which of these resorts would you pick?

[Mousemommy1]

I agree the pool was not crowed at all. The spray area was disappointing for us. When we were there many of the sprayers were not working. Hopefully that fixed them by now.

We stayed there in 2015 and they weren't working.

 

[HopperFan]

Not even a CR fan but with your kids ages ........
- Proximity to MK
- You do NOT need all the space/bath at AoA
It wouldn't even come close for me.

 

[lovemy2girls4eva]

Thanks all!

Got free dining at AoA so family suite it is!!!

 

[bukappadelta]

You won't regret the extra bathroom either!

 

[Jennia]

a little background: 2 adults and 3 kids (7, 5 and 22 months)

all price equal so money isn't the issue.

which would you pick and why?

AoA family suite

or

A standard room at the Contemporary resort

Thanks!

I would pick the Contemporary just for the ability to walk to/from MK. One trip my husband had to leave a few days early due to issues at work, and for me, this path was a lifesaver. I could easily bring in and take out the stroller on my own without worrying about packing it up for the bus, plus my kids love taking the monorail, so having that available is also a plus, in my opinion.

 

[Jennia]

Thanks all!

Got free dining at AoA so family suite it is!!!

Lol, replied before I read the whole thread! Having that extra bathroom will definitely be nice, plus the theming does seem more kid friendly!

 

[brockash]

a little background: 2 adults and 3 kids (7, 5 and 22 months)

all price equal so money isn't the issue.

which would you pick and why?

AoA family suite

or

A standard room at the Contemporary resort

Thanks!

Hands Down, no questions asked standard at CR....really any room at CR. Having the ability to walk to MK and use monorail when it's working correctly to Epcot, especially with a stroller is priceless. Plus you'll also have a slide and hot tub at CR, which you wouldn't get at AoA. Not to mention staying deluxe as opposed to value.

Were you nothinking able to get free dining at CR? Also the free dining offered at deluxes is the regular plan with a table service, counter service and 2 snacks, instead of just the counter service and 1 snack at values and mods.

 

[lovemy2girls4eva]

Hands Down, no questions asked standard at CR....really any room at CR. Having the ability to walk to MK and use monorail when it's working correctly to Epcot, especially with a stroller is priceless. Plus you'll also have a slide and hot tub at CR, which you wouldn't get at AoA. Not to mention staying deluxe as opposed to value.

Were you nothinking able to get free dining at CR? Also the free dining offered at deluxes is the regular plan with a table service, counter service and 2 snacks, instead of just the counter service and 1 snack at values and mods.

No, free dining wasn't available at CR for my dates.

 

[Surgie2]

CR for sure even without free dining. With the ages of your kids, I would suspect you will have more than one MK day and maybe more than one EP. The CR locations is awesome for both and great if the youngest needs to return for a nap and the older ones stay in the park with the other adult.

 

[SgtTibbs]

Isn't AoA about 1/2 the rate of the Contemporary? What would you do with the extra money saved by staying at the Aoa? Uber to/from parks to save time? Eat at signature restaurants? Book dessert parties? Skip out to Universal for a day? Pocket the difference?

 

[Surgie2]

Uber to/from parks to save time?

OP's children are 2, 5 and 7. The youngest would need a car seat and the older ones (at least the 5 YO) would likely need a booster seat. This makes Uber a little trickier since many do not have car seats or do not have the kind that fit the particular needs of a child's height and weight. People are often quick to recommend Uber and taxis to save money on resorts and time on buses but the reality is, if you are traveling with young kids car seats in cars are a necessity. Which is why with 4 kids under 6 we'll be staying at the Poly next year and going to only WDW parks using Disney transportation. We are OK spending more for convenience of a monorail resort and forgoing the signature restaurants with the crew we're bringing LOL

 

[MrsSLF]

We've never stayed at the Contemporary but have stayed at AoA twice in the family suites and loved it! We're staying at the Poly this time and I am excited about the monorail but we wouldn't hesitate to at AoA again.

 

[Lupeix]

We have stayed at an AoA suite and next time we are renting points to stay at Bay Lake tower. I will recommend looking into renting points to stay at BLT or staying at CR. I will not stay at AoA again. DS (then 5) loved AoA theming and pool, but the bus situation was terrible. Strollers, toddlers and Disney buses do not mix well. Getting back from the MK after fireworks was a nightmare. It was noisy and the foodcourt was crowded. It really did not help that we did a split stay between AoA and the Swan. Being able to walk to parks while you have a stroller is the best and has spoiled us forever (or until both kids can walk into the bus by themselves and do not longer need a midday break). We are the type of family that needs to sleep in a separate room from the kids, so CR is out for us. I did a lot of research and decided to go with the DVC rental store because it is the only one that offers a "cancel for any reason" policy. You really need to book more than 7 months in advance if you want to rent points for BLT.

 

[AdamEfimoff]

a little background: 2 adults and 3 kids (7, 5 and 22 months)

all price equal so money isn't the issue.

which would you pick and why?

AoA family suite

or

A standard room at the Contemporary resort

Thanks!

neither

 

[disneyfan128]

This would depend on what's important to your family. Is room comfort and size important, or is location and transportation important? To me AoA Family Suite would be the better option for 5 people. AoA Family Suites have 2 bathrooms, 3 beds, and just more space.