AOA,POR,CBR or Wilderness Lodge

[webs2kids]

I have a family of six and an additional family of three that are joining us in April 2022.
The additional family of 3 have a young daughter and it is their first time visiting Disney!! I want their first stay to be extra special.
We currently have two Nemo suites at AOA reserved for our stay. My kids are 20 and 16. DD (20) loves Nemo and wants to stay at AOA! We have stayed at POR and I love that resort. We are generally park commandos in my family. But, we have a little one joining us this time. I want the newbie family to have the most magical time and my favorite place on the planet!

I am concerned about some of the reviews I have read about AOA and CBR. We have not stayed at either or WL.

I need help deciding on staying at AOA or one of the other resorts I listed. CBR only has preferred and pirate rooms for the week we will be there.

Please help me with my decision! Thanks in advance!

 

[JessicaW1234]

Based on your background, I would recommend you stay at AOA. Your daughter wants to stay there, and the other family has a young daughter who would also enjoy AOA. You could use the sky liner and the theming is fun.

CBR pirate rooms are not better than AOA for theming. WL is a beautiful resort, but probably not worth the expense considering you are park commandos. CBR preferred would be worth it if you wanted to be near the pool and food options.
What are the reviews telling you about AOA?

 

[Skippyboo]

Could you maybe look at renting something on the DVC side? WL is a gorgeous resort. Gives you a woodsy vibe instead of FL. There’s boat service to MK which is handy if the newbie family wants to go back to the room for naps.

 

[webs2kids]

Based on your background, I would recommend you stay at AOA. Your daughter wants to stay there, and the other family has a young daughter who would also enjoy AOA. You could use the sky liner and the theming is fun.

CBR pirate rooms are not better than AOA for theming. WL is a beautiful resort, but probably not worth the expense considering you are park commandos. CBR preferred would be worth it if you wanted to be near the pool and food options.
What are the reviews telling you about AOA?

I have read quite a few reviews talking about the cleanliness of the grounds/rooms, below average food court, inconsistent skyliner travel, etc. We do spend a lot of our time in the parks, but when it's time to unwind I want a comfortable bed and a clean room to lay my head. This would be our first value resort stay, so I am a little hesitant based on reviews I am reading. My daughter (who is currently in college) would fall asleep on a bench. lol

 

[webs2kids]

Could you maybe look at renting something on the DVC side? WL is a gorgeous resort. Gives you a woodsy vibe instead of FL. There’s boat service to MK which is handy if the newbie family wants to go back to the room for naps.

That is a good point about naps. I thought about a monorail resort, but Poly is out of price range. We have stayed DVC many times. Trying to do something different. SSR or OKW are my fall back options.

 

[JessicaW1234]

Have you thought about Royal rooms at POR? That would keep you at moderate level but princess theme for the little. Also POFQ is a great moderate for a little ( my kids loved the slide when they were younger) and better food courts.
My impression of CBR is it is huge and older rooms. We just stayed at WL and loved it, but it was less Disney themed if that's what you are looking for. My 15 yo twins liked it but did not love it. (The slide was very small & out of commission for most of our stay).

The food courts in general have more limited options since Covid. I would agree that the skyliner can be at times less reliable because it has to pause any times there are thunderstorms in the area. Not sure how comfortable those fold out beds are at AOA.

 

[RoseGold]

For a little girl, the Little Mermaid room is hard to beat. It's one of my favorite rooms on property.

These are all Disney run hotels. They will be fine. I wouldn't expect the Four Seasons, but it will be fine.

 

[MarkS2112]

WL is fantastic and has best theming and ready access to MK. Food choices are better, nice pool and way better theme. When you walk into the massive lobby of WL you will understand why you stay there.

 

[Skippyboo]

WL: Close to MK with non bus access, Rooms on hotel side just redone this year, multiple dining options, interior doors, Deluxe Extra park hours

AoA: Nemo Theme, Nemo Pool and play area, Skyliner, only food court dining, family suite rooms

CBR: Themed fort pool, multiple dining options, Skyliner, very spread out resort, dated rooms.

With 9 people, would that be 3 regular hotel rooms?

 

[webs2kids]

Have you thought about Royal rooms at POR? That would keep you at moderate level but princess theme for the little. Also POFQ is a great moderate for a little ( my kids loved the slide when they were younger) and better food courts.
My impression of CBR is it is huge and older rooms. We just stayed at WL and loved it, but it was less Disney themed if that's what you are looking for. My 15 yo twins liked it but did not love it. (The slide was very small & out of commission for most of our stay).

