2 bedroom at AKL or 2 studios at Poly?

[Lollicollins]

Hi all. Looking for some advice about rooms. Were going to rent points for December 2022 and I'm back and forth about resorts. Well be a party of 7, my mother, her service dog, my husband, myself and our 4 children(no infants), my mother will have a scooter and I may need one but not planning on it at the moment. I've narrowed it down to either a 2 bedroom savannah villa at kidani village or 2 standard studios at the poly, but I cannot decided on which would be better. The 2 bedroom would give us more room, and a full kitchen, along with an amazing view on the balcony, but the 2 standards would save us roughly 1k, along with monorail access and the fireworks view from the beach. I do see a potential downside at poly with the distance from the dvc rooms to the lobby, I have a autonomic dysfunction disorder that sometimes makes long walks difficult for me and I was hoping for a room very close to the lobby/busses, or are the rooms closer then they seem on the map? I also worry about fitting a scooter in the studios. Any advice either way is appreciated.

 

[PalmettoPath]

Well, I am not a fan of AKL at all (at least staying there -- I do like the resort for the occasional visit), so if I personally had to choose I would go Poly. Have you considered Bay Lake Tower or the Grand Floridian Villas? They would offer the benefits similar to what you mentioned and the ability to get a one- two- or three-bedroom villa.

 

[Minniemoo15]

We love two studios as they connect at Poly and they are very spacious. We keep our double stroller in one of the bathrooms (they are huge) and there is lots of room. It’s my favourite resort. We stay in Tokelau which is not far from the main lobby area or the bus stop. I find some of the hallways at AKL to be very long so if you stay there, request to be close to elevators. If you stay at Poly you may want to request ground floor as the elevators are older and can be slow/a tight squeeze (though certainly doable). The location of Poly can’t be beat with multiple transportation options. That being said, the savannah view at AKL is pretty special. We love the Kidani pool area. I don’t think you can go wrong either way!

 

[Lollicollins]

Well, I am not a fan of AKL at all (at least staying there -- I do like the resort for the occasional visit), so if I personally had to choose I would go Poly. Have you considered Bay Lake Tower or the Grand Floridian Villas? They would offer the benefits similar to what you mentioned and the ability to get a one- two- or three-bedroom villa.

We did, but after talking with everyone (my sister is also coming, but will have her own room) I think the only way everyone would be happy is at one of these 2 resorts as far as the resort themselves go. ty though. Is there something about staying at akl you dont like in particular?

We love two studios as they connect at Poly and they are very spacious. We keep our double stroller in one of the bathrooms (they are huge) and there is lots of room. It’s my favourite resort. We stay in Tokelau which is not far from the main lobby area or the bus stop. I find some of the hallways at AKL to be very long so if you stay there, request to be close to elevators. If you stay at Poly you may want to request ground floor as the elevators are older and can be slow/a tight squeeze (though certainly doable). The location of Poly can’t be beat with multiple transportation options. That being said, the savannah view at AKL is pretty special. We love the Kidani pool area. I don’t think you can go wrong either way!

thats good to know about the bathrooms thank you

 

[PalmettoPath]

We did, but after talking with everyone (my sister is also coming, but will have her own room) I think the only way everyone would be happy is at one of these 2 resorts as far as the resort themselves go. ty though. Is there something about staying at akl you dont like in particular?




thats good to know about the bathrooms thank you

Aside from some very bad experiences we've had at AKL (I don't need to go into the details here, but it was disgusting) the Kidani Village layout is horrible. If you do stay there, be sure to request a room close to the main lobby area. The rooms at the far end are *seriously* far. I mean, you could benefit from an indoor golf cart just to get over there. So that would be my tip if you do opt for Kidani.

 

[Lollicollins]

Aside from some very bad experiences we've had at AKL (I don't need to go into the details here, but it was disgusting) the Kidani Village layout is horrible. If you do stay there, be sure to request a room close to the main lobby area. The rooms at the far end are *seriously* far. I mean, you could benefit from an indoor golf cart just to get over there. So that would be my tip if you do opt for Kidani.

awesome to know ty so much

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

Always go for the 2BR over two studios if the price is comparable. You will have a lot more space for your group and a full kitchen. Kidani is a great resort. Get a Savana view if possible.

 

[starry_solo]

2 bedroom dedicated at Kidani.
3 bathrooms
3 real beds (1 king, 2 queens) + 1 sleeper sofa. I assume your mother and her service dog will get the king, you and your husband get 1 queen, 2 kids get 1 queen, and 2 kids get the sleeper sofa.
Full kitchen
Full balcony

Ask for close to lobby as your #1 request.



