AoA Nemo suites not part of summer offer. Switch resorts?

[Running Babeck]

After yesterday's disappointment (calling right @ 7 a.m. to apply the discount to my existing res. only to find it didn't qualify), I've started to consider other options. I opted not to switch to one of the other themes & currently have a res. @ rack rate for the Nemo suite, July 30-Aug. 8 for my family of 4 (DD-8 & DS-9). We have 7day PH with WPF tix. My kids LOVE the Nemo theme (esp. DS), & I'm loving the "having our own room" part. Not sure that I love the bus part though (we will rely strictly on Dis. Trans.). Have discovered that with the discount we could stay at CR or Poly (std rms) for a bit less than our current res. wondering if anyone has experience with either (would love to hear from anyone who has done both). Thx for your help!!

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

We stayed Poly when I was 9, and my siblings were 6 and 3. There was plenty of room and we had a great time. If that's LESS than AoA, I would absolutely switch.

 

[Running Babeck]

We stayed Poly when I was 9, and my siblings were 6 and 3. There was plenty of room and we had a great time. If that's LESS than AoA, I would absolutely switch.

Funny- I stayed at Poly as a kid too. I was 14, it was 1981, and there were WAY fewer options back then. Epcot wasn't even open yet . Thx for the advice!

 

[Alice BlueBonnet]

Hello! I rarely post on here, but I do have one concern. While the Poly is fantastic, and it's location near the monorail is great for MK and Epcot, the bussing at the resorts on the monorail loop are bad enough that I likely won't stay at them again.

While I've heard (I haven't stayed at AoA yet) that the bussing at AoA can get crazy, similar to Pop, at least the busses come frequently and only go to one resort.

In the multiple times when staying at Poly, GF and Contemporary, I have never ONCE had a bus that took me directly from my hotel to a park and vice versa. In fact, these three resorts typically share a bus. So for DTD (which is also the water parks bus), HS and AK, you are getting on a bus and making a few stops in either direction. On top of that, we found no matter what time we went, busses were few and far between. I tend to rarely get frustrated while at WDW, but I know there have been a few times where after waiting 25 minutes for a bus with no luck, I've paid to cab to the park or back to the resort.

So this would be a bit of a concern for me, given that you have two little kids. I know they aren't super little, but they are young enough that I think they may find the bus rides a bit much.

ALL of that being said, if you were mostly planning to go to Epcot and MK and would have to rarely take the busses, I'd stay at Poly in a heartbeat. I just know after multiple trips on the monorail loop, and the same issues with the busses each time, I have vowed to never stay there without 1) A rental car or 2) money in the budget to take cabs when necessary.

Good luck!!!

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Transportation alone would make me pick the Polynesian!
Monorail or boat to MK, Monorail to EPCOT!

Poly is lovely - especially for kids. Volcano pool and being able to see the castle, fireworks, and EWP from the beach and pool! Rooms are plenty big enough (we've stayed there 2 adults, 3 kids). Request a room with a balcony and you won't feel like your're all in one room. Lots of drawer and closet space too.

 

[mraney]

We love the Poly.......but have you thought about the BC or BW you are able to walk or take a boat to both Epcot and HS. The entertainment on the BW in the evening is great for the kids. Also the BC has a great pool. Just a thought.

 

[Running Babeck]

After yesterday's disappointment (calling right @ 7 a.m. to apply the discount to my existing res. only to find it didn't qualify), I've started to consider other options. I opted not to switch to one of the other themes & currently have a res. @ rack rate for the Nemo suite, July 30-Aug. 8 for my family of 4 (DD-8 & DS-9). We have 7day PH with WPF tix. My kids LOVE the Nemo theme (esp. DS), & I'm loving the "having our own room" part. Not sure that I love the bus part though (we will rely strictly on Dis. Trans.). Have discovered that with the discount we could stay at CR or Poly (std rms) for a bit less than our current res. wondering if anyone has experience with either (would love to hear from anyone who has done both). Thx for your help!!

