AoA Suite vs 2 Pop rooms

[3gr8boys]

I am impatiently awaiting release of rack rates (come on June 18th) for a February 2020 (week before Presidents Day) trip. We will be a party of four- me, DH, DS13, DS17. Last year we stayed at CSR with a rollaway....we need three sleeping surfaces because youngest is a vicious kicker. It was a little cramped, but we were comfortable enough. Now we are looking forward- Even though I could stay at parks open to close, the guys do like to lounge in the room some afternoons. The boys and I decided an AoA Cars suite would be a good fit for us....being able to spread out a bit and having two bathrooms. We are daily hoppers, often split up and we rely on Disney transportation while there (even when we have a car). I like the idea of Skyliner access . We have many Epcot restaurants on our planning list. (I did consider the idea of a deluxe room with daybed at an Epcot area resort or bunk bed room at WL or AKL but no matter how nice the amenities, the boys go back to the multiple room floor plan. Not to mention, we would need a serious discount to go deluxe.)

If you stuck with me this far, thanks ....here comes the question. With the real rack rates nearing (hopefully to be followed by discounts!), I am contemplating the possibility that two Pop rooms could ultimately be cheaper than or similarly priced to an AoA suite. (Yes?) I also see Pop seems to have a lot of fans. (Only consistent downside I read about is being farthest bus stop.) Could two rooms at Pop be a comparable or even better option than an AoA suite?? (I know that connecting or even adjoining rooms not guaranteed.)

FWIW we have not stayed at either resort before.

(ETA I do check out the floor plans and points rental calculations once in a while....but I am not seriously considering renting DVC points.)

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I think it really depends if you want to stress over getting connecting rooms or not. With your need for 3 sleeping surfaces, AoA fits the bill, so you don't really need the extra bed that a 2nd Pop room would provide. At AoA, you also get two bathrooms in separate rooms, so Pop doesn't have a leg up there either. I, personally, would probably go with the suite as I wouldn't want to stress over getting connecting rooms at Pop.

 

[3gr8boys]

I think it really depends if you want to stress over getting connecting rooms or not. With your need for 3 sleeping surfaces, AoA fits the bill, so you don't really need the extra bed that a 2nd Pop room would provide. At AoA, you also get two bathrooms in separate rooms, so Pop doesn't have a leg up there either. I, personally, would probably go with the suite as I wouldn't want to stress over getting connecting rooms at Pop.

I don't think non-connecting rooms would be a crisis....my husband would miss me at night...but, conversely, he has a hard time sharing a queen bed. At home he sometmes has trouble sharing a king bed


I like your approach to the comparison...does Pop have a "leg up" anywhere? I guess that really is the question seeing as how I like the prospect of an AoA suite.

 

[dansdad]

I like your approach to the comparison...does Pop have a "leg up" anywhere?

Cost. Barring a discount at AoA that isn't available at Pop, 2 rooms at Pop will be cheaper than a Suite a AoA. Disney figured out guests are willing to pay a premium to be guaranteed to not have to split up.

 

[3gr8boys]

Cost. Barring a discount at AoA that isn't available at Pop, 2 rooms at Pop will be cheaper than a Suite a AoA.

Knowing that it is likely to be the case makes it worth considering whether or not we would would be just as comfortable with a Pop stay.

 

[Disneylover99]

Knowing that it is likely to be the case makes it worth considering whether or not we would would be just as comfortable with a Pop stay.

Having stayed at both resorts we prefer the pools, theming, and food court better at Pop. I know lots of people who feel the opposite. I just feel more relaxed at Pop. For me, AofA is nice to visit, but way too colourful.

You mentioned the Pop buses being the furthest walk from the park as a downside, but I don’t think that really makes a difference since the AofA buses are right beside Pop’s. I like that you can easily jump on an AofA bus and walk over to Pop.

 

[BorderTenny]

If you're considering getting the dining plan, the math could work better in your favor to get the Deluxe plan on one room and no plan on the other at POP (vs. regular plan at AoA).

