Which value or value plus resort should we stay at?

[dAZ]

We stayed at Pop Century before and it was okay, nothing fantastic, but okay. I'm wondering if we should check out any other Disney hotels? I think I remember the advantages to Pop Century were that is has it's own food court and has it's own dedicated bus to the parks. Pros/cons of others or just stick with what we know? I don't mind paying a bit more but I'd rather spend money on experiences for this trip instead of lavish hotels.

[hymen]

I found Pop to be nicer than any of the All-Star resorts. They are similar to Pop in terms of layout but the rooms aren't as new or as nice.

[lala]

If you just need a regular room and want to try a nicer but still "value" resort, I'd get a little mermaid room at the Art of Animation. Just comparing Pop to the All stars...I agree Pop is the best.

[ilikedonuts]

Little mermaid rooms are super far from the main area at AoA (buses, food court, main pool etc) so if you want a regular room and close to everything. I'd pick pop preferred room out of all the values.

[dAZ]

Jun 23, 2016 20:47:02 GMT -5 @fivedogs said:

What range would you like to stay in? (Cost per night)

Under $200

[lala]

Jun 23, 2016 21:34:51 GMT -5 @fivedogs said:

I swear I am not paid to push renting DVC points, but at least for the period in which we are traveling this year (early November), we could stay in a DVC studio at Old Key West for the same price as a Little Mermaid room at AOA (so a little more than Pop Century). I think it's about $185/night and is a bit nicer (queen beds). It doesn't have the kid theming though; not sure how it compares in terms of buses and convenience. You don't have the same ability to cancel your reservation without financial penalty as you do when staying in a hotel. But we've had a good experience renting DVC points.   (ETA - we've never stayed at OKW, but it seems to have a lot of availability and doesn't cost as much per night as some of the other resorts for a studio, so I just picked them as an example.)  

But there's nothing wrong with sticking with what you know you like either! 

blog.dvcrequest.com/a-look-at-a-studio-at-disneys-old-key-west/

I'm a total point renting pusher, too. We have often gotten rooms under $200 a night...way better than an value resort! 

[ilikedonuts]

Jun 23, 2016 21:43:54 GMT -5 @fivedogs said:

Jun 23, 2016 21:39:36 GMT -5 lala said:

I'm a total point renting pusher, too. We have often gotten rooms under $200 a night...way better than an value resort! 

Exactly!  It's the queen beds that win every time - between the 6'2" DH and a kid randomly wanting to climb between us, double beds are not fun for anyone.  The kitchenette is great too.  We're staying at AOA for the first two nights of our stay this year because of availability issues, and I fear the girls will love it more and want to stay there the whole time.  

We're doing 3 AoA nights (in a little mermaid since we have a car) at the end of our trip in November specifically because the kids want to stay there. I'm going to end up with both kids in bed with me so DH can sleep diagonally on the bed because he's 6'5 lol

[ribollita]

I think AoA is amazing for little kids and would choose to stay in a LM room there over OKW with a small child.

The AoA buses and food court are great, the pool is huge, and there's a fun play area, plus the Cars and Lion King areas/statues.

[ribollita]

You could also consider the Swan/Dolphin. It's often under $200/night. But check the transportation costs vs on site.

[curbsideprophet]

We are staying at AoA later this year. I hope DD likes it!

[lala]

I would just always choose any deluxe or dvc over any value, I think - especially when you're renting points and the price is comparable or not much more. Of course, OKW, SS & AKL are further out than most other deluxes.

There is a lot more space and usually better facilities. Now, the food courts are usually better in values but that isn't appealing to us. It's all how you use the resort.

[littlemermaid]

We stayed at the AoA but in a Finding Nemo suite. The family we went with stayed in the Littler Mermaid. They loved it but be prepared to walk quite a bit since it's the farthest building from the food court and the big pool. Other than that we all loved staying there.

[ribollita]

Jun 24, 2016 7:37:30 GMT -5 lala said:

I would just always choose any deluxe or dvc over any value, I think - especially when you're renting points and the price is comparable or not much more. Of course, OKW, SS & AKL are further out than most other deluxes.

There is a lot more space and usually better facilities. Now, the food courts are usually better in values but that isn't appealing to us. It's all how you use the resort.

While I personally prefer the amenities of a deluxe, when I'm traveling to WDW I choose my hotel based on a mix of convenience, price, and what my kids will enjoy the most. I stay in luxury hotels for work, couples trips, or family trips to other destinations.

The multiple bus stops at OKW are enough for it to be a deal breaker for me personally. That coupled with my kids' excitement at a themed resort would make me choose AoA over OKW even at the same price, for a family trip with small kids. I completely understand others' mileage may vary.

Next trip we are staying at BWI. I am sure my DS would rather stay at AoA but this time BWI made more sense for our trip just as CR and POFQ have in the past.

[was5]

We stayed at AoA in a Little Mermaid room. It was a long walk to the pool, cafeteria, bus stop. However, my 6 yo D loved the theming, the big pool and the splash area. We had 2 adults, a 6 yo and a 2 pack n plays and we did ok with the space. We were only there 4 nights though.

I think your choice depends on the age of the travelers. If you have young kids, I would go with AoA if you are want to do a value. I think the walk from the LM rooms is worth it.

