My 1st Delux Stay, so dissapointed:(

[taylor3297]

I have to admit I have never stayed at any of the Value Resorts and only two of the Mods, POFQ and CSR both of which I loved but my heart lies with Disney's Deluxe Resorts. Dark or Light I have loved everyone we stayed at. YC x1, WL x2, OKW x1, BWI x2 and AKL x 1. AKL is one of the better themed of the resorts IMO since you feel completely immersed even forgetting at times your in Disney.

Our next trip will be to the Polynesian another "dark" resort but themed excellently from all I have read. WL another "dark" resort also has the Magic of making you forget at times where you are.

I agree you should give some of the lighter, brighter Deluxes a try and see if they are more to your liking, CR, GF, YC/BC or BWI. OKW & SSR might be good options as you could stay in a 1 Bdrm?

Rooms at the Poly are being refurbed. Take a look at Tikiman's site and you can see what they are doing to the rooms. Lighter colors are being used.
I actually love the Poly. Never thought it was dark.

 

[HappyMomma]

Everyone has different tastes. I abhor the over the top themes of the values. We did them twice and it was way too stimulating for me. My soul seeks peace and tranquility above all else. Just riding the monorail through the Contemporary gives me anxiety. I really loved PoFQ when we went, but, I'm really looking forward to my Poly stay this summer. Something tells me I'll fall in love.

 

[ElizabethB]

Different strokes for different folks.

My parents loved AKL Club Level -- my mom says it is her favorite hotel stay of all time -- she even likes it better than GF Royal Palm Club which we have also done.

We had a savannah view room and it was hard to tear my parents away from watching the animals. My parents are usually big TV watchers and they never turned on the TV, they were so fascinated with the animals.

We loved the club level lounge that looks out on the lobby. No, the lobby is not Disney in the sense of Disney characters. But, as with many Disney things, the hotel creates a very specific place and time and immerses guests in that vision. I think the Disney imagineers realized their vision with AKL and we enjoyed our stay immensely.

But, to each his own. We have stayed at value resorts as well and they are fun and serviceable and sometimes a pretty good value, depending on time of year and the free dining promotion.

 

[poohgirl6]

Sorry you were disappointed, OP A WDW trip is a big investment of time and money, and it can be so frustrating when aspects of the trip don't live up to your expectations. But thanks for you honest and balanced review of AKL We have stayed there before, and I found it to be a mysteriously magical place. The sights and smells and general vibe of the place was intriguing for my family and it felt like we were transported to a remote, exotic outpost. However, due to limited transportation options and travel distances to parks (except AK), I have been loath to book a week long trip there. However, I would love to add on a day or two to just soak up the resort ambiance.

Disney has so many lodging options for visitors that there is room for everyone's tastes.

 

[iman]

We stayed at AKL and mid way through our stay we moved to Beach Club. While AKL is nice, i agree it is dark and a bit out of the way. We LOVED Beach Club and will be going staying (at Yacht Club) in May. BC/YC has so much more to offer (except for the animals) IMO

 

[PKT531]

Thanks for sharing.

Our family loved AKL. I love the dark lobby, dark room and all of the brown. We had so much enjoyment staying there in 2011 and we will be back there in 20 days.

I see pics of, say, beach club rooms and all the brightness/lightness and that does not appeal to me at all.

I'm very glad Disney offers a variety of themes at their resorts.

 

[MissionMouse]

Disney is many things for many people with people becoming fantics to the other end of the spectrum where people proclaim never again. Its all OK. Disney is a place of variety of rides, foods, beverages, parks, pools, lodging, budget, themes, location, etc. Information is readily available to include pictures and videos. All you need to do is pick the one that makes you feel happy/right.

 

[Mrs Eeyore]

To the OP, I'm so sorry your trip wasn't all you had hoped. I can imagine how disappointed you must be. We're firmly in the moderate camp and not considering upgrading, but we've been thinking of switching from our beloved CBR to POR next trip. Knowing how much we love CBR, I'm very worried that we'll spend a week at POR wishing we were at CBR. I think you've convinced me to stick with CBR where we know we'll be happy. Maybe we'll visit other resorts on our next trip so we can make an informed decision in the future.

I think I need to change my signature now...

 

[Fab4@disney]

I am sorry to hear you didn't like the AKL but glad you had a good time anyway! I understand the feeling....on our last trip we did a split stay starting at Pop Century but then moved to BLT for the last of the week. I never in a million years wanted to stay at Pop(1st time in a value) but we ended up loving it so much more than BLT which was twice as much! In previous trips we also didn't care for POR but loved the Poly. Just goes to show you not to group any one category as "not for you". Better luck next time!

 

[monorailsilver]

OP, I am glad you have a resort that you love.

I know I wouldn't like AKL either, not for the browns (I stay at the Poly that is brown!!) but because there is no monorail or view of the castle from the pool.

I love that we can choose & stay where ever we want in or out of the world.

I was trying to get my dh to stay at the BC for part of the stay but he veto'd it.

He is not a huge Disney fan & the first time I took him, well he met m there, I was at the All Stars. He hated it. The next time we went for a few days & stayed at the WL & he wasn't impressed. He didn't like the thought of spending $200/night at the Poly (jeesh..I wish it was that now).

Then I took him again & we stayed at the Poly. Now he won't budge. But that is OK since I love the Poly...

 

[DevonsDisneyMom]

I had a feeling by the title of your thread, that this might pretain in AKL. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, AKL just wasn't for you. A agree with other posters, don't let it discourage you from staying at other deluxe resorts though.

