AKL vs POR

[hamilkm]

We are headed down to Disney March 30-April 6 for my birthday and one last use of our annual passes (not renewing next year). I am currently book at AKL in a standard view room for $2,500 for the 7 nights. My travel agent was able to quote me POR for $1,300 for the 7 nights. He was also able to quote me beach club and poly for about $3,100. Our max budget is the $2,500. We have stayed at POR before and greatly enjoyed it (actually headed there this weekend for F&W), but wanted to try somewhere new/stay deluxe for my birthday. I know the first few days of our stay will still be really crowded with Easter crowds, so I was wanting to stay somewhere with easy access to lots of non-park activities. The boat to DTD from POR and the safaris, etc... at AKL appeal to me. I guess my question is for 2 adults (room size not a factor) is it worth $1,200 to stay at AKL without a savannah view? Both resorts have bus transportation. We have stayed at Beach Club and absolutely loved it, and I would pay the $2,500 for it. Can someone maybe tell me how AKL compares to beach club? Thanks in advance for opinions! I also have my travel agent pricing me a split stay at the poly (my dream resort) and riverside.

 

[Vixster]

I have stayed at POR and last year went for the AKL which was amazing so worth going to we did online check in paid for standard room were very lucky in getting a room with view of the animals

 

[hamilkm]

I have stayed at POR and last year went for the AKL which was amazing so worth going to we did online check in paid for standard room were very lucky in getting a room with view of the animals

Thanks! We didn't use the pools when we stayed at POR (December). How do the pools compare at the 2? This is very important to my mom!

 

[KaptKaveman]

Admittedly we have never traveled in early April to Disney but I would keep an eye on the pass holder discounts. Last year we were able to book AKL CL for $363/night with the discount(this is right at your budget). This was for the second week of June. All CL rooms have a savannah view. AKL prices and discounts are just too tempting, for that reason AKL has become our default resort the last few visits.

As for the pool, we really love the pool at AKL and you can always ride over to Kidani and try that pool out.

Also if you stay at AKL, I highly recommend stopping by the front desk and getting the hidden mickey scavenger hunt.

 

[AJA]

We have stayed at both and for 2 adults (IMO) no AKL is not worth it. You can visit AKL, see the same animals, save $1200 for another mother/daughter trip somewhere!

AKL's pool is nice but nothing out of this world. The safari is very expensive! We had a gorgeous view at AKL and honestly the animals are not out (as in close to your balcony) very often anyway. The guests on the public viewing balcony's had the same view we had. My advice is take time to visit AKL but save your money and sleep at POR.

 

[mickeynut1]

We are headed down to Disney March 30-April 6 for my birthday and one last use of our annual passes (not renewing next year). I am currently book at AKL in a standard view room for $2,500 for the 7 nights. My travel agent was able to quote me POR for $1,300 for the 7 nights. He was also able to quote me beach club and poly for about $3,100. Our max budget is the $2,500. We have stayed at POR before and greatly enjoyed it (actually headed there this weekend for F&W), but wanted to try somewhere new/stay deluxe for my birthday. I know the first few days of our stay will still be really crowded with Easter crowds, so I was wanting to stay somewhere with easy access to lots of non-park activities. The boat to DTD from POR and the safaris, etc... at AKL appeal to me. I guess my question is for 2 adults (room size not a factor) is it worth $1,200 to stay at AKL without a savannah view? Both resorts have bus transportation. We have stayed at Beach Club and absolutely loved it, and I would pay the $2,500 for it. Can someone maybe tell me how AKL compares to beach club? Thanks in advance for opinions! I also have my travel agent pricing me a split stay at the poly (my dream resort) and riverside.

