Pros and Cons - Contemporary VS Art of Animation Suite

[Treysar]

Since I have never brought my kids to Disney, I thought maybe someone here might have some insight.


Here's the deal..
My family of 5 is booked for 4 nights at the Contemporary Hotel in a Theme Park View Room. We chose this because a) the ability to watch fireworks and see the castle from the room, and b) the convenience to Magic Kingdom. 2 of my 3 kids have autism and I was thinking that having the monorail or the ability to walk to and from MK without a long would be great for them, less of a hassle getting to and from the hotel, in case of a meltdown, etc.

My Sister-in-law is staying the same week as us at AOA. So this is the toss up - vacation with family (A huge plus, love her and her family and my kids and her kids all have a great time together) but further from the parks, longer wait for buses etc. We will probably do our own thing most of the time, but even the ability to be able to swim in the pool together would be so fun!

Also - I have no idea what costs more, a suite at AO per night vs. TPV at CR. If AOA is cheaper we would consider staying an extra night.

A little more info that may be helpful - we are not doing park hopping. We are spending 2 days at MK, one at AK and ne at HS - no epcot for us, unless AOA is cheaper and we can add a day.

We are right now planning a meal plan with 1 table service per day, but we may switch to 2 fast foods a day instead.

I look forward to your opinions and suggestions

Thank you!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

AOA should be cheaper than a TPV at CR. You can definitely price it.

CR is most convenient for MK and Epcot. HS and AK you will be busing, and they are shared buses with Poly/GF.

That said, I think the convenience of CR for those two MK days at minimum, plus the ability to watch fireworks from the room, has high value with kids on the spectrum.

 

[smiths02]

AoA suite should be A LOT cheaper
For my dates in June, even considering the discount, CR is about $573 a night with taxes while Art of Animation is $343
For that price difference, you could consider adding an extra night and renting a car to avoid buses

While CR is convenient...you also have the space...with AoA you get 2 bathrooms and a separate bedroom...and a kitchenette and 565 square feet
CR is one room 422 sq feet

 

[_auroraborealis_]

With CR, you get two real beds and a sofa bed. AoA is one real bed, then sofa beds.

Question: How are your kids at sharing a bed?

 

[Treysar]

They share a bed now, so that should be ok. Ugh, I am so torn. Are they far away from each other? Can I easily get from CR to AOA?

 

[KonaKaiTom]

They are, unfortunately, about as far apart as they can be, and still be in Disneyworld -- AOA is at the Epcot/DHS of Disneyworld and CR is all the way at the MK. By monorail it is a 10 minute ride just from the TTC to Epcot - and that doesn't include the time it takes to get from the CR monorail, get off and get on the Epcot Monorail. And you can't walk from the Epcot to AOA. However, do you have to stay at the same resorts? Could your family stay at CR and the other family stay at AOA and meet periodically during the vacation....meet each other a MK entrance at 10am type of thing?

Tom

 

[Hopefully]

I agree with Auroraborealis. Although AoA is cheaper, your own statement of being able to get to your room quickly with 2 on the spectrum is invaluable. More important than being near family atAoA.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

As a mom of a child on the spectrum who has traveled to WDW multiple times and has stayed at both AoA and CR, I would HIGHLY recommend sticking with CR. The convenience of using the monorail and being able to walk back and forth to MK is well worth the cost. Staying at AoA with my DS was very stressful. Having to bus everywhere and only having an incredibly chaotic food court as our only dining option was not good. Having multiple dining options at CR or within a monorail ride's distance worked very well for our family.

If your family is staying a little longer than you, I would suggest tacking on a night at AoA at the end of your CR stay. If you need to shave a little money off of your CR stay, you might want to consider downgrading your room category at CR and watching the fireworks from the 4th floor observation deck. Or, you might also consider meeting at one of the water parks one day so everyone can swim together - that might be cheaper than going to AoA for an extra night.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

If you need to shave a little money off of your CR stay, you might want to consider downgrading your room category at CR and watching the fireworks from the 4th floor observation deck.

You can look at Garden Wing rooms then use the observation deck for viewing if you're after savings.

