3 Sleeping Surfaces! AoA suite or deluxe room w/daybed?

[3gr8boys]

After perusing some interesting threads today, I can't resist throwing out a subjective and long winded request for expert feedback. So, here are the relevant tidbits and some random thoughts:

-First family trip was All Star Music February 2008 when the boys were 1 (barely), 5 and 9. We had two connecting rooms. My mother was there for about half the days.
-Second family trip February 2014 POR AB, used the fold down bed
-Third family trip April 2018 CSR (booked standard, ended up in preferred Casitas 2). Only DS11 and DS15 were with us. (Oldest not a WDW fan ) Used a rollaway bed as DS11 is a kicker ....hence the absolute need for three sleeping surfaces even though only two kids.

Planning for February 2020 (the week preceding Presidents Day weekend). Will be me, DH, DS13 and DS17. I feel like AoA suites would be good for us- three sleeping surfaces without a rollaway or air mattress taking up tight space plus two TVs and two bathrooms. However, I also feel the pull of deluxe resorts (discount rate would be required to consider it)...."nice" hotels also with a third sleeping surface and transportation advantages.

-i really enjoyed the environs of CSR and liked the rooms. Middle son was not wowed...in particular he did not like the food court (used for a breakfast and to fight some late night hunger).
-DH thinks of the resort as simply a place to sleep....but did ask after last trip why we didn't stay at a resort with the monorail or something else other than buses. (When I told him the potential price difference of a monorail hotel, he explained he wasn't necessarily complaining about the buses )
-We like Epcot food options and the idea of easy transportation there (walking, monorail) is appealing. Of course, the gondolas may be a great AoA advantage.
-When I tried to explain to DH that we could stay at BWI and walk to HS and Epcot he said "walk around the parks all day and then walk more to get back to the room?"

-We are hoppers. I only plan a chunk of each day....the rest goes according to whim and we don't hesitate to split up. Boys have bused park to park on their own.
-We enjoy all the parks.....but the boys don't choose to spend as much time in Epcot as the others. They particularly like thrill rides and Star Wars.
-if it happens to be a warm February, we will swim But the resort pool is not a deciding factor for us.
-I would be happy going from park open to park close....but the guys do like to lounge in the resort room in the afternoon.... especially if they know there is something planned for the evening.
-The youngest is a competitive dancer, so we occasionally have to stay in nice hotels and he loves them. In general I think we all would choose (all other things being equal) deluxe decor/comfort over the AoA room theming ....but I love the idea of the suite space.
-The WL bunk bed rooms caught my and youngest son's eye....but doesn't look like much space for hanging out and only seems convenient to MK
-ETA: DH prefers interior hallways. Previous stays our curtains have stayed shut because people could walk by. Seriously. No light. AoA suite or deluxe resolves that.

I usually come to the conclusion that AoA is the way to go- space/layout and the prospect of the gondolas winning out. But I enjoy the planning and rethinking too much . Am I underestimating the size of deluxe rooms? Is the daybed in deluxe rooms big/comfortable enough for DS to not think he's getting raw end of the deal? Anyone think the gondola connection to HS and Epcot couldn't possibly be as cool as walking to Epcot from BWI or being in a monrail resort?

If you are still with me, thanks for "listening" to me babble! If you have any words of wisdom concerning resort choice, I will gladly take note.

 

[MainMom]

AKL also has rooms with bunk beds. We stayed in one and my kids enjoyed it. They were 15 and 11 at the time.

 

[G719]

We recently stayed at the yacht club and loved it. We are also a family of 4 where we try to get 3 sleeping spaces. I've tried sleeping with each of them on a trip where it was just the 3 of us and woke up with the youngest laying across my head. I understand about poor bed sharers. The youngest took the couch bed and was fine with it. When she was little, she'd get the mattress on the floor but now that she's older, she wants a real bed. Plus most rooms at the yacht club have a balcony so that adds some more space to spread out.

I just wanted to say that walking home from epcot is the best thing about the epcot resorts. Just wander out at park close. You don't have to get in line with the crowds for the bus, stand and wait, and ride the bus back. I love being next door to the park.

Deluxe is more money. I totally get that dilemma too! We've stayed at AoA too. If I had to choose and could afford it, I'd take yacht club every time!

 

[sWDWcopeland]

Our family of 5 (DD 22, DD 17, & DS14) chose an AOA suite last summer. It gave us room to spread out. In the afternoon some could be on the couch watching tv while DH took a nap in the bedroom and I sat at the table working on the computer. Having two full bathrooms was priceless.

 

[unrequited23]

Having two full bathrooms was priceless.

