Resort Choices- Stop the Madness!

[lorenae]

I’m usually NOT an indecisive person. But my original plans for late January are for ASMo. Two grandkids, one who has never been to WDW before (8) and one who stayed with me at POP when he was 5.

Well, the Epcot Skyliner is down while we will be there, so I ruled out Pop (since that’s a great reason to stay there compared to ASMo). Then I was content.

BUT now, with the AP discounts, we could stay at FQ (which I really enjoy). Or the Swan with the AP discount, for about the same price.

And for ‘only’ $1000 more than ASMo, we can stay at AK lodge.

So right now I have three reservations (Swan, AK, ASMo). We only have 4 park days (doing Universal first), and our flight leaves later on our last day for a nice pool/resort day. So I was leaning towards AK. But, the Swan is cheaper, and more convenient for two park days (Epcot and DHS) but less convenient for MK.

I’m driving myself insane! I’ve never stayed at ASMo, but I think the kids would love it. Plus, it’s cheaper. But, AKL? Maybe I’d love that one! And of course, the AP discount at FQ is good and I really like that resort and the small size (less walking for these old tired legs). Arghhh.

Which would YOU choose? Thanks for talking me off the ledge.

 

[Timmerica]

Swan for location. With AK and ASM, you are stuck with busses everywhere.

BTW, for transportation to MK use the busses at Boardwalk or YC

 

[Wood Nymph]

My sister stayed at the Dolphin last week and she said it wasn't very Disney-like. It was just a hotel. She said that she would stay at a Disney moderate next time.

FQ has a fun slide for the kids and is a small resort that you know you like. Kids don't need cute icons, in my opinion. Just just need a pool and the value resorts don't have slides at their pools. If you can afford AKL then that would be fun for the kids.

 

[Selket]

I've stayed at both the Swan/Dolphin and I loved it. Are your grandkids able to walk to Epcot and/or DHS? Or would you want to walk it? I think the boat is running. Those resorts are no less convenient to the MK than AK is - still taking a bus. However I think to get to the MK, the Swan/Dolphin bus drops you at the TTC which is a pain. POFQ is always a great resort. You really cannot go wrong - it's just up to how much is staying deluxe worth to you? I think one of the monorail loop resorts are the best for small kids. Beach Club has the water park style pool. I've also been in January and I wouldn't touch a pool with a 10 foot pole - was WAY to cold - haha! I guess it's worth thinking about what if you're there during some cold weather so the pool isn't the main attraction. Since it's January I'd focus on location and other resort details vs. pool unless you know the kids will swim no matter what and that's a big deal for them.

I think with the deluxe and swan/dolphin you'd get the extra evening magic hours for deluxe resorts.

 

[SnowWhitee]

If it were me I would go with Swan or POFQ. I have stayed at both, and my personal preference for the Disney feel and general mood would be FQ. Some good points were raised above in that Swan is part of the evening magic hours and the location enables you to walk to HS and EP. If those are important to you, you may want to stick with Swan.

You have not said if you will have a car. If so, maybe staying at a resort with only bus transportation is not a big deal if you plan to drive to one or more parks. Or if you are OK with busses.

While AK has a nice pool area and is beautiful, I would not pay the nightly price when you will be racing through parks most of the time and only there for part of one day to actually enjoy the resort. Even though it's a short trip, would you consider a split stay at Swan or FQ and then move to AK for the last night?

 

[lorenae]

If it were me I would go with Swan or POFQ. I have stayed at both, and my personal preference for the Disney feel and general mood would be FQ. Some good points were raised above in that Swan is part of the evening magic hours and the location enables you to walk to HS and EP. If those are important to you, you may want to stick with Swan.

You have not said if you will have a car. If so, maybe staying at a resort with only bus transportation is not a big deal if you plan to drive to one or more parks. Or if you are OK with busses.

While AK has a nice pool area and is beautiful, I would not pay the nightly price when you will be racing through parks most of the time and only there for part of one day to actually enjoy the resort. Even though it's a short trip, would you consider a split stay at Swan or FQ and then move to AK for the last night?

Good points! We’ll have a rental car, and our last day is Saturday, January 29. Our flight is around 4:30, so we could stay at the resort later if the Swan allows it (I know Disney does). The skyliner will be down, and that was the downside to me since we plan to park hop if possible (and why I decided against the POP vs the others). I last stayed at FQ in January 2020, and I loved it with the busses and convenience. I haven’t ever stayed deluxe before, and AKL would be the first time.

