French Quarter or Animal Kingdom

[Haygar2]

My husband and I are going on our first "kid's free" vacation. Currently we are booked at French Quarter with a PIN code offer. If my math is correct (shhh..don't tell my husband, but I have been wrong before) there is a difference of $600 for us to switch to Animal Kingdom with Savannah view. Now, my husband is telling me that it's no big deal and that we will go back again just the two of us. He PROMISES that I will get my AKL with Savannah view someday. This is a spur of the moment trip. He didn't really give me time to plan for it. Not that I am complaining. Do I try really hard to get him to upgrade now, or do we stay at POFQ? And transportation is a non-issue. We drive to the parks.

 

[ZebraDomeCrazy]

We own Dvc at AKL, and have been staying at the lodge since it opened. It's absolutely our favorite place to stay at Disney. That being said, French Quarter is our favorite Moderate Resort. I know it's a grown ups only trip, but not sure what your daily plans look like. If you run all day at the parks, and consider your resort just for sleeping, I would definitely choose French Quarter. If you think you will relax pool bar, resort time, then definitely AKL. So here are some thoughts on each resort...

AKL - animals, of course. It is pretty amazing to sit on your balcony both with morning coffee, and with evening wine, and watch the animals. Each time you look out there, you see something unique. The resort is calm and beautiful, with artwork and unique architecture all around. The pool area, IMO is the best on property! There is food court, and two restaurants on site. There is also a full gym and spa here. The resort's cast members are fully engaged here, you will surely learn much about Africa and its cultures here. It has all interior hallways, including covered walkways to the bus stop, which is great with Florida heat and rain.

French Quarter - this resort is quite lovely. It has a small layout, so no matter which room you get, you will have a relatively short walk to your room. The pool I would say is just okay. The pool area at Riverside area is much prettier. There is a food court here, and one bar. The sister resort, Riverside, also has a table service restaurant. You can easily walk from one resort to the other, and are allowed to use either pool.

One of the biggest differences between these resorts is the activities available. Akl is all about the animals. That being said, French Quarter has beautiful grounds for walking, running. You can fish here, rent watercraft, take horse and buggy rides. One of the best perks of French Quarter, are the waterway ferries to Disney Springs! Great for restaurants and shopping, but the boat ride alone is wonderful! We often take the ride even when we are not staying here, just to relax and take in the scenery.

If your husband is promising a future trip to Akl, I would stick with French Quarter this trip. Maybe book a dinner at Boma at AKL. That way you can check out the resort, and animals, and decide if it's for you, for your next trip! Hope this helps. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. Jane

 

[loves to dive]

I haven't stayed at FQ but have stayed at POR and have stayed at AKV. For me, if you can swing it and it's not going to cause any strife, I'd go AKL. It's a beautiful resort and just perfect for adults. While I have and do stay at the moderate resorts, it's usually for just a day or two during a split stay, the deluxe resorts are just more keyed toward adults, at least for us they are.

 

[lindsayjs]

If he's already saying you'll be back again I'd stay with FQ. It's a small beautiful resort and I absolutely love it. Maybe you'll get a nice bounce back offer and can get your AKL sooner than you think.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I would save the $600 and stay at POFQ.

 

[hedberg1661]

I think you have two things to consider:
1) Obviously $600 is no joke. What will/can you use this on instead? Victoria and Albert's gets my vote. If you can do something special this trip with that money just for you then I would stay at POFQ.

2) How much time will you spend in your room? Having the view at AKL is amazing (from experience) however, if you are always out of the room then it isn't worth it.

Either way you will enjoy...it's WDW!

 

[HopperFan]

There really is no comparison in the two hotels, so I would just look at the money issue ...
- Is $600 a huge impact to your budget?
- Do you really think you will get back for another adult trip?
- How much time do you plan to hang around the resort?
- Would you rather hotel time or special experiences that the money could pay for?

 

[Doug S]

POFQ is absolutely wonderful. It's my favorite of the moderates (especially for an adults only trip) and a quiet place to come back to at night. You're also within walking distance of Riverside which has a much better bar and Yehaa Bob. I would save the $600 for your next trip and throw in a nice dinner on this one.

 

[Haygar2]

Thank you everyone for your comments. I think we are staying at FQ. While I would LOVE to stay at AKL, since this was a spur of the moment trip we are trying to keep the cost down a bit. We will most definitely go again without the kids. Hoping to go again next year. Maybe on a bounce back offer. Who knows? My son gets to go with his school next year as his school trip. Our 25th anniversary is in 2019. If we don't do an adults only next year, we will go for our 25th and he promised that I would get my AKL.

 

[JennyDrake]

Another vote for POFQ!!!

I know I'm in the minority, but after 3 stays at AKL I have yet to be "wowed."

 

[Shanti]

My husband and I are going on our first "kid's free" vacation. Currently we are booked at French Quarter with a PIN code offer. If my math is correct (shhh..don't tell my husband, but I have been wrong before) there is a difference of $600 for us to switch to Animal Kingdom with Savannah view. Now, my husband is telling me that it's no big deal and that we will go back again just the two of us. He PROMISES that I will get my AKL with Savannah view someday. This is a spur of the moment trip. He didn't really give me time to plan for it. Not that I am complaining. Do I try really hard to get him to upgrade now, or do we stay at POFQ? And transportation is a non-issue. We drive to the parks.

Fyi, some standard rooms at AKL have views of the animals. We stayed in a standard room on the Kudu Trail last month, and saw giraffes, zebra, ostriches & more directly outside our balcony daily. Standard view rooms are much cheaper than savanna view (they're not much more than a moderate resort), so it might be worth it to book a standard for this trip with the hope of a Kudu Trail room, since the price won't be so different.

 

[Beth Pagan]

I would vote AKL! I love POR but haven't been to FQ. We were upgraded to a savannah view and it was one of our favorite resorts ever. It is beautifully themed and there really is nothing like getting up in the morning and having coffee watching the animals. Whatever you chose, I am sure it will be fun

 

[Haygar2]

Fyi, some standard rooms at AKL have views of the animals. We stayed in a standard room on the Kudu Trail last month, and saw giraffes, zebra, ostriches & more directly outside our balcony daily. Standard view rooms are much cheaper than savanna view (they're not much more than a moderate resort), so it might be worth it to book a standard for this trip with the hope of a Kudu Trail room, since the price won't be so different.

So, I did it!! I took your advice and booked standard view room with a request to be on the Kudu Trail. It was a total of $242 to upgrade to AKL. I couldn't pass it up. Especially since we are having a dedicated pool day. And we come back to swim in the middle of the day. Now, I'm not going to lie. I will ask them when we get there is they could POSSIBLY upgrade us to a Savannah view, but I'm not counting on it. And I won't be disappointed if they say no.

 

[ZebraDomeCrazy]

Yaay! So excited for you! Like previous posters mentioned, many standard rooms will give you some animal views. Even if your room doesn't have animal views, there are so many beautiful areas to check out the animals, you won't miss out. Lots of lookout areas down corridors have rocking chairs..... so relaxing! Also, many animals are near the pool! Be sure to check out Kidani Village while you are there! There's another pool, fitness center, restaurant, and animal viewing areas. You can either walk over, or take the shuttle van between the two sides. Either way, very easy to go back and forth. One more thing... you can only see the Okapis at Kidani. They are beyond the pool bar area.