AKL or Poly?

[mouseketeermama]

We are booking our trip for February and are undecided about the resort we want. Our first choice was the Poly CL but it is booked. We did this last year and it was amazing! If we stayed here, we would have to do a regular room, which is by no means bad, we just like CL.

So, we have been thinking AKL CL. We have never stayed there and we would like to take advantage of the breakfast safari. My concern is that we won't be able to walk out to the beach or be able to watch the fireworks from our room every night.

The price difference is about $1000 more to stay at the Poly in the Lagoon View room vs AKL CL.

What would you do?

 

[Mousemommy1]

We are booking our trip for February and are undecided about the resort we want. Our first choice was the Poly CL but it is booked. We did this last year and it was amazing! If we stayed here, we would have to do a regular room, which is by no means bad, we just like CL.

So, we have been thinking AKL CL. We have never stayed there and we would like to take advantage of the breakfast safari. My concern is that we won't be able to walk out to the beach or be able to watch the fireworks from our room every night.

The price difference is about $1000 more to stay at the Poly in the Lagoon View room vs AKL CL.

What would you do?

I'd like to see the responses, because we are currently booked Poly CL for April but are contemplating a change, shocking!

You are not able to get a ressie in Feb (or Jan for that matter) because the Hawaii building will be under refurb during that time period, it will be completely closed...

 

[jimandami]

We haven't stayed at the Poly but have to stayed at AKL several times and it is fabulous! The lobby is awesome, the pool is beautiful, and the ability to see the animals on your balcony is truly special!

 

[mouseketeermama]

I'd like to see the responses, because we are currently booked Poly CL for April but are contemplating a change, shocking!

You are not able to get a ressie in Feb (or Jan for that matter) because the Hawaii building will be under refurb during that time period, it will be completely closed...

Well that makes sense! I am sure that construction noise wouldn't make for a very relaxing vacation. Maybe we should do AKL for sure.

 

[MMS1125]

Are you set on AKL or Poly? I've heard the WL CL is amazing!

 

[mickeynut1]

We've stayed at both and while we liked AKL alot, the Poly is our favorite resort. We've never stayed CL at either resort, but I have read nothing but great things about AKL CL. With that said, my choice would probably be Poly, depending on how extreme the construction would be at that time. I can understand not wanting to be at a resort where there is major construction going on. We really want to try Poly CL in July 2013, but with rumors of the volcano pool being closed, that may change as the pool is one of the main reasons we love the Poly. If you do decide to go with AKL over the Poly, I don't think you would be disappointed as AKL is a beautiful resort and we have enjoyed our stays there. Good luck.

ETA: I do agree with the pp that WL CL is amazing and the CMs are awesome.

 

[minniebeth]

We've done both resorts~ Poly is our all time favorite, but love AKL very much too. We've done both CL and non-CL at both as well.
We love the location of the Polynesian and wins hands down over AKL.
But CL at AKL is amazing and in our opinion way better than at the Poly.
The grounds are amazing at both, but I have to say for rooms, AKL has the advantage. They are more udated and modern, I just like their feel better (not to say I don't love the Poly though.)

With the unknown construction at the Poly, I would go with AKL with the savings! You can always try to book dining and spend an evening at the Polynesian having dinner and perhaps Wishes, relax, etc. on the beach to get your fix. We do that and are satisfied with it.
AKL does get very quiet at night, and is isolated for sure. It is very different but in a good way, if you're up for it.
You may not just save $1000 but find a new resort you enjoy~
Have fun deciding!

 

[mouseketeermama]

We've stayed at both and while we liked AKL alot, the Poly is our favorite resort. We've never stayed CL at either resort, but I have read nothing but great things about AKL CL. With that said, my choice would probably be Poly, depending on how extreme the construction would be at that time. I can understand not wanting to be at a resort where there is major construction going on. We really want to try Poly CL in July 2013, but with rumors of the volcano pool being closed, that may change as the pool is one of the main reasons we love the Poly. If you do decide to go with AKL over the Poly, I don't think you would be disappointed as AKL is a beautiful resort and we have enjoyed our stays there. Good luck.

