Little Mermaid Blues

[goofy4tink]

I guess I'm the naysayer here. I've stayed in LM rooms several times. I don't think the walk was as long as my walk from Country Fair at Music! The issue is that there is no shade....a that's an issue when it's hot!
I've had a much longer walk at POR....and still got breakfast each morning. My room in bldg 2, 50's, at Pop was almost as long....my room was on the far side of the bldg!!

But.....Disney charges top dollar for these LM rooms. There aren't all that many of them, and the demand is high. Yeah, they're cute, but just not worth the cost....at least, not for me. It's not the walk that bothers me, it's the price!!

 

[bouncingsquares]

The values pack guests in. Mods a little less. Deluxe less than that. But prices go up for lesser crowds.

That is part of the reason why we choose deluxe,and mods at a minimum.

The other issue for us is the Value resorts are just not attractive to our tastes. Brick and motor rectangle buildings with Disney characters and props stuffed on every open surface is just tacky.

If I was a park goer who spent every moment of the day at the parks, and literally on slept in my room, i may consider it.

You get what you pay for. room size, property size, service, food choices, buss crowds. It all gets factored in.

I am fully aware that you get what you pay for, but I've stayed at all of the All-Star resorts before and never had any of the issues I had with AoA.

Unfortunately, staying moderate or deluxe was not an option for us financially.

 

[bouncingsquares]

I've stayed in the LM rooms a number of times now and some trips, it doesn't seem worth it, others, it does.
The first trip was part of a semi split stay (i split stayed, mom went home, the bff came in) it was her first trip to Disney and opening weekend of the rooms so there was lots of excitement.
-I always cut through the parking lot to cut down on walking time, and find other ways to shortcut to the room rather than going the way I do the first time finding it
-Requesting bld 9 cuts down a lot too, I've been right on the corner near the parking lot and it helps A LOT
-With the busses I've NEVER had a problem like that at AoA, even in busier times! Now Pop on the other hand, yes, and we regularly hop on the AoA bus to go back to Pop because their busses are usually a madhouse. But I always put this as a "bonus!" of either resort, you have an entire second whole set of busses you can take instead of waiting for your specific resort! And the bonus of both food courts

-The cost is where it comes down to it not being worth it for me, it's a value room, and not a value price. We ended up extending our trip one time, (we were already at AoA) and did one night in AoA, then I found out my flight had been messed up & I booked at Sports for the last night for like, $50...and immediately regretted that previous night at AoA, esp since I had to lug my bags all the way out there

The cost is my biggest issue too. If they would include it in discounts or even price it the same as the other values, I could look past all the issues we had. But for what I paid for that room, it was not even close to being worth it. And I know the theming (at least in the room) is a lot more...intense? than it is at the other values, and I know there are not a lot of LM rooms, so they feel like they can charge more for them, but they are still very much value rooms at a value resort. I actually did request building 9, but I guess not soon enough because they didn't give it to me. :/

 

[Tigger's ally]

My wife and I stayed there a couple years ago. The walk never bothered us. We are kind of strange though. We actually took the long way (by the Lake) instead of the more direct trip as we are never in a hurry. We enjoy walking together.

 

[bouncingsquares]

My wife and I stayed there a couple years ago. The walk never bothered us. We are kind of strange though. We actually took the long way (by the Lake) instead of the more direct trip as we are never in a hurry. We enjoy walking together.

My husband and I really enjoy walking together too (which is why I scoffed at the people who said LM was too far away), and on our one day off from the parks, we took a really nice stroll around the whole resort. But we averaged 11 miles a day in the parks, so a long walk to and from the bus stop just wasn't pleasant for us because in either case, we were trying to get somewhere, not just go for a walk.

 

[goofy4tink]

I think the 'walk' is relative. It all depends on what you think is unacceptable. I've had a room at BWV that I felt like packing a snack for the trek back from the bus stop!!! It was, without a doubt, the longest walk to a room I've ever had. There are some at Kidani that are outrageous. But, many here feel that if you're inside the building it's not the same. It is for me!!! Walking is walking. Yes, it's a bit better once you get into the a/c, but my feet are still moving. At POR, I had a room in AB that was about as far back as you could go. Man, that was a hike from the food court!!!
I seldom worry about the walk. If the walk is going to be an issue, I ask for either a preferred room, close to an elevator or a building close to the bus stop/food court. With AoA and the LM rooms, that's not possible. Maybe as time goes on, there will be more shade there.