Worth is subjective as it's different for everyone, but for us, AKL would be worth the extra money over a mod, even for a standard view (it's also a resort I would choose over the BC). We had a nice stay at the BC and I'm glad we tried it, but we weren't wow'd by SAB and the CS options are too limited for us. AKL is out away from everything, but that's one of the things I love about it as it's very peaceful and quiet (IMO). We didn't find the buses to be a problem as it didn't take more than maybe 5 extra minutes to get around compared to other resorts. Since the buses only service AKL and Kidani, there's no sharing with any other resort(s). As far as view, some people won't stay at AKL without a savanna view, but that's not a necessity for us. We haven't stayed in a standard view, but have stayed both pool view and savanna view and while the savanna view was nice, I loved our pool just as much. There are several animal viewing areas around the resort, so a savanna view isn't a priority for us. With all of that said, you are the only one who can decide whether or not the extra cost for AKL is worth it for you, but we love AKL and have had 2 great stays, so I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. Good luck.

 

[hamilkm]

Thanks for all the opinions! The main reason we loved our stay at the beach club was the pool and the location. Epcot is our favorite park and having it so close was wonderful! We got a really good deal through our travel agent to stay there though. My mom loved having inside hallways and also enjoyed a spa day while I went to the parks with a local friend. I think I am going to try to take a trip to the AKL while I am there this weekend for food and wine and see what I think. Look at the pool that kind of thing. My mom is the primary care giver for her sick mother so I am planning this as an escape for her. So, if I think it looks like somewhere she will love, I will probably end up paying the money!

 

[hamilkm]

Just a quick update. My travel agent was able to quote me an 8 night (one extra night) split stay at POR and the POLY for the same price as 7 nights at AKL. I think this is what we have decided on because we will have easy access to DTD our first few days (which will be more crowded due to being the week after Easter Sunday) then we will have Deluxe accommodations on my actual birthday and easy transportation to MK and Epcot on the days we will plan to go there. Plus the Poly has always been mine and my moms dream resort. But after reading all theses comments I am definitely going to take a day and check out AKL it sounds great!

 

[kreckl]

You may want to dine at Boma- our favorite restaurant by far at Disney. Everything is amazing, and you will soak up the atmosphere of AKL-J while you're at it. Be sure to walk through the main lobby. To the left are cozy seating areas, and if you walk through an then go down the stairs to outside you will be at the fire pit and a savanna- walk around and take a look. If you eat at Boma, the nearby outside door will take you to the pool area, and behind that is another savanna.Even when we don't stay there we are sure to eat dinner and/or breakfast at Boma. We take a bus if we go from/to a park, and a quick cab ride if going from our hotel. Very much worth it, imo!

 

[mickeynut1]

Just a quick update. My travel agent was able to quote me an 8 night (one extra night) split stay at POR and the POLY for the same price as 7 nights at AKL. I think this is what we have decided on because we will have easy access to DTD our first few days (which will be more crowded due to being the week after Easter Sunday) then we will have Deluxe accommodations on my actual birthday and easy transportation to MK and Epcot on the days we will plan to go there. Plus the Poly has always been mine and my moms dream resort. But after reading all theses comments I am definitely going to take a day and check out AKL it sounds great!

Sounds like a great trip! The Poly is amazing, you will love it! Definitely check out AKL for a future trip as it really is a great resort .

 

[JennyDrake]

We have stayed at both and for 2 adults (IMO) no AKL is not worth it. You can visit AKL, see the same animals, save $1200 for another mother/daughter trip somewhere!

AKL's pool is nice but nothing out of this world. The safari is very expensive! We had a gorgeous view at AKL and honestly the animals are not out (as in close to your balcony) very often anyway. The guests on the public viewing balcony's had the same view we had. My advice is take time to visit AKL but save your money and sleep at POR.

DITTO!!! I've tried AKL 3x and I'm still not "wowed!".

POR has the best food court on WDW proerty (IMHO) while AKL has VERY few CS offerings and none are convenient. The POR boat ride to DTD is just lovely. I was underwhelmed by the AKL pool and who in golly gee whiz decided to put the Kidani pool ACROSS THE PARKING LOT???

I would save the money and use it for a dinner at AKL!