Where to Stay

[Pioneer Hall]

Well I have pretty much narrowed it down to two choices...

Polynesian and Animal Kingdom Lodge. I am leaning closer to the Polynesian because we stayed there and really liked it. So I want to see what you think about the two resorts and your opinions.

Please don't just vote...explain why you chose one over the other.

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

I think that you should stay at the AKL. I think you should stay there so that you can judge for yourself how nice it is compared to the Poly. I stayed at the concierge level on my last trip and it was wonderful.

 

[Yellow Shoes]

I'm way torn about this one. I am discovering about myself that I prefer the famliar when I am on vacation rather than constant adventure. From that standpoint, I would choose to stay (again) at the Polynesian.

On the other hand, there is a substantial price difference in the two. If staying at AKL meant staying longer, I think I would get myself psyched for an adventure.

On yet another hand (didn't know I was a 3-handed freak, did ya?), I think it would be waaay cool to stay at every Disney resort. Choosing AKL would get you closer to that goal.

I think AKL has the slightest advantage here.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

I'm staying for the same amount of time no matter where I go. And if I stay at AKL I'm getting a Savannah View Room so the price isn't all that different.

 

[DanStat]

AKL!

I would say AKL all the way.

I like the African theme, and the hotel is great! I had no complaints about it! Make sure to get a room on the Kudu or Zebra trail...that's where the giraffes are!

Have fun!

 

[Pioneer Hall]

No one else has a vote?

 

[WDWspider]

I feel variety is always good, even if you don't like AKL, but I think you will if you look at the hotel for what it is trying to accomplish. Heck, it's great anyway imho. :lol:

 

[GalacticGobbler]

I would go with AKL, we are going to stay there for the first time this spring and we are really looking forward to it. We did the same thing and took the Savannah view room as the difference. We also liked the pool when we stopped by and looked a few weeks ago.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

Thanks for all the responses and opinions so far guys...they have been very helpful. If anyone has any other things to say, then please add your comments. I want to get as much input as possible.

Thanks

 

[orangefan15]

I voted for Poly...primarily because we had a "waiting forever for the bus incident" last week with AKL. We stayed at the GF, but wanted to see AKL. Needless to say, we ended up waiting 45 minutes at DTD for a bus to AKL. That's just unacceptable IMHO. Also, I like the convenience of the Poly being on the monorail line.

On the other hand, AKL did look really cool and I'd like to stay there sometime just to experience it.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

Even though many of you have voted for AKL, I think we are going to have to stick to the Polynesian. We really liked it and when I compared the different ammenities I sort o realized that the Polynesian had a little more to offer. Sure I would love to be able to look out my window and see a giraffe, but I don't want to sacrifise the other things to do that. I will definately be visiting the lodge this trip though, and will get a first hand account of the place. Then I can decide for next year if I want to stay there.

Thanks again for everyone's help!

 

[Disneymad]

Very good choice IMO.

We have stayed at AKL before and didn't feel for the resort at all. IMO it was noisy, very busy and not anything like I imagined it to be like. We wont be going back - we are Polynesian fans too! The transport to and from AKL was rediculous and we were waiting around for ages. I also thought that the swimming pool was much better at the Polynesian compared with AKL.

Stick with the Polynesian!

JMO

 

[goofyfan13]

For me it goes either way. But I wound up putting the Poly. It's just more convenient with the monorail and all of the extras the resort has. AKL is an amazing resort. Thats why this poll was hard because they pretty much are both tied for my favorite. If possible I personally would stay the first couple nights at AKL and the last couple at poly. hope this helps and I hope you have a great time either way!

 

[DMC-12]

My Vote goes for the Poly... A) the monorail is right there and B) TONGA Toast! :slurp:

 

[disneyqueen]

My vote is for AKL. I love that place. I love animals. I liked waking up evey mourning and sitting on the balcony and watching the animals. They are so cute and funny. We had this one bird that kept jumping over the pointy wires and walking right under our balcony. It felt secluded and very well themed. I think it is better themed than poly. IMO. If you like animals a lot this is the place. If not you probably will like poly better. I loved the pool at AKL. I thought that the transportion was great at AKL. We were there last December and it was not crowded. Hope this helped. The food was good to.:slurp:

 

[sigsegv]

Well, you've chosen already, but that won't stop me from giving my opinion!

What really matters to me is location and where the place I stay is in relation to where I want to go. I've never stayed at either the Poly or the AKL, but I've visited both. While the AKL is beautiful, it's just way too isolated for my taste. The Poly is nice too, but has a bit of the "Tropical 70s" thing still going on, even though Disney has been trying to mute that. Still, the Poly is more central to things and probably much easier to get to/from than the AKL.

-sig

 

[Pioneer Hall]

Originally posted by sigsegv
Well, you've chosen already, but that won't stop me from giving my opinion!

What really matters to me is location and where the place I stay is in relation to where I want to go. I've never stayed at either the Poly or the AKL, but I've visited both. While the AKL is beautiful, it's just way too isolated for my taste. The Poly is nice too, but has a bit of the "Tropical 70s" thing still going on, even though Disney has been trying to mute that. Still, the Poly is more central to things and probably much easier to get to/from than the AKL.

-sig

Well I havent' made up my mind 100% yet. There is always a chance of me changing my mind. I am just leaning to the Polynesian over AKL mainly because of room size, transportation, and recreation options (we love boating).

 

[sigsegv]

Originally posted by DisneyInsider
(we love boating).

Ooooo, those water mice sure are fun! DW and I love zipping around in them and riding in the wake of some of the bigger boats. I'm not sure it'll be warm enough for us to do it when we go in January though; you can get really wet riding the wake. Oh, and if you bring your camera (hang it from one of the handles on the front, in a decent bag so that it doesn't get wet), you can get some interesting perspectives, such as these:

http://www.wdwmagic.com/resorts/5a.jpg
http://www.wdwmagic.com/resorts/3a.jpg
http://www.wdwmagic.com/resorts/1a.jpg

-sig

 

[Pioneer Hall]

Originally posted by sigsegv
Ooooo, those water mice sure are fun! DW and I love zipping around in them and riding in the wake of some of the bigger boats. I'm not sure it'll be warm enough for us to do it when we go in January though; you can get really wet riding the wake. Oh, and if you bring your camera (hang it from one of the handles on the front, in a decent bag so that it doesn't get wet), you can get some interesting perspectives, such as these:

http://www.wdwmagic.com/resorts/5a.jpg
http://www.wdwmagic.com/resorts/3a.jpg
http://www.wdwmagic.com/resorts/1a.jpg

-sig

I didn't bring me camera with me last time, but I want to now. Like you said there are a lot of great shots you can take.

 

[disneyqueen]

I thought that the rooms at the AKL were bigger than those at poly, but we did have a king size bed which might make it seem bigger to us. When we stay at hotel that doesn't have the boats (like AKL) we just go over to the Poly and use thiers. No problem in that. If you want something more centralized go with the Poly, if you want seculsion go with the AKL. I will always pick AKL over the Poly, because I love animals and its just better all around. IMO. I also thought the bathroom was bigger. It was a lot nicer, but we did stay in it the first year it was there.