Animal Kingdom Lodge or Port Orleans Riverside

[timsueshd]

We (2-adults & 1-13 yr old son) are travelling the week after Thanksgiving for 3 or 4 nights. We are not paying for the hotel, maybe just the upgrade.

My question, is AKL worth paying for the upgrade?

 

[Capang]

We (2-adults & 1-13 yr old son) are travelling the week after Thanksgiving for 3 or 4 nights. We are not paying for the hotel, maybe just the upgrade.

My question, is AKL worth paying for the upgrade?

If you are planning a lot of resort time then yes. Otherwise I’d stay at POR if you will be mostly in the parks. AKL is gorgeous and there I still tons to do there but we will only stay there from now on if we plan to be mostly at the resort. At AKL if you leave early and return late you miss most of the animals, if not all.

 

[SothrnChic]

While I have never stayed at Port Orleans Riverside, I would definitely say that AKL is worth the upgrade. If money were no object, then we would stay there every time we visited WDW.

 

[McKelly]

These are our two fave resorts, that we have stayed at so far (out of 10). I agree with Capang - if you have a lot of resort time planned, definitely stay at AKL - otherwise POR is great, but certainly plan a meal or something at AKL. Since you are going the week after Thanksgiving, I will say this - AKL's Xmas decorations beat POR's hands down.

 

[ninafeliz]

AKL. I love POR and it’s my favorite moderate, but there would be very few (if any really) reasons that I would ever choose a moderate over a deluxe that wouldn’t be because of price.

 

[heidijanesmith]

AKL for sure! It's a beautiful resort and well worth the upgrade.

 

[DisneyTravelers2008]

POR is so pretty and I like it a lot! But, it is hard to beat AK! it is just so unique.....authentic African art, animals on site at the resort and even visible from your balcony if you book a savanna view room, wonderful restaurants and great pools!!! As you walk around the resort you can see zebras and giraffes......it is just to very cool!!!

 

[TrooperMickey]

If you’re doing cash rooms (not DVC) the animal kingdom rooms and hotel are amazing. One of my favorites. However it seems awfully far from all the parks expect animal kingdom. If you plan to just go to the parks all day and crash; port Orleans is perfectly fine.

Ultimately - are you looking to relax for a day at the hotel or push out as much park time? There’s your answer. Hope it helps!

 

[gharter]

Yes! We have stayed at both. PO is nice, but not close to AKL. It is like comparing a Yugo to a Ferrari. Both will get you where you want to be, but in dramatically different styling. We love AKl. The theming is hard to beat. Love walking out and seeing the animals. PO has nothing to compare to that. Plus the restaurants are as good as it gets.

 

[KenHutch]

Another vote for Animal Kingdom Lodge. The do the holiday better there and if you stay at AKL you have to go eat at Boma's and Jiko's. Those 2 restaurants will really make your trip worth it ( I have a serious weakness for Jiko's).

 

[mickeynut1]

Another vote for AKL. We've never stayed at POR, but we love everything about AKL. If it were me, I wouldn't hesitate to upgrade.

 

[Amanda&Mike]

Another vote for AKL esp. when its decorated for Christmas...its magical! The activities are great and so are the food options.

 

[Texans_loyal]

I would pick AKL over any other resort, It's beautiful.

 

[leebee]

We stayed a couple of nights at AKL last summer and I LOVED it! No park tickets, just stayed in a savanna view studio. I would stay at AKL every single Disney trip, if money weren't a concern. I would IN A HEARTBEAT stay at AKL for just the cost of the upgrade! It's so relaxing, great QS site, relaxing bar, three wonderful restaurants, incredible pool/bar (at least at Jambo House), amazing staff... Oh gosh, I wish we were staying at AKL for our next trip (which, alas, will be at ASMu... because money IS a concern).

 

[Mousemommy1]

I'll echo the others in that I would definitely choose AKL. It's a beautiful, relaxing resort and I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again!

 

[Haley R]

I'm probably the only one voting for POR lol. We like the layout more at POR and loved being able to walk/run in the mornings by the river. We used the boat to get to Disney Springs and liked having the small, quiet pools next to our room. We never used the main pool at POR so I can't comment on that. We actually did a split stay at AKL and POR and DH and I both agreed that we liked POR more. I think we just couldn't justify the cost again for AKL.

 

[kniquy]

AKL would feel more like a vacation. It has great restaurants and many activities are geared towards cultural experiences. If you are not paying for the room then the upgrade would totally be worth it. You cuold just go with the standard room or spring for the Savanna room, but that might depend on how much time you plan on spending in the room. There are plenty of animal viewing areas so you don't actually miss out if you get the standard room.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

Compare what the actual price difference is. We’ve stayed several times at AKL when a standard view room was very near the price of a Port Orleans preferred or Royal Room.

Both of these resorts have room rates that vary quite a bit depending on the view selected. If it were the price difference in a RR at POR and a standard room at AKL, then no question AKL is worth the small difference in price.

If it’s the difference in a standard room at POR and a savanna view at AKL, then the price difference can be significant and may not be worth it if you will be spending a lot of time at the parks.

 

[Ciao Mickey]

If you’re planning on spending most of your time at the parks, then no, it’s not worth it to upgrade.

Even though it’s classified as a deluxe, the rooms are only slightly larger than the moderates. (WL and AKL have the smallest rooms of the deluxe resorts.)

 

[Ciao Mickey]

Yes! We have stayed at both. PO is nice, but not close to AKL. It is like comparing a Yugo to a Ferrari. Both will get you where you want to be, but in dramatically different styling. We love AKl. The theming is hard to beat. Love walking out and seeing the animals. PO has nothing to compare to that. Plus the restaurants are as good as it gets.

The PO is a Yugo and the AKL is a Ferrari? How so?