Quick opinion AKL vs POFQ

[andee515]

We are going Jan 17-24 abd have reservation for POFQ $1269. It is Me, my daughter (15) and son (10). We will spend 3 days at MK and 1 at each of the other parks. we do not go to dowtown disney or do much if any resort activities. I just found Animal Kingdom standard view for $1684. I have never stayed at either of these resorts.... Pros...Cons...

 

[steviethegreat]

I have stayed at both POFQ and AKL. I love Port Orleans because it's kind of in the middle between all of the parks. AKL is the furthest resort from the other parks, besides the Animal Kingdom. HOWEVER, it never seemed that long of a drive to me from park to park. Theming at AKL is incredible. It took my breath away when I walked in. There is a firepit in the resort. The huge windows at the back of the lobby showcase the savanna so you can see the baby giraffe galloping around with her family. There are three awesome restaurants on site. And all of the rooms are inside.

At POFQ, it's still a GREAT theme. It's just not as impressive as the AKL will continue to be throughout the stay. We didn't do any of the activities, beyond swimming (on the morning that we left), and we loved every second of our stay. Waking up to see the animals was one of the best things. (And when we got there, I had asked to upgrade to a savanna view and they had already done so. They have more savanna views than standard view rooms, so it's likely you COULD get upgraded.)

If you want to save the $400 to do something special with it or if it's an integral part of your food budget, etc, definitely stay at POFQ. It's a wonderful resort. The pool is cool! They have beignets! (I don't like them, but others do!) And the lobby CMs couldn't be more happy or helpful. But if money's not an issue, stay at AKL. You won't regret it. It's truly an amazing experience. If I could afford to go back there in April, I would do it in a heartbeat.

 

[Mynamewastaken]

I've done both but my AKL reservation had a Savanna View. My kids absolutely LOVED it there. If you are not using the resort amenities- pool and views then I wouldn't spend the extra 400.00 IMO.

 

[Shanti]

I would do AKL.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

If you are planning to be park warriors, no resort time, stick with POFQ. There's no point in paying extra for amenities you aren't going to use.

 

[MagicalMawMaw]

POFQ is really nice.
However, I'd say one of its best perks is the boat to DS. If you don't go there that perk isn't very valuable to you.
AKL is awesome!
We love it & have stayed there our last 2 trips & have booked bounceback there for next December.
It is a beautiful & quiet resort. I love having a balcony & watching the animals. There are lots of viewing areas if you don't have a savanna view. The lobby is gorgeous & having all inside doors instead of outside like at POFQ is nice.
We spend lots more time at the resort now that we stay at AKL it is so relaxing & we love watching the animals so we often take a midday break just to enjoy it.
Myself I think AKL would be well worth the extra $.

 

[Eastern]

We have been to POFQ many times but have only visited AKL. If you think your kids would like the animals, AKL might be good. But unless you are staying in the main lobby area, the rooms can be very spread out. POFQ is compact and usually has their own buses. I have given my (20s) kids this choice before and they always choose POFQ.

 

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

If you don't partake in the resort amenities and don't spend any time in your room because you are at the parks from rope drop until the end of the fireworks; I would not spend the extra money on AKL. Use the money you save for a future Disney vacation or to do something special in one or more of the parks you visit. We have stayed at both resorts and enjoyed them both. We do spend a lot of time at the resort and for those that also enjoy spending some down time at the resort I highly recommend staying at AKL. It is a fun resort to explore and has some great choices for dinning!

 

[Buzzster]

We just returned from AKL. It is STUNNING but you will want to spend Some time
at the resort. POFQ is a lot of fun but if I have half a chance for AKL I would do it in a heartbeat.

 

[hakepb]

If you aren't going to eat at least 1 TS in AKL, and/or spend time in animal viewing my areas, night vision animal viewing and story time by the fire pit ... then you are just paying more to walk through a really nice lobby when going or leaving the room.

AKL rooms are 344sqft which isn't a large difference from PORFQ 315sqft

Monorail or Epcot resorts buy you some additional time with park proximity, and some buy even larger rooms.

Personally, I would choose AKL..but I know I would spend some dining and rest time at the resort...but it doesn't sound like AKL would fit the OP's style.

 

[HopperFan]

We are going Jan 17-24 abd have reservation for POFQ $1269. It is Me, my daughter (15) and son (10). We will spend 3 days at MK and 1 at each of the other parks. we do not go to dowtown disney or do much if any resort activities. I just found Animal Kingdom standard view for $1684. I have never stayed at either of these resorts.... Pros...Cons...

Stayed at both and LOVE AKL but I would not spend an extra $400+ if I don't plan on utilizing the "resort activities" or enjoying time there. I would save your money. Also when my kids started hitting the 10-12 year old range they were bored with AKL and wanted to stay elsewhere.

Both will give you a comparable room with queen beds but AKL will come with a balcony .... but being standard that balcony may look at the parking lot. AKL will give you much better dining options, particularly TS but that may not be a plus for you. Of course one is a deluxe with interior rooms, beautiful lobby and a different feel than the exterior "motel" style ... but again if you aren't caring about the resort/activity it doesn't matter. You will sleep equally well at both.