2 rooms or 1?

[KrisWitt]

We are in the beginning stages of planning our next trip for 2016 and I need some advice- 2 adjoining rooms at Pop or 1 room for 5 at PO? Our kids: DD16, DD11 and DS8 at time of travel. Is it worth the squeeze to be closer to the parks or have the room and just plan on extra travel time to the parks. Thanks!

 

[RookieLady]

It's been a long time since I stayed at PO, but I don't remember the bus service being that much better than Pop. You will have a more adult atmosphere and a sit down restaurant at PO, along with access to Downtown Disney by boat. If it were me, given the age of the kids, I would take two rooms at Pop in a minute. Now, if you were debating two rooms at Pop (or even PO) against a deluxe, I might give pause, but with a 16 year old girl, definitely two bathrooms at Pop. Note, you they won't guaranty two connecting rooms at Pop, but given my experience, I would be okay with that risk.

 

[nherbert]

If extra cost is not a factor then POP or suite at AoA for two bathrooms and more space. The difference in travel time is not really a deciding factor between those options.

 

[minnie mum]

I agree with Nherbert. Throw ASMu into the mix for a less expensive family suite. Two bathrooms would be a necessity if it was our family. And since CONNECTING (not just adjoining) rooms are not guaranteed, I'd prefer the suite. The differences in travel time to the parks has never been a factor for us- they're minimal.

 

[maxiesmom]

Is your family big into swimming? The pools at value resorts do not have slides or hot tubs, while the pools at all moderates do.

 

[KrisWitt]

Is your family big into swimming? The pools at value resorts do not have slides or hot tubs, while the pools at all moderates do.

We are doing a fall trip (for my 40th!) so pool time isn't a big draw for us.

 

[KrisWitt]

Thanks for the input everyone! I was leaning towards the two rooms at Pop, and now that we've decided to drive down - yikes! - the difference in price is not going to be an issue. Now we wait to see what they offer for dining

 

[bluezy]

I agree with the others who say 2 rooms at Pop or a suite at AoA or ASMu would be a great option. We travel with 3, 4, or 5 kids and even when we only have 3 kids with us we still opt for 2 rooms at Pop or now that AoA is open, we get a suite there. Two bathrooms are essential for us on a trip that long (we all stay in one room for short trips to places other than Disney). And the kids are happy to have their own TV so they don't have to watch CNN every time we're in the room since that's all DH watches. And with the suite, I like being able to close the door on the master bedroom and go to sleep even if the kids want to stay up later watching TV. Another factor is just the storage space in general -- we have plenty of space in 2 rooms or a suite. Five people and all of our luggage in one room would not be enjoyable for us. My kids (ages 16, 15, and 10 on our last trip) love AoA and Pop.

 

[5kidsmommy]

We are a large family and I am planning our next trip and we will only be bringing 3 of our 5 kids and we are looking at either 2 rooms at a value or a value suite or possibly a cabin at fort wilderness depending on costs. No way would I try to squeeze into one room.

 

[KrisWitt]

Do the suites have 2 bathrooms?
The price difference for the AoA suites vs 2 at Pop was making me cringe but again, with driving instead of flying and fingers crossed for free dining, maybe it'll be doable. I've wanted to check out AoA...

 

[bluezy]

Thanks for the input everyone! I was leaning towards the two rooms at Pop, and now that we've decided to drive down - yikes! - the difference in price is not going to be an issue. Now we wait to see what they offer for dining

We also drive (1,000+ miles) and that's another reason I like staying in a suite. By the time we get to Disney, we've had enough "togetherness" and it's nice to be able to spread out. If you're interested, you should consider the suites. Since you're driving, you could bring snack and/or breakfast foods along. The suites have larger refrigerators than the standard rooms (though if you get 2 rooms at Pop, you'd have 2 small refrigerators) and also a microwave and coffee maker. While a suite at AoA is a little more expensive than 2 rooms at Pop, we feel it's worth it for our family. The space is laid out more efficiently than just getting 2 rooms. The downside is that you will only have 3 beds so if sharing a bed is an issue for the kids, it might not work for you. Our kids don't like to share a bed so we just bring an air mattress with us and one of the kids uses that. The other thing we like about the suite is that we're guaranteed to all be in the same room. When we would request connecting rooms, we never knew for sure we'd get them -- but we were lucky and *did* get connecting rooms all 4 times we requested them. Not everyone is that lucky, though.

