Concerns about new resorts

[Dmousey]

Concerns about staying a new resort


My husband and I have CSR booked for 12 nights in August 2019. With the recent summer opening announcement of the new tower hotel we are a little concerned about our reservation.

Points we are worried about are

• resort feeling extremely busy with the addition of 500+ rooms and no extra pools
• Staying in the current hotel might make us feel like ‘outsiders to the resort’
• We read last year that there were lots of ESPN kids group staying towards the end of August taking over the pools etc
• General teething problems

We had initially booked the room due to a low rate we had been given, liked the look of the new rooms and wanted to have more resort time compared to our last trips.


Based on our thoughts above we are now deciding between staying because it will be exciting with the two new restaurants opening and the rooms still staying as they are.


Or we are considering switching to POFQ, POR, OKW studio or AKL for our adults only trip from the UK with free dining where we will visit the parks but also want quite a lot of downtime at the resort (a lot for a Disney trip anyway).


We had initially wanted to stay at wilderness lodge but there are current no rooms available from the UK with free dining.



Any help with what you would do or thoughts to aid our decision and others who might be deciding on a summer 2019 holiday at CSR

 

[winnieofpooh]

If you plan to spend a lot of downtime at the resort, I would 100% recommend AKL. You can't beat seeing animals from your balcony!! And even if you don't splurge for the savanna view, there are so many places to relax and watch the animals. It's a very calm resort, IMO, similar to the calm vibe at Wilderness.

 

[Babsy]

Welcome to the Dis!

I would also recommend AKL for an adults only, heavily resort oriented stay. It is fun to watch the animals, as noted by wimmieofpooh! But also, the dining options at AKL are amazing! We choose to eat here on every trip whether we stay at AKL or not. Jo is fine dining at its best. Boma is an all you can eat that you won't want to leave. Sanaa is a wonderful spot to enjoy lunch while watching animals roam outside from your table. Mara has unique quick service items that are tasty - including the soups served in Boma and the ever popular Zebra domes!
Plus, as a deluxe, you will have interior corridors instead of motel style exterior walkways and a balcony off your room. There is a night time tour of the savanna with night vision goggles that you can book which iOS quite entertaining as well. The pools are beautiful and the resort atmosphere is both relaxing and exotic. The gift shop has some interesting items for sale. I have always enjoyed our stays at this resort. There is only bus transportation from this resort, but we have never had any problems with it. Except for an extra 5-10 minutes on the bus ride to the MK, the transportation is as good from here as from any other resort, IMO. AND for the AK the ride is so short, you are there in just a very few minutes.

All the resorts that you suggested are good though. SO whichever you choose, have an awesome trip!!!

 

[MikeNamez]

AKL is amazing. Stayed there in September and now have it booked again for my honeymoon in July. You wouldn't regret it.

 

[Dmousey]

If you plan to spend a lot of downtime at the resort, I would 100% recommend AKL. You can't beat seeing animals from your balcony!! And even if you don't splurge for the savanna view, there are so many places to relax and watch the animals. It's a very calm resort, IMO, similar to the calm vibe at Wilderness.

Thanks for this. I really enjoy the calmness of Wilderness Lodge and so that would definitely be a plus.

Welcome to the Dis!

I would also recommend AKL for an adults only, heavily resort oriented stay. It is fun to watch the animals, as noted by wimmieofpooh! But also, the dining options at AKL are amazing! We choose to eat here on every trip whether we stay at AKL or not. Jo is fine dining at its best. Boma is an all you can eat that you won't want to leave. Sanaa is a wonderful spot to enjoy lunch while watching animals roam outside from your table. Mara has unique quick service items that are tasty - including the soups served in Boma and the ever popular Zebra domes!
Plus, as a deluxe, you will have interior corridors instead of motel style exterior walkways and a balcony off your room. There is a night time tour of the savanna with night vision goggles that you can book which iOS quite entertaining as well. The pools are beautiful and the resort atmosphere is both relaxing and exotic. The gift shop has some interesting items for sale. I have always enjoyed our stays at this resort. There is only bus transportation from this resort, but we have never had any problems with it. Except for an extra 5-10 minutes on the bus ride to the MK, the transportation is as good from here as from any other resort, IMO. AND for the AK the ride is so short, you are there in just a very few minutes.

