AKL vs POLY

[mickeynut1]

Any recommendation on room location for a standard view? Thanks again!

Samoa facing volcano pool . The location is awesome as it's just steps from the GCH, volcano pool, the beach, and Captain Cooks .

Also, just wanted to say that I think you made a great choice going with the Poly. AKL is an amazing resort, but the Poly is our favorite for many reasons and would be my choice without hesitation. Have a great trip......you're gonna love the Poly .

 

[Christinaxo]

I've stayed at both. First stay was at AKL. Next stay was at Poly.

We have NOT returned to AKL, but returned to Poly several times. AKL is nice, but Poly just feels so good to us, and we have no desire to stay anywhere else (except that now our budget forces us to stay at Values ).

Lol I know that if we plan to go back it wont be able to be a deluxe so I really just want this first trip to have that once in a lifetime feel (even tho we hope to experience disney for many more years to come but you never know! lol) So I hope I don't get too hooked

 

[Christinaxo]

Samoa facing volcano pool . The location is awesome as it's just steps from the GCH, volcano pool, the beach, and Captain Cooks .

Also, just wanted to say that I think you made a great choice going with the Poly. AKL is an amazing resort, but the Poly is our favorite for many reasons and would be my choice without hesitation. Have a great trip......you're gonna love the Poly .

Thank you! That sounds like the perfect location! Its a little late in the game for changing my whole reservation so fingers crossed the requests come through! Thanks so much!

 

[chasgoose]

It will be crowded and hot in August and with kids ages 8 and 4, I soooooo recommend the Poly. The monorail access is beyond wonderful and the proximity to MK (which is the park your kids will want to visit ALL THE TIME) can't be beat. The pool is kid friendly and the nightly campfire/marshmallow roast, EWP and Wishes fireworks watching at the beach are memory makers. For a standard room, we have stayed in the Rarotonga longhouse and found it very convenient to the pool, Capt Cook's food area and the monorail line. Have fun!!!!

For me the heat in August would be a point in favor of AKL. You still have to wait for a monorail or a bus and neither necessarily comes more often, but once you get back to your resort you get to walk through air conditioned hallways to your room as opposed to having to go back outside to get to your longhouse

 

[Christinaxo]

For me the heat in August would be a point in favor of AKL. You still have to wait for a monorail or a bus and neither necessarily comes more often, but once you get back to your resort you get to walk through air conditioned hallways to your room as opposed to having to go back outside to get to your longhouse

Hmmmmm I did not even think of that. I have never been so I guess I did not even understand how the resort is set up. I actually have never even been to florida so do not know what to expect as far as August weather lol. Is it enough to make a big difference while walking around with a just turned 4 year old? Thank You!

 

[catnik]

Which one would be recommended for first time visitors, 2 adults/2 kids (DS8, DD4) traveling this August? I have been like obsessed with the POLY since I've started my disney planning but Hubby felt it was way too much. Went with AKL Standard view room which was deluxe but more in our price range. Now I found a deal that will put us at the POLY for only $300 more than what we were going to pay for AKL (which in my non expert opinion lol seemed fantastic for 7 nights!) Now I just need to sell the POLY to him, or should I even bother? (deal would give us a discount on AKL as well, saving us almost $400). They love the theming at AKL, but also don't really care but I look at the POLY and it just seems so magical to me! I picture us sitting on the beach watching the fireworks and it makes me so excited! (I have never been so am literally jumping out of my skin with excitement to give this experience to my children.) We are also celebrating our 10 year anniversary, as well as DD4 birthday, and my recent college graduation! Any tips on room location as well for when I win him over (fingers crossed ) would also be extremely helpful! Hes so tired of me second guessing our resort but I think it's because I really just wanted to stay at the POLY! lol Thank You!!!

Lots of folks have chimed in but for what it is worth, we have kids ages 9 and 8 and the Poly has made much more sense for us. The kids want to go to MK all the time, which makes monorail access invaluable. They also love the volcano pool, the fire pit/marshmallow roast, the electric water pageant, and watching Wishes from the beach, which are not available at AKL. We have stayed CL Savannah view at AKL and while they enjoyed watching the animals from our balcony, the pool was too tame and the drive/travel time from the resort to the various theme parks was long. Each family has to decide what is more important for them....good luck!

 

[Dannek]

Your post reminds me of the lines from one of my favorite movies, Trading Places...

What about lunch?

The lobster or the cracked crab?

What do you think?

Can't we have both?