The food courts in general have more limited options since Covid. I would agree that the skyliner can be at times less reliable because it has to pause any times there are thunderstorms in the area. Not sure how comfortable those fold out beds are at AOA.

I have the Royal Rooms on the list. POR is my favorite moderate resort. We have never done the royal rooms, so I was considering this time for the little one.

 

[webs2kids]

For a little girl, the Little Mermaid room is hard to beat. It's one of my favorite rooms on property.

These are all Disney run hotels. They will be fine. I wouldn't expect the Four Seasons, but it will be fine.

That was my thought too. It's Disney. How bad can it be.

 

[webs2kids]

WL is fantastic and has best theming and ready access to MK. Food choices are better, nice pool and way better theme. When you walk into the massive lobby of WL you will understand why you stay there.

I have always wanted to stay here. My only hesitation here is because of the little one. It doesn't seem to have enough "Disney" theming. Correct me if I am wrong?
WL is definitely on my bucket list. I have been holding out for a Christmas Time trip!

 

[loves to dive]

The suite at AoA may be overkill for the family of 3, they are expensive for a value resort and they might not need that much room. They do have smaller rooms there but are way overpriced for what they are. It would be good for your family since there are two bathrooms and both kids would get their own beds.

I would suggest finding some room videos and let the other family watch them and help with the decision. Every family has their own wants and needs and you might be setting yourself up for heartache if they don't like what you pick.

We went through something similar a few weeks ago. My son, his SO and their baby were coming with me. We looked at a suite at AoA, which was the same price as a mini-suite at Dolphin, which did not have two bathrooms and grandma would be sleeping on the sleeper sofa. In the end, the Dolphin won. I sent them some videos to watch. My son is an old pro at WDW, we have been going since he was just shy of 3 and he is 40 now but she had only been once, never done Epcot and only did one day in the other parks (that's one day total). The skyliner was actually one of the biggest negatives for AoA. It's about the only option for Epcot and HS, which are our favorite parks. My son isn't fond of heights and claustrophobic. We don't mind the buses but we knew it would be different dealing with the stroller. They watched the videos and while the AoA suite might have been better size wise, it didn't suit for what they wanted to do.

 

[Tigger's ally]

You either have to stay where you are, or go DVC if you want all 6 of you in one room. The room with 3 can fit in any of the resorts you list. We liked the AoA suites as we stayed lion king. 2 bathrooms for 6 people wpuld be a must for us.

 

[SMF_mom23]

Do not underestimate the value of two FULL bathrooms for a family of six. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE! I get that a suite might be much for the family of three, but might it be possible that they could get a regular room close to your suite? I'm not sure how the rooms are arranged throughout the property, but you might be able to find something online or call TWDC and find out from a CM.

All the other options you're mentioning standard rooms which will generally sleep 4 or 5, where the AoA suites have a bedroom (with a king bed!) and private bath, along with a separate living area which has two other sleeping surfaces, both able to accommodate adult-size people. The suites also have kitchenettes that include a microwave and toaster (I think), which none of the other options offer. I think some resorts have microwaves available on a first-come-first-served basis, though.

The fold-down beds at POR (I can't recall their exact name rn) are smaller than a twin both in length and width. The would not be comfortable over multiple nights for anyone over the age of 12, imo. (Though they would be more comfortable than a bench! LOL) I would also suggest you do some research into the room sizes of each of the resorts you're considering. They can vary quite a bit and might have an impact on your choice, especially if you're thinking of using cots/inflatable beds. Along those lines, consider the fact that many rooms cannot accommodate families larger than 4 people, which means your group of six will need two rooms instead of one. If you choose to get two rooms, you will likely be able to get them close together, but connecting rooms are not always guaranteed, unless those in the second room are under-age.

My family LOVED the food court at POR, but we also enjoyed AoA. That was years ago, though and I don't know what their status is post-COVID. With the skyliner to HS and EPCOT at AoA, plus bus transport for MK and AK getting between EPCOT or HS would be a relatively easy ride and you wouldn't be on a crowded bus with a lot of other ppl, though you might share a gondola with a few. The boat at WL would be nice, but how many MK days are you planning? AoA and CBR are both very large (and POR isn't really compact), but you might be able to request a room closer to whatever you feel is most important to be near (gondola or main building for food).

If you want "Disney" theming, AoA is the clear winner, IMO. Either POR (I've stayed here) or CBR (I only know from skyliner switch and my own research) have a similar level of theming from what I can tell and don't give off much "Disney feel" to me. WL (I've only visited/eaten here) has better than the two moderates for immersion and is GORGEOUS to boot, but it isn't the same whimsical vibe I get from AoA.

