Would You Upgrade?

[MouseMojo]

My family and I are staying at the POFQ in September. I am looking at upgrading to the AKL. this is our first time staying at a Moderate, and have a chance to move up one more level. we have always stayed at the Value Resorts, All Stars Resorts. I am afraid to move up. From what I hear you tend to lose some of the Disney magic as you move up. i heard that the resorts tend to shy away from the Disney theming and more towards the theming of what they are going for such as CBR or such.
Now we are going with a 3 yr. old, and the AKL has a child care in the evening. that is a big plus.

 

[peabody58]

The Disney magic is integrated into every resort, however the 'experience' is uniquely different. We enjoy trying different resorts because each one is unique, but still Disney special. You will not be disappointed by AKL.

 

[mikelan6]

I would definitely upgrade. AKL is an amazing resort.

 

[NC Belle]

It has been awhile since we travelled with a kid that young (most of our nieces and nephews are older than 10) and we never took them to WDW.

I think that some pros for AKL in September are: balconies so you can relax while the 3 year old sleeps, inside corridors, covered walkways to the bus stop, nice food selections, excellent gift shop, kids activities, nighttime animal watching, and there are some nice areas to relax inside and outside.

You may want to request a room that is more central. Some of the Boma reviews have be less stellar. We used to do breakfast buffet that was pretty good with our last time several years ago. We did have good quick meals at Mara. We never tried Jiko or Sanaa. Sorry, we did not have our nieces or nephews with us so no kid club or activities reviews. You said that you experienced the ALL-Stars so you have an idea on the time on the buses to the various venues/parks.


We have never have had POR/POFQ in our past trips due primarily to lack of queen beds which I hear that has been changed.
Pros for the moderate: some rooms have been recently updated, closer to MK, boats to Downtown Disney, and some activites like the surrey bikes.
Cons--- multiple bus stops in September (possible longer waits, September heat and lovebugs), smaller space, no balcony, open corriders, and open walkways-not fun in the almost daily downpours.

You will have fun no matter what level.

 

[MelissaFromRI]

My family and I are staying at the POFQ in September. I am looking at upgrading to the AKL. this is our first time staying at a Moderate, and have a chance to move up one more level. we have always stayed at the Value Resorts, All Stars Resorts. I am afraid to move up. From what I hear you tend to lose some of the Disney magic as you move up. i heard that the resorts tend to shy away from the Disney theming and more towards the theming of what they are going for such as CBR or such.
Now we are going with a 3 yr. old, and the AKL has a child care in the evening. that is a big plus.

AKL is an amazing resort , I would go for it !!!
Where else can you view giraffes and zebras from your balcony

 

[Spaceace5150]

In order to make a decision, I'd keep the extra cost in mind. What is the difference in cost? Would you be better off using that extra money on food, activities, souvenirs (or even saving it for a home project) I think only you can answer that.

That being said, I like staying at AKL!

 

[k5jm]

AKL will immerse you in theming. You are in a Disney "Nature" film. The only resort that seems to have lost its theme is the Contemporary. I still love the Contemporary, but I can not put my finger on many "Contemporary" elements.

 

[mel&me]

You will not lose any of the Disney feel at AKL. If it is cost effective for you, and you are not taking away from something else
I say Upgrade, you won't regret it.

 

[rotlex]

Upgrade. You won't be sorry! I am NOT a resort snob, as we normally stay at a mod, or POP. However, last year we did a 10 night stay at AKL, and it was worth every single penny. The resort is simply amazing, and, dare I say, a destination in itself. The grounds, pool, animals and access to even the Kidani areas, make it our new favorite resort.

Now, with that said, we did catch the deluxe bug, and have a 10 night stay at WL booked for this August, LOL. I'll let you know in September which we liked better!

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

I would do it for sure. AKL is a wonderful Disney resort, and I imagine that a three year old would LOVE to be able to watch the animals from the balcony of your own room. I actually think that you get MORE theming the more you go up in resort accommodations.

 

[SnackyStacky]

I think getting feedback here is a great idea!

But - in the end, if you don't try it, you'll never know for yourself. Just as each person is unique, so are their tastes and preferences. What some define as "loss of magic" to one person can be an unfair assessment to another person.

Considering you "always" stay somewhere, I have a feeling you'll be back. So try it once. If it doesn't work for you, then you'll know that for future trips. And it's not really a loss in that case - cause....well, you're at Walt Disney World. AND you'll be back.

But I truly believe that more likely than not, you'll be spoiled and want to stay deluxe in the future.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Cherinva]

I did an upgrade last year to the Poly. I've always loved that resort, and since it was just for 2 days, I felt it cost effective. I did not regret my decision !!!