 

[andrniki]

Having stayed at both resorts we prefer the pools, theming, and food court better at Pop. I know lots of people who feel the opposite. I just feel more relaxed at Pop. For me, AofA is nice to visit, but way too colourful.

You mentioned the Pop buses being the furthest walk from the park as a downside, but I don’t think that really makes a difference since the AofA buses are right beside Pop’s. I like that you can easily jump on an AofA bus and walk over to Pop.

I totally agree. My family prefers Pop for the exact same reasons. Pop is more comfortable and less colorful (which gets to be a little much after a while). We like the option of 3 pools too so if one gets busy, we head to one of the other ones (Bowling Pin pool is our favorite). We also love to use the AoA bus back to the resort from the park when the line is shorter than the Pop line - it's right across the bridge so it's sometimes worth jumping onto the AoA bus to get back to Pop.
We've stayed there with friends lots of times. They have always put our rooms together with no problem.
Pop all the way!!!

 

[3gr8boys]

If you're considering getting the dining plan, the math could work better in your favor to get the Deluxe plan on one room and no plan on the other at POP (vs. regular plan at AoA).

Interesting thought. The dining plan would not have saved us any $ last trip with everyone in one room/reservation....but I can run the DxDP cost vs credits if only 2 of us have it. Something else to fill my need to research and plan

 

[Trinity88]

We decided on 2 rooms at POP for our upcoming trip. But we are a family of 5 and the thought that each of the kids can have their own bed at POP was the deal breaker for us. We would like connecting or at least same floor, but it's not the end of the world if that doesn't happen.

I don't know if it makes a difference to you, but the beds at POP are queens, whereas 2 of the 3 beds at AOA are doubles. That was the big issue for us. My kids can share a queen if they have to, but a double is problem. Since you don't have kids sharing, that may not be a big deal. I do also like that POP beds are "real" beds, no couch pull out which can be uncomfortable at times.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll have a great time regardless of what you decide!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I don't think non-connecting rooms would be a crisis....my husband would miss me at night...but, conversely, he has a hard time sharing a queen bed. At home he sometmes has trouble sharing a king bed


I like your approach to the comparison...does Pop have a "leg up" anywhere? I guess that really is the question seeing as how I like the prospect of an AoA suite.

If you have a hard time sharing a bed and don't care about connecting rooms, I would go Pop. I TOTALLY get it! My DH has sleep apnea and CPAP and that thing can get loud sometimes. When we travel, I tend to make sure there is an extra bed somewhere so I can get some sleep. We are a family of 3 and usually book some type of suite or villa just to get two separate rooms. As PP's pointed, 2 rooms at Pop might be your best bet economically as well.

 

[3gr8boys]

I am going to throw out another thought - I just remembered (and did do some dis searching) that I would really like to avoid the huge teen tour groups.....one positive about AoA is that they normally wouldn't stay there. Anyone have idea of whether wee preceding Presidents Day (Feb 8-14ish) could mean tour groups at Pop???

 

[maxiesmom]

Not sure if you are interested but the suites at the All Star Music are much cheaper than the suites at AoA. And have an additional small fold out. So 1 bed and 3 fold outs.

 

[bluezy]

We did 2 rooms at Pop on several visits but once AoA opened, we've been staying in a suite there. We just like the extra open space the suite offers compared to standard rooms at Pop. We don't feel like we're tripping over each other or our "stuff" in the suites. I know storage solutions are better at Pop since the remodel, but there's still a lot more open space in the suites. There's plenty of dresser space at AoA (a large dresser in the living room and the bedroom) and we can each put all of our clothing in drawers. We eat breakfast in the room every day so the microwave is nice for heating things (also good for late-night snacks and warming up leftovers) and the table seats 4 easily with space for another person to stand at the end or use the foot stool to sit on. I like having the kitchen sink for washing out mugs and not have them cluttering the bathroom sink area.. There's also plenty of storage space in the kitchen area for our snacks, breakfast foods, and cases of water. We love the interior hallways...just feels "nicer" to us and I'm less concerned about "critters" getting in to our room when mousekeeing props the room door open while cleaning. We strongly prefer the food court at AoA over Pop's food court -- Pop is ok for us, but AoA suits our taste much better. Knowing we'll all be in one room is a big plus for us at AoA (though it's not really a concern anymore as our kids are old enough to be in their own rooms).