 

[bluezy]

Do the suites have 2 bathrooms?
The price difference for the AoA suites vs 2 at Pop was making me cringe but again, with driving instead of flying and fingers crossed for free dining, maybe it'll be doable. I've wanted to check out AoA...

Yes, two bathrooms in the suites. There's a large bathroom with a beautiful walk-in shower in the master bedroom and a split bathroom with a tub/shower combo in the main living space.

 

[5kidsmommy]

Another benefit of the suites are that they have a little kitchenette with a microwave, mini fridge and coffeemaker.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

I have the dissenting opinion. We squeeze our large family into a moderate, POR or CBR, that sleeps five, in order to get the better free dining plan. I believe with the values, you only get QS dining. We are willing to sacrifice space for food!!!

 

[bluezy]

I have the dissenting opinion. We squeeze our large family into a moderate, POR or CBR, that sleeps five, in order to get the better free dining plan. I believe with the values, you only get QS dining. We are willing to sacrifice space for food!!!

Believe it or not, some people prefer the QS dining plan. And if not, they can pay the difference between the "free" QS plan and the regular plan if they want to stay in a suite (or 2 rooms) at a Value resort. For some families, squeezing into a moderate room just to get the "free" dining plan would ruin their vacation. Let me refer you to my sister's family who did that and ended up cutting their vacation short and losing the cost of 1 night's stay (actually almost 2 night's since they left at 4:00 a.m.) -- not to mention 2 days of park admission and numerous "free" meals -- because they were all fighting with each other due to too much "togetherness". It's great if squeezing in a room works for your family, but it doesn't work for every family.

 

[Haygar2]

We are in a similar boat. We are a family of 4. My daughter will be 17 (almost 18) when we go and my son will be 13 almost 14. No way the 4 of us can be in one room. We need a little more space. I have spent the last several weeks pricing everything. And I mean I don't think there is a scenario that I have not priced. I have decided on renting two Moderate rooms. Hoping for free dining next September, but if not, we will still go. Here is the pricing that I figured for 4 (2 people in each room and with free dining so that is not figured in): 1 room value for 7 nights plus 4 day park tickets: 1554.72, Hopper pass and water park add on: $191.70, upgrading from QS to regular DDP: $266.00. Total: $2012.42. Multiplied by two is: $4024.84 total for 2 rooms with the tickets and such. Now CBR (again same scenario) 1 room 7 nights plus 4 day park tickets: $2149.86 , Hopper pass with water park $191.70 add-on. Total: 2341.56. Multiplied by 2: $4683.12. Final pricing. AoA family suite: 7 nights plus 4 day park ticket: $3686.58, Hopper with water park: $383.40, and dining upgrade: $532.00. Total: $4601.98. I also priced out Beach Club which sleeps 5. It was around $4400ish for the 4 of us. We would all be in the same room. One bathroom etc. For the sake of everyone's sanity we are definitely looking at two (hopefully) connecting rooms. I did check out renting DVC points, but it actually ends up being more when dining is factored in.

Now, I went back and forth with value and moderate since there is a $600ish difference. The difference is worth it to us. We want queen beds. Value has full size. We also want a little more comfort. The beds at values tend to be a little harder. We also want a coffee maker and a desk/table in the room. My kids will have a little bit of online work to do while we are there. Since this will be our 3rd trip since 2012, we know what we want to see and do. We will be taking breaks during the hottest parts of the day and going back to the room to nap or swim. Which is another reason we want moderate. As you can see, booking 2 rooms at a moderate is slightly more than 1 family suite at AoA.

These are all based on pricing right now. Things can change and do. But hopefully this gives you some idea.