Riverside Royal vs Art of Animation

[Lisa Garcia]

I really need help deciding where to stay. Last year we stay in Riverside. The place was amazing!! We stayed in a Royal room. We loved being near the quiet pool and a short walk to food. Only downside for us was the room layout. It only had 3 drawers so we had open suitcases etc on the floor. A little more space would have been nice, but not a deal breaker. We are looking at booking again and have 2 options on the table, one is to return to Riverside Royal room, Other is the Cars suite in AoA.

Im looking for advice from anyone who has stay at both of these. I have a son who has Autism so the short walks to pool/food are a huge plus. The quiet pool at Riverside seems very empty (which was great for us!!!) How is the one by the cars pool? Also what is the difference in the park travel? (Buses, driving time). We did use Lyft a lot (again my son will not wait patiently) but we did take the bus a few times and it seem like a short trip. Any advice?? TIA!

 

[tbholc81]

POR is generally a much shorter bus ride from my experience.

 

[Karen46]

Call housekeeping and ask for extra luggage racks for the suitcases. We loved POR Royal also and the quiet pool and walk was great.

 

[marchingstar]

i would like to stay at AoA one day because i think the rooms look fun and cute. but one time we were bussing and needed to use a hotel as a transfer point (going from DS to a park, i think?). AoA was the first bus we saw, so we hopped on. the bus lines at the hotel were overwhelming for us, and no one in my party has sensory concerns. it’s nothing like waiting for a bus at a moderate or deluxe resort.

now, i know some people prefer the value bus stops (because they have clear queuing areas). but i find the system way more overwhelming, and i imagine it would be especially challenging with a kid who doesn’t wait well.

 

[SarahC97]

Honestly, I'm not wowed by AOA suites and their price point. I'd rather have the amenities at a resort like Riverside than a value I'm paying the same price for. AoA all around is just more hectic, from the bus situation to the food court to the pools. If you're looking for low-key for your son, I'd stick with POR.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We've stayed at POR and AoA. POR was lovely. Very quiet and the rooms were so comfortable. I found AoA to be incredibly chaotic and uncomfortable. The food court was a nightmare. I would return to POR, but would not stay at AoA again.