Opinions Please on Poly or AK

[DsnyMom]

We have always stayed at the Polynesian and love the convenience of the monorail, TTC, quietness of the resort, etc. I must say we do love it but .... DH wants to try something new and has mentioned the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I know it's a gorgeous resort but do you think we would be disappointed? Riding the buses is not one of my favorite things to do and I know the rooms are smaller and we are a family of 5. I would appreciate hearing everyone's opinions. Thanks!

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

We stayed at both in Dec. Could you possibly split your stay? I like both resorts. You can't beat a monorail resort for convenience. The AKL is a retreat. We enjoyed just hanging out and relaxing. I found the buses to be efficient but we went during a slow season so crowds were low. You can't go wrong with the AKL IMHO.

Lori

 

[PamNC]

Here's an idea - split your stay between the Poly and AKL. Stay less nights at AKL. That'll be a good way to find out if you like it without "ruining" your whole trip. Not to say AKL would ruin your trip - that's certainly not the case. But, if you don't like buses I think you might be a bit disappointed.

Or - if you want to stay at the beautiful AKL - rent a car! That will take care of transporation! If we fly we always rent a car because we refuse to take buses. Most of the time we drive because it's only a 9 hour trip for us.

Another idea would be if you want to try something different - try WL. Although the theme is different some say WL compares to AKL. But, you'll have better transporation.

Just some ideas for you.

PamNC

 

[Terk-1]

I would split my stay between the Polynesian & the Wilderness Lodge. My sister has stayed in both lodges and she did not particulary care for AKL, but loves WL.

 

[disnemimi]

Hello,
When are you going to Disney? We will be going Feb. 10th and staying our first time at AKL. We stayed at the Polynesian Sept. 03 with our 4 grown kids and 4 grandkids and had a marvelous stay. When I return from AKL I could give you a fair comparison. I must add we absolutely fell in love with The Polynesian. You simply cannot beat having the monorail right there, especially if you will be doing lots of Magic Kingdom.
Disnemimi

 

[hannahryan]

Terk, was room #5032 at WL standard view? If not, how much did you pay? It is awesome...my kids would go crazy to watch the monorail go by their room! What are the things your kids loved most about the resort? I'm mostly trying to please them. Thanks.

 

[Bstanley]

Tough choice - the Polynesian and the AKL are our two most favorite resorts.

There are rooms at AKL that are about as large as the rooms at the Polynesian. They are referred to as 'Deluxe Rooms' and they are about the same cost as a room at the Polynesian. With a family of 5 I would defintely recommend them. The daybed is such an improvement over a roll-around bed - and the extra square footage doesn't hurt either.

AKL is very special, the cast members and the animals make for a really great story and the restaurants are amazingly good - the only real disadvatage is that darn bus transportation. It is close enough to EPCOT and The Studios that the bus ride is brief, but it just isn't as magical as a monorail for sure!

If you will be spending more time at the MK than the other parks then the suggestion about staying at the WL might work (it's our third favorite resort . But the WL has the same bus transportation problem to the parks other than the MK that AKL has.

Have Fun - either place is great!

 

[disneyfanatic60]

Having been at Poly/AKL/WL each twice--my heart still belongs to Poly. Love the convenience to the monorail and MK (we spend most of our time there). And the theming--what can I say.

As far as AKL, we enjoyed our first trip there in May '02. We split our stay in May '03 between Poly/AKL and we were very disappointed with AKL even though we really enjoyed our first experience there. The biggest problem for my family--the long bus ride to the parks. It seemed like the time spent sitting on a bus could have been better spent in the parks. If it wasn't for that, I would stay there again in a heartbeat.

One hint if you are thinking about splitting your stay. They will move your luggage for you upon check out to the new resort. However and this is a big one--your luggage may "not" arrive until late in the day. We never rec'd. our luggage until after 5:00 in the evening and we had hoped to enjoy the pool that afternoon after spending the morning at the parks. Unfortunately, our bathing suits, etc. were in our suitcases and I would not wanted to have to drag that around the parks to avoid this.

WL is awesome. We really enjoyed it there and would love to stay there again someday soon.

 

[DsnyMom]

Thank you for all the quick responses! You guys are great.

I'm still trying to figure out when we can go. Need to save some money. Unfortunately I'm a disneyaholic and was just there last year. Champagne taste and hamburger helper budget! The last two times we went in February during the off season and froze to death both times. I swore I wouldn't go back when it's cold. We have also been there the end of April/early May and the weather was great but now I have to worry about school schedules as the kids are getting older. Considering a June vacation but I think it would be way too hot and crowded for DH.

 

[Terk-1]

Terk, was room #5032 at WL standard view? If not, how much did you pay? It is awesome...my kids would go crazy to watch the monorail go by their room! What are the things your kids loved most about the resort? I'm mostly trying to please them. Thanks.

Room #5032 is a "woods" view room, but you saw so much more. You could see the castle, the upper floors of the Contemporary, and parts of the lagoons. I paid $130 per night (including tax) with a AP discount. The room is close to the elevators, but I found the room to be pretty quiet. It was a quick walk to the boat dock, to the pool, roaring forks & pool. It took a little longer to the buses, but not an unreasonable walk. I found both the bust & boat transportation very good. The only time I waited longer than 20 minutes was for a DTD bus. For more pictures of the room, view & lodge, click on my link below (2003 pics) and go into the one for the lodge.

I love every aspect of this resort. I love the fact that it's so compact, so you don't feel like you are hiking miles to get somewhere. The foodcourt is small, but offers a nice selection. I had lunch at the Whispering Canyon Cafe on my check-in day and it was very good. Check-in & out was very quick and I found the CM's some of the best on-property. You can also rent bikes & water boats here too. I don't have any kids, but my nephews have stayed here and loved it. The pool & slide is great, there are 2 hot tubs, and the boat to the Magic Kingdom & to the Contemporary made for a nice change from buses. They also liked renting the watermice. We also took a boat over to Ft. Wilderness for movie night one evening, which was nice. Of all the resorts they have stayed it, this is the one they want to go back to.

 

[kc&dmom]

dsnymom -- have you considered traveling at the end of August. We went two years ago and we will be returning to the Poly this August. With WI schools starting after Labor Day we have found this to be a great time to travel. I can promise you it won't be cold and the crowds well, ---- there weren't any!! It was 92 degrees when we left Milwaukee and only 90 when we arrived in Orlando. I will gladly spend the end of summer at the Volcano Pool rather than fighting the crowds at our local community pool! I have read several similar discussions and am seriously considering a split stay between AKL & Poly. I just have to convince DH -- moving a family of 5 gets to be a real hassle, somehow we always lose something!!

 

[hannahryan]

Thanks for all the really helpful info., Terk!! What an awesome room rate. I'm requesting room #5032. I showed the picture to the kids...they are so excited!