Possible Change of Plans, Need Advice...

[P0PC0RN]

<TABLE id=HB_Mail_Container height="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 UNSELECTABLE="on"><TBODY><TR height="100%" UNSELECTABLE="on" width="100%"><TD id=HB_Focus_Element vAlign=top width="100%" background="" height=250 UNSELECTABLE="off">Hey all,

My wife and I just visited Florida this past week for a teachers conference. We had some time to visit Downtown Disney and a few hotels. I made previous posts about planning our trip and we had decided to stay at POR. After seeing the Animal Kingdom Lodge (and eating at Boma) and the Wilderness Lodge we've decided that we may want to upgrade. My question to you all is if we can afford it, is it really worth it to pay the extra money, or is that money better spent somewhere else? Also we don't want to pay more than the lowest deluxe fee of $199/night or around there, and to the best of my knowledge both AKL and WL are that price, so the question is since we loved both so much, which is the better of the two and why? Thanks much guys!
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[tink81]

You may be able to play around with the rates at WL more so than AKL. I don't know what it is about WL, but in my experience it is trends to be the least expensive of the Deluxe hotels. But again, it might depend on your dates and room availability.

 

[sbkline]

My question to you all is if we can afford it, is it really worth it to pay the extra money, or is that money better spent somewhere else?

I guess it all depends on how much time you intend to stay at the resort. If you plan to spend the vast majority of your time away from the hotel, like doing the parks and stuff, then you may as well stay with POR. After all, why pay all the extra money for a resort you only sleep in anyway? But if you intend to spend plenty of time at the resort itself, just lounging around, watching the animals, and doing things that the Animal Kingdom Lodge has to offer, then it may be worth it to upgrade.

 

[KnK]

My husband and I love WL. We stay 4 nights at POP and 6 nights at WL. We could spend less and stay at a Moderate the whole time, but for us we really really look forward to WL. So for us, yes, the extra money is worth it.

 

[kachow]

To me, the price difference as you upgrade from value to moderate and moderate to deluxe is mainly seen and felt in the theming and dining experience. I think the moderate level hotels do a fairly good job of theming themselves, so the difference when you compare them to deluxe may or may not be significant. It's hard to explain, but the moderate hotels to me feel like a regular hotel that's decided to theme itself in a particular way, while the deluxe hotels feel like they are genuinely what they're pretending to be. Both are fun, it's just taking it to another level that may or may not be significant enough for the money.

I've never stayed at the AKL, but the pluses of the WL are that visually, it's very impressive, Artist's Point is a great restaurant, the ferry service to MK is great, and it's one of the cheapest deluxe resorts. After staying there for our first trip together, my wife and I switched to Boardwalk for our second trip, and are staying there again in November. Our deciding factors on that, and why we think it's worth it, is proximity to two parks (Epcot and MGM), the restaurants/entertainment on the Boardwalk, and the fact that they have a general pool area and a quiet pool area. Come to think of it, the biggest plus of a deluxe resort may be that you CAN escape the screaming of kids from time to time.

 

[xforce]

I'm going through the same decision now as well. We've booked for a week from Aug 13-19 at Pop Century which we've stayed at last year, and have stayed at All Star movies a few months before. Both were ok, nothing special, we usually spent afternoons their either napping or at the pool (5 year old and then a 1 year old)...now 2&6.

I'm getting the itch to upgrade, checked today and the moderates are booked, but AK and WL are both available for just or $760 above what we're paying for Pop Century...not a huge amount. Polynesian and the like were $1500 upgrades...not an option!

We've eaten at Boma and floated past WL, both look beautiful!

My wife says its up to me....opinions?

 

[campdisney]

Never stayed at WL but have stayed at AKL and plan to do so again. Every morning, before the kids got up, my dh & I would sit on the balcony with our coffees, watching giraffes, zebras and ankole cattle graze in the morning mist. You can't duplicate that experience anywhere else.

