area now because there is a larger variety of things to do, but he just started thinking about it today.

It also seems like it would be a huge time saver to be able to walk to Epcot and DHS, so I'm looking at Yacht/Beach Club too for SAB even though he thought Yacht club seemed a little stuffy the last time ? Sometimes I think I'll never understand him

I still have a feeling that we will end up at AKL. . .

And I'm confident it doesn't need to be the last deluxe stay, I said the same thing last year when we booked at WL, and here we are!! I just like to drive myself loony with the second-guessing

 

[CindyIsMyFave]

I LOVE Poly! But -- given your specific likes and plans, I too would say AKL.

I don't personally like the BWI that much . . . even though you are correct that it is nice to be close to 2 of 4 parks. If you want that, my vote is Beach Club over Yacht Club or BWI.

But if you can do AKL with a Savannah view, go for it!

 

[mster425]

I don't personally like the BWI that much . . .

Why don't you like BWI?

I'm having a hard time finding bad stuff about it!

 

[mster425]

OK, we've decided on AKL! Now just need to pick Savannah view or no view.

Thanks for all the help!

 

[ktlm]

Savannah!!! It's so worth it!!! When we got up in the morning and any time we were at the room during the daylight hours, the first thing I would do was to run out to the balcony to see if the giraffes were there. Most times they were. The only way I would pick non-Savannah is if I knew I wasn't going to ever have any time to be in the room during the daylight hours and enjoy the balcony. We liked to bring breakfast up to the room from the CS and sit on the balcony sipping our orange juice (me) and coffee (DH) and watching the animals before we set out for the parks. That was enough to make the extra cost worth it for us.

 

[mmmears]

OK, we've decided on AKL! Now just need to pick Savannah view or no view.

Thanks for all the help!

I love AKL!!! It's a great choice!

Views -- if you plan to spend no time in your room and the cost difference is too much, stick with pool view room. Still nice, almost the same price as a standard view room. There are lots of savanna overlooks all over the resort where you can view the animals. If you do spend time in your room or on your balcony, a savanna view room is wonderful! We loved waking up early in the morning and watching all the animals eating their breakfast out on the savannas. It made us feel like we were really in Africa.

 

[Sue M]

We loved our stay at AKL. We used the bus service and it was pretty good. I wouldn't rent a car. MK by bus is only 20 min.
My other pic would be Poly!!! Walking distance to TTC for Epcot monorail! Beautiful grounds, beach, watching MK fireworks from beach......I'm looking forward to our 1st stay there in 4 weeks

 

[Tink-n-Belle]

Okay, I know you already made your decision but............ We own DVC at the BW and I have to tell you its my absolute favorite due to the location and atmosphere. Being able to walk to DHS & Epcot is so worth it and the view overlooking cresent lake is just fab at night!!!

Have you considered a split stay? Yes, you have to pack and unpack twice, but it gives you a taste of 2 different worlds as the BW and AKL as so different from each other.

Since we are DVC owners I always do split stays and we will continue as we just bought into the BLT too. In FEb we are going to stay at the BW for 3 nights then move to the BLT for 4 nights then go to VB for 2 nights. Your bags are transfer from one resort to the others by Disney. How cool would it be to eat Breakfast at Boma's, go to Epcot for the day and then walk home to the BWI. I know split stays are not for everyone, but I just wanted to throw it out to you for consideration.

BTW, the AKL is very close to all the waterparks, DHS and Epcot-- so you won't feel like you are too far away. And I vote for the Savannah view too, but don't be too disappointed if you don't see animals out in the morning. The day were stayed at AKL the animals were no where to be seen in the morning so I asked where are the animals, "oh they are eating breakfast in the barn". I was just a little disappointed.

 

[mster425]

that would be ideal, but we're only staying 5 nights this time

we just got a dog so we shortened our trip to accommodate him

 

[ppan77]

You will love AKL!! My dh and I had a trip here when we were first married before the kiddos. Highly recommend Jiko!!

 

[JennaWest]

In Sept 08 my sister and her husband AKL DVC owners took us and we stayed in a savanah view and it was absolutly amazing, girrafes, zebras, ostiches all grazing feet from your balcony, then we stayed a few nights at BWV and I have water and will not ride a boat, the walk to Epcot was great but the other park that the boat goes to (no bus trans to this park, sorry i can't remember which one) we, my fiance and i walked and it was horrible, i swear there were alligators we were inches from the water, walking under bridges and places, it was worse than the boat i think....

 

[mster425]

I stayed up until 1:30 AM trying to figure out if I wanted to rent a studio- then I realized I would only want to stay in Jambo this time, and that in that case the studios are just regular pool view rooms with a wet bar and microwave.

Which is fine, I just can't believe it took me that long to figure out, and for us it isn't worth the higher cost Regular room, savannah view, here we come!

Going to research flights and maybe rental cars on the budget board to figure out if we should leave Sat or Sunday. Thanks for all the help!

 

[mmmears]

I stayed up until 1:30 AM trying to figure out if I wanted to rent a studio- then I realized I would only want to stay in Jambo this time, and that in that case the studios are just regular pool view rooms with a wet bar and microwave.

Which is fine, I just can't believe it took me that long to figure out, and for us it isn't worth the higher cost Regular room, savannah view, here we come!

Going to research flights and maybe rental cars on the budget board to figure out if we should leave Sat or Sunday. Thanks for all the help!

Great choice! It's really fun to have a room overlooking the savanna...