Animal Kingdom or Polynesian?

[MissouriPrincess]

We just returned from our trip last week. It was our first onsite trip, and we stayed in a two-bedroom villa at Kidani. It totally rocked! We rented points to make it more affordable. When we priced out things, we got the two-bedroom for the same price as two moderate rooms. Plus, the two-bedroom villas at Kidani have three bathrooms!

I also have a two-year-old, so I completely understand the lure of the Poly. But we got around everywhere fine. The pool area at Kidani is very cool, and we loved checking out the animals on our afternoon breaks.

My parents came with us on this trip, and they took the bedroom with a queen and a sofa bed. When we were in the room, we hardly saw them! They had their own little world on their side. My oldest slept in the living room on the pull-out, and my DH and I slept in the king bed with the toddler.

I don't think you can go wrong either way, though!

 

[Nancyg56]

I currently have us at the Contemporary for 3 nights and then AK the last night. My husband's college graduation is the day that we'll be moving resorts, so we'd be loading up and leaving the property anyway. This will make it a semi okay time to move resorts, and since my inlaws really want the AK I figure one night will ablige them. I'm still holding out hope that I can get a garden room at the Poly, but I wasn't willing to risk the price difference incase nothing became available. We're able to get a basic room at the Contemporary for $950 less (total) than the theme view (all they had available for our discount) the Poly. Is the Contemporary worth staying at even if a garden at the Poly become available? Thanks!! (my total price is taking into account that we are paying for all rooms).

I have stayed at AKL and at the Poly. I also stayed at the CR but it was 20 years ago so we won't count that.

I loved AKL and I believe that it is my favorite resort. It is not difficult to get around if you stay there but honestly, if I only had 4 days I would not choose it over the Poly. Now I see that you have the CR reserved with a substantial price difference and I would keep that unless a GV at the Poly opened up. Both the Poly and CR are on the monorail line and that makes a world of difference with little ones.

I also would not split the stay with this short of a visit. You are going to spend some time packing, moving and unpacking and that is with 10 people. No way. Your IL's should understand.

 

[TinkerbellinLouisian]

I have always told my friends with young children to stay at POLY...if they could afford to....
I love the easy monorail access, proximity to MK, 'Ohana Character Breakfast, larger rooms, themeing etc.

Now as of May 2012 I have also stayed at AK - Kidani.

My verdict is still the same. We Absolutely LOVED AK-Kidani but we were with older kids 18 to 20.

Our 2 bedroom Villa at AK Kidani was 624 steps (Hubs said) from the Lobby / Bus stop.

I think if our kids were younger we'd have had melt downs just from the walk. AK Kidani is beautiful Spacious and we loved the Savannah...and we'll be back.

But if I were going with younger kids... I'd definitely stay at POLY or at a MK Resort

Have a magical visit !

Mary

 

[OLIVIA'S DADDY]

We have stayed at the AKL, Poly, and Contemporary, and WL...They are all very nice, and I may even put the AKL as the top resort if it weren't for traveling back and forth on the buses...That is the only complaint i have about AKL is the travel, the buses seemed to always be running slow and they filled rather quickly...When I went i had my then 3 year old daughter with me and even though she never gave me a problem and was on her best behavior, it was still a bit of a pain...Having to wait for the buses or riding standing room only buses and her falling asleep every night on the ride back to the hotel and having to carry her and all the things we bought from the day it was just a bit difficult for the 2 of us...Other than that, the Akl is beautiful, smells amazing, the animals are great to watch, and the pool area is very nice, the lobby is imaaculate and the food was different yet very good too...All that being said, with all the people in your party, it seems that the best option would be to stay on the monorail...
Why not book the inlaws at the AKL and book yourselves wherever you want to stay...You might have to finagle a way to make all the occupants work, but it would keep everyone happy and you might be able to experience both hotels and all their amenities, yet not have to be together and on top of eachother at all times...
My personal favorite is the Contemporary, I love the new and updated feel as well as the location, location, location! We can walk to MK if we want, take the monorail, whatever...The fireworks you can watch from your room, or the blacony area, it has Chef Mickeys which is my daughters favorite, and other great restaurants too...
That being said the Poly is really nice as well, the pool is great, Ohana has really good food, as well as the Kona Cafe (the scallops are amazing)...
Really you can't go wrong with any of them, it's all about preference and convenience, but my vote, hands down is for the the Contemporary!
Hope this helps,
Michael

 

[reiella]

We have 4 plus an infant age in our room, so we can stay almost anywhere, but my inlaws have 2 adults, my 18 year old SIL (also adult), and my 16 year old BIL and SIL. At the Poly, they allow 5 per room, but at AK, for the standard room they only allow 4, which means we have to get the third room.

I currently have us at the Contemporary for 3 nights and then AK the last night. My husband's college graduation is the day that we'll be moving resorts, so we'd be loading up and leaving the property anyway. This will make it a semi okay time to move resorts, and since my inlaws really want the AK I figure one night will ablige them. I'm still holding out hope that I can get a garden room at the Poly, but I wasn't willing to risk the price difference incase nothing became available. We're able to get a basic room at the Contemporary for $950 less (total) than the theme view (all they had available for our discount) the Poly. Is the Contemporary worth staying at even if a garden at the Poly become available? Thanks!! (my total price is taking into account that we are paying for all rooms).

