AoA vs POP??

[OnePrinceOnePrincess]

We've stayed at two other value resorts on our last two trips (Music and Movies) and are just garnering info or opinions on AoA vs POP?

While the kids are little (DD4 DS3) we figure we'll stay value and use the money saved on other fun trip stuff!

Is there one you prefer over the other? Major flaw in either? Major plus in either? Better choices then the All-Star resorts?

TIA for all the help!!

 

[Disneyact82]

Both resorts are nice. AOA has the advantage of having 2 bathrooms which is great if you have kids. The food is better in the food court at POP. I have stayed at both and I still prefer POP for the value. AOA is on the pricey side

 

[lurkernj]

I'm assuming you mean the little mermaid rooms at AoA, which only have one bathroom and is a standard hotel room, not the suites.

I've stayed in both AoA LMM room and Pop. I really like both. Both have separate bus service, so that's a huge plus. The LMM rooms at AoA are so cute, and the pool there is really adorable. Some people say the walk to the LMM rooms is really far, I didn't have an issue myself, but at the end of the night, I could see this maybe being an issue. The food court gets the edge at AoA also. In general, AoA is just a bit nicer.

However, for my trip in October, I ended up booking Pop because there are no discounts offered on the LMM rooms. I'll be solo, so I will barely be there anyway. Pop is more than sufficient, but for me its a place to sleep and shower.

I guess if I was going with little kids and price isn't a big factor, I'd probably pick AoA because everything is just so bright and cute, and the pool is better in my opinion.

 

[smiths02]

Since you talked about saving money, I am assuming you are talking about a standard room and not a suite.

I haven't stayed at either, but since we are going to stay at AoA, I looked into it a lot. AoA gets great reviews with the exception of the Little Mermaid standard rooms. Common complaints:
They are too far away from main building and bus stops
They are never discounted

Unless, I was a super Little Mermaid fan, I would pick Pop because the rooms will be cheaper and much more likely to get a discount.

If you are at Pop, you could still walk to AoA and look around and eat at the food court.

Another deciding factor could be the pool, which appears much better at AoA. We don't care that much about pools though.

 

[disneypolybride2008]

we have stayed at Pop the most times, AoA last fall in a LM room, ASM, Poly, and CB in a pirate room. Before AoA we always chose Pop for the value and the fun decor. We weren't pool people so we only went in once. On our last trip we stayed at AoA in the LM room. It was our DD2's first trip! She LOVED Ariel! I think she'd pick Ariel's house over the suites for next year too b/c she loves Ariel but we will have a new baby so we will need the extra space. The walk is the longest to the LM rooms but it wasn't so bad. We liked getting to walk through the Lion King area and DD2 loved seeing the giant statues and the boneyard to run through. It isn't a bad thing to walk further b/c you get to see the resort. The rooms inside of LM are adorable and the rooms inside Pop are basic and not barely decorated. We did like the food court at Pop a lot and how you can get a big sundae as your QS dessert. At AoA you can get gelato, but it's not nearly as fun as a sundae. AoA was less crowded at the food court than Pop, which Pop seemed to always be packed. The pool at AoA was important to DD2 and i loved her having a splash area for little kids as well as a cute Nemo playground with her size slides. The pool at Pop is nice but it is a regular style pool, whereas AoA has a zero entry and jellyfish fountains. AoA we were very happy to have spent the extra money over Pop. We even passed up the free dining to stay at the LM room and i love discounts. It was worth it. Next trip we are hoping to get free dining at the Lion King Suites. My vote is for AoA.

 

[HopperFan]

See you have Sept 2015 there so if you are hoping for Free Dining or good discount then be looking at POP, to date AoA has not had the need for special offers to fill the LM rooms.

Rooms wise, they are the same rooms, the same buildings (they were built when POP was built) just a different decor.

There is a good hike from many of the LM rooms to the main hub, buses etc, where as at POP you can request closer rooms if you would like.

No matter where you stay you can wander, eat, shop, catch bus etc at AoA so the only thing I am asking is if the pools at AoA - which are better than some moderates - are something you really want to use, then that would be the only true difference for me with regular rooms.

 

[pigletgirl]

I think Pop would be a great choice for your family!

 

[OnePrinceOnePrincess]

my responses (aka further questions) are purple ...

See you have Sept 2015 there so if you are hoping for Free Dining or good discount then be looking at POP, to date AoA has not had the need for special offers to fill the LM rooms. Disney won't offer room discounts? Or won't offer FD either?

There is a good hike from many of the LM rooms to the main hub, buses etc, where as at POP you can request closer rooms if you would like. What do you consider a good hike? People keep mentioning the walk. Are we talking like 10 minutes from bus to room at night? Or longer?

No matter where you stay you can wander, eat, shop, catch bus etc at AoA so the only thing I am asking is if the pools at AoA - which are better than some moderates - are something you really want to use, then that would be the only true difference for me with regular rooms. The pool isn't a make-or-break for us. We may swim a little on some days, but are more likely to hit a water park (with park & more add-on) and so that isn't our biggest concern.

 

[OnePrinceOnePrincess]

I think Pop would be a great choice for your family!

