Need Some Help About Poly, Akl/club Decisions

[FairyDust2008]

Hey all! I think you remember my many posts about going back and forth with POLY, AKL You all were so great in answering my many questions and responding to my posts, etc. Here is the thing...............As many of you know, we were originally booked at the AKL/CLUB LEVEL after much going back and forth over the Poly. We had considered some moderates but because of amenities, etc, we chose the deluxe route. Anyhow, I cancelled AKL/CLUB and rebooked for the POLY and now me, the kids and hubby are wanting the AKL/CLUB back as we think we were getting more for a little less. I'm just starting to fret over the pool at POLY being smaller and being more crowded and then one of the big reasons we rebooked for POLY was transportation issues. The thing is I've booked many of my ADR's already, so switching my ressies again concerns me and I wanted to clarify the transportation issues I had. Is the AKL'S bus transportation good? I understand that they do not share busses, correct? Will the bus transportation end up kicking me in the butt trying to get to the MK, HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS and specifically my ADR's that being our 1st day at the MK we are scheduled for breakfast at CRT. If transportation is really good buswise at AKL, we are seriously considering switching back. The kids have been hinting to me ALL week long about their desire for the AKL over POLY. We all thought Poly was going to be the "IT" resort for us but now our hearts ache for the original resort we booked in the 1st place. PLUS we wanted to go to the AK park because we LOVE animals. We also HATED the fact that we aren't going to get to participate in the Sunrise Safari now I'm calling tomorrow because as much as I thought I wanted the Poly, IT JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT NOW AFTERALL. Just wanted some opinions of the disboarders who have helped me so much in my planning Thanks for all your help

 

[AKLforever]

Well, as you can see by my login name here, Im all about AKL. The buses are good for me, I dont remember ever having to wait more then 10 min max for one to come. Last year, in aug, I was forced to switch to the Poly from AKL because of some construction going on. I can say this, I am glad that I had the chance to stay at the poly. Staying at the poly made me miss the AKL SOOO much more. The poly to me was boring, Crowded like mad and felt very fake.
When I say fake, the resort look at feel felt fake, like it was a poor attempt at being hawaiian. For some reason , the people at the resort were very ho hum about there jobs, no one was happy, no one except the desk people at the front were cheerful to you at all. I think your on the right track, trust me. Sure, the bus trips will be a bit longer, like 10 min to 20 max to the farthest park. But the lodge its self is the best resort disney has to offer, I think. When you walk in, you can smell the perfectly beautiful blend of the Wine sauce for the fillet from the night before and the oak fire pit. The view of the unparalleled lobby. The Zawadi market place, which is the ONLY resort gift shop that sells unique items that pertain to the resorts theme. The Jiko, with the Fillet with mac and cheese hands down the best place I have ever eaten at in the world! Boma, best buffet I have ever eaten at ever. Even there cafeteria is really nice. Love the animals right out side your resort. Pool is Never ever crowded. And the staff has never let me down in any way shape or form. Let me tell you, My wife and I have been to some really nice places all over the world, most of those trips cost well over 10k each, with deluxe resorts even in the caribbean. And we gave up on all that, to come to AKL every year for the last 4 years and going. We will not go anywhere else any more, its not worth it to us, that should tell you how great AKL is. Trust me, sure some of the places we went to had a nice pool, or had some nice landmarks, or even had some nice staff workers, but not one of them ever were able to do all of that at the same time, and do it perfectly like AKL. And we even stayed at sandals , Very expensive , and to us, all we could think was, wish we were at AKL.

 

[MickeyNicki]

We stayed at the Poly and it was so loud and chaotic by both pools, the check in area, the monorail area and all the restaurants that DH doesnt want to go back there unless it is a quick weekend stay. We are headed to the AKL/club level in Oct

 

[lilyv]

To me, the buses are such a non-issue. I wouldn't pay Poly rates without a major code...so far that hasn't happened. We will stay for the first time AKL club in the fall, and I can hardly wait. The afternoon safari/dinner is one of the things we're really looking forward to.

In the end, do what feels right to you. Good luck.