Maybe consider a split stay between both resorts...
Four nights at the Poly for MK and Epcot, and three days at AKL for AK and HS plus whatever. I got back from the AKL today and absolutely loved everything about it. That being said, I'm going to stay at the Poly for the first time in September for four days and then move over to the AKL for my last three since I loved it so much.

Really, you can't go wrong either way. Good luck.

 

[think-like-tink]

In 2010 we stayed at Poly CL. It was Heaven. My kids LOVED the beach. Our first night DH had drinks and the kids had sweet treats from the lounge and we sat on the beach and watched Wishes. NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING beats that.


Our 2014 trip my DH really wants to stay at AKL CL. I am super excited, but, nervous. I love Poly so much I do not want to be disappointed. I worry about being far away from other parks and LONG bus rides.

 

[monorailsilver]

For me the heat in August would be a point in favor of AKL. You still have to wait for a monorail or a bus and neither necessarily comes more often, but once you get back to your resort you get to walk through air conditioned hallways to your room as opposed to having to go back outside to get to your longhouse

We go in August & that isn't a problem. If it is raining or if we are really hot we will go from long house to long house to get to where we are staying.

Can't be the Poly though.

A tip that we use, not sure if it is a great one or not but if we are at AK, DHS or DtD, we hang out at the Poly bus stop but we also look for the TTC bus & which ever comes first we take it. Yeah the TTC bus is a bit longer walk but we don't mind the walk one bit.

And the boat to/from the MK...ahh...I love the monorail but I love the resort launch too.

 

[chasgoose]

Hmmmmm I did not even think of that. I have never been so I guess I did not even understand how the resort is set up. I actually have never even been to florida so do not know what to expect as far as August weather lol. Is it enough to make a big difference while walking around with a just turned 4 year old? Thank You!

Depends on how good you are at handling heat and humidity. It's no more than 5 minutes to most buildings.

Having grown up in AZ for most of my life those last five minutes seem really brutal to me after a day in the park. But I'm a baby when it comes to rain and humidity and want to get in AC and stay there as soon as possible.

 

[Tropics]

We couldn't decide either so for you December trip we're doing a split stay with AKL and then Poly. We've stayed at BC (2011) and then Poly (Jan 2013). Check-in at BC was nice but there was such a special feeling that we got when checking in at Poly. So much so that we shortened our AKL stay in December to include a few days at Poly. I can still remember the special feeling that I got when pulling up to the Poly and then walking into GCH to check in. Similar to the feeling that I get when checking into a resort in the Caribbean. I can't wait now for our next stay.

 

[Christinaxo]

Your post reminds me of the lines from one of my favorite movies, Trading Places...

What about lunch?

The lobster or the cracked crab?

What do you think?

Can't we have both?

Maybe consider a split stay between both resorts...
Four nights at the Poly for MK and Epcot, and three days at AKL for AK and HS plus whatever. I got back from the AKL today and absolutely loved everything about it. That being said, I'm going to stay at the Poly for the first time in September for four days and then move over to the AKL for my last three since I loved it so much.

Really, you can't go wrong either way. Good luck.

omg thats so me! But we actually are just doing a split stay 4 days AKL & 4 days POLY. My kids LOVE animals so they really had their heart set on it! I just finished moving around all my ADRs so we could do all our MK days while at Poly & the rest at AKL. Thanks for the suggestion! & the laugh

 

[Christinaxo]

We couldn't decide either so for you December trip we're doing a split stay with AKL and then Poly. We've stayed at BC (2011) and then Poly (Jan 2013). Check-in at BC was nice but there was such a special feeling that we got when checking in at Poly. So much so that we shortened our AKL stay in December to include a few days at Poly. I can still remember the special feeling that I got when pulling up to the Poly and then walking into GCH to check in. Similar to the feeling that I get when checking into a resort in the Caribbean. I can't wait now for our next stay.

Yes my indecisiveness and the kids wanting to experience has led to a split stay for us as well! enjoy your trip!

 

[Christinaxo]

Lots of folks have chimed in but for what it is worth, we have kids ages 9 and 8 and the Poly has made much more sense for us. The kids want to go to MK all the time, which makes monorail access invaluable. They also love the volcano pool, the fire pit/marshmallow roast, the electric water pageant, and watching Wishes from the beach, which are not available at AKL. We have stayed CL Savannah view at AKL and while they enjoyed watching the animals from our balcony, the pool was too tame and the drive/travel time from the resort to the various theme parks was long. Each family has to decide what is more important for them....good luck!

Thank you!

