AKL/Poly or Poly/AKL?

[Dalpal]

Hi !
We are going to WDW July 05. We will be splitting our trip.
Do you think it would be better to go Poly 4 nights, then AKL 3 nights or AKL4 then Poly 3. The 3 and 4 split can be for either.
I just need to know which resort would be better to do first . I havent stayed at either before.
We are taking our five year old twin DGDs. and will be mostly going to MK and AK.
Any opinions would be great!
TIA
Betsy

 

[Dalpal]

Has anyone stayed at both resorts and liked the one over the other?
I would like to save the best for last.
Anyone?

 

[ac_roo]

We just returned...actually we went in January 2004...stayed for 4 nights at Poly concierge and switched to AKL concierge 3 nights. We found Poly to be awesome! It was wonderful. AKL was wonderful and quite remote, but for some reason, Poly just fit our family. The beach/water/volcano pool was not quite so huge as the AKL. I absolutely loved the beach and being able to see wishes each night.

AKL was great, but nothing beats monorail access! Our goal was to ride all the monorails...I think we ended up with 7...We just felt the Poly was a little easier to get to and from.

Maybe you could look at your when your doing parks and book from there. For example, we made sure we were staying at the Poly on our late night at MK. We made sure we were doing early entry at AK when we were at AKL.

I would do AKL first...and then do Poly.

 

[SuperDuperBounce]

I think I'd do just the opposite - Poly then AKL. AKL is peaceful and relaxing. Hit the Poly first for four days and do the monorail resorts while you still have the energy, then switch to AKL and relax.

 

[Dalpal]

Thanks for the reply.
Poly first was my first thought, but I was worried that we would be dissapointed with AKL after we stayed at the poly. Although the girls will love seeing the animals from the AKL balcony.
But.....I was wondering if we waited to stay at the Poly and go to MK after being there for three days if our DGDs would be tired out already and not enjoy Mk as much as if they were fresh.
Although we will be having a free resort day in the middle of our stay. (That will be our moving day too.) So .......
They will probably be fine.
I think I will like Poly more so I should save it for last!..............
I think!
Anyway thanks again for your reply. I have plenty of time to decide, as I wait for AP codes to come out.
Betsy

 

[Dalpal]

SuperDuperBounce,
That was my original thought........I just have not been to either resort so I didnt know.
I do know that AK is alittle easier then MK, but I think they will like MK better, but who knows...... they are five year olds......so unpredictable at that age.
I know Ill be looking for a shrink at the end of this trip. Between the planning and the trip itself.
I have never taken TWO preschoolers....I have taken there older sisters, but this will be a whole different can of worms.
I know naps in the afternoon are a must.....................................
for me if not for them! LOL

 

[poohkinandpiglet]

We stay at AKL on our LAST few days since we tour AK the last two days of our trip. By the time we move over to AK, we don't really need to travel back to the other parks. It's more convenient since AK is far away from everything else.

I like being close to MK for the majority of our stay because it's easier to utilize the transportation system when traveling around to the other three parks.

 

[ScottOKW2K]

I vote Poly 3 days and AKL 4 days.

I'll be honest here - I'm not a member of the Poly fan club. We have stayed at both resorts within the last year. We found AKL to be nothing short of amazing and the feel of the resort fit us to a "T". For us the Poly was a disappointment. Our main use for a hotel - to sleep - was the one thing we found hardest to accomplish during our stay. I don't know if it was the beds, noise, or whatever but a good nights sleep the two nights we were there was not to be had.

It also didn't hurt that our room rate at AKL was less than half what the Poly cost. The Poly just didn't win us over.

 

[Rhonna]

On our last trip we did GF first and then transferred to AKL.

We loved both resorts but wished we had done them in reverse.

Our room at the GF was so spacious and in comparison, the room at the AKL was alot smaller. So, even though we really enjoyed the theme of the AKL, we felt we had "traded down" in luxury due to the smaller room.

I don't know if this would matter to your family or not.

 

[Pattymouse]

Have stayed at both. I am a grandma like you.

My vote:

AKL first

Poly last

Once the kids get a taste of the MK they will want to go back. Let them ejoy AKL then move on to bigger and better things!

They both are relaxing resorts, but the Poly is even more laid back and the rooms are bigger.

Have fun!

Pat

 

[Dalpal]

Thanks everyone for the replys.
I still dont know what I will do, but I really enjoy all the opinions, so keep them coming.
Also does anyone know of any things they have for preschoolers to do?
Like I know they have a story time at AKL. Anything else at AKL and anything like that at the Poly?
TIA
Betsy

 

[BCV23]

I've stayed at both too and agree that I would start at AKL and then move to the Polynesian. The rooms are so much larger I would find it very hard to move into a smaller room at the AKL.

The AKL is beautiful but after a couple of days, I was ready to move to a larger room and some outdoor space other than the pool area. I love the grounds at the Polynesian. So I would vote 2 days at the AKL and 5 at the Polynesian. You could just take smaller bags into the AKL. I found storage space limited there too.

There are various activities for children at the Polynesian....arts and crafts, lei making, free video games and movies. Parents...or grandparents... need to provide supervision for the games and movies which are at the Neverland Club during the afternoon.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

We have done both with Poly first then switching to AKL. We have 3 ds and I was getting them so hyped and excited about the AKL. Well, what a disappointment that place was. They asked us never to stay there again. All little ds kept saying to me was this is my worst vacation ever, take me back to the Poly!!. Our room was so far out of the way at the AKL, it was dark, they hated the bunkbeds, we have these at home was their comment and no matter what time we looked on our balcony to see the animals all we saw was their butts and they only came around when the feed truck guy bribed them. AKL is isolated, but the bus service is direct, although the ride can be very long. My ds didnt want to swim there as they were getting attacked by bugs going to the pool and they retreated to the room. etc. Now as you can see from my tag, we just LOVE the poly. You wont be able to get the girls out of the pool, the beach and fireworks view is great as well as castle view and monorail access. My ds participated in the pool games (basketball) and the arcade challenge, free games for an hour, 3 times a week. They did not do the arts and crafts but that could be an option for you. The resort is wonderful, captain cooks for snacks and mug runs is great and the quiet pools are quiet. The atmosphere at night is terrific, tiki torches etc. You will LOVE the poly. If you take the boat back from mk at night it is peaceful and a beautiful sight to see the resorts lit up etc. You can also enjoy the water paegent from the beach if the dgd make it and stay up that late, but then you can quickly get them into bed etc. Have fun!

 

[johnsonet]

Originally posted by luvmarypoppins
AKL. Well, what a disappointment that place was. They asked us never to stay there again. All little ds kept saying to me was this is my worst vacation ever, take me back to the Poly!!. Our room was so far out of the way at the AKL, it was dark, they hated the bunkbeds, we have these at home was their comment and no matter what time we looked on our balcony to see the animals all we saw was their butts and they only came around when the feed truck guy bribed them.

Ouch!