On our next trip, I am debating between an AoA suite, POR and CBR because they all have options for 5 people. Unfortunately the AoA suite is more because we need a suite. If we were a family of 4, I would probably do Little Mermaid at AoA again.

[dAZ]

So Old Key West has multiple stops to get to the park? Does AoA also have multiple stops or does it have it's own bus like Pop Century?

[was5]

We only used busses for MK but AoA was the only stop for that. I assume it's the same for the other parks. We drove to FL so we chose to drive our car to HS.

[ribollita]

Jun 24, 2016 12:22:41 GMT -5 dAZ said:

So Old Key West has multiple stops to get to the park? Does AoA also have multiple stops or does it have it's own bus like Pop Century?

AoA has one stop. We also took Pop's a few times and you can walk over the bridge very easily.

OKW has multiple internal stops.

(Edited)

[lala]

Jun 24, 2016 12:04:59 GMT -5 was5 said:

We stayed at AoA in a Little Mermaid room. It was a long walk to the pool, cafeteria, bus stop. However, my 6 yo D loved the theming, the big pool and the splash area. We had 2 adults, a 6 yo and a 2 pack n plays and we did ok with the space. We were only there 4 nights though.

I think your choice depends on the age of the travelers. If you have young kids, I would go with AoA if you are want to do a value. I think the walk from the LM rooms is worth it.

On our next trip, I am debating between an AoA suite, POR and CBR because they all have options for 5 people. Unfortunately the AoA suite is more because we need a suite. If we were a family of 4, I would probably do Little Mermaid at AoA again.

There are also family suites at All Star Music that are cheaper than the suites at AoA. Also the cabins at Ft. Wilderness, but those are probably more depending on the deal. 

Also, many (most?) of the DVC studios now have an occupancy of 5. It seems the newer resorts & the ones they go back an update are mostly getting 5. I'm thrilled about this b/c I'm okay with sharing one big room for my family of 5 and would rather spend that money elsewhere. 

[lala]

ribollita - that is true about the stops at places like OKW and some moderates. We've stayed Beach Club a lot and that bus usually stops at Yacht & maybe boardwalk/swan/dolphin occasionally, so I guess I'm used to that.

[ribollita]

Jun 24, 2016 14:18:53 GMT -5 lala said:

ribollita - that is true about the stops at places like OKW and some moderates. We've stayed Beach Club a lot and that bus usually stops at Yacht & maybe boardwalk/swan/dolphin occasionally, so I guess I'm used to that.

Yes, I've been quite happy to read that the Epcot resorts almost always have dedicated buses now except perhaps to Disney Springs.

[was5]

Jun 24, 2016 14:17:22 GMT -5 lala said:

Jun 24, 2016 12:04:59 GMT -5 was5 said:

We stayed at AoA in a Little Mermaid room. It was a long walk to the pool, cafeteria, bus stop. However, my 6 yo D loved the theming, the big pool and the splash area. We had 2 adults, a 6 yo and a 2 pack n plays and we did ok with the space. We were only there 4 nights though.

I think your choice depends on the age of the travelers. If you have young kids, I would go with AoA if you are want to do a value. I think the walk from the LM rooms is worth it.

On our next trip, I am debating between an AoA suite, POR and CBR because they all have options for 5 people. Unfortunately the AoA suite is more because we need a suite. If we were a family of 4, I would probably do Little Mermaid at AoA again.

There are also family suites at All Star Music that are cheaper than the suites at AoA. Also the cabins at Ft. Wilderness, but those are probably more depending on the deal. 

Also, many (most?) of the DVC studios now have an occupancy of 5. It seems the newer resorts & the ones they go back an update are mostly getting 5. I'm thrilled about this b/c I'm okay with sharing one big room for my family of 5 and would rather spend that money elsewhere. 

Thanks for the suggestions. The more I read about DVC, the more I think I am going to look into them. I think my little guys would get a kick out of AoA because of the theming, but POR is about $100 less per night. I also noticed that the All Star Music has less expensive suites. H and I talked about that as well. I am really undecided and weighing comfort, space, ambiance/theming and cost.

We are not a Disney every year family. It will be 3 - 3.5 years between trips for us. Our boys will 4 1/2-5 (depending on when we go), which I think is the prime age for kids to be really into Disney characters. I think that's why I am leaning toward AoA. If we go back when they are 8 or 9, it won't have quite the same charm.

[ribollita]

My 4.5yo was soooo excited about the Cars Suite when we went last year. I'm so glad we went at that age. It's only 6M later and he's already kind of over Lightning McQueen.

[dAZ]

Is there a list somewhere that has each disney hotel and the number of stops the bus makes on the way to the park? It seems like it should be somewhere but I can't find it.

[ribollita]

Jun 25, 2016 11:10:48 GMT -5 dAZ said:

Is there a list somewhere that has each disney hotel and the number of stops the bus makes on the way to the park? It seems like it should be somewhere but I can't find it.

One stop hotels:

Pop
AoA
POFQ
All the deluxes.

I think that's it.

The Allstars all have one stop but I believe the buses go to all three of the hotels?

[dcrunnergirl52]

We loved the Nemo suites at AoA. If we went again, I'd get those suites again. I loved the theming, that they were close to the pool and food court,and the kids loved the little playground right outside the room. And, the buses were so easy. We stayed at BLT the first time we went, and the buses were miserable b/c they stopped at other resorts.