Studio at AKL or reg room at POR?

[COscrapper]

Another question for you pros...

We are planning our first trip to WDW for Oct/Nov at POR....however, I just learned about renting DVC points and found out we could rent points for a standard studio room at AKL for about $400 LESS than what we would pay for POR (unless we end up being able to get a discount, which prob wouldn't be more than $400 off and then they'd be about the same $). I am totally torn on what to do. DH and I have 2 boys (who will be 11 and almost 7 at the time of trip). At first glance, of course AKL looks amazing (and my older son REALLY got excited about the pics of it)...but my concerns are:

- at POR we would have 2 queen beds plus a possible pull-down bed so we wouldn't have to deal with the boys kicking each other all night...at an AKL studio, they would have to share a DOUBLE SOFA BED...not sure if it will be a major issue or not. Of course DS is claiming he doesn't care about sharing the sofa bed after seeing the pics, BUT famous last words - ha ha.
- not having daily cleaning services is kind of a drawback, although not a HUGE deal I guess.
- not sure if room SIZE/general space would be the same or worse
- transportation to parks - is it worse at AKL because it's so far away? We WILL have our car, but I've read that driving to MK is not ideal, so....how does transportation compare between the 2 resorts?

Many thanks; these boards are so helpful!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Space use in the studio is different, because of the kitchenette. Most AKL studios are about 365 square feet. POR rooms in Alligator Bayou are 314 square feet, but lack the kitchenette, and the murphy bed folds up quickly (plus, daily housekeeping). The sofa is a bit more involved to refold.

AKL is no further away from the parks than POR. AKL being "so far away" is a myth. Transport is no worse than it is for the PO resorts, the All Stars or POP; people just seem to expect that because Deluxe at Disney is usually about location, AKL isn't Deluxe enough. AKL's "location" isn't parks, it's the savannah, which requires no transport at all. If you were to drive to MK, you'd be parking at the TTC and coming in from there.

Studios align to a different kind of touring, and the room layout reflects that.

 

[gypsicat]

I have no experience with the resort myself other than the fact that it is where we are booked for our upcoming trip.

It seems like both of your boys are really drawn to AKL.

Here are my thoughts. Right now you could fit in a studio, probably fairly comfortably with the ages of your children. That isn't going to be the case in a few years! As your boys grow, that double pull out isn't going to work as well.

If it were me and the price is roughly the same, I would choose AKL now and save POR and the queen beds for later!

 

[AspenLL]

We haven't done DVC yet, but I can comment on AKL itself. We stayed there last April/May and transportation with the buses was absolutely fine. There was always a bus within 5 minutes and the ride was quick and easy. Our DS was also 13 months at the time and there were no problems. If it was too far of a ride, we wouldn't have stayed there with him at that age.

I also want to add that we LOVED AKL. It was great to have everything in one building and not have to worry about walking outside just to get to the lobby or to get something to eat. It's so different than any other resort and we can't wait to stay there again.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

If she rented a studio at Kidani, she might need to go to Jambo for things.

 

[loves to dive]

Have you already checked to see if you can rent the points? If not, the question may be moot since getting them is not always easy. I've stayed in a studio at BWV and at OKW but not AKV. I have stayed in a 1 bedroom there, which was huge. The studio in BWV had the queen bed and the sleeper sofa, which I slept on while son and DIL slept in the bed. The sofa was comfortable enough for me, I'm a little woman. With the sofa pulled out there wasn't a lot of room but it's easy to flip back up. I don't know that you would have any more room at POR and a bus is a bus so transportation isn't going to be that different from one to the other.

 

[COscrapper]

Not sure what you mean by checking to see if we can rent the points - do you mean if they are available? I sent a request to one of the point rental companies for BWV and AKL, since those were the ones cheaper than what we'd pay at POR. They emailed me back that BWV was not available but AK was. I have not gone any further in the process because I don't know if I really want to...

POR does have the boat to Disney springs though - is that a big deal? Does it help getting to the parks at all? I thought the little pirate cruises there looked cool too...