All the resorts that you suggested are good though. SO whichever you choose, have an awesome trip!!!

Thanks for the welcome! I have to say we are planning on eating at all the AKL restaurants and so being close to them would definitely be a plus! My husband actually prefers the external entry to the rooms at the mods and values - he thinks it’s like you’re entering your own little house away from home but I have to say I much prefer the external corridor entry.

AKL is amazing. Stayed there in September and now have it booked again for my honeymoon in July. You wouldn't regret it.

If it’s great for a honeymoon then it must be romantic!


I have to say though we would only be able to book a standard room. Would that take away from the experience or makes you stay at a different resort instead?

 

[MikeNamez]

Thanks for this. I really enjoy the calmness of Wilderness Lodge and so that would definitely be a plus.



Thanks for the welcome! I have to say we are planning on eating at all the AKL restaurants and so being close to them would definitely be a plus! My husband actually prefers the external entry to the rooms at the mods and values - he thinks it’s like you’re entering your own little house away from home but I have to say I much prefer the external corridor entry.



If it’s great for a honeymoon then it must be romantic!


I have to say though we would only be able to book a standard room. Would that take away from the experience or makes you stay at a different resort instead?

I actually booked in a standard room during my September trip. When I got their they put me in a 1 Bed DVC villa (By myself lol) but still only a view of the pool (Which is also under construction). This made no difference to me, the resort as a whole is spectacular.

For our honeymoon I did splurge and booked a standard Savannah view, but I would have stayed here regardless. In all honesty I don't know if I'll stay anywhere else for a while.

 

[siren0119]

We had considered CSR for our trip last year, but when I found out it is commonly used for large group/convention/business travel, we opted for POP instead (this was with our kids, so POP was perfect for them). I had heard the pool at CSR is great, but it wasn't worth the worry we'd be disturbing adult business travelers or inundated by group travelers. I'd definitely go with AKL or FW if you can.

 

[Babsy]

Some standard view rooms have a partial savanna views or views of 'people pens' that look to the savanna in the distance. You can always request one of those. It is a really nice standard view option if you are lucky enough to get one!

 

[Dmousey]

Some standard view rooms have a partial savanna views or views of 'people pens' that look to the savanna in the distance. You can always request one of those. It is a really nice standard view option if you are lucky enough to get one!

That’s good to know! Will definitely see if it’s possible but I know I’d still be happy If it didn’t - sounds like a great resort!

 

[Dmousey]

We had considered CSR for our trip last year, but when I found out it is commonly used for large group/convention/business travel, we opted for POP instead (this was with our kids, so POP was perfect for them). I had heard the pool at CSR is great, but it wasn't worth the worry we'd be disturbing adult business travelers or inundated by group travelers. I'd definitely go with AKL or FW if you can.

Thanks for this - it’s good to know that my concerns about there being lots of large groups is valid!

 

[marchingstar]

That’s good to know! Will definitely see if it’s possible but I know I’d still be happy If it didn’t - sounds like a great resort!

we’ve stayed at AKL twice on adult-only trips, once with a pool view and once with a savannah view. the savannah view was nice and we definitely spent time on the balcony. in my opinion, the rooms at AKL are not the selling point, the common areas are. there are also so many places to watch animals around the resort that i think it’s worth saving your money, honestly. the resort is so well designed and it feels so easy to find secluded spots to relax. even when areas are busy they don’t feel busy (except the entrance to boma, which always feels like chaos!).

 

[cruisin5]

Eat at Jiko if you choose AKL.

It's the only resort where I feel like it's a resort at Disney and not a "Disney resort" if that makes any sense to you.

 

[ninafeliz]

I didn’t read all of the replies, but after reading what you wrote one thing jumped out at me. Given your circumstances and what you wrote about your concerns about CSR I would say stay st AKL hands down! Even in a standard room. It’s a great resort for resort time, and none of the resorts you mentioned have anything other than busses to get to the parks, so that’s a wash.

Also, on a personal note, I never cared for CSR and doubt I’ll like it more now that it will have more conventioners and more of a regular convention resort vibe. I do love POR and POFQ and would do either over CSR.

 

[Dmousey]

Eat at Jiko if you choose AKL.

It's the only resort where I feel like it's a resort at Disney and not a "Disney resort" if that makes any sense to you.

This sounds ideal - I want it to feel like we are outside of the parks when are at the resort.

