Which resort should I go with?

[mrsprincecharming]

I am going back and forth a million times about which resort to stay in when we go in July. It is me, DH, DS11 and DD7....If you had a choice which would you choose....POR or AKL? and why? Which resort has the nicer pool?

 

[Sue M]

We like both resorts. It's had to compare, they are different levels, mod & deluxe. So depends on what amenities you are looking for, and how much time you will stay at the resort to enjoy the amenities . We spend a fair amount of time at our resort, we like a mid day break and don't commando tour. Some people are at the parks from open to close, and are just at their resort to shower and sleep.

POR is beautiful, rooms have just been renovated and have queen beds. The buildings are separate, so the resort is more spread out. the grounds are beautiful, and we enjoy walking around, and along the river. It has a marina, with boat rentals, and a boat that takes you to DTD. Good food court, evening entertainment in the lounge. And there are quiet pools as well as the main pool. POR has outside corridors, and no balconies.

AKL is a Deluxe resort, and it sure has the wow factor the moment you walk into the lobby. Everything is under 1 roof, so you don't have to walk outside to get somewhere in the resort. Has a nice food court and 2 great TS.
It does have the best pool! Very large, and zero entry.
It has indoor halls, so your room is more private since the windows aren't facing an outside walkway. Al rooms have balconies. And closets. Something the other WDW value and moderate resorts lack for some reason.
And there are the Savannas, and all the animals to view.

There are things I like about each. Have a look on Allears.net in the Accommodations section, they have loads of resort pics.

 

[ArmyWife3-4]

While we always stay at POFQ and not POR, POR would get my vote! It's a nice, quiet resort with nice proximity to parks. We stayed at AKL last year, and while it's an incredible resort, we felt like the bus ride took forever regardless of where we were going! It seemed like a 20 minute bus ride from each park back to the resort, and for me, that's just wasted time. AKL is nice to spend an evening exploring to see the animals and enjoy the restaurants, but the bus ride was a real bummer for us.
POR has a nicely themed pool with easy access to POFQ, the boats to DTD, and the buses run frequently.
If you're looking for a deluxe that is styled like AKL, you could also check out WL. WL is by far our favorite, and the layout is very similar to AKL while being much closer to the parks with a great pool!

 

[mrsprincecharming]

Thank you! I have never stayed at either resort but I just came across a great rate for AKL, only a lil more than what I found for POR. We have stayed at Wilderness lodge a few years ago and we did love it and DH and I stayed at POFQ pre kiddos My DD is an animal lover and it almost swayed me but my DS already had his heart set on the fishing hole, slide and rope swing at POR. So for this trip I guess we will do POR and maybe next time, try Animal Kingdom. We have a car so I guess I wasn't as concerned with travel time but it still makes a difference when you want to come back to rest in the heat of the day in July. I appreciate your opinions. Thanks again

 

[latexscooter]

We've stayed at both and love AKL. For us, AKL gives us the most relaxing and enjoyable vacations. We are the type that go to the park early and then come back and spend the entire afternoon at the resort swimming and enjoying the activities there. We spend time at the resort so it’s important to us that there are things to do and have the ability to chill. We found that there was much more to do at AKL. My daughter took part in a "safari" where she used some tracking equipment to find a hidden Donald. She also made a rubbing of medallions in the lobby, made an African bracelet, did the evening story time and several other things. When we are at the lodge it was like being a million miles from home and it really feels like a getaway.

Our stays at POR (like a previous poster I also prefer POFQ) were nice. We always take advantage of the water activities and our daughter has even done the pirates adventure - which was a blast. However, while she was off doing her things we always felt like tourist in a hotel (which we know we are). But it never gave us the feeling of escape that we got AKL.

The one thing that we no longer do when we stay at AKL is pay for the savannah view. There are so many public viewing areas and things to do out and about at the hotel we don't feel the need to spend the money. We usually get a pool view room and use the money saved for a nice dinner at Jiko and souvenirs to bring home.

My advice is to follow your heart. I'm sure wherever you land you'll love it.

 

[Sue M]

Thank you! I have never stayed at either resort but I just came across a great rate for AKL, only a lil more than what I found for POR. We have stayed at Wilderness lodge a few years ago and we did love it and DH and I stayed at POFQ pre kiddos My DD is an animal lover and it almost swayed me but my DS already had his heart set on the fishing hole, slide and rope swing at POR. So for this trip I guess we will do POR and maybe next time, try Animal Kingdom. We have a car so I guess I wasn't as concerned with travel time but it still makes a difference when you want to come back to rest in the heat of the day in July. I appreciate your opinions. Thanks again

If you, DD & DH want to go to AKL then you should! Unless DS is paying for the trip. Once he's there he'll love it..

I think travel time from AKL to MK is only 20 min, Epcot or dhs around 15 min, and ak only 5 min. We had no problem taking afternoon breaks. AKL pool is really nice, and large. Y ou can visit por to go to the fishing hole.

 

[FantasiaMagic]

AKL - It has a nicer pool and great restaurants. You can also see the animals while u r there.

 

[mrsprincecharming]

Thank you all! I booked POR because I had already told everyone that is where we were staying and was going to do a last minute switch but I think we will definitely go with Animal Kingdom next time Maybe on a bounceback