 

[Teenchy]

I'm going through the same decision now as well. We've booked for a week from Aug 13-19 at Pop Century which we've stayed at last year, and have stayed at All Star movies a few months before. Both were ok, nothing special, we usually spent afternoons their either napping or at the pool (5 year old and then a 1 year old)...now 2&6.

I'm getting the itch to upgrade, checked today and the moderates are booked, but AK and WL are both available for just or $760 above what we're paying for Pop Century...not a huge amount. Polynesian and the like were $1500 upgrades...not an option!

We've eaten at Boma and floated past WL, both look beautiful!

My wife says its up to me....opinions?

Wow tough choice...If I make it for you will you take me.

I love WL. Good pool, fun restaurant for kids (Whispering Canyon), cant beat location for small kids.(short boat ride to MK)

AKL.. IMHO....you must have a Savannah View room or its not worth it. But if you do...your kids waking up to views of Giraffes, Zebra etc....where else are you going to do that unless you take your kids to Africa. Good pool (like WL a little better). Nice Restaurant (Boma) but not as much fun for the kids. Not the best location for park access.

I would definitely pick one and upgrade over POP, etc.

I Guess its time to flip a coin.
Have a great time!

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

I have stayed at WL 5 times and AKL 4 times. I love them both, but my favorite is definately AKL. Go with the savannah view if you can afford it.
If you need help with the reservations, please feel free to contact me. We watch for the deals to come out and can hopefully save you some extra $$$.

Pam

 

[OhioDisneyLover]

We have stayed at both the WL and the AKL. I agree that if you stay at the AKL you might want to consider a savannah view. We were lucky and were upgraded to the savannah view when we stayed there.

If you decide to go with either of these resorts, I don't think that you will be disappointed.

 

[AEfx]

It's a question only you can answer.

Yes, those are great resorts and I don't think you would be disapointed. However, is it REALLY worth it to you to spend $200 a day for a room you will spend most of your time asleep in? That's what you need to decide.

This is why I stay at the value resorts. I know some people just "couldn't do that" because they think that a clean room with a bed, bathroom, and TV isn't enough, but since I spend less than 1/2 hour awake in the room each day, I'd much rather spend the $100+ dollars I save per day on nice meals, extra tickets (like the parties) or souvineers that will last a lifetime instead of on a room my eyes are closed in 90% of the time I'm there.

So, it's really dependant on how you feel about your money - for some, it is worth it to pay $200/night for the feeling it gives them to stay somewhere upperscale, or because they would actually use some of the amenities (I never would as I am there to go to the parks morning-noon-night, I don't even make it to DTD most trips). For me, it's not. You just have to make that decision for yourself.

AEfx

 

[ClemsonTigger]

The moderate and deluxe resorts do add a whole different level of involvement with their theming. If you enjoy a more leisurely pace, spend more time at the resort/pools/restaurants, than staying at AKL will add another dimension to your visit. Whenever I return to my resting place, I am always invigorated by entering yet another unique "world".

Ultimately, as was said before, only you can make the determination of "worth".

 

[Lucky]

Never stayed at WL but have stayed at AKL and plan to do so again. Every morning, before the kids got up, my dh & I would sit on the balcony with our coffees, watching giraffes, zebras and ankole cattle graze in the morning mist. You can't duplicate that experience anywhere else.

We had the same experience, paying extra for a savannah-front room. AKL was terrific. This was when a pay-for-4-nights, get-3-nights-free promotion was running. If you can afford it now, great. But the rooms are no bigger or fancier at AKL than at the moderates, the service is equally good either way, and the buses will take a little longer getting to most of the parks from AKL. We're taking a side trip to Boma and AKL when we go again in a few weeks, but we're staying at POFQ to save big bucks.

 

[Stitch69]

I stayerd at WL last Oct and going to stay again in Jan for the marathon. The reason I think it is worth the extra $$ is after a long day it is so nice to come back to a nice resort with different choices of resturants. I have stayed at other less expesive resorts and they usally have foodcourts which stress me out. I like to go for a drink or nice meal without leaving my resort. Also, love the loation and pool.