Pick for Family with Toddler: Art of Animations or Beach Club Resort?

[wellow]

Hi,

I am going to WDW with my 2 year olds. We plan to stay for 4 nights WDW + 3 nights Bahamas Cruise.

So the plan at first was to stay at BCR for 1 night to enjoy the pool on check in day then move to Wilderness Lodge for 3 nights. Now actually I wanted to be in WL for 4 nights but they are all booked up for my dates in October.

I showed my DD this morning about a video of Beach Club Resort and her response is lukewarm. However, when I showed her Art of Animations, she was really excited and said she wanted to go there.

Honestly, I have been dreaming of staying at BCR since my College days. I think it's mostly the product of watching too much The Travel Channel while studying , but I have been daydreaming of going back in the lazy rivers of WDW since going to the Disney's water parks on one of my spring breaks.

But.. my daughter's response was unexpected (or expected as some might say). Honestly, I don't mind the trade off (saving more money ), but I have some concerned about AoA.

So the question is: Is AoA really that bad? the Bed is really hard? the walking distance to the Mermaid Room? what if it rains and there's no cover on the walkway to the rooms? the waits on the bus? and Ultimately, if you are in my shoes, which one would you pick? Fyi, this is my DD's birthday trip so I am focusing my thoughts on her.

Also, if I book AoA through my agent or Disney, can I change resort to BCR if we change our minds? Or do we have to book another bookings for it?

Let me know your thoughts! Thank you!

 

[maxiesmom]

I would wait and do the Beach Club when your children are older. The pool area is massive, more like a small water park. Do AoA now, and the Beach Club later on, when you can enjoy it more.

 

[buzznina]

Since I was in your shoes many years ago, except it was ASMO vs AKL, and I can tell you exactly what we did We went to ASMO and we had a great trip, she LOVED the resort. We have been to AKL twice, since then

 

[cutigerlady]

I know my younger son would pick AoA without any hesitation. What we find convenient and what they find “cool” are different. He wasn’t phased by the lack of shade waiting for the bus and he preferred the bus over other transportation to the parks.

He loved exploring the resort and the pool. He wasn’t a fan of sand in a pool. It was much more difficult to watch him at the sprawling pool at BC. He preferred the QS to the rit down restaurants.

We were in the family suite and it was really nice with two bathrooms and more space. The beds were comfortable and he loved the Murphy bed.

I would pick where your daughter wants to stay if it’s a trip for her birthday. I’ll say I liked it at AOA more than I expected I would.

 

[Wood Nymph]

The Beach Club is really nice and the shallow sand bottom pool is a big hit with the little ones. Since this is your dream resort then I would stay here. Your 2 year old daughter won’t even remember the trip later.

I would also take the opportunity to walk or take the boat to Epcot or Hollywood Studios while you are there. You can concentrate on MK when you are at the Wilderness Lodge.

 

[Hopefully]

BC for us. Little Mermaid rooms are a long walk from everything.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

She’s 2. She’ll be happy anywhere. I would stay wherever i wanted to stay so BC all the way.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Hi,

I am going to WDW with my 2 year olds. We plan to stay for 4 nights WDW + 3 nights Bahamas Cruise.

So the plan at first was to stay at BCR for 1 night to enjoy the pool on check in day then move to Wilderness Lodge for 3 nights. Now actually I wanted to be in WL for 4 nights but they are all booked up for my dates in October.

I showed my DD this morning about a video of Beach Club Resort and her response is lukewarm. However, when I showed her Art of Animations, she was really excited and said she wanted to go there.

Honestly, I have been dreaming of staying at BCR since my College days. I think it's mostly the product of watching too much The Travel Channel while studying , but I have been daydreaming of going back in the lazy rivers of WDW since going to the Disney's water parks on one of my spring breaks.

But.. my daughter's response was unexpected (or expected as some might say). Honestly, I don't mind the trade off (saving more money ), but I have some concerned about AoA.

So the question is: Is AoA really that bad? the Bed is really hard? the walking distance to the Mermaid Room? what if it rains and there's no cover on the walkway to the rooms? the waits on the bus? and Ultimately, if you are in my shoes, which one would you pick? Fyi, this is my DD's birthday trip so I am focusing my thoughts on her.

Also, if I book AoA through my agent or Disney, can I change resort to BCR if we change our minds? Or do we have to book another bookings for it?

Let me know your thoughts! Thank you!

She’s 2. She’ll be happy anywhere. I would stay wherever i wanted to stay so BC all the way.