All that being said, two rooms at Pop will definitely be cheaper and if we couldn't get a suite at AoA for some reason, we'd be ok with 2 rooms at Pop. It really just comes down to personal preference and individual budgets. For us, it's worth the extra money to stay at AoA, but every family is different.

 

[3gr8boys]

Not sure if you are interested but the suites at the All Star Music are much cheaper than the suites at AoA. And have an additional small fold out. So 1 bed and 3 fold outs.

Thanks for the reminder....we did look at that idea knowing it would be cheaper. I can't remember why we dismissed it (Skyliner maybe?)....will be sure to explore the idea again.

 

[MamaJessie]

I am impatiently awaiting release of rack rates (come on June 18th) for a February 2020 (week before Presidents Day) trip. We will be a party of four- me, DH, DS13, DS17. Last year we stayed at CSR with a rollaway....we need three sleeping surfaces because youngest is a vicious kicker. It was a little cramped, but we were comfortable enough. Now we are looking forward- Even though I could stay at parks open to close, the guys do like to lounge in the room some afternoons. The boys and I decided an AoA Cars suite would be a good fit for us....being able to spread out a bit and having two bathrooms. We are daily hoppers, often split up and we rely on Disney transportation while there (even when we have a car). I like the idea of Skyliner access . We have many Epcot restaurants on our planning list. (I did consider the idea of a deluxe room with daybed at an Epcot area resort or bunk bed room at WL or AKL but no matter how nice the amenities, the boys go back to the multiple room floor plan. Not to mention, we would need a serious discount to go deluxe.)

If you stuck with me this far, thanks ....here comes the question. With the real rack rates nearing (hopefully to be followed by discounts!), I am contemplating the possibility that two Pop rooms could ultimately be cheaper than or similarly priced to an AoA suite. (Yes?) I also see Pop seems to have a lot of fans. (Only consistent downside I read about is being farthest bus stop.) Could two rooms at Pop be a comparable or even better option than an AoA suite?? (I know that connecting or even adjoining rooms not guaranteed.)

FWIW we have not stayed at either resort before.

(ETA I do check out the floor plans and points rental calculations once in a while....but I am not seriously considering renting DVC points.)

We have done both and not only are two rooms at Pop cheaper, but we prefer it.

 

[3gr8boys]

We have done both and not only are two rooms at Pop cheaper, but we prefer it.

Any experience that time of year?Likelyhood of large teen tour groups?

ETA I pulled up some posts stemming from a similar question when I was looking into ASMu suites....was left with the impression that February less impacted than July by the teen groups.

 

[sullyfam]

Stayed at Pop last week and the trip before we stayed at AOA. Would definitely choose the AOA suite over 2 rooms at Pop. Lots of Pop fans on these boards but we didn't care for it much. We were also in the 90's building which was far from everything.

 

[StarSeven7]

I think you might get some South American teen groups that time of year but I’m not certain if they stay at Pop or not. We stayed at All Star Movies from Jan 26-Feb 2 this past year and the teen groups were coming in at the end of the week. Our room was in a quiet area though so it didn’t affect us at all! We’ve stayed at AoA before and we loved it! My kids weren’t too impressed with Pop when we walked over there to check it out but they’re younger than yours and basically just want Disney theming!!

 

[Moliphino]

(Only consistent downside I read about is being farthest bus stop.)

It's always right next to the AOA bus stop, so AOA doesn't have a big advantage there. You can also take the AOA bus and walk over to Pop if the line is shorter/a bus is there.