Why am I second guessing my plans....

[minimagic]

Booked AKL for the first week of Sept. Thought we would try AKL for the first time but having hesitations. My understanding-- the animals are great but the rooms are dark and more important the bus rides are long. DH feels we should not spend the money since we are out of the resort by 8am and will not have time to enjoy the resort. As much as we force ourselves to relax.... that's just not what Disney was designed for-- because we try to get your monies worth out of the parks. We have the hopper and water park ticket. We plan to go to the water parks for two afternoons shower and off to another park.

So these are the questions I am struggling with:

Maybe I should skip the water park ticket and enjoy the hotel pool??
Maybe we should just plan a trip the AKL for a day visit?
Choose a hotel closer to a park....WL maybe?
Down grade to CB?
Base the hotel closer where we will be dinning? Kona, Ohana, Coral Reef, Chef Mickey and Le Celler
My favorite hotel is BC but just can swing the cost.

Any thoughts?

 

[ArwenMarie]

You don't sound too excited about it, so I would switch. I think visiting for a couple of hours is a great idea, and then you can always plan a stay there in the future.

 

[AJKMOM]

AKL is my favorite resort. However, if I was going to be gone all day, I wouldn't stay there; it is a place that offers a lot to do at the resort, for a day off, or other down time.

The decor isn't any darker than WL, and the bus ride is only 10 minutes tops longer to the MK. AKL is very close to the All-Stars, so the bus ride to the MK from there is almost the same.

The pool area at Kidani is nice, and you can go there even if you stay at Jambo HOuse.

 

[Sue M]

I don't agree with people who feel AKL rooms are dark. The furniture is a dark wood, but we had plenty of sunlight in our room. It's a great resort.

WL is too, and easier to get to your ADRs at the MK resorts. WL has a boat to MK and CR, so easy to hop on monorail or Poly boat.

We build in mid day breaks to enjoy our resort, and aren't commando touring in the parks from opening to closing. So for us, a deluxe resort is worth it. If you plan on being at a park all day to closing, I'd switch to a moderate.

 

[abdgeek]

Booked AKL for the first week of Sept. Thought we would try AKL for the first time but having hesitations. My understanding-- the animals are great but the rooms are dark and more important the bus rides are long. DH feels we should not spend the money since we are out of the resort by 8am and will not have time to enjoy the resort. As much as we force ourselves to relax.... that's just not what Disney was designed for-- because we try to get your monies worth out of the parks. We have the hopper and water park ticket. We plan to go to the water parks for two afternoons shower and off to another park.

So these are the questions I am struggling with:

Maybe I should skip the water park ticket and enjoy the hotel pool??
Maybe we should just plan a trip the AKL for a day visit?
Choose a hotel closer to a park....WL maybe?
Down grade to CB?
Base the hotel closer where we will be dinning? Kona, Ohana, Coral Reef, Chef Mickey and Le Celler
My favorite hotel is BC but just can swing the cost.

Any thoughts?

If you really want to stay at AKL, stay there. When I go to WDW, I'm out early too and usually don't get back to the room until after dinner. I rarely do the resort sponsored activities because I'm always at the parks. I know some people say a room is just somewhere to sleep, but I disagree. I expect a certain experience when I stay in a hotel. I either pick it for its closeness to something, amenities, or ambience.

I stayed at AKL Kidani for a long weekend during the F&W festival. I had a great time and was shocked at how excited I was about seeing the animals. The buses take a little longer to get to the parks, but you just allow for it. For most of the places you want to eat, take the bus to MK and get on the monorail. For the other two you would go directly to Epcot.

The wood in AKL is dark, but its that way too at BLT. It's all part of the theming. If you want to go to the water parks, do so. I wouldn't change your itinerary just because the resort is 5-10 minutes further out.

 

[maryj11]

For our next visit I was thinking the same thing. I would like to stay at AKL but dont like the idea of it being far from most parks and we are not at the resort that much so paying extra may not be a good idea. I think what we will do is make reservation for Boma and just visit first and book POR,POFQ, or CBR. Cant decide on which mod yet. But I really would like to go see AKL so I think we will take time to go eat at Boma and check it out one evening. Last visit we stayed at the Poly which I love but we were more interested in going to the parks. So we have kind of changed our minds on spending money on a deluxe unless we are going to be at the resort more.

 

[aVASTGrl]

I don't think AKL rooms are dark at all!! We had plenty of sunlight. The rooms are gorgeous! I felt like the YC rooms were much darker, although dark rooms don't bother me, I'm at the parks most of the time, or exploring the Resort.

 

[rcraw45425]

If you think you're making a mistake you may be. We stayed at AKL in January thinking it was where our teens would want to be, tons of animals, right? Saw a couple of giraffe and some zebras and a few water buffalo. The teens didn't like the lack of "excitement" (we normally stay monorail or EPCOT resorts so they can hit a park easily on their own, this was torture to them (their words)) Hubby and I didn't care for it either although we love Sanaa. Back to the monorail for us this time. WL is a good location for MK, boat to the park and another smaller launch to CR for monorail connection to other resorts for dining options. The buses are shared with Ft Wilderness so you can also get over there quickly for Hoop De doo and trails End. For our family, AKL didn't do it for us.

 

[Missytara]

I have to agree; go with your gut.

A few years ago, we were booked at POR (my home resort). The 4/3 deal came out and they offered me a savings of $200.00 to upgrade to SSR in a studio. I really wanted to stay at POR, but I thought, hey, same amentities that I love about POR and we would have a kitchenette.

I kept thinking I had made the wrong decision, but I stuck with SSR and it was my least favorite trip of all. As a matter of fact, we went down to POR twice and both of my traveling companions agreed they wished I had stuck with POR.

Sometimes it is good to second guess your plans.

 

[amccu18007]

If you feel that you are making the wrong decision, switch! I would visit there and see if it is really your "style". If it is, you can always use your saving from this trip as a down payment on your next Have a great trip!

 

[ExpatDisneyLover]

I think AKL is a totally unique resort experience - just walking into the lobby is something I love! That said - look at the photos - know what to expect and if you think you'll enjoy the theme! It really is a beautiful resort - very relaxing. I didn't find the buses any different than any other resort buses honestly and the feel of the resort was so interesting I was totally thrilled ! The rooms really do look like the pictures I think and have a solid well built feel to them. I'd recommend AKL in a heartbeat!

Enjoy your trip wherever you decide to stay!