ETA: I do agree with the pp that WL CL is amazing and the CMs are awesome.

The slide at the pool was closed when we were there in February. My son was so disappointed! We haven't really thought about WL. The rooms just don't appeal to me in pictures, but maybe I will give it a second thought since everyone is saying that the CL is so good.

 

[MMS1125]

The slide at the pool was closed when we were there in February. My son was so disappointed! We haven't really thought about WL. The rooms just don't appeal to me in pictures, but maybe I will give it a second thought since everyone is saying that the CL is so good.

Check out some of the trip reports of WL CL stays. That's where I saw most of the awesome things about it.

 

[Mousemommy1]

The slide at the pool was closed when we were there in February. My son was so disappointed! We haven't really thought about WL. The rooms just don't appeal to me in pictures, but maybe I will give it a second thought since everyone is saying that the CL is so good.

WL CL is AH~MAZING!!!

 

[MMS1125]

WL CL is AH~MAZING!!!

I think it was your latest trip that tuned me into the WL CL actually. I was pretty impressed with the awesome service you had there

 

[Mousemommy1]

I think it was your latest trip that tuned me into the WL CL actually. I was pretty impressed with the awesome service you had there

It was wonderful! In fact, we are having a difficult time sticking with our Poly CL reservation for next year because we think we're going to miss WL!!

 

[Dwheels]

We have stayed at both. Poly is the best! AKL is beautiful just far away from everything except the AK. So if your a AK lover then you love it! I just love POLY for the theme and location! POLY INMHO is the best resort on property! I would stay there even if all I could get was a parking lot view! Lol

 

[amberpi]

I would dismiss AKL, the transportation issues make it a moot choice imho. Why not try YC/BC or CR CL? They are all fabulous, but then again I'm not a huge Poly fan due to noise issues. CR is pretty noisy, but the rooms are very quiet (and I've always stayed TP rooms in the atrium, even when we were kids, every summer we did a monorail resort or Epcot resort). YC/BC/S&D are much more quiet, again that's just mho. Look into them, they all have great locations and great CLs.

Enjoy your trip!!!!

 

[glocon]

Unless transportation is the main reason you choose a resort, I would go with AKL. There are so many beautiful resorts to choose from, why not explore them all? And the ride from AKL might be longer than from other places, but it is only a matter of 15 min or so. People make more of that than is warranted as far as I am concerned. AKL is gorgeous! And quite a bit newer than POLY. There is so much to experience at WDW, I say try and experience as much as possible.

Have fun whichever you choose!

 

[twinboysmom]

Hi OP. $1000 is a lot of money, especially if you are comparing one resort at CL and another without CL. Disclosure, I have not stayed at the Poly but been to the resort a bunch. Just can't imagine paying that much for a room. I have stayed at AK and I have stayed at WL. The rooms are similar in my opinion. They both have dark woods and darker earth tones. I believe they are about the same size as well (smaller than the Poly). I think the transportation issues about AKL are greatly over exaggerated here on the Dis. I am not a fan of the WDW bus service (or monorail service lately) but we found the bus service to be excellent and plentiful at AKL. The pool is also great. We would stay here again for sure.

A PP mentioned staying at an Epcot area resort because of the AKL transportation issues. I find this funny as our stays at the Epcot area resorts have been the worst bus service we have encountered. Being able to walk to Epcot and DHS is nice but the bus service to the MK is terrible (and DTD as well). When we have been (and during peak times I will add) the bus for MK and AK shared at all Epcot resorts (BW, swalphin, and YC/BC). Now I understand that this osn't always the case but we refuse to stay in this area again until our boys are out of strollers and are comfortable standing on a bus.

