Will we like the AKL over Poly? Please help!

[Doede95]

Hi-
I could use some advice from all of you Disney experts. We have always stayed at the Poly(5 times now). We love it. We have 2 boys ages 8 and 3. We are planning a trip for next fall and booked the Animal Kingdom Concierge. We just thought it would be fun to try something new. Now that I have booked it, I need some people to convince me that we will love it and that it is worth the cost. We have always stayed at Poly in a garden view room with a discount code. So, concierge will be a big splurge for us. We like to stay in a nice hotel, as we like to relax at Disney also. We spend about 1/3 of our day swimming and hanging out at our hotel. We do drive, so we will have a car with us. Should I keep my reservation at the AKL or should I go back to the Poly or a different hotel? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks so much!!

 

[lmhall2000]

I've stayed at both...

What's more important to you...

1. Room size..Poly wins hands down
2. Pool...Poly has a slight edge because my children liked the slide better...thought the AKL pool slide was a little lame.
3. Playground...AKL wins
4. WOW factor...we did AKL first then Poly...my kids mention Poly more...but they loved AKL while we were there. Maybe it's just getting more play because the memory is more recent.
5. Monorail...Poly wins especially if you spend most of your time at MK. However, we never had to wait for bus service and I don't remember sharing with other resorts...very nice ride to parks.
6. Change of pace...something to be said for change of pace...5x at Poly and the kids start to think of it as their second home...a visit to AKL would be a neat intro into a whole nother world. Have you ever been to WL? I think I would pick WL over AKL just because it has boat service to MK.
7. As far as concierge...I just never would find the value in it..no one in our family drinks...we spend 90% of our time at the parks and would rather have our snacks out in the midst of it all than in a resort room. And most rooms have fridges now so it's easy to have cereal and milk in the room and shave some time off to maximize park time.

I know I have helped loads!!! But those are the only thoughts I could come up with...we're planning another trip and trying to decide between GF and WL...but may go back to Poly...who knows??????

Tara

 

[BCV23]

Two other things to think about. The Polynesian has those great beaches. No beaches at the AKL. That is a biggie for some of us in my family.

Also, at AKL the only outside space for guests is the pool area and the outlook. That gets old real fast for me. Of course you can look at the animals' area!

I stayed once at AKL for 2 nights before the rest of my family came down. Then we were at the Polynesian for a week or so. I was very glad to get back "home" although I really did enjoy my short stay at AKL. Someday I hope to return but it will be for a short stay as well. When I go to FL, I want to get outside!

 

[scoutsmom99]

I have never stayed at the Poly (would love to!), but we did stay at AKL in October 2004 and loved it! I really enjoyed the pool area there and there are so many different things going on at the resort ie tours, story-telling, all of the animals, etc. I think you should stick with it I have heard that the CL at AKL is fabulous and it will be a nice change of pace.

 

[Doede95]

Thanks for all of your opinions. I will have my husband read this thread also. I might look into the WL also. The only other place in Disney that we stayed at was the Contemporary for 1 night when we could not get into the Poly. It was nice...but not really a "WOW" for us. We don't really drink either, but still would like to try concierge as I have read so many positive things about it. As I stated in my first posting....we do spend atleast a 1/3 of our day at the hotel. I know I will miss the beach. I didn't really think about that. It is only February, so I have time to figure out all of our options. I guess I want to make sure I pick the right spot as it takes me atleast a year to save up for our Disney trips. How about the Epcot resorts? Any favorites there? Thanks!!

 

[Dana49]

We've stayed at the AKL, the Poly, and the WL. Between them, I would give the edge to the Poly. The AKL and WL are nice, though a little more hectic, and the transportation from each resort isn't as convenient as the Poly's. I would stay at the Poly if given a choice.

 

[roozlilone]

AKL is by far my favorite so far....it has an atmosphere like no other!

 

[spiceycat]

both AKL and WL have bunk beds -which I think your kids will enjoy

I love the BC!

next door to Epcot so you can walk there and take the boat to Studios.

It has a beach.

but I really doubt you will get the kids out of the pool. SALB (storm a long bay)

 

[MNSusan]

We stayed at both AKL and Poly with our two grandkids, ages 4 and 8. We all absolutely loved AKL. They had bunk beds which they thought were so cool, and being able to sit out on the balcony and color or read while the giraffes and zebras grazed down below was wonderful. We also enjoyed the Cast Members from other countries and the general relaxed feel of the resort.

We had a water view room at the Poly. It was a long walk from our building to the Main House and monorail. The monorail was great, hands down, and the kids loved the Volcano slide at the pool. But after spending time at AKL, it all seemed very rushed and busy, and we wished we had never moved.

