AoA vs Pop vs All Stars for a family?

FabFive24

Mouseketeer
Joined
Apr 19, 2018
We are planning a trip in mid- August 2019 and want to book now before likely price increases just in case no promos are offered for that time. We are a blended family of 5 (kids age 6, 13, 14). I've stayed at AoA and loved it but only had one child at the time.

Our current considerations are a suite at AoA or two adjoining rooms at either Pop or All Stars Movies, maybe? I'm not crazy about the sleeping options in the All Stars Music suites.

I would love feedback or pros/cons to these options or even suggestions to something I may be missing? Thank you!
 
AoA, with one of the suites, would be a great option in order to keep everyone all together. Mom and Dad could get the bedroom and the kids could split themselves among the pull-out and murphy beds.

With both ASM and Pop, you'd have to get adjoining rooms, and that's just a request - there is no guarantee that you'd actually get it. You and your spouse would have to split in order to have one adult in each room, too. Movies is undergoing a similar room refurb to what Pop just finished up with; the quality of the rooms themselves should be pretty equal by August of next year.

The other option would be to look into a room with one of those twin-sized pull-downs at Port Orleans Riverside or Caribbean Beach. This would be a cheaper option that keeps everyone in the same room like AoA, but with the downside of significantly less space in the room (and one less bathroom as well). But your youngest would sleep comfortably on that pull-down. Booking one room at a moderate is probably going to be your best cost-effective method here, rather than booking a suite at AoA or two rooms at Pop/All-Stars.
 
AoA, with one of the suites, would be a great option in order to keep everyone all together. Mom and Dad could get the bedroom and the kids could split themselves among the pull-out and murphy beds.

With both ASM and Pop, you'd have to get adjoining rooms, and that's just a request - there is no guarantee that you'd actually get it. You and your spouse would have to split in order to have one adult in each room, too. Movies is undergoing a similar room refurb to what Pop just finished up with; the quality of the rooms themselves should be pretty equal by August of next year.

The other option would be to look into a room with one of those twin-sized pull-downs at Port Orleans Riverside or Caribbean Beach. This would be a cheaper option that keeps everyone in the same room like AoA, but with the downside of significantly less space in the room (and one less bathroom as well). But your youngest would sleep comfortably on that pull-down. Booking one room at a moderate is probably going to be your best cost-effective method here, rather than booking a suite at AoA or two rooms at Pop/All-Stars.

Thank you for the reply. POR will definitely be more cost effective but space (and privacy) is important to us too. I feel so indecisive.
 


To clarify: Adjoining to Disney means rooms near each other. If you want rooms that have the inside door between them you need to request Connecting rooms. And no, there is no way to guarantee you will get them.

I'm not sure why you are not crazy about the sleeping arrangements at the ASMu suites. It is the option that will give you 3 fold outs plus a queen bed. At AoA you will only get a queen bed and 2 fold outs.
 
I am a DVC owner and am about to get off MDE bus to go home:-(

I loved all star movies. I had building 8 . Preferred. Newly remodel room was amazing!! My room had a connecting door , don’t know how common that was. Room 8827.
The theming at asmo cannot be beat!!!!
Happy planning
Kerri
 
I have a family of 6 with very young kids (3-8) and we have two rooms booked at ASMo. My TA said that Disney guarantees connecting rooms if you’re on one reservation.

We booked two reservations so one room can have the DxDP and the other room no DP (worked out cheaper) and my TA said that Disney said it’s 99% certain we would get connecting rooms.
 


I have a family of 6 with very young kids (3-8) and we have two rooms booked at ASMo. My TA said that Disney guarantees connecting rooms if you’re on one reservation.

They do not, I have 2 first hand experiences with this.

We booked two reservations so one room can have the DxDP and the other room no DP (worked out cheaper) and my TA said that Disney said it’s 99% certain we would get connecting rooms.

Though they will do their best, it's definitely not 99% certain your request of connecting rooms will be granted.
 
