Need help deciding on resort! AKL, CR, Poly?

[aleh021]

Hi everyone!

I am still trying to figure out where to stay for our trip in May - not sure why I keep over thinking it? Lol I just over think things in general anyways. But I am hoping you guys can help me narrow down my choices!

We are 2 adults looking for a 7 night stay - right now our options are...

Animal Kingdom Lodge (Jambo House) - Savanna View
Contemporary - Standard View (Garden Wing)
Pop/Polynesian Split Stay - Standard View w/ 2 nights at Pop & 5 nights at Poly

Last time we stayed at Kidani Village and we fell in love with the entire resort and especially wanted to stay at the Jambo House next time we went! But the Magic Kingdom resorts look just as amazing as well!

Also, seeing as how getting a full balcony can be a hit or miss staying at either the Poly or Contemporary is also something that might throw me off just a bit! Nothing to serious but who doesn't love seeing animals in the early morning or just relaxing out in their balcony after a long park day?!

Let me know your thoughts and thank you in advance!

 

[DisneyCAL]

We stayed at GF and loved it. I think not having to use the bus system very much was a major plus, so for your case I would vote Poly or CR. Our next trip we are planning for Beach Club to be close to Epcot showcases. To me at least, choice in hotel lays heavily on park interest and modes of transportation.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

At CR Garden Wing, only the ground floor have walk-outs. No balconies there. I think the "walk to MK!" factor is less serious for a pair of adults than it is for many.

Poly, it's a 2/3 chance. It's the second floor that lacks them in the traditional longhouses.

AKL tends to be a quieter resort than either CR or Poly. If part of your love of it was the relative peace of it, know that Poly and CR lack that peacefulness.

 

[GrumpyBelle]

AKL with savannah view

 

[DisDad4Life]

I've stayed at both AKL and Poly. While Poly had a nice boat or monorail ride to MK and monorail to Epcot, transportation is less important to me than the resort, and AKL has Poly beat hands down IMO. As you stated, there's nothing like sitting out on your balcony in the morning or evening and seeing giraffes and zebras stroll by!

 

[trambach]

My partner and I were having the same dilemma a few months ago. We ended up choosing with the Poly Standard view for 7 nights for our upcoming trip at the end of July. For us it was just a few dollars more for a Poly room than the Contemporary garden wing. Plus when we visited the Contemporary on our last stay we found the hotel to be lacking in overall theming and it felt more catered to business travelers and conventions.

If you love the MK, the close proximity can't be beat.

Any reason why you are doing a split stay? It might be a bit of a hassle to pack up all your stuff and move resorts, especially going from the POP which is quite a distance away.

We also visited the AKL and it's gorgeous. But only relying on bus transportation seems to be quite limiting. It's nice to have other options available. For example when Epcot or MK closes for the night, you will have to wait in long lines for the bus, where as if you were on the staying at a monorail resort you have boat, monorail and walking options as well.

Since you are going in May the construction should be done at the Poly. Since the renovations will be finished you'll have a new Lava pool, Oasis pool, two hot tubs (who doesn't love a hot tub after a long day at the parks?!) and Trader Sam's to look forward to! Plus easy access to Dole Whip without having to go to MK.

It's only going to get more challenging to book at room at either resort especially if you want a standard room.

If you are a couple the Poly now has more king rooms after its refurbishment a few years back. You may enjoy having the extra space without an extra bed in the room. You can get a pretty good view even in the standard room with the Samoa building. (My partner and I are hoping to get a room here).

If you want a balcony at the Poly it's only on the 3rd floor in the traditional longhouses (The first floor has patios, and the second floor are fake balconies).

Be sure to call or fax in your room request to improve your chances on getting the room you would like. Check out touringplans.com for pictures of room views (I've included the links below). Some resorts only take request via phone now, so check with the front desk to see which they prefer.

Polynesian Village Resort Numbers:
Front Desk: 407-824-2000
FAX: 407-824-3174
https://touringplans.com/hotel_maps/disneys-polynesian-resort

Contemporary Resort:
Front Desk: 407-824-1000
Fax: 407-824-3539
https://touringplans.com/hotel_maps/disneys-contemporary-resort

Animal Kingdom Lodge
Front Desk: 407-938-3000
Fax: 407-938-4799
https://touringplans.com/hotel_maps/disneys-animal-kingdom-lodge

 

[BumbleB]

We have stayed at AKL twice. We love the resort, and there is nothing like chilling on your balcony with a cup of coffee and watching the animals eat their breakfast. All of the food options are a win for us too. The only drawback is the location. You have to rely on buses (or taxis) to get anywhere, and the waits can be long (we never rent a car). I prefer to stay at an EPCOT resort, though I'm considering a split stay (AKL/BW) for 2017.

