Just back!!!!!!

[amber.miller]

Almost home from a 12 day/11 night stay at the World! We spent our first 3 nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge (upgrades to Savannah View!!!!) then switched over to Art of Animation Finding Nemo Suite for the last 9 nights. Already "planning" next years trip in September at POR (we missed it this year) and the Poly or CR!!!

We did not care for AoA at all, any suggestions on pros/cons for CR compared to Poly since we'll be 5 people?

 

[flinkerfrosch]

Almost home from a 12 day/11 night stay at the World! We spent our first 3 nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge (upgrades to Savannah View!!!!) then switched over to Art of Animation Finding Nemo Suite for the last 9 nights. Already "planning" next years trip in September at POR (we missed it this year) and the Poly or CR!!!

We did not care for AoA at all, any suggestions on pros/cons for CR compared to Poly since we'll be 5 people?

Welcome back

That's awesome you got upgraded to a Savannah view

We are coming to AKL in Oct for 6 nights, and then transferring to the Poly for 5 nights.

Any tips you might have would be awesome for AKL.

 

[mum2four]

Can you share what you did not like about AOA? Thanks

 

[lmhall2000]

Almost home from a 12 day/11 night stay at the World! We spent our first 3 nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge (upgrades to Savannah View!!!!) then switched over to Art of Animation Finding Nemo Suite for the last 9 nights. Already "planning" next years trip in September at POR (we missed it this year) and the Poly or CR!!!

We did not care for AoA at all, any suggestions on pros/cons for CR compared to Poly since we'll be 5 people?

Why did you not like AoA? We are a family of five, stayed at OKW, Poly, CR and AKL, staying at BC this September (so far, have changed 7x due to better pricing and airfare deal date changers) I would say we like Poly and CR the same, CR has the edge if you have a tower room and loved walking to MK...our favorite park...both fit our five well, son is 6'3, daughter 5'10 and youngest (14) inching up to her sister...we prefer one big room...did you book a bounce back offer? Glad you enjoyed AKL!

 

[cbeeindisney]

That's discouraging that you didn't care for AoA! How come?

 

[mmmears]

Already "planning" next years trip in September at POR (we missed it this year) and the Poly or CR!!!

We did not care for AoA at all, any suggestions on pros/cons for CR compared to Poly since we'll be 5 people?

Haven't stayed at the CR.

Poly is nice if you want a relaxing, laid-back resort with lush gardens, a beach, and a fun pool. It's in a great location -- you can see the castle and the fireworks from the Volcano pool and the beach! Also, we like how the boat goes directly to the MK (we often choose that over the monorail) and how we can walk to the TTC and take just one monorail to Epcot instead of having to transfer. The Poly rooms are being refurbed right now, so they should all be new by next year.

The 2 resorts are quite different from one another. I would pick by the atmosphere and theming that you prefer -- they each have nice, large rooms and great transportation options.

 

[amber.miller]

Welcome back

That's awesome you got upgraded to a Savannah view

We are coming to AKL in Oct for 6 nights, and then transferring to the Poly for 5 nights.

Any tips you might have would be awesome for AKL.

This was our first stay at AKL and we had the best time there! I highly recommend eating a meal at Boma and/or Sanaa if you haven't already. We had great experiences/food both places (dinner).
I only booked a Standard View but had requested 4th floor Kudu Trail on my online check in form. We were upgraded to a Savannah View upon check-in, didn't even realize it until we got to our room.
I love the feel of the resort, it's a comfortable level of noise for me, with tons of activities for my kids and just a very welcoming atmosphere. I think you'll have a great time!!!!

 

[amber.miller]

Why did you not like AoA? We are a family of five, stayed at OKW, Poly, CR and AKL, staying at BC this September (so far, have changed 7x due to better pricing and airfare deal date changers) I would say we like Poly and CR the same, CR has the edge if you have a tower room and loved walking to MK...our favorite park...both fit our five well, son is 6'3, daughter 5'10 and youngest (14) inching up to her sister...we prefer one big room...did you book a bounce back offer? Glad you enjoyed AKL!

That's discouraging that you didn't care for AoA! How come?

