Art of animation or Beach Club?!?

[KMarston]

If walking is an issue for your princess, you'll definitely want a stroller for AoA. The place is large, it's a hike from the Little Mermaid rooms and the AoA bus stops are the furthest at every park if memory serves me!

 

[JoeyEmmaMomma]

Beach Club.
AOA is super cute and fun.
But walking or boating to two parks beats any other perk, with small children!
We love the Epcot resorts.

 

[Average Joes]

I would bring the stroller just in case. If anything it is handy to toss your backpack on have a small cooler underneath. My kids are 7 and 10 and pretty fit so the stroller is really just a mule.

I would probably opt for a split stay but we find it easy. You mentioned you could do an extra night with the savings with just AoA. What about 4 nights at AoA and 4 at BC? Park heavy the first 4 and more relaxing for the rest. BC is great if you have time to use the pool.

 

[scoobygrl79]

OP-I would still totally do the stroller. I know how you feel when they are JUST over that hump of not needing the stroller and you just want to jump for joy at the new found freedom, but at those young ages, they will tire out early and eventually slow you down. Twice, I thought "this is it! the year we are DONE with the stroller...yaaaaaaay!" and by day 2 was already a slave to WDW standard issue double stroller. I know. Plus, I have 11,9, and 7 and still find that the stroller offers such valuable storage.
About your resort choice, man, that $1500 is nothing to sneeze at! Youre going in December like me? There's the Christmas budget out of your way right there!! (I'm just putting it in perspective because every year I sweat how I'm going to take on both WDW trip and Xmas in December, every year we are just fine, but it still doesn't change the fact that I'm crazy with anxiety for months. What can I say tho, we love WDW in the winter months). Have a great time at whatever you pick!

 

[scoobygrl79]

Beach Club.

While the AoA resort has the largest pool on property, the Beach Club has the best pool IMO. The theming at AoA is great and I do feel it is the best value resort (nemo rooms), but the Beach Club has a LOT going for it.

I love that whole Boardwalk area and it is such easy access to both HS and EP.

Dan

I did not know this (about the pools), Dan. I think all I've ever been told was how ginormous BC pool is and that nothing is comparable. Thanks for the info.

 

[Disneylover99]

Thanks guys, the opinion seems unanimous!

We were looking at a Little Mermaid room, and I know that I heard they were pretty far from the amenities... I guess it really comes down to that one night extra and the 1500$ savings for me. That water park is awesome, but the last 2 times we were in WDW in December it was pretty cool and rainy so not exactly pool weather for me. But the Christmas decorations at BC are so awesome...

I really loved being able to walk to Epcot, but with my two young ones I was thinking we were going to spend a lot more time in AK and MK so the close access to the other 2 parks while awesome was less of an issue. I'm also wondering how my youngest will fare on the walking front; she's a bit of a drama princess! Last time we were in WDW my oldest was 5 and the youngest was 2, so the stroller was definitely a no brainer for us, and strollers on the bus are such a pain that access to the parks with minimal bussing was a priority.

Last time we were also staying on DVC points, while now it's all $$$, so that also makes a difference...
Maybe a split stay?

So confusing! But it's definitely a good problem to have!

We’ve stayed at both. I wouldn’t consider a LM room again, cause it’s just too far. The back and forth walk wears you down. Especially if you use the foodcourt a lot like we do.

But for a $1500 savings and adding an extra night, I’d definitely choose Pop over the BC. Then you can walk across the bridge and explore AofA.

 

[Lanie]

I would bring the stroller just in case. If anything it is handy to toss your backpack on have a small cooler underneath. My kids are 7 and 10 and pretty fit so the stroller is really just a mule.

I would probably opt for a split stay but we find it easy. You mentioned you could do an extra night with the savings with just AoA. What about 4 nights at AoA and 4 at BC? Park heavy the first 4 and more relaxing for the rest. BC is great if you have time to use the pool.

Split stay is nice, but I find it adds a bit of confusion... We did it last trip but we were staying 12 days instead of 7. It's still something I'm considering though... so many resorts, so little time!

 

[Lanie]

OP-I would still totally do the stroller. I know how you feel when they are JUST over that hump of not needing the stroller and you just want to jump for joy at the new found freedom, but at those young ages, they will tire out early and eventually slow you down. Twice, I thought "this is it! the year we are DONE with the stroller...yaaaaaaay!" and by day 2 was already a slave to WDW standard issue double stroller. I know. Plus, I have 11,9, and 7 and still find that the stroller offers such valuable storage.
About your resort choice, man, that $1500 is nothing to sneeze at! Youre going in December like me? There's the Christmas budget out of your way right there!! (I'm just putting it in perspective because every year I sweat how I'm going to take on both WDW trip and Xmas in December, every year we are just fine, but it still doesn't change the fact that I'm crazy with anxiety for months. What can I say tho, we love WDW in the winter months). Have a great time at whatever you pick!

Yeah, I'm more and more thinking of bringing the umbrella stroller just in case.... Thanks!

 

[monica9]

We have stayed at both. One night at AOA & too many to count at BC. I agree with Dansdad and the reasons he listed for BC plus the lobby smell. Our daughter who was 9 at the time we stayed at AOA did not care for it and she prefers the BC.

The lobby smell! I’ve been trying to find a smell similar but can’t find it!!