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To clarify: Adjoining to Disney means rooms near each other. If you want rooms that have the inside door between them you need to request Connecting rooms. And no, there is no way to guarantee you will get them.

I'm not sure why you are not crazy about the sleeping arrangements at the ASMu suites. It is the option that will give you 3 fold outs plus a queen bed. At AoA you will only get a queen bed and 2 fold outs.

I did not realize the difference in meaning.. thank you! Honestly, I'm probably overthinking it but all the different sized pull outs stresses me out for some reason.
 
I have a family of 6 with very young kids (3-8) and we have two rooms booked at ASMo. My TA said that Disney guarantees connecting rooms if you’re on one reservation.

We booked two reservations so one room can have the DxDP and the other room no DP (worked out cheaper) and my TA said that Disney said it’s 99% certain we would get connecting rooms.
Nope, connecting rooms are not guaranteed at all. If you don't get connecting rooms, you and your spouse will need to split up for the trip.
 
I have a family of 6 with very young kids (3-8) and we have two rooms booked at ASMo. My TA said that Disney guarantees connecting rooms if you’re on one reservation.

We booked two reservations so one room can have the DxDP and the other room no DP (worked out cheaper) and my TA said that Disney said it’s 99% certain we would get connecting rooms.

Nope, your TA is not correct. There are no guarantees, and Disney would never commit to a percentage or commit at all.

They do not, I have 2 first hand experiences with this.


Though they will do their best, it definitely not 99% certain your request of connecting rooms will be granted.

Nope, connecting rooms are not guaranteed at all. If you don't get connecting rooms, you and your spouse will need to split up for the trip.

^THIS & THIS


OP ........... If the murphy and sofabed can work out for your kiddo combo I would seriously look at AoA. IF sharing may be tough, put one older kid in each bed then ask for extra sheets & blanket, putting the 6 year old on a floor bed made from the sofabed cushions. The rooms are great sizes, the bathrooms are awesome with the kids bath having the sink outside the toilet/shower room.

No worries about not getting connecting and having to split adults, you've stayed it's a great resort, great pools, great food court and you should have the gondola by then.
 
Nope, connecting rooms are not guaranteed at all. If you don't get connecting rooms, you and your spouse will need to split up for the trip.

Direct quote from a very reputable TA firm (first time using them)
 

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Direct quote from a very reputable TA firm (first time using them)

It doesn't matter what the TA says. Twice we had paperwork directly from WDW stating "guaranteed connecting rooms" for 2 rooms booked on a single reservation number. Imagine our surprise when we showed up, 2 adults and 6 kids under 10, and had rooms in 2 different buildings. At least the 2nd time it happened, this time on 2 separate floors but at least in the same building, we were prepared for the possibility. That 1st time I wasted 3 hours of precious vacation time trying to argue that I was "guaranteed" connecting rooms. Only to find out that the only thing our reservation guaranteed was 2 rooms on WDW property.

Now, they will do their best to grant the request of connecting rooms. I just want others reading this to understand there a possibility the request won't be granted.
 
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It doesn't matter what the TA says. Twice we had paperwork directly from WDW stating "guaranteed connecting rooms" for 2 rooms booked on a single reservation number. Imagine our surprise when we showed up, 2 adults and 6 kids under 10, and had rooms in 2 different buildings. At least the 2nd time it happened, this time on 2 separate floors but at least in the same building, we were prepared for the possibility. That 1st time I wasted 3 hours of precious vacation time trying to argue that I was "guaranteed" connecting rooms. Only to find out that the only thing our reservation guaranteed was 2 rooms on WDW property.

Now, they will do their best to grant the request of connecting rooms. I just want others reading this to understand there a possibility the request won't be granted.

^THIS

The fine print of your reservation states the ONLY thing you are guaranteed is a room, or in OP case room(s) that will allow for the party number.

Disney can downgrade you (with refund) or upgrade you (complimentary) within your resort, within your category or even a change of categories.

They try to accommodate requests the best they can - but the only way to guaranteed large parties will be together is to book one unit that will hold you all.