Based on above responses ... or just because

 

[dpswift]

Yes the pools and grounds at AoA are much better than the other values. For me it is worth it to stay there DH not so much. It is most likely at least 10 minutes from the bus to LM rooms and we had one of the closest rooms.

DD and I would like to stay there again DH not so much. I think it was a combination of that we could have stayed at POR for less and the long walk.

If walking is not a big deal to you I would stay at AoA. If you want a close room I would stay at POP in the 50s or 70s.

 

[disney world dreamer]

both are definitely better choices than any of the all star resorts cuz pop and AoA are the newest value resorts.
plus the both have their own bus line as compared to the all stars that share.

pop is "my resort".
i love it there even more so then some moderate and deluxe resorts.
i love the theme, the music, the pools, the food, and the bus service.
in fact i'd say the bus service at pop is the best there is.

i stayed at AoA once so far and i was not as impressed as i thought i would be.
i do love the theme and attention to detail but it pretty much stops there for me.
i was not impressed with the winding pathways, the extremely dim lighting outside at night, the loud food court with no carpet to quiet the noise of chairs moving and silverware dropping and i was not a fan of how long the buses took.

 

[HopperFan]

Originally Posted by HopperFan View Post
See you have Sept 2015 there so if you are hoping for Free Dining or good discount then be looking at POP, to date AoA has not had the need for special offers to fill the LM rooms. Disney won't offer room discounts? Or won't offer FD either? Doubtful. I don't believe they have ever had Free Dining and some folks have managed a discount going through Orbitz etc but I don't think Disney has given too many breaks. The LM rooms are the most popular value room on property so they have no need to discount.

There is a good hike from many of the LM rooms to the main hub, buses etc, where as at POP you can request closer rooms if you would like. What do you consider a good hike? People keep mentioning the walk. Are we talking like 10 minutes from bus to room at night? Or longer? It could be 10+ minutes depending on your room. The buildings were already there when resort was built, there is a clear gap in land between them and the suites.

No matter where you stay you can wander, eat, shop, catch bus etc at AoA so the only thing I am asking is if the pools at AoA - which are better than some moderates - are something you really want to use, then that would be the only true difference for me with regular rooms. The pool isn't a make-or-break for us. We may swim a little on some days, but are more likely to hit a water park (with park & more add-on) and so that isn't our biggest concern. If you aren't aiming to use their pools, I would go with POP, hope for Free Dining on your dates, then walk over the bridge and eat at the AoA food court a few times and walk around.

I am standing at the end of the Lion King Suites looking at the beginning of LM buildings. You have to walk to where I am and then past the Lion King building to get to the main hub. For some no big, but with kids at end of long day, or if going to fill your mug ... it's long.

NOTE: At POP the 80's and 90's are a long walk as well from some rooms, I would request to stay any other section but those. At online check-in you can request 2 things and one option is which decade. For me the bigger issue than the long walk is the lack of Free Dining or Discounts. I don't stay on property anymore unless I get a discount.

 

[OnePrinceOnePrincess]

Hopperfan - you have been so helpful thank you SO MUCH!!! Everyone has!

I am leaning more now towards a Preferred Pool View room at POP to a Standard LMM room at AoA. Comes down to just a few dollars more.

Thanks again!

 

[HopperFan]

I'll throw another curve ball Just on the other side of the pool view rooms are standard - lake view rooms. Literally can be less than a minute more to open out to this view and total peace and quite when in your room. And they usually cost less. (Bldg 3 Lakeview - under 5 minutes to bus)

 

[OnePrinceOnePrincess]

I'll throw another curve ball

You're right. That is a curve ball.

OK. AoA is out. Now we are talking POP. We want to be as close to the main building/busses as possible. Is that standard-lake view room your first choice??

 

[HopperFan]

That exact view and my favorite building (because I drive, have stuff and often am unloading alone with my DS who is disabled ... parking location is key) is 50's Building 3. Under 5 minutes to main hub. In the spring my other DS stayed there with me for the first time and he was shocked how easy the walk was based on his just looking at map previously.

For you a great option will be 60's Standard Lake View. You will be close to main pool, food court, buses ........... but saving a few extra dollars and it will be much quieter room. AND you are just across the bridge from AoA to eat, wander or watch fireworks from the bridge.

Red is preferred, the backside by lake is standard. When you do ONLINE checkin you may make two requests, so you can put in what decade and what view. I have done it a few times at value and moderate since they added this option and I've always gotten exactly what I wanted.

 

[herb102211]

We've stayed at both Pop and AoA in the LMM section and we liked AoA better. Granted when we stayed at AoA it was the first year the resort had opened, but we liked the theming of the resort better and thought the food court had more options. It was about a 10 minute walk for us from the LMM section to the bus stops but we didn't mind. If you are in the suites, those rooms are closer to the dining hall and transportation.

The LMM rooms aren't discounted through Disney but a lot times, if you book through a 3rd party site (Traveolcity or Orbitz) you can used their coupons to apply to a LMM room. We ended up saving 15% off our stay for November.

Pop is good resort too. Pop was our go- to value resort before AoA opened. We liked that both Pop and AoA don't share buses and we never waited long for the buses at either resort.