AKL or POR?? I Have to decide by tomorrow

[Kurgan4]

I have booked the POR for 11/30-12/8 at AAA rate. My mother called this morning and got AKL for the same dates. It will only cost us another $20 total--YEAH. The question is--I have heard the AKL is very dark and am not sure my 4 year old DD will like the food at Boma or Jiko. We are buying the AP this Saturday so I want to just make up my mind. Any help would be greatly appreciated. This is my DD first trip and my parent's last trip to disney so I really want it to be special. Thanks in advance.

 

[newtodisney]

You cannot ask for a better resort then AKL. As far as the food goes...my DD's are very picky eaters. When we ate at Boma the servers went out of their way to make food my kids eat (mac & cheese, grilled cheese, fries, etc). So if there isn't anything in the buffet your DD eats, they will get what ever you need. My girls were 2 3/4 & 6 when we were there 2 years ago, and they still talk about how wonderful it was.

 

[msteddom]

I just stayed at POR and loved it, but for a difference of $20 total I would jump at the chance to stay at AKL!!!

Melissa

 

[Dopey's twin Dippy]

Hi we just got back from all star movies. We had visited Animal Kingdom Lodge last summer. We went again. It is so beautiful inside wait until you see it. Its not really Dark dark, if you know what I mean. The place is so huge, the bathrooms were incredible,lol. We did not get to see in the rooms. We did eat down in the food court part. They have it nicely set up. They have movies playing for the kids. The food selection was great for kids. We really thought the place was wonderful, maybe we can save for another year to stay there. lol. If it was only a little more $, i would def. stay there I think you will all love it. Have a great time when you go. oh yeah, outside the animals roam it is so cool and the pool area was super.

 

[Kurgan4]

I think we will go ahead and switch. For a rate of $109 I can't beat it. I will hope for the best. I just got a standard room, but no way I could afford Savannah view. Oh well. Thanks for all the advice. This is really a great board for information.

 

[pointandshoot]

I jusy spent a week at AKL with my 4 year old. She LOVED it. She could not wait to wake up in the morning to see the animals, stopped at every viewing spot walking down the halls, and would sit out at night on the balcony.

We paid the $109 and was lucky to get a upgrade to Savannah. Hope the luck follows you and your family. Have a fun trip!

-Chuck

 

[gumdrop]

For the love of god, switch to AKL!! It is a beautiful, wonderful, fantastic resort. I found POR to be a pretty dull resort--I didn't enjoy my stay there and wasn't impressed with the themeing. I think your kids will love the atmosphere and the animals at AKL. They have lots of children's activities and animal programs. I just so happen to have a list of the activities here at my desk, so I'll ramble a few off...Flamingo feedings, animal tracking, medallion crayon rubbings, cookie decorating, pelican feeding, pool activities, crafts, music of the savanna, african games and crafts, african folktales, games with savanna guides, cultural safari, animal night vision viewing...there is plenty there for the whole family to keep busy. I think your kids will be fine at Boma--they have a kids station at the buffet. Jiko definetly did not have a kid friendly menu (but definetly good for the adults if you want to drop the kids off at Simba's clubhouse for a few hours). We just got back from our honeymoon at AKL and I could not imagine staying anywhere else after that trip. Please give it a try if you can swing it. Here's my review of the resort with more details if you want to check it out!

Resort: http://disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=423041

Resort Restaurants (plus others) http://disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=424779

 

[Schmeck]

Having stayed at AKL and POR our last trip, I'd vote for AKL! And I'm sending some positive vibes your way ~~~~~~~ that you get a free upgrade to Savannah view!

Say hi to the giraffes near the swimming pool for us, they were my daughter's favorite part of our visit last October, LOL!

Schmeck, saving for a future visit to AKL, one penny at a time...

 

[CindyAnn]

We stayed at AKL when DS was 8 and DD was 5 and they both loved it. Mara and Boma both have good choices for kids and even Jiko has a good kids menu (PB&J, nuggets, grilled cheese, etc) although gumdrop's idea of having an adult only meal there is even better. DH and I did that while DS and DD enjoyed Simba's Clubhouse. DD loved getting a hair wrap by the pool and DS loved learning how to track the animals. They both enjoyed the cookie decorating, too.

I think AKL is a beautiful resort with friendly CMs and the relaxing feel of the hotel is a welcome change from the busier pace of the parks.

 

[n2mm]

While we are huge fans of POR (which we refer to as Dixie Landing), don't ever past up a chance to stay at the AKL for the same price. Please, don't let us other posters think you would even consider this. POR at the standard, even AAA price will be there next time (we hope), but you can never count on the fact that you will get a great rate at the AKL. Don't let the dark comments affect you, even if it is a little darker in the rooms, which I also find at WL, it isn't even something you'll notice. The look on you DD faces when she sees the animals everyday is priceless. We took our grandson (then 7) to the AKL and he loved it. OK, we ate at Boma's, and the kids choices where fine with him. They also have Mara's which you will find the normal fare. And if you eat at the parks you actually won't be eating at AKL every day. PLEASE, take the AKL, you'll be happy you did!!!! My grandson still talks about how great their zero entry pool was, and the slide. Sitting in the hot tub and watching the giraffes walk by was way cool.

 

[mep319]

POR is my favorite moderate...but for love of god AKL!! It should be a no brainer!! (no offense intented)...AKL...AKL...AKL...
I think you will hear that over and over!

 

[pallamb]

I'm glad to hear you picked the AKL. You won't regret it! Patty

 

[jamsmom]

AKL is my absolute favorite!! I have stayed there 3 times.

 

[ScottOKW2K]

Definitely go for AKL ! Dixie Landings is our favorite moderate resort - shoot, we would probably choose it over some of the deluxe resorts. However, the one deluxe resort that we would definitely want to stay at would be Animal Kingdom Lodge. We have visited the resort at least 4 or 5 times to eat at Boma, and have always been impressed with Boma in particular, and the "feel" of the resort in general.

This is not just empty advice - I put my money where my mouth is. After seeing the the great rates for AKL that came out thursday, we booked 7 nights starting the day after Christmas. This is in spite of the fact that we have a confirmed reservation for a 1 bedroom at Old Key West over New Years, that we made back in january. When you see a deal this good, you just can't let it pass you by !

 

[webray]

AKL is the best disney has to offer....POR is not impressive at all.

 

[mshsmshs2003]

This is great.

We are so excitted that everyone here has only good things to say about AKL.

We will be at WDW the Day after Christmas and staying till the 1st or 2nd of January for our first every trip for either of us.

We will be going a couple of times next year, so we are getting AP's since we couldn't pass up the $171.71 a night AKL-Savanna rate we were offered, instead of paying the $457.15 rack rate.

We can't wait till December.