Little Mermaid AoA vs. Moderate

[sheboz]

Heading back to see the mouse the first week of March 2013.
Comparing a value to a moderate.....
Value double beds, slightly smaller room.. they do have a fridge
Moderate, some have queen beds, slightly more square feet....they have a fridge.

What is the most important difference to you between a value and a moderate? Why do you stay where you stay?

We will have a rental car, so no need to worry about Disney transportation.

We have two children under the age of eight I think the AoA would be fun.
If they offer free dining again during that time we would pay for the upgrade to dining plus.

Where would you stay?

 

[gilsan]

Our first stay at WDW was at POFQ, the next time we spent a night at POP before moving to GF for our package.

IMO POP was as nice as POFQ and at the time we said we would never stay in a moderate again. A few things have changed since we stayed at POFQ they now have queen beds vs a double, we have a king at home so the double feels small.

Moderate also have a pool slide and values do not, but AoA has the largest pool on property and it is zero entry

The values now have fridges and all resort have or are getting free wifi.

The one big plus the moderates have , in particular, is the size they are smaller and therefore less crowded. We had a hard time finding our room at POP the place was just so big.

Based on the these things we would pick the AoA little mermaid room, save the money and enjoy big pool and the new resort. The moderate just are not that much better than the values IMO.

One other thing we have noticed in our stays POP was the only resort whose pool bar stayed open later (past 7-8pm)

 

[dancin Disney style]

The only mod that is smaller than the values is POFQ...it indeed is very small and fabulous but the other mod resorts are every bit as large and spread out as POP. The All Stars are smaller.


In terms of comparing resorts in a lot of cases it really comes down to a theme that appeals to you. The difference in the size of the rooms is very minimal....about 60 or so sqft between a value and mod. The main differences are...
furniture in the rooms
bed size
TS restaurant
waterslide

 

[me_minnie_me]

I think that read somewhere that free dining offers does not apply to AoA. Since AoA is the newest resort, they should not have occupancy issues as a lot of people would want to check out the resort. Iwould suggest to listen to the Dis Unplugged podcast this week as they had a segment on the sneek preview tour of the AoA resort.

Hope this helps

 

[sheboz]

I think that read somewhere that free dining offers does not apply to AoA. Since AoA is the newest resort, they should not have occupancy issues as a lot of people would want to check out the resort. Iwould suggest to listen to the Dis Unplugged podcast this week as they had a segment on the sneek preview tour of the AoA resort.

Hope this helps

You are correct originally they excluded AoA from free dining but have reversed that decision and included it.

 

[sjsjbrook]

I think what it comes down too. Where do you want to stay the most? Do you want the little mermaid theming or do you want the moderate theming? Can you sleep in a double bed instead of a queen bed?

How important is the pool to you?

I personally wouldn't stay at a value, but that is me. I need a larger bed, in fact we ask for a king.

It is all about what you really want.

 

[MedicGoofy]

I agree that it is about what type of theming you are looking for.

I have always stayed in a moderate. I love caribbean beach but tried out POFQ for my last stayed. Really enjoyed it there. My sister in law and I are flying down in Sept, and it's her first trip. I wanted something really 'Disney-like'. I found that the All Star Movies was very Disney themed, instead of the other themed resorts ie. beach, orleans, haiwaiin.

As long as you can handle the amentities that the value resorts have, I think they are just as good as any other resort.

P.S. I WISH AoA Little Mermaid was open for our trip....we are leaving and they are just about to open it...so sad

Enjoy your trip!!!

 

[heinz]

We stayed at PORFQ in Jan 2011 and one thing we really enjoyed was the hot tub. I don't believe values have hot tubs. We used it every night and it was a great way to relax and get the kids ready for bed.

We also enjoyed the smaller size of the FQ as well as the quietness.

I'm sure no matter you will have a great time no matter what you decide!

 

[dontthrowsand]

The way I look at it, I spend most of my waking time at the park and eventually just want to sleep. 4 adults are going this summer and we are staying in a finding nemo suite at AOA because we need 3 sleeping areas and that was cheaper than 2 rooms at POFQ or CSR. We originally wanted a treehouse villa but none avail. For me it is all about cost rather than amenities.

