All Stars or AKL.

[tinagirl]

Quick question of opinion. There will be four of us going. Myself, and my better half, along with his two cousins (age 15 & 17). We are all really close, and very good friends, and have camped together and stayed in the same hotel room before and it hasn't ever been a problem. However, we wanted to do our 8 day WDW trip right.

Here is the quandry. In the past, the cousins have shared a bed...neither have complained, but one has a tendency to kick.

Should we get two connecting rooms at the $59 code at ASMu, ASMo, or AS Sports (by the way, what is a good anagram for All Star Sports? It obviously isn't proper just to use the first letter of each word.) And if an AS, then which one...or should we go with a $129 code at AKL, and get a standard view with a queen and two bunkbeds?

Does AS feel as magical as AKL, especially since we will hardly be in the room, and mostly will be out at the pool, eating, or shopping when in the resort at all?

Opinions are welcome...arguing isn't.
Let me know what you think.
~Tina

 

[woody5]

Haven't stayed at AKL but will sometime. We do not like the All STars. After one stay at ALl STar sports we vowed never again. I think with no young children you would enjoy the pool better at AKL. Keep in mind that the bunk beds may not be very spacious for a 17 year old. LOL

 

[tinagirl]

hehe...height isn't an issue. The 17 year old is the shorter of the two, and tops out at 5'5... Short stature runs on that side of the family. And yes, I often feel like an amazon, as I'm 6'0!
~Tina

 

[luvdzny]

The AKL is a beautiful resort, but from what I understand bunk beds are not guaranteed and are hard to get. We just returned and we had a bunk bed room, but at check-in the CM said we were very lucky because they get MANY requests for bunk beds and lots of people don't get them. Although I know you said the size of the bed is not a problem, if anyone else is wondering my 6 foot tall DS had no problem sleeping in the top bunk.

 

[princess angel]

The AKL is a beautiful resort! If you are eating, shopping and going to the pool, the amenities at AKL are wonderful. They have 2 full service restaurants, plus one counter service, the pool is a beautiful place to relax, with 2 hottubs and the Zawadi marketplace is the most unbelievable shopping at any WDW resort in my opinion!
at the ASSp (how's that?!)they have the large pools, and a counter service (no full service restaurant) and I don;t know how the shopping is, but I am sure it can;t possibly be as unique as at the AKL!

remember, you are comparing a deluxe to a value
plus the rooms at AKL are so beautifully decorated. and each room has a balcony.

I would book the AKL with the discount, and request bunkbeds. then 4 days prior fax in a request for the bunkbeds again, and then also when you check in, see if you got your request, if not ask if they have a room available that has the bunkbeds!

have a wonderful and magical trip

Laura

 

[musicfan]

It's interesting that this question came up -- for our July vacation, we will be staying at ASMo for a couple of weeks, and AKL for the last three days. We stay at the All Stars a lot (most of the time), but have also stayed at moderates (CSR and POR) and a deluxe (Poly). We normally prefer the All Stars because we feel that the bang for the buck is far greater there. The transportation is vastly superior (more buses, more often) than any of the other moderates or deluxes (with the execption of the EPCOT resorts), and we have used WDW transportation extensively and can speak from a huge amount of personal experience. We have never used our car in all the years we have been going to WDW.

However, I will concede the issue of ambience -- AKL is a far more sophisticated ambience, which older teens may (or may not! ) appreciate. It is a truly lovely resort, which is why I booked it for the last few days of our vacation, when we should be tired of the parks and in the mood to really enjoy a deluxe resort.

But I will also say that my 15 (almost 16) year old DS actually REQUESTS the All Star Movies over ever other resort on the property because he loves the vibe there.

 

[tinagirl]

Thanks for all the responses...I'm leaning toward AKL now, and just in case we don't get the bunkbeds, I'll bring along the twin aero bed that I already have.

