Help me decide: Pop Century, A of A, PO Riverside - Royal, or Contemporary

[Sleepyhappyandgrumpy]

Hello All!
We are currently booked for Pop Century in October - where we stayed on our first ever trip in 2011. I am considering A of A, Port Orleans- Royal Room, and Contemporary. Here are my questions for anyone willing to give me some input:

Pop - Does it share buses with A of A and will that slow everything down?

Art of Animation - Will it be crazy busy because it's so new and fancy??

Port Orleans - Are the buses still a problem or can you get to the parks without too much trouble?

Contemporary - Is the lack of theming going to be a disappointment for my six year old? Will the Monorail access and fancy pool make up for that?

We loved Pop, and got to where we wanted to pretty easily, but I was thinking we might try something new. Other factors: We don't actually spent too much time in the room, we don't really eat at the resort much, and the view isn't an important factor to us.

Thanks for any help!!

 

[Sleepyhappyandgrumpy]

Any thoughts??

 

[Goofy4]

Bus service times are mostly luck, hit or miss.

I would show DD some pictures and let her decide. If no one can decide, I would go with A of A since you've been to Pop.

If upgrading is not a problem, I like Riverside (and FQ). And DD would probably love nightly fireworks from the Contemporary.

 

[lady_hlh]

We just stayed in a royal room last year which was fun and the resort is really gorgeous but we didn't love the bus service. I think that if we had to go back to a mod again that we would try POFQ next time. You can walk between there and POR which is nice, their bus service was way better so we usually took that bus back at night. If your 6 year old wants to spend a lot of time at MK, you can walk there from CR and avoid the buses plus take the monorail to TTC to switch to the Epcot monorail. This year we are staying at CR garden wing which was my 11 year old DD's choice. She loved the idea of walking to MK and she also thought the resort was cool because it has a monorail running through it plus Chef Mickeys. We loved Pop when our DD was little but now I think we want all the extra amenities that are at the mod or deluxe resorts.

 

[ClemsonTigger2]

We just got back from 9 nights at Pop - it was great. Went across the lake to eat at Art of Animation a few times just for something different. Pop was more crowded.

(There were actually Brazilian tour groups at Pop while we were there - they were in a different section than we were, but did affect us in the food court and in the bus lines. There were two groups when we first got there, then they left and two other groups came in. Very annoying when we just wanted to get a bagel and bottle of juice, and couldn't get to that area b/c of 60+ Brazilian girls in the way!)

Art of Animation seemed quieter b/c there weren't as many people over there.

We stayed at PO-Riverside once, and it was really nice - never had any bus problems. (But that was 7 years ago!)

 

[TXPyroMom]

We stayed at CR last year with DD5 and she loved it. The convince of the MK so close was really nice and she loved that the monorail went right through. I cant compare to your other choices because we haven't stayed at any of them, but the CR was a hit with our whole family

 

[lthiesfeld07]

I would need more information on your traveling party. And what is your budget?

If you have lots of kids, I would say AoA.

If money isn't a problem, I would say Contemporary.

Since I don't know the answer to weather of those questions, I am going to go with POR! I love this resort. It is beautiful and has great amenities!

 

[Mickey_for_President]

I dislike Pop. A big hot mess. To me, AoA sounds like a carbon copy of Pop. Blech.
Like someone else said, if money is not a problem, then Contemporary.

If you go Port Orleans, then I would pick French Quarter instead. GREAT transportation options there. Beautiful. Way less crowded. And... above all... romantic.

 

[jaydensmommy23]

We stayed at AoA opening day and LOVED it!! We stayed in a nemo suite since we are a family of 7 and location was great.

 

[Tialeigh]

I stayed at Art of Animation last August, right after the Lion King Suite opened and I thought it was amazing. When I went, it wasn't as busy as I had thought it would be. I'd recommend anyone to stay there.

 

[Sleepyhappyandgrumpy]

Thanks so much for all the info. To answer some questions: It will be me, my DH, my DD (6) and my mother. Money is somewhat of an issue, but I am considering a splurge if the payoff would be worth it.

 

[Tialeigh]

With four people going then I'd definitely suggest AoA. Though it is more expensive than the other value resorts. I guess it all depends on how much you're willing to spend. In my own opinion, it's worth splurging on.