AKL or Poly...

[dreams4disney]

We are going down in December and have AKL water/pool view booked through DU with the new best rate program. My sister-in-law and family will be staying at AKL and we thought it would be easier. My MIL and FIL want to stay with us (we will have 2 rooms) if they make it down and we thought it would be easier for them to go with my SIL's family for the day and not be stuck with us all of the time if we all stay at the same resort.

Now we are worried about the transportation. We are thinking that the Poly would be great as far as location and transportation goes with our four kids. I loved staying at the WL and being able to take a boat to MK or the CR to catch the Monorail.

It is going to be our last trip for a while. However I always have ways of sneaking in another Disney trip.

We visited AKL and the Poly on our last trip and love them both. We are also thinking of changing from water / pool view to savanna veiw if we stay at AKL. My children requested it. If any of this will be available and we can switch what would you all do?

To my TA if you are reading this. I apologize in advance. I know I drive you crazy!

 

[Frances999]

The Polynesian absolutely, without any doubt. I liked the AKL but love the Polynesian. You CANNOT BEAT the amazing transportation - direct monorail to MK or EPCOT and an efficient bus system. This, coupled with the HUGE rooms, MK views and tropical ambiance make it my favourite resort I have stayed at. Go for the Polynesian, you won't be disappointed!!

 

[WDW LifeLong Fan]

Ahhhh....my first....and still my favorite.....the POLY!

 

[Aalore]

I just love the Poly and the whole atmosphere. You can't go wrong there!

 

[Jalva22]

Tough, tough choice, you're talking about my 2 all-time favorite places in the world (and in the World ). As Frances999 said, there is nothing... NOTHING... more convenient than the monorail! And the Poly is a wonderful place. But, that being said, the AKL as a resort IMO is an outstanding place. It really depends on what your theming preference is, but strictly considering them as resorts and forgetting about the monorail, I think the AKL is the most beautiful I've ever seen. And the transportation from AKL is not bad. It doesn't share busses with any other resort, so they're pretty efficient. As you can see by my signature, we didn't decide between the two on our last trip. We just stayed at both! But here's what I'd do if I had to choose: If you have young kids and/or you're planning to spend most of your time at MK or Epcot, I'd vote for the Poly hands-down. If that's not your situation, I'd pick the AKL if it was me. But, that's just me. One thing, though, that I'm very sure of is that you're going to love either place!

 

[dreams4disney]

I just wanted to say thank's for all the quick replies.

 

[WOODY13]

The animals are cool at AKL but, IMHO nothing compares to the Poly.

 

[SqueakyMouse]

AKL wins by a large margin with us. Of course, dh and I both stayed at the Poly many times as kids; so it's definitely not a novelty with us. Now, being able to see the animals from our room...we love that!!

 

[Samsma]

Do you have time to split a stay? If not, I would probably stay at the Poly for the transportation. If you don't mind the busses, or you have a car, AKL is a wonderful place- But in December it would be very easy to visit the other monorail resorts and WL to look at decorations. AKL is supposed to have some very nice Christmas decorations too though.

I say split with AKL first then finish with the Poly for the most nights.

 

[disgal1]

also agree with split stay if you can, if not, poly. '
you can see a lot of animals if you go early for a boma dinner. stay a couple of hours, you'll see plenty.

 

[dreams4disney]

Thanks again for the replies! We will only be there for 7 nights and I just do not think it would be easy to do a split stay with 4 kids. We will not have our own car. I am also not to sure you can do that with the new best rate program. I know that if we do not stay at AKL we would visit as my husbands family will be there and Boma is on our list of must do's.
A split stay would take care of the problem though.

 

[lisareniff]

I voted AKL. Mainly so you could be close to your family. You could hang together at the pool. Your M&FIL could spend time with the other family, etc. Just little bits of time here and there are nice. It would just be much easier espeically without a car.

OK, ...that was assuming that you WANTED to spend time with your B&SIL!! LOL What is it they say about assuming?!?!!!! If you really only want to see them for an evening then go for the Poly. BTW they are my two fav. resorts. Love them both, but it sounds like the Poly has your heart.

 

[ksc37]

I really thought both resorts were fabulous, and for pure ambience, I'd probably recommend the AKL.

Both places have great restaurants, but the Poly may have an advantage because it's on the monorail line with a lot of other great restaurants.

The location of the Poly is great. You can be at the MK in 5 minutes on the monorail, and you can walk to the TTC and board the direct monorail for Epcot. The rooms are also much larger at the Poly (except for the lack of double sinks in the bathroom).

When we stayed at the AKL we were very disappointed in the bus service. We were there in value season, and I think they were only running one bus between the resort and the parks, making for long lines and long waits. We actually started using our car to get to/from the parks.

 

[robinb]

My sister-in-law and family will be staying at AKL and we thought it would be easier. My MIL and FIL want to stay with us (we will have 2 rooms) if they make it down and we thought it would be easier for them to go with my SIL's family for the day and not be stuck with us all of the time if we all stay at the same resort.

I voted for AKL-Savanna View.

I happen to like the Polynesian better, but that's not my major point. Staying at the same resort as the rest of your family will make it more of a family vacation. It will be easier to meet up, go to dinner, share the company of your in-laws, etc. Plus the Savanna View really rocks! Your kids will love it .

As for the transportation issue, I've had lousy transportation at every resort I have stayed at except Pop Century. That includes AKL and the Polynesian. Usually one bus/boat/etc is OK, but others are terrible. I wouldn't make that a deal breaker if I were you.

 

[grimley1968]

I voted Poly, not necessarily for the reasons you mentioned for each resort, but because, of all the choices, I'd take a Poly GV room over any AKL view room any day. I just love the Poly's charm, and its transportation convenience.