 

[aleh021]

We have stayed at AKL twice. We love the resort, and there is nothing like chilling on your balcony with a cup of coffee and watching the animals eat their breakfast. All of the food options are a win for us too. The only drawback is the location. You have to rely on buses (or taxis) to get anywhere, and the waits can be long (we never rent a car). I prefer to stay at an EPCOT resort, though I'm considering a split stay (AKL/BW) for 2017.

True! Last time we stayed the buses were great actually!!! We rode the monorail before and we didn't really care to much for it, it was fun but I felt like the wait for the monorail was long and way to cramped. We just stayed at the Beach Club this past October and we loved it - being close to Epcot and Hollywood Studios was amazing! However I missed having the food court a lot, granted there were a lot of eating places at the Boardwalk but I missed those Mickey Waffles!!! But were AKL fans and just had to go back!

 

[BumbleB]

True! Last time we stayed the buses were great actually!!! We rode the monorail before and we didn't really care to much for it, it was fun but I felt like the wait for the monorail was long and way to cramped.

I totally agree that the monorail can be cramped and uncomfortable. When we were there in December, the buses weren't bad, either, but depending on where we were, we would hop on a bus for HS, BWV, BCV, or the Swan and walk if necessary to get back to our hotel (Swan). The only time we waited a while for a bus was to get to AK from the Swan. When you stay at AKL, you don't have that flexibility.

 

[farrellbarrel]

I'd say stay some where you have not stayed before! I loved both my stays at Poly and Pop! I have never stayed at the Contemporary so my vote is Poly/Pop split stay!

 

[Babsy]

Hi everyone!

I am still trying to figure out where to stay for our trip in May - not sure why I keep over thinking it? Lol I just over think things in general anyways. But I am hoping you guys can help me narrow down my choices!

We are 2 adults looking for a 7 night stay - right now our options are...

Animal Kingdom Lodge (Jambo House) - Savanna View
Contemporary - Standard View (Garden Wing)
Pop/Polynesian Split Stay - Standard View w/ 2 nights at Pop & 5 nights at Poly

Last time we stayed at Kidani Village and we fell in love with the entire resort and especially wanted to stay at the Jambo House next time we went! But the Magic Kingdom resorts look just as amazing as well!

Also, seeing as how getting a full balcony can be a hit or miss staying at either the Poly or Contemporary is also something that might throw me off just a bit! Nothing to serious but who doesn't love seeing animals in the early morning or just relaxing out in their balcony after a long park day?!

Let me know your thoughts and thank you in advance!

we were staying in the AKL next week and just moved due to construction. You might want to consider if that would impact your stay.

My vote would be for the POP/Poly split. Both of these resorts are great - the poly does still have some construction at the pool, but that should be finished or nearly done by your stay in May.

Good luck!

 

[aleh021]

we were staying in the AKL next week and just moved due to construction. You might want to consider if that would impact your stay.

My vote would be for the POP/Poly split. Both of these resorts are great - the poly does still have some construction at the pool, but that should be finished or nearly done by your stay in May.

Good luck!

I saw! I was just reading up about it - hopefully it won't impact our stay to much!! Were typically out and about between 9am-5pm so I wont try to worry about it to to much! Lol staying positive about it - as long as they dont hide the giraffes and zebras from me I'll be alright

 

[aleh021]

I totally agree that the monorail can be cramped and uncomfortable. When we were there in December, the buses weren't bad, either, but depending on where we were, we would hop on a bus for HS, BWV, BCV, or the Swan and walk if necessary to get back to our hotel (Swan). The only time we waited a while for a bus was to get to AK from the Swan. When you stay at AKL, you don't have that flexibility.

I honestly dont mind the bus ride at all! I think its fun riding the buses to be honest lol. I really loved walking from Epcot back to the Beach Club, it was great! I was really considering staying there agin but in a way it sort of reminded me of home (New England). So being able to stay at the AKL gives us something we can't get up here which is why we love it so much too

 

[gottalovepluto]

We were upgraded from parking lot view at AKL to Savanah View and my take away was I would have been really upset had I paid extra for it. If you're going to splurge on the view make for Arusha otherwise save the money. I was thrilled because we didn't pay for it, we saw 2 giraffes and a couple other animals over the 2 days we were there but the action seemed to be over on the Arusha Savannah. When we woke up in the morning the giraffes were in the for their daily check ups both mornings so they were nowhere to be seen (or so other visitors told us) so we saw those 2 when we were back for a late afternoon break before the sun set. I had dreamed of staying AKL so we did and it was a beautiful hotel- but if I were to go back to WDW I'd stay Poly. I thinks it's more my style, I toured it and it's gorgeous and laid back. (And I hated the bus ride AKL incurred but I see that's not an issue for OP...) No idea about Contemporary but if you're like me in liking immersive theming I suspect Contemporary won't really provide you with that extra does of magic.

 

[aleh021]

My partner and I were having the same dilemma a few months ago. We ended up choosing with the Poly Standard view for 7 nights for our upcoming trip at the end of July. For us it was just a few dollars more for a Poly room than the Contemporary garden wing. Plus when we visited the Contemporary on our last stay we found the hotel to be lacking in overall theming and it felt more catered to business travelers and conventions.