We'll be taking them back in November (they'll be 7 and 11 then) and they're begging to stay at AKL.

 

[webray]

If you like to spend time at the hotel, enjoy the resort ammenities..there is no place better than AKL. We did AKL concierge, we never left the resort. We had dinners at Boma and Jiko, we enjoyed all the lounge had to offer, the pool, etc. There is a wonderful playground for the kids, and the pool is one of the nicest on property.

You are going to love it.

 

[ac_roo]

Hi! We stayed at the Poly for 4 nights and then did a resort hop over to AKL for 3 nights. Poly wins hands down for us. AKL was beautiful, but it was really huge. Poly was absolutely wonderful. Maybe it was the smaller buildings making one resort, but it was much more homey. I would like to try WL, but we're a family of 5. We did the bunk beds at AKL, and it was okay...interestingly, I thought the POLY room was much larger, and I was thrilled with the closet, dresser space. AKL...not much space for a family in the room. We also did concierge, and it was nice, but not all that. The convenience of the Poly was AWESOME! We had thought about Beach/Yacht CLub, but that area is just sooooo busy. Just my thoughts.

 

[Peter Pirate]

If the animals and an African experience are important AKL wins hands down.

If the monorail or seeing the castle is important, Poly wins hands down.

AKL concierge is much better than Poly concierge, IMO.

The Poly pool IS cooler but I guarantee you will NEVER see a giraffe walk by while you're floating in the Poly pool.

'Ohana is a great restaurant. Boma is equal. The Poly has nothing to match Jiko.

The Poly is faux Polynesia, the AKL is faux Africa.

The Poly seems in the heart of Disney. AKL seems in the heart of Africa. Where do you feel like being this trip?

Big help, huh.

 

[mirlow]

It sounds like your ready to try something new? If you don't want to give up the Polynesian why not split your stay? To me it's wonderful to spilt a stay at a MK resort and then end the trip at the AKL. If that's not something you want to do I can tell you that we love the Polynesian, but there is something about the AKL that draws me back every visit. The CL is wonderful. It is very relaxing to hang out at the resort. There is so much to see and do there. We haven't done much of the activities because we just love to sit in the lounge on the balcony or by the pool. We're going on our 4th concierge visit in April. I really want to do some of those activites this trip .
Have you visited the AKL? It is out there, not in the middle of all the action. I say give it a try. If you don't like it just move back to the Polynesian.
Whatever you decide I don't think you can go wrong with either resort. The WL is great too!
Good luck with your choice.

 

[Peter Pirate]

To say that AKL "is out there" isn't exactly correct. It isn't in an active area (by design) due to it's nature but look at a map and it's as close to theme parks as any other resort. Actually, the MK and it's resorts are more isolated from the other parks, if anything.

From AKL to AK (2 minutes), to MGM (5 minutes), to Epcot (6 minutes) to MK (12 minutes), all on dedicated bus service.

 

[mirlow]

When I stay at the Polynesian I feel like I'm in the middle of all of the action. You can see the MK and the fireworks at night. You can walk over to the GF for a character breakfast. You can hop on the monorail to the CR for some shopping. If you want to head to Epcot it's a stroll away to the monorail.
When we stay at the AKL it has a secluded feel to it. That what makes it the hotel I like. I know it's not far to get to other places by bus. To me it's just not where all of the action is. Nothing wrong with that

 

[Doede95]

Thanks again for all of your replies. You have given us a lot to think about. Who knew planning a Disney trip could be so stressful?

 

[wdw1014]

We have stayed at both places. If you have a love for animals like my family does there is no other experience like the AKL. But I agree with those who suggested a day or two at the AKL. and then over to the Poly. The monorail, nightly fireworks, and view of MK makes me think that the Poly is Disney.

 

[crazy4dizney]

Each trip we take we stay at differant hotels and never regret it.Just got back from Poly and really enjoyed it, but by far AKL is on tops for me. I truely think everyone should try it at least once.

 

[imatoad]

I always stay at Poly., but on our last trip we had dinner at Jiko, and I thought AKL was beautiful, but just couldn't imagine staying anywhere but the Poly. The convenience of the monorail, and the atmosphere just can't be beat.

 

[Mainebound]

We love the AKL and the Poly has never appealed to us, so we haven't stayed there, but, I'll add my two cents...

If your heart is telling you to stay at Poly do it. If you have to convince yourself with reason after reason stay at AKL, then it sounds like it should be the Poly for now. You can always try AKL next year!