Just noticed that I misquoted my daughter's age & would b in huge trouble if she knew! She's 11 (and a pretty mature 11 at that).

 

[Running Babeck]

Hello! I rarely post on here, but I do have one concern. While the Poly is fantastic, and it's location near the monorail is great for MK and Epcot, the bussing at the resorts on the monorail loop are bad enough that I likely won't stay at them again.

While I've heard (I haven't stayed at AoA yet) that the bussing at AoA can get crazy, similar to Pop, at least the busses come frequently and only go to one resort.

In the multiple times when staying at Poly, GF and Contemporary, I have never ONCE had a bus that took me directly from my hotel to a park and vice versa. In fact, these three resorts typically share a bus. So for DTD (which is also the water parks bus), HS and AK, you are getting on a bus and making a few stops in either direction. On top of that, we found no matter what time we went, busses were few and far between. I tend to rarely get frustrated while at WDW, but I know there have been a few times where after waiting 25 minutes for a bus with no luck, I've paid to cab to the park or back to the resort.

So this would be a bit of a concern for me, given that you have two little kids. I know they aren't super little, but they are young enough that I think they may find the bus rides a bit much.

ALL of that being said, if you were mostly planning to go to Epcot and MK and would have to rarely take the busses, I'd stay at Poly in a heartbeat. I just know after multiple trips on the monorail loop, and the same issues with the busses each time, I have vowed to never stay there without 1) A rental car or 2) money in the budget to take cabs when necessary.

Good luck!!!

Thank you so much for the detailed reply! I had considered the busing (from Poly to DHS, AK, etc.) and wondered if it would b an issue. I've wondered if it might pay to take MR to Epcot & bus from there to water parks, AK,...? Thx again!!

 

[TravelAgentJen]

Wow, I've never heard this before, that a specific themed suite is not included???? Hmmm, r u sure? I would ask again someone else. But maybe it was just that the nemo one's are booked up? If that was the case for me I would just switch to a different theme bc they are all really cool for kids and the pool area is all nemo themed so I think you'll get your fix even though that is a little disappointing. I priced out rooms for my trip coming up, we booked AOA suites and for the time I'm going all deluxes are more expensive then AOA although they are really close with a good room discount.

 

[disneynut11]

I had a similar decision.

We are staying at AOA in The Little Mermaid section in August. These rooms are also NOT part of the room discount promotion.

We looked at this as an opportunity to stay at a moderate or a deluxe since we always stay at POP.

My daughter (DD8) did not want to switch. DH and I wanted to. After pondering, we decided that this is probably the last trip that DD would enjoy the theming of AOA (Nemo, Ariel) and that when she is older, we will have numerous opportunities to stay at other resorts. Right now she loves the pools at POP and we know she will love AOA's pool. When she is older, convenience, water slides, will still be there at the other resorts.

(Even though staying at Poly is my DREAM!!!!!)

 

[kpm76]

Transportation alone would make me pick the Polynesian!
Monorail or boat to MK, Monorail to EPCOT!

Poly is lovely - especially for kids. Volcano pool and being able to see the castle, fireworks, and EWP from the beach and pool! Rooms are plenty big enough (we've stayed there 2 adults, 3 kids). Request a room with a balcony and you won't feel like your're all in one room. Lots of drawer and closet space too.

I completely agree! Poly rooms are huge! We stayed there in Oct and had a blast. The volcano pool alone is worth it for the kids. Even in the suites, AoA is still a value resort and can't compare with the amenities of a deluxe. I'm not knocking values, but if the Poly is cheaper, there's no question about where I would stay.

A word of caution though:some of the balconys at the Poly are very shallow so I have heard (never stayed in a room like this) that is it tough (or impossible) to sit out on them. Might want to check with someone who has more info

 

[Running Babeck]

We love the Poly.......but have you thought about the BC or BW you are able to walk or take a boat to both Epcot and HS. The entertainment on the BW in the evening is great for the kids. Also the BC has a great pool. Just a thought.