We did stay at WL last year (not CL) and really enjoyed it. There is a boat to the MK which is nice. Bus service was good but we did share with the Poly and GF on every trip (during a May stay). Not ideal for sure and in all honestly, probably took as longer as any bus service from AKL would (maybe longer). The pool is nice and we enjoyed the ability to walk to FW. My boys had some fun over there.

Have fun deciding and have a great trip!

 

[iloveeeyore]

My family has stayed CL at both Poly and AKL, and standard at the Poly and we actually prefer BOTH Poly CL and Poly standard to AKL CL. We LIKED AKL, but we weren't crazy about the pool (maybe it was our expectations) or the room as compared to the Poly. The common areas (museum quality), especially the lobby at AKL are breathtaking, but to us, not a reason for us to stay there again. The club level rooms at AKL are on the 4th floor, which we found not great for seeing too many animals (tree tops blocked our view from anything not exactly under our balcony). The lounge seems far removed from the rooms, and it doesn't have a view of the castle! Also, the transportation to the parks from AKL was OK, but could not be compared to the incredible transportation options at the Poly.

That said, I might choose AKL in February, especially for $1K savings. The Poly will be undergoing a refurbishment, we don't yet know how extensive it will be in Feb. Also, with really iffy weather, you might not be able to use any pool anyway, and AKL has that lovely fireplace in the lobby.

Last week we stayed Poly standard and booked the Wild Africa Trek. We thought it was better than the Sunrise Safari, and we didn't have to stay AKL CL to book it...just a thought.

Personally, we prefer WL over AKL as well, though we didn't stay CL there. It would be really cozy in winter at WL.

 

[mickeynut1]

The slide at the pool was closed when we were there in February. My son was so disappointed! We haven't really thought about WL. The rooms just don't appeal to me in pictures, but maybe I will give it a second thought since everyone is saying that the CL is so good.

Having the slide closed would be disappointing to us as well. WL is a beautiful resort, but is understandable that not everyone cares for the rooms/decor. With that said, WL CL is amazing and the CL CMs are top notch .

Check out some of the trip reports of WL CL stays. That's where I saw most of the awesome things about it.

I second this suggestion .

A PP mentioned staying at an Epcot area resort because of the AKL transportation issues. I find this funny as our stays at the Epcot area resorts have been the worst bus service we have encountered. Being able to walk to Epcot and DHS is nice but the bus service to the MK is terrible (and DTD as well). When we have been (and during peak times I will add) the bus for MK and AK shared at all Epcot resorts (BW, swalphin, and YC/BC). Now I understand that this osn't always the case but we refuse to stay in this area again until our boys are out of strollers and are comfortable standing on a bus.

I totally agree with this. We've only stayed at an Epcot resort once (BC) and we had horrendous bus service (and we were there during a busy time). I've had people respond to posts of mine about BC transportation telling me it had to have been a fluke because the bus service is great and the buses only service the BC/YC and never all 5 resorts. There may be times that the buses do only service 2 resorts, but during our stay that just wasn't the case and it made for a less than magical time getting to the parks .

Personally, we prefer WL over AKL as well, though we didn't stay CL there. It would be really cozy in winter at WL.

That is our preference as well (although we've stayed CL at WL and standard and savanna view at AKL). We really enjoyed our stays at AKL, but if we had to choose between the two, WL would be our choice as we prefer to be in close proximity to MK and the lobby does have a more cozy feel than AKL (to us, anyway ).

 

[mouseketeermama]

Unless transportation is the main reason you choose a resort, I would go with AKL. There are so many beautiful resorts to choose from, why not explore them all? And the ride from AKL might be longer than from other places, but it is only a matter of 15 min or so. People make more of that than is warranted as far as I am concerned. AKL is gorgeous! And quite a bit newer than POLY. There is so much to experience at WDW, I say try and experience as much as possible.

Have fun whichever you choose!

We will have a car so transportation is not an issue at all.