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AKL Club Level-opinions?

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Wed, 06/12/2013 - 01:40
6sixgees
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AKL Club Level-opinions?

I am heading south to WDW in a little more than 3 weeks, yeah me. yay
Myself, DH, DD18 & her BFF, GS2
My DH and I were discussing switching our stay from Shades of Green to AKL using Club level for several reasons.
Pros of AKL
1) I've always wanted to stay there.
2) DD high school graduation and my Masters graduation celebrations Grade Grade
3)Have a 2 year old grandson with us-zero entry pool and animals=win/win
4)DH and I do enjoy our evening drinks.
5)DD and friend "graze" more than eat-pun intended.
6)Military discount of 40%

Pros of SoG
1) cost
2)close to MK
3)bigger rooms

So, based on the above and your honest, humble opinions which would you book?

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Wed, 06/12/2013 - 02:13
JMUDukz
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DO IT!!! I've stayed at SoG, haven't stayed at AKL (yet, trip scheduled for Nov!), but stayed club level at the Poly years ago. The feeling of being pampered, the service, the amenities (food, drinks!), the extra attention just makes the vacation that much more magical and you have SO much to celebrate!! I don't know your situation, but if there was ever a time to take a "once in a lifetime" trip, this would be the time!! I vote go for it!

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Wed, 06/12/2013 - 03:23
MrHub
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No brainer, AKL!

Wed, 06/12/2013 - 03:41
6sixgees
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Thank you for your support muchlove
OF course I want to go to AKL-just trying to justify the expense. Has anyone done CL there? Some people say not enough value, others say it is great. I'm thinking with 2 teen/adults on their own time and booking 1 TS per day, plus random food in the parks we should make up the cost for convenience sake.
I will book in the 'morrow if there are no major negative comments. Bring them on if they're out there!

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Wed, 06/12/2013 - 11:29
MrHub
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Well I just said no brainer because AKL Resort is an awesome resort! Never did club level , but we never thought club level was worth the extra expense since we do the DDP & we like booking everything on our own.

Wed, 06/12/2013 - 16:09
Allie
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Absolutely AKL! I believe someone just did an AKL club level trip within the past year when he took his girlfriend to propose...I'll see if I can find the trip report...

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Wed, 06/12/2013 - 16:11
Allie
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Here it is:

http://www.wdwforgrownups.com/forum/romantic-engagecation-trip-report

He seemed to enjoy the benefits of club level and it sounds like him and his GF/FI utilized quite a bit.

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Wed, 06/12/2013 - 17:09
6sixgees
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Thanks Allie, I had looked for the report but could never find it. Read all of the pre-trip posts, which got me to thinking...
Of course they are refabbing the WDW reservation site on line and phone lines too. I always feel bad spending money on luxuries-but feel this could be a very relaxing trip for me. Having a 2 year old that needs frequent small amounts of food, this seems like a good option. I also know that we will not be out late most nights, so my DH and I may use the lounge a bit.

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Wed, 06/12/2013 - 22:44
PirateGirl
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You know 6sixgees if you don't pamper yourself who will. I say go for it. You may not get the chance to do it again for a while. If I had the opportunity I would grab it and run.

Thu, 06/13/2013 - 01:26
6sixgees
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You are so right PirateGirl! The reason my DH agreed to the AKL CL was because of our grandson who is a 2 year old. He likes the idea that snacks and drinks will be nearby for all of the kids. He thought our GS would love the animals. Then I realized that SOG was down to one pool-redoing the other one, which made it definite that we wanted another resort. Whatever the reason I am super happy and will report back in 3 weeks time.

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Sat, 06/15/2013 - 14:10
Kristen K.
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I know that I'm late to the party here but I LOVE AKL Concierge level. We've stayed in the concierge DVC rooms a couple of times and it's the bomb! I don't think you'll regret it one bit.