Thx! Had only briefly considered them-not thinking as much abt the transportation at the time. That's definitely something to consider-esp with the great (so I've read) pool @ BC. We won't have any DP and plan and prefer counter service for lots of reasons. It doesn't look like there's CS @ either BW or BC (is that right?). If so, are there plenty of walkable CS options near by? Thx again

 

[kpm76]

I had a similar decision.

We are staying at AOA in The Little Mermaid section in August. These rooms are also NOT part of the room discount promotion.

We looked at this as an opportunity to stay at a moderate or a deluxe since we always stay at POP.

My daughter (DD8) did not want to switch. DH and I wanted to. After pondering, we decided that this is probably the last trip that DD would enjoy the theming of AOA (Nemo, Ariel) and that when she is older, we will have numerous opportunities to stay at other resorts. Right now she loves the pools at POP and we know she will love AOA's pool. When she is older, convenience, water slides, will still be there at the other resorts.

(Even though staying at Poly is my DREAM!!!!!)

We are in the same predicament. DD5 desperately wants to stay at AoA in a LM room. We own DVC, so we rarely stay in non-DVC resorts but we have APs this year and went on a big family trip in Jan, where we stayed in a 2 bedroom and basically used all of our points. We are heading back in Aug and going to use an AP discount, plus a few nights at VWL. We decided to stay at AoA for the first 2 nights, but LM rooms are not available for the first night. We got a room only at the BC and I convinced DD that it would be tons of fun to have lunch at Beaches & Cream the day we arrive. She's also excited for the BC pool. I do feel a little sorry though that she's disappointed

 

[Running Babeck]

We are in the same predicament. DD5 desperately wants to stay at AoA in a LM room. We own DVC, so we rarely stay in non-DVC resorts but we have APs this year and went on a big family trip in Jan, where we stayed in a 2 bedroom and basically used all of our points. We are heading back in Aug and going to use an AP discount, plus a few nights at VWL. We decided to stay at AoA for the first 2 nights, but LM rooms are not available for the first night. We got a room only at the BC and I convinced DD that it would be tons of fun to have lunch at Beaches & Cream the day we arrive. She's also excited for the BC pool. I do feel a little sorry though that she's disappointed

Thought there would b others w/ a similar situation. I initially booked LM too (back in Jan). Then the thought of 9 nights in close quarters & hearing of a possible discount on suites prompted me to consider switching. Easy to see how the DW marketing strategy works! Once I started thinking abt more space, it's hard to start thinking abt less. This might b our ONLY trip to DW which makes this especially difficult for me. I would probably opt for a split stay, but that stresses DH way too much, so we'll just go to one hotel. Thank you both for sharing your situations here. I guess ultimately, it's DW, so we can't go wrong (right?). Good luck to you both

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Thx! Had only briefly considered them-not thinking as much abt the transportation at the time. That's definitely something to consider-esp with the great (so I've read) pool @ BC. We won't have any DP and plan and prefer counter service for lots of reasons. It doesn't look like there's CS @ either BW or BC (is that right?). If so, are there plenty of walkable CS options near by? Thx again

Hurricane Hannah's and BC Marketplace are the cs restaurants at BC. Hurricane Hannah's is right at the pool - in fact they have wait staff that will take your order and deliver right to your chaise lounge! BC Marketplace offers cold sandwiches, flat bread pizzas, salads, soup and grab and go (besides a breakfast platter, and bagels, fruit, croissants etc).

Beaches and Cream is a relatively inexpensive ts restaurants. Like a 50's style soda shop - great burger, shakes, sundaes etc.

You are in walking distance of EPCOT and Boardwalk so you won't have to worry about not having any cs restaurants!

Honestly BC is my very favorite resort of the four resorts we've stayed at (BC,YC, Poly and GF). SAB is fantastic and the whole EPCOT area is great!

 

[Sandisw]

We stayed at CR and Poly, prior to becoming DVC members and now have stayed at BLT, BWV and BCV as well as VWL and AKV.

