AOA or AKL

[Tank3434]

Planning a trip for next year and trying to decide between family suites or AKL. my kids will be 3 and 4 at the time so I think the cars themeing will be great for them my only thing is and please don't take this wrong I usually tend to not like the value resorts. I have stayed at them before but ESP with little kids we usually prefer at least a moderate and a deluxe when the discount allows it! But are the family suites worth it? I also think my kids would love the themeing at AKL I stayed there before kids a few years ago and loved it only thing is I know it's a good distance from the other parks. Also know sure what the cost difference is between the 2.

[faline]

My brother stayed in the family suites in the cars section on our last trip together at the end of 2014. We went by to visit here there because we wanted to see it. The room worked well for them especially since it had two bathrooms. They only have one child so he had his choice of sleeping accommodations and ended up sleeping mostly on the pull out couch rather than the pull down bed. The theming is really cute and though we don't use stay in values, I would not mind at all staying in this location.

[mechanic]

We did akl first week of july. $257/night I think. Free upgrade to savanah room. Loved it, but lots of walking, close to ak park and offsite stores on bronson highway. Uphill walk from bus stop at end of long day . We go here just to stay, when we are not planning on being in parks much.

[Z06-Dave]

With kids those ages AoA is a no brainer. The AKL is neat with the animals, but your kids will get bored looking at them after 10 minutes. AoA is bright and kid friendly, plenty of room, two bathrooms, and food better suited for kids.

[VWL Mom]

I threw in some dates to check prices and AKL is less expensive than the AOA family suites, $290 vs $299. Not a big difference but the last few specials have excluded AOA Suites while AKL was included.

I would go with AKL for the amenities of the hotel and ground. With little ones WL would still be in that price range and might work a bit better because of the closeness to MK.

[VacationDisney]

I would pick AoA since you have small children. The cars section is adorable. I think your children will love it:thumbsup:

[mydisneygirls]

I haven't stayed in either, but my choice would be AKL. Have you ever thought about staying at WL? With a 3 and 4 year old, the convenience of returning to the resort (especially from MK) for naps, etc. is worth it.

[tjstrike]

You could also look at renting DVC points and AKL would probably be much cheaper. A standard view studio during peak season is 250 a night at AKL.

[dobby2010]

Haven't stayed at akl but stayed at AOA in a cars suite in October. My three year old son was in heaven! He absolutely loved it and keeps asking to go back. The finding Nemo main pool is incredible. We had so much fun. The food court is also really great here, never had issues finding a table unlike some of our previous stays elsewhere. It was great having the extra bed and bath, so we didn't have to go to bed at 8 every night when our son did.

[#1donaldfan]

AoA is nice and the kids will love it, but for me, I love AKL !! There are plenty of sights and sounds to occupy the kids while there and you have several onsite places to eat that are incredible !! :thumbsup:

[SBETigg]

If you're not a fan of the values, I'm thinking you are better off choosing AKL. AoA has cool theming for kids, and now is the time if any while they are still young. But the bottom line is, it still feels like a value resort to me.

[disney_daddy]

Stayed at both and with the kids I's stay at AoA. I think you'd appreciate the food court better than at AKL.

[jonahbear2006]

Ive done both and we are DVC and we have stayed all over the world and let me tell you we were never sooo shocked or happy when we stayed at AKL. We love boma and jiko and mara but I didn't think I would fall in love with staying at the resort. Its taken us 8 years to stay there and finally we did and not only we but also my mother in law was in love with the resort. Its such a beautiful and tranquil place to stay...and the kidani village pool is superb!! The water play area there puts AOAs to shame and that says something bc we love AOA and AOA also has great food and great pools. But on these two, and at your kids ages I would jump for a safari view and get the AKL room!

[jonahbear2006]

Also, I see someone suggested the AOA food is better. It really isn't. The food at the Mara comes from the same kitchen they cook for Boma and I highly recommend boma breakfast and dinner buffet. It is one of the best meals on property and very very kid friendly. My kids truly love their flatbread pizza and their chicken for lunch. For dinner the mara has a rotisserie chicken and potatoes that they love. Theres also some really unique options if you parents want neat food. They sell zebra domes in there as well and those are the creme de la creme when it comes to disney deserts.

[SBETigg]

Ive done both and we are DVC and we have stayed all over the world and let me tell you we were never sooo shocked or happy when we stayed at AKL. We love boma and jiko and mara but I didn't think I would fall in love with staying at the resort. Its taken us 8 years to stay there and finally we did and not only we but also my mother in law was in love with the resort. Its such a beautiful and tranquil place to stay...and the kidani village pool is superb!! The water play area there puts AOAs to shame and that says something bc we love AOA and AOA also has great food and great pools. But on these two, and at your kids ages I would jump for a safari view and get the AKL room!

I definitely agree with this. We never thought we were going to be fans of this resort (AKL), but our first stay changed our minds. We love it there. I don't think you can top having animals right outside your window (or viewing areas if you don't want to pay extra for a view). The pools are great. There's a shuttle that makes it easy to go between Kidani and Jambo House. The theming is amazing. And maybe the Mara doesn't have as many varied choices as AOA's food court, but the food is good and I much prefer the atmosphere. One's a deluxe, and one's a value resort. And you can definitely feel the difference.