Think of the theming you enjoy. You're deciding between two very themed deluxe resorts [Poly and AKL].

I will say, the CR is definitely worth staying at if you're concerned with location, that said, location isn't the end-all/be-all .

 

[AlexsDad]

I love AKL but we switched to Poly when my son came along. Much easier with young kids (ds is 2). We will go back to AKL in a few years as we like the theme more than the Poly.

 

[magicLAL12]

Which would you do? This will be my first time to disney (my husband has gone as a child), and we have three children, aged 7, 6, and almost 2.

We are paying for rooms for my inlaws also, which might help to explain the cost differences.

We can get 3 standard rooms at Animal Kingdom (4 people per room) for $600 less than 2 magic kingdom view rooms at Polynesian (5 person rooms, no standard available at this time).

I want to be close to everything so I'm voting for the Polynesian, but my inlaws want Animal Kingdom and it is much cheaper. Is it worth it to pay more to be closer? I want to save money (we were not anticipating paying for both parties, so our budget is pretty blown at this point), but at the same time, I don't want to spend a significant amount regardless and not be happy with the location. Is the Animal Kingdom as far as it looks?

What would YOU do. Keep in mind the kiddos ages and that we'd be going back and forth for nap time/dinner shows at night.

Thanks so much!

My DBF and I don't have kids, but we just returned from a stay at AKL. We absolutely loved the resort- its relatively quiet and being able to see the animals on the savannah is truly incredible.
That being said, I can also tell you that the buses at AKL can become a bit of a pain. I can only imagine that with children (and the required frequent breaks)- buses would seem exponentially more troublesome. Plus, all of the bus rides from AKL take at least 15 minutes (with the exception of Animal Kingdom, which is less than 5)- so that's another thing to factor in.
Despite my love for AKL, we have already decided that we wouldn't be able to stay there again- it is just a bit too inconvenient having to travel by bus everywhere.
I would definitely recommend Poly for you and your family- even though the monorail will only directly connect you to 2 parks- you will feel so much relief knowing that it is available at all towards the end of the night (or morning, when nap-time is needed!)

I'm also considering splitting the stay, but we're only staying 4 nights so that would be two at each. Would it be a hassle to change after only 2 nights?

As others have said, I wouldn't recommend the split stay for so few nights- that would be more stressful than enjoyable. It is unfortunate that you can't get any of the less expensive views at the Poly, as this would certainly save you money.


Overall, I think you need to figure out your priority:
Would you have a better vacation knowing that you have more consistent transportation and are located within close proximity to the parks?
or
Would you have a better vacation knowing that you have saved money?

If you think traveling by buses constantly will make you miserable- then pick Poly.
If you think saving money in the longrun will help make those bus rides easier, then I'd say do AKL.

Good luck! And feel free to read my TR from June 2012 at the AKL- while we don't have kids, maybe it will help with some of the bus information

 

[bdklein]

Which would you do? This will be my first time to disney (my husband has gone as a child), and we have three children, aged 7, 6, and almost 2.

We are paying for rooms for my inlaws also, which might help to explain the cost differences.

We can get 3 standard rooms at Animal Kingdom (4 people per room) for $600 less than 2 magic kingdom view rooms at Polynesian (5 person rooms, no standard available at this time).

I want to be close to everything so I'm voting for the Polynesian, but my inlaws want Animal Kingdom and it is much cheaper. Is it worth it to pay more to be closer? I want to save money (we were not anticipating paying for both parties, so our budget is pretty blown at this point), but at the same time, I don't want to spend a significant amount regardless and not be happy with the location. Is the Animal Kingdom as far as it looks?

What would YOU do. Keep in mind the kiddos ages and that we'd be going back and forth for nap time/dinner shows at night.

Thanks so much!

You are paying for them, and they want to dictate where you stay?? Am I missing something?

 

[FantasiaMagic]

In my opinion I would go with the Poly. You would have the monorail right there for transportation to MK and its such a beautiful resort and is very convenient

AKL is also great b/c of its beauty and the animals roaming around.

If you think your family will be going to Mk more then do the poly,

but If you are going to go to AK more stay at AKL

Enjoy your trip!!

 

[mkarizona]

I think your split stay plan makes perfect sense. Moving resorts is not much hassle if you plan ahead. Pack everything for your CR stay in one bag (or set of bags) and everything for your AK stay in another bag (or set of bags). That way you just have a few dirty clothes to throw in your bag before you move, not everything you own. You might even use a small separate bag for things you will use at both resorts so that you won't even have to open the other set of bags before you move.

I can't tell if your 4 days are consecutive since you mention packing up and leaving for graduation. If they do happen to be consecutive you can leave your bags at bell services and they will move them from the CR to the AKL for you.

 

[Alabama Minnie]

We have stayed at all 3 and if you can get a garden-view room at the POLY for a good discount that would be my first choice. You will really appreciate the size of the rooms at the CR or POLY with all those people sharing them.