 

[Lulubelle17]

Sounds like you are leaning towards POR. We stayed at POR in the fall for MNSSHP and absolutely loved it, it's very serene and beautiful. We stayed in a preferred room, teh one with Tiana's beds. The boat ride is fun! We are staying at AKL for Thanksgiving and we have a Savanna View studio that we rented through DVC. We are very excited and can't wait to try a deluxe! I don't think you can go wrong either way.

 

[DisneyADottie]

I haven't stayed at AKL but I have stayed in a studio in BLT with my brother (a very tall 19y/o) and mom and we didn't mind the smaller space or having to sleep on the pull out sofa bed. $400 would be a huge savings which you could apply towards a nice meal at a restaurant you probably wouldn't have gone to or it can be a little extra souvenir money!

 

[ciera321]

Both are great choices, but AKL/AKV is absolutely gorgeous, with GREAT dining choices! Do remember that you won't get housekeeping if renting points, like you do with a regular room. Don't know if this is something that matters to you or not, but thought I'd mention it.

 

[COscrapper]

I so appreciate everyone's feedback. I just don't know if the boys would do ok sharing that sofa bed or not. I wish I knew for sure that they wouldn't keep us up all night - I wonder if there's room for a sleeping bag on the floor if necessary?

As for price, if Disney does a fall discount for POR, they could end up being about the same...

Not sure about the cleaning service either. We often rent beach houses for vacation, so we are used to not having it daily, but it would be kind of nice to have it for once...such a hard choice. At some point I'll have to flip a coin!

 

[ciera321]

I so appreciate everyone's feedback. I just don't know if the boys would do ok sharing that sofa bed or not. I wish I knew for sure that they wouldn't keep us up all night - I wonder if there's room for a sleeping bag on the floor if necessary?

As for price, if Disney does a fall discount for POR, they could end up being about the same...

Not sure about the cleaning service either. We often rent beach houses for vacation, so we are used to not having it daily, but it would be kind of nice to have it for once...such a hard choice. At some point I'll have to flip a coin!

When our boys were younger, we always took an Aerobed (twin) and it worked out great.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

We have stayed both places and as you can see by my ticker with be back at AKL next week. I am pretty sure there is enough room to put out a twin size blowup mattress in an AKL studio if you need to separate the boys. If pools and resort time are a consideration i would highly recommend AKL. We love it for the calm, serene atmosphere, the amazing polls at both Jambo and Kidani, and the great kids cultural programs. DD was 10 the last time we were there and enjoyed doing activities and collecting beads for her stringer. Not having cleaning service was a non issue for us. You will see people complain about the buses at AKL, but we have never had an issue with them. It is a little longer to MK (about a 20 min ride) but it never bothered us. Buses were efficient and plentiful in our experience.

 

[Darkside]

I have stayed at POR once, stayed at AKL so many times I have lost count. Transportation at AKL is a dedicated bus system, so you are not stopping at different resorts (I have NEVER understood the negative posts about the buses at AKL?). In theory your 2 boys will be too tired to kick each other at night (we usually spend 10-12 hours each day at the parks). We prefer our privacy and don't want to be disturbed by housekeeping , so maid service was real no factor for us (Considering we are usually wore out from the day before). YES, AKL is amazing as it looks and you will enjoy the the total immersion of the AKL experience. From the African art, the 3 restaurants and market, the 2 fabulous pools, watching the animals, day and night. I honestly can't think of one thing that stood out as exceptional at POR. POR is supposed to have a New Orleans or deep south flair, I just don't see it or feel it(just my opinion and I am from the deep south). With all that said, any Disney property is better to stay at than off property.

 

[ldo]

I think that you are not guaranteed an extra bed unless you have 5 persons a POR??? We have styed at both. AKV is a deluxe hotel, with a main lobby and inside hallways and totally coverd from the bus stop to your room. Does that matter? Of course, if you are driving, you have to park sort of far away at Jambo, Kidani would be under the resort. Going in the summer with lots of rain would push me to Jambo. AKV studio will have a microwave, toaster, coffee maker, in addition to a fridge. We like the standard view in Jambo (the main lodge). Most are of the pool. Depdending when you go, maybe there will be a deal, plus you can canx at 5 days out for a room only rate, vs. renting points with no refund. POR has fun theming, but AKV is like no place I have ever been. It is truly awesome. We just bring an air mattress for DS now, but at your ages, our kids sleep together on the sofabed--it's a really good European trifold, very comfy,not a typical sofabed.

