Anyone bothered by lack of shade at AOA?

[mum2four]

We will be visiting WDW in mid-May. Initially we went back and forth between POR and AOA. After much deliberation, we are now booked at POR. I think POR looks absolutely gorgeous, BUT, everytime I see pics of AOA I get a little twinge of guilt thinking that my younger kids (8,6,3) would like it so much better. So, here I am second guessing our decision again, ugh!

Here's the thing. I am VERY fair skinned. When I look at AOA pics, the first thing that jumps out at me is NO shade. I realize the landscaping is new and these things take time to mature, but that's unlikely to happen before May! On the other hand, POR looks wonderfully shady.

So, for those who have been to AOA, especially in the warmer months, did you find it terribly hot and sunny?

 

[Schmeck]

The buildings are so towering and close (IMO) that it's like walking through canyons - so there is usually shade on one side of the courtyard area at least. The worst area was the Lion King section - maybe the greenery needs time to grow, hopefully? But there is shade, it's just building shade, not tree shade.

 

[alc571]

We stayed at POR last October and visited AOA while we were there. I'd stick with POR, if I were you. AOA is like pulling up to a Walmart, and POR is a resort. There is a lot of shade at POR, and as the other poster said, AoA is building shade.

Our DS7 loved POR. The pool is amazing for kids and he loved the boat to DTD to to the Lego store. Also, we sent him on the kids-only Pirate cruise from the resort and he had a blast. He wasn't overly excited about AoA when we visited, and he's really excited to go back to POR this year.

 

[dminnie]

I haven't seen AOA, but I'd stick with POR if I were you. I am also very fair and really watch my sun exposure. That's me at the beach: under the umbrella whenever possible. POR has more shade than you'd expect in Florida...even at the pool, there are considerable shady spots there.

It's also a pretty resort. Your kids will love the boat to DTD and the pool slide, things you won't get at AOA.

 

[AliceIn]

The AoA family suites will give you nearly twice the space. The suites are 565 square feet compared to only 314 feet at POR. I couldn't imagine trying to cram five people into one of the rooms at POR, even if the resort does have a pool slide. The pool at AoA is pretty fantastic. We stayed at in a Cars suite last year and we had a fantastic time. We are a fair skinned bunch and had no issues at AoA. The bus stops there are even covered, and have fans running over them.

 

[mum2four]

Thanks for the feedback! It's interesting to hear different opinions.

Funny thing is, I sat down with my kids just a few minutes ago to look at pics of both POR and AOA, as I hadn't shown them any resorts yet. They were interested in POR, but thought AOA looked really fun. However, as soon as I pulled up a pic of the POR pool slide, they were sold! The slide outranked all the characters at AOA for them. Guess I don't know my kids as well as I thought I did! Looks like we'll be sticking with POR.

AOA does look really neat though. We'll definitely have to set aside some time to check it out during our trip.......after sunset, of course.

 

[irish_trip_mom]

We are at AofA right now, family of 5. We usually stay at Deluxes (Poly is by far my favorite resort) and I thought I'd have Poly envy while her. The only thing I've missed is getting a Mai Tai after coming off the monorail! We love the space we have here, and especially the two separate sleeping spaces. And a much appreciated door from the kids! Shade hasnt been an issue bc it's unseasonably cold this week. We are in the LK, very quiet. We also rented a car since we were also doing US, so we haven't used the busses.

 

[huntconn]

I haven't stayed at AoA yet but it looks like a great resort. It does seem like the value resorts in general seem to have less shade than the other resort categories. I guess the more you pay per night gets you more foliage! lol

 

[mmmears]

I had the same thought when I saw the photos -- so cute and Disneyish -- but no shade! My family is the one that is sitting under what little shade can be found at the pools or the waterparks. I was wondering if it's just because it is new, or if they aren't planting big gardens like that the deluxes we have stayed in the past. (we would like to try a less-expensive place at WDW, though, and this one does look nice).

 

[Schmeck]

(we would like to try a less-ex*****ve place at WDW, though, and this one does look nice).

I know what your typo spells, LOL!

 

[mmmears]

I know what your typo spells, LOL!

and I don't! This new autocorrect is really getting to me!

 

[bumbershoot]

and I don't! This new autocorrect is really getting to me!

Well, you were going for ex-pensi-ve, right? If you swapped two of those letters....


We visited AOA one day on our recent trip, and it's adorable. So much cuter than I feel the pictures convey. And the food court is *fabulous*. So good.

But we'll definitely have a longer stay at POR before visiting AOA, that's for sure. And we'll go get lunch a time or two at AOA.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

We stayed at AoA last month and you're right, there isn't much shade to be found. However, I would put it at similar to the other value resorts. The walk to the LM rooms is particularly out in the open - it was cool and windy one night while we were there, and it was kind of chilly and breezy around the LM pool, with the wind whipping right though the parking lot and into the open courtyard area.

That said, we'll be staying at AoA for as long as we have small children. The theming and food court are amazing, and the Big Blue Pool is *fantastic* for small children - it has a play splash area that is really cute, and a zero depth entry area. We're actually considering a park-free visit (well, maybe one night at the Halloween party...) this fall, just to spend a few days at AoA!

 

[goofy4tink]

Our first stay was at DxL..now known as POR. My dd turned 6 while we were there. She loved it there. The biggest reason we stopped going was that we 1. bought DVC and 2. the slide didn't get it done for her after she got a bit older.
Your kids are a great age for that pool/slide.
I love AoA-LM. Stayed there for a night in Dec, and will be there for 2 nights in June. But, only because my dd, now 19, really wants to stay there for a night or two. It's a fun resort, but you're right..there isn't a ton of shade. The Cars section looks perfectly at home there...that whole desert theming. Same with the Lion King section.

Stick with POR..you'll be glad you did. And, there will be more room too boot!!

 

[jenrose66]

We will be visiting WDW in mid-May. Initially we went back and forth between POR and AOA. After much deliberation, we are now booked at POR. I think POR looks absolutely gorgeous, BUT, everytime I see pics of AOA I get a little twinge of guilt thinking that my younger kids (8,6,3) would like it so much better. So, here I am second guessing our decision again, ugh!

Here's the thing. I am VERY fair skinned. When I look at AOA pics, the first thing that jumps out at me is NO shade. I realize the landscaping is new and these things take time to mature, but that's unlikely to happen before May! On the other hand, POR looks wonderfully shady.

So, for those who have been to AOA, especially in the warmer months, did you find it terribly hot and sunny?

The Lion King area was nice and shady. There was no shade in the cars section, but it is supposed to be the desert, so that was probably deliberate