POR and AKL Q's

[carwesty]

I have a reservation for POR which we have stayed at before and love. I got the e-mail code and saved $450 off our vacation. I was just checking things out and see that I can stay at AKL for the original price of POR. So would you stay at POR and save the $450 or essentially take the free upgrade to AKL and give them back the $450 I thought I would be saving? We have never been to AKL and the only worry would be the construction. We will be there mid October. The other thing would be that we are a family of 5 (one is age 2 so we are okay for standard room) and have requested a trundle at POR for him. Would there be anywhere for him to sleep in a room at AKL? Thanks.

 

[schwaa]

Hi. I love POR (to the point that it is an essential part of my disney experience). I have yet to find another resort that gives me the same feeling as POR when I am there. Actually the Poly does that but I am still not able to afford it.

I finally went to visit AKL two weeks ago during my stay at POFQ. I didn't stay there. I just ate dinner at Boma (which was awesome!). I liked AKL, but I think I satisified my curiosity. The resort is beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. At the moment, the contruction does not seem evident (except for the big green "curtains" covering the upper floors in the lobby, and if you go into the Sunset Savannah viewing room.

Now this is my opinion that I'm sharing with you. The AKL seemed way to deluxe. Almost intimidating to me, and this is weird because I love luxury. But I think because I'm at Disney and I love POR so much, AKL seemed like a really fancy musuem and that I shouldn't be lingering too long or I shouldn't touch anything. It had a weird vibe for me. This is mostly the lobby that I'm talking about. I hope I'm explaining this well enough to understand. I'm still having a hard time putting it into words.

I didn't hate AKL at all. I really liked it. I would love to spend a weekend there as a retreat. But it didn't have that welcoming, relaxed, laid-back feel that POR has.

Added: OK, i just realized what it was about AKL that turned me off. I felt trapped while I was there. There is nowhere to walk around freely. You can go outside on the Arush rock (although there are barriers that keep you away from the animals), and the pool area (which I believe is setup the same way). One of things I love the most about POR is wandering.

 

[amyy]

I have stayed at POR 3 times and love it. I hate to think of staying somewhere else. I like that they have (a lot) of quiet pools. Plus we just walked out of our room and it was maybe twenty or thirty steps to the pool. At AK you may have to take the elevator etc. It probably sounds silly to some but it is important for me. Especially because I forget stuff and end up making several trips back to the room. Also at POR you have the option of taking the boat to DD. It is nice have two methods of transportation. It is a wonderful resort to wander (by foot, bike, horse drawn carriage or boat).

AK has balconies, Boma & Jiko to eat at, and animals! It is a beautiful resort.

Have a great trip.

 

[Indianadisneyfan]

I have never stayed at AKL before, but have stayed at POR and loved it. I look at it this way, how much time do you really spend in your room. When me and my girlfriend went last year we got up early and went to the parks. We would then go back to the room after the park closed and would clean up. We would then take the boat to DTD and not get back till 12 or so. That is more money you could spend on other things.

 

[mickeymedic]

Like those who have posted above, I have never stayed at AKL, but I LOVE POR!!!! We will be eating dinner at AKL during our trip in January - then maybe I'll want to stay there. But, for now, POR is the best place to stay in The World.

 

[bevgray]

POR was always my favorite resort until Disney opened AKL. Main thing to keep in mind is that AKL is a bit far from the rest of Disney (except for Animal Kingdom). Big question to ask yourself is do you get a real thrill seeing a squirrel run across your deck or watching a bird building a nest? If so, AKL is an animal lover's best vacation spot at Disney as you can sit for hours and watch the big cousins of the backyard squirrel and robin in her nest. If animals are just an okay for you, you might want to just hang onto that $450.

AKL is a beautiful resort (even with the construction) but it is darker than some with the use of the African theme and dark woodwork. Those who are looking for the "deluxe" experience but have no real interest in Africa or the animals are often disappointed in this resort.

If you are not sure, you might want to hang onto the POR reservation and just visit AKL for dinner or even just take a bus over to look around to see if it might appeal for a later vacation.

 

[mdennylusk]

We did just that. Our original resort was POFQ (which we've never stayed at) but with the discount code, we upgraded to AKL and still saved $300US.

We visit AKL every trip to tour the resort and check out the animals etc. It's been my dream resort from the first time I walked into the lobby. It's very overwhelming when you first walk in, especially considering we were staying at POP on that trip.

When we decided to upgrade, we considered that we may not ever get this deal again where we the price of AKL was less than a moderate. Also, we looked into the activities that AKL offers, such as culinary tours of Boma and Jiko etc.