Back from AoA

[Kevin355]

Just got back this evening from a 6 day, 5 night stay at AoA. Not a bad resort, but will never stay there again. Here is my Reader's Digest review.

Stayed in room 4709, Finding Nemo building 4, 3rd floor, and it is a suite. The photos are a little misleading on some of the websites, and the size is decent, but not made for 4 adults.

We had a pool view room and it was loud. From 12:00 noon until about 8:00PM, it was nothing but a CM on a speaker by the pool and lots of noise in the room. There were lots of activities for the kids and it is a nice pool. I went everyday to the Big Blue Pool and the temperature was perfect. There were a lot of kids, but nothing outrageous.

The room was decent. Walls were thin, heard every noise possible, and the people above us sounded like they were running an auger each night at 11:00PM. Heard the same complaint from a few people about the paper thin walls. Half expected them to come through the ceiling. Being an older party like we were, the youngest member was 22, I expected some noise, but not that much. Was awoken every morning at about 6:30AM to people heading out for early breakfast reservations...I assume that because we heard many talking about that outside our door/room.

The food court is not bad...plenty of quick service dining choices and all-in-all not bad.

The bus situation is a mess. Waited on 2 buses before we finally got one on Friday for MK. Went a little later on Saturday to MK, got on the first bus, but it was packed. Had no problems for the EPCOT or HS buses, and same for the Disney Springs bus, but the location is centrally located and everyone at AoA has to catch the buses up front. The buses coming back were at the furthest points at HS, MK, and Epcot. Had to wait on the second buses at HS and Disney Springs, and waited almost 45 minutes Saturday for a bus back to AoA from MK. The buses came, but we were so far back and the amount of strollers/ECVs created most of the issues, but that is expected. I just was hoping for more frequency of buses since AoA seemed to be one of the busiest stops at MK.

This is a pretty good resort for people with young kids...plenty of activities, good food court, large pool, plenty of vests for the kids to go swimming...not bad at all. But if you are an older group and looking for some relaxation, this is not the place.

 

[dansdad]

Thanks for your honest thoughts @Kevin355. Your opinion is pretty much exactly the same as my BIL and his family had after their stay.

 

[BethanyLynnFit]

We stayed in a Little Mermaid room in October 2015 and I concur with the buses... absolute worst bus service I have experienced. You'd imagine that for a resort that caters to families, they'd understand there will be more strollers and more people per room, thereby making more frequent buses necessary. I wanted to love it there, but I just didn't.

 

[Disneylover99]

Sorry your bus service was so bad. We've had great service here.
If you did stay at AofA again, you can always jump on a Pop bus coming back from the parks if it's not too busy.

 

[WVU Disney Fan]

Stayed at the little mermaid in nov 2014 and nov 2015 and had great bus experiences for the most part. Can't beat the value of the little mermaid paying value resort price and enjoying the perks of a moderate resort. Agree that if its adults only probably not resort for you, but for families with young children its a great resort

 

[dansdad]

Stayed at the little mermaid in nov 2014 and nov 2015 and had great bus experiences for the most part. Can't beat the value of the little mermaid paying value resort price and enjoying the perks of a moderate resort.

The only perk AoA Little Mermaid rooms have that Moderates have is a covered bus stop. Unless I'm missing something.

 

[WVU Disney Fan]

Most sites rank Nemo pool and AOA food court up with the best of them.

 

[kaytieeldr]

and the size is decent, but not made for 4 adults.

Curious why you feel this, the AoA rooms are twice the footprint of the other Values, and overall probably larger than any of the regular rooms on-site.

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

Just got back this evening from a 6 day, 5 night stay at AoA. Not a bad resort, but will never stay there again. Here is my Reader's Digest review.

Stayed in room 4709, Finding Nemo building 4, 3rd floor, and it is a suite. The photos are a little misleading on some of the websites, and the size is decent, but not made for 4 adults.

We had a pool view room and it was loud. From 12:00 noon until about 8:00PM, it was nothing but a CM on a speaker by the pool and lots of noise in the room. There were lots of activities for the kids and it is a nice pool. I went everyday to the Big Blue Pool and the temperature was perfect. There were a lot of kids, but nothing outrageous.

The room was decent. Walls were thin, heard every noise possible, and the people above us sounded like they were running an auger each night at 11:00PM. Heard the same complaint from a few people about the paper thin walls. Half expected them to come through the ceiling. Being an older party like we were, the youngest member was 22, I expected some noise, but not that much. Was awoken every morning at about 6:30AM to people heading out for early breakfast reservations...I assume that because we heard many talking about that outside our door/room.

The food court is not bad...plenty of quick service dining choices and all-in-all not bad.

The bus situation is a mess. Waited on 2 buses before we finally got one on Friday for MK. Went a little later on Saturday to MK, got on the first bus, but it was packed. Had no problems for the EPCOT or HS buses, and same for the Disney Springs bus, but the location is centrally located and everyone at AoA has to catch the buses up front. The buses coming back were at the furthest points at HS, MK, and Epcot. Had to wait on the second buses at HS and Disney Springs, and waited almost 45 minutes Saturday for a bus back to AoA from MK. The buses came, but we were so far back and the amount of strollers/ECVs created most of the issues, but that is expected. I just was hoping for more frequency of buses since AoA seemed to be one of the busiest stops at MK.

This is a pretty good resort for people with young kids...plenty of activities, good food court, large pool, plenty of vests for the kids to go swimming...not bad at all. But if you are an older group and looking for some relaxation, this is not the place.

