AofA or OKW? Other suggestions?

[TTFNTigger]

We are a family of 15- 8 adults, 7 kids most being 7-13 years old.

Plan to spend some time being together and at the pool, so we need a cool pool and room to spread out if we decide to visit in our rooms.

5 of our party have never been to Disney World.

Of Art of Animation or Old Key West, where would you stay? Other suggestions?

 

[Babsy]

AoA would be my choice of the two you mentioned. It has lots of over the top theming and a nice pool.

However, I would consider staying at CSR, possibly in business class. That way you would all be in the same well located building. Also, the pool at CSR is great for the ages of your kids. Transportation is fabulous from this resort, in my experience, for bus transportation. Finally, the hot tub and amenities at CSR are fabulous for the adults.

This is a really nice moderate resort. Take a look online and see if you might like the theming.

Another option is the Swan or Dolphin. Same area as the BC, but is often less pricey with one of the many available discounts.

Good luck!

 

[gabzee]

Between AoA and OKW, I would pick AoA. I enjoy the theming and layout of the resort much more than OKW.

 

[DPickering]

OKW has the biggest rooms at WDW. And it's a nice more traditional style resort with a ts restaurant. It's also really spread out. AoA has heavy theming throughout and generally smaller rooms and a loud sometimes chaotic counter service restaurant. Both are great but different.

I think it really depends on the personal preferences of your group and how you want to arrange the rooms. If you want that group to visit in one room it'd have to be OKW IMHO. If you are willing to trade space for theming then AoA.

 

[DPickering]

And no offence to babsy but I would not pick CSR. No large room options. CSR is fine IMHO if you get a convention rate but beyond that its Trip Advidor rating is well earned. Same with Swan and Dolphin and both of those seem to have taken a nosedive in quality lately.

 

[TTFNTigger]

Thanks all. I think we are going to stick with OKW. I think my girls and I would love AoA, but it's theming is probably too much for some of the family going with us this time around, including DH. I've looked into booking just about all of the resorts and I think OKW is the best fit for this trip, budget and family considered. Number one reservation I have about staying here is how spread out it looks. I guess I will make a request to stay as close to the main pool as possible and keep my fingers crossed, but considering we have 4 rooms booked to accommodate us all, I'm not sure how likely we will be to get that lucky. Fingers crossed for some Disney Magic Pixie Dust!

PS- babsy, CSR does look nice, but I don't think the rooms would be big enough for us to have more than 1 family in at a time to visit.

 

[GPC0321]

Re: CSR, they do have suites and junior suites that would offer more room, but they are pretty pricey.

I'd choose OKW. After a day of "in-your-face" Disney in the parks, I think retreating to somewhere a bit more understated and serene would be nice.

 

[gorkt]

Hey, this is pretty funny because I have been debating the same thing. We stayed at AoA in 2013 and had a blast there, but I do like trying something different every trip and so will probably do OKW for this next trip since it is the same cost or cheaper to rent points from there, plus I have never stayed there before. I feel like it will be a more laid back, quieter experience overall too which might suit my kids better since they are a bit older now.

My only big worry is the lack of real QS options, but having the kitchen makes up for that to some extent. I really hope to get a reservation near the hospitality house as well.

 

[TTFNTigger]

GPCO321, That was my initial thought. AoA is probably too over the top theming for most of my party. I teach elementary school and am truly a kid at heart, so it wouldn't bother me, but my DH probably wouldn't last one day being in the parks and coming back to the room with bright colors and characters surrounding him.


gorkt, any tips on how to get villas near the hospitality house?

 

[DizneyLizzy]

I stayed at OKW for the first time last fall, and to be honest, it will be my go-to resort choice for a the foreseeable future. It's a good value - especially if you rent points. It's really close to the MK and Epcot. The rooms are HUGE. The pool is awesome, and the playground is great for little ones. It's also a super quiet and relaxing place to spend time away from the parks/with family. I had no issues with the bus system while I was there, and this was the only thing I was nervous about.

Try to get a room near the HH and/or the Peninsula Road bus stop - you're right by the HH so you can get on the bus there (it's the last stop before the buses head to the parks) and you can get OFF the bus at the first stop (Peninsula Road).

The only thing I didn't like was the lack of a real counter service spot that is open early in the morning - we tried to get coffee/diet cokes/bananas one morning and it was before Good's was open for business. I think it was like 6:45 in the morning, so it's not like it was ridiculously early. Next time I'll plan ahead and make sure to have those things in the room.