Opinions please: AoA or AS Family Suites????

[slug]

Having a very hard time. the AS Family Suites would be $100 less per night w/ the Fall discount. Has anybody stayed at both or does anyone have any thoughts. Was looking forward to AoA, but is it worth an extra $600 for 6 nights? Thank you in advance!

 

[smiths02]

We've only stayed at AoA (well, we have stayed at AKL and CBR, but not AsMu). I have pondered the same question. Some reasons we chose AoA:
The pool and especially the sprayground (splash pad) are really great for younger children
The theming is AMAZING inside and out
The staff was awesome. We never encountered staff problems at AKL or CBR, but AoA---everyone was just so friendly and responsive at AoA
We preferred the room configuration (the dining table was very useful)
Rooms are bigger at AoA
Interior hallways...with the kids sleeping in closer to the main door, I felt better with an interior hallway.

 

[slug]

Thanks smiths. So more like a hotel vs motel thing with the interior hallways?

 

[smiths02]

Thanks smiths. So more like a hotel vs motel thing with the interior hallways?

Right. I felt an extra layer of security because we had to swipe our magic band to enter the building with interior hallways and then again to open our door.

At both AoA and AsMu...the place for the kids to sleep is in the first room you enter. (Obviously, you don't have to do it that way, but we liked mom and dad having the nice queen bed and bathroom and kids in the living area). So we felt better with interior hallways.

$600 is a lot of money, though, and I haven't stayed at ASMu

 

[sharadoc]

At All-Star Music, you have a full kitchenette area with shelves and cabinets
Two regular closet areas next to the sinks
Large living room
One double pull-out sofa, one chair bed and one ottoman bed
TVs in living room and bedroom
Regular pool and kiddie pool plus quiet pool
Access to Sports and Music pools and food courts

whereas AofA has a little kitchen area in the living room.
A locker with hanging rod in the living room
Living room and dining room
One double pull-out sofa, one double murphy bed dining table
TVs in living room and bedroom, whoever sleeps in dining room has no TV
Big Blue Pool with zero entry, splash area and quiet pool
One food court

Both resorts have the same number of rooms and one bus.
All-Stars share buses in the middle of the day when it's not busy

My opinion is I'd rather choose the smaller resort but I don't have small kids. We also like the big living room and we use the kitchenette area. The theming is calmer in the room for sure, based on what I've seen of AofA, and the outdoor atmosphere is boring vs. the AofA areas.

Art of Animation definitely looks much more fun and over the top.

 

[HopperFan]

Comparing apples to oranges.

If it's just a bed and shower with no resort time then save the money at ASMu.

If you plan to enjoy the resort, the pools, the food court etc then go with AoA.

 

[lovesdumbo]

We've stayed at both but 2 weeks at ASMu and only one night at AoA. I think it depends on your party members. I think extra adults would find the table bed more comfortable than all sleepers at ASMu. Yet if you have 2 adults & others kids your kids might like the option of 3 beds-full sleeper, chair & ottoman rather than just 2 at AoA.

Kitchenette was way better at ASMu. It helped to keep the entire suite neater having all the storage there.

All the suites at ASMu are relatively close to food court & bus stop-in the closest 4 buildings.

AoA is a great resort-really fun theming.

 

[FantasiaMagic]

AoA, is an amazing resort! I stayed there this past spring with my 5 friends and we all loved the resort and had the best time staying there. As I have not stayed at a suite at ASMu, I can only speak for AoA. Honestly, I think it's worth the extra money. The theming at AoA is awesome. You are brought into the scenes of some of the most famous Disney/Pixar movies. The pools are great, and the food court also has many great options. You can even walk over to the POP if you wish.

Overall it is an awesome resort, and even if you don't stay there, even visiting and taking some pictures with the characters is awesome.

Best of luck with the decision!