WL or AoA?

[CariCloud]

We will be going to WDW when my son is about 4.5. We will be going at the end of august for 11 nights and 12 days. At first I was all for a Deluxe because as a kid I always wanted to stay on site and at the poly or contemporary. My husband really likes the deco at WL and I thought that was a good compromise. However in my research I found that AoA looks more fun for a 4 year old. There is not a huge price difference between a suite at AoA and a standard room at WL. I think AoA gets points for theme and space.

If you were staying this length as a family of 3 where would you stay?

Thanks!

 

[TinaLala]

You could always split your stay between the two. With that said WL is one of my favorites. I'm staying at AofA next yr due to the party size.

 

[bellebud]

WL rooms are pretty small - it's surprising how small. You're paying for the location/amenities/decor (just wouldn't want you to be disappointed - I know people who were).

But they're very comfy and totally get a thumbs up from me. Some have bunk beds (your ds would probably love that), don't know if you can reserve that or just request it.

I've never been to AoA, but knowing it's a motel and how spread out it is, I wouldn't like that.

We like having a balcony to sit on if kids fall asleep early or are sleeping later in the morning, and being able to open our curtains, get some fresh air (I hate motels because of people walking by your window).

The lobby of WL is really, really awesome. We love Roarin Forks, the quick serve place is good… the compact size of everything is something I love.

With you staying so long, and if you're really torn, I'd do a split stay. But if you have to only pick one, I'd always pick a deluxe over anything else. The convenience of it being a "hotel" always wins for me.

OH, and transportation - a boat ride to MK, a boat ride to Ft. Wilderness (which is fun to explore), a boat ride to Contemp (then hop on the monorail loop), I love all that! And you'll have the time to explore all of it too.

 

[bushdianee]

I'm also debating between WL and AoA. I've stayed at WL once and loved it. I had my DNiece who was 6 at the time and there were times she didn't want to go to a park or wanted to leave the parks to go back to WL. She loved the pool at WL. She has also stayed at CB, and POR and never asks to back to them. We are planning on going back to WDW in June and are undecided where to stay. The boat ride to MK is also a big plus.

 

[wishing4PA]

I'd pick WL in your circumstance. Just much more convenient, and your DS will be happy wherever. I don't think I'd do a split stay with a kid that age, because he may get happy at the first place and not want to move on.

Disclaimer, I've stayed at neither, but I have stayed at a value resort (ASMo) and Fort Wilderness, and checked out WL during that stay. It's just so pleasant to take the boats in that area, and like a PP said, your DS would probably enjoy visiting FW too (guessing he'd like ponies, lol.)

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

WL rooms are pretty small - it's surprising how small. You're paying for the location/amenities/decor (just wouldn't want you to be disappointed - I know people who were).

But they're very comfy and totally get a thumbs up from me. Some have bunk beds (your ds would probably love that), don't know if you can reserve that or just request it.

I've never been to AoA, but knowing it's a motel and how spread out it is, I wouldn't like that.

We like having a balcony to sit on if kids fall asleep early or are sleeping later in the morning, and being able to open our curtains, get some fresh air (I hate motels because of people walking by your window).

The lobby of WL is really, really awesome. We love Roarin Forks, the quick serve place is good… the compact size of everything is something I love.

With you staying so long, and if you're really torn, I'd do a split stay. But if you have to only pick one, I'd always pick a deluxe over anything else. The convenience of it being a "hotel" always wins for me.

OH, and transportation - a boat ride to MK, a boat ride to Ft. Wilderness (which is fun to explore), a boat ride to Contemp (then hop on the monorail loop), I love all that! And you'll have the time to explore all of it too.

I agree 100%. We are a family of 4 with 2 teen boys and didn't feel the rooms were cramped. I thought the bathroom was small for a deluxe resort as that was our first deluxe experience.

We later tried the Poly and aside from the monorail, we actually prefer the WL. The lobby, the interior hallways, compactness & the location are awesome.

We stopped at AoA while riding ME and decided it wasn't for us. I'd rather have a small room at WL than a suite at AoA. jmho.
Our fav is BC but that's another story...

 

[momneedscoffee13]

We just stayed at AoA and loved it. Can't compare to WL, as we've never been. But AoA was perfect for our 4 yo. We were in the Cars section and it was so fun watching him get so excited to see his favorite Car characters in full size and in person! All of the family suites (Cars, LK, Nemo) are not motel style, they are inside the buildings and accessed through hallways. Only the Little Mermaid section, which are single rooms, are motel style with outside doors.

We were in the furthest Cars building and it wasn't a long walk at all to transpo and food. Only a couple minutes at best. The suite was large enough for 4 adults and 2 kids in our party. We had no space issues and having two bathrooms was a HUGE positive. We would definitely stay at AoA again, it was such a fun and awesome themed resort!!

