Resort Advice plz

[CarolinaBoy]

I have a Sav room @ AKL booked for 4 nights the first week of Feb at the AP rate of 154.00
Family consists of me(32),DW(32) and 2 daughters, 4 year old and 2.25 year old, who still sleeps in crib.
I am having second thoughts about staying here bc I can get 2 adjoining rooms at All Star for less money. The kids are really good, but the extra room would be helpful.
I have been to Disney a few times before and never stayed at anything nicer than the All Stars, so looking forward to a little luxury. It would be awesome to be able to wake up and see animals off the balcony, and I bet the resort is amazing.
We would love to spend a day at the pool, is the weather this time of year agreeable enough for some southerners to take a pool day. I have until tomorrow to pay my deposit.

Thanks for any advice

 

[Trekker]

I just spent my first stay at AKL with my DD. It was so awesome to see those animals right out your window! I bet your DDs would love it. I say go for it!

 

[MajorWoody]

Hello,

We have stayed at both resorts. The advantage to having two rooms at All Stars is in having two bathrooms. However. they most likely will not guarantee the two rooms to be connected, although the odds are that they will be.

The AKL will provide a larger room, with dual sinks, and one bathroom. The AKL is also much nicer overall, since it is a deluxe. The room TV is larger, there is more dresser space, there are nicer towels and amenities. There are also two restaurants, and a small food court, while AS has only a food court. Overall, the rooms at AKL are quieter too.

The animals are a factor too, and the lobby has nice sitting areas with TV's for the kids.

I don't think the kids will notice the differences at those ages with the exception of the animals. I think you and the missus will definitely notice the difference.

Hope that helps.

Take care,

Bill

 

[kda]

I'm a HUGE AKL fan, so it will always get my vote. That said, if you're going to try to fit a crib in the room, it's going to be snug. For that reason alone, you might be more comfortable in 2 rooms. Seems like it's a trade off: more space and privacy for you and DW versus the awesome surroundings of AKL. You and your family will have to decide what sounds better for you for 4 nights.

Swimming in early February is unpredictable. It could be in the 50's and cloudy/windy or it could be 80 and sunny. Hard to predict. Most likely 65-70 and some sun.

If you decide to do AS, you could visit AKL for breakfast or dinner (greater chance of seeing animals than mid day) and check it out. Have a great trip!

 

[kda]

PS Just read the "Connecting Rooms at AS" post, which makes a point of asking for connecting rooms (door between), not just adjoining rooms, which would be side by side.

But, maybe you've already decided to splurge on AKL

Don't think you'll be sorry --- you and DW can get some privacy on the balcony while the little ones sleep.

 

[justhat]

Though I have never stayed at AKL, I ate there last December and will be staying there this year for NYE. Anyway, I have stayed at the All Stars (Sports and Movies) and while your kids would probably love the theming at ASMovies as much as the animals at AKL, I'm pretty sure you will like AKL better. Also, what would be a big factor for me is the transportation. With little kids you want to be waiting at bus stops and riding in buses as little as possible. Though they're pretty close hotels to each other, AKL does have better bus service. Though you would think the buses to all the hotels would be the same, they're not, I've waited over 40 minutes for a bus to ASMo from Magic Kingdom at noon (which might be when you'd want to go back to the room for naps). Also leaving MGM after Fantasmic and going to the ASSports was a nightmare. Buses would come just as frequently at our stop as at the others, but the difference was that only every 3rd bus was for Sports, you had to watch the Music and Movies buses drive away. Considering how tired I was at the end of the day, I can only imagine what a 4 and 2 year old would be like and so I'd want to be on the bus as soon as possible. So I say go for AKL, and have a great trip.

 

[Disneydenise]

Our first trip to WDW withour children they were 4 and 2.5. They didn't have the value resorts back then and we were on a low budget so I tried to stay outside DW and save $$$. We wound up staying for only 3 days at the off site resort and then moved to the GF for 5 days they were the best days I ever spent in DW. We thought it would be nice to have the extra space for the children and the crib too but having the luxury was much nicer than the space. We sat out on the balconey after the children were in bed for a while and it was nice to have the quiet area to ourselves. We really enjoyed having the kids in the room with us in a way. It was easier to keep track of them. We have an 18 and a 17 YO now and they still like it when we are all in the room together. We have some very interesting discussions at midnight. We even had a singalong one night as a tribute to America. Vacation is different than being at home and to kids being with your parents is neat. I know its nice to get a break from the little ones but DW is just not that kind of vacation. It is a real family time.
I thought the rooms at the AS were smaller than our childrens rooms at home and even having 2 of them would make me crazy. I enjoyed the balconey alot more than children jumping on the bed in the next room.

 

[Pigsty333]

Check out the Concierge Photos at AKL. There are some awsome links there to the resort, rooms, etc. That should convince you and you are able to compare some of the other rooms.

Enjoy and hope that helps you make a decision.

 

[Pigsty333]

Check out the Concierge Photos at AKL, on this board under "Concierge photos?" There are some awsome links there to the resort, rooms, etc. That should convince you and you are able to compare some of the other rooms.

Enjoy and hope that helps you make a decision.

 

[CarolinaBoy]

Thanks to everyone that took the time and responded. We have decided to stay at the AKL, paid the deposit today. Now, the hard part, deciding which resorts will be on our list, but that will be on another post


Carolinaboy