Animal Kingdom vs Contemporary

[ThorisaDisneyLover]

Hi booking a last minute trip to Disney the end of October. I’ve narrowed it down to the Contemporary or AKL. We have stayed at Poly, GF and Beach Club multiple times, but never Contemporary or AkL. What resort would you choose based solely on the resort itself ? Not concerned with pricing or how far they are from other parks.

Thanks, Tom

 

[Hakunamatata]

Hi booking a last minute trip to Disney the end of October. I’ve narrowed it down to the Contemporary or AKL. We have stayed at Poly, GF and Beach Club multiple times, but never Contemporary or AkL. What resort would you choose based solely on the resort itself ? Not concerned with pricing or how far they are from other parks.

Thanks, Tom

AKL. Just because it has a similar vibe to wilderness lodge.

 

[StarshipDisney]

The convenience of the Contemporary Resort cannot be beat. Just stay in the tower and you will absolutely love it. Take the monorail to Poly for Ohana or schedule a fireworks cruise. Just take the elevator to stores. The bus stop is also very close. Everything is so very convenient.

We have stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge as well. It was very nice but we did not care for the long walks between room and bus stop. Enjoyed the Sunrise Safari but they don't have that anymore.

 

[ptlohmysoul]

Where else can you see animals outside your room? I vote Animal Kingdom. Having said that, we often stay at Bay Lake Tower since we can walk to Magic Kingdom.

 

[jpeden]

Having stayed at both my question would be - is MK your main park? We like to end the night there unless we are in Epcot, so ML resorts are best for us.

If you aren’t going to spend every day in MK - AKL wins hands down.

 

[epcotisbest]

Based "solely on the resort itself" per your OP, AKL, and it is not even close. Based on other factors like lobby, pool, distance to MK, rooms, dining, etc... its still AKL.
And we like the Contemporary just fine, but the AKL experience is incredible, while the Contemporary experience, while good, just does not compare in overall resort experience.

 

[ThorisaDisneyLover]

We just booked AKL For the last week
Of October ! Thanks for the feedback guys ! We Ultimately decided that AKL would be our best choice for this trip. Based on the fact that we wanna have pool days mixed in with the hustle and bustle of the parks.

 

[epcotisbest]

We just booked AKL For the last week
Of October ! Thanks for the feedback guys ! We Ultimately decided that AKL would be our best choice for this trip. Based on the fact that we wanna have pool days mixed in with the hustle and bustle of the parks.

Excellent choice. And here is a tip...walk over to Kidani and try the pool area there. It is a fantastic, tranquil retreat. Eat at Sanaa too!

 

[Master Yoda]

AKL wins hands down.

Close proximity to MK is nice, but AKL is just such a unique experience. Out of all of Disney's resorts, it is the only one that I truly enjoy just spending time at.

 

[MissViv]

We have stayed at the Contemporary three times in the Tower. Last time we had a fireworks view and it was fabulous. Can't beat it if you are going to the parks every day.

But this trip in November, we have decided to stay at AKL in a Savanna room. We are going to resort hop and only go to MK & Epcot one day each. Can't wait for this unique experience!

 

[ThorisaDisneyLover]

Excellent choice. And here is a tip...walk over to Kidani and try the pool area there. It is a fantastic, tranquil retreat. Eat at Sanaa too!

n
B. B. B m



K

We have stayed at the Contemporary three times in the Tower. Last time we had a fireworks view and it was fabulous. Can't beat it if you are going to the parks every day.

But this trip in November, we have decided to stay at AKL in a Savanna room. We are going to resort hop and only go to MK & Epcot one day each. Can't wait for this unique experience!

Yes We’re looking to do the same thing this time around. We were at Disney in December and did the whole park hopping from morning till night. Really looking forward to just enjoying the Resort and amenities !

 

[epcotisbest]

n
B. B. B m



K

?

 

[Gaston's gal]

My family just loves staying at AKL. We have done it several times already and are scheduled to go back at the end of this year. If you do stay there, make sure you try out the night vision goggles one night. It is so much fun!

 

[ThorisaDisneyLover]

Excellent choice. And here is a tip...walk over to Kidani and try the pool area there. It is a fantastic, tranquil retreat. Eat at Sanaa too!

Thanks for the advice ! Look forward to it.

 

[ThorisaDisneyLover]

My family just loves staying at AKL. We have done it several times already and are scheduled to go back at the end of this year. If you do stay there, make sure you try out the night vision goggles one night. It is so much fun!

I just watched a video of the night vision googles, amazing ! thanks !

 

[KaliSplash]

No question AKL is much better themed. But I have a fondness for the Contemporary from back when it, Poly, and the Golf Resort were all there were.

 

[spacethunder]

AKL - nicer property, animals outside, more secluded, and quite frankly the best restaurants in WDW.

 

[correcaminos]

After multiple stays at both, it's a no brainer question for me - AKL. Contemporary is nice. The grounds though are very concrete and the resort itself is not that great in terms of what it offers as just a resort compared to AKL. So much more to do at AKL and so much to love there!

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

Have fun!