SSR vs. AoA, help me decide!

[Juliet25]

I have a reservation at WL for May but my oldest daughter decided she wants to come, so that leaves us with limited choices for a family of 5. My options are essentially a 1 bedroom preferred at SSR, or a suite at AofA. I’ve stayed at POP but have only visited the outside of AoA. My kids are 15, 17, and 23, so the Disneyness of AoA isn’t a big draw, though my daughters are very into animation drawing. The theming is a bit over the top for me, but that Skyliner is a huge draw.

SSR would be a bit more relaxing I think, but the theming is so dull. I’ve stayed there twice in studio, but it’s been a long time. I love the 1 bedrooms with the full kitchen and laundry in-room. Obviously being close to Disney Springs is a bonus. Is it walkable? We plan to do 3 days in a park. I’m very interested in doing the extra hours for deluxe resort guests as we are definitely a family of night owls.

Pools aren’t really a big consideration as my kids don’t swim much any more. We won’t be doing a dining plan, so a kitchen is a plus. Price is basically the same. We’d do a Finding Nemo room at AoA.

Is there anything I’m not considering?

 

[leebee]

You could do 2 rooms at an AllStars. That's what we did when we went with DD, SIL, and the 9 year old. I asked for- and got- 2 connecting rooms. Both couples had some privacy, and we appreciated the space. We prefer the AllStars to POP or AoA due to the size. AllStar resorts are much smaller. Food court seems to be on the same level. Skyliner isn't a huge draw for us... if it rains you are stuck on buses anyhow. There's no kitchen with the 2 rooms at AllStars (unless you do a suite at ASMu) but you'll have 2 refrigerators and coffee makers, which is sufficient for making simple in-room breakfasts.

Yes, SSR is walkable to DisneySprings. DH and I were there in January, for a non-park trip. We walked over to DS every evening for dinner and cocktail/bar hopping. Pretty convenient to be able to walk back and forth.

 

[Juliet25]

You could do 2 rooms at an AllStars. That's what we did when we went with DD, SIL, and the 9 year old. I asked for- and got- 2 connecting rooms. Both couples had some privacy, and we appreciated the space. We prefer the AllStars to POP or AoA due to the size. AllStar resorts are much smaller. Food court seems to be on the same level. Skyliner isn't a huge draw for us... if it rains you are stuck on buses anyhow. There's no kitchen with the 2 rooms at AllStars (unless you do a suite at ASMu) but you'll have 2 refrigerators and coffee makers, which is sufficient for making simple in-room breakfasts.

Yes, SSR is walkable to DisneySprings. DH and I were there in January, for a non-park trip. We walked over to DS every evening for dinner and cocktail/bar hopping. Pretty convenient to be able to walk back and forth.

There's actually nothing available at a Value on our dates. I'll be honest, I stayed at a Value two out of our last three trips and I just didn't enjoy it. I do have the option of doing two rooms in a CSR Tower (one concierge), but that's getting pretty pricy. If I want to stay a full 7 nights, my choices are SSR or AoA. We're not too flexible with the dates, unfortunately.

 

[DanceDisney23]

With two teenagers and one young adult, I would do AOA for the two bathrooms alone. Unless you consider a two bedroom villa at SSR.

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

There's actually nothing available at a Value on our dates. I'll be honest, I stayed at a Value two out of our last three trips and I just didn't enjoy it. I do have the option of doing two rooms in a CSR Tower (one concierge), but that's getting pretty pricy. If I want to stay a full 7 nights, my choices are SSR or AoA. We're not too flexible with the dates, unfortunately.

If you didn't enjoy staying at the Value resorts, I am not sure you will enjoy AoA.

With the ages of your party, I would not do anything less than an option with 2 bathrooms. Are there any rooms available at POFQ or CBR for your dates? You could do 2 connecting(hopefully) rooms and have 4 beds and 2 bathrooms. POFQ (and POR) have the boat access to DS which is a plus for your group. CBR has the skyliner.

If you really want the Deluxe after hours, you could check out the Swalphin resorts for availability.

 

[sponica]

I don't like the bathroom layout in the 1BR SSR and would not do that with a party of 5.

 

[WhoDatDisney]

As a family of six with 4 boys having 2 full bathrooms is a must.

Would definitely choose AOA. And skyliner is money!!!

 

[Disneylover99]

I’m very interested in doing the extra hours for deluxe resort guests as we are definitely a family of night owls.

Then SSR is your answer.
Just make sure the dates you’re planning coincide with extended evening hours.

 

[Lumpy1106]

I would go with the AoA Suite. Before our stay there we had pictured a "value" and were apprehensive. This was as they were building the Skyliner and we thought the buses would be bad, the common areas loud, and the rooms also loud. All of these fears were unfounded; the bus lines were well organized and rarely had to wait very long, the rooms were quiet (BIG surprise as they have interior hallways) and the room felt big. 2 Bathrooms is a HUGE plus. The QS is maybe the best on property for any resort. The one thing we were disappointed with? The Big Blue pool. It does not have a slide and was always crowded. You literally have to rope-drop the pool to stake a claim on a deck chair. It does have two smaller pools that we did not try, but would probably opt to use one of those pools if we stayed there again.

SSR - We did buy DVC just after our AoA stay and the full kitchen and laundry facilities is really nice. We did a DVC tour at SSR and our kids did not like it, so we have not stayed there. The bus situation has also kept us away from staying there. It's a long-ish walk to DS but I would see that as a big plus too.

 

[gottalovepluto]

AoA. One bathroom for one week will be old by day 3 and misery by day 5. The toilet door is behind the shower door so it’s inaccessible when someone is showering (glass shower) unless you’re on an intimate basis. To be easy walking distance to DS you need a preferred SSR booking and request the section by Disney springs, but you can walk from any section it will just take a while. They also offer a boat and bus to DS. The only reason I hesitate here is the DS access would be nice with 4 down days and no interest in pools- what are you even doing those days? Do you have to stay at Disney the whole time? There are nicer places off-site at better rates if you don’t need to stay at the same hotel the whole week.

I found the living room to be small at SSR compared the 1 bd at RIV I am used too. I don’t see how 3 teens/young adults can live in there and you can still cook meals and enjoy eating them. With just my adult sister and I we had pretty much taken all the space that wasn’t the table as we had to live out of our suitcases due to the severe lack of storage. A week of togetherness inclusive of 4 down days in that room had my brother joined would likely have cured me of family vacations- though if you don’t want older DD joining in next time guess that’s an advantage?

Do price 2 rooms at Swolphin. It’s a Disney Deluxe. If they have availability online give them a call so you can compare their special family rate (I think it’s 25% off the second room) to any other rates you might be eligible for (AAA, teacher, first responder, etc).

 

[Marthasor]

I agree with the others regarding checking out the pricing for two rooms at Swan/Dolphin. Great resorts, amazing location, deluxe perks and the rooms typically price out around mid pricing or less.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Take into in account the transport options at SSR and factor in the fact it also has an internal bus loop.

I would stay at AOA hands down, but I also love over the top theming.