CSR wins over AKL anyday!

[CharAnn76]

Just got back from WDW last night. Split stay at CSR and AKL. CSR was amazing. AKL wasn't. The resort was lovely...theming was great but it just wasn't for us. What we didn't like: roomed had a distinct smell...can't quite put my finger on it but it was not pleasant upon entereing; check-in was a mess - we were there early so they took our number and notified us when our room was ready...went back to the front desk to get the room number but they could not find our reservation...after about 10 minutes they found it but were puzzled as to why we were paged as the room was not ready so we waited again and were given another room that was on zebra trail...far away from the lobby and parking.
Quite a hike. Parking was a nightmare. After walking around the parks all day, we did not look forwaard to parking at the back of the parking lot and then having to hike to our room. Wish I had known to request a room close to the lobby. It seems like the parking lot gets very, very busy at supper time due to the popular restaurants. Made parking horrible. Boma was not to our liking either...just personal taste I'm sure. And the family in the room next to us was very, very loud. Every am starting around 6:30 the kids would start screaming...and I mean screaming. It was awful...considering we were celebrating our anniversary it just wasn't what we had hoped for. Also, there was no acknowledgement of our anniversary. Upon checking in at the CSR we were given a lovely unexpected upgrade and a complimentary champagne toast...just lovely. The pool was always very crowded. Could never find a lounge chair, unless it was in the back under shade. Pool got very cold under the shade. It's not fully open to the sun. Slide was a disappointment. And the insects. Makes sense with the animals around but wasn't something I thought of ahead of time. The beds were also hard...not nearly as comfortable as CSR...same deal with the bedding. Sorry to sound so dismal but the moderate CSR wins big time over the deluxe AKL. We will never pay the extra cash to stay deluxe again. Just our experience and personal opinion.

 

[AJKMOM]

A few months ago, someone posted about the horrible time they had at Coronado Springs. Adults fighting and screaming, kids screaming. Sorry to you, and to them. Sounds like a lot of "wrong place at the wrong time".

 

[princesspeach]

I wouldn't let one bad experience keep you from staying deluxe again. We stayed at one night at csr and 9 at poly. Loved them both but poly was so worth the extra money. We didn't not drive though I would assume the parking is bad at all the deluxes because of the restaurants. The benefit is that you don't need a car at most of them. I hope your next trip is better.

 

[keishashadow]

congratulations newlywed

imo it's great that disney has so many different classes of accommodations (ive enjoyed each category and their amenties) and within each, several different themed resorts to choose. I admit that CR-MK is our personal fav just for the view.

I must say our experience @ AKV (Jambo) was totally different than yours same time of year. We never had an issue finding a chair poolside, which is quite rare @ WDW mid-afternoon and I really like the idea of part of pool being shaded.

Suggest next time before you book a new resort, you first check out the pics on allears and read some guidebooks (Unofficial Guide or Passporter) for in-depth reviews of the resorts/rooms that can help you find the perfect resort for you.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

We've stayed once at AKL and several times at CSR. We enjoyed AKL, but for us, it was not really worth the extra cost for a trip where we spend most of our time in the parks. It would be worth it for us for a relaxing resort trip, but we never seem to take those at WDW!

The beds at CSR are way more comfortable than AKL, the bus service is far superior, and the parking situation is not even comparable. We love AKL for the great restaurants and beautiful theming, but CSR is our favorite Disney resort because it has what we want for a Disney trip - great theming, very comfortable beds at the end of a long day, great bus service to get us to the parks for rope drop or early ADRs, an awesome pool for midday breaks, and a reasonable price.

The Kidani slide is more comparable to the CSR slide, but the Jambo slide is pretty lame.

Unfortunately, you can have loud neighbors at any resort. The walks do tend to be long at the deluxes - we had at least a ten minute walk at Beach Club from our room to the bus stop. We were fortunate at AKL to stay club level, so we were close to the lobby. People complain about CSR being large, but you are never far from a bus stop or where your car is parked.

We do head to AKL every trip to eat at Boma or Jiko, no matter where we sleep at night.

 

[jlk806]

Just got back from WDW last night. Split stay at CSR and AKL. CSR was amazing. AKL wasn't. The resort was lovely...theming was great but it just wasn't for us. What we didn't like: roomed had a distinct smell...can't quite put my finger on it but it was not pleasant upon entereing; check-in was a mess - we were there early so they took our number and notified us when our room was ready...went back to the front desk to get the room number but they could not find our reservation...after about 10 minutes they found it but were puzzled as to why we were paged as the room was not ready so we waited again and were given another room that was on zebra trail...far away from the lobby and parking.
Quite a hike. Parking was a nightmare. After walking around the parks all day, we did not look forwaard to parking at the back of the parking lot and then having to hike to our room. Wish I had known to request a room close to the lobby. It seems like the parking lot gets very, very busy at supper time due to the popular restaurants. Made parking horrible. Boma was not to our liking either...just personal taste I'm sure. And the family in the room next to us was very, very loud. Every am starting around 6:30 the kids would start screaming...and I mean screaming. It was awful...considering we were celebrating our anniversary it just wasn't what we had hoped for. Also, there was no acknowledgement of our anniversary. Upon checking in at the CSR we were given a lovely unexpected upgrade and a complimentary champagne toast...just lovely. The pool was always very crowded. Could never find a lounge chair, unless it was in the back under shade. Pool got very cold under the shade. It's not fully open to the sun. Slide was a disappointment. And the insects. Makes sense with the animals around but wasn't something I thought of ahead of time. The beds were also hard...not nearly as comfortable as CSR...same deal with the bedding. Sorry to sound so dismal but the moderate CSR wins big time over the deluxe AKL. We will never pay the extra cash to stay deluxe again. Just our experience and personal opinion.[/QUOTE

