AoA or CB?????

[Disny'er]

Okay, so originally we booked AoA Nemo Suites for our November 2017 nine day trip. It's where my 12 yr old said she'd like to go (there's 6 in our party). But when we priced it out there's not that huge of a difference between the Nemo Suite and 2 rooms at Caribbean Beach. It will be 3 adults (me, hubby, and MIL), 16 yr old son, 13 yr old daughter, and our 9 yr old son. My MIL has a heart condition so she can't walk long distances like she used to - we were going to get her a wheelchair at the parks. Which is part of the reason I didn't originally want CBR because if we couldn't be assured to be close to the main building, I didn't want her to have to walk a long way at night back to the room. Also I heard the bus system is terrible at CBR. But now I'm worried that AoA might be too kiddie for my 16 yr old and they might all enjoy the slides at the CBR pool better. The food court is also a big deal cause we are just doing quick serves with 2 sit down meals the whole trip.

I hate when I 2nd guess my decisions like this. Thoughts, opinions, experiences......

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I would do CB. You will get a nicer resort, IMHO, plus 4 queen beds as opposed to 1 queen and 2 full pull-out/pull-down beds. Are there any other mods available. We prefer POFQ and POR over CB.

 

[Disny'er]

POR is the most expensive. It brings the price up a lot.

We priced AoA, CBS, and POR. So out of those 3.

 

[Kevin355]

We just stayed at AoA for the reasons you mentioned. Will never stay there again. Am going back to CBR in 2017. Rented a wheelchair each day at the parks for my mom. Buses are not as bad at CBR as many make it out to be. And because there is only one bus post at AoA, we waited for 2+ buses a couple of times. Have never had that at CBR.

 

[KonaKaiTom]

I have stayed in both - based on your group, I would highly recommend that you book 2 rooms at CBR. Why, the bedding arrangements -- 2 real beds, queen size at CBR. AOA suites have 1 queen size real bed, a murphy fold down fullsize onto the dining table and a fullsize sleep sofa. Which bed is MIL going to sleep in comfortably at AOA as opposed to CBR?

Tom

 

[maxiesmom]

Go with CBR as long as you have a wheelchair full time for your mother in law, not just in the parks. CBR is huge and unless you pay for preferred you have no idea how close to the main building you will be.

 

[toonaspie]

Just make sure you're getting preferred rooms if you're doing CBR and keep in mind that connecting rooms are not a guarantee.

 

[maxiesmom]

We just stayed at AoA for the reasons you mentioned. Will never stay there again. Am going back to CBR in 2017. Rented a wheelchair each day at the parks for my mom. Buses are not as bad at CBR as many make it out to be. And because there is only one bus post at AoA, we waited for 2+ buses a couple of times. Have never had that at CBR.

Would you mind sharing why you won't go back to AoA? Either here or on a post of your own? I'm very curious as AoA gets so much love.

 

[Disny'er]

The bus situation at AoA looks to be the same like POP. We've stayed at POP several times and never really had that bad of an issue. Twice (out of 4 stays, 7 days each) we had to wait for a 2nd bus to come for Magic Kingdom. It does suck when it happens though. We've experienced it many times late at night at the parks trying to get back to the resort.

 

[loves to dive]

I would go with CBR, the rooms are a little bigger and I think you will be more comfortable. There are bus stops at each village so MIL isn't going to have to walk far to the bus stops. If you rent a wheel chair and keep it the whole time, she is going to be able to sit in it on the bus or at least she will get on before everyone else so she, at least, would not have to stand if they get crowded.

 

[CitrusSwirlGirl]

We recently stayed at AoA (but in Cars suites) with two 20 year olds and a 12 year old, and all three were delighted by the theming and didn't find it too kiddie-like. All beds were comfortable, there are two bathrooms, and it didn't feel crowded, although there were just 4 of us. The whole resort still feels very new. As far as the food court goes, we all found meals we liked there--including my vegetarian daughter.

Cannot speak to CBR, as it is one of the few WDW resorts we have yet to try.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[JonesFamilyTravels]

I love AOA! This is a great resort for all ages. We have stayed in all of the suites at AOA and Caribbean Beach. It is great to have the space and kitchenette in the suites. You are also much closer to everything at the resort vs CB. CB is much more spread out.

 

[Kevin355]

Would you mind sharing why you won't go back to AoA? Either here or on a post of your own? I'm very curious as AoA gets so much love.

Will do.

