We just came back from a 10 night stay at AKL. We LOVED it there, and it was our first deluxe stay in quite some time. (We usually stay value or mod but figured we would splurge a bit this year).
Anyway, while we did enjoy the lodge, the views, and the room, when all was said and done, I don't think we will be staying deluxe again. Overall, it cost us roughly 1K more than staying at a mod for the same number of nights, and 1k to 1500 more than a value. Again, we LOVED the AKL, BUT, with the extra money we spent, we could have bought a LOT of souvenirs, LOL.
I guess it all comes down to what you are looking for in a Disney vacation. Again, I cannot overstate how much we enjoyed AKL, but, in the end, we realized, we spend 95% of our time in the parks, not in the room. Sure, we like a nice pool and all that, but that is not why our family goes to WDW, and again, for the extra money, we could add extra nights, or buy a heck of a lot of stuff.
Go for it if you want the experience. We just booked our trip for next year, at Port Orleans Riverside, and I can't wait for that either, as it is the one mod we have not stayed at, although we did stay at POFQ a few years ago, and enjoyed it.
Have fun in whatever you pick!