AKL or POFQ?

[sunlyon]

I'm in a quandry.

We can either stay 3 nights at AKL or I can spend about the same money and stay 4 nights and POFQ. Does any one have any pros or cons about the resorts to help me decide? We're planning to go in late September. It's very difficult because I wish I could do both!

[mudpuppysmom]

We have stayed at both, and I gotta say -- two totally different experiences!!

First AKL was just AWESOME!!! I'm the type that can never relax even on vaca, so for me to say I relaxed there is a BIG plus in our book. We were lucky enough to stay at AKL for a week on a military discount and I booked a std room. When we checked in, I had planned to see if we could be upgraded and what the cost would be. I was pleasantly surprised when the CM told me we had been upgraded to a savannah view room and no add'l cost! The room was not as big as the rooms at SOG (which is usually where we stay), but the atmosphere was wonderful. Again, for me to relax it has to be something! When my DS ran out to the balcony and opened the door to the animals he was thrilled to say the least! Each night I would leave our balcony door open a little so we could fall asleep and wake up to the music playing outside and the animals if they were making noise. The best memory I have though is one morning our DS was out on the balcony moo'ing at an ankole cow and it was moo'ing back to him......he was tickled something else! The pool is nice too.....the food court good and you have Boma and Jiko right there also. While I cannot comment on the bus system, I do believe you do not share with another resort. As for commute time by car, nothing was really more than five to seven minutes away (and we even got "lost" one day). You say in your post 3 days at AKL or 4 at POFQ....one night is not that big of a difference and if I had this choice to make, I'd choose AKL!

Now for POFQ. As I said, it's a different experience. The theming is different, the grounds are different the feel is different. While it is not AKL, it is still calm and relaxing there, although I did not relax quite like I did at AKL. We requested a bldg closer to the pool, which was not granted and we were in bldg 7 (about as far out as you can get), which turned out to be a blessing. It was SOOOOO quiet, I never say anyone else near our room, no one!!! There were less than a dozen cars in the parking lot right by our room, one being ours and again, we never saw anyone. One thing that I did notice though was the busses used this as "recovery" space and I heard them in the morning when we were getting ready, that was the most noise I heard! The pool at POFQ was cool as DS said. The food court was good, if you got there early -- if not lines were pretty long and tables were non existent, so we sat outside two mornings and ate by the pool, which was deserted. We walked along the river from our room to the pool and that was a nice touch. The grounds were very green from what I remember.

I don't think you can go wrong with either resort. I think which you choose would depend on your own personal taste. Me personally, I liked AKL better, but POFQ was just as nice. You'll get lots of feedback on here for both, which will give you all the choosing power you'll need/want, so good luck with your choice and have fun planning!!

[JoDisney]

I have stayed at both and enjoy both. The first question you should answer is "Are you planning to do the parks every day and every night? If yes, I would choose POFQ. If you are planning to spend time to enjoy the resort, I would choose AKL. Many people come to Disney and it is the parks, parks, parks. This is what their focus is, as it may be they come once a year or even less than that and are from out-of-state. They are at their resort a very limited time. You would need to ask yourself what is you priority for this trip and make a decision based on your answer. Check at the top of this page at "Info Central" and click on "Accommodations." You can compare the two resorts you are interested in.

[JPL]

AKL is my favorite resort but you must have time to enjoy the surroundings if you are using for a place to sleep and shower you would be better off with extra night at POFQ

[Jeff G]

I've stayed at PO-R which is similar to POFQ and the AKL.

If I were offered both for the same price I would for sure go with the AKL. But if I were to have to make a choice of staying 3 nights at the AKL or 4 nights at POFQ it would be a for sure extra night. THe PO resorts are greatly themed and wonderful hotels.

If your planning on visiting parks the charge for an extra day is minimal. Staying the extra night gives you a chance to be a little less rushed and enjoy the parks plus enjoy the hotel.

I've referred at least 8 friends to PO and all of them have loved it. Most have agreed that for the price there aren't to many hotels this nice.

[Willowwind]

If you're going to be relaxing at the resort, go for AKL. If you'll be hitting the parks all day & night you'd probably be better off at POFQ. I must say though, the AKL has the most comfortable hotel beds that I've ever slept on!

We stayed at AKL in December '05 for a 3 night trip and I really wished that I had had more time to relax at the resort. I think that you miss half of the AKL experience with a short stay.

[moe513]

POFQ is great. I would definately stay the extra night.

[sunlyon]

Thanks for the input, y'all directed my thinking a little better. I think we will do the extra night and stay at POFQ since we will be doing a lot of park-hopping. We just went last summer and there are things we just plain missed. I'll save AKL for my daughter's graduation trip in about 5 years (hee-hee, I love to plan way ahead) and go all out with a week stay.