Should I bother thinking about upgrading?

[tracynicole21]

My honeymoon is in May and we are staying at CSR for five nights. I've booked a Preferred King room. I've never stayed onsite before, but I've always wanted to stay at AKL. I've noticed I could book a standard room at AKL for about $70 more a night. Should I do it, or not? I know AKL is a deluxe and CSR isn't but I wonder if, since I've never stayed onsite, much less at a Mod, if I would even notice the difference? Aside from that we probably won't spend much time in the room since our trip is fairly short and we will be at the parks all day.

 

[strat68]

IMHO, there's really no comparison between the 2 resorts. Just google some photos of AKL. It has better dining, a stunning lobby, and the chance to view the animals is great. If the extra $350 won't break you, I would do it. But that is a lot of money. Maybe stay at CSR and have dinner at AKL with the extra money saved?

 

[twinsmama]

My honeymoon is in May and we are staying at CSR for five nights. I've booked a Preferred King room. I've never stayed onsite before, but I've always wanted to stay at AKL. I've noticed I could book a standard room at AKL for about $70 more a night. Should I do it, or not? I know AKL is a deluxe and CSR isn't but I wonder if, since I've never stayed onsite, much less at a Mod, if I would even notice the difference? Aside from that we probably won't spend much time in the room since our trip is fairly short and we will be at the parks all day.

If you can afford it and you've always wanted to stay there, do it!

 

[gottalovepluto]

I was going to say "if you can afford it, do it!" but then I caught your last line about how you plan to spend most all of your time in the parks. I did 1 trip to WDW (DL vet here) last fall for 2 days and we stayed AKL as that was our dream resort. We got upgraded to a savannah view and saw a couple giraffes from our room, which was very cool because we thought we'd be staring at a parking lot. But it is so far away from everything else. We did Epcot those 2 days and the bus was 15 min ride. The MK was a solid 25 min on our last night. We ubered over there for MVMCP after seeing a bus leaving of people packed like sardines the previous afternoon. I'm not trying to drive you away from AKL, just telling you my experiences as a first-timer! I don't regret staying AKL at all as I know I would have regretted it if we hadn't but 5 days of intensive parks and all that bussing would have driven me bonkers.

 

[Shellyb84]

I would definitely upgrade if you can afford it! There's a huge difference in the feel of a deluxe vs a mod. Plus, it's your honeymoon and you've always wanted to stay there.

 

[Amanda999]

I was going to say "if you can afford it, do it!" but then I caught your last line about how you plan to spend most all of your time in the parks. I did 1 trip to WDW (DL vet here) last fall for 2 days and we stayed AKL as that was our dream resort. We got upgraded to a savannah view and saw a couple giraffes from our room, which was very cool because we thought we'd be staring at a parking lot. But it is so far away from everything else. We did Epcot those 2 days and the bus was 15 min ride. The MK was a solid 25 min on our last night. We ubered over there for MVMCP after seeing a bus leaving of people packed like sardines the previous afternoon. I'm not trying to drive you away from AKL, just telling you my experiences as a first-timer! I don't regret staying AKL at all as I know I would have regretted it if we hadn't but 5 days of intensive parks and all that bussing would have driven me bonkers.

+1. Exactly what I was going to write: if you will spend time at the resort, definitely AKL is worth the extra cost (for me, and you I think b/c of what you wrote). BUT because you said you will be at the parks mostly, then CSR is more centrally located (and is lovely and I think one of the most relaxing of the onsite hotels). (Not sure I helped at all there!) Oh - will you dine at the resort? Boma has a great buffet breakfast, and several great lunch and dinner places - would be lovely for a honeymoon I think.

 

[tracynicole21]

+1. Exactly what I was going to write: if you will spend time at the resort, definitely AKL is worth the extra cost (for me, and you I think b/c of what you wrote). BUT because you said you will be at the parks mostly, then CSR is more centrally located (and is lovely and I think one of the most relaxing of the onsite hotels). (Not sure I helped at all there!) Oh - will you dine at the resort? Boma has a great buffet breakfast, and several great lunch and dinner places - would be lovely for a honeymoon I think.

We are planning to dine at the resort, especially for breakfast and late night snacks. Also, I'm all about going non-stop on vacation but my fiancée likes to take time to relax, and I know we will have some down time between AK closing earlier than the other parks and most likely taking a mid-day break from Epcot. Also, this will be my first trip in over a decade and my last trip until I don't know when, so I'm very tempted to splurge.

 

[marchingstar]

We're two adults who love WDW. We stayed at AKL in November and CSR in May last year. Our next trip (April) is at CSR. AKL was beautiful, but like others have said, you need time to enjoy the resort to make it worth the cost. we had pool afternoons, ate at the resort often, and spent time watching animals each day. This next trip we, like you, are planning on more park time for a shorter trip. CSR is beautiful too, and if you can spend some time walking around it (especially in the evening) I would totally recommend it!

Another option that might be a bit of a middle ground is upgrading to business class at CSR. it's basically club level light--continental breakfast in the mornings, evening snacks and drinks (non-alcoholic plus beer, wine, sangria). The rooms are actually in a better location than preferred too. It should cost certainly less than AKL, with benefits it sounds like you'll take advantage of a bit more fully.