The AoA suites have my vote due to the second bathroom and a greater sense of privacy between the three sleeping spaces. If it were me, I would plan to book AoA, but also come up with a price point that I would pull the trigger on a Deluxe room depending on discounts. That way you could still play the 'what if?' game and check prices, but also keep yourself in check with your budget. I nearly switched from POFQ for $197/night to AKL for $252/night on our last trip but our cut off was $245/night and my DH likes the boat to DS.

 

[DLgal]

I am traveling with 2 other adults and we were in this predicament. We chose the deluxe room with daybed, because while the space at AoA is nice and all, it's still a value resort and not what we are looking for on our type of vacation. We prefer being closer to the park, having better dining options/lounges, having a hot tub, and overall being in a more functional space. AoA rooms really lack in storage space, and if you need to use all the beds, you lose the table and the couch anyway, so the room becomes very non functional once the beds are set up. Also, we were able to get a discount at Contemporary in the Garden Wing, but no significant discount at AoA, and at the end of the day, the Contemporary ended up being the cheaper option.

 

[DLgal]

The daybeds at the deluxe are twin sized beds. My friend who is 5'10" sleeps in it and is very comfortable. It's more than adequate for kids. Mine fight over it (boys 12 and 14).

 

[cruisin5]

Have you considered a DVC studio or 1 bedroom?

It would give you the space and the surfaces you want, interior halls (but Poly buildings are individual). You would, however, need to get your ducks in a row pretty quickly as the booking window will open next month for Feb 2020.

 

[3gr8boys]

Have you considered a DVC studio or 1 bedroom?

It would give you the space and the surfaces you want, interior halls (but Poly buildings are individual). You would, however, need to get your ducks in a row pretty quickly as the booking window will open next month for Feb 2020.

I've done some reading about renting dvc points and don't think it is for me.....any chance getting a dvc "room" by way of standard resort reservation (sometimes available, yes?) would be cost efficient?

 

[BrianL]

Have you checked out the All-Star Music Family Suites? They are the least expensive suite option on property and they were made from what used to be two rooms. It has a living room, bedroom, small kitchen area and, also two full bathrooms, which as noted is amazing! Because they used to be two rooms, the bedroom is very sound proof too (we had a snorer in our party - didn't hear a thing!). There is a fold-out couch, a fold-out chair, and an ottoman that converts to a full twin bed. I know you stayed at All-Star before, but it's really not a bad choice.

 

[3gr8boys]

Have you checked out the All-Star Music Family Suites? They are the least expensive suite option on property and they were made from what used to be two rooms. It has a living room, bedroom, small kitchen area and, also two full bathrooms, which as noted is amazing! Because they used to be two rooms, the bedroom is very sound proof too (we had a snorer in our party - didn't hear a thing!). There is a fold-out couch, a fold-out chair, and an ottoman that converts to a full twin bed. I know you stayed at All-Star before, but it's really not a bad choice.

I should probably check if there would be any savings going this route...my two biggest concerns would be -

transportation....looking to deluxe or AoA (post skyliner completion) as they have some transportation advantages. How are the Music buses??

Groups- I would avoid the all-stars if I thought it was a week that might bring the huge groups (youth sporting events and tour groups and such). Just something that has the potential to annoy me....not chancing it.

 

[BrianL]

I should probably check if there would be any savings going this route...my two biggest concerns would be -

transportation....looking to deluxe or AoA (post skyliner completion) as they have some transportation advantages. How are the Music buses??

Groups- I would avoid the all-stars if I thought it was a week that might bring the huge groups (youth sporting events and tour groups and such). Just something that has the potential to annoy me....not chancing it.

The Music buses were fine for me, however it does depend on when you go. If it is really slow it may share buses with the other All-Stars, but they don't always. We found it to work well, though the location is better at Pop/AoA. Also, with the Skyliner, I'd be more inclined to go that route. I did not know the AoA suites also had two bathrooms. To me, that was such a great advantage!

 

[skippytx]

Our first visit (2015) was in an AoA family suite, and we liked it aside from the bus ride. The kids were young and needed a mid day nap. For roughly the same price we rented DVC points and got a 1 bedroom at Bay Lake Tower for our 2016 trip and enjoyed that so much we ended up purchasing DVC.

Look at the Boardwalk or Beach Club DVC studios, it would only cost around 2K to stay in one for a week and you can't beat the location at all. The family suites are going to cost a lot more than that.

 

[Herding_Cats]

We are doing a split stay at AoA and BCV next month. We stayed at AoA during Christmas/New Year 2017/2018 and having the 2nd bathroom and a room where we could go to sleep before or after the kids without having to shut everything off was SO NICE (and the weather was SO SO BAD, having more personal space saved us all.) Word of caution...the AoA buses are basically the LAST buses in the lineup when you are returning from the parks. Gondolas will change a lot of things, but the AoA/Pop buses are pretty much the last in line.