In 2010 we stayed at Poly CL. It was Heaven. My kids LOVED the beach. Our first night DH had drinks and the kids had sweet treats from the lounge and we sat on the beach and watched Wishes. NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING beats that.


Our 2014 trip my DH really wants to stay at AKL CL. I am super excited, but, nervous. I love Poly so much I do not want to be disappointed. I worry about being far away from other parks and LONG bus rides.

The bus rides were my main concern but I guess we just need to plan accordingly during our days there. Good luck to us both! Lol

We go in August & that isn't a problem. If it is raining or if we are really hot we will go from long house to long house to get to where we are staying.

Can't be the Poly though.

A tip that we use, not sure if it is a great one or not but if we are at AK, DHS or DtD, we hang out at the Poly bus stop but we also look for the TTC bus & which ever comes first we take it. Yeah the TTC bus is a bit longer walk but we don't mind the walk one bit.

And the boat to/from the MK...ahh...I love the monorail but I love the resort launch too.

Thanks that is really helpful! I know because it is our first time we will totally be winging it! I will try to write down all these little helpful tips!

Depends on how good you are at handling heat and humidity. It's no more than 5 minutes to most buildings.

Having grown up in AZ for most of my life those last five minutes seem really brutal to me after a day in the park. But I'm a baby when it comes to rain and humidity and want to get in AC and stay there as soon as possible.

Well I am a New England girl and I learned to just take what I get when it comes to weather! lol but I don't do humidity well ugh it's the worst! But at WDW I think I will handle it a little better than usual

 

[kapoof]

In 2010 we stayed at Poly CL. It was Heaven. My kids LOVED the beach. Our first night DH had drinks and the kids had sweet treats from the lounge and we sat on the beach and watched Wishes. NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING beats that.


Our 2014 trip my DH really wants to stay at AKL CL. I am super excited, but, nervous. I love Poly so much I do not want to be disappointed. I worry about being far away from other parks and LONG bus rides.

So true...nothing, nothing beats the poly beach for the electric parade and wishes with a drink and or dessert. My son loved the beach also!

 

[mickeynut1]

Our 2014 trip my DH really wants to stay at AKL CL. I am super excited, but, nervous. I love Poly so much I do not want to be disappointed. I worry about being far away from other parks and LONG bus rides.

AKL is kind of out away from everything, but we didn't find the buses to be bad at all. We thought it took maybe 5 extra minutes to get around compared to other resorts. The buses only go to Kidani and AKL, so there's no sharing with any other resort .

But we actually are just doing a split stay 4 days AKL & 4 days POLY. My kids LOVE animals so they really had their heart set on it! I just finished moving around all my ADRs so we could do all our MK days while at Poly & the rest at AKL. Thanks for the suggestion! & the laugh

I think you chose 2 great resorts for a split . AKL is a beautiful resort and I think your kids would love seeing the animals .

The bus rides were my main concern but I guess we just need to plan accordingly during our days there. Good luck to us both! Lol

I know everyone's experiences are different, but we didn't think the buses were bad .

 

[think-like-tink]

AKL is kind of out away from everything, but we didn't find the buses to be bad at all. We thought it took maybe 5 extra minutes to get around compared to other resorts. The buses only go to Kidani and AKL, so there's no sharing with any other resort .



Really? I thought it would take longer. That makes me feel a little better.

 

[johnvree]

The Poly is my favorite resort.

But... "location, location, location" has been replaced with "construction, construction, construction."

It sounds like there will be major DVC construction going on at the Poly later this year and in 2014. I was there once when they were redoing the main lobby and longhouses. It definitely took away from the experience. You pay a lot of money to get tricked that you are on an island. That trick gets harder when you are surrounded by brown walls and the sounds of construction.

We were planning on staying at the Poly next May and switched to the Y&BC.

 

[mickeynut1]

Really? I thought it would take longer. That makes me feel a little better.

I hope you have as good an experience as we've had because we didn't think it took much longer from AKL vs other resorts. Other resorts make extra stops, which adds time getting to the parks. AKL buses only share with Kidani, which is right next door, making it a little more convenient (IMO) and doesn't add a lot more time like that of other resorts that have to travel farther between resorts .

 

[Christinaxo]

I hope you have as good an experience as we've had because we didn't think it took much longer from AKL vs other resorts. Other resorts make extra stops, which adds time getting to the parks. AKL buses only share with Kidani, which is right next door, making it a little more convenient (IMO) and doesn't add a lot more time like that of other resorts that have to travel farther between resorts .

Thanks for the reassurance! Definitely makes me feel better as well!