 

[Babsy]

They share a bed now, so that should be ok. Ugh, I am so torn. Are they far away from each other? Can I easily get from CR to AOA?

You can easily get from CR to AoA. CR is only about a 10 minute walk to the MK bus stop for all the resorts. All you need to do is walk from the CR to the MK bus stop and get on the bus to AoA. To return, get the bus back to the MK and walk over to the CR. Quick and easy. (It will also give you a good idea of how long you would have been getting from AoA to the MK IF you had chosen to stay AoA instead of the CR!)

If you are returning after MK is closed, you might have to grab a cab or transfer buses at DS.

 

[wagner1225]

We have stayed at Cr several times over the years and always enjoyed it, this past year we stayed at AOA Nemo Suite, and also enjoyed it very much, if you have kids this is the place to stay, in all the years of going to WDW ( over 40+) This resort put the most smiles on kids faces that I have seen and ours also, we have brought two Autistic kids to disney for the past 20 years and this resort will keep their mines occupied. It is a true a kids resort big and small...

 

[cutigerlady]

My son's first trip to Disney we stayed at the Contemporary with a TPV. He wanted to sleep on the balcony to watch the monorails and boats all night! It was super convenient for coming back to the room for quiet time.

However, with 5 people you will be much more comfortable at AOA. The extra bathroom and space will come in handy. My kids liked AOA and we thought the bus service here was great! My kids love riding the bus, but if you are staying late at night be prepared for packed buses on your way back to AOA. I would avoid the food court. It is loud and chaotic. We brought cereal/milk and bagels for our room.

 

[StirlingSilver83]

AoA Is definitely a lot cheaper than TPV at the CR. Heres my way at looking at it. I have 1 son (My older son that is on the spectrum). When he was younger we stayed off site, and it was very stressful getting to and from the parks and it was stressful to him being in the parks pretty much all day without a break. He couldn't handle transitions well when he was younger so to take breaks back at the hotels was extremely difficult to get him out of the park and then back in the park when we wanted to go back. In 2014 we planned another vacation back to Disney, but this time we would be bringing along our brand new 8 month old baby boy . I honestly didn't want to have to deal with the hassle of my older son's problems and then dealing with a baby on top of that, so I convinced my hubby we needed to stay monorail. We stayed at a TPV in the CR. It was by far the best vacation we had (even though my older son got really sick and was in bed for 2 days). It was relaxing and it was easy to get to the parks and there was no hassle with either of the kids. It was quiet in the rooms and my older son loved that he could see the fireworks from the balcony. My older son also loved the arcade they have there as well. It was so much fun that we decided to go back again last year! We stayed at the Grand Floridian last year. My hubby (who happens to be very frugal) now says that we will be staying monorail resorts until the baby is out of stroller age, because its hard to board the buses with a kid on the spectrum and a toddler and a stroller to deal with.

AoA is an awesome resort but I have heard that it can be loud and very very busy with a lot of people, which for kids on the spectrum it could be overstimulating to them, specially after dealing with being in the parks all day, plus having to wait for buses can be another problem for kids on the spectrum. I know we had to wait for a couple of buses last year and my older son was having a fit and almost went into meltdown mode and that was only waiting for like 10 minutes. I know the price point can be very intriguing bc it is a lot cheaper than CR, and you could more than likely stay another night if you stay there, but speaking from personal experience I think I would rather want an easier more convenient resort that wasn't as loud as some other resorts. If the kids want to play together maybe plan some play time for them away from the parks. Fort Wilderness has a playground and they also have the barn with horses and ponies. Its a very spacious area so lots of room to run and play Hope you have an awesome vacation!

 

[Little E]

I have two sons, and my youngest has some special needs, as well. My DH, sons, and I stayed at AoA in March of 2015 in a Cars suite, and we stayed at the CR in a garden wing room at the end of January this year. We loved both resorts, but for different reasons.

