AoA, give me the real story!

[xoangelxo]

I've heard conflicting stories on Aoa and I am going there soon..... what's it really like?

 

[njhockeymom]

We stayed at AoA last August in the Cars section. I thought it was great (considering we usually stay at one of the Deluxe hotels when we go). It was themed beautifully. Food court was just ok -- a lot of weird selections for my taste and they didn't have chicken tenders which is all my DS eats!! Other than that we really enjoyed the resort and I would definitely stay there again!

 

[TeachTink]

I've heard conflicting stories on Aoa and I am going there soon..... what's it really like?

I have heard conflicting things too. Seems like people either love it or hate it... No in between.

 

[goofy4tink]

I'm not sure what you're hearing. I've stayed at AoA twice now. Both times it was very nice. We stayed in a Little Mermaid room vs a suite. The walk from our rooms in the Little Mermaid section to the food court/buses was fine. Some think the walk is awful......I guess it might be in the heat/humidity of the summer, but it was only about 6-7 mins for us.
The pools are fun, with the main pool being fairly loud and busy. The other pools are less crowded. The food court was fine, for what it is.....a food court. Bus service was very good.
I never had an issue with noise....and the last time I was there (last June), we were in a ground floor room, facing the pool! I thought it would be noisy, but it wasn't.

 

[cleophus12]

We enjoyed our AoA stay in a little mermaid standard room. However we have always been just as happy at Pop. The walk was pleasant for dining but we didn't do the refillable mugs because of the distance to the dining hall. Bus service was good to and from the parks. I'd go back to AoA particularly if we wanted a suite but for a standard room we will probably just return to Pop.

 

[mousefan4ever]

Im curious as well. We are planning our trip for early June and Im very conflicted as to where to stay. My youngest is 4 and would love the decor but my 12 year old wants a place with a "cool slide"...So many choices!!!

 

[mouseguy77]

We stayed at AoA in a Cars suite this past February and it was fantastic. It was very clean, quiet a great place to stay overall. The suites are very spacious and allow for everyone to move around without feeling stacked on top of each other. We even had our DS (age 4) sleep in the master bedroom so my wife and I could move around in the rest of the suite in the evening without fear of waking him up. I'd say the food court was above average and included a much wider variety of options than I was expecting. The bus rides to the DHS and AK seemed especially quick too.

I liked it so much, I plan to stay there again for my upcoming trip in June.

 

[Disneylover99]

We stayed in a LM room for three days in October. The rooms are a bit of a hike after a long day in the park though. We love the food court....lots of variety. Buses were quick and efficient to and from the parks. We would stay there again. It's a beautiful resort.

 

[xoangelxo]

Is there a lot of noise in LM?

 

[mousefan4ever]

I know my 4 year old daughter would love it but what about my 12 year old son? Would it be to babyish for him? How is the main pool?

 

[mouseguy77]

I think a 12 year old would love it. They will especially love it if they are fans of Cars, Lion King or Little Mermaid. The theming is fun and there is an arcade and everything. The main pool is quite large and centrally located.

 

[emilyindisney]

Is there a lot of noise in LM?

I stayed in the LM section in January and found it to be very quiet. We requested a top floor room (hoping for it to be quiet) and were in Triton's building facing the parking lot at the very end of the hall. Not too far from the elevator, and we rarely saw anyone else in the hall (nevermind heard them.)

The walk, for two adults, from Animator's Hall to the LM rooms was about 5-8 minutes. This didn't bother us but I could see how a family with small kids might not like this.

We ate at Landscapes of Flavor two or three times for breakfast and dinner. Both times we enjoyed it and my picky DSis was able to find things she liked.

We had no problems with the bus service, except for the night we left MK at closing. The line to get on the bus had to be almost 200 people long! We jumped a bus to Pop and walked back to our room which didn't take long at all.

Over all we were very pleased, and would most definitely return! Enjoy your stay!

 

[txnana]

Stayed there in a LM room for two weeks last Sept/Oct and really loved the themes, really liked the food choices in the food court (will be returning to the food court on our next visit for the pastrami burger and the surf and turf burger). The walk to LM is a bit of a trek but the way each area is decorated makes it a nice walk, the main pool was too busy in the evenings for us, but the quiet pool in LM was usually empty so we had it to ourselves or maybe shared with 2-3 other folks.

 

[Fueledbycoffee]

We really liked our visit in January 2013 & will be back this April. LM felt like a trek for my parents compared to our right by the pool room in Nemo. The food court was good. DD8 & DS14 both had fun & can't wait to go back! 1st choice will be Nemo for location reasons but Cars looks super fun & we will have to check out that pool this time... Cone cabanas look super cool!

 

[alex9179]

We stayed in a Cars suite and loved the room. The walk to the main building and buses was easy and filled with photo moments. We didn't have noise issues, at all.

We didn't enjoy the food court experience. It was our first time at WDW, so I'm sure that played a part. It just wasn't easy to get food! All the different lines depending on what someone wanted, line to pay, then go get drinks while juggling 3 young children. People were everywhere! We only ate one dinner there (pre made sandwiches for ease) and one breakfast, which was terrible. After that we stuck to kiosks without a line at the parks or TS.

I don't do buffets with kids, either. I discovered that I need meals to be lower maintenance.

 

[Disneylover99]

Is there a lot of noise in LM?

We stayed over the busy Columbus Day weekend. The resort was at capacity. We were on the third floor facing the lake and we did not hear a thing.

 

[dmoore718]

We stayed in January 2013 and LOVED it...we were in a Nemo suite and thought it was great for a family of 5. The busses were great too and a very short walk from Nemo section. My kids still talk about how great it was.

 

[Jenny Sanders]

We stayed at AoA twice in 2013. The first time was just my husband and me in a Little Mermaid room in April. The second time was for 5 nights in a Nemo suite during the 4th of July with our 4 kids (21, 17,13 and 13). We loved it both times, and didn't experience any problems.
29 trips to Disney World and counting...next stop POFQ March 2014

 

[cgattis]

Are the Cozy Cone cabanas rented, or are they just first come, first served? And is the only pool bar at the Nemo pool? And heck, while I'm on a roll...how does the pool water feel now, at night in the winter? Is it comfy? I saw the temp posted somewhere, but it didn't really mean anything to me...?

 

[alex9179]

Are the Cozy Cone cabanas rented, or are they just first come, first served?First come, first served

And is the only pool bar at the Nemo pool?
Yes

And heck, while I'm on a roll...how does the pool water feel now, at night in the winter? Is it comfy? I saw the temp posted somewhere, but it didn't really mean anything to me…?
I don't know, but it was pretty darn cold when we went at the end of Oct 2012!

Have fun!