Hopefully this makes sense in relation to my feelings on AoA. After reflecting the last couple of days I really think it comes down to my preference on the "feel" of a resort. I honestly felt like it was just too loud and busy for me. Landscapes of Flavors was always busy, no matter when we stopped by in the morning/afternoon/evening/late night on multiple days it was chaotic. The Check-In Area/Animation Hall was also always loud and crowded with people. Even the coloring and theming seemed to be screaming at me, it's hard to explain
I don't think there's anything wrong with AoA inherently, I just realized during my stay there that I really prefer a quieter more relaxed resort (even in coloring/theme) after the busyness of the parks all day. I realize that makes me sound crazy a little bit, I promise I'm not! And I'm not a super picky person, so my discontent definitely surprised me. My husband and kids were totally fine with AoA, although my 5 year old told me he liked AKL better (of course!).
So don't be discouraged, you may love it, it just doesn't fit my idea of what I want my vacation home to be

Oh and I did not book a bounce back, I forgot to call Although we qualify for the Military Room Discount, so I'm not sure the bounce back would have been better than that anyways.

 

[Sue M]

We loved Poly, room size is pretty much the same as CR. haven't stayed at CR, the theming, or lack of doesn't really appeal to me. But the grounds of the Poly are beautiful.

 

[magicbob]

Hopefully this makes sense in relation to my feelings on AoA. After reflecting the last couple of days I really think it comes down to my preference on the "feel" of a resort. I honestly felt like it was just too loud and busy for me. Landscapes of Flavors was always busy, no matter when we stopped by in the morning/afternoon/evening/late night on multiple days it was chaotic. The Check-In Area/Animation Hall was also always loud and crowded with people. Even the coloring and theming seemed to be screaming at me, it's hard to explain
I don't think there's anything wrong with AoA inherently, I just realized during my stay there that I really prefer a quieter more relaxed resort (even in coloring/theme) after the busyness of the parks all day. I realize that makes me sound crazy a little bit, I promise I'm not! And I'm not a super picky person, so my discontent definitely surprised me. My husband and kids were totally fine with AoA, although my 5 year old told me he liked AKL better (of course!).
So don't be discouraged, you may love it, it just doesn't fit my idea of what I want my vacation home to be

Oh and I did not book a bounce back, I forgot to call Although we qualify for the Military Room Discount, so I'm not sure the bounce back would have been better than that anyways.

That doesn't sound crazy. Actually makes perfect sense to me. Our first onsite stay was at ASMo and we really enjoyed it. But, even though it will always hold a special place in our hearts, we will probably never go back because after experiencing the more relaxing, serene atmospheres at POR, CBR, and AKL, we found that we really prefer that to the "over the top" cartoon theming. Next time we visit, we'll probably stop by AoA to see the sculptures, etc. but I doubt we will ever book a room there. Of course, our kids are now grown and H.S. age, so that probably plays a big role in our theming taste.

I'm guessing that if you stayed at AoA first, you're perception of it would be a little more positive, but you would probably still not go back after you discovered your preference for the quieter atmosphere at AKL.

 

[MrRomance]

Hopefully this makes sense in relation to my feelings on AoA. After reflecting the last couple of days I really think it comes down to my preference on the "feel" of a resort. I honestly felt like it was just too loud and busy for me. Landscapes of Flavors was always busy, no matter when we stopped by in the morning/afternoon/evening/late night on multiple days it was chaotic. The Check-In Area/Animation Hall was also always loud and crowded with people. Even the coloring and theming seemed to be screaming at me, it's hard to explain
I don't think there's anything wrong with AoA inherently, I just realized during my stay there that I really prefer a quieter more relaxed resort (even in coloring/theme) after the busyness of the parks all day. I realize that makes me sound crazy a little bit, I promise I'm not! And I'm not a super picky person, so my discontent definitely surprised me. My husband and kids were totally fine with AoA, although my 5 year old told me he liked AKL better (of course!).
So don't be discouraged, you may love it, it just doesn't fit my idea of what I want my vacation home to be

Oh and I did not book a bounce back, I forgot to call Although we qualify for the Military Room Discount, so I'm not sure the bounce back would have been better than that anyways.

I feel exactly the same way. I don't want to come across as "snobby" but I find the value resorts really overwhelmingly loud, busy and boisterous. I also think that when you go from a deluxe to a moderate or a value, you really notice the step down. I like the quieter resorts (SSR being my top choice) and even when we went from SSR to POR, I really noticed the difference. It's not that the value resorts are "bad", it's just that they are not for me.

