HOJO has been getting some very negative press on DIS lately, so you may want to read up on the changes they have made that are making people unhappy. You may also want to check and be sure that your current reservation with them in not going to incur a cancellation fee (I can't remember if it was reservations made after Feb 1 or March 1 that now include a cancellation fee no matter how far out you cancel). That policy right there makes me unwilling to book there.....while I've never completely cancelled a trip, I have needed to change start or end dates on occasion as life horns in on my trip (or frees me up for more days, lol).....and being that locked in to exact dates months in advance is unacceptable.
If the pool isn't that important to your family, and in fact feels like a negative because of the potential for noise (which seems would increase as you get closer to the hot weather)....and the other place is cheaper, then it would be pretty easy choice for me. I'm all for saving money without losing any amentities that matter to my family.
We have been staying at the Extended Stay lately...because walking to the park is NOT important to us. Staying here is inexpensive without having to worry about Entertainment Rates or specific rooms or whatever. It's clean, has a kitchenette (2 burner stove, sink, full size fridge, microwave, pots and pans, plates, cups, bowls, etc) and if we choose to walk we can go across the street to the Toy Story lot and board the bus. Yes, an extra 5 minutes to hop on a bus and ride over, but we save about 40% over what your rate is....so that's worth waking up 5 minutes earlier, or missing out on 5 minutes in the rope drop line.
Making a list of pros and cons of the two hotels should help you with narrowing down which is the better choice for your family. It sounds like as far as cleanliness and size the hotels are about equal...price is a little better at one...sounds like HOJO has no breakfast, but the breakfast at CI didn't cut it for some families...and the pool doesn't matter to your family. So based on those criteria, CI sounds better for your family due to price and breakfast.
...with the entertainment book. Just call "in-house reservations" directly and they will let you know...also look online with Hojo under "join in, discussion boards" and you can see if you dates are available. The water park has never been busy when we were there...hot tub, water features and regular pool at back of property. Also, I think all rooms come with a fridge and coffee maker...we didn't appreciate coffee though...you can get a room with a microwave for an upgrade of $15 more a night. We did because if you bring home leftovers it is always nice to reheat them
...that has always been a big minus for our family on a budget 
but there is a store there onsite where you can get cereal, milk, bread...etc etc...so pretty much whatever you need. It is a little walk but there is also the ART shuttle for a nomimal fee if you are tired at the end of the day. we never used it because we just walked.