My suggestion to those booking two rooms like this is to pack your clothing as if you will not get your rooms connected. Nothing worse than wasting time on arrival shifting clothes all around. IF you get split, who will stay where and pack those clothes together. If you don't get split, all is good, but if you do, less aggravation.
 
There was someone on the DIS who had one adult and maybe five under the age of 18, so only one adult. Requested connecting rooms and got two rooms that didn't connect. I think they all stayed together in one room the first night and the second night connecting rooms were accommodated.
 
/\ /\ Yup. I want to say it was taximom or something like that. And of course there are dansdad's experiences.

As stated by at least one PP, the only way to 100% guarantee your party will all be together is to reserve a single unit that accommodates your entire party.
 
Direct quote from a very reputable TA firm (first time using them)

They are still wrong. And you need to have a back up plan, on the off chance you do not get your connecting rooms. Because if that happens an adult has to sleep in each room.

By the way, a few years ago there was a poster who was also a TA. She would swear up and down that connecting rooms were guaranteed, even who posters would state they requested them and did not get them. Got quite nasty about it. Sometimes TAs seem to want to believe everything will always work out. But sometimes they don't.
 
They are still wrong. And you need to have a back up plan, on the off chance you do not get your connecting rooms. Because if that happens an adult has to sleep in each room.

By the way, a few years ago there was a poster who was also a TA. She would swear up and down that connecting rooms were guaranteed, even who posters would state they requested them and did not get them. Got quite nasty about it. Sometimes TAs seem to want to believe everything will always work out. But sometimes they don't.

It would seem like a difficult business in which to get repeat clients by continually giving bad/wrong info. Out of curiosity, I'd wonder what that TA's repeat business percentage looks like! popcorn::
 
We're a family of 5, so we always do the Family Suites because we're not willing to take the chance that our request for connecting rooms won't be granted. Even though it's more expensive to stay at a suite than in a Moderate room that can fit 5, the 2 separate rooms, 2 bathrooms, and fridge/microwave make it worth it for us.

Our first trip we did a Cars Suite in AoA, and we loved it! Both beds for the kids seemed to be comfortable, and we liked having a full-size table because we ate breakfast in the room. (We also loved being able to close our door and have a little time away from the kids!) The kids were 7, 10, and 13 then.

For our next trip we've booked a suite at All Star Music. I'm not as excited about it--the theming just doesn't seem like as much fun. (My kids, who are now 9, 12, and 15, aren't bothered by that at all.) But with the price difference (I think it was about $100 per night the week we're going to be there) we couldn't justify AoA this trip. From what I've read, the sofa bed and pull out chair are fine but the pull out ottoman is uncomfortable for older, heavier kids. We're going to order a blow up bed as a back up, and if we need to use it the kids will rotate beds so that no one spends too many nights on the blow up bed. In theory a family of 5 can fit at ASMu without using the ottoman, but my kids don't like to share beds. Even when we were at AoA, they decided they'd rather switch off nights on a blow up bed than share either of the doubles.

Just thought of one more thing we liked better at AoA's suites vs. ASMu's. With AoA, one bathroom is in the small bedroom and the other is in the big room. At ASMu, I think both bathrooms are off the bigger room. When DH and I are getting ready for bed or showering late at night, we'll be more worried about waking the kids with the ASMu layout.
 
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We are planning a trip in mid- August 2019 and want to book now before likely price increases just in case no promos are offered for that time. We are a blended family of 5 (kids age 6, 13, 14). I've stayed at AoA and loved it but only had one child at the time.

Our current considerations are a suite at AoA or two adjoining rooms at either Pop or All Stars Movies, maybe? I'm not crazy about the sleeping options in the All Stars Music suites.

I would love feedback or pros/cons to these options or even suggestions to something I may be missing? Thank you!
If money isn't a big deal, get AofA. If you love saving, get a moderate that "sleep five," but you'd be more packed. don't get the connecting rooms because you don't want to risk not being connected, probably, although your teens may not mind a room to themselves away from the parents, in case you don't get connected rooms.
 

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