I didn’t read all of the replies, but after reading what you wrote one thing jumped out at me. Given your circumstances and what you wrote about your concerns about CSR I would say stay st AKL hands down! Even in a standard room. It’s a great resort for resort time, and none of the resorts you mentioned have anything other than busses to get to the parks, so that’s a wash.

Also, on a personal note, I never cared for CSR and doubt I’ll like it more now that it will have more conventioners and more of a regular convention resort vibe. I do love POR and POFQ and would do either over CSR.

Thanks for the reply. I have to ask would you stay at POFQ / POR over a standard room at AKL for an adults only trip?

 

[Nancyg56]

This sounds ideal - I want it to feel like we are outside of the parks when are at the resort.



Thanks for the reply. I have to ask would you stay at POFQ / POR over a standard room at AKL for an adults only trip?

Given a choice between the two, no. POFQ is lovely, but it is not AKL, and cannot compete with the gorgeous lobby, stunning savannahs, and amenities that the AKL offers. It is my moderate of choice, however I would always go to AKL if that resort fit my budget.

 

[ninafeliz]

This sounds ideal - I want it to feel like we are outside of the parks when are at the resort.



Thanks for the reply. I have to ask would you stay at POFQ / POR over a standard room at AKL for an adults only trip?

No. I can’t really think of a scenario not involving price where I would choose a value or moderate over a deluxe. AKL has a lot of standard rooms with partial Savannah’s rooms, I would request that and realize that even if I got a room overlooking the front entrance it is still a great resort!

 

[Kae]

I would look at my budget POR is nice but for a lot of resort time AKL is the way to go so much to do. Balconies even if you don't get savannah view nice to have morning coffee or night time drinks, get eating choices, Great Bar. I could spend hours checking out the artwork in the hallways. Jiko/Boma kitchen tour, night vison googles

 

[kappyfamily]

12 nights? Do a split stay for sure! I would do 5 nights at CSR and 7 at AKL (or longer if you can). AKL is amazing! If you do a split stay then you get to see a couple different places. We do this almost every time and is very easy to do. Have fun!

 

[Mrs Flick]

Concerns about staying a new resort


My husband and I have CSR booked for 12 nights in August 2019. With the recent summer opening announcement of the new tower hotel we are a little concerned about our reservation.

Points we are worried about are

• resort feeling extremely busy with the addition of 500+ rooms and no extra pools
• Staying in the current hotel might make us feel like ‘outsiders to the resort’
• We read last year that there were lots of ESPN kids group staying towards the end of August taking over the pools etc
• General teething problems

We had initially booked the room due to a low rate we had been given, liked the look of the new rooms and wanted to have more resort time compared to our last trips.


Based on our thoughts above we are now deciding between staying because it will be exciting with the two new restaurants opening and the rooms still staying as they are.


Or we are considering switching to POFQ, POR, OKW studio or AKL for our adults only trip from the UK with free dining where we will visit the parks but also want quite a lot of downtime at the resort (a lot for a Disney trip anyway).


We had initially wanted to stay at wilderness lodge but there are current no rooms available from the UK with free dining.



Any help with what you would do or thoughts to aid our decision and others who might be deciding on a summer 2019 holiday at CSR

We are also booked from the uk for stays at CSR in Jan/Feb and AKL and Wilderness Lodge in Oct/Nov. I understand your concerns about CSR but my research indicates that the conventioneer clientele might mean less kids (might be a benefit for an adults only trip?) and less people in the pool (they are the convention after all).

If Wilderness Lodge is still under consideration I would recommend checking availability again. We originally had to book GF because Wilderness Lodge wasn't available. It then became available and we were able to change for a £50 amendment fee.

One last thought, whilst a split stay is a great idea, if you want free dining for the whole trip you need to stay at one resort!

 

[Neon Cactus]

AKL would be a great choice for spending a lot of time at the resort. We always do breakfast at Boma when we go. The other one you listed that I really like is Port Orleans French Quarter. Price would be the main reason to pick it over AKL, but I like the French Quarter atmosphere, it's a smaller resort than the other moderates and you can take the boat to Disney Springs from there. I like some of the resort events they have like the beignet run. But the only dining options at the resort are the food court (which is very good), or you could walk to Boatwright's or the food court at POR. But if it fits your budget, I'd go with AKL.