Thanks
~Tina

 

[JamesM897]

Hi,

Having stayed at 2 AS and AKL, I would definitely opt for AKL in your situation. It is an amazing resort that appeals to all ages plus it simply has more ammenities for a long stay like 8 days.

Have a Great Trip

Jaimie

 

[WDW2000]

Once major bonus of AKL is that you will have a full balcony. I often travel with my cousins (5 of us in 1 room) we have so much more fun sharing a room than being seperated, plus the balcony to me really adds a lot of private space if needed. I'm getting worried now after reading that bunks are hard to get. If there are 5 of us wouldn't they have to guarantee a bunk? They can't expect 3 to share a bed and still charge extra $25 for the 3rd, 4th, & 5th adult.

 

[tinagirl]

Truthfully, I'm not worried about getting the bunks, simply because we'll be going from December 12 - 20, so we should be ok, as the start of our stay falls in a relatively empty time. (Even if not we'll be ok). When are you going WDW2000? The less crowded the time, the more likely you are to get your room requests.

Hope it works out for you.
~Tina.

 

[luvpooh]

tinagirl, even if you don't get the bunk beds at AKL, they have queen beds rather than doubles, so there is a little more room in the bed if need be...

If privacy, quiet time, or getting ready in the AM is a concern, I would go with one of the All Stars because having 2 rooms (and 2 bathrooms) might come in handy for 8 nights.

 

[susy]

I will have my first stay at AKL in 60 days-yipee!!!

We stayed at ASmo in Jan and had two connecting rooms. For eight nights you might be more comfortable with the two rooms. The two bathrooms really come in handy and having two rooms to spread out in (and all our stuff) was great. At night, if some wanted to sleep, they went into one room, while the others were watching TV in the other room. The AS has a great food court (just bring the stuff back to your room on the tray for snacks or breakfast in the room). The pools were fine, but you are going when it's low crowds and cooler (like we did) and we did not see the "mob scene of children" that is often described. The pool bar was great to get drinks and snacks and there was someone doing hairwraps. What I would do is plan on some resort hopping to see the decorations and maybe have dinner is a few of the deluxes. Teh bus service at the AS was very good. I guess I'm the only vote for AS! I just think you will have more room (remember all the luggage and "stuff" you'll bring and accumulate). In Jan we got ASMo for $49. Reember to requesta room close to the pool/food court. I don't think you will have a problem with the requests in off season.
I have a niece and nephew (teenagers) and they like ambience, but care a lot more about how many times they can ride Space Mountain!

 

[tlt]

How did you get AKL for $129/night?...the cheapest I can find during value season is $199/night. Thanks!

 

[susy]

Go to mousesavers.com, click on Walkt Disney World, then click on Disney Resorts. The discount codes will be listed there. See if you can use any and call 1-407-w-disney for reservations. Just give them the code and they will let you know if they have availability.

 

[tinagirl]

Just saying thanks for all the opinions.

We talked about it, and AKL won. Everyone figured that "personal space" wasn't as important as the look and feel. The 17 year old really wants to stay there, because the animals will be great art subjects (apparently, if we don't have a view, the viewing areas will be fine,), and the 15 year old is fond of the architecture and artifacts (we have cultured kids with us, us "biggins" just want the rides...hehe BRING ON TOT!!!)


Thanks again
~Tina

 

[sha_lyn]

although it sounds like you've made up your mind would you consider splitting your stay between the 2 resorts. Try an AS for the first 4 days whne you are hitting the parks hard (the extra bathroom should came in handy for getting out of the hotel in a hurry in the am), then head over to AKL for the last nights and enjoy the resort some. I have stayed at ASMu (btw the abbreviation we use for sports is ASSp) 2X and really enjoy it. We stayed for a week with 2 kids in one room and didn't have any problems except lack of drawer space. We ate at AKL and it is now on the top of my list for the future. It is an amazing resort but when we go Iwill only stay there for the last couple days of our trip. We really aren't in our room enough to warrent the extra cash.