 

[monica9]

When our daughter was 6 she was able to walk without the stroller and we clocked ourselves walking up to 19 miles a day. This was 6 months before she was diagnosed with an under active thyroid so no idea how she did it! But the no stroller trip was the best!!!
We stayed at BC and it literally took us 3 minutes from The exit of world showcase to our room door at night. I’d pick a split if I were you with the Epcot, HS and MK parks being park of your BC stay. Maybe do 2 nights AOA in the beginning of your trip just to cut the price down.
Bring an umbrella stroller just in case but leave it in the room if you can!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Why not split the difference and price out WL? It will give you closer proximity to MK and the resort is gorgeous. The pool is nice and they have a great splash pad for younger kids (which BC doesn't have). Or if you want to save money, but still stay somewhere comfortable, how about POR or POFQ?

 

[Texans_loyal]

why not do a split stay? That way you get the best of both worlds and save money.

 

[VeronicaZS]

I will go against the prevailing opinion. We did AoA then Yacht Club and while the YC/BC were amazing for all the issues that have already been mentioned, this next trip we will be back at AoA in a suite. Even in a suite we are saving over $1000 over the YC/BC. My biggest complaint with AoA was the food court, we are just going to plan our days so we don't eat there. With the money we are saving we are going to Minnie Van/Uber everywhere (in our mind this equals the advantage of walking/boat access to 2 parks) and do a Christmas party. Even though we can afford it I couldn't justify the extra $1000 especially when we will have more room in a suite.
Either way you will have a magical trip.

 

[DisneyFive]

I will go against the prevailing opinion. We did AoA then Yacht Club and while the YC/BC were amazing for all the issues that have already been mentioned, this next trip we will be back at AoA in a suite. Even in a suite we are saving over $1000 over the YC/BC. My biggest complaint with AoA was the food court, we are just going to plan our days so we don't eat there. With the money we are saving we are going to Minnie Van/Uber everywhere (in our mind this equals the advantage of walking/boat access to 2 parks) and do a Christmas party. Even though we can afford it I couldn't justify the extra $1000 especially when we will have more room in a suite.
Either way you will have a magical trip.

If you really want to save money look at Port Orleans Riverside for one of the Alligator Bayou rooms. They sleep five with the sideways Murphy bed that folds down. My favorite resort, by far, for what you get for the money. The resort has a wonderful laid back vibe and lush beautiful grounds. Good food court. Dedicated buses. Boat to Disney Springs.

Dan

 

[Lanie]

I will go against the prevailing opinion. We did AoA then Yacht Club and while the YC/BC were amazing for all the issues that have already been mentioned, this next trip we will be back at AoA in a suite. Even in a suite we are saving over $1000 over the YC/BC. My biggest complaint with AoA was the food court, we are just going to plan our days so we don't eat there. With the money we are saving we are going to Minnie Van/Uber everywhere (in our mind this equals the advantage of walking/boat access to 2 parks) and do a Christmas party. Even though we can afford it I couldn't justify the extra $1000 especially when we will have more room in a suite.
Either way you will have a magical trip.

It's true, I completely forgot the Minnie Van option! Could be useful for midday breaks when we are crunching for time. Thanks!

 

[Lanie]

Why not split the difference and price out WL? It will give you closer proximity to MK and the resort is gorgeous. The pool is nice and they have a great splash pad for younger kids (which BC doesn't have). Or if you want to save money, but still stay somewhere comfortable, how about POR or POFQ?

I've actually never been to WL... I'll check it out. Thanks!

 

[gorkt]

I don’t think you can go wrong with either, to be honest. I stayed at AoA with my kids when they were about the same age as your kids, and it might have been thier favorite Disney trip. My son lived in the pool most of the week. While the amenities of the resort aren’t as fancy, there are some advantages to that resort. The food court was excellent, and because it is centrally located, it is a quick bus ride to any park. My advice is to get a preferred room for a quick walk to the main building and the bus stops. It was wonderful to have only a 3 minute walk to the rooms at the end of a long day.

I haven’t stayed at the Beach Club, but my stay at the Boardwalk was also great. I did like having a food court better than the options at the boardwalk though, since everyone could quickly grab what they liked at meal times.

 

[DisneyFive]

The lobby smell! I’ve been trying to find a smell similar but can’t find it!!

There was a thread on here years ago that listed exactly what device is used and scent that is. I'll see if I can find it. It's not cheap, I remember that. Meant for large venues, like the Beach Club lobby.

Dan

 

[dsanner106]

Hi,
I just wanted to add my two cents and say that I would focus on what the kids really prefer as well at this point. My wife and I greatly prefer Beach and Boardwalk for the park access and amenities but when our kids were younger, they really didn't pick up on that. 1500.00 is a large difference, and if it must be considered as well. If all things were equal I would go with Beach but it comes down to what you can afford and whether the experience justifies the difference. If the kids are perfectly content with AofA and you would be doing mostly MK for example, I would go that route. If the kids also appreciate Beach and you will be doing a lot of Epcot/ HS then that may make up for the price.

 

[DisneyFive]

The lobby smell! I’ve been trying to find a smell similar but can’t find it!!

https://www.disboards.com/threads/resort-scented-candles.3558391/page-2#post-57184962

Here's the link to the description of what is used in the Lobby. I believe they only sell to commercial venues, but when I type in Green Clover Aloe in the scentairhome.com website it directs me to their Rain Forest Auto sticks. Worth at try!

Dan