Pop or akl

disney144

Mouseketeer
Joined
Feb 23, 2014
We are going for a week in January. We are currently booked for pop for a week. We are considering renting points to stay at AKL, but it would come out to $500 more. What would you do? It's just husband and I and we will likely spend a lot of time in the parks.
 
We have stayed at both and like them for different reasons. We typically choose pop for our Xtra days ( like if we re able to come in a day earlier than originally booked and unable to add on a day)
Regardless of the time spent mostly at a park, we greatly enjoy the amenities, atmosphere and xtras at upgraded resorts. The buses, food, pool, bar etc etc etc
For that money, I'd easily choose AKL in a heartbeat.
We actually just did ur exact plan few weeks back lol.. took our first nite at pop and then enjoyed our entire vacation at AKL (Jambo villa) I could not personally handle a week at pop or any value. But that's just us..
Enjoy, whichever u choose.
 
AKL is amazing, but if you are mostly going to be at the parks, I don't know if it is worth it.

But we stayed at AKL for our last trip - love it there so much! That said, we are trying Pop next time because of the renovation (queen beds are essential for me) and because we are doing a short trip before a cruise.
 
I like splitting our stays. That way we can stay for longer and still enjoy nicer resorts without shelling out as much... akl is a really nice experience. For our trip next year we are splitting pop and then renting points at akl and grand Floridian.
 


I would also suggest a split stay. Do the first couple nights at Pop while you are busy at the parks. AKL is one of my favorite resorts, so to me the extra $ is worth it.
 
Are you sure AKL Villa is even still available for January? It is late to be looking to rent points for January
 


I've done both and vastly prefer AKV. POP isn't horrible by any means, but I hated the rolling suitcases going by my room at 3am. The food court at POP gets very, very busy. I will say that you probably have a better chance of renting AKV points for January at this time than any other resort. I rent from a private individual so the cost per point is cheaper than a business that rents points. If you'd like his information PM me.
 
We are going for a week in January. We are currently booked for pop for a week. We are considering renting points to stay at AKL, but it would come out to $500 more. What would you do? It's just husband and I and we will likely spend a lot of time in the parks.
$500 more to be at a deluxe instead of a value resort is a good deal. I recommend taking it.

AKL is beautiful and much more comfortable than Pop. Transportation is about the same at the two resorts. AKL has much better food options and better recreation. Staying there was a special experience for us this April. We hope to go back again, and recommend the resort to others. By contrast, our time at Pop Century was just "okay"...
 
Even with spending a lot of time in the parks, I would much rather have my down time at AKL. So beautiful, so relaxing. Boma for breakfast is super good, and Sanaa is one of our favorite dinners on property.
 
For us it would depend on budget - if you spend the extra $500 on AKL, does this mean less to spend on meals and snacks? If so, then I would choose either Pop all the way or a split stay with the last 3 nights at AKL. But if you can swing the extra expense without affecting other aspects of the trip, then AKL seems the obvious choice. Having stayed at both, I can say there is no comparison in the comfort level of the beds and the overall relaxed vibe of a deluxe vs. value. For me, those things make a great vacation even more spectacular, so when we can afford to work in staying at a deluxe we do. But on the years we can't, it doesn't ruin our vacation - just makes it a different kind of experience (and we usually offset staying in a value with a few more special meals or extra treats).
 
I made this same decision for our 2014 trip and opted for POP. The extra money went on gift cards for Food and Wine as well as dinner at Monsieur Paul and BOG complete with a bottle of wine. We really liked Pop Century. We would do it again.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!






Top