Please help with decision!

[Sueumore]

My family (myself, DH, DS7,DS6,DS2) has not been to DW in a number of years and have never stayed on site. My husband gave the go ahead yesterday for a trip in October. Our dates are 13-18. I called CRO and asked for available rooms and rates for that time period and was quoted:
AK Deluxe Pool or Savannah for $195
Poly Garden View for $209
PORS for $90

Please help me decide which resort would be the best value for the money and give the best first impression for my husband so that I can entice an annual Disney trip.

We would also like to try MNSSHP and would appreciate any information or helpful tips.

Thanks in advance.
Erin

 

[jordanyosh]

Maybe for overall convenience, I would choose the Poly. AKL maybe a better "wow" for the husband, but Poly(or any monorail resort) can't be beat for it's proximity to the MK. With kids, it would be easier getting to and from the MK from the Poly. That might make it a bigger wow for the hubby than the AKL would.

 

[hockey mom]

Hard call- as jordanyosh said the AKL has that wow factor, Poly also wow with convience and slightly bigger rooms, and Pors, while nice, would be very cramped but would save money for other things. My vote also is for Poly.

We are going to the MNSSHP on the 14th and if this is something that you are thinking of doing you will want to order your tickets soon. Lots of fun for the kids.

 

[mmeb144]

POR would give you good value for the $. My family is staying at POFQ at the end of October. That's the only way we could afford the trip at all. If money is a consideration, the moderates, POR being one, are excellent choices. My children really liked the CBR, but Mom (me) needs to stay in a different resort this time.

Marie

 

[MrsJ Henry]

I think it depends on the interests of your family.
Would looking out at the animals each morning and the theme of the AKL be a big interest?
Are you going to be at the Magic Kingdom much? Being on the monorail is so easy and also right there to see the Water parade.
I would not pick a moderate if you want more of a wow factor.
Also AKL is only on the bus so it would be a bit more of a hassle if you don't have a car.
I have read about people LOVING the Poly but I have also heard many people not liking it also. I have heard the least amount of complaints about AKL but the rooms are smaller.
why don't you look up the MANY pictures of the resorts on here and show them to your family. That is what I did with my husband to see where he wanted to stay. He really wanted the AKL and I wanted the Yacht Club so we are going to split our stay.
I would also suggest reading and reading and reading on here. It is so helpful.
By the way.... WELCOME to the Disboards!!!!!!!

 

[Lou-Ann]

Bear in mind that if he has only stayed off property and has not been in years a moderate could give him eht wow factor as well. With 3 kids, however, I might tend to do the Poly or the AKL. AKL is certainly newer and in my opinion might be a bit more impressive while POLY would give you the closeness to the parks. You know your family. What is your goal? Room sizes at AKL will be smaller as well. Probably Poly would be best as I rethink this outloud. Let us know what you decide.

 

[Sueumore]

I am leaning towards the Poly at this point. What are the room sizes in comparison (Poly Garden View vs. Deluxe at AKL)?
I think being on the monorail and being able to get to Epcot and MK quickly is a plus. In addition we are considering MNSSHP at MK on Oct 14 so thats a plus too.
Are there daybeds in all the Poly rooms?
Thanks
Erin

 

[Sueumore]

Sorry to keep asking questions. Please bear with me. Is the price ($209) for Poly Garden View a good price?
Thanks again
Erin

 

[swilphil]

I believe the Poly rooms are larger, but I'm not sure AKL deluxe are larger than their Standard. There should be a daybed in your Poly room. The $209 Garden View room sounds like a pretty good deal. Is that using a code? Another possiblity is to stay at the Swan/Dolphin in the Epcot area. We have stayed at both and love the Deluxe resort between Beach Club and Boardwalk at a moderate price. Allearsnet.com has a $139 special right now, and there are govt/teacher/nurse/AAA/entertainment book discounts for around the same price.

 

[iloveeeyore]

I recall a few years ago in October, the AP rate for Poly GV was around $190 (that was the last time I looked into it). That was the absolute lowest rate. I would snatch it for $209! If a lower rate comes out later, you can call CRO and apply newer discount. That $209 can't be regular rack rate, can it? I don't even think AAA rates could be that low?

 

[Planogirl]

These are my three favorite resorts so it's hard to recommend one over the other! I love them all.

The Polynesian is the nicest with big rooms, a view of the Magic Kingdom castle (great during fireworks) and the best transportation. It's quiet, a bit romantic and has good restaurants and a good bar.

Animal Kingdom Lodge is beautiful and unique with a lot of chances to view animals and learn fun things but it also has smaller (but attractive) rooms. It has good restaurants and slow transportation.

PORS is very nice but has the smallest rooms and they open to the outdoors. This has never bothered me but it does some people. The pool is excellent, the transportation is like AKL's except for the nice boat to Downtown Disney and the restaurant is only so-so. It has a popular bar and a good food court, better than those at the Polynesian or Animal Kingdom Lodge.

This is a hard call and I would weigh your needs and budget while deciding. Good luck!

 

[sters]

I'd vote for the PORS, but since you have a child under the age of 3 you might want to consider the other moderates. Why? Because there is only one section of one moderate resort that can accommodate families of 5, so you might want to save that for the next time! That way, you could use the difference between the deluxes and the moderates for some very nice restaurant experiences, or maybe a fireworks or other special activities.

Having said that, we LOVED PORS. It has a lot of deluxe-type amenities, including a boat ride to DTD. Animal Kingdom only has busses, although they don't share them with any other resort so that's a plus for them. The atmosphere is very lush, with lots of windy paths, footbridges. My kids just loved the pool area, and you can also use the pool at the POFQ. There is both a restaurant and food court, a lounge act, bike/boat rental, etc. I loved everything about it, except perhaps the bus transportation.