Amy's Fabulous Split StayTrip Report!!!! (Finally)... - Page 24 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Okay, here it is, my comparison of a Moderate (CBR) vs. a Deluxe resort (AKL).....keep in mind that some of these could be personal preferences, but all the same I will go in to detail about my choices.....
Let me start by saying that before this trip we had always stayed at Value resorts, and we are now permanently converted! It is so worth the upgrade and the extra $ to stay at a Moderate! I will sacrifice $ for souvenirs and other things every time in order to stay at a Mod hands down!!!
So, here goes my comparison...
Room Size: MOD... CBR's Pirate room felt so much larger than the savannah room at AKL mainly because there is a wall between the sink area and the rest of the room at AKL, making it feel closed off and smaller. At CBR it is open and gives you much more area to move around, although there is a privacy curtain that you can open and close at your discrepancy.
Bed Comfort: DELUXE... AKL's bed had a pillow top, and it was a queen vs a full at CBR, however it is higher off the ground, something to consider if you have little ones or elderly staying with you.
Sink Area: MOD...CBR's sink area had both a full lenght shelf above the double sinks, as well as full storage below the sinks, AKL only had the shelf above. The sinks themselves were comparable in use and decor, although the ones at CBR were solid surface and the ones at AKL were granite.
STORAGE: MOD: CBR had the open closet area near the sinks as well as three drawers below the armoir, and the large deep drawer crates for storage. AKL only had a closed closet with two sliding doors, and two drawers below the armoir.
DECOR: MOD: We loved the Pirate Room at CBR! The room at AKL was nice, but a little too adult IMO for a family with children of any age.
LIGHTING: MOD... CBR is light, has plenty of it, and the room is painted light, making the room also feel larger. AKL is much darker as is the decor, and is the lighting, the lamps and sconces themselves are darker, so they don't allow much light through, and the wall between the sinks and rest of the room don't allow the bathroom or sink lights through to the rest of the room, so you can't even have that light if you want it overnight.
FOOD: TIE... the food itself was delicious at both resorts, we really couldn't choose one over the other on this one.
ACCESS to FOOD: MOD...CBR's Food Court and table service restaurant are all in one place at their main building, on one floor, it doesn't take a map or rocket science to get to them. At AKL, it was very confusing, and you needed to ask a CM, and then it was still hard to find. You'd think they'd be right off the lobby, but they are one floor down, and the Mara their quick service and the place to fill mugs is actually accessed outside of the building under a covered walkway, which I can see being a real inconvenience during inclement weather.
POOL: MOD... CBR's pool blows AKL's away! Their newly refurbished pirate themed pools are just awesome with so much to do, great slides, and forts with water spouts, and a Pirate ship kids pool with a dumping bucket! The AKL pool is large, with one water slide, pretty, but not much to do there. CBR's is better than most deluxe resort pools I've seen, aside from Stormalong Bay at Beach Club!
SHOPPING: MOD...CBR's market place was large, with a huge variety and had lots of Cm's there to help out. AKL's was smaller with limited choices, and more African choices than Disney souvenirs.
BUSES: MOD... if you read this entire TR then you know we had major issues with buses at AKL, not to mention they now also stop at Kidani village and haven't quite gotten that routine down just yet. Also, it's the farthest resort from all the parks except for AK. CBR's buses were very efficient, they were never full, and because the resort is centrally located, we got to the parks within 15 minutes or less each day.
FRONT DESK: DELUXE... AKL's front desk is easily accesible because the resort is all in a spke type setup, it's all indoors. You don't have to walk very far to get to it. At CBR it's a separate building at the front of the resort, and you're only likely to go there for check in or a major problem, because it's just too far away.
CM Staff: Tie...at both resorts they were friendly, efficient, knowledgeable, and helpful, no complaints.
MOUSEKEEPING: TIE...no complaints, both rooms were kept very clean, both ladies were very nice, we always had towel animals, and little treats.
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES: MOD: CBR is such a wide open beautiful resort, there are tons of outdoor activites, boating, volleyball, playgrounds, pirate excursion for kids, sand beaches, great pools, jogging paths along the water...etc. At AKL most activites are indoors, or just near the pool because of the savannahs, they have limited space for guests to roam.
OVERALL CHOICE: all things being equal, if money were not an object, I would choose to return to CBR hands down. It was just a nicer resort in my opinion, and we are returning there in Spring 2010! While we liked AKL okay, we felt that we just didn't get the bang for our buck. And while it was cool to have animals right outside our balcony, we felt that was the only thing that was set above the mark for us compared to CBR.
I hope that all of you who read my TR enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! It is bittersweet that it's come to an end. Now I have to start reading everyone else's TR's until I get closer to my trip next year! Something to keep me going....And, good luck to all who applied for the Mom's Panel, I'm right there with you!!!
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Geez, Amy...going back through your TR (especially the comparisons) and I'm thinking I want to go back to CBR! Which...if you recall...is quite the turn around. My mousekeeper/maitenance men were less than wonderful...but you have some wonderful points. Oh how I want to hear some steel drums as I walk through Caribbean Cay...
Geez, Amy...going back through your TR (especially the comparisons) and I'm thinking I want to go back to CBR! Which...if you recall...is quite the turn around. My mousekeeper/maitenance men were less than wonderful...but you have some wonderful points. Oh how I want to hear some steel drums as I walk through Caribbean Cay...
Thanks Kellie! I know, I really miss it too- can't wait to get back there next year!
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