Two studios at Poly means that you're sticking your mom with 2 of your kids. Connecting studios are never guaranteed, so what if you end up far away from each other?




However, I probably should ask, what parks do you like best/want to visit the most. You can't consider anything other than these two options? Your mother could likely fit the scooter in the restroom that has the sink and shower (no toilet) when she goes to sleep in the Poly studio.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

You may also find it easier to find an owner to rent from at AKV, especially when talking December. There are always more people trying to rent Poly than Poly points to be rented.

 

[DisneyOutsider]

Take the 2br at AKV no question. 3 full bathrooms, full kitchen, your own washer/dryer .. and that's even before you consider the awesome restaurants at AKV (not sure if Boma is open yet, though).

 

[Dizzydizney]

Good things about the Poly: the rooms are large and you can easily use a scooter to get the the MK monorail and use the walking path to get to TTC for the Epcot monorail. 3 monorail resorts easily visited for food options. MK fireworks from the comfort of your resort.....no crazy crowds to fight getting to your bus back to resort. The extra sink and shower bathroom...large enough to park a scooter. The outdoor gas grills are close by. Bad things about the poly: it has the smallest kitchenette of any DVC I have been in. But you will have two with two rooms. I understand the laundry facility is not that great, but we didn’t use as we only stayed one night.
Good things about a 2 bedroom at AKL: huge rooms, full kitchen, in room laundry, a fantastic community hall with a nice pool table at Kidani. The animals. Bad things about AKL...limited food options at Kidani....must go to Jambo for good quick serve, yes the halls are long, but if using a scooter it’s not so bad, you must take a bus to visit every park unless you have your own vehicle.

Both are great resorts...they all are. It’s a matter of preference. We prefer having a full kitchen, as we cook breakfast every morning and also make simple dinners. But you can do so much with microwaves too.

 

[supersnoop]

Will you have a car? At Kidani, you can park very close to your room, but the hike to the buses can be long.

 

[DisneyonMars]

When we stayed at poly I noticed that a room close to ours had a scooter parked in the hall and charging so that may be an option.

If you are planning on doing laundry, you have to carry your laundry to another building at Poly while the washer and dryer would be in your 2 bedroom at AKV.

I personally would choose AKV because you have a nicer area for the family to "hang out" in the living room and kitchen. Since we had the sleeper sofa pulled out in poly there didn't seem to be as much room there.

Both are amazing resorts and you will have a good time regardless.

 

[CarolynFH]

In addition to the 3rd bathroom, the AKL-K 2 BR will have a single sleeper chair in the living room. It’s also wonderful to be able to park under the building, if you have a car. Don’t request “close to lobby,” though, because everyone does. You want to request to be close to a specific elevator, either on the side near the bus stop or the side near the pool, and you can park underneath the building close to that elevator. I always get confused as to which elevator is which and can’t find the resort map right now; hoping that @drusba will help out.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Take the 2br at AKV no question. 3 full bathrooms, full kitchen, your own washer/dryer .. and that's even before you consider the awesome restaurants at AKV (not sure if Boma is open yet, though).

By December 2022 Boma had better be open...

 

[mouseclick1]

I have stayed in both and love them both, but with 4 kids, the washing machine in the 2BR would be a deal breaker for me. I would choose AKV.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I love AKL, but I don't find the Savanna View to be worth the points (or cash) cost. My rec would be AKV Standard View if you can get it.

 

[Happy2BMommy0812]

I love Poly. Love it. But for that large of a group I’d go AK with the extra space, real beds and extra toilet.

However, will you have a car? If not, that might swing me in favor of Poly due to the 1 (possibly 2) scooters. Waiting for a bus with a scooter seems like it can be a pain in there are several scooter guests in line before you. At least at Poly you could hit 2 of the 4 parks using the monorail.

 

[Lollicollins]

thanks everyone! I think youve got me convinced of going ahead with the 2 bedroom at AKL. Id hate to get split up, and the living space i think will help keep us all sane with so many people, especially with my nephews probably wanting to hang out with our kids on resort days

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

thanks everyone! I think youve got me convinced of going ahead with the 2 bedroom at AKL. Id hate to get split up, and the living space i think will help keep us all sane with so many people, especially with my nephews probably wanting to hang out with our kids on resort days

Take a look at the room tours on YouTube, Here is one. You will love the 2BR.