Help me decide between AOA and POP

[Shelby Schroepfer]

Ok so our dates are Nov 8-17th and this will be our 5th trip in as many years. Twice @ POP, and once each at ASMusic and ASMovies. We can change from POP to Little Mermaid standard rooms at AOA for just about 300$ more. We have a 5 year old daughter who LOVES POP, but is also an Ariel freak. The pools at AOA look awesome (I haven't found confirmation is the big blue pool's refurb is still going to happen or not!) and we spend a LOT of time at the pool. We don't enjoy sit down restaurants so we spend a decent amount of meals at our resort and while POP was good in the past, they don't have the best reviews currently. Although covid could change AOA's quality as well. Honestly we could be happy with either, the big blue pool being closed may be a deciding factor but like I said I can't confirm that the refurb is still scheduled to happen.


obviously is the reopening of AOA get's pushed back... this is NOT a hard decision haha.

 

[figmentfinesse]

If you love the pool AoA is way better and the LMM are freshly refurbed. Plus, if you book it and AoA doesn't open, you might get moved to a moderate or higher for free which would be preeeeetttyyy sweet. I've also heard Pop has been hitting capacity at Hippy Dippy pool, but it's still hot out so I'm sure in November it will be less of an issue. Can't go wrong either way!

 

[skeeter31]

I wouldn’t bank on the Nemo pool being open when AoA reopens. Most likely that will be down for the needed refurb.

 

[Shelby Schroepfer]

I wouldn’t bank on the Nemo pool being open when AoA reopens. Most likely that will be down for the needed refurb.

this was my first thought but now the website has removed all the info about it being closed mid september to mid december.

 

[Shelby Schroepfer]

Ugh I know the optics of it are all over the place, even with opening another value it's still going to be "full" with all the all stars closed and I get that, but AOA is bigger right? So maybe it won't feel as cramped. And we would love to see all of the values at sometime and I feel like AOA is only going to get more expensive and hard to get as time goes on. Is the big blue being closed a huge deal for anyone? Do you think it's still worth it without it? My positives are better food court, new resort for us, still have skyliner, better decor for our daughter, and pools

 

[Carlnne]

I have a room booked at AoA over a weekend during the same period. I am really expecting to be moved to Pop or CBR. I cant see Disney opening a new resort unless holiday attendance is expected to pick up.

 

[Tom_E_D]

Ugh I know the optics of it are all over the place, even with opening another value it's still going to be "full" with all the all stars closed and I get that, but AOA is bigger right? So maybe it won't feel as cramped. And we would love to see all of the values at sometime and I feel like AOA is only going to get more expensive and hard to get as time goes on. Is the big blue being closed a huge deal for anyone? Do you think it's still worth it without it? My positives are better food court, new resort for us, still have skyliner, better decor for our daughter, and pools

In terms of number of rooms, Pop is the "bigger" resort, 2880 to 1984. However, I think that's due to the fact that AoA is mostly suites while Pop has no suites, only rooms. I believe the physical layout of both are pretty identical, each has ten buildings that appear to be the same size. So, neither is bigger in terms of square feet. The fact that AoA has fewer rooms in the same amount of space may make it feel less crowded, especially if it translates to fewer people staying at the resort, in comparison to Pop, while you're there. At equal prices, I think I'd prefer to stay at AoA. (I've never stayed there; I've stayed at Pop four times.) $300 for 9 nights doesn't sound like much more to pay to give it a try.

 

[Dug720]

Is there confirmation that ALL the LM rooms are refurbed? Last I saw nothing had changed since before shut-down so it was only one building and part of another.

 

[tiggernpooh]

Tough decision - I love both resorts! We have stayed at POP twice (third time coming up in October) and AoA Cars suite once. The atmosphere is so Disney at both, and neither has ever felt busy for us. A couple things to think about - the little Mermaid section is a bit of a walk from Animation Hall and the bus stops and the food was a little different at AoA - my kids didn't really care for the special sandwiches and different things they had on the menu and we actually preferred the food at POP. Of course, you can easily go back and forth between resorts if you find you like the food better at one over the other. The Skyliner makes both these resorts excellent choices. The parks are getting busier, from what I see from vloggers - you might want to make a reservation soon at both places while you decide. Also, call Disney and check if you might have a PIN code attached to your name - I did and saved almost $100 a night for our POP trip in Oct.

 

[Shelby Schroepfer]

Tough decision - I love both resorts! We have stayed at POP twice (third time coming up in October) and AoA Cars suite once. The atmosphere is so Disney at both, and neither has ever felt busy for us. A couple things to think about - the little Mermaid section is a bit of a walk from Animation Hall and the bus stops and the food was a little different at AoA - my kids didn't really care for the special sandwiches and different things they had on the menu and we actually preferred the food at POP. Of course, you can easily go back and forth between resorts if you find you like the food better at one over the other. The Skyliner makes both these resorts excellent choices. The parks are getting busier, from what I see from vloggers - you might want to make a reservation soon at both places while you decide. Also, call Disney and check if you might have a PIN code attached to your name - I did and saved almost $100 a night for our POP trip in Oct.

How do you word that? I've been religiously checking my email for pin codes! Honestly we'd love to try a new resort but if the rooms AREN'T all refurbished, and if the big blue pool is open.

 

[AngieInOH]

The one and only drawback is the walk to the little mermaid rooms. If you don't mind the walk I'd definitely go for AoA.

 

[saraheliz]

We liked AoA a lot more than POP. If the $300 won't break you, I'd go with AoA, but that's just me. I'd make sure the pool is going to be open, though. The other two pools are fine but not that big compared to the needs at the resort. Some people have a hard time with the walk to the LM rooms at AoA but we didn't find it to be an issue at all. My kids actually loved walking through the LK section every time, and it only took about 5 minutes (kids were 10 and 8) even at the end of a long park day.

 

[SugarSweetLee]

I personally enjoy the theming and atmosphere at AoA more. We stayed there once about 6-7 years ago, and at our trip last year we stayed at Pop but mostly walked to AoA for meals. That said, I think they overhauled the menu in the past year or so, and made it a lot more generic than it used to be....so some of the previous comments about the eclectic menu (which I liked!) may not necessarily apply. Check out the menus online and see what you think.