AoA or POR for family of 5

[mom4praise]

Hi Everyone: I am trying to finalize my Disney plans before the 2014 booking begins online. I am a single mom to 4 kids, when we go they will be DS-18, DD-17, DS-13, and DS-6. I am torn between the two hotels. We are lucky enough to be in Disney 10 days and will have the dining plan. My concern is space. I like the atmosphere (quiet) of POR but I am worried that we will be bumping elbows in the room.

Thank you for any help.

 

[jmorrisey1204]

We just returned from AOA with myself husband and 4 kids. There was plenty of room for all of us and our stuff. I liked having the suite style as opposed to two separate regular hotel rooms. Let me know if u have any questions!

 

[Missytara]

Definitely AoA. The amentities will be useful to you with the age of your children.

 

[buckeev]

Definitely a tough call with the family of five-(that's how many we usually travel as).
We are BIG fans of POR, and highly recommend it to those with a head count of five. We feel that there is adequate "elbow room" in there, and the price break is one of Diz's best "bargains". The Murphy bed easily sleeps my 5'4" daughter, and there is usually a good amount of "sibling debating" as to wo gets that bed.
The grounds are beautiful and the convienience of the DTD boats is great.
With that said, we may be a group of 6 this Christmas, so we are seriously considering our first stay in a suite at A of A....love that idea of a "kitchen"... And two bathrooms.

My opinion for y'all is those are two great choices with ages of your crew.


Best wishes!

 

[mm1971]

Hi Everyone: I am trying to finalize my Disney plans before the 2014 booking begins online. I am a single mom to 4 kids, when we go they will be DS-18, DD-17, DS-13, and DS-6. I am torn between the two hotels. We are lucky enough to be in Disney 10 days and will have the dining plan. My concern is space. I like the atmosphere (quiet) of POR but I am worried that we will be bumping elbows in the room.

Thank you for any help.

If $$ is not the issue, I would go with the suite. The extra room will allow the kids to have a little more space and the theming is more Disney. Having teens and one 6 yo, you may want to put your DS6 down for a nap or to bed earlier. Having the extra room will make it a little easier.

 

[3boys4me]

O would go with AoA. That is a long time to be stuck in that one regulat size room. We are a party of 6 and do 2 value rooms. Works great for us. Sometimes my 14 and 10 year old need a little break from one another after several days.

 

[khaoskat]

Honestly, I would consider renting DVC points and go with a One Bedroom Deluxe Resort.

Example...6 nights in September (no discount) at AOA:FS is $309 a night, so $1854 ish. 6 nights point rental for OKW/AKV 1 bedroom suite is approximately $1550-$1600.

Then, you can save a bunch on tickets for the older kids by doing YES:Individual Enrollment...like $100-$150 per child .

Then pay out of pocket for Dining Plan.

And you are not stuck waiting for pricing to come out. You are already able to, if the person you are renting from is within their 11 month window), able to book those rooms now.

 

[MinnieTink]

I would go with AoA also. We stayed at POR for one night last August (me, DH, DD16, DD12 and DS5) and we were ok for one night but it would be tough for any more than that, IMHO.

 

[lmhall2000]

I need a pool slide! POR has them!

 

[mom4praise]

Thanks everyone. After looking at both places, and the DVC option, with the oldest kids...We are going with AoA. I like having a door I can shut at the end of the day to get some quiet time, and they liked having the freedom of a living room to 'chill' in.

Thank you for the replies.

 

[MyTwoPrincesses]

Family of 5. AoA no question. We did POFQ 2 years ago with a baby, a 5 year old and 6 year old and it was ok but crowded. I just got back from AoA yesterday and the suites are SO much more comfortable. You'll like the adult space after the kids go to sleep, the 3 spacious sleeping spaces are great, and 2 bathrooms really help out when getting ready in the morning.

 

[dmoore718]

Honestly, I would consider renting DVC points and go with a One Bedroom Deluxe Resort.

Example...6 nights in September (no discount) at AOA:FS is $309 a night, so $1854 ish. 6 nights point rental for OKW/AKV 1 bedroom suite is approximately $1550-$1600.

Then, you can save a bunch on tickets for the older kids by doing YES:Individual Enrollment...like $100-$150 per child .

Then pay out of pocket for Dining Plan.

And you are not stuck waiting for pricing to come out. You are already able to, if the person you are renting from is within their 11 month window), able to book those rooms now.

I'm pretty sure that for 5 people you need a 2 BR at OKW. The only ones that sleep 5 in a one bedroom are AKL Villas and BLT.

 

[dmoore718]

Thanks everyone. After looking at both places, and the DVC option, with the oldest kids...We are going with AoA. I like having a door I can shut at the end of the day to get some quiet time, and they liked having the freedom of a living room to 'chill' in.

Thank you for the replies.

You will love it there!!! We stayed there with our family of 5 in January and thought it was amazing!

 

[marvel]

The suites at AOA say they sleep 6, but can only see two beds in the diagrams. Whats the bedding set out?

 

[jmorrisey1204]

The suites at AOA say they sleep 6, but can only see two beds in the diagrams. Whats the bedding set out?

Full pull out couch
Queen bedroom
Full size Murphy bed/table combo. Very cool

 

[CatelynnMarie]

I agree with everyone else. AoA seems like a better idea. The suites look flawless

 

[BadgerFive]

We have done both and are big fans of AOA and POR. There are pros and cons that you may find make your decision easier.

AOA Pros: Great space, the extra bathroom can be a big plus. For us with small kids it did not matter as much. Kitchen is a bonus if you plan to use it.

AOA Cons: Food court is not as nice and no sit down restaurant. The theming is really good but not as quiet and picturesque as POR. Felt more like a standard hotel to me.

POR Pros: Great pools including FQ. Fun to take the boat to DWTD. The theming, the river, bridges, trees make you feel like you are in a different world.

POR Cons: Much less space. Again with small kids not an issue but with teenagers it might be tougher. The bus situation is not as good as the one easy stop at AOA. At times your bus will arrive full or you will tour the resort looking for more riders. I found this annoying. The rest of my group did not.

Hope this helps. You can't make a bad decision.

 

[khaoskat]

I'm pretty sure that for 5 people you need a 2 BR at OKW. The only ones that sleep 5 in a one bedroom are AKL Villas and BLT.

No, OKW 1 bedrooms sleep 5 plus an under 3. Only disadvantage for us is that there is only one toilet....but we can survive that.