 

[MandiC]

I think that just depends on your family. We didn't stay at either of those but did chose POR for it's more adult appeal. The kids will love anywhere you stay on Disney property because Disney is great at the little details and including things kids like. AoA is more in your face obviously decorated with kids in mind but I'm sure that the Wilderness has things for kids too. You will have more space in a suite at AoA but you will have other conveniences staying at WL, just have to decide which are more important for your family.
*IF* it were my family we'd do the WL (well if my family were your family's size my family can't fit at WL without a DVC suite). Values have smaller beds and less amenities, many of which we enjoy. With WL you are close to Fort Wilderness which has all sorts of fun activities and meals (pony rides, Chip and Dale Campfire, HDDR, Mickey's Backyard BBQ...). Plus if you stay at a value during many times of the year it can be very busy and noisy with tour groups, dance groups, ect. I'm not sure if any of those happen in August but for me, I'd say better safe than sorry... quiet, laid-back is really important for us.

 

[MSSANDRA]

For quite a few years we either did value, or deluxe depending on the budget. We did not really think that moderates were that much better than values to justify the cost difference. We have stayed at WL but not at AOA though we have stayed at all the other values. Here are our thoughts:

WL is nice. It is a beautiful resort and we found the rooms comfortable though no more so than moderates. We loved taking the boat to the MK but we found the bus service everywhere else to be much slower than other resorts. We liked the counter service there and the WCC is fine. AP is a beautiful TS but it is an expensive signature that we try to limit. The boat to FW is very nice and we like Trails End Buffet there. The pool is very nice. We have found less friendly CM at WL than anywhere else we have stayed.

Values are fine. Until we moved to moderates, we were happy there. We will still stay there for a short trip. The food courts are nice and offer a huge choice of foods. We found POP, to have pretty good bus service. The rooms are very small and we would not choose a value for 12 days. A suite however would be very different and you may love the extra room.

As you may have figured out, we like moderates the best. It is the perfect compromise for us and allows us more trips than if we stayed deluxe. We like a choice of a sit down or food court . Our favorite is CSR and yes, we like it better than WL.

A preschooler will be happy ANYWHERE. Choose what you like rather than your child and it will all be good.

 

[CariCloud]

Thanks everyone. Its a tough choice. I felt like we would feel cramped or exausted of the room at WL after a few days since it is not very big. My husband thinks I am crazy. I thought about moderates but I didn't find any we liked the look of. I appreciate all the information. Any other suggestions are welcomed I have a long time to thing about it.

 

[MandiC]

If you like 'outdoorsy' you would likely really enjoy Port Orleans Riverside. We enjoy spread out and green and we loved it there. Honestly I wouldn't even consider staying elsewhere (though my husband does dream that we will eventually stay at WL...maybe our first trip without kids...many years from now) if it weren't for our family size. It had everything we wanted in a resort and more things to do than we could even take advantage of in the week we stayed there. Yes, there was some walking, I didn't find it terrible and I much prefer stepping out of my room and enjoying the outdoors to stepping into a hallway and walking through a hotel. Our walk to the bus stop was less than 5 minutes and that included many stops while the kids were looking on plants for lizards

 

[Alexle2007]

I would definitely pick WL! We have stayed there several times and when my son was the same age as yours and he loved riding the boat to MK. Plus at that age you'll probably be spending a lot of time at MK since there is so much for that age group there. WL is refurbishing their pool and it should be pretty awesome when they are done.

 

[Marthasor]

WL gets my vote. It's beautiful, it's close to MK, has a variety of food options, etc. Plus you can take the boat to Ft. Wilderness and ride the ponies! We've stayed at both and AoA was very uncomfortable - bedding is terrible, walls are thin, it was very loud and the food court was mass chaos. We were also there when it rained for 72 hours straight and had to walk in the rain to get to the food court, the bus, our room - it was really awful. WL is much, much nicer. You are going to see Disney theming everywhere! (including WL). I will always pick comfort, higher end amenities and proximity to parks over big statues and bad food courts.

 

[jessic2422]

I have stayed at both but my AOA was the little mermaid room. I totally vote for WL. It is much nicer with way better beds. The extra room would be nice but that would be the only thing that would sway me. WL is one of my favorite resorts.

 

[Feberin]

I haven't stayed in either but personally I would go with AOA. When we travel as a family I always prefer a suite to a single room since you can have more space and it's easier to stay up later then your child. I also think the theming there would be way more exciting for a small child however I bet he'd be fine with anywhere my kids loved the décor at All Star Sports. I'd also take the money saved on a cheaper accommodation and put it into doing something else like another character meal. One thing I wouldn't do is split your stay. We really unpacked when we went to Disney and stayed for only half as long as you. It would be really obnoxious in my opinion to pack everything up and move plus it would take up time during your trip. Anyways just my opinions.