 

[2gr8DisneyKids]

We have stayed all over and one of our favorites is POP. The kids have been asking for AOA, but only the suites were open over the summer. We stayed at POFQ in March and liked it as well, in fact it is the only MOD we like.

One other amenity to consider is the towel size. The one thing that bugs me the most about the values is the thin, tiny towels. But you get new ones everyday and is several hundred dollars worth a bigger towel? Not really.

If the kids know about the trip you might want to show them pictures of the resorts you are considering and let them choose, but like may others have said I would save the money since the little ones will love the theme and enjoy the new resort!

 

[mike the canuck]

We are staying in The Little Mermaid AoA in Dec. I'm super pumped. We stayed at the Pop last trip and loved that too. It was basically just room to sleep in for us. The double bed wasn't really an issue. We were always so exhausted at the end of the day we passed right out as soon as we hit the pillow.

I'm happy to hear our room will have a fridge in it at AoA

 

[goofyintoronto]

For those that are gonna be staying in the Mermaid room, have you seen on the map just how far the mermaid section is from the main building? Its pretty darn far!!!! I really wanted to stay here next trip, but im not so sure I want to now because of the distance. I think its the equivalent of the 90's section in Pop.

 

[Sue M]

Pop has 2880 rooms, 260 sq ft. POR has 2048 rooms and 314 sq ft.

I prefer the mods because, they are less crowded, they are slightly smaller, with about 800 + less rooms. And they are more spread out, giving the feeling that it's never crowded even when at full capacity. The Landscapping is beautiful, I like having quiet pools near by as well as a nicely themed main pool, and I like the bus stops at the mods, they have one near all the buildings, they have a roof, fan & benches to sit on while waiting. Esp nice in the summer when it's roasting out. You don't have to line up like cattle.
I'ts also quieter, and more relaxed. And hot tubs!

For me it's all about the ammenities. It's more then just a room to shower & sleep in. We take afternoon breaks back at our resort, so spend some time there.

 

[mike the canuck]

For those that are gonna be staying in the Mermaid room, have you seen on the map just how far the mermaid section is from the main building? Its pretty darn far!!!! I really wanted to stay here next trip, but im not so sure I want to now because of the distance. I think its the equivalent of the 90's section in Pop.

I stayed in 90's and it wasn't that far from the buses. A 3 or 4 min stroll. don't let it discourage you. With all the walking in the parks what's a few more minutes?

 

[goofyintoronto]

I stayed in 90's and it wasn't that far from the buses. A 3 or 4 min stroll. don't let it discourage you. With all the walking in the parks what's a few more minutes?

Well thats just it, with all the walking we're doing all day, do you really wanna walk some more?

 

[mike the canuck]

Well thats just it, with all the walking we're doing all day, do you really wanna walk some more?

Meh... Personalty it doesn't bother me much. I could use the exercise after all the food I eat while I'm there. lol

 

[sheboz]

Looking forward to resort reviews of AoA. Let's cross our fingers that they will offer a great free dining deal to Canadians again for 2013.

 

[Winue]

We have only stayed in mods, and we were booked for POR in oct. we decided to change it to AoA and FD, and paid for the upgrade. We were able to stay for 10 nights as opposed to 7, and are saving $800!!! We have been nervous about the distance from LM to the main bldg, so decided to rent a car for piece of mind.

 

[GrtWtNorth]

Another important feature of moderates is the hot tubs and water slides, both of which are lacking in all value resorts.

I could of used a hot tub after walking around Food and Wine Festival a couple days.

As for water slides, I think I'd rather pay cost of adding "Water Park and More" to take DD to the real water park, rather than pay the difference between a value and a moderate for our typical 10-day vacation.

 

[hockey mom]

I am looking at booking AOA in Feb. and really the only draw back for me is a lack of water slides.

I am thinking though that I would like the "newness" that this property will have.

I am really hoping for free dining at AOA in feb.