AoA vs. Pop vs. CB for Skyliner effectiveness and room quality

[DizneyFamof4]

The idea of walking to the parks at WDW seems crazy to me. Will look but I think I'm priced out of those options. I'm working my way up to Deluxe slowly from Value because I know there will be no going back after that.

40+ trips and we find the "location" thing so over rated and over priced.

 

[Little E]

Hi there! We have stayed at AoA in a family suite, we have stayed at Pop several times, and we have stayed at CB pre-skyliner.

All are fabulous resorts. CB is large with lots of walking and multiple bus stops throughout the resort. However, it's beautiful and has a very lush, tropical vibe. Distance to the skyline would depend on where your room is, with some rooms being close, and others not. The bonus is not needing to transfer, as you would at Pop or AoA.

An AoA family suite is great, because you would get two full bathrooms, and the kitchenette is great with a larger-than-a-hotel-room fridge, microwave, and an eating area when the Murphy bed is up. The master bedroom has an ensuite full bathroom, and the kitchen table/Murphy bed is a real bed. The other bed is a double fold out couch bed. The suites are very spacious, and the 2nd full bathroom is a game changer.

Two Pop rooms would obviously give you two full bathrooms. Twice we asked for connecting rooms, and we got connecting rooms both times, if that's important to you. The fridges are actually "coolers", not traditional small fridges, but the rooms have been refurbed and are new feeling and spacious. One of the queen beds is a Murphy bed so it's nice to be able to put a bed up to give more space while you're in the room

Both AoA and Pop are smaller resorts with just one bus stop. Both have quick, easy walks to the skyliner, and we found even first thing in the morning, the line moves fast. We love taking the skyliner, and find it's a fun way to start the day.

I hope you have a magical trip, and you really can't go wrong with any of these resorts!

 

[lampshadehead]

Hey Gang,

I know the this-or-that resort questions get tedious, but I haven't found the info I want by searching the forums.

We will only be 3 people, myself and kids ages 22 and 17, but for reasons we need a suite or 2 hotel rooms.

Our criteria:

At least 2 real beds (not sleeper sofa). No problem if we get two rooms, obviously.
We don't care about pools
We will stay on property 3 nights then move to a rental house with more family arriving
I've done the All Stars and while they were fine as accommodations, I find the busses annoying.

This leads me to wanting to try a Skyliner resort. (Not likely to want to pay Riviera prices).

Two rooms or a suite at AoA (or two rooms at Pop) are a lot cheaper than two rooms at CB. (But I understand that the little mermaid rooms are farther away, which is why I would probably go for an AoA suite).

People seem to love or hate CB. The setting looks nice to me, but I don't like the sound of lots of walking before I even get to the parks.

Questions:

1. Which resort would have the shortest/easiest access to the Skyliner? (In terms of walking from the room).

Depends on room type. I found Aruba at CB to be good, and a standard 70's at Pop to be good.

2. Regarding beds, I know the arrangement of the AoA is a bit weird, but are there at least 2 REAL beds? (i.e. is the fold down table bed like a real bed? Or more like a sleeper sofa?)

Yes, if you consider the pull down, a real bed which I did, and even the AOA sofa bed was fine (this was a few years ago so they might have worn down since?)

3. Is the Skyliner actually a timesaver vs. driving from a house across the way and parking at the theme park?

yes

4. Is the Skyliner actually a timesaver vs. taking a bus from the All Stars?

yes, especially at Epcot

5. Is It dramatically faster/closer to stay at CB vs. AoA or Pop to get to HS and Epcot?

faster/closer yes, but not dramatically

6. Will this all be pointless if the Skyliner is down for some reason?

yup

7. Are the AoA suites better-located than the Little Mermaid rooms?

yes

This will be our first WDW trip since 2016 (we do DL at least once a year).


And if you have read this far....... do you have any other suggestions for resorts to consider? I want to do HS and Epcot while we stay on property, and Animal Kingdom and MK after we depart. There doesn't seem to be a good way to get to MK without staying at a monorail resort.... so we might as well drive to T&T.

Thanks!

P.

For your choice parks, the three you mentioned are good because you will also get to experience the skyliner.
Busses to MK have always been fine, IMO. They drop you off right there, instead of the TTC.
It will all be fun no matter your choice, hope you have a great time.

 

[RoseGold]

The idea of walking to the parks at WDW seems crazy to me. Will look but I think I'm priced out of those options. I'm working my way up to Deluxe slowly from Value because I know there will be no going back after that.

Swolphin swing WILDLY in price, like more than any other hotel I've seen anywhere. I'd set up an alert on Google, honestly, if you are interested. It can be as cheap as the cheapest Disney options, and it can rival BW. Just depends.

 

[lampshadehead]

Swolphin swing WILDLY in price, like more than any other hotel I've seen anywhere. I'd set up an alert on Google, honestly, if you are interested. It can be as cheap as the cheapest Disney options, and it can rival BW. Just depends.

I could not believe it when I checked some dates for this August at Dolphin, and ONE NIGHT was over $900!

 

[RoseGold]

I could not believe it when I checked some dates for this August at Dolphin, and ONE NIGHT was over $900!

And then it can have Christmas at $170. It's really all over the place.

 

[Mikey15]

A DVC stay ("renting" someone's points) seems like a great way to snag a Deluxe experience on a Moderate budget, it's just not as simple as booking right from Disney.

I haven't kept up on what an AoA suite goes for now or two Pop rooms (I last stayed there pre-Covid), but two studios could put up a good fight depending on how cheap the points come.

 

[Piglet99645]

A DVC stay ("renting" someone's points) seems like a great way to snag a Deluxe experience on a Moderate budget, it's just not as simple as booking right from Disney.

I haven't kept up on what an AoA suite goes for now or two Pop rooms (I last stayed there pre-Covid), but two studios could put up a good fight depending on how cheap the points come.

For my dates in May, prices average per night (before tax) at:

ASMusic Suite - $312
2 rooms at Pop - $360
AoA suite - $450
2 rooms at CB - $500

and of course go up from there around the resort.