 

[Marthasor]

I have read quite a few reviews talking about the cleanliness of the grounds/rooms, below average food court, inconsistent skyliner travel, etc. We do spend a lot of our time in the parks, but when it's time to unwind I want a comfortable bed and a clean room to lay my head. This would be our first value resort stay, so I am a little hesitant based on reviews I am reading. My daughter (who is currently in college) would fall asleep on a bench. lol

Believe the reviews. AoA was the most uncomfortable, loudest hotel I have ever stayed in. The beds are incredibly uncomfortable and the walls are really thin. Is it cute? Sure is! But the "wow" factor of the theming wears off after awhile and it doesn't make up for the fact that it truly is a value resort with a chaotic food court and uncomfortable rooms. If it's in the budget, I would spring for a mod or deluxe. While they may not have in-your-face theming like AoA, you will get all of that in the parks. If you want a more comfortable room, I would upgrade your accommodations. The royal rooms at POR are adorable. I would not stay in the pirate rooms at CBR - too far away from everything and only double beds in the rooms. WL is absolutely stunning and definitely has Disney touches.

I would list your choices in this order:

WL
POR
CBR (preferred)
AoA

 

[SMF_mom23]

Believe the reviews. AoA was the most uncomfortable, loudest hotel I have ever stayed in. The beds are incredibly uncomfortable and the walls are really thin.

I do remember there being some level of noise coming from the halls at AoA, but don't recall hearing it in our rooms. That said, my kids were younger and it has been a LONG time, so maybe my rose-colored glasses are in effect? You're also correct that you'll get lots of theming in the parks, so it isn't like you'll be lacking it on the daily.

I do stand by my two bathrooms for 6 people, though. LOL!

CBR (preferred)

100% agree with asking for a specific area at CBR just because it is SO spread out. If it helps you get an idea of scale for any of the resorts, you might be able to use google maps to give you walking times from, say the skyliner station to the Pirate Themed rooms or the main building at CBR. I believe I read somewhere the Jamaica section was closer to the skyliner station, but is not considered among the "Preferred" rooms. Can you confirm @Marthasor?

 

[Marthasor]

I do remember there being some level of noise coming from the halls at AoA, but don't recall hearing it in our rooms. That said, my kids were younger and it has been a LONG time, so maybe my rose-colored glasses are in effect? You're also correct that you'll get lots of theming in the parks, so it isn't like you'll be lacking it on the daily.

I do stand by my two bathrooms for 6 people, though. LOL!



100% agree with asking for a specific area at CBR just because it is SO spread out. If it helps you get an idea of scale for any of the resorts, you might be able to use google maps to give you walking times from, say the skyliner station to the Pirate Themed rooms or the main building at CBR. I believe I read somewhere the Jamaica section was closer to the skyliner station, but is not considered among the "Preferred" rooms. Can you confirm @Marthasor?

As far as I know, Jamaica is considered "standard". I suppose, if booking Preferred, one may want to request Barbados as it still puts you close to the lobby and not terribly far from the Skyliner.

Oh, yes, 2 bathrooms for 6 people! I'm assuming OP would have to book two rooms at CBR or WL to accommodate the family of 6, unless they book the deluxe room at WL or have 1 child under 3 at CBR.

 

[webs2kids]

Thanks everyone! I appreciate all of the replies.

If we were to stay at AOA, the six of us would be in one suite. If we stay anywhere else it will be two rooms for my family, so we would have two bathrooms! lol It is actually cheaper to stay at POR with the two royal rooms vs. the nemo suite at AOA.

I keep leaning towards WL, but for two rooms it is pricey. Would anyone remove a park day for just a resort day to explore and enjoy the resort?

 

[stranger706]

Highly recommend WL and POR. Have stayed at both with multiple rooms.

Riverside feels like a deluxe in some ways because its always quiet and never crowded. Food court is great. The only time I'm reminded its a moderate is the bus transportation. Which we never had a problem with. Its just your only transportation option to the parks. They do have the boats to Disney Springs.

Wilderness Lodge is on another level. Its a smaller resort, with wonderful dining options and 2 pools. It never feels crowded. The boat rides to/from MK are relaxing. You can also catch the fireworks down by the water every night. If you can swing the extra price, well worth it. Riverside was my wife's favorite resort until we stayed at Wilderness Lodge. Now its all she talks about.

We did stay at AOA cars suite a few years ago. It was cute and the kids loved it. But the resort is huge, with thousands of rooms and always crowded. The food court was a train wreck in the mornings trying to get breakfast. The skyliner and bus stops always have big lines. Once I found out that deluxe rooms were around the same price as the AOA suite, we've never looked back. Much better dining and transportation options.