What mi*vida*loca said exactly. BC will make traveling with a 2-year old SO much easier.

I stayed at AoA with a 5-year old the first year it opened. He was wowed by the lobby, the statues around the resort, the Nemo picture when we pulled the bed down - then - we had to sleep there and the novelty wore off REALLY quickly. Especially with the Little Mermaid rooms. You are comparing small rooms with double beds that are the furthest you can get from the lobby, food court and buses to a deluxe resort with spacious, comfortable rooms, a gorgeous pool, and two parks within walking distance. There's just no comparison. Your DD will be wowed by the parks (and the cruise!). I would pick the resort which will offer you ALL the most comfort and fun.

To answer your questions specifically - 1) Is AoA really that bad? IMHO, yes. It's the loudest most chaotic resort I've ever stayed in. By the second night I was trying to get out. In comparison to BC, yes, it's bad. 2) the Bed is really hard? yes, the most uncomfortable bedding I've ever experienced 3) walking distance to LM room - long. 4) what if it rains? - yup, walking with no cover and we were there during tropical storm Debbie. Try getting to the food court to get something to eat in that. If it's raining at BC and you need to find food, you won't get soaked on your way to get it. 5) waits on the bus - long. BC, no bus to two parks! 6) If I were in your shoes, I would, hands-down, pick BC.

If you switch to AoA and change your mind, you'll only be able to change your reservation if there is still availability at BC.

 

[ninafeliz]

It seems as if I do so many things to please my children on a daily basis, I refuse to let them decide where we stay at Disney! I certainly take their thoughts into consideration, and they might be able to sway/guilt me into a lateral move (deluxe to deluxe, MK resort to MK resort, Epcot resort to Epcot resort, etc) but if I had my heart set on the BC I would not stay at AOA because my 2 year old (or any age child, really) wanted to. I have had perfectly nice trips at the value resorts, but I prefer the deluxe resorts. In your case, with a toddler, it would be so much easier to walk to 2 resorts and not have to fold strollers/wake up sleeping toddlers to get on busses at the BC than have to take a bus everywhere from AOA. SAB is large, but with a 2 yr old I'll bet she would just stay in the shallow sand bottom pool and have a blast playing with all of the buckets left there. As an adult I love sitting there with water up to my chest just relaxing while my young kids play near by, and the pool has real attendants that will bring your drinks and lunch to you. I think she'll be happy wherever you take her, and you will have wonderful memories of the trip but I doubt she'll remember it at all, so stay where you want to stay and have fun!

ETA I didn't answer your poll, because if I'm honest I think possibly AOA would EXCITE a 2 yr old more, but I would still choose to stay at the BC

 

[10CJ]

Would you consider staying in a Nemo room at AoA? They are much closer to the main building.

 

[wellow]

Thank you everyone for giving your two cents. Really appreciate it . As of this moment, since it will only be a one night stay, I am actually leaning towards AoA. I will also have WL for 3 nights, so giving her one night stay at AoA should be a win-win for both of us I just prayed that there'll be no rain on the day we stay at AoA (Well actually, I am praying there'll no rain at all during our entire stay at WDW ).

Would you consider staying in a Nemo room at AoA? They are much closer to the main building.

For me to stay in AoA, there needs to be more value in it to justify the hassle of staying in AoA (plus I get no lazy river). If there is no saving, I would not consider switching to BCV. Plus my daughter actually likes AoA.

To be honest, before I showed her both resorts, I know she'll actually prefers AoA more.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Would you consider staying in a Nemo room at AoA? They are much closer to the main building.

Those suites are pricey. I personally wouldn't pay deluxe prices to stay in a value.

 

[sponica]

Personally I wouldn't want to deal with stormalong bay with a 2 year old...are there any moderates available? I find them to be a nice compromise between the over the top theming of a value but with more amenities. My almost 2 year old LOVED the splash area at POFQ

 

[Cajun23]

We were in a similar position.

For our twins 3 year old birthday we did a week at the Poly. Reason being is that it was close to MK and we could take the Monorail to and from MK and Epcot pretty easy. Unfortunately, it was down half the time so at the end it didn't make the convenience any easier.

At 4 we did the AoA family suite. Kids absolutely loved it. We did a family suite which we liked the extra space and 2nd bathroom. We were in the Nemo building so the walk was short and it never rained for us. The only bus like that was really long for us was MK but the parks seemed pretty busy at that time. Other parks were a normal wait.

