One night Deluxe Resort?

[dc484153]

Hi all,
I am heading to WDW in September for a conference Wed-Sat of conference week. I have an all star resort booked for the 5 nights before the conference for your run of the mill Disney vacation with the early/late extra magic hours, theme park fun, etc. I was considering getting a room at a Deluxe resort and really having a resort day for that last night, with a peer of mine, for Saturday night, and getting to the resort around 1pm on Saturday and then checking out for an evening flight on Sunday, so just one night.
I was leaning toward Animal Kingdom Lodge, I can spring for a pool view room (just to guarantee a resort feel and not end up stuck with a parking lot room, which would be my luck) but not sure I can spring for a Savannah view room for that night.
I've stayed at Contemporary, Polynesian, Beach Club, Boardwalk, and Wilderness Lodge in regards to Deluxe resorts, so really looking for something different too. If I'm going to pay, I might as well cross another resort off the checklist.
Any suggestions as to if this is a good idea or not? The conference is at the Hyatt near Disney Springs so it'll be easy to transfer quickly to any resort around noon on Saturday, enjoy the resort amenities for the day Saturday, and then leave Sunday on an afternoon/evening flight home to the NY area.
Any thoughts on the ideal Deluxe resort to spend a night if you just want to have a resort day? Suggestions based on dining at said resort would even be great, whether it be dinner or breakfast.
I feel like AKL is really my best option, but just wondering if it's worth waiting for a time I can actually do the savannah view and stay somewhere else this time, rather than cop out with the pool view room.
Thank you in advance!

 

[DrunkJam]

WL is my favourite on property. I know it seems most people put it at the bottom end of deluxe but I love it, the resort is lovely to spend time in, it feels far from the theme park feeling, and is, even if busy, weirdly peaceful.
I found GF really disappointing and with not much atmosphere.
I like the Poly, but, have never stayed there, so can't can't comment

 

[Hopefully]

If you are ok with the fact that one night is a very short time in hotel hours.
Your room may well not be ready before 3 PM, and check out is 11 AM, regardless of when your flight is. You can use the hotel amenities while you are there, but other than those hours you will not have a room.
Personally, I wouldn't waste the money

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I think AKL is a great choice for a one-night stay where you really just want to enjoy the resort amenities. As PP said, your room may not be ready before 3 pm, however, you are free to start using the resort amenities whenever you arrive on your check-in day. There are great restaurants at AKL as well - Sanaa and Jiko are my favorites, but, if you like buffets, you may enjoy Boma as well.

 

[MagicalMawMaw]

AKL is my favorite resort & would be perfect for a resort day. You can ask at check in if it’s possible to have a later checkout time. We’ve been granted a later checkout time several times.

 

[SnowChaser]

I think AKL is a great option for this type of stay. There's so much to do there! Food-wise, you might do the daily afternoon food tour, or catch a wine tasting, and you can't go wrong with a Boma breakfast or dinner.

 

[rstevens333]

Huge WL and CR fan, but staying at AKL for one night to try it out sounds utterly delightful. It's a great lobby if you wind up having to hang out a bit.

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

AKL is perfect for that. All guests are allowed to use the pools at Jambo House and at Kidani Village, so there are good options for swimming.

By the way, some standard view rooms (on the Kudu Trail), have great views of the animals. No Pool View rooms do.

 

[dc484153]

WL is my favourite on property. I know it seems most people put it at the bottom end of deluxe but I love it, the resort is lovely to spend time in, it feels far from the theme park feeling, and is, even if busy, weirdly peaceful.
I found GF really disappointing and with not much atmosphere.
I like the Poly, but, have never stayed there, so can't can't comment

I actually really love WL and that would be my second choice, haven't stayed there in almost 20 years thanks for the feedback!

 

[dc484153]

Norm

If you are ok with the fact that one night is a very short time in hotel hours.
Your room may well not be ready before 3 PM, and check out is 11 AM, regardless of when your flight is. You can use the hotel amenities while you are there, but other than those hours you will not have a room.
Personally, I wouldn't waste the money

Normally I would totally agree with you. I just have an opportunity to get a good chunk of that covered as part of a work perk, otherwise I wouldn't even think of it. The times aren't a big issue for me...my bigger concern is wanting to have a resort day and it ending up being a rainy day, to be honest! But assuming I can use the amenities, that's the most I can ask for. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[dc484153]

Thanks all! I have been to AKL before and have eaten at Boma three times (love it!!), just haven't stayed at the resort overnight before and it does seem like amenity-wise it's a good choice for one night. To add to my original post, I may be able to stay relatively for free (we get bonus gift cards from work for anywhere we want at certain times, so my all star resort for my first 5 nights is paid for from that). I was just considering keeping up the streak of requesting Disney gift cards on those occasions and just splurging on myself for one night. Otherwise at this time I wouldn't think of just going through the logistics of doing this and paying out of pocket! That being said, I'm not necessarily interested in getting the most expensive deluxe resort. I more just want to know that I'm not missing out staying at AKL and not getting a savannah view if my whole point in going is a "splurge" trip anyway.

 

[toodycat]

If it’s only one night, AKL is definitely the most unique resort. You may not have a savannah view, but there are plenty of public spaces for viewing the animals. Make sure you check out the fire pit in the evening as well. CMs at AKL are very knowledgeable and interesting to talk to as you tour the savannah. The pool is very relaxing. As you know, dinner at Boma rocks. Jiko is lovely too, whether for dinner or just a glass of wine. You’ll have a great trip.

 

[JennyDrake]

I did that exact thing and I wouldn't advise it... The room wasn't ready until 4 and then check in took an hour... It wasn't enough time to enjoy the resort.

 

[Bjkandma]

Is be worried about the weather in September. You can plan on rain in the afternoon. Plus it's hurricane season and a tropical storm can creep up at any time.

 

[kiford]

If you haven't been to AKL, it's also one of our favourites and very nice to spend time in just as a resort. While we prefer the pool at BC/YC, we love the look and feel at AKL, the pool is still nice, has two of our favourite restaurants and we enjoy the lounge (Victoria Falls). Sometimes we just sit outside on the porch. If you don't have a savannah room, it's a nice spot to sit at night.