Thanks for the review! I was considering a last minute October trip at a value, but may not be worth it. I like relaxing

 

[tinkerbella16]

Thanks for the review! I have never stayed at AoA, but I visited friends staying there one night during my trip last year. I honestly have no desire to stay there. It was so LOUD and people were everywhere! I guess I am used to the quietness of POR/POFQ after staying there for the last 8 years. The walk to their LM room was pretty far. They hated the buses the whole week. Every time we met up in the parks, it took them forever because of the buses - especially to MK.

 

[Kevin355]

Curious why you feel this, the AoA rooms are twice the footprint of the other Values, and overall probably larger than any of the regular rooms on-site.

After we pulled down the Murphy Bed and pull-out bed from the sofa, and then moved the tables and chairs to get the beds down, it took up quite a lot of space. The only clear path after the beds are down is to the microwave/sink area and bathroom.

 

[Kevin355]

Most sites rank Nemo pool and AOA food court up with the best of them.

Agreed. Pretty good food court and pool.

 

[AngiTN]

Your issues with AoA are the reason why we will not stay at a value resort for more than 1 night following a late night flight.
Paper thin walls, rooms so small you have to step outside to change your mind, and overall uncomfortable.
Saddest part in your case, that suite ran you as much per night as some of the standard Deluxe rooms. You loose a bathroom but you gain so much more.

 

[AngiTN]

Stayed at the little mermaid in nov 2014 and nov 2015 and had great bus experiences for the most part. Can't beat the value of the little mermaid paying value resort price and enjoying the perks of a moderate resort. Agree that if its adults only probably not resort for you, but for families with young children its a great resort

Huh? AoA is not a Moderate resort and with no discounts on the LM rooms, often more expensive than a moderate with a discount. Not to mention double beds.

 

[WVU Disney Fan]

I agree AOA suites are a rip off but mermaid rooms are probably one of best values at wdw. Especially if you have young kids you can't beat AOA theming. Both times I've stayed at mermaid I paid right at $100 per night and you get to enjoy one of best pools, great food court, non-shared buses, and awesome theming of 4 of disneys iconic movies.

 

[tobikaye]

OP: Thanks for the review of the rooms. I might consider them if for a night or two to let my sister have the experience of the rooms. I would probably go with Cars as the pictures of Nemo and Lion King seem a bit too bright for me. I think I will stick with FW Cabins for any stay where I want more space. Although, I might give DVC a try.

I am staying in the LM rooms early next year, but at least we have decided to rent a car so we do not have to worry about the buses with our resort reservations and park hopping. I usually do not make requests, but I think in the case of this trip, I might be requesting top floor facing the lake, if my cousin agrees.

 

[Mousemommy1]

Thanks for the review!

I will say that we also stayed in a Nemo Suite and didn't experience the noise issues you mentioned. Maybe because we were at the end of a hall, but we heard nothing during our stay.

As a family of 5, we found the space in the room to be fabulous!!

We never had an issue with the buses. Remember, you can run into bus issues at any resort and at any time. I never make my resort decision based on the bus situation.

 

[loves to dive]

Your issues with AoA are the reason why we will not stay at a value resort for more than 1 night following a late night flight.
Paper thin walls, rooms so small you have to step outside to change your mind, and overall uncomfortable.
Saddest part in your case, that suite ran you as much per night as some of the standard Deluxe rooms. You loose a bathroom but you gain so much more.

Yep, me too and I'll go so far as to say not even one night, I'll just pony up for a moderate. I've tried the value resorts twice and that was enough. To noisy and crowded in the public areas, small rooms and I heard my neighbors sneeze.

As far as the buses are concerned, you are going to get good and bad bus service no matter where you stay, although it is true the value and moderate bus stops at the parks do tend to be the farthest away from the gate. I will say I prefer the fact that the value resorts have actual lines at their stops at the resort. I love the fact that the moderate and deluxe resort stops are covered but it's a free for all when the buses actually arrive. You would think people totally forget how to form a line, I've actually had people walk up from the side when there was an actual semi-line formed and just squeeze right in front of me. I'm never in that big of a hurry to get anywhere so I just back off and wait for the next bus.

 

[MNtwinsplus1mom]

Interesting review! Thanks for taking the time to post it.

We stayed at AOA in a Cars suite for 1 night just before a longer stay at our regular resort, POR. Our family, which includes 3 boys, loved it! But in our case it was just to enjoy the amenities of the resort - no parks at all for that part of our vacation. So I did not have to deal with buses.

Anyway, we loved the detailed and immersive theming, loved the food court, phenomenal room layout for a family of 5, but the price of the suites is high for what you get & it isn't really a relaxing-feeling resort.

Anyway, I was worried the boys would be sad to go to POR after the more exciting Cars suite etc. but when we got there we found we just loved the relaxing feel of POR. It was a nice balance for us doing the split stay, and one I'd recommend to families with kids, but for a long trip I don't know that I'd enjoy staying just there. I like that larger groups are getting more options with Murphy beds in moderate resorts. I think that's a great option for families that are looking at options within a budget.

 

[dreamseeker9]

I stayed at AOA, Finding Nemo suite, in 2012 with 4 adults. We found the room size to be fine for us. The best part was having 2 full baths. Because AOA was still a new resort, we got a great deal on the suite, and I also don't think AOA was full, which could be why we found it to be fairly quiet. I stayed at AOA solo in a LM room in 2014. I love the theming of the resort, and I think the food court is great, though I wish it stayed open later. I found the buses to be hit and miss. I really love the Ink & Paint Shop, it is one of the best shops in a resort, I think.

I love the Big Blue Pool, and my friends and I had a great time at The Drop Off Pool Bar. The bartenders there are great, as are the drinks!