AKL and AOA same price? Shocked!

[Blessedwithboys]

I have been having resort choosing issues for our September trip this go around
So I was just messing around pricing different resorts in case the 'free dining' speculation about regular dining being only at deluxes is true. We were 'possibly' considering AOA again but after pricing AKL it is 2373.00 and AOA suite is 2317.00
I was just really shocked. I just thought a deluxe was way out of our price range. Obviously I was wrong ))))

 

[Missyrose]

I have been having resort choosing issues for our September trip this go around
So I was just messing around pricing different resorts in case the 'free dining' speculation about regular dining being only at deluxes is true. We were 'possibly' considering AOA again but after pricing AKL it is 2373.00 and AOA suite is 2317.00
I was just really shocked. I just thought a deluxe was way out of our price range. Obviously I was wrong ))))

I'm figuring the AOA room that is priced like a deluxe is because it's one of the suites. They hold more people than the four-person max AKL rooms, so there's a premium for that.

 

[Blessedwithboys]

I'm figuring the AOA room that is priced like a deluxe is because it's one of the suites. They hold more people than the four-person max AKL rooms, so there's a premium for that.

Oh yes it is for a suite at AOA I have two boys and my 5 year old is very anti little mermaid I was just very, very surprised at the closeness in price.

 

[MyTwoPrincesses]

Yep, it's true. Though with AoA you obviously get more space/privacy, two bathrooms, etc. I'd LOVE to stay Deluxe but we need more space than a standard room.

 

[Mcbruns]

I priced out the same scenario for June and was also shocked. I understand AoA are suites, but I thought there would be a bigger price difference. Decisions, decisions.......

 

[squirrel4569]

Oh yes it is for a suite at AOA I have two boys and my 5 year old is very anti little mermaid I was just very, very surprised at the closeness in price.

I love AoA and I have girls so LM works out well for us but in pricing our trip we noticed that two LM rooms are cheaper than a suite at AoA. As long as people are willing to pay it they will, but I expect those will come down in price over time.

 

[Blessedwithboys]

I priced out the same scenario for June and was also shocked. I understand AoA are suites, but I thought there would be a bigger price difference. Decisions, decisions.......

I know... eek how will we ever decide. For me it will all be about what if any discount comes out for Fall.

 

[DevonsDisneyMom]

I know... eek how will we ever decide. For me it will all be about what if any discount comes out for Fall.

I really think if free dining does come out, that it will not disclude the value resorts. But again that is must my opinion.

Honestly, I would pick AKL over AoA anyday of the week, but I guess you have to factor in different senerios to see which one is actually best for your family, like how much time you will spend at the resort, if having the extra space of a suite is something that you will need and if free dining does come out AoA will most likely be the QS plan and AKL the reg DDP. Which would you like best and work best for your family's plans while there?

We are heading back to AKL in June and can not wait. My DS has been talking non stop about AoA! He really wanted to stay there, but I wanted somewhere else... when we go for more than a week, I like to stay mod or deluxe, so we compromised with AKL! What he doesn't know is, is that I decided to fly into Orlando a night earlier than we are supposed to and booked the night at AoA for us in a LM room! Now both of us got what we wanted this trip!

Honestly, I am pretty excited to check out AoA it looks pretty amazing!

Good luck deciding!

 

[Blessedwithboys]

I really think if free dining does come out, that it will not disclude the value resorts. But again that is must my opinion.

Honestly, I would pick AKL over AoA anyday of the week, but I guess you have to factor in different senerios to see which one is actually best for your family, like how much time you will spend at the resort, if having the extra space of a suite is something that you will need and if free dining does come out AoA will most likely be the QS plan and AKL the reg DDP. Which would you like best and work best for your family's plans while there?

We are heading back to AKL in June and can not wait. My DS has been talking non stop about AoA! He really wanted to stay there, but I wanted somewhere else... when we go for more than a week, I like to stay mod or deluxe, so we compromised with AKL! What he doesn't know is, is that I decided to fly into Orlando a night earlier than we are supposed to and booked the night at AoA for us in a LM room! Now both of us got what we wanted this trip!