 

[tracynicole21]

We're two adults who love WDW. We stayed at AKL in November and CSR in May last year. Our next trip (April) is at CSR. AKL was beautiful, but like others have said, you need time to enjoy the resort to make it worth the cost. we had pool afternoons, ate at the resort often, and spent time watching animals each day. This next trip we, like you, are planning on more park time for a shorter trip. CSR is beautiful too, and if you can spend some time walking around it (especially in the evening) I would totally recommend it!

Another option that might be a bit of a middle ground is upgrading to business class at CSR. it's basically club level light--continental breakfast in the mornings, evening snacks and drinks (non-alcoholic plus beer, wine, sangria). The rooms are actually in a better location than preferred too. It should cost certainly less than AKL, with benefits it sounds like you'll take advantage of a bit more fully.

That actually sounds like it might be better. AKL would be fantastic, but I'm thinking since I've never even stayed on DW property I wouldn't mind starting with a moderate resort because I don't know what I'm missing by not doing deluxe.

How does the continental breakfast work with BC at CSR?

 

[MagicalMawMaw]

We love CSR. It is a beautiful resort with great bus service.
They do have a TS restaurant there to dine at at night if you wish too.
The one thing in favor of CSR is if you book a king room you get a king room. We always booked a king water view there & always got that.
I also love walking around the lake there.

AKL is awesome. However, the big advantage there is if you have a savanna view room & you spend time at the resort. It is awesome to sit on the balcony & watch the animals.
You can request a king room at AKL but most likely you will get a room with 2 queens.
Jiko is a wonderful restaurant & there is more dining onsite at AKL than at CSR.

I would say QS dining might be better at CSR than at AKL however.

I love both resorts.

 

[LSLS]

It depends. Will that take away from budget for much nicer meals and such? If so, I'd say no (The moderates are nice, and if you aren't going to hang out at the hotels, you will be much happier going for a fancier meal). If this is just extra and it won't cut into any budget for meals and such, I would do it, the hotel is beautiful, and you may even get lucky and get an upgrade. Make sure you have it in your notes that it is your honeymoon (call up and talk to them about it). Never know what extra you might get.

 

[dizzyinwdw]

I would look at the amenities (for example, room service, pools, CS, TS) and choose. IMHO I was so exhausted after my wedding I don't know if I could have done a WDW parks trip LOL! AKL is very relaxing and the animals are awesome. If you have always wanted to stay AKL I would do it if budget wasn't an issue. The bus service from AKL was terrific and the bus station at the parks it is always closer than the mods or values (great when leaving after a day at the aprks). Either way congrats and have a great honeymoon!

 

[marchingstar]

That actually sounds like it might be better. AKL would be fantastic, but I'm thinking since I've never even stayed on DW property I wouldn't mind starting with a moderate resort because I don't know what I'm missing by not doing deluxe.

How does the continental breakfast work with BC at CSR?

BC really is a nice splurge, if it's available and if it fits your budget. Basically all the business class rooms are in the same building (9B in the cabanas section). There's a lounge on the main floor that you access with your magic band. I can't remember the exact hours, but the lounge is open in the morning with basic continental breakfast (cereals, fruit, yogurt, juices, pastries, teas and coffee). i think there were a couple mornings we wanted to leave before the longe opened, so the day before we grabbed some food to keep in our room until the next morning.

 

[ELSA711]

We are in a similar boat with AKL vs CBR (which is where we booked). Anniversary trip though, not honeymoon.
I really want to switch to AKL but we won't be there much. We have tours booked most days. If I'm staying at AKL, then I'm staying there 50% of my time. I just love it.

 

[tracynicole21]

I ended up talking it over with my fiancée and we decided to stay at CSR this time and try for AKL next time we go (which is hopefully next year or so). We figure it'll be just as fun and special whether it's CSR or AKL and it would be a stretch for our budget. I definitely want to stay at AKL one day, but maybe I'll wait until we have the money to stay in a room with a safari view, which is my dream.

I will look more into BC at CSR, though, as that may be more plausible. Thanks everyone for your input!

 

[marchingstar]

I ended up talking it over with my fiancée and we decided to stay at CSR this time and try for AKL next time we go (which is hopefully next year or so). We figure it'll be just as fun and special whether it's CSR or AKL and it would be a stretch for our budget. I definitely want to stay at AKL one day, but maybe I'll wait until we have the money to stay in a room with a safari view, which is my dream.

I will look more into BC at CSR, though, as that may be more plausible. Thanks everyone for your input!

I think you'll have a great time at CSR. It's a beautiful resort, and whether you're in a preferred or BC room, I think it'll be a great trip.

 

[AspenLL]

We have stayed at both and had a great time. We upgraded to AKL the last round and were so happy that we did. It just depends on what you want to do. There's no feeling like walking into the lobby of AKL and knowing thats your home for the week. That being said, we would definitely stay at CSR again without hesitation. You're in good hands with both.

 

[tracynicole21]

We have stayed at both and had a great time. We upgraded to AKL the last round and were so happy that we did. It just depends on what you want to do. There's no feeling like walking into the lobby of AKL and knowing thats your home for the week. That being said, we would definitely stay at CSR again without hesitation. You're in good hands with both.

Great! That makes me feel completely comfortable with my decision to stay at CSR! I can't wait!

 

[tcherjen]

I agree if you can afford it--go for it! We are staying at AKL for the first time in 18 days.