It's a decision you have to make for yourself, if the extra cost is not an issue, then I say go for it. I've heard the AKL is beautiful, and that one is on my list for a future trip.

Either way, have a wonderful trip.

 

[TrekBoy85]

If it fits your vacation budget, I'd say definitely do it, especially if you can get a Savannah view room.

 

[mainegal]

Upgrade.... Cost not an issue? Go for it! If cost really is not an issue, be sure you get the savannah view, not parking lot issue.

If you are on the fence about money, consider how much time you will be in the room. Enough to make it worth the extra cost? Or could the money be spent on food and special tours?

I had the pleasure of staying with a DVC owner friend at Kidani, room with parking lot view. The AKL resort is beautifully themed, but not in a Mickey Mouse screaming out you way.

I think the AKL & Kidani deserve exploration time. There are so many artifacts that it is like walking through a museum to get to your room. I regret that I did not explore more, I was in the parks most of the time.

If choose to stay at the moderate, take some time to visit AKL.

 

[DEA]

My family and I are staying at the POFQ in September. I am looking at upgrading to the AKL. this is our first time staying at a Moderate, and have a chance to move up one more level. we have always stayed at the Value Resorts, All Stars Resorts. I am afraid to move up. From what I hear you tend to lose some of the Disney magic as you move up. i heard that the resorts tend to shy away from the Disney theming and more towards the theming of what they are going for such as CBR or such.
Now we are going with a 3 yr. old, and the AKL has a child care in the evening. that is a big plus.

AKL is, quite simply, amazing. We stayed there with a 5yo and a 3yo last year, and they both loved it. The pool was great for them with the zero-entry area (and lifejackets so that they could be more independent in the water), the food choices were very good, and they had animals out the window. I think the older daughter loved it more, but they both had a great time.

The theming of the resort is incredible, and I think that the Disney Magic is definitely there. I have stayed in both POFQ and AKL and in my opinion AKL has more Magic than POFQ. The magic is not the "see the castle out the window" or the "giant Buzz Lightyear outside" or even the "Mickey-shaped pool" kind of magic. It's a resort where I felt genuinely welcomed every time I came back. It was a resort where my kids could join in a Djembe drum circle in the evenings. It was a resort where there were animals outside the window. All of that was pretty magical.

As a final thought, we stayed at BLT last month, and I would have rather stayed at AKL or AKV. So I would definitely vote for the upgrade if you have the room in your budget for it.

Also, though, please note that the child care (Simba's Clubhouse, and, I believe, all of the others) is for ages 4-12 according to Disney. When we stayed there last year, we used Kids Nite Out instead because our younger daughter was 3.

 

[OKW Lover]

Well, we are resort snobs but we would have said "upgrade" anyway.

As others have posed, AKL is very well themed. You could spend lots of time just wandering around the resort or looking out onto the Savannah watching the animals. The depth of theming of this resort is just amazing, matched only by Wilderness Lodge, which would be another great choice.

 

[Disneyfreak616]

I would definitely say upgrade. We stayed at AKL last July and LOVED it. The themeing is spot on. We are actually considering upgrading to AKL again from CSR this August, if we can scrounge up the extra $$$ in time.

 

[Phoenixblue]

I would say if you can, do it. But I am a bit biased as AKV was my first DVC buy.
We had our first trip home last Oct., with DS 4 and DD 8. Both kids loved AKV. They sat quietly on the balcony to watch the animals and thought it was the best thing. The theme is grand and we all had a great time. We were there a week and every time they saw an animal, it was exciting, even after the tenth time we saw a giraffe, they had to stop and watch it.
And the lodge was great when we had a down day with no parks. There is always something going on, or you can just sit and enjoy the atmosphere.

 

[djblu883]

I'm going to be mobbed by this but I totally disagree with most of the posters here. My family and I went to AKL in Dec. and truthfully felt it was a big waste for us. We had a savana view and yes we saw animals but truthfully we were gone more than we were there so we could have saved our funds to do something different like Cirque de Soliel or something ....

 

[mpetti]

I say if you can afford it you should do it. We use to stay value and then went to deluxe (CR) loved it and our last trip was moderate (CBR) also loved it. Even staying value we enjoyed it. My problem is my boys 13 and turning 9and the value resorts the rooms being so small. When we go in August we are staying at AKL for the very first time. I got a 40% off room rate and that's why we are staying at AKL or probably would have went back to CBR. Would have loved to stay at CR again however it cost too much. I am sure you will enjoy your trip no matter what you decide after all you are going to be at WDW. Enjoy.

Maryann