AKL Basic Room vs AA Cars Suit
 

Hi All,

We have a bit of a dilemma, we have booked a normal room at AKL and now having 2nd thoughts.

The alternative is staying in the Art of Animation in a Cars Suit as it is the same price so only have to pay £50 to change the booking, we are travelling as 2 adults and 2 children 5 & 7 but we do have a car whilst there, my concerns are;

The time it will take to get anywhere from AKL as it only has bus links, Art of Animation will have the Skyliner by the time we go which means good access to Epcot and Hollywood Studios,

How feasible is it to drive to all the Disney parks from AKL we want to go to as I get the impression that we will still get caught up in all the traffic getting into the parks and out in the evening.

is it really value for money when I am not paying for a savannah view and we aren't planning on having more than 1 pool morning (if that) as we are only at Disney for a week.

Is the QS food options that much different in terms of quality at Art of Animation vs AKL (we are only planning on having breakfast at AKL and Boma on the last night.

Are the feel of the rooms in Art of animation cheaper than AKL (we are use to 4*+/5* accommodation and amenities.

What would you do? We have already paid so this isn't about saving money, is the AKL that special it is worth the inconvenience of poor transport links? Will having the extra space of a suit make that much difference when we plan on spending only a waking hour or 2 a day in the room?

Only ever had one bus journey delayed when staying at AKL and got a free FP out of it 😂 never understood why people say it is so much further than other resorts, never felt like a long journey and certainly didn't impact upon FP or ADRs.
Think your biggest thing is space - obviously the suite will have much more space than an AKL room

I wouldn't even consider changing it. AKL is a deluxe resort. You've got a car so will get around without a problem if you don't want to take the bus.

AoA will give you separate sleeping space so even after the little ones have crashed you can watch TV, relax and shower etc without waking them. Food court wise at AoA you have their food court and the one at Pop just over the bridge, the options are quite different certainly when compared to the different all stars for example. The Mara at AKL is ok but nothing to rave about however you do have restaurants which are nice and have a good variety of food. Given the age of the children the AoA theming may suit them better, especially if they really like one of the films an area is based on. Buses at AKL were not fantastic when we stayed there but others have had very different experiences. Can't help with driving much as we don't usually hire a car, especially now there are parking fees which quickly add up. There is something lovely about the AKL but for location and space AoA would win for me. Does free dining impact your choices? as losing this could be a deal breaker.

Stayed AKL 2 weeks last year. Never had a car and never had any problems getting to all parks by bus. Never missed a FP or ADR. Absolutely loved the hotel and all it had to offer. But never been to AoA

Have stayed at both. Preferred AoA, due to space and choice of food at the food court. Would stay there again. Found Mara tiny with little choice and little space to eat.

The entrance is the best part of AKL and the animals fab but how much are you going to look at them.

Think the separate sleeping areas could work well, also the double bath rooms.

Travel wise is much of a muchness.

Ive stayed at both too - Travel to animal kingdom lodge really isnt bad, we took the buses every day and I dont remember travel times being much more than AOA.

That being said I absolutely love AOA, I've stayed 3 times. Great quick service, quieter pools as well as the busy main pool.
Id vote for extra space - and the extra bathroom, but theres really no bad option here.

I have done both, but only savannah view at Kidani. I love the feel of AKL, but for me the savannah view balcony is a huge part. The distance is a non issue for me with a car. We’ve stayed there 3 times and would happily go back.

AoA is very well themed but still feels like a budget hotel. I prefer the food court there to the Mara. I don’t think there’s any difference in quality across QS locations in the hotels. The Cars pool is fairly quiet and nicely themed. I liked having an extra bathroom as well as two separate sleeping areas.

Travel from AKL is fine apart in my experience from and to Disney Springs. That was when they were still doing loads of work on the roads there though. All the value resorts have bigger food courts with more choices but no restaurants. AKL has theee amazing restaurants and two great bars. Great if you’re using them. With little kids I’d probably go for the space and the food court at A of A bit only
If getting a suite. It remains to be seen if the Skyliner is a good transport option. That’s as yet an untested assumption you’re making. I much prefer AKL but have been stuck in silence in Disney hotel rooms with sleeping little ones so for that reason would probably choose the space.

We’ve only ever stayed at Deluxe resorts so can’t comment on AoA but we think AKL is really special. We had a savannah view and yes the views are amazing but as we were only there for 7 nights over Christmas, when it got dark early, we spent very little time in the room. For us, the whole hotel has such a special feeling. The lobby, bars and restaurants are so lovely. It’s more than just the balcony views IMO.

I was dreading the transport as everyone says it’s so far out but honestly it was fine, we really didn’t feel that it took any longer than when we’d stayed at Yacht Club. And that was at the busiest time of the year.