Thinking about AOA- Questions

[CariCloud]

(Cross posted from wdwinfo.com)

So our trip is not until 2017 however I've got the planning bug. We were originally going to stay at a deluxe resort for 10 days (9 nights). However we just couldn't find one we loved or thought our (will be 4.5 year old) would love too. I think the IN YOUR FACE Disney-ness of AOA (plus the space the family suites give you) are a real fit for us. So we will be doing that instead (I think) for 12 days (11 nights).

My questions are:

1. Which wing is the best for a 4.5 year old boy and his 2 (kids on the inside) parents?

2. Should we rent a car?

Since we are staying so many days we plan to have a few "off days" where we visit other resorts, go to Disney Quest, Mini golf. We also plan to split some of the days like MK in the morning come "home" for a nap or rest" go back out to another park or the same park etc.

3. What are some of the special things you like about this resort?


4. Have you stayed at this resort and used one of the child care clubs at the deluxe resort? Which one and why?



Thank you