Resort stay for a weekend - AOA or Caribbean Beach resort?

[Isabelle12345]

We are going for a short weekend trip over Springtime Surprise (April 14-17); DH and I will be running the 10-miler. We found some very very cheap flights so DD6 and DS8 will be joining us, as well as my parents (who will babysit during the race!).
We won’t be doing any parks for budget reasons (park tickets are crazy expensive for just one day!!!) so we will mostly be enjoying the resort, pool time, maybe resort hopping and Disney springs. We will probably ride the skyliner to go have dinner on the boardwalk and have some ice cream over there.
We currently have two rooms booked at CBR (5th sleeper) but for about 100$ less per night, we could get two Little mermaid rooms or a family suite at AOA.
I know my kids would love the giant icons, pools and playground at AOA (they loved Pop when we went a few years ago) but the pools just don’t seem as nice. A water slide seems like fun at that age…
Although I keep thinking they are the perfect age for AOA and they will outgrow the theming soon, so it would be an awesome time to do it, but I am also leaning towards a moderate for the amenities…
Any thoughts?
(PS Pop is out of the question because we stayed there before and we want to try a new resort!)

 

[Skippyboo]

I would switch to AoA and save the 100 bucks which you could put towards your dining. You have the cool big blue pool and still have Skyliner access.

 

[Isabelle12345]

I would switch to AoA and save the 100 bucks which you could put towards your dining. You have the cool big blue pool and still have Skyliner access.

For about the same price, would you recommend two little mermaid rooms or one family suite?
(Grandparents would get the closed room, kiddos on the pullout couch and we would get the pull-down bed)

 

[Nabas]

For about the same price, would you recommend two little mermaid rooms or one family suite?
(Grandparents would get the closed room, kiddos on the pullout couch and we would get the pull-down bed)

I also vote for AOA over CBR, seeing that there will be 6 of you. The 2 bathrooms will make a big difference.

Whether 2 Studios or a suite, how much do you want to (frankly) be in each other's face? Having separate rooms gives you some time apart. But if you want to spend every moment together, then consider the suite.

Also, 2 Studios gives you 4 sleeping surfaces, including 2 queen beds. I believe the suite only has one queen bed.

 

[HopperFan]

AoA pools, even without slide, are highly themed and way better than any moderate quiet pool. The Cars pool area is so cool and the whole area like you are in the movie. The icons at the LM pool are incredible and the kids will love it. They entire resort is so well done and themed - great place to do some "photoshoots" with your kids. Since you are making this a resort centric visit then AoA is great because you can try all three pools for three different kind of experiences. And the Skyliner.

 

[hes122]

The LM rooms at AoA are only full sized beds so that might be a deal breaker for you and your husband (and perhaps the grandparents).

 

[Isabelle12345]

Thanks for your replies
Lots of love for AOA - I am guessing the theming is a major factor with kids that age - or is it that CBR has worn out rooms?
I think I will show the kids and my parents videos of both resorts so they can help with the decision!

 

[Dug720]

The LM rooms at AoA are only full sized beds so that might be a deal breaker for you and your husband (and perhaps the grandparents).

Pretty sure they are queen sized after the refurb.

 

[Stacybaeasm]

The issue with the suite would be you getting up and ready for the race. Or is the 10 mile race an evening race? If it is an early morning - you are going to wake up the kids as you get yourself and hubby ready and out to the buses for that early 3am call.

 

[HopperFan]

The LM rooms at AoA are only full sized beds so that might be a deal breaker for you and your husband (and perhaps the grandparents).

The Little Mermaid Rooms were renovated during COVID shut down, but without murphy beds.

The AoA Suites have a queen in bedroom and full sleepers in the living/dining space. This makes the suites a less desirable option for parties with more than two adults.


The Little Mermaid Standard Room

Views of the Courtyard, Pool or Parking Area

1 King Bed or 2 Queen Beds

 

[Isabelle12345]

I agrée with the suites and the early wake up… probably not ideal
If I knew I could get the new refurbished rooms at CBR i probably wouldn’t wonder that much…

 

[hes122]

Pretty sure they are queen sized after the refurb.

The Little Mermaid Rooms were renovated during COVID shut down, but without murphy beds.

The AoA Suites have a queen in bedroom and full sleepers in the living/dining space. This makes the suites a less desirable option for parties with more than two adults.


The Little Mermaid Standard Room

Views of the Courtyard, Pool or Parking Area

1 King Bed or 2 Queen Beds

Well then ignore me! I somehow forgot those had undergone a refurb!

 

[HopperFan]

Well then ignore me! I somehow forgot those had undergone a refurb!

In your defense they kind of did it in secret. All that we ever seemed to hear is that all work had stopped ... which was frustrating because there was no rule that they had to stop working construction type projects. Imagine all they could have gotten done if they hunkered down.

 

[gottalovepluto]

….Imagine all they could have gotten done if they hunkered down.

Tron would like a word.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I’d defer to what the babysitters want primarily. After that I’d keep in mind AoA doesn’t have a water slide so if your kids are into that (I don’t have kids so no idea what age they start water sliding lol) only CBR has a slide. As a kid I recall a water slide was The Best. The hotel could be a flee infested wasteland but if we had a waterslide it was gold to us

 

[Isabelle12345]

Thanks for all the replies - it means so much to me that people I don’t know take some of their time to answer, and want me to have the best information to make a decision! This is such a wonderful community

I agree that a water slide would be awesome for the kids - so CBR takes the edge there. Plus, we could make a visit to AOA and Pop via the skyliner to see the giant icons and stroll through the grounds!
Thanks

 

[Calidisneyfam]

I just stayed at CBR in Barbados, which was not recently refurbished and I thought it was wonderful. I had read a lot of reviews about the rooms feelings old and tired, but I didn’t get that feeling at all. I had zero complaints. I’d pick CBR for the slides and just the overall peaceful feeling. And Sebastian’s was one of our favorite meals all week!

 

[Piglet99645]

Hey Gang,

I'm going to hijack this thread because I was about to post the same AoA vs. CB question, but my criteria are a bit different.

We will only be 3 people, myself and kids ages 22 and 17, but for reasons we need a suite or 2 hotel rooms.

As the OP said, two rooms or a suite at AoA are a lot cheaper than two rooms at CB. (But I understand that the little mermaid rooms are farther away, which is why I would probably go for an AoA suite).

We don't care about the pools.

We will only be staying 2-3 nights to take advantage of the Skyliner access to HS and Epcot. Then we will be moving off-property or to another resort.

Would also consider Pop. Not interested in Riviera.

Questions:

1. Which resort would have the shortest/easiest access to the Skyliner? (In terms of walking from the room).

2. Regarding beds, I know the arrangement of the AoA is a bit weird, but are there at least 2 REAL beds? (i.e. is the fold down table bed like a real bed? Or more like a sleeper sofa?)

3. Is the Skyliner actually a timesaver vs. driving and parking at the theme park?

4. Is the Skyliner actually a timesaver vs. taking a bus from the All Stars?

5. Is It dramatically faster/closer to stay at CB vs. AoA or Pop to get to HS and Epcot?

5. Will this all be pointless if the Skyliner is down for some reason?


Historically we have stayed at the All STars or off property so would like to try something new, but I'm too cheap for a Deluxe. This will be our first WDW trip since 2016 (we do DL at least once a year).

Thanks!

P.