I agree it was a bad experience - we just did a split 2 weeks ago between POP and Kidani and liked both, but Kidani was SO much better in many ways! We didnt notice any more bugs at Kidani than at Pop. In fact, I dont remember even noticing hardly any bugs! The pool at Kidani is different than Jambo though, we never felt the pool was too crowded. We didnt notice any smell in our room either, but maybe its Jambo House. I wouldnt let one bad experience deter me from staying somewhere again. But thats whats good about Disney - something for everyone! Glad the CSR part of your trip was great!

 

[aubriee]

We did a split stay this past May at AKL and CSR. We also preferred CSR over AKL. Our room location at both resorts was superb though. At AKL we had a first floor pool view room on the Giraffe Trail, so was very close to the shortcut to the buses and only two doors down from the health center, so was also just steps from the pool. The room was quiet enough, but the beds were uncomfortable and the room had a stale smell and looked as if they needed a refurb. My bedspread and blanket both had a hole in them. The buses were terrible and the pool crowded. We moved over to CSR for the last four nights of the trip and had a much better time. We got upgraded to a waterview room in building 9B, the new beds were sooo comfortable, loved the fresh, new decor, pool wasn't as crowded, and the bus service was wonderful. I have stayed at both resorts previously and enjoyed them, but doing a split stay and staying in both during the same week, made me realize that surprisingly I preferred the moderate over the deluxe.

OT: I'm doing another split stay in Dec at CSR and YC. However, I think in that case that YC will win over CSR. lol

 

[buzznina]

Pool got very cold under the shade. It's not fully open to the sun.

Very cold pool in September in Florida? You can have a pool totally shaded and it will still be warm in "sauna Orlando"

 

[kawc1945]

I'm sorry you had a bad experience at AKL.

We got back from a week at AKL on Saturday evening. Our room smelled clean and no noise issues. We were fortunate to be close to both the lobby and the elevators to go down to the pool and the food court. We never saw the pool busy, ever. The parking lot WAS crowded, I'll agree with that. However, I'd much rather have to park and walk than deal with crowded busses.

JMHO.

I hope your stay is better next time!

 

[dburg30]

Well, the noise is going to vary from week to week depending on your 'neighbors'. So I never take that into account when talking about a hotel room. I love CSR, but when we bought DVC we got it at AKL as we liked it the most out of the DVC we visited. Actually liked BC/BW area too, but for our family, AKL will be better.. But I wont disagree with CSR being a really nice resort.

 

[Planogirl]

Our experience was just the opposite. To us, the southwestern theme at CSR is very fake looking and we had tons of trouble checking in and getting keys to work and so on. I didn't care for the restaurant there either. I do assume that part of our problems was just bad luck though.

In contrast, everything went smooth as glass at AKL when we stayed there and we loved everything about it. It's good to have different tastes though because imagine what it would be like if we all wanted to stay at the same resort.

 

[CharAnn76]

Thanks for all the comments. I actually did do a lot of research before booking AKL. Looked at hundreds of resort photos but nothing can beat the actual experience. As for the pool...it was cold. The Dig Site Pool at CSR was always refreshing in the afternoon and almost lukewarm at night. The pool at Jambo House was downright cold. Just not comfortable for me to swim in. I actually came out shivering and yes...this is september in florida. Crazy I know but that was my experience. The pool at kidani was the same...cold. I overheard someone say that the pools re heated but I don't think that's the case with AKL or Kidani. And I just didn't like the shade over the pool either. If the water had been warmer i would have enjoyed it I'm sure but again, we found it very cold. Also re our room...it just wasn't clean...like we've come to expect at Disney. I actually had to do some cleaning myself in the bathroom...dirty shower tiles and floor. I also picked up a number of items on the floor: ladies earring, a number of clothing tags, pieces of ripped paper. The room was also very dusty. Just not what I expected at a deluxe. It was a huge let down for us.

 

[Desnik]

It is great that you have found a resort that you love!

Personally, we hated CSR and love AKL!

I do have to say that both the pools at AKL Jambo and Kidani are heated. I have no idea what happened during your stay there.. We were there the end of June and both pools were a perfect temp, IMO.

Also, I am curious if you complained to the front desk about your dirty room? I would've called right away if they gave me a room like you described. You are right to expect the room to be in better condition.

 

[Disney Doll]

I have stayed at both and I have to agree with you OP.

The themeing of AKL just doesn't do it for me...that whole African thing was never my thing. Being able to look out and see the animals is cool, but I'm just as happy seeing the few little bunny rabbits that I usually notice at the other resorts.

OTOH, I love CSR! I love the way it's lit at night, I have seen some of the most beautiful sunsets while walking around CSR in the evening. I like that there's a nice bar area at CSR and I prefer mexican style to African style food.

 

[WLSILVERCREEKSPRINGS]

The pool area at AKL was our favorite part of this resort; we thought it was awesome, we were very fortunate as the bus service was great (couldn't imagine driving at DW), room was clean and quiet, and food was good, still like WL best of all