Help a bean counter understand AoA suite prices vs Little Mermaid prices?

[BuzzBiteyear]

I can understand it a bit if you have a family of 5 or 6, especially if it's a single parent family or only one adult will be braving a trip with young children. But can someone explain why the Art of Animation suites are quite a bit more than 2 standard rooms. Kitchenette would be nice, but the extra you pay for that vs. 2 rooms doesn't make much sense $-wise either. Seems like adjoining rooms would accomplish pretty much the same thing.

Basically, here's the gist, I'm a CPA and I'm trying to justify going with a family suite in the CARS themed rooms. It's 4 of us plus DMIL and DFIL. I know the six of us could fit, but I'm thinking that's too much family fun with the inlaws for a week, plus not sure how the back might hold up sleeping on a bed that is also a kitchen table.

 

[dansdad]

With a Suite you are guaranteed to be together. With 2 standard rooms, there is no guarantee you will get connecting rooms and no guarantee you will get adjoining rooms. This point is important....see below.


With a kitchenette, you can save some good $$ on breakfast every day.

In the situation you describe, I would NOT do a suite. You could always sell it like you will get 2 standard rooms and request they be connecting and then conveniently forget to make that request.

 

[BuzzBiteyear]

With a Suite you are guaranteed to be together. With 2 standard rooms, there is no guarantee you will get connecting rooms and no guarantee you will get adjoining rooms. This point is important....see below.


With a kitchenette, you can save some good $$ on breakfast every day.

In the situation you describe, I would NOT do a suite. You could always sell it like you will get 2 standard rooms and request they be connecting and then conveniently forget to make that request.

Well that last suggestion there is what got me the death stare last night. I really need to remember that my inlaws are her parents.

Ideally, we'll be going during free dining. Even if we don't get free dining, us not exactly being a morning family, doing full-blown breakfasts in the room and still making rope drop seems like something only Walt could have dreamed up.

 

[dansdad]

Well that last suggestion there is what got me the death stare last night. I really need to remember that my inlaws are her parents.

I bet it did! I meant sell that idea to your wife and the in-laws. I was able to pull it off once and it was the best idea I ever had.

 

[BuzzBiteyear]

My wife did suggest that since her parents are driving, perhaps, her, the kids, and her parents would get a CARS room, and I could sleep in their car.

I'll show them if that happens. When they get back to their vehicle, haha, all rear-view mirrors adjusted and the cherry on the sundae.......messed up the lumbar setting....BOOM!

 

[Mariep26]

We did a suite and I paid the price because I knew my kids would love the theming. We had me, my hubby, my stepson, my son, my daughter and my mother. It worked well for us but I acknowledge that it wouldn't work for everyone nor do some folks want to pay the premium for theming and being crammed in with their inlaws

 

[BuzzBiteyear]

That's what it is for me. We went to DL last summer because of our DS5 and his love of CARS. When we returned, every day, for at least a month he would say he wanted to go back to Radiator Springs, and now, 6 months later, it's still mentioned a couple times a week.

 

[boocake]

I had this same issue. I saw that the suites were in a value resort and assumed they would be pretty reasonably priced. Then I priced out my upcoming vacation (leaving tomorrow!! WOO) and the suite was over 1000 more than a regular room in a moderate. I would expect a suite to be more expensive, but not THAT Much more expensive!!! We ultimately went with the moderate room instead.

 

[Mariep26]

That's what it is for me. We went to DL last summer because of our DS5 and his love of CARS. When we returned, every day, for at least a month he would say he wanted to go back to Radiator Springs, and now, 6 months later, it's still mentioned a couple times a week.

It was worth it IMO (again I know theming is not important to everyone). The kids were completely gaga over the theme and my son was actually still talking about it today (he has a speech delay so anything that gets him talking is worth the $$ in my book). Everything was very well done and the details were amazing. Even 5 days into our trip we were finding little cute details that were all around the room. Our friends came along (party of 4) and stayed in LM. They said that they would have paid the $$ and stayed in Cars if they knew it would be so awesome. Good luck with your decision. I know it is hard to justify the expense but sometimes the looks on the faces of our Cars obsessed little ones is hard to measure in dollars and cents!

 

[BuzzBiteyear]

The kids were completely gaga over the theme and my son was actually still talking about it today (he has a speech delay so anything that gets him talking is worth the $$ in my book).