My take on AKL was the opposite of yours, I loved the calming warm tones of the color scheme at the resort. I also liked that it was a little further away from all the hustle and bustle of the parks. After a long day in the parks, I love coming home to AKL. We have always stayed at Jambo House in the past, ans this June we are giving Kidani a try. One of the main things that concerned me was no QS location there, but that quickly faded as I realized, that we are rarely at the hotel to eat. I always bring breakfast items from home to eat at the room and we tpyically eat lunch in the parks before heading back to the resort for an afternoon swim, and dinner is usually eaten at the parks or DTD as well.

I have my preferances for resorts on all resort levels, I like the values for when $$ is tight and its a short trip, in which case I go with staying at All Star Sports... Most trips to Disney, we stay at a moderate. CSR is my favorite. When $$$ allows, we will stay deluxe. AKL is usually are go to followed closely by WL. Hoping to stay at Boardwalk one day though!

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

I have been to WL, BC and OKW to eat and thought all 3 of those resorts would be beautiful to stay at. So next trip we are renting DVC points and staying at OKW.

We have stayed at ASMu in a family suite twice and the kids liked the pool activities and ping pong by the pool and the bright colors and big icons. Movies outdoors every night.

But when DH and I go alone we could care less about all those amenities the value provides. We want an adult vibe and softer more comfortable beds. Those beds at the values kill my back and neck. I wake up every day still and sore from sleeping on a rock all night.

I look forward to staying at a deluxe.

Next trip after this next trip adults only trip we will probably stay at OKW again just because I like the restaurant there. But we may try BCV before too long.

 

[sydneysmom]

You can go out to the Disney website or AllEars (or a bunch of others) and pull up pictures of the different resorts. Then you will know what you're getting before you get there, to a certain extent.

AKL was never meant to be bright and colorful... it's respectful of the land and it's surroundings and it's environment. The values are bright and colorful and lean to the "animated". They're totally different. But this is the great thing about Disney, there is something for everyone. You sound like you've found your favorite resort now.

 

[mmmears]

I'm sorry you didn't have a good time at AKL. I guess now you know that you prefer the values. That's the great thing about WDW -- there are so many different resorts.

We love AKL, but I know it's not for everyone. We like the wood in the lobby, the sounds, and the remoteness of the place. But we also like being on the monorail and the Epoct resort area as well.

I think it's best to visit a resort before staying there... and if you can't do that, then look at all the hundreds of photos posted here on the DIS...And then pick by what decor/theming attracts you.

 

[JKMJ441724]

I've stayed at

Pop Century
All Star Movies
All Star Sports
Carribean Beach
Old Key West
Sarratoga Springs
Bay Lake Tower
Animal Kingdom (Jambo and Kidani)

Animal Kingdom - Jambo House is my favorite of all.

I'm sorry it wasn't your cup of tea. Hope your next trip is better.

 

[DSLRuser]

i cant get past the parking lot of the values. drove onto POP Lot one time to check it out. never got out of the car. that place just screamed cheap.

everyone has their tastes.

i will say that for us, AKL is the least desirable of all the deluxes. You should stay there one time to try it out. its worth seeing, but has nothing that wants us to stay there ever again.

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

On the POSITIVE note, they upgraded us to Kidanni 1 bedroom suite because our baby got sick.

WOW!!! How nice. How did you get that? Families usually have at least one person sick sometime on a trip, and never get an upgrade, especially an upgrade to a 1 bedroom suite! What did you do to get that?

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

On the POSITIVE note, they upgraded us to Kidanni 1 bedroom suite because our baby got sick. Now, I've experienced both Jambo & Kidanni & although I very much appreciated being able to have all the amenities of home, I still missed the fun atmosphere all around that the value resorts provide.. Also if your staying at Kidanni you have to take a shuttle just to get some food, so inconvenient when A your tired or B you want to have breakfast in your room.

I agree it is inconvenient to take a shuttle to the Mara to eat when you are tired. But you had a 1 bedroom suite which has a full kitchen!!! Why on earth could you not have breakfast in your room?!

 

[focusondisney]

No, the lobby is not Disney in the sense of Disney characters. But, as with many Disney things, the hotel creates a very specific place and time and immerses guests in that vision. I think the Disney imagineers realized their vision with AKL and we enjoyed our stay immensely.

I think you hit it right on the head! AKL is supposed to take you on an African Safari. I have absolutely NO desire to go on an African safari & therefore AKL has absolutely no appeal to me. I don't care how good the reviews are for the hotel or it's restaurants, I just don't want to go there at all. But from what I can tell from those reviews, Disney has certainly accomplished it's goal of imersing the guest in the African experience. It's just not for everyone.

OP, I'm sorry you were unhappy with your hotel choice. It is always 1 of my concerns with trying a new place too. Vacations are so important to families in terms of time spent together & of course so expensive, no one wants to feel like they "wasted" that vacation with an unpleasant hotel experience. Sometimes trying something new can work out, you just never know.

That's 1 reason I like to do split stays. If we want to try a new resort, I only try it for a few days & we spend the rest of the week at our beloved Yacht Club. Then I know that no matter what, I'm going to be happy for at least part of my vacation. I hope your next trip will be better!

 

[DonoMoose]

WOW!!! How nice. How did you get that? Families usually have at least one person sick sometime on a trip, and never get an upgrade, especially an upgrade to a 1 bedroom suite! What did you do to get that?

Very Simple, I told them I needed to do 1 of 2 things. 1 Get a Bigger room & stay with them or 2 go to a Suit at AOA... They came back asking for almost 2,000 dollars for their 1 Bedroom upgrade & I said NO, please check & see if I can go to AOA.. Instead they came back & offered it to me complimentary so I could stay with them...