That being said, we are doing a split stay this time because I was able to get a deluxe studio at BCV for about $80/nt. more than the suite at AoA. We did NOT rent points....I was able to find it through the regular Disney booking site.

 

[cruisin5]

You can pay cash for DVC from the Disney website. It's almost always a lot more cost effective to rent the points. A LOT.

 

[wendlle]

You can pay cash for DVC from the Disney website. It's almost always a lot more cost effective to rent the points. A LOT.

Amen to that! I rented points and the cost was over 1/2 of what Disney were charging for the exact same DVC Studio Villa.

 

[3gr8boys]

You can pay cash for DVC from the Disney website. It's almost always a lot more cost effective to rent the points. A LOT.

Amen to that! I rented points and the cost was over 1/2 of what Disney were charging for the exact same DVC Studio Villa.

My hesitation to rent points is that it doesn't suit the fact that I am a risk averse control freak. The idea of not having complete control over the reservation and having to worry about the cancellation policies freaks me out. I guess it could be worth taking another look.... though I thought the villas (studio and 1br) only had two beds.

 

[cruisin5]

There's a risk on both sides; going with an agency like David's minimizes the risks. If you were to trash the room or not pay your bill, it would be the responsibility of the owner.

Some studios sleep 5; queen bed; double sofa bed; single murphy bed that is under the TV. Beach Club, Boardwalk, Poly, Boulder Ridge (WL) and the Grand Floridan all sleep 5 in a studio.

The 1-bedrooms which sleep 5 are AKV (2 bathrooms at Kidani, one at Jambo), BLT (2 bathrooms), VGF. All of those have three separate sleeping areas. Some of the other resorts allow for a 5th, but you need to bring your own bedding.

If you compare DVC v. hotel costs, don't plan for a value studio... it's just not going to happen. Standard is a maybe/probably, there just aren't many of them.

(double check my resort capacities ... I'm going from memory).

Fair warning ... if you go with a 1-bedroom you will be ruined for future vacations. The kitchen is great, even if just for breakfast or heating up leftover pizza. Laundry. Just space to spread out. I'm leaning towards a 1-bedroom BLT Lake View for your family. Oh, and if you drive, parking is included.

Check out the DVC boards once you run the numbers.

 

[3gr8boys]

There's a risk on both sides; going with an agency like David's minimizes the risks. If you were to trash the room or not pay your bill, it would be the responsibility of the owner.

Some studios sleep 5; queen bed; double sofa bed; single murphy bed that is under the TV. Beach Club, Boardwalk, Poly, Boulder Ridge (WL) and the Grand Floridan all sleep 5 in a studio.

The 1-bedrooms which sleep 5 are AKV (2 bathrooms at Kidani, one at Jambo), BLT (2 bathrooms), VGF. All of those have three separate sleeping areas. Some of the other resorts allow for a 5th, but you need to bring your own bedding.

If you compare DVC v. Hotel, don't plan for a value studio... it's just not going to happen. Standard is a maybe/probably, there just aren't many of them.

(double check my resort capacities ... I'm going from memory).

Fair warning ... if you go with a 1-bedroom you will be ruined for future vacations. The kitchen is great, even if just for breakfast or heating up leftover pizza. Laundry. Just space to spread out. I'm leaning towards a 1-bedroom BLT Lake View for your family. Oh, and if you drive, parking is included.

Check out the DVC boards once you run the numbers.

Too funny....I just finished doing some research on David's site and the one unit that seemed fitting (the studio units with 3 sleeping surfaces seem so tiny) was the BLT 1BR. Unfortunately I am not sure that it's transportation options are my favorite and I don't see it as likely to be less expensive than my other options. Sigh. But I will read and number-crunch some more

ETA I will keep in mind your comments re availability of the different units

 

[3gr8boys]

We recently stayed at the yacht club and loved it. We are also a family of 4 where we try to get 3 sleeping spaces. I've tried sleeping with each of them on a trip where it was just the 3 of us and woke up with the youngest laying across my head. I understand about poor bed sharers. The youngest took the couch bed and was fine with it. When she was little, she'd get the mattress on the floor but now that she's older, she wants a real bed. Plus most rooms at the yacht club have a balcony so that adds some more space to spread out.

I just wanted to say that walking home from epcot is the best thing about the epcot resorts. Just wander out at park close. You don't have to get in line with the crowds for the bus, stand and wait, and ride the bus back. I love being next door to the park.

Deluxe is more money. I totally get that dilemma too! We've stayed at AoA too. If I had to choose and could afford it, I'd take yacht club every time!

Thanks for the input.
How did you feel about YC to HS transportation? Did you walk it? Use the boat?