 

[bouncingsquares]

I think the 'walk' is relative. It all depends on what you think is unacceptable. I've had a room at BWV that I felt like packing a snack for the trek back from the bus stop!!! It was, without a doubt, the longest walk to a room I've ever had. There are some at Kidani that are outrageous. But, many here feel that if you're inside the building it's not the same. It is for me!!! Walking is walking. Yes, it's a bit better once you get into the a/c, but my feet are still moving. At POR, I had a room in AB that was about as far back as you could go. Man, that was a hike from the food court!!!
I seldom worry about the walk. If the walk is going to be an issue, I ask for either a preferred room, close to an elevator or a building close to the bus stop/food court. With AoA and the LM rooms, that's not possible. Maybe as time goes on, there will be more shade there.

See, that's the biggest problem for me. You pay more for a LM room than you would pay for a preferred room at the other values, and you get crapped on, basically. I read in another post that they have a temporary drink station at the LM pool during the summer, which is awesome and would have honestly made me feel a lot better. But why is that only in the summer? And I really don't think it would be that difficult for them to put another bus stop down by LM, even if it just took you to the other bus stops, or was only for MK or something. ANYTHING. But it just really boils down to the cost. It's way too expensive for what you're getting.

 

[goofy4tink]

See, that's the biggest problem for me. You pay more for a LM room than you would pay for a preferred room at the other values, and you get crapped on, basically. I read in another post that they have a temporary drink station at the LM pool during the summer, which is awesome and would have honestly made me feel a lot better. But why is that only in the summer? And I really don't think it would be that difficult for them to put another bus stop down by LM, even if it just took you to the other bus stops, or was only for MK or something. ANYTHING. But it just really boils down to the cost. It's way too expensive for what you're getting.

And sadly, that's the Disney way. If they can charge x number of dollars for a LM, and almost fill them completely, then they will continue to charge more. In fact, they will probably increase the per night rate as seasons change. Like I said, I did it twice...once with a friend to just check it out for a night. Then, for two nights at the end of our trip with my then 19 y/o dd...she's a LM fanatic. She loved it, and says no need to do it again. I can practically stay at a moderate for those prices.

 

[buzznina]

I am fully aware that you get what you pay for, but I've stayed at all of the All-Star resorts before and never had any of the issues I had with AoA.

Unfortunately, staying moderate or deluxe was not an option for us financially.

The "you get what you pay for" is a bunch of whooey! I have stayed at all 3 levels and can tell you first hand (just like PP's) that I have had 10 minute walks at Mods and Deluxes and bad transportation as well, but for some reason, the deluxe lovers do not like to admit to these things. Just on our last trip to GF, we were in the Boca Chica bldg almost at the end of the hall and it took close to 10 minutes to walk to Gasparillas Grill or to the transportation(s). Like goofy4tink mentioned 10 minutes is 10 minutes, inside or out. It took over an hour to get to or from EPCOT the 3 times we used the monorail, the 4th time we used the boat, which still took a total of 45 minutes. We love staying Deluxes, but I am not going to make it sound like their perfect. Trust me, if we do not get a GREAT deal on a deluxe, then no way do we think they are "worth" the $$$$$. We do not mind walking around at the resort, even since our 1st DD was just 6 months old, it has not been an issue. Truthfully we actually like it, I know we must be strange We have been known to stop at the front of POR when our room was in the back, so we could just have a relaxing walk back to our room and enjoy the resort at night.

 

[bouncingsquares]

The "you get what you pay for" is a bunch of whooey! I have stayed at all 3 levels and can tell you first hand (just like PP's) that I have had 10 minute walks at Mods and Deluxes and bad transportation as well, but for some reason, the deluxe lovers do not like to admit to these things. Just on our last trip to GF, we were in the Boca Chica bldg almost at the end of the hall and it took close to 10 minutes to walk to Gasparillas Grill or to the transportation(s). Like goofy4tink mentioned 10 minutes is 10 minutes, inside or out. It took over an hour to get to or from EPCOT the 3 times we used the monorail, the 4th time we used the boat, which still took a total of 45 minutes. We love staying Deluxes, but I am not going to make it sound like their perfect. Trust me, if we do not get a GREAT deal on a deluxe, then no way do we think they are "worth" the $$$$$. We do not mind walking around at the resort, even since our 1st DD was just 6 months old, it has not been an issue. Truthfully we actually like it, I know we must be strange We have been known to stop at the front of POR when our room was in the back, so we could just have a relaxing walk back to our room and enjoy the resort at night.