This year we are between BC and WL, but like your situation, when I showed the kids they were luke warn to the resort and asked what about the AoA.

Depending on how often you go I would suggest AoA now and BC later. The little kids really enjoy the big characters and all of the colors.

AoA also has a entry side to the pool where the little ones can walk in and play. There are life vest if needed, splash pad, and a small play area. Little mermaid rooms are a bit of a walk but i am lazy and paid extra to be in the family suite for shorter walk, 2nd bathroom, and additional space.

 

[KenHutch]

Well I admit it when it comes to my girls I am a wimpy Marine. I pretty much let them decide where they want to stay. Before our 1st trip people told me to stay where I want, that Gwendolyn would not remember. But she actually does remember a bit. In my case what I do is for them anyways. The past vacation in June they selected AKL and it was great but I admit to creating a monster. If I will book the Poly on our next trip my fear if heights girls are willing to fly instead of a 23 hour drive. They win

 

[OneinThree]

For a 2 year old -AoA without a doubt.

 

[wellow]

Those suites are pricey. I personally wouldn't pay deluxe prices to stay in a value.

Yes. Exactly my point.

Personally I wouldn't want to deal with stormalong bay with a 2 year old...are there any moderates available?

After thinking about your thoughts about stormalong bay, I started to be realistic. In my daydream, I will be lounging drinking and relaxing at the pool. Well the reality on that day is going to be me chasing around my daughter around, and making sure she's not injured in any way. Haha so much for relaxing!

Well I admit it when it comes to my girls I am a wimpy Marine. I pretty much let them decide where they want to stay. Before our 1st trip people told me to stay where I want, that Gwendolyn would not remember. But she actually does remember a bit. In my case what I do is for them anyways. The past vacation in June they selected AKL and it was great but I admit to creating a monster. If I will book the Poly on our next trip my fear if heights girls are willing to fly instead of a 23 hour drive. They win

Well I was not a big Disney fan before she was born. But seeing her face lit up in Disneyland Hong Kong and how she actually enjoys riding the carousel is probably worth me cutting my spending elsewhere for her trip to Disneylands. So far we've been to Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong. And amazingly, she enjoyed Hong Kong the most due to the size of the park and the crowd.

I have taken her everywhere with me since she was a baby due to my work. Imagine my surprise 2 months ago when I showed her a picture of her in our villa in Spain last summer when she was just 18 months, she said there was a duck (there was no duck in the picture), but we did have a big duck floatie in the pool. And she remembered she was sick when she was in Disneyland Hong Kong when I showed her another picture. Amazing isn't it? I am a believer that what you exposed your kids to, even if she doesn't remember her travelling in those cities, she'll take away a lot more than school can teach them.

 

[sponica]

After thinking about your thoughts about stormalong bay, I started to be realistic. In my daydream, I will be lounging drinking and relaxing at the pool. Well the reality on that day is going to be me chasing around my daughter around, and making sure she's not injured in any way. Haha so much for relaxing!

YC/BC is on my to-do list...but not with a toddler. I'm saving it for when I don't have to keep such a watchful eye...

 

[KenHutch]

Yes. Exactly my point.



After thinking about your thoughts about stormalong bay, I started to be realistic. In my daydream, I will be lounging drinking and relaxing at the pool. Well the reality on that day is going to be me chasing around my daughter around, and making sure she's not injured in any way. Haha so much for relaxing!



Well I was not a big Disney fan before she was born. But seeing her face lit up in Disneyland Hong Kong and how she actually enjoys riding the carousel is probably worth me cutting my spending elsewhere for her trip to Disneylands. So far we've been to Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong. And amazingly, she enjoyed Hong Kong the most due to the size of the park and the crowd.

I have taken her everywhere with me since she was a baby due to my work. Imagine my surprise 2 months ago when I showed her a picture of her in our villa in Spain last summer when she was just 18 months, she said there was a duck (there was no duck in the picture), but we did have a big duck floatie in the pool. And she remembered she was sick when she was in Disneyland Hong Kong when I showed her another picture. Amazing isn't it? I am a believer that what you exposed your kids to, even if she doesn't remember her travelling in those cities, she'll take away a lot more than school can teach them.

I so agree with you and its amazing what they remember. When Gwen was 5 I took her on her one and done trip. I am now planning our 6th and done trip for 2021 which will be the period she graduates from college and I assume moves out. But since I plan on retiring near Orlando both girls have told me to get a townhouse near Disney (they have plans).