Should I stay or should I go ?

[Shawn15p]

My wife hates me because I love to change my mind 1000 times when planning trips. We are currently booked for a week at AKL in May in a standard room, with a request for the Kudu Trail hoping to get a good view. My kids are 5.5 and 3.5 and we plan on using the pool a fair amount as we have 2 full days planned to break up the park days and probably come back early from Hollywood Studios early and do a half day at the pool.

Which brings me to my problem. While I think AKL looks amazing, I can't help but wish we were going to Beach Club for the pool and the proximity to the parks. The problem is for the week we are going, all that is available is pool view which is about $1300 more for the week. My wife is reluctant to spend that much more for a better pool and being closer to the parks. I think my kids will have the time of their lives no matter where they are, BUT that pool is so cool haha.

What say you ? Should we stay at AKL or splurge for Beach Club ?

 

[mouse_luv]

AKL. You won't regret it, believe me.
Or if this is going to be so tragic for you, do a split stay b/t AKL and Beach Club for that week.

 

[ryguy]

AKL all the way

 

[Shawn15p]

AKL. You won't regret it, believe me.
Or if this is going to be so tragic for you, do a split stay b/t AKL and Beach Club for that week.

Yes we were considering split stay but decided it's not worth the trouble packing and moving to another resort.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

Definitely AKL

 

[mouse_luv]

Yes we were considering split stay but decided it's not worth the trouble packing and moving to another resort.

Uh what trouble? We do it every trip and love it.All we do is make sure our stuff is in our suitcases and call bell services the morning of our move and they come get the luggage and take down how many items you have and where it's going and they hold it and transfer it for you and then you can be on your way to the Parks. Then when it's time to check in at new resort you go straight there and they should or will soon have your luggage. Easy Peasy!

 

[Shawn15p]

Uh what trouble? We do it every trip and love it.All we do is make sure our stuff is in our suitcases and call bell services the morning of our move and they come get the luggage and take down how many items you have and where it's going and they hold it and transfer it for you and then you can be on your way to the Parks. Then when it's time to check in at new resort you go straight there and they should or will soon have your luggage. Easy Peasy!

Hmmmm doesn't sound too bad. They actually have standard room available at BC for the first 3 days which would make it more affordable. May have to look into this a little more. Easy as calling our TA to make the change ? No affect on our dining reservations, tickets etc ?

 

[mouse_luv]

Hmmmm doesn't sound too bad. They actually have standard room available at BC for the first 3 days which would make it more affordable. May have to look into this a little more. Easy as calling our TA to make the change ? No affect on our dining reservations, tickets etc ?

Your dining and tickets shouldnt be affected because you can book those w/o even having a room.

 

[MaryJaneP]

Never been to AKL, but we will. Have been to BC. Water is just as wet at AKL and $1300 cheaper. Kids won't notice any difference. We'd keep the whole trip at AKL. YMMV. Have fun and let us know what you finally do.

 

[LeighM]

Having the ability to walk to 2 parks is really nice especially when you want midday breaks. But I think AKL has so much more to offer. You can use the pool at Jambo or Kidani and both are really nice. They also have a few good table service dining options and a good quick service. I would stay at AKL just for the food LOL. Plus, AKL seems to have a lot more activities. But maybe that's just me.

 

[becca_]

Never been to AKL, so not much there for me to say, but I do LOVE BC for the pool and proximity to 2 parks... However little kids really don't know the difference as stated above, so if you are saving $$ I think AKL is the way to go! Have fun & good luck choosing!

 

[thomas998]

I would do the Beach Club. AKL wont guarantee you see animals when we were there around the same of the year as you are planning to go we saw very few animals except in the early morning and then around dusk... So don't go thinking it will be like being on a safari or inside a zoo there is a chance it will not be that at all. You will be stuck in the middle of nowhere when at AKL. If you have a rental car it isn't that bad but the buses can suck huge amount of your time up. Our stay there we started out just using the buses but by the second day I took a taxi to a rental car place and rented a car for the rest of the stay because the time lost waiting for buses was insane. Had we been at Beach Club we could have easily gotten away from using a rental car... So when you factor in the 1300 more for BC don't forget to factor in the cost of a rental car at AKL.

 

[BigRedDad]

Wow, $1,300. That savings is 2-3x what I pay for a week. I would NEVER spend that much for a pool. If the pool is such a big deal, just stay at AKL and go to Blizzard Beach. BB destroys Stormalong Bay. Even if you had to buy passes, you would save a ton.

 

[Shawn15p]

Wow, $1,300. That savings is 2-3x what I pay for a week. I would NEVER spend that much for a pool. If the pool is such a big deal, just stay at AKL and go to Blizzard Beach. BB destroys Stormalong Bay. Even if you had to buy passes, you would save a ton.

The difference is so big because we are in standard at AKL and BC for the week we can only do pool/lake view. But if we did a split stay we could do standard at both and it would cost $300ish more.

 

[BigRedDad]

I would still just go to a water park. Blows away BC pool.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

I'm staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge in May. I can't wait.

 

[wannabeBelle]

The difference is so big because we are in standard at AKL and BC for the week we can only do pool/lake view. But if we did a split stay we could do standard at both and it would cost $300ish more.

Go for it!!! Marie

 

[Shawn15p]

Well I came to the conclusion that we were just going to keep it as is at AKL.....untilI I went on Trip Advisor this morning and 6 out of the first 7 newest reviews were not very good. Mostly the amount of time it takes to get to the parks, which is a concern of mine as well since we are spending 5 of the 7 days at the parks.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Well I came to the conclusion that we were just going to keep it as is at AKL.....untilI I went on Trip Advisor this morning and 6 out of the first 7 newest reviews were not very good. Mostly the amount of time it takes to get to the parks, which is a concern of mine as well since we are spending 5 of the 7 days at the parks.

Disney transportation can be slow anywhere. Reading TripAdvisor reviews is like reading the comments section on Facebook.

Your poor wife.

 

[drizgirl]

My wife hates me because I love to change my mind 1000 times when planning trips.

Well I came to the conclusion that we were just going to keep it as is at AKL.....untilI I went on Trip Advisor this morning and 6 out of the first 7 newest reviews were not very good. Mostly the amount of time it takes to get to the parks, which is a concern of mine as well since we are spending 5 of the 7 days at the parks.

Your poor wife.

OP, you already said how unhappy your wife is with you changing your mind over and over on this. Is a little extra time getting to the parks worth your wife "hating" you? Pick a plan and stick with it. Focus on the positive parts of whatever you choose, and for the love of heaven, don't second guess it once you get there.