I guess it just depends how you do Disney. On other (non-Disney) vacations, I have stayed at much larger resorts and had no issues. Now granted we weren't having to go somewhere and get on a bus every day, and we we typically stay in a condo so we have our food in our room or we go somewhere off-resort to eat. But there have been plenty of times where our room is really far from the parking lot or the pool or the beach, and it's fine. DH and I both enjoy walking; we walk all the time at home. But we are rope drop to close kind of people when it comes to the parks. We always take a break in the middle of the day, but early in the morning, we are on a mission and don't want a ten minute walk to stand between us and the overcrowded bus stop, and at night, we are exhausted and just want to teleport back to our rooms haha. But I am glad to hear that the grass isn't always greener at deluxe and moderates. I think the next time we go (which won't be for awhile because it won't be until we have a kid that's old enough, and said kid doesn't exist yet lol) we just won't go until we can save enough money to stay at whatever resort we really want to stay at, regardless of which level it is. (Though I did really want to stay at AoA, but I had been sufficiently warned and chose to ignore the warnings.)

 

[ariane37]

I have stayed at all 3 levels and can tell you first hand (just like PP's) that I have had 10 minute walks at Mods and Deluxes and bad transportation as well

I agree with this! While we weren't fans of the LM rooms/AOA when we stayed and one of the main reasons was the distance, the same thing happened on our last stay at BWV, which was our 4th time there. After having great room locations 3x and a wonderful room location for this last trip, we had to move rooms due to a plumbing issue and the room the moved us to was like THE farthest room from everything lol. We weren't thrilled; didn't ruin the trip obviously but we certainly paid more than we have when staying mod or value and we still had a walk from the busses, any food, etc. When at AOA we only stayed 3 nights. It was such a pain if we'd returned to our room and someone wanted a drink (no station at the pool). Also one day the boys were in the LM quiet pool and wanted a beach ball, so DH walked to the store to get one. He returned about 40 minutes later........kids kept asking "why is Dad taking so long?" and were done with the pool when he got back!

I also agree walks CAN seem longer when you have to walk outside if it's particularly cold/hot as opposed to walking at a deluxe resort where you're inside.
And at least at resorts like BW you have a shot at a room close to amenities. If you're staying in a LM room, you don't.

 

[Aurora0427]

The "you get what you pay for" is a bunch of whooey! I have stayed at all 3 levels and can tell you first hand (just like PP's) that I have had 10 minute walks at Mods and Deluxes and bad transportation as well, but for some reason, the deluxe lovers do not like to admit to these things. Just on our last trip to GF, we were in the Boca Chica bldg almost at the end of the hall and it took close to 10 minutes to walk to Gasparillas Grill or to the transportation(s). Like goofy4tink mentioned 10 minutes is 10 minutes, inside or out. It took over an hour to get to or from EPCOT the 3 times we used the monorail, the 4th time we used the boat, which still took a total of 45 minutes. We love staying Deluxes, but I am not going to make it sound like their perfect. Trust me, if we do not get a GREAT deal on a deluxe, then no way do we think they are "worth" the $$$$$. We do not mind walking around at the resort, even since our 1st DD was just 6 months old, it has not been an issue. Truthfully we actually like it, I know we must be strange We have been known to stop at the front of POR when our room was in the back, so we could just have a relaxing walk back to our room and enjoy the resort at night.

We stayed in Boca Chica this past October. I was 7 months pregnant. I don't think it was a ten minute walk to Gaspy's, but it was definitely a longer walk to the beach pool and the monorail. We stayed one night at the end at AoA, and I still found the mermaid rooms to be ridiculously far. But I also remember a stay at the BC back in 2010 where it was a hike!!!

 

[DAlston4485]

We went in September 2012 (Little Mermaid rooms just opened). When we checked in they insisted on taking our luggage to our room even though we wanted to take it ourselves. They said the walk is long. We were 4 adults (late 20's, early 30's, late 30's, and early 50's) and 4 kids (3, 6, 6, and 9). Our rooms were the furthest section. But we were confused why they said it was so far. Not one of us had a problem walking it the entire time. And that was in September heat.