The grandkids are 8 and 11, and the little one does struggle a bit with longer walks and heat- that’s why I chose January- so FQ is probably best for him. But if I want to stay deluxe, the only semi-affordable choice was AKL. I think there is a lot of walking at AKL, though(?) from what I have seen.

The Swan has a $35/night resort fee, PLUS parking, so the rate is about equal to AKL. So FQ is cheaper. CBR is a no-go for me, because with the Skyliner down, the appeal is much lower for me.

Oh, no——- I’m doing it again!!!!!!

I think I’ll go on January 11 by myself and stay at the Swan, with the skyliner running and planning only DHS and Epcot, I think that would be perfect!

 

[Shellyred8]

If the kiddos like the animals, I would vote for AKL. I LOVE the 5 minute bus ride to AK! Even if you have a car, I would still recommend taking the busses to the parks. The trams aren't running yet (at least the last I heard they aren't), so if you drive, you would have to walk from the parking lot. Not too big of a deal at EP and HS, but at MK you will be in for a bit of a hike.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

If the kiddos like the animals, I would vote for AKL. I LOVE the 5 minute bus ride to AK! Even if you have a car, I would still recommend taking the busses to the parks. The trams aren't running yet (at least the last I heard they aren't), so if you drive, you would have to walk from the parking lot. Not too big of a deal at EP and HS, but at MK you will be in for a bit of a hike.

Agreed. The animal factor at AKL can be a huge plus for younger kids. It's not for all, so you'd have to know your grandkids. But parks during the day and animals out their window while at the resort is an awesome trip. Good luck with your choice - you do not have a bad choice, so no worries!

 

[RookieLady]

I have just completed my third stay at the AKL. The resort is nice, but i don't like the transportation mid day. My husband said never again. The busses are fine in the morning and at park close, but if you take a mid-day break, our experience is that you wait a long time for a bus for this hotel. I have never experienced this kind of wait with the other hotels, and I have stayed at all of them but FQ and Yacht Club, many with more than one stay. I mean, I stand at the stop and watch two or three pick ups for each stop for two or three other resorts before a bus comes for AKL. It's infuriating.

 

[Marthasor]

We stayed at the Swan in October and really enjoyed it. We had a deluxe, resort view room with balcony and had a direct view of Spaceship Earth and the EP fireworks - all at the price of a WDW mod. We also didn't mind the bus to MK - it was a quick trip to TTC and a short walk to the express monorail which your grandchildren may enjoy?!

 

[EpcotPhoenician]

If you're willing to put up with bus transportation at AKL, I'd look into a Studio at Old Key West, if available for your dates. It sleeps four comfortably and is often cheaper than AKL. Bus transportation is.... eh... not the best. But you get the same experience with AKL.

If transportation is your concern, I would stick with Swan, or look into a monorail resort (probably out of your budget, excluding Wilderness Lodge Standard or Nature View/Copper Creek Studio).

 

[lorenae]

We stayed at the Swan in October and really enjoyed it. We had a deluxe, resort view room with balcony and had a direct view of Spaceship Earth and the EP fireworks - all at the price of a WDW mod. We also didn't mind the bus to MK - it was a quick trip to TTC and a short walk to the express monorail which your grandchildren may enjoy?!

How are the pools at the Swan? These kids swim in January, and love it, while I sit with a jacket and a warm cup of coffee.

I see one of the pools at AK is closed during our time. I don’t know the layout of AK, but assume it’s pretty huge so it’s likely a long walk to the busses and the pool? One of the things I loved about FQ was the small size.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

How are the pools at the Swan? These kids swim in January, and love it, while I sit with a jacket and a warm cup of coffee.

I see one of the pools at AK is closed during our time. I don’t know the layout of AK, but assume it’s pretty huge so it’s likely a long walk to the busses and the pool? One of the things I loved about FQ was the small size.