 

[COscrapper]

Thanks everyone. I really don't know what to do. I hear the boat at POR is really nice for getting to DTD. Would it be a big pain to drive our car to DTD at the end of Oct.? Also, would we be able to request being in Jambo house if we rent points? Or will we have no say? Maybe I need to ask that on the point rental board...it's hard to pass up what might be our only chance to stay in a deluxe, but I don't want to do it if it doesn't make sense for our family... A balcony/patio would be really nice, as well as a microwave since we will not be on the dining plan and eating our breakfast and snacks in-room. We go through bath towels fast, though, and would miss the towel/cleaning service!

 

[ariane37]

We haven't stayed at POR, only POFQ. We have however, stayed at BWV 4x with our boys, the last time they were 10 & 13 and it was the first time they didn't share a bed. They WOULD have, if the refurbed studios at BWV didn't have the Murphy bed. Earlier this month DH and I stayed at AKV for the first time, on rented points, in a deluxe studio in Jambo House. LOVED it! I know our kids would too, even being a couple years older than yours. We had one queen bed and the sofa sleeper. I think there definitely would be enough room for an aerobed, or sleeping bag if need be. You could always bring one or the other, have them try sleeping together and if they beat each other up, pull out whatever you brought.

As pp's who have stayed there have said, the idea that AKL is "too far away" from everything, DH both felt, is simply not true. He was very hesitant to stay there being used to staying in the Epcot resort area, but like I said he loved it. No bus ride seemed long, even from MK. Bus service was no better or worse than from any other resort; I would categorize the bus service overall as "very good".

If you think this *may* be your only chance to stay at a deluxe, I'd go ahead and rent the points! As for no daily housekeeping: we've rented points now 6 or 7x. Yes I prefer daily housekeeping but not having it certainly doesn't ruin the trip or even put a damper on it. If you need clean towels you can wash them yourself. Yeah I know, washing your own towels on vacation lol? But when you consider what you're paying to stay deluxe, you may come to feel it's worth it. You can also pay for a full room clean if you want one. I can't remember exactly what the rate is but if nobody here chimes in, I'm sure someone on the DVC board can tell you

 

[Prettypinkpoppies]

Hi COscrapper,
I am renting points for the first time ever. I was also going to stay at POR this summer, but just booked AKL, standard view studio. I went through a points broker and was able to request Jambo House. It is going to be cheaper doing the studio ($1,800 for 8 nights) then the same at POR. Since we will be there 8 nights we will get a full cleaning service on day 4 and trash/towel service on day 8. We are fine with this and figure we can possibly get clean towels in the pool area if needed. Looking at the studios rooms available, Jambo houses seem have a much better chance of a pool (or savannah!) view.

 

[Prettypinkpoppies]

I think I saw $30/day for an extra room cleaning. Not sure if that was from the Disney website or from one of the point rental companies I was researching.

 

[ciera321]

Thanks everyone. I really don't know what to do. I hear the boat at POR is really nice for getting to DTD. Would it be a big pain to drive our car to DTD at the end of Oct.? Also, would we be able to request being in Jambo house if we rent points? Or will we have no say? Maybe I need to ask that on the point rental board...it's hard to pass up what might be our only chance to stay in a deluxe, but I don't want to do it if it doesn't make sense for our family... A balcony/patio would be really nice, as well as a microwave since we will not be on the dining plan and eating our breakfast and snacks in-room. We go through bath towels fast, though, and would miss the towel/cleaning service!

I do love the boats to DS, but not enough to choose POR over AKL. As for the towels, we're the same way. You can purchase a towel paackage for $6, which includes 4 bath towels, 2 hand towels, 4 washcloths, 1 bath mat. The value of renting points is just unbelievable to me. Have fun no matter what you decide!