Sun, 06/16/2013 - 20:38
Eeyore
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I would stay at AKL no matter what. Hands down, it's better than SOG. I would ONLY do club level if I wasn't participating in the dining plan. I think with the dining plan and CL, it would be too much food and I probably wouldn't eat enough at the resort for it to be worth it. You can still stay there and get a savannah view with the military discount, just minus CL. I would just think about your meals you're planning. If you are planning three meals per day or even 2, I wouldn't do it. If you are just doing meals on your own and don't really have any set plans, I would do it.

That's just my 2 cents... Smile

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Sun, 06/16/2013 - 21:00
Kristen K.
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Eeyore wrote:
I would ONLY do club level if I wasn't participating in the dining plan. I think with the dining plan and CL, it would be too much food

I actually use this to my advantage even when I'm on the deluxe dining plan. I come from a family of foodies though and we all eat. We also don't mind leaving food on our plates.

By having breakfast or snacks, and getting drinks to keep in the room on the club level I save credits. I use the snack credits to take home mickey krispie treats or cookies home as "souvenirs" for family that stayed behind. With the "extra" dining credit it gives me I splurge on the signature dining establishments so we catch shows or eat places that we wouldn't have normally eaten if we had to spend two credits there. The glass of wine or liquer at the end of the night in the club lounge also generally saves us $15-20 a night because we're not buying those drinks at Victoria Falls.

Sun, 06/16/2013 - 22:12
salejune
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We stayed at the SoG back when it was The Disney Inn. I remember walking basically across the street to the Polynesian and catching the monorail. SoG rooms were big and very nice place. Now, I've not stayed in the AKL club level, but I heard it is just awesome! Sooo I would save some more money and treat yourself and family to the AKL club level... I'm looking forward to doing that one day too!

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Mon, 06/17/2013 - 01:16
Eeyore
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Kristen K. wrote:
Eeyore wrote:
I would ONLY do club level if I wasn't participating in the dining plan. I think with the dining plan and CL, it would be too much food

I actually use this to my advantage even when I'm on the deluxe dining plan. I come from a family of foodies though and we all eat. We also don't mind leaving food on our plates.

By having breakfast or snacks, and getting drinks to keep in the room on the club level I save credits. I use the snack credits to take home mickey krispie treats or cookies home as "souvenirs" for family that stayed behind. With the "extra" dining credit it gives me I splurge on the signature dining establishments so we catch shows or eat places that we wouldn't have normally eaten if we had to spend two credits there. The glass of wine or liquer at the end of the night in the club lounge also generally saves us $15-20 a night because we're not buying those drinks at Victoria Falls.

Oh my! eek I seriously could not eat that much! haha We only get the DP with 1 QS, 1 S, and 1TS and I am always leaving lunch or dinner feeling sick because I ate so much. I can see using it to double up on your credits though to eat at a signature restaurant. Haven't thought of that. We just eat a QS for dinner on the arrival night and usually double up once!

I wonder how much extra the CL is v. just staying in a verandah room? I think that would be the deciding factor...for me at least.

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Mon, 06/17/2013 - 02:32
6sixgees
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Thanks for the input-there is so much to plan with a WDW trip, when you realize all of the options. We are not doing the DP because my DD18 is bringing her BFF, also my DD does not eat enough to justify the expense. That is why the CL seems great for us, because for her that will be more food than she typically eats. We also have TS at BoG, 50s PT, HDDR, and Ohana(breakfast) scheduled for everyone. My DH and I are also doing the Wishes dessert @ Tomorrowland one night. With random QS and park snacking, it will be interesting to see the cost difference from the DP. We also have the TIW card for this trip. We are staying SOG in December when the military discount is blacked out for resorts, so it will be a good comparison for us. I am so looking forward to it. I have used the concierge service already to special order Lactaid milk for my GS2 and book an ADR. Booking with the concierge was less than half the time it took with a regular CM on the phone. awesome

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