Honestly, I am pretty excited to check out AoA it looks pretty amazing!

Good luck deciding!

Enjoy!!! Sounds fantastic. AOA is *amazing* we were there September 2012 - Cars Suite My mother and father traveled with us so obviously the suite made sense and was the cheapest!!

 

[RyMacJ]

This has been an ongoing battle for me...AKL is my DREAM resort. We're going in May and my mother and MIL are going with us, so we need more space...threfore, we're staying in an AoA suite. I AM really excited about staying at AoA, but every time I think that if it were just me, DH and the girls we could be staying at AKL for the same price/cheaper (bigger spring discount) I feel sort of sick to my stomach.

 

[Dis703]

We looked at the value suites when I started planning for this trip, but found the cost not to be worth it for us. If we ended up staying value I would have just preferred two rooms as it was cheaper, but ultimately we ended up going Deluxe. It won't be as much space but for me the extra money is worth it for the great location (doing BC). AKL when I looked was too small for our party size (6 including 2 infants). I too was surprised at how much the suites cost.

 

[mmmears]

AoA will give you essentially 2 value rooms for the price of one room (smaller deluxe) at AKL. AKL is a deluxe resort and has lots of "extras" to offer (like 3 sit down restaurants, the animals, private balconies with each room, etc). I guess it just comes down to which resort is more appealing to you and how much space you and your family need.

We love AKL -- but I can see that it's not for everyone. It doesn't have "Disney" character theming, is a bit more remote from some of the parks, etc. I love the atmosphere, the animals, the pools... so we pick it over other deluxe resorts at times. The pricing at AKL is competitive since it does not offer close proximity to the parks (and most other deluxes do).

Good luck with your decision. AoA definitely looks like a fun place! And if you need extra space, it will give you that.

 

[Tomader]

I had a problem at the Pop so I asked to switch to the Mermaid. They said no problem but when I got there they gave us a suite in Cars. I think they were sold out in Mermaid so good luck for us. I will say the cost was way more than I would want to pay. People I talked with while on the trip assumed AoA was a value resort with value prices. Not true. It's classified as a value but not the price. The Mermaid is. I also noticed AKL was comparable to AoA. I think next time we will try AKL.

 

[ElizabethG]

I had a problem at the Pop so I asked to switch to the Mermaid. They said no problem but when I got there they gave us a suite in Cars. I think they were sold out in Mermaid so good luck for us. I will say the cost was way more than I would want to pay. People I talked with while on the trip assumed AoA was a value resort with value prices. Not true. It's classified as a value but not the price. The Mermaid is. I also noticed AKL was comparable to AoA. I think next time we will try AKL.

The price is 'value' depending on what you compare it with. An AoA suite is close in price to a AKL standard room, which is obviously much smaller. But if you compare it to a 1-bdrm AKV (which still only sleeps 5 at Kidani and 4 at Jambo) it looks like a better deal. You're at around 300/night at AoA and 600/night at AKV. Now you are saving $2,100 for a one week trip.

I do agree that AoA suite vs AKL offers an interesting dilema for a family of 4. Once you've accepted the price of $300/night you sudenly notice other options you hadn't considered as a possibility before.

OP, if you're looking for votes, I would deffinitely go with AKL. It is such a unique experience there. It is an amazing resort with some of the best restaurants in Disney (IMO).

 

[wdwmom3]

With the current discounts a standard room at akl is actually cheaper then AoA. We were booked in at AKL but we are a family of 5 and my ds2 won't sleep in a pack and play anymore. We considered a suite at AoA but that would have cost us an extra $200. So we are staying in a suite at all star music which was about $200 less then AKL. I still wish we were going to AKL though

 

[ADisneyQueen]

wdwmom3- couldn't you just ask for a cot at AKL? Could one of your kids sleep in that while the other two sleep in the bed with bedrails?

 

[wdwmom3]

wdwmom3- couldn't you just ask for a cot at AKL? Could one of your kids sleep in that while the other two sleep in the bed with bedrails?

I think a cot would be too tight of a fit. Plus we decided 2 bathrooms would be nice. I think next time we may look at renting points for a 1 bedroom at akv.