IMO if you are only doing the one night at AKL I would at least book a savannah-view for yourself (kids). I DO NOT recommend the standard-view rooms there myself.

 

[GovieMom]

You are paying for them, and they want to dictate where you stay?? Am I missing something?

I thought the same thing when I read that.

 

[Disneyhenry]

I would not do a split stay on a 4 night trip, plus with little ones it is harder. I do think you would like AKL, great food, great pools and lots of animal look outs.
I have stayed AKL, it was nice and my 2 1/2 loved it, I have never stayed at POLY but it is in my plans, being on the monorail would be nice. I guess just build yourself a pro and con list of both resorts and maybe you will find your answer.

 

[reiella]

You are paying for them, and they want to dictate where you stay?? Am I missing something?

I imagine it's more considering the opinion and desires of their guests rather than the guests dictating. I know if I were inviting family/friends on a vacation, I'd want to try to make sure they enjoyed themselves as much as possible.

 

[alwaysmagical]

Maybe I missed something, but is there a reason you can't stay separately? You could stay in your resort of choice and the in-laws can stay in theirs. It seems to me that, with that much time spent together and in such close quarters, it might be just a bit too MUCH togetherness. There are plenty of ways to meet up throughout the day and you would still be able to take your kids back for naps without too much hassle. When ex-hubby and I went with his parents and sisters, it was a godsend to have separate resorts. We had a great time together, but were able to have our family time too, leading to experiences of our very own. Just a thought. Hope it all works out for you!

 

[disneydee6]

You will find that many DISers love poly (and for good reason, it's a beautiful resort). But I think 3 rooms instead of 2 and saving $600 is all I need to hear to say AKL would be the winner for me. It is also a lovely resort and the transportation is not bad (no monorail, but again, saving some $$) You have 3 rooms to spread out with your family. Get an idea of what everyone wants to do, if you have tons of MK in your plans, maybe it will be worth the extra $$. If you will be spending time at every park equally, go for savings. Good luck!!

 

[toodycat]

We have stayed at both resorts twice and prefer AK L . Better lobby, better dining, amazing savannah and good service. Rates are reasonable for a deluxe. I have never had a really magical time at the Poly. The pool is too crowded and the lobby feels like a mall to me. I say go AKL!

 

[mariamouse]

My suggestion would definitely be either the Poly or CR! While we love the theme and restaurants at the AKL, the monorail location simply cannot be beat with young kids.

If $ is an issue, I agree with the PP that suggested looking into renting points for a 2-BR villa at BLT. I would also recommend considering the standard garden wing rooms at the CR, which are much less expensive than the tower. Finally, I would just keep checking to see if any GV rooms at the Poly pop up! A Poly GV room would always be my first choice since it is our favorite resort and we find the GV room views to be great.

I would definitely stay at the same resort over the course of your 4-night stay. We have done brief splits in the past and, more than being a hassle, I just felt like it never gave us enough time to truly become familiar with the resorts we were staying at. Personally, I much prefer really getting to know one resort.

Good luck with your decision! Definitely look into the above options and please do let us know what you decide! Given that you are paying, you should opt for whichever resort will make your trip a more memorable, relaxing experience. Enjoy!

 

[Hiro11]

I've stayed at Poly, AKL and the CR all in the past five years. While I prefer the CR to both of the others, all three are terrific and worth staying at. You can't go wrong. Interestingly, I prefer all three to the GF which I've also stayed at.

AKL is certainly the "nicest" as a resort, in fact it's so attractive and comfortable that I would consider staying there even if it weren't close to WDW. The lobby is one of my favorite public spaces I've ever been in, I could spend all day sitting there. The restaurants are all great, the resort design and theme is top-to-bottom superb, you wake up to zebras outside your window, the staff is terrific, the pool is the best on property (IMO). On the down side it is a bit of a haul to all of the parks except AK. This can be a bit annoying and should not be discounted. Also, AKL standard rooms are smaller than other deluxes. Still, a terrific choice.

The Poly has the nicest grounds of them all, it's really beautiful. Also, as a monorail resort it's extremely convenient. The rooms are spacious and well appointed. The pool is smaller and a bit crowded but fun. The Polynesian vibe is a bit tiki-tiki stereotypical, but it's a lot of fun and very consistent. On the down side, the resort is very spread out and some buildings require a bit of a hike from the lobby. The resort is one of the older ones on property and is perhaps a little long-in-the-tooth compared to some of the other ones. Lastly, IMO, it has the worst food of any deluxe (a minor concern, simply go somewhere else). Still, another terrific choice.

The CR has the biggest and perhaps nicest rooms. California Grill is my favorite on-property restaurant. The lobby with the monorails is still cool 40 years later, it's rightly a Disney classic. The MK views from the balconies are excellent and great for the fireworks every night. You literally can walk to MK. On the downside, it's definitely a bit bland and corporate compared to the other resorts, it's missing a bit of Disney magic. Also, the pool is a nondescript concrete plaza. Despite these minor concerns the views, location, superb rooms and food make it my personal favorite.

Never stayed at FWL, perhaps next time.