Coronado Springs versus Animal Kingdom Lodge

[jescar831]

I apologize, but I noticed that that there was a post that compared these two resorts, but the post was some time ago and my situation is a little different. This will be our 8th trip to DisneyWorld and we stayed at All-Star Movies the first time and every other time at Pop Century. We stayed at Pop Century because cost was an issue as well as the fact that we are at the parks all day long. When we started our Disney trips my son was only 7 and the beds were fine. The last time we went in June 2014 we realized that we were going to need more space. My son is 14 and just about 3 inches shorter than I am (I am 6 feet tall). We decided to upgrade our room this time and we booked Coronado Springs since they have 2 queen beds as opposed to the 2 double beds at Pop.
We have not stayed there before but we have friends that stay at Animal Kingdom lodge and we are thinking of that as an option. It would be a difference of more than $100 per day which is doable, but I am thinking it might not be worth it. I see all the posts about how kids love AKL, but my son is now 14 and may not appreciate the animals as much as the younger kids.
Can anyone let me know if the almost $700 more I would pay would be worth it? How is the food at the resorts? We as a family will either eat at the parks or the resort we stay at. We do not go to other resorts for meals very often. I heard that AKL has bigger rooms but are they that much bigger? Will I notice the difference?
Thanks in advance for your help!

I just noticed that there was a post done recently that compared the two. I will read that.

 

[WDWOswald]

Choose the Animal Kingdom Lodge. The rooms there are some of the best deluxe rooms on property. I wouldn't choose AKL just on room size alone, however. The quality of your vacation will be go up significantly once you realize how nice it is to stay somewhere where all the amenities easily accessible. You'll spend more time relaxing and enjoying your trip instead of making long trips to and from your room.

 

[jescar831]

Thanks WDWOswald.
I am trying to justify the added expense and I think I a close to doing that. I just wish it was not so much.

 

[BLLB]

I have stayed at both. Definitely AKL. No comparison, if you can swing the added cost.

 

[Babsy]

The rooms at AKL are not much larger than those at CSR. However, they are very nice luxury rooms with a balcony or patio.

I really like CSR and it may be my favourite moderate (depends upon when you ask me, sometimes it might be POR). It certainly has some extra amenities that you usually only find at deluxe resorts and it is a beautiful resort, IMO.

The AKL however, is simply stunning! It is a spectacular resort with amazing theming. The standard view rooms are fine because you can see the animals from many public viewing areas. The rooms are very comfortable. The dining options are awesome and the pool is great!

The cons at the AKL are: the rooms are small and the decor is dark, the distance to the MK is the furthest of any WDW resort and the only transportation option is a bus.

Personally, I would book AKL. It is easy to justify the extra expense due to the interior corridors and balcony alone. The lobby, animals, dining and theming are all wonderful extras!

Enjoy!!

 

[fairygagamother]

No doubt, go with AKL, unless you really enjoy La Quinta. There is no comparison! And if you book a standard view, you're very likely to get upgraded to a savannah view. Even with a standard view room, there are fantastic viewing areas all around the hotel. Your son will love the pool. And the food is awesome!

 

[Bete]

We did the night time safari at AKL. It does cost extra like $70/person, but it's an unique experience. You can only do this by being a resort guest there.

We love Boma and we could eat there every night. You have three table service restaurants here. There's a lounge that's nice, too. I enjoyed the gift shop at AKL.

We took time to walk the lobby halls to see the art; that was an experience, too.

We sat at the fire pit and enjoyed our time there. Sometimes, they have storytelling there.

We did our share of balcony watching for the animals. We took walks to see the animals, as well.

I even like sitting in the lobby and people watch there.

The swimming pool at AKL is better than any moderate.

I think all of the above is worth the $100/day extra.

The rooms are upscale compared to the moderates. I even think the rooms are better for soundproofing.

I think everyone who can afford should experience a deluxe at least once and AKL is a good choice.

We didn't mind the bus rides to the parks.

 

[nkereina]

We've not stayed at AKL, but have visited it. We stayed at CSR in 2013.

The food at AKL with the African/ethnic flare does not much appeal to us. Deluxe resorts have fewer QS options to begin with, anyhow. That being said, we did not care for the QS at CSR. The options were fine but food was made to order which meant for varying quality/taste and some long lines. Food items were also different than what you might be used to elsewhere in WDW - for instance, the pizza at CSR wasn't the thick doughy kind, it was thin like a flatbread.

AKL is probably the one deluxe resort I'd have a hard time justifying the extra money on. Might be worth it if you're planning downtime at the resorts. But to us, the main perk of a deluxe and what makes it worth the cost is alternate travel options to the parks like boating, walking, monorail, etc. AKL doesn't have this perk, yet it prices out around the same as WL. Also, we went from MK to AKL and then from AKL to DHS and found the bus commute times to be noticeably longer. Nothing crazy, but noticeable. This is in contrast to CSR which is pretty centrally located, and a quick ride to most everything.