The pool at Swan is nice, large, and a fun place for kids. As for the AKL question, since it appears this is not a DVC stay, you're likely talking about a room on the Jambo House side of the resort. There at 2 large parts to the resort, Jambo (mostly cash rooms with some DVC) and Kidani (almost all DVC). The pool that is closing is on the Kidani side and likely would not impact your stay much. Jambo also has a very large, nice feature pool. Depending on where your room is located, you might have a short, medium, or long walk. The restaurants, store, pool, and bus stop are very near the main lobby at Jambo, so it will depend where you stay. You certainly could put in a request for a room closer to the lobby. The nice part about staying in Jambo is the only AKL restaurant not in your building would be Sanaa - it's well worth the trip over to Sanaa, but Boma and The Mara are both excellent places to eat and are in Jambo House.

I know there's always talk about how remote AKL is, too. We've tested it out and can tell you this. If you do each Disney park once (which might not be how you do your trip), and you take the bus to/from each park from all the on-site Disney resorts, the total trip while staying at AKL is less than most of the other Disney resorts. It's remote, but it's not THAT remote.

 

[Dis Dragon]

AKL has two sides to it, Kidani and Jambo. The Kidani area is 100% DVC with some of the rooms being held back for website rentals, where Jambo is the hotel side. The Kidani pool is the one that is getting the refurb early next year, so the pool you would be closest to is at Jambo. AKL is gorgeous, we've stayed there multiple times and are going back in a couple months, there's extra activities at the lodge with the string of memories (bead activities) and scavenger hunts, in addition to the animals and the pool. The food is great there, BOMA is one of my families favorites. We've never had issues with busses from AKL, it's nice that they have the stops split out so not everyone is on top of each other (a la GF or Poly).

All that being said, my kids still talk about the FQ pool - it's a really fun theme and I think your grandchildren would love it. We've only stayed at POR once but loved it there and have wanted to go back. It does have the added bonus of the boats to Disney Springs if you are planning any trips there. You sound price conscious of this trip - I would say FQ is a great option for you, there's some great theming at POFQ. (and bonus, they have beignets)

 

[SarahC97]

Do you think you might use the extended evening hours? If so, then I would opt for Swan or AKL. The kids would probably be far more impressed with AKL than any of the other resorts. I know mine really enjoyed it when stayed there. It's amazing.

 

[jimmymc]

I just saw you have a rental car, so I would not worry about the long distance from AKL or POFQ. The only thing to consider would be staying somewhere on the Magic Kingdom loop, since you would either have to take a bus or go through the TTC to get there.

I'm not sure AKL would be the best use of that $1000 if you're going to the parks every day. I've stayed there with DVC points because it was available last minute, but the pool and rooms are nothing special in my opinion. The real benefits are having a savannah view, the restaurants, and the lobby. Here is what I would do:

1. Check the prices to stay at Wilderness Lodge, Grand Floridian, Polynesian, or Contemporary. If you're comfortable with the price difference, book one of those to be closer to Magic Kingdom.

2. If those are too expensive, I would go with either of the Port Orleans resorts. The pools are a step up from ASMo, you can pool hop between the two, and you can take the boat to Disney Springs for food. Normally I would also recommend Caribbean Beach, but with no Skyliner I think the price and size of the resort are an issue.

 

[lorenae]

Do you think you might use the extended evening hours? If so, then I would opt for Swan or AKL. The kids would probably be far more impressed with AKL than any of the other resorts. I know mine really enjoyed it when stayed there. It's amazing.

Only on Wednesday at MK (if they are still doing that in January. We’ll be at Universal on Sunday and Monday, but checking into our Disney hotel later on Monday so no parks until Tuesday. We are planning park days on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, leaving later in the day on Saturday.

I think that doesn’t really leave a ton of pool time, so maybe I can stick with a cheaper place after all. Hmmmm.

 

[lorenae]

I just saw you have a rental car, so I would not worry about the long distance from AKL or POFQ. The only thing to consider would be staying somewhere on the Magic Kingdom loop, since you would either have to take a bus or go through the TTC to get there.

I'm not sure AKL would be the best use of that $1000 if you're going to the parks every day. I've stayed there with DVC points because it was available last minute, but the pool and rooms are nothing special in my opinion. The real benefits are having a savannah view, the restaurants, and the lobby. Here is what I would do:

1. Check the prices to stay at Wilderness Lodge, Grand Floridian, Polynesian, or Contemporary. If you're comfortable with the price difference, book one of those to be closer to Magic Kingdom.

