French Quarter or AKL???

rioannidis

rioannidis

Member
Original Poster
Without getting into all the details on pricing and such, I am currently booked at French Quarter for 9 nights at the end of July - Aug 2014 I can upgrade to AKL for an extra $500. (and yes, I'm sure the pricing is right) :) Is it worth it?

I mean we typically don't spend much time at the resort at all. The odd swim in the pool and to sleep and change clothes. We are generally at the parks or Downtown Disney. We stayed at FQ last trip and loved the small size and convenience of it. Have eaten at Boma more than once and love the feel of that resort.

Thoughts? Advice? Suggestions??

THANK YOU
 
JTT

JTT

Well-Known Member
AKL is a nicer resort, better pool, rooms, restaurants. AKL is not conveniently located and is a big resort.

FQ is great. Small resort, great theme and conveniently located for driving & bus service.
 
TAMarie

TAMarie

Member
If you truly aren't planning on spending much time at your resort, I guess the $5oo isn't worth it. But on a 9 day trip staying at a deluxe resort, you will want to spend time at your resort! AKL is unique and exciting. I've stayed at many resorts and all the deluxes, and there isn't anything like AKL. You don't need to stay in a savannah view room to get the great AKL experience, because animals are readily viewable. Especially with help from the helpful African guides. Why not try it and all its wonderful amenities, and maybe your family won't need to go into the parks or DD all the time? Just a thought.
 
ParentsOf4

ParentsOf4

Well-Known Member
rioannidis said:
Without getting into all the details on pricing and such, I am currently booked at French Quarter for 9 nights at the end of July - Aug 2014 I can upgrade to AKL for an extra $500. (and yes, I'm sure the pricing is right) :) Is it worth it?

I mean we typically don't spend much time at the resort at all. The odd swim in the pool and to sleep and change clothes. We are generally at the parks or Downtown Disney. We stayed at FQ last trip and loved the small size and convenience of it. Have eaten at Boma more than once and love the feel of that resort.
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POFQ is a fine resort, a nice place for couples but, seriously, upgrade to a Deluxe Resort for $500 for 9 nights. That works out to $56/night. For $56/night, you can upgrade from a Moderate to one of Disney's very best Deluxe Resorts.

Sadly, nowadays $56 is about the price of a WDW buffet with tip. For one. :(

AKL is absolutely beautiful, a "spared no expense" resort with lots of details in the best tradition of Disney. It really is one of WDW's best resorts. It gets a bad rap because of location but as the newest Deluxe Resort it represents some of WDW's finest attributes having opened just before they started to "value engineer" everything.

Having stayed at nearly all the resorts (I'm still waiting for my 'Cabins at Fort Wilderness' moment:)) I'm a big fan of trying new resorts. Since you've stayed at POFQ before but never AKL, that's another reason to try it.

Is a split stay an option? Spend 4 or 5 nights at PQFQ and then switch to AKL for the backend? (Always do the higher level resort at the backend; it's a bit of a shock to downgrade during a trip.)
 
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shmmrname

shmmrname

Active Member
I've stayed at both, and I liked them both. That said, $500 is a pretty good deal in Disney dollars to go from a Moderate to a Deluxe.

If you really don't plan on doing anything at the hotel, then you might want to keep the savings for other uses. But, for us, I'd probably go to AKL if we could swing that price difference. I love the restaurants, the savannah and the lobby. Plus, we take mid-day breaks, so we're at the hotel a bit more than commando-style visitors. It's a small thing maybe, but I love waking up and being in awe of my surroundings... and that tends to happen more at the Deluxe Resorts for me.

French Quarter is probably my favorite Moderate, so you can't go wrong with whatever you decide.
 
jaklgreen

jaklgreen

Well-Known Member
POFQ is my "home" resort, I love it. I stayed at AKL a couple of years ago. It is a very nice resort and the rooms are great but... I will probably not stay there again. It is sooooo far away from the parks. It took forever to get anywhere(except of course AK). I felt like I wasted so much time on the busses that trip. Also, they do not spray for bugs at that resort due to the animals and I got so bit up by mosquitoes and that had never happened at WDW before. I could not even walk from my room to the Mara in the evenings without getting bit at least twice. There is a reason why they charge less at AKL then other deluxe hotels and it is probably because of the location because it is a beautiful resort.
 
rioannidis

rioannidis

Member
Original Poster
Thank you all for your thoughts and opinions. The one thing holding me back is the location of the resort. We eat at Boma every time we go to Disney and love the resort!!! But I have read multiple comments online that its "so far out there" and that "it takes forever to get to the parks except Animal Kingdom of course" so I'm finding myself leaning towards sticking with FQ. Decisions...decisions!! I think this is what's called a "happiness problem" right?? :)
 
jkl2000

jkl2000

Well-Known Member
Personally, I've gone through all kinds of turmoil before deciding to stick with POFQ. Never been there, but after all the good words for it, I just want to experience it for myself. Next time I'll probably try something different, even if it's another moderate.
 
Santa Raccoon 77

Santa Raccoon 77

Thank you sir. You were an inspiration.
Premium Member
coronado springs. It is queiter than the other mods imho and if you are not wanting the food court etc then the rancho's are nicely tucked away and peacefull
 

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