Contemporary vs AKL for after Thanksgiving/early Dec. 2023 trip

heyarnie

Earning My Ears
Joined
Apr 15, 2013
My husband and I are planning a trip starting the weekend following Thanksgiving 2023 (thinking 8 nights) with our son who will be four/almost five at that time. My parents (late60s-early 70s) will also be going. We plan to get two rooms as my parents are insisting on paying for their own room. We are debating between Contemporary (parents could get a garden room to save and they may like the quieter nature of location) and the AKL. My son is obsessed with animals and we think the AKL is really beautiful but our concerns are smaller rooms and transportation. My husband and I have stayed at the Contemporary and we love the convenience of the monorail, ability to walk into MK; more access to food choices. We would stay in the tower even if my parents choose to stay in garden. My son does love Mickey and I think there is so much more for him to do at MK. Would the added convenience of Contemporary be worth the additional cost. Also considering if we go AKL renting a car/paying for some ride shares which would eat into cost savings. Any advice would be much appreciated!
 
I’d do CR due to your son’s age since MK is so easy to access. Also the much more extensive food options for the adults since you have all hotels on the monorail route or even WL on a boat from MK. AKL food options are two restaurants, QS or bus it.

Alas only you and your parents can determine if the cost is worth it.
 
AKL is really beautiful decorated during the holidays. I took my in-laws for an early December trip at AKL and they absolutely loved it. I don't think they would have enjoyed Contemporary as much. Its a really nice resort to hang out if you need extra downtime and my FIL def needed a little more down time. The convenience of the Contemporary is amazing but I'm not sure the convenience is really worth the extra cost IMO - especially if you are planning a longer, more leisurely trip.
 
The Contemporary's location can't be beat, especially with young children. Mine at that age still needed a mid day break/nap/siesta, so being on the monorail loop is a big advantage.

Our first trip before we bought DVC @ BLT we spent at AoA in a family suite. I feel like I spent at least 1/3 of our trip either in line waiting for, walking to, or riding the bus.

We did an adults only trip at Saratoga and that was fine, but we didn't take a midday break. That travel time with little kids can add up.
 


AKL is really beautiful decorated during the holidays. I took my in-laws for an early December trip at AKL and they absolutely loved it. I don't think they would have enjoyed Contemporary as much. Its a really nice resort to hang out if you need extra downtime and my FIL def needed a little more down time. The convenience of the Contemporary is amazing but I'm not sure the convenience is really worth the extra cost IMO - especially if you are planning a longer, more leisurely trip.

Another vote for AKL, it's a much quieter resort if you plan on spending a lot of time at the resort.
 
AKL is always a huge hit for Parents and Kids. There is a lot to do and see to say the least the pool has a lot of shaded areas.
Parents while they love spending time with grand children they also seem to love EPCOT.
For travel there is just no need to rent a car or use ride share. MK is just as far away as AK to CR unless you are spending a lot of time at MK the closeness of CR just does not matter.
EPCOT will be faster by bus then 2 monorails HS is also closer to AKL then CR not to mention AK which is a 5 minute bus ride. I truly never get why so many people say AKL is far.... It just is not we have stayed there 7-9 times and never had an issue. We have stayed at CR and BLT and the POLY at least the number of times we stayed at AKL combined and some of the worst bus experiences were at those resorts but that is all relative. If you are going to all 4 parks these is just no resort that will save you travel time overall. For DS the MK resorts are the worst.
 


Would the added convenience of Contemporary be worth the additional cost.
Yes, and honestly, for us, the whole animal thing at AKL wore off after day one and I had buyer's remorse... so much money to be so far away from the parks just to experience a few exotic animals from my balcony. (I know, very unpopular opinion).

If you argue about "the food at AKL", you can always go over for dinner.

Proximity to parks is always my number one priority, then resort amenities... We like to be able to walk or ride a non-bus option (boat, Skyline, monorail) back to our resort from the parks as much as possible. We always leave the parks mid-day to avoid the craziness and the heat... this is more difficult when staying at AKL, at least it feels as if it is (rideshare/taxi or bus only options).

I would stay at Contemporary without question. Actually, I would stay at Wilderness Lodge!
 
AKL is a beautiful resort, but I didn't like not having transportation options other than the bus. I would go with CR if I were in your shoes. You have such easy access to MK, as well as the surrounding resorts and for getting back to the resort for a midday break for your little.
 
Yes, and honestly, for us, the whole animal thing at AKL wore off after day one and I had buyer's remorse... so much money to be so far away from the parks just to experience a few exotic animals from my balcony. (I know, very unpopular opinion).

If you argue about "the food at AKL", you can always go over for dinner.

Proximity to parks is always my number one priority, then resort amenities... We like to be able to walk or ride a non-bus option (boat, Skyline, monorail) back to our resort from the parks as much as possible. We always leave the parks mid-day to avoid the craziness and the heat... this is more difficult when staying at AKL, at least it feels as if it is (rideshare/taxi or bus only options).

I would stay at Contemporary without question. Actually, I would stay at Wilderness Lodge!

I completely agree with everything said we were not crazy about AKL the one time we stayed there. We love Boma so always have a dinner there every trip on an AK day sometimes breakfast and we can see the animals from the viewing areas then. I was also going to suggest WL the lobby is amazing and even more so with holiday decorations. WCC is one of our favorite breakfasts on property we eat there every trip no matter where we stay.
 
You could do a split stay with AKL and CR if you want both resorts for different dates/reasons.

I completely agree with this, particularly as its an 8-night stay. I would probably split it 3 AKL/5 CR. Do your AK days while you are there and enjoy the animals at the resort, then move to the bigger room at CR and enjoy the proximity to MK.
 

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