Animal Kingdom Lodge or Port Orleans French Quarter?

[Haley R]

No we haven’t made up our mind yet. I’m pretty indecisive about this and keep trying to weight the pros and cons. I know we will be happy with either resort. I tend to overthink things.

When you mentioned the universal package it makes way more sense to me to stay at Port Orleans and use the savings at universal.

 

[JoJoGirl]

That’s a tough decision! Both are great resorts, so you can’t really go wrong. POFQ is our favorite mod (stayed there seven times) and we also love AKL (staying there again in May). For us the AKL is worth the extra $$, but when the budget is tight, POFQ is a fine alternative.

Rooms: Definite edge to AKL. Rooms are slightly larger and have a balcony for extra private space, and some standard views are facing the savanna with only some fenced areas in between. The biggest deciding factor for us, however, is the climate control system. POFQ rooms are heated and cooled by those noisy (and inexact) rumbling window units, while AKL rooms are thermostatically controlled and much quieter. Earlier this week we spent five nights at a deluxe and then one night at POR (our flight was unexpectedly delayed until the next morning, and we needed a room fast). Right up until we went to bed, we were thinking how much we loved the PO resorts and wanted to stay there again. Unfortunately, the A/C noise kept us up most of the night, and by morning we had changed our minds.

Size and walking distances: Comparable. The farthest rooms at AKL are no farther than at POFQ. The walks at French Quarter are prettier though, because they are outside and not through the hallways. That said, hallways are great on a rainy day!

Pool: AKL wins with the larger, more beautiful zero-entry pool. POFQ pool is ok, but aside from the Neptune slide, it’s nothing special. However, at POFQ you would also have access to the larger and more entertaining pool at POR, if you are willing to make the trip upriver.

Transportation: Slight edge to POFQ. Bus service is about equal — though POFQ can share buses with Riverside during slow times of day. But POFQ has the Sassagoula Steamboat to Disney Springs, which is far superior to the bus from AKL.

Food: It depends on what you’re looking for. POFQ has better quick service options. The food court is small but more extensive than the Mara, plus you have easy access to the much larger food court at Riverside. For onsite table service, AKL wins hands down — their options are worth traveling in to experience. (Boma, Sanaa, and Jiko are all outstanding at what they do). At POFQ, you will need to hop the boat to DS to access a variety of table service. While extremely pleasant, that takes a LOT more time from your day.

Another alternative to consider: Is free dining available at Riverside? While we generally prefer POFQ, I don’t think that there is enough value added there vs. Riverside to pass up free dining. Our Riverside Royal Room faced a gorgeous courtyard and was a fairly short walk to the pool and main building.

I’m sure you will have a great time no matter where you stay. Have fun!

 

[Randie Baird]

That’s a tough decision! Both are great resorts, so you can’t really go wrong. POFQ is our favorite mod (stayed there seven times) and we also love AKL (staying there again in May). For us the AKL is worth the extra $$, but when the budget is tight, POFQ is a fine alternative.

Rooms: Definite edge to AKL. Rooms are slightly larger and have a balcony for extra private space, and some standard views are facing the savanna with only some fenced areas in between. The biggest deciding factor for us, however, is the climate control system. POFQ rooms are heated and cooled by those noisy (and inexact) rumbling window units, while AKL rooms are thermostatically controlled and much quieter. Earlier this week we spent five nights at a deluxe and then one night at POR (our flight was unexpectedly delayed until the next morning, and we needed a room fast). Right up until we went to bed, we were thinking how much we loved the PO resorts and wanted to stay there again. Unfortunately, the A/C noise kept us up most of the night, and by morning we had changed our minds.

Size and walking distances: Comparable. The farthest rooms at AKL are no farther than at POFQ. The walks at French Quarter are prettier though, because they are outside and not through the hallways. That said, hallways are great on a rainy day!

Pool: AKL wins with the larger, more beautiful zero-entry pool. POFQ pool is ok, but aside from the Neptune slide, it’s nothing special. However, at POFQ you would also have access to the larger and more entertaining pool at POR, if you are willing to make the trip upriver.

Transportation: Slight edge to POFQ. Bus service is about equal — though POFQ can share buses with Riverside during slow times of day. But POFQ has the Sassagoula Steamboat to Disney Springs, which is far superior to the bus from AKL.

Food: It depends on what you’re looking for. POFQ has better quick service options. The food court is small but more extensive than the Mara, plus you have easy access to the much larger food court at Riverside. For onsite table service, AKL wins hands down — their options are worth traveling in to experience. (Boma, Sanaa, and Jiko are all outstanding at what they do). At POFQ, you will need to hop the boat to DS to access a variety of table service. While extremely pleasant, that takes a LOT more time from your day.

Another alternative to consider: Is free dining available at Riverside? While we generally prefer POFQ, I don’t think that there is enough value added there vs. Riverside to pass up free dining. Our Riverside Royal Room faced a gorgeous courtyard and was a fairly short walk to the pool and main building.

I’m sure you will have a great time no matter where you stay. Have fun!

No they were not currently offering a free meal plan at Riverside. I know we can’t go wrong but being that we won’t be getting back without kids for anytime in the future I just want this trip to be as enjoyable as possible for us.