 

[joenan88]

Hey all! I think you remember my many posts about going back and forth with POLY, AKL You all were so great in answering my many questions and responding to my posts, etc. Here is the thing...............As many of you know, we were originally booked at the AKL/CLUB LEVEL after much going back and forth over the Poly. We had considered some moderates but because of amenities, etc, we chose the deluxe route. Anyhow, I cancelled AKL/CLUB and rebooked for the POLY and now me, the kids and hubby are wanting the AKL/CLUB back as we think we were getting more for a little less. I'm just starting to fret over the pool at POLY being smaller and being more crowded and then one of the big reasons we rebooked for POLY was transportation issues. The thing is I've booked many of my ADR's already, so switching my ressies again concerns me and I wanted to clarify the transportation issues I had. Is the AKL'S bus transportation good? I understand that they do not share busses, correct? Will the bus transportation end up kicking me in the butt trying to get to the MK, HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS and specifically my ADR's that being our 1st day at the MK we are scheduled for breakfast at CRT. If transportation is really good buswise at AKL, we are seriously considering switching back. The kids have been hinting to me ALL week long about their desire for the AKL over POLY. We all thought Poly was going to be the "IT" resort for us but now our hearts ache for the original resort we booked in the 1st place. PLUS we wanted to go to the AK park because we LOVE animals. We also HATED the fact that we aren't going to get to participate in the Sunrise Safari now I'm calling tomorrow because as much as I thought I wanted the Poly, IT JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT NOW AFTERALL. Just wanted some opinions of the disboarders who have helped me so much in my planning Thanks for all your help

Not to make your life so much more complicated BUT have you ever looked at The WL? That resort is a middle ground between those two resorts...it offers easy boat service to CR to get on the monorail to TTC to go to Epcot and an easy boat ride straight to the MK...it might be the same cost as the AKL...just a thought..it seems that The Poly and The AKL may not be the ideal spot for you since you are having so much trouble deciding. Check it out and maybe you want to add that resort into the mix...

I thought you had a good point in your post.."your kids prefer the AKL"..that should be the decision for you...when I planned my trip in November I thought the Poly was the ideal resort for us..well, I was wrong...my kids were enamored with the CR..everytime we went through that resort via monorail they got so excited...we finally got off and walked around...they would have preferred that resort 100% more then the Poly..who knew ..we are taking them back (it is a surprise) this August and I booked the MK view at the CR because they picked it...and I won't lie...I am pretty excited about it...Let me know what you decide...

 

[padisneylover]

I have to say you sound exactly like me. I booked AKL Club Level first and as you can see that is my favorite resort. Last year when we went due to no rooms we were forced to try another resort and did the GF Main Club Level. What a wonderful experience it was. My biggest complaint with it was the bus service. We had to wait a long time for the bus to take us to AK and MGM and even longer to go and come back from DTD. That being said my husband has a disability that requires a wheel chair and getting off and on the monarail is so much easier than the bus.
We have never had to wait long for a bus at AKL either coming and going and we have had at least 8 stays there, one of them Club Level which was excellent. I decided to change our reservations strickly on the fact that having stayed on the monarail with my husband it was so much easier. He needs to rest in the afternoons and it seemed like it was much easier to go back and forth to the resort using the monorail and faster of course if we were at the MK which is where we spend a good deal of our time. Another factor that caused me to switch this time was the construcion going on and I wasn't certain what impact that would have on the animals after reading some of the posts from people and the noise factor as well. I have to admit that every few days I think about this change I made to the Poly and hope I won't regret it. We are going back to the world in December and right now have booked the Poly again but it will all depend on our experience in May as to rather or not that is where we really stay. Another draw to the Poly was being able to see the fireworks from our room and watch the electric light parade which is a plus to that resort. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Sysyphus]

For the most part the AKL buses were pretty good for us last week, except when we tried to go to morning EMH's - for both AK and MK EMH's we had 45 minute waits while several empty buses were coming and going to other parks - very frustrating, especially with a 5yo in tow.

For our early breakfast at CP on Friday and Epcot EMH on Saturday we decided we couldn't trust the buses and took a cab instead.

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

Hey there you know I love AKL and now we are looking at the Poly but still undecided. My husband keeps saying the same thing as your kids. I will miss the animals and the sunrise safari. So who knows what is in store for us. As far as the buses. They were fantastic. I really didnt know how great the buses were until I stayed at WL and had a horried bus situation. AT AKL we waited no more than 10 min for any bus (they dont share) not so true at other places. One thing about Poly is they do share buses with GF and CR to AK, HS, and DTD and yes it is a bit of a trip. Now we are completely undecided again so you are not the only one. LOL