Animal Kingdom Lodge vs Pop Century, with toddlers!

[Ihatesunshine]

Planning a summer trip for 2019! My parents (late 60s), Husband and I (early 30s), and the kids (3 year old, and 4.5 year old).

Going through a DVC rental, AKL is $75 cheaper than Pop.

We're relying on bus fair, which I hear at AKL isn't very good. We will be visiting all 4 parks over 4 days (1 day per park) and will be going back to the hotel midday for a 3-4 hour break/nap.

Is AKL too far for naps? Would Pop Century be better?

 

[dansdad]

Planning a summer trip for 2019! My parents (late 60s), Husband and I (early 30s), and the kids (3 year old, and 4.5 year old).

Going through a DVC rental, AKL is $75 cheaper than Pop.

We're relying on bus fair, which I hear at AKL isn't very good.

In our experience AKL bus service is no better or worse than anywhere else on site.

We will be visiting all 4 parks over 4 days (1 day per park) and will be going back to the hotel midday for a 3-4 hour break/nap. AKL too far for naps?

Nope. That would be like asking if they Poly or Contemporary are too far for naps. AKL is as convenient to AK as the MK resorts are to MK. And AKL is closer to Epcot and DHS than the MK resorts.

Would Pop Century be better?

Not a chance.

 

[Huff]

AKL would have a 5 minute longer bus ride to/from parks than Pop except for AK which of course is next to AKL. Keep in mind that Pop bus stop is not shaded. Your trip is in June which can be hot and frequent rain in the afternoons. AKL's bus stop is covered. AKL's rooms are slightly larger than Pop and the resort is much nicer.

The only pro that I can see Pop has over AKL is the food court. Far greater selection.

 

[Skippyboo]

AKL has covered bus stops with benches. Pop has corrals in the sun for bus stops. AKL has a 3 excellent table services restaurants and a nice quick service. Pop has a noisy cafeteria like food hall. AKL has animals. Pop no animals. Definitely go with AKL.

 

[xjuax]

I would say go with AKL, especially if you're getting a DVC rental. DVC's are larger than standard rooms, which I think will benefit you with a party this size.

 

[epcotobsessed]

I've never been to Pop but AKL is perfect for those ages. You have to go on a bus either way, both resorts are "out there," I would not make my decision based on that alone.

 

[Mother Brer]

Just got back last night from a stay at AKL - I never waited more than 8 minutes for a bus. Vast majority of the time the wait was under five minutes. And to get to and from Animal Kingdom, I feel like a bus was already THERE every single time, and the drive to the park was 5 minutes. We would pop over at night to see Pandora, etc, and it was a BREEZE. There's a ton for kids to do there. Especially if it's cheaper, I'd definitely do AKL.

 

[Skippyboo]

Plus AKL is all interior rooms so once you are in the hotel you don’t have to go outside to get to your rooms. Pop has a main building with the bus stops outside that holds the check in area, food hall, arcade and store then the actual rooms are in clusters around the main building so you have to go outside to get to room.

 

[MrPTato]

Don't even think about Pop!

 

[RPM1214]

My vote would be for AKL!!

 

[Huff]

We repeatedly have had lousy bus service when trying to get to MK after dinner at AKL. This is when we've stayed at other resorts and need to get back to our resort. MK is the only park open late so we have to transfer there or at Downtown Disney. Every time after 9pm, the wait for a bus to MK has taken 30-45 minutes. A few times after 45 minutes we gave up and took Uber. Any other times during the day buses from AKL are fine.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

AKL!

 

[sjrec]

Just got back last night from a stay at AKL - I never waited more than 8 minutes for a bus. Vast majority of the time the wait was under five minutes. And to get to and from Animal Kingdom, I feel like a bus was already THERE every single time, and the drive to the park was 5 minutes. We would pop over at night to see Pandora, etc, and it was a BREEZE. There's a ton for kids to do there. Especially if it's cheaper, I'd definitely do AKL.

This was our experience last month as well.

 

[Hopefully]

I would say go with AKL, especially if you're getting a DVC rental. DVC's are larger than standard rooms, which I think will benefit you with a party this size.

DVC Studios are about the same size as a Deluxe hotel room, but room is taken by the kitchenette

 

[wisteria1019]

AKL is fabulous

 

[JAMIESMITH]

AKL also has some fun activities for kids. They have animal shapes in the lobby floor that the kids get to use to make rubs with paper and crayons. The animal guides are also fun/interesting. We really enjoyed the pool there. It has a slide, which Pop doesn’t have.

Breakfast at Boma is really good.

We had no problems with bus service during our stay. In fact the only resort I’ve ever had bad bus service was The Boardwalk.

 

[Shanti]

Planning a summer trip for 2019! My parents (late 60s), Husband and I (early 30s), and the kids (3 year old, and 4.5 year old).

Going through a DVC rental, AKL is $75 cheaper than Pop.

We're relying on bus fair, which I hear at AKL isn't very good. We will be visiting all 4 parks over 4 days (1 day per park) and will be going back to the hotel midday for a 3-4 hour break/nap.

Is AKL too far for naps? Would Pop Century be better?

We've stayed at AKL & Pop, and the bus service was equal at both resorts. One AKL transportation bonus is that the deluxe resort bus stops at the parks tend to be closer to the park entrance than the value resort bus stops, so there will be a bit less walking, and I know every bit counts with tired toddlers.

AKL is a no-brainer here imo. It's a much nicer place to stay than Pop, including for little ones.

 

[momto3pirates]

Are you looking at a 2 bedroom villa vs 2 rooms at Pop? There is a huge difference there. With a villa you also have a kitchen and washer/dryer. Always helpful with young kids.

 

[blabadie]

Animal Kingdom Lodge is so much nicer. Your family will love seeig the animals. This would be no contest to me.

 

[Ihatesunshine]

Wonderful! Thank you, everyone for your input! I'm super excited for our trip! Thank you for quelling my fears! Whoooo hoooo!