AKL for pooh-sized family/resort decision...

[gigi1313]

i'm so conflicted when it comes to selecting a resort... last year we stayed at pop century in two rooms and it was great... a bed for everyone, an extra bathroom, an extra television...

this year, ds really wants to stay at akl and it's within our budget and i, too, am intrigued by it and think it would be an awesome place to stay... sort of... if we stay at akl we will only get one room and for us that could be a tight squeeze... we like our "space!" dh and i share a king bed at home and it's just right, the thought of spending a week in a queen bed together just makes me think i will not get enough rest (and we know how important our rest is at wdw!)

our other option (and cost would be very comparable) would be to take two rooms at pofq... it's my first choice of resorts 'cause i like the compact resort and i am sure the kids will love the pool... plus the location is great... i am really torn...

the third option would be to stay at swan/dolphin, as i have enough starwood points to warrant 1/2 price stay... but again, we'd be in one room... plus we would not be able to do dining plan and dh likes to have everything all paid for and "done" so as not to think about it (yep, even if it costs a bit more)!

any suggestions? input? HELP?!

 

[Alannah]

Our family of 5 did a trip in late December and were faced with the same problems - 2 rooms at moderate or one room deluxe. We wanted to try both, so we booked one room at the AKL for 2 nites concierge. It was wonderful, but the rooms are small & dark as previously posted, but also beautiful. The whole resort is breathtaking. I am glad we stayed there. I'm also glad that we then took ourselves to Port Orleans for 2 rooms for 7 nites. 2 baths. 2 rooms. more sleep! It was wonderful. And to top it all off, we spent the last nite in one room at the Poly. Lagoon View concierge. It was also wonderful, because of the location. Perfect view. Kids played late into the evening on the beach. Dad & kids rented sailboat. We had a great time. Glad we decided to split our stay. We couldn't have tolerated all being in one room for the entire vacation, but was nice to have a sample!

 

[Snowysmom]

DH and I are rather pooh sized and had no problems with the queen sized bed. We got the bunk bed room so the kids each had their own sleeping space. The room is smaller than other deluxes but again, that was not a problem for us, especially since we don't spend alot of time in it while at WDW. If you really like to have alot of room and like an extra bathroom, POFQ is also a great resort. The pool is great for families and so is the food court. We have stayed at both resorts and if we have the money, prefer AKL because of the animals. Next trip will probably be a budget minded trip so we will probably be staying at POFQ. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[shellybaxter]

We had the same type dilemma. DH and I are taking my sister (35) and niece (5) with us on our trip in 16 days. At first it was just my DSis and Dneice, so I booked us one room at ALK (savannah view). Then DH said he wanted to go but was uneasy about sharing a room with Dsis. But this is Dsis's first trip to the world. It's kind of a "divorce" present. BIL was HORRID and we are all glad he is not part of the family anymore.

Anyway Dsis was SOOO excited about AKL - she loves animals - that at first I compromised. The first four night at POFQ with two room and the last four at AKL with one room. Then I started thinking about four people in those tiny rooms at AKL (They don't feel tiny for two people, but four sounded really cramped). Four people's luggage. All Dniece's toys. And I love Dsis, but she is a "piler", she piles EVERYTHING up and just leaves it. So in the end I took the expensive way out - two room POFQ first four nights and two rooms AKL (savannah view - can't miss all the animals) last four nights. Added $800.00 to our trip, but I think it'll save me more than $800.00 in sanity and counciling bills - LOL

Shelly

 

[gigi1313]

thanks for the responses...

we're arriving on a thursday in august, planning to stay 3 nights at RPR/Universal and then 6 at wdw... maybe we'll chop one of the RPR nights off and stay at AKL (is one night "enough?" should we skip RPR altogether and drive to universal so we can stay at AKL?!) and then still do the six nights at PO? i cannot make any more vacation decisions... it's making me nutso! the clincher is that the mods turn over to value season on the sunday, so as much as i'd like to save AKL to the end, i totally cannot justify checking into PO during summer season! LOL!?

 

[Kimberle]

Tough decision, but hey, you'll be at WDW!

Though we haven't stayed at AKL (I've heard it's awsome), we have stayed at WL. (We loved that resort!) The 2 rooms are very similar in size. We found our room very well set up, even though it was small. The only thing I didnt care for was the sink area was outside the bathroom. It made it noisey in the room when I dryed my hair.

AKL does have bunkbeds. Maybe you & dh can "claim" those and let you're kiddo's share the queen! Think you can talk him into taking the top?

Have you looked into the Deluxe rooms that sleep 5? That would give you an extra daybed. I'm not sure if these rooms are all over or just on the Concierge floor.

 

[epcotfan]

I would get two rooms at a mod or elsewhere. I found the beds at AKL really uncomfortable and I was sleeping by myself. The extra beds, bathroom, and tv and fridge are worth every penny spent on an extra room.