I love the location of both the Epcot and MK resorts. We typically even do a split stay so that we only have to worry about transportation to AK or water parks and can walk to the other 3.

And, even now, I take a cab to AK vs. Disney transportation because it was worth the $20!!!

I would say that if you are concerned about transportation, you can not beat the ability to walk to the parks, or take a boat. The theming though at those resorts is not going to be the same as the Nemo suite, and I do agree that having more than one room with a family is wonderful--we were a family of 5 in rooms for years and now that we have bought DVC, I can not imagine staying in a room only with more than just me and one other person.

Tough choice but I don't think you can go wrong. And, the pool at BC is wonderful!!!

 

[jcarwash]

Have discovered that with the discount we could stay at CR or Poly (std rms) for a bit less than our current res.

This shows how expensive the AoA "value" suites are priced. Rack rate for the summer is $348 weekdays and $398 weekends. Assuming the lowest priced rooms are still available with the summer promotion, here's all the other Deluxes you could stay at for less than a discounted AoA suite:

Animal Kingdom Lodge 30% - $233.10
Saratoga Springs 30% - $252.00
Old Key West 30% - $252.00
Wilderness Lodge 20% - $270.40
Yacht Club/Beach Club 30% - $278.60
Fort Wilderness Cabins 20% - $282.40
Art of Animation Suite 15% - $295.80 (weekday) $338.30 (weekend)

Wow, I've never heard this before, that a specific themed suite is not included???? Hmmm, r u sure? I would ask again someone else. But maybe it was just that the nemo one's are booked up?

For comparison, with the summer discount there are no standard rooms available at All Star Music, only preferred rooms. This was true even over the weekend with the early access for Visa card holders. So whether specific room types or themes were included or excluded or booked probably doesn't matter; it's more about what is available related to this special offer.

** Except for the Little Mermaid rooms where all the ads warn us up front. Don't even think about it.

 

[Running Babeck]

Someone at a restaurant last night overheard me discussing my Disney dilemma. As they had just recently returned from a trip there and had stayed in LM @ AoA & had heard me mention AoA, they LMK how great it was. Their daughter appeared to be 4 or so and I'm sure she loved the theming. I asked how the buses were and he replied "Oh, you wouldn't want to do that!". He noted that they had driven and primarily used their car during their stay.

So my 'new windmill' is detailed research of DW transportation system.

Would like to get past the 'where to stay' thing and get on with itinerary planning!.

Thanks to all who have replied so far. All of it has been extremely helpful. Still nowhere close on our decision so anyone with more advice, bring it on!!

 

[kpm76]

I've heard first hand and read that transportation at AoA, specifically LM rooms, is tough. We always have a car, but prefer to not drive to MK bec we have strollers and it's a pain.

Honestly, I get the appeal to a suite (i.e. more room), but you will still only get value amenities. Before I got spoiled with deluxe resorts, it didn't matter to me. Now the resort is part of the vacation. Our kids are young, therefore, we break in the afternoon to swim and nap. It's exciting to go back to a resort like the BW, Poly, BC etc. It's not exciting to me to head back to Pop. I'm just being honest so you can make an informed decision.

WL is amazing and priced reasonably for the location. The kids love it!! The boat to MK is relaxing. We also love the Epcot area resorts where you have the ability to walk to 2 parks. It's a tough decision, but I would choose a deluxe any day over a value suite (which is no "value" cost wise).

 

[Running Babeck]

....WL is amazing and priced reasonably for the location. The kids love it!! The boat to MK is relaxing. We also love the Epcot area resorts where you have the ability to walk to 2 parks. It's a tough decision, but I would choose a deluxe any day over a value suite (which is no "value" cost wise).

Thx for the help!! It is so not easy. Now that I've started to think outside the 'value' box, even though I loved Poly as a kid (more than 30 yrs ago now), since this will be my 1st trip back, I'm do glad to have my eyes opened to other options from people who have experienced DW recently. Thx again!!