If you love the MK, the close proximity can't be beat.

Any reason why you are doing a split stay? It might be a bit of a hassle to pack up all your stuff and move resorts, especially going from the POP which is quite a distance away.

We also visited the AKL and it's gorgeous. But only relying on bus transportation seems to be quite limiting. It's nice to have other options available. For example when Epcot or MK closes for the night, you will have to wait in long lines for the bus, where as if you were on the staying at a monorail resort you have boat, monorail and walking options as well.

Since you are going in May the construction should be done at the Poly. Since the renovations will be finished you'll have a new Lava pool, Oasis pool, two hot tubs (who doesn't love a hot tub after a long day at the parks?!) and Trader Sam's to look forward to! Plus easy access to Dole Whip without having to go to MK.

It's only going to get more challenging to book at room at either resort especially if you want a standard room.

If you are a couple the Poly now has more king rooms after its refurbishment a few years back. You may enjoy having the extra space without an extra bed in the room. You can get a pretty good view even in the standard room with the Samoa building. (My partner and I are hoping to get a room here).

If you want a balcony at the Poly it's only on the 3rd floor in the traditional longhouses (The first floor has patios, and the second floor are fake balconies).

Be sure to call or fax in your room request to improve your chances on getting the room you would like. Check out touringplans.com for pictures of room views (I've included the links below). Some resorts only take request via phone now, so check with the front desk to see which they prefer.

Polynesian Village Resort Numbers:
Front Desk: 407-824-2000
FAX: 407-824-3174
https://touringplans.com/hotel_maps/disneys-polynesian-resort

Contemporary Resort:
Front Desk: 407-824-1000
Fax: 407-824-3539
https://touringplans.com/hotel_maps/disneys-contemporary-resort

Animal Kingdom Lodge
Front Desk: 407-938-3000
Fax: 407-938-4799
https://touringplans.com/hotel_maps/disneys-animal-kingdom-lodge

Thanks for the links! Really appreciate it

We were SOOO close to booking the Polynesian but we decided to hold it off for our Christmas trip later this year

I dont know why the balcony is so important to me, so the fear of no guarantee of getting one sorta threw me off lol. strange I know

But also I dont mind the buses at all! I actually prefer them over the monorail and boat rides sometimes!

 

[Kimberly9701]

I honestly dont mind the bus ride at all! I think its fun riding the buses to be honest lol. I really loved walking from Epcot back to the Beach Club, it was great! I was really considering staying there agin but in a way it sort of reminded me of home (New England). So being able to stay at the AKL gives us something we can't get up here which is why we love it so much too

I stayed at the Poly in a theme park view room in September, I never once noticed the construction, but we were far away from the quiet pool. Our room was in Tuvalu, which was extremely quiet, great views, and a short walk to the boat launch (added bonus we could see the line for the launch from our room). We used the boat everyday to MK and the monorail to epcot. I absolutely LOVED our stay there, and my son till talks about the Lava Pool.

I am planning a May trip now, but looking for somewhere besides the Poly. We are doing a very merrytime cruise on the Fantasy in November and an outer banks vacay in July- trying to not break the bank on this Disney trip...BUT so far I haven't seen anywhere else that I think my son would love as much, so we'll see, I may break the bank after all.lol

 

[maryandtyson]

FWIW, we just returned from 6 nights at CR garden wing and we will not be back. The rooms are large and well appointed. However, they were kind of dark, the hallways were just depressing and the main building felt more like an airport than a Disney resort. The walk to MK was longer than the walk from Beach to EPCOT and it was busy with traffic. We also didn't enjoy the monorail. Even f a bus ride from AKL is long, you don't have to transfer.

I'd choose AKL, or if you want a change, Poly. However, the Great Ceremonial House is very busy, noisy and crowded in the evening.

 

[aleh021]

FWIW, we just returned from 6 nights at CR garden wing and we will not be back. The rooms are large and well appointed. However, they were kind of dark, the hallways were just depressing and the main building felt more like an airport than a Disney resort. The walk to MK was longer than the walk from Beach to EPCOT and it was busy with traffic. We also didn't enjoy the monorail. Even f a bus ride from AKL is long, you don't have to transfer.

I'd choose AKL, or if you want a change, Poly. However, the Great Ceremonial House is very busy, noisy and crowded in the evening.

Aw man I hope you guys still enjoyed the rest of your trip! Yeah I was getting bit of a bland impression looking at CR from photos and the outside, the rooms look awesome but thats about it for me. I hope we get to stay at the Poly later this year around the holidays!

I love the peacefulness of AKL after a long day at the parks!

 

[maryandtyson]

Thanks. We still had a great time, but it would have been so much better at Beach, Wilserness or Animal. Good luck with your decision. It's always so hard!