2. If those are too expensive, I would go with either of the Port Orleans resorts. The pools are a step up from ASMo, you can pool hop between the two, and you can take the boat to Disney Springs for food. Normally I would also recommend Caribbean Beach, but with no Skyliner I think the price and size of the resort are an issue.

Great input, thanks. I looked again at the availability and prices.

1. NONE of those are available, or if they are, they are very very high priced. That was actually my first choice- the Poly or WL particularly. That and BC, which I know we would love. No chance at those.

2. I actually love POFQ, but I don’t really remember the food at the food court for kids. I assume it’s fine. one of the things I recall is that the hot tub is not at the pool, and I know the kids will want to swim, even in January, but I’d either have to sit in a hot tub or stay covered- I hate been cool/cold, especially if wet! and it’s not available currently anyway.

I’ve never been to POR- that might be the best compromise. POR is available (at least it was last night) and with the Epcot skyliner down, may be a better choice than the Swan. And less expensive. I know it’s much larger than POFQ, but still probably less walking than AKL.

The Swan rate isn’t bad for the AP discount- $295 but the ‘resort fee’ and taxes make it still pretty exorbitant for my taste ($1850 for 5 nights, not including parking of $30/day!). The AKL ends up being $1760 plus parking.

POR is $1200 plus parking.

POFQ is currently not showing up in the search so not available currently.

My booking at ASMo (no discount) came to $686 so we’re talking about a huge amount. That’s why I’m driving myself crazy- we won’t be at the hotel much and the kids won’t know the difference between AKL and ASMo really (the older one has only ever been to POP) and I think that I’m the one who really wants to experience deluxe.

Thank you all for input and suggestions- I really appreciate it. I know I’m overthinking this, by a lot, and should just relax and let it be. Really, two hours extra (or whatever it is for a deluxe) after hours isn’t worth $1000 is my thought now.

 

[jimmymc]

Great input, thanks. I looked again at the availability and prices.

1. NONE of those are available, or if they are, they are very very high priced. That was actually my first choice- the Poly or WL particularly. That and BC, which I know we would love. No chance at those.

2. I actually love POFQ, but I don’t really remember the food at the food court for kids. I assume it’s fine. one of the things I recall is that the hot tub is not at the pool, and I know the kids will want to swim, even in January, but I’d either have to sit in a hot tub or stay covered- I hate been cool/cold, especially if wet! and it’s not available currently anyway.

I’ve never been to POR- that might be the best compromise. POR is available (at least it was last night) and with the Epcot skyliner down, may be a better choice than the Swan. And less expensive. I know it’s much larger than POFQ, but still probably less walking than AKL.

The Swan rate isn’t bad for the AP discount- $295 but the ‘resort fee’ and taxes make it still pretty exorbitant for my taste ($1850 for 5 nights, not including parking of $30/day!). The AKL ends up being $1760 plus parking.

POR is $1200 plus parking.

POFQ is currently not showing up in the search so not available currently.

My booking at ASMo (no discount) came to $686 so we’re talking about a huge amount. That’s why I’m driving myself crazy- we won’t be at the hotel much and the kids won’t know the difference between AKL and ASMo really (the older one has only ever been to POP) and I think that I’m the one who really wants to experience deluxe.

Thank you all for input and suggestions- I really appreciate it. I know I’m overthinking this, by a lot, and should just relax and let it be. Really, two hours extra (or whatever it is for a deluxe) after hours isn’t worth $1000 is my thought now.

POR has parking lots dotted around the resort, so the walking shouldn't be too bad. I also think the pool there is much better than POFQ, since you plan on using it.

 

[Brian Noble]

Which would YOU choose? Thanks for talking me off the ledge.

I would not use a "discount" to spend more on my hotel than I had originally planned. For me, the point of a discount is to save money, not to spend more. So, if I am reading this correctly:

The Swan rate isn’t bad for the AP discount- $295 but the ‘resort fee’ and taxes make it still pretty exorbitant for my taste ($1850 for 5 nights, not including parking of $30/day!). The AKL ends up being $1760 plus parking.

POR is $1200 plus parking.

POFQ is currently not showing up in the search so not available currently.

My booking at ASMo (no discount) came to $686 so we’re talking about a huge amount.

I would just stay at ASMo.