 

[shawnriv]

Hello,

I had the same post a few days ago. The members of DIS have been nothing less than fantastic! Since I'm a new member I can't supply you with a link, but feel free to check the "all threads started by shawnriv" on my page.

-Shawn

 

[ncdj2013]

no contest...AKL hands down. I have stayed at both. I do not intend to stay at CSR again ...this year will be our 2nd visit to AKL..we have stayed a lot of places and AKL is our favorite.

 

[missastrocat]

In November we did a split stay, a preferred king at CSR and a DVC studio at AKL-Jambo. I must say that we really enjoyed both, and you have narrowed it down to two great resorts.

I had never been one to go home early to be at the resort before, but AKL was a no brainer for this as my husband got sick during that part of the trip (silly kids slobbering all over the queue hand railings). Seeing giraffes right outside my balcony was a memory I'll never forget. If you do spend the extra $700, i'd definitely recommend planning some down time to enjoy the balconies and the little areas AKL has for you to enjoy the animals.

If you're not going to spend any downtime in the resort, I'd spend the $700 doing something else and staying at CSR. Maybe you could do some of the private/special tours they do with that money... Either way, you'll have a great vacation at a peaceful resort.

 

[LegalEze]

I'm probably part of the minority, but I didn't care for the rooms at the AKL - even club level. The novelty of seeing the animals wears off fast, and you are left with a dark room that is far from everything. JMO!

 

[AspenLL]

We stayed at CSR the last time that we went and loved it. We sprung for AKL this time around due to a good deal. Would definitely stay at CSR again.

 

[2manypets]

I'm in the stay at CSR camp also.

After staying at both I found the rooms were too dark and dreary for my taste at AKL. Walking down the very long halls seemed to take forever because it was so dark with not much to look at. (Yes there are animals but after awhile that gets boring also) The bus service was good, but it took a long time to get to all the parks except AK. Also the room size bothered me. To me, it's not worth that much extra money to stay in such a small, dark room.

Now for CSR, the rooms are bright and airy, there's a sliding door between the bathroom and bed area. So pretty private for changing or getting ready in the morning. Bus service is mostly excellent and with CSR being centrally located, it didn't take very long to get to any of the parks.

The Pepper Market is a minus for us, we just didn't like to food or the set up.

 

[griz4]

We had our first trip to AKL this summer and really loved the resort. We splurged because we knew it would be our last trip for a while. The pools were great, we enjoyed the QS restaurant onsite (did not eat at Boma ) Never found the transportation to be issue (we rely on Disney transport- no car for us). The rooms are a bit dark due to color of wallpaper and wood tones. I will also say we were in a bunk bed room with view of Savannah (were upgraded by a family member ) which we could never afford and though loved our room location, it was a bit crammed i thought, took a couple days to get used to placing our belongings around the room.

Our last trip in 2011 was CSR and we loved it as well. Pool was great, buses were great. Rooms are very spacious with 2 Queen beds. lots of room to put stuff. Liked eating at Pepper Market. We were going to book our 2014 trip here when decided to change to AKL.

I would say if money not an issue, splurge on AKL, but if you could put that 700$ towards food or Memory Maker or use for souviners for example, don't hesitate for CSR.

 

[DisneyDiana]

You picked my two favorite resorts. I agree AKL is worth it if you are planning to relax and enjoy onsite restaurants and amenities. If not, CSR is a great resort.

 

[prudence64]

We stayed at AKL and loved it, especially the food and the hotel feel rather thn the motel feel. However, we decided that we don't spend enough time at the resort to warrant spending more for a deluxe room. We are planning to stay at CSR next time. Not looking forward to a long walk between the room and the lobby, but they re good about having convenient bus stops around the resort if I recall from our stay in 2000.

 

[ShelliRenee]

I have a son who was your sons age when we stayed at CSR and 15 when we stayed at AKL. He has said he never wants to stay at any other resort now but AKL, which really surprised me since he is not a huge animal lover.

He thought the food was great at Boma and Sanaa (and he is a super picky eater.) However, I think the worst quick service meal we have ever had on property was at The Mara.

He also enjoyed the artifacts all around the resort. Everywhere you looked there was something to see and read about the African cultural.

Both pools were great, however, I think CSRs pool would win because of the theme and the size.

One thing I hated about CSR was all the walking. Nothing is close, even with a preferred room.

Hope that helps and hope you have a magical time no matter which resort

 

[jescar831]

Thanks for all the advise and information. It looks like my wife decided and upgraded us to AKL. She hoped that I would not see it but I noticed on the Disney App. So much for the surprise but after 8 trips to a value resort we are looking forward to something nicer.

 

[fairygagamother]

You will love it!! Makes you feel kind of special! Great decision in my opinion.