AKL or POLY

[JonT36]

Going in April with 5 and 4 year old. We stayed at Poly last August in a standard room and loved it. Favorite resort without a doubt. We are debating though if we should try AKL for the kids. Thinking they would enjoy it more while still young. They do love the pool, but AKL pool still looks good, maybe not poly level. Anyone have any input for AKL, over poly. It would be a AKL value room, so basially 2 nights at AKL is equal to 1 night at poly.

 

[pks_domer]

Our kids (6 and 3) LOVE the Poly. Give me a few more weeks, I could have given you a comparison, but we are going the first week in April (funny, also in AKL value). We're a little worried about both the smaller room and the lack of a Murphy bed(s), but thought we'd stretch the points. We are looking forward to the pools (both Jambo and Kidani) and chances to see the animals. We will miss fireworks from the beach at the Poly and easy access to TTC.

 

[pks_domer]

Also-- our kids, and yours, are still too young for the night-time safari at AK. I'm looking forward to taking ours on that when they are older...

 

[bdrex28]

Hard to say, we stayed at Kidani village when our two youngest were 9 and 5. We got the savannah view and both thought it was pretty cool for about an hour. LOL

When our kids were younger they didn't love AKL, but my two youngest are also a pain in the butt

Now, personally, I love the food there. Boma is my favorite for breakfast and I'm not even normally a big breakfast eater, but wow it's good. Sanaa is great too and AK is fun for the young kids.

 

[Marthasor]

AKL is nice and beautifully themed, but in terms of proximity to parks, transportation options and amenities, it doesn't hold a candle to Poly, IMHO. AKL and WL used to be considered "Jr. Deluxe" for good reason. I, personally, would only stay at AKL if it were a short, resort-focused trip with plans to, perhaps, visit AK and DS.

 

[gottalovepluto]

With 5 and 4 I’d want easier access to MK

 

[westie55]

AKL is an amazing resort. It has the most stunning lobby on property IMO. If you don’t care about proximity to MK or other resorts in that area (for dining etc) then definitely go for it!

 

[Haley R]

I think the convenience of staying at the Poly beats out AKL every time. I also think there’s more to do for that age group. My DS loves the splash pad and playing on the beach with sand toys.

 

[pks_domer]

Agree with some previous posters-- hard to beat MK access (and Epcot monorail) at the Poly. Though, we drive down with our kids, so if we're not at a monorail resort we'll just drive instead of taking the bus. Just easier for us than the hassle of strollers on crowded buses, or potentially missing a bus. That's what we'll be doing with the kids at Jambo in a couple of weeks.

 

[thecbco]

Some of the amazing things about Animal Kingdom are, by far, the savannahs and that there are areas to see the savannah even if you don't have a savannah view room. Plus, you'd have access to both pools at Animal Kingdom, the lodge, and Kidani Village. For young children, the pool area at Kidani Village is a great choice; it's got two different-sized waterslides (a regular-sized one and a smaller one for younger children), and there's an interactive water play area for kids next to the pool.

If you want to try something new, go with Animal Kingdom. However, if you're going to be spending a lot of time at Magic Kingdom, I'd say Poly.