 

[VACamm]

Hopefully this makes sense in relation to my feelings on AoA. After reflecting the last couple of days I really think it comes down to my preference on the "feel" of a resort. I honestly felt like it was just too loud and busy for me. Landscapes of Flavors was always busy, no matter when we stopped by in the morning/afternoon/evening/late night on multiple days it was chaotic. The Check-In Area/Animation Hall was also always loud and crowded with people. Even the coloring and theming seemed to be screaming at me, it's hard to explain
I don't think there's anything wrong with AoA inherently, I just realized during my stay there that I really prefer a quieter more relaxed resort (even in coloring/theme) after the busyness of the parks all day. I realize that makes me sound crazy a little bit, I promise I'm not! And I'm not a super picky person, so my discontent definitely surprised me. My husband and kids were totally fine with AoA, although my 5 year old told me he liked AKL better (of course!).
So don't be discouraged, you may love it, it just doesn't fit my idea of what I want my vacation home to be

Oh and I did not book a bounce back, I forgot to call Although we qualify for the Military Room Discount, so I'm not sure the bounce back would have been better than that anyways.

This is EXACTLY how I felt after staying at Pop one time. Too loud and bright and gave me anxiety. I would rather to stay in Moderates.

 

[flinkerfrosch]

This was our first stay at AKL and we had the best time there! I highly recommend eating a meal at Boma and/or Sanaa if you haven't already. We had great experiences/food both places (dinner).
I only booked a Standard View but had requested 4th floor Kudu Trail on my online check in form. We were upgraded to a Savannah View upon check-in, didn't even realize it until we got to our room.
I love the feel of the resort, it's a comfortable level of noise for me, with tons of activities for my kids and just a very welcoming atmosphere. I think you'll have a great time!!!!

Thankyou for the info!

Sounds so wonderful!!!! My boys are 6 and 3, so I think they will love it!!!

If you don't mind me asking a few more questions??

*how were the pools?
*what kind of activities did they have for the kids around the pool and throughout the resort?
*I requested a pool view room...what is Kudu Trail? I would love to be upgraded, but if not, can you recommend a good area to request?
*how were the buses to the theme parks?

Thanks again

 

[Ivonne]

I also have a reservation for AOA, but have been nervous about it ever since we booked it. I like the more relaxing resorts, crowded but not as crowded. Our alternative was AKL ... We still have time to change it....Is there a quick service menu?

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[dansdad]

Is there a quick service menu?

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Breakfast
http://allears.net/menu/menu_landscapes_breakfast.htm

Lunch/Dinner
http://allears.net/menu/menu_landscapes.htm

 

[wiigirl]

Breakfast
http://allears.net/menu/menu_landscapes_breakfast.htm

Lunch/Dinner
http://allears.net/menu/menu_landscapes.htm

Thanks!

 

[amber.miller]

Thankyou for the info!

Sounds so wonderful!!!! My boys are 6 and 3, so I think they will love it!!!

If you don't mind me asking a few more questions??

*how were the pools?
*what kind of activities did they have for the kids around the pool and throughout the resort?
*I requested a pool view room...what is Kudu Trail? I would love to be upgraded, but if not, can you recommend a good area to request?
*how were the buses to the theme parks?

Thanks again

I definitely think you and your boys will love it! I can't wait to stay there sometime in the future again.

We only used the pool at Jambo House and my boys were perfectly happy with it, it has a zero entry area that was perfect for my boys age and they did all the pool activities at that spot. They did some beach ball games, Disney trivia, 4 square, that type of thing. The kids all had fun with it. Also indoors during our stay I saw face painting, fun music lessons, a craft/coloring area, and the nightly marshmallow roasting outside is a blast too!

Here is a link to a map of the resort, since I only had a standard room I requested Kudu, so you can check the map and see what area you might like. We were on the 4th floor and it was very quiet, which I liked. I'm not sure what Pool View Rooms are good to request, any one else know?

http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/aklmap.htm

We had a car during our stay at AKL so we never took a bus to the park, but from what I saw they seemed to come regularly, just like what I've seen on previous trips to POR.