Very familiar story to us. DS5 has a speech delay. He omits many sounds that he hasn't been able to make yet. "S" was a big one, and in fact Radiator Springs was the first phrase he said clearly, where he was able to form the proper "S" sound in any word where the "S" was not just the ending letter.

 

[DianeW]

There is not enough theming and details in the world to persuade me to stay in a suite with my in-laws for a week. Seriously...think this through long and hard. The way that suite is configured, you cannot escape them unless they stay in their bedroom. And I'm assuming they get the bedroom. Go with the connecting (Ooops, they don't have any connecting rooms available, but we're in the same building, honey ) rooms. Trust me on this one. Truly.

 

[BuzzBiteyear]

How about....oh I thought All-Star Sports and All-Star Music was the same thing.

 

[smitch425]

If you are set on staying at AoA, be prepared for the possibility of no free dining in the LM standard rooms. You will likely need a suite to get free dining at that resort. Good luck!

 

[BuzzBiteyear]

Oh no, we can not stay in a Little Mermaid room, I was just using that for cost comparisons. A few years back during a parade, Ariel blew a kiss to DS8, and he is embarrassed about it still. He has already said he thinks we should skip her ride when we go.

 

[BuzzBiteyear]

I have a feeling when it's all said and done, we end up requesting a Toy Story room at ASM or end up at a moderate.

 

[ksloane]

Everyone has their price point. You just have to determine what yours is. I personally can't imagine paying the prices they want for a suite at AoA, but for us it's a place to sleep. We don't spend much time in the room - we are there for the parks.

 

[Mariep26]

If you don't end up staying there, definitely go over to see it if you have time. AoA is very close to DHS so hopefully you could stop off and check it out!!

 

[disnut8]

I can understand it a bit if you have a family of 5 or 6, especially if it's a single parent family or only one adult will be braving a trip with young children. But can someone explain why the Art of Animation suites are quite a bit more than 2 standard rooms. Kitchenette would be nice, but the extra you pay for that vs. 2 rooms doesn't make much sense $-wise either. Seems like adjoining rooms would accomplish pretty much the same thing.

Basically, here's the gist, I'm a CPA and I'm trying to justify going with a family suite in the CARS themed rooms. It's 4 of us plus DMIL and DFIL. I know the six of us could fit, but I'm thinking that's too much family fun with the inlaws for a week, plus not sure how the back might hold up sleeping on a bed that is also a kitchen table.

No matter how close your family is, there is nothing like being able to close a door in between two rooms for sleeping at night and getting up in the morning. We went with my son and his family (daughter-in-law, 13 year old granddaughter, five year old grandson). We had connecting rooms at Pop Century and it was so nice to close that door and each have our private time. In the morning, each of us would open up the connecting door (since there's one on their side and one on ours) as a sign we were ready for the day. The grandkids would come over to our side while the parents got ready and vice versa.

There would be no way in hell all six of us could be in a suite. They stay up much later than us (like to 2 AM) and we have sports on the TV all the time whereas they want cartoons 24/7. And this comes from a very close family - we needed two rooms definitely.

 

[SarahJN]

I'm a bean counter too so I'll offer up my 2 cents. We are a family of 6 - me, my husband, Grammy and 5 year old triplets. When we travel, the kids usually won't sleep in a bed by themselves or share a bed with each other so one shares a bed with Grammy. We have had to deal with 2 non-connecting rooms (non-Disney) and it's a PITA.

We wanted to stay in a Value this last trip to save $ and AoA suites appealed to us for several reasons, including no fear of non-connecting rooms and it is brand new. I did not see any deals on LM rooms when we traveled at the beginning of December. There were discounts on the suites and we ended up booking thru AAA, which gave us more of a discount than the Disney reservation system was quoting me.

So I guess it depends on the specific needs of your family and what discounts you are able to obtain.

 

[maxiesmom]

If you are truly a bean counter, the Family Suites at the All Star Music are quite a bit cheaper than the AoA suites. You won't get the same character driven theming, but they are very nice.

I do think thought that for you, 2 rooms would be much better. A little space of your own is not a bad thing! Tell your wife the trip won't be very pleasant if she has to keep you from going crazy all of the time either. I don't blame you one bit for wanting a separate room.