 

[BOST99]

AKL is one of my favorites. $500 is pretty significant if allowing you to go to Universal however if me I'd try to find the money elsewhere. As JoJoGirl said theres do many advantages from rooms to restaurantsto the pool and the lounges.
(We do rent a car so transportation is usually not an issue.)

 

[Randie Baird]

AKL is one of my favorites. $500 is pretty significant if allowing you to go to Universal however if me I'd try to find the money elsewhere. As JoJoGirl said theres do many advantages from rooms to restaurantsto the pool and the lounges.
(We do rent a car so transportation is usually not an issue.)

Yeah $500 is a decent chunk of money. Especially considering we just got back from our family Disney trip 2 weeks ago. We will most likely do the Universal package no matter where we stay but I’m just TRYING to be reasonable.

 

[Randie Baird]

Thank you everyone who posted so far! I appreciate everyone’s input and experiences!

 

[The13thLetter]

I have never stayed at AKL but the boats to disney springs from POFQ cannot be beat in my opinion. We loved POFQ and will be back soon.

 

[Randie Baird]

I have never stayed at AKL but the boats to disney springs from POFQ cannot be beat in my opinion. We loved POFQ and will be back soon.

Yes it’s a nice perk for sure and we enjoy Disney Springs. AKL is just such an amazing looking resort.

 

[Hopefully]

I know I am I the minority, but AKL is very dark to me. Not my favorite. POFQ we loved. And I like the boat to Disney Springs.

 

[Randie Baird]

I know I am I the minority, but AKL is very dark to me. Not my favorite. POFQ we loved. And I like the boat to Disney Springs.

Ive read that about the rooms at AKL. Not sure if that would matter much to us but it is good to know.

 

[BalooFan]

To me there is no comparison - I would stay at AKL. The food options are superior and I could spend hours happily watching the animals from the balcony. I enjoy the lobby, the resort store, and being able to walk to Kidani Village. I stayed at POFQ recently and just didn’t like it. My face-to-face interactions with housekeeping CM were pleasant, but the room wasn’t as clean as it should have been. Because of the paved outside walkways (as opposed to carpeted indoor hallways), every time someone passed my room with anything on wheels, it sounded like I was about to be attacked by a gang of skateboarders! I had one decent meal at the POFQ food court, but most of the food was mediocre at best. Yes, POFQ is a pretty resort and quite compact, but that isn’t enough for me.

 

[Haley R]

To me there is no comparison - I would stay at AKL. The food options are superior and I could spend hours happily watching the animals from the balcony. I enjoy the lobby, the resort store, and being able to walk to Kidani Village. I stayed at POFQ recently and just didn’t like it. My face-to-face interactions with housekeeping CM were pleasant, but the room wasn’t as clean as it should have been. Because of the paved outside walkways (as opposed to carpeted indoor hallways), every time someone passed my room with anything on wheels, it sounded like I was about to be attacked by a gang of skateboarders! I had one decent meal at the POFQ food court, but most of the food was mediocre at best. Yes, POFQ is a pretty resort and quite compact, but that isn’t enough for me.

You may have been the first person I’ve seen that doesn’t like pofq

 

[BalooFan]

You may have been the first person I’ve seen that doesn’t like pofq

I know. I hesitated to say anything, but I just wasn’t a fan. It wasn’t horrible, just not to my liking.

BTW, I did get a rare towel animal at POFQ, the first one in several trips!

 

[Randie Baird]

I know. I hesitated to say anything, but I just wasn’t a fan. It wasn’t horrible, just not to my liking.

BTW, I did get a rare towel animal at POFQ, the first one in several trips!

No reason to be hesitant. Everyone has their own preferences. That’s why Disney offers so many choices. I mean as far as deluxe resorts go I would pay tostay at AKL and Wilderness Lodge in a heart beat but I would never consider staying at Yaht Club. It’s not my style at all.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

Stay at POFQ and take a day trip over to AKL for lunch or dinner and to see the animals.

 

[Randie Baird]

Stay at POFQ and take a day trip over to AKL for lunch or dinner and to see the animals.

Thanks! No matter where we stay I’ve decided to eat dinner at Boma for sure and possibly Jiko on another night. So we will be over there at some point no matter what.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I will always pick deluxe over a moderate. I've stayed at POFQ and absolutely loved it. I have never been to or stayed at AKL but I would choose AKL. The resort looks great and I love trying new things.

 

[Randie Baird]

I will always pick deluxe over a moderate. I've stayed at POFQ and absolutely loved it. I have never been to or stayed at AKL but I would choose AKL. The resort looks great and I love trying new things.

I haven’t stayed at either so both would be new to us.

 

[jaiminee krikit]

I actually prefer POFQ. We stayed at AKL a few years ago, and the only thing I liked about the resort was going on my balcony to watch animals. The resort is surprisingly huge, I did not like the QS restaurant, it's far away from everything except AK, the beds were terribly uncomfortable, we encountered several rude CMs. We did a split stay and once we got to POR, I was happy. We then did a cruise and came to POFQ for the last night of our trip, and then I was super happy. I love everything about FQ.

 

[Haley R]

I know. I hesitated to say anything, but I just wasn’t a fan. It wasn’t horrible, just not to my liking.

BTW, I did get a rare towel animal at POFQ, the first one in several trips!

We got a cute little chick at yc!