CBR, Pop, AoA Little Mermaid, or POR?

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

I am taking my seven year old daughter this summer for nine nights in June. We have been to WDW many times and I am quite familiar with these resorts (have stayed at most and been to all), but I am having a hard time deciding which one based on a few changes- primarily the Skyliner- at the resort.

We will probably fly so it is unlikely we will have a car. We will go to HS 2-3 times, Epcot 1-2 times, MK 3 times, and AK 2 times. Therefore, we will use the Skyliner fewer than half our park days for our transportation. We will go to the parks every day, but we will also have several days when we will do the pool, too.

CBR ($2000) We stayed at CBR once about five years ago and it was my least favorite resort of all due to its huge size and moldy-smelling rooms, but I can get it for about $380 more than Pop, and the Skyliner seems very convenient. However, I am afraid that if we are in a building far away from the Skyliner, it still might seem inconvenient. I also dislike the many bus stops. We'd also have to have a king room, which is fine since my daughter likes to sleep with me, but on the off chance another family member should want at the last minute to join us, that would not be an option here.

POR ($1992)- I can get POR, 2 queen standard, about the same price as CBR. I have stayed at POR previously and loved it. Love the theming and the food. Downside is no Skyliner, more walking, and many bus stops. I am a little hesitant about staying here without a car. But did I mention I love the theming? And the shade. Very nice shade at the pool- and it has a slide and the boat to Disney Springs.

Pop ($1622)- We have stayed here more than we have stayed at any other resort. Some of the best bus service at WDW. Never had a bus issue here, unlike CBR and POR. Love the theming and the lake and the location. Really enjoy the renovated rooms. It would be really nice to have the Skyliner nearby. Downside is no pool slide and little to no pool shade, and we have stayed here quite a lot. Might be nice to have a change?

LM- AoA ($1971)- We have stayed at AoA, but only in the Nemo rooms. We found the Nemo rooms to be very loud- like staying in a tin can with constant slamming doors. The pool is nice and we would have the Skyliner. But the LM rooms are far away from the food court and transportation, and we don't really get much more than we get at Pop- but we would be paying about $350 more than at Pop. But the rooms look very cute, and my daughter would like them.

Of course, there is always AKL, my favorite resort in all of WDW. But I would be paying $2800 to stay there- that's a lot of money- almost like getting a free AP if I stay at Pop as opposed to AKL for this trip.

What would you do? Is the Skyliner all that? Is CBR better than it used to be?

 

[SarahC97]

I think if you didn't like CBR five years ago, you're not going to like it now. The rooms haven't been refurbished since 2015, I believe. While they have done some things to the rest of the resort, if the rooms are an issue for you, then I think they will continue to be.

Just from reading what you wrote, I think your heart is at POR. If you have issues with the buses, then there's always Uber. But it sounds like the pool slide would be good for your child and you like the resort overall, so that would be my suggestion!

 

[CaptainJack4077913]

We stayed ad AoA LM rooms and we loved them. It's a little far from the food court, but it's not too bad. POR I also one of our favorites.

The Skyliner is great! We also didn't go to EPCOT or HS more than. Half of our days, but it was such a time saver. It's faster than a bus and everyone is guaranteed a seat. Definitely a plus.

 

[MudQueen22]

Of the ones you listed, I have only stayed at Pop and LM room at AoA. Of the two, I preferred Pop, although AoA was nice too. I did not find the LM rooms to be loud. It is a decent trek to the food court and buses, but I didn't find it to be too bad. I thought the walk was a pleasant one. I enjoyed AoA's theming much more.

I like the rooms at Pop better. I found them to be cleaner, and I like the bus service at Pop the best. I also find the food court to have better food. When we go next, we will likely stay at the Pop again. For the price, I don't think it can be beat.

 

[joshdchap]

The $350 savings would be hard for me to turn down. But at the same time, I don't want to stay at the same place over and over again unless it is absolutely amazing. We just did the LM rooms at AoA in Oct. My 7 and 5 year old daughters loved the theme and all of the theming walking to the rooms. I would recommend it to my friends. The Skyliner was down all but our last day there, but we really enjoyed riding it the one day we could.
I've not stayed at the others yet, so I personally probably would choose POR just because we haven't stayed and it looks pretty cool. I don't think you can go wrong either way.
At nine nights, you may even consider a split stay between two of them. A week or less, I feel like this would be annoying, but changing in the middle of a longer stay may not be as bad.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

Thanks for all your suggestions and ideas. I decided on the LM rooms for a few reasons: DD is still young enough to love the theming of the LM rooms, but she might not appreciate it as much when she becomes a tween; she really wants to ride the Skyliner; we have never stayed in the LM rooms before so it will be a new experience; it would be fun to get a newly renovated room, and it is possible we could get one here.

Thanks again for the help!

 

[joshdchap]

Thanks for all your suggestions and ideas. I decided on the LM rooms for a few reasons: DD is still young enough to love the theming of the LM rooms, but she might not appreciate it as much when she becomes a tween; she really wants to ride the Skyliner; we have never stayed in the LM rooms before so it will be a new experience; it would be fun to get a newly renovated room, and it is possible we could get one here.

Thanks again for the help!

Are they renovating the LM rooms? I had not heard this, but that could be nice!

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

Are they renovating the LM rooms? I had not heard this, but that could be nice!

Yes. The CM told me they are starting in April, but there have been other reports that some renovations have already started. Maybe the renovations are on the suites now and LM later?
Speculation is that the rooms will be done similar to Pop and the All Stars, but Disney has not released much info.