Having stayed at CBR 10+ times, and looking for convenience since we were bringing my 80 YOA mother, I read the reviews of AoA on here and thought I would try a suite. We were debating between 2 rooms at CBR or the Finding Nemo Suite at AoA. Price was not an issue as my Army son went and booked the rooms under his military rate. We went the convenience route and had a pool view suite at AoA.

The walls of AoA seemed paper-thin. We could hear every noise from the hallways. The suite is a nice size until you pull down the wall-bed and open up the sofa bed...then the room is extremely cramped. The microwave in the "kitchenette" and the double bathrooms were a convenience.

Since the pool is centrally located, the activities at night made it hard for quiet time in the room. This is probably my fault since I agreed for pool view when asked by the CM. It was the only room that they had ready when we arrived.

The pool is very large, but there is only one pool, so we had no chance to come back and relax by the quiet pool ala CBR. Trying to find an area to just float in the pool was impossible, that is why we avoid the Main Pool at CBR for the most part, unless we want to enjoy adult cocktails by the pool and sun ourselves. However, CBR Main Pool doesn't seem as crowded even though it is smaller because many stay at their resort pool locations. The decor at the AoA pool is very nice and there are lots of activities for the kids.

The food court did provide much of what you get at CBR, but it is round-shaped and you felt as if everyone was on top of you while ordering. At CBR, the food court is set up in a way that each food counter has it's own ordering line separate from the next area. During rush hour, you felt like cattle in the food court. And there is no sit-down restaurant like Shutter's at CBR.

The gift shop at AoA is better than the one at CBR. It is very large and has great selections.

The bus stop at AoA is centrally located and everyone has to go here. We waited for 3 buses to MK one day as the amount of strollers was more than I have seen at CBR. Not many people seemed to want to go to Epcot and we had the buses to ourselves for the most part.

We liked walking AoA and going over to Pop Century during our nightly strolls. It is not as large as CBR and is probably more convenient for parents of little ones since the size is a little smaller. I have never minded walking CBR and take a lap or two each morning around the lake at CBR.

AoA is a nice resort, but since my kids are grown, I would not stay at AoA again. If I were to take my mom again, we'd go with 2 rooms at CBR or even try POR or POFQ.

 

[mickeynut1]

Another vote for CBR. We've never stayed at AoA, but we loved everything about CBR. I agree with Kevin355 that the transportation isn't bad (at least it wasn't in our experience). We found the buses to be quick and efficient, even with several internal stops. CBR is centrally located so it didn't take more than about 10 minutes to get to any theme park, water park, or DTD. Good luck!

 

[Stefani P.]

I am staying at AoA in 9 days. Hoping my family of myself, 21 yr old and 17 yr old daughters love!

 

[AngieInOH]

We stayed at AoA and really enjoyed it. Had a 15 yr and two 6 yr. I think it depends on whether you all want to be in the same room or want to be split up into 2 seperate rooms. I don't feel the themeing at AoA is too kidish. No matter what you decide I'm sure you'll have a great time!

 

[westie55]

I have stayed at both resorts. They are each wonderful in their own way. I don't think AoA feels overly childish. It is a very fun resort for all ages, IMO. I actually prefer the bus system at AoA because you don't have to make multiple stops within the resort. I've read reports that the AoA food court is always crowded but we were there in late June during peak dining hours for each meal at some point and there were always plenty of open tables. I don't think you can go wrong with either resort. Look over the photos of each together as a family and pick one!

 

[Kevin355]

I am staying at AoA in 9 days. Hoping my family of myself, 21 yr old and 17 yr old daughters love!

Don't let what someone says be a deterrent. It is just my opinion. You will enjoy the magic. Maybe if I didn't have my 80 YOA mother and had to come back at times before we were ready, it may have been different.

Be sure if you take a stroll around the resort, get your picture taken with the Potato Heads at Pop Century. My friends thought that I was whacked out of my mind when I was trying to high 5 Mr. Potatohead.

 

[Stefani P.]

Don't let what someone says be a deterrent. It is just my opinion. You will enjoy the magic. Maybe if I didn't have my 80 YOA mother and had to come back at times before we were ready, it may have been different.

Be sure if you take a stroll around the resort, get your picture taken with the Potato Heads at Pop Century. My friends thought that I was whacked out of my mind when I was trying to high 5 Mr. Potatohead.

Aww, thank you. I have to admit I have been nervous. My family had a VERY hard year last year. This is our, "we survived it all" trip. So I hope it is wonderful.