AoA:
We loved the theming of this resort. We actually never swam in the big pool because we found the Cars pool to be so quiet and it felt like we were walking right into the Cars movie in this area. This pool was not ever crowded while we were there, and there were laundry facilities adjacent to this pool. We swam every day, and I was even able to do laundry while my husband swam with the kids one day. My little guy is a really picky eater and he found a couple of good go-to things to eat at the food court. While this resort is quite removed from the parks, we never felt like we waited long for busses to any of the parks. We also ordered groceries from WeGoShop, and so we were able to eat breakfast and snacks in the suite, which really helped keep my son calm and relaxed. We appreciated the space that the suite provided and we loved having two full bathrooms. The table/murphy bed was fun for my boys, and they said both the murphy bed and the pull out couch were comfy. If memory serves, both were full sized beds. We also liked the fact that the master bedroom/bathroom was separate; when my little guy needed to decompress, he could go in that room, close the door, and lay on the bed and read/relax.

CR:
We also loved this resort, primarily because of its proximity to MK. You can't beat the ability to walk to the park! It's between a 10-15 walk, and it was nice to be able to go at our own pace. We loved the fact that we could walk to the CR and not have to wait for a bus, boat, or monorail at the end of the night. We were in a garden room, so I can't speak to the TPV. I will say the room was very spacious, and it was very quiet which was really nice. We were on the bottom floor and had a patio; both boys liked being able to walk out onto the patio area. The Contempo Cafe is the CR's food court and my picky eater was able to find a couple of go to foods there. He did not like the sound of the monorail coming through, but this wasn't a huge deal at all. He quickly learned to just cover his ears as it zipped through. The garden rooms are a standard room with one bathroom, but the single bathroom worked well, as there is a separate compartment for the toilet area. So, one of us could be going potty while someone else brushed teeth in the other part of the bathroom. The CR pool is not as themed as AoA; my youngest was a little overwhelmed with the hustle and bustle at this pool. We missed the quiet Cars pool at AoA, but both my sons and hubby loved running and playing on the volleyball court next to the pool.

Again, we loved both resorts, and we wouldn't hesitate to stay at either one in future trips. They are different resorts and offer different "perks". You know your family best. Only you know what perks would meet your family's needs best. I hope my feedback helped a little. Best wishes for a magical trip to WDW!!

 

[mousefan73]

Since I have never brought my kids to Disney, I thought maybe someone here might have some insight.


Here's the deal..
My family of 5 is booked for 4 nights at the Contemporary Hotel in a Theme Park View Room. We chose this because a) the ability to watch fireworks and see the castle from the room, and b) the convenience to Magic Kingdom. 2 of my 3 kids have autism and I was thinking that having the monorail or the ability to walk to and from MK without a long would be great for them, less of a hassle getting to and from the hotel, in case of a meltdown, etc.

My Sister-in-law is staying the same week as us at AOA. So this is the toss up - vacation with family (A huge plus, love her and her family and my kids and her kids all have a great time together) but further from the parks, longer wait for buses etc. We will probably do our own thing most of the time, but even the ability to be able to swim in the pool together would be so fun!

Also - I have no idea what costs more, a suite at AO per night vs. TPV at CR. If AOA is cheaper we would consider staying an extra night.

A little more info that may be helpful - we are not doing park hopping. We are spending 2 days at MK, one at AK and ne at HS - no epcot for us, unless AOA is cheaper and we can add a day.

We are right now planning a meal plan with 1 table service per day, but we may switch to 2 fast foods a day instead.

I look forward to your opinions and suggestions

Thank you!

Two words: two bathrooms!!! at AOA. One which is a walk in
Shower.

Pool themings awesome. Dont know how omd your kids are. But even without the slide. AOA pools compared to CR rock. Nemo, cars, ariel etc.

CR is invaluable for MK as far as transport. But Akl and HS are also bused. Epcot monorail.

Now if your kids due to tjeir autism cannot be in MK right near fireworks and seeing them from a sfr distance is the only thing. That's a dufferent thing. But there are other, cheaper options of views from afar.

 

[Nancyg56]

You can look at Garden Wing rooms then use the observation deck for viewing if you're after savings.

I would consider this if funds were an issue. WOudl you family agree to stay with a garden wing rate? I must say that while I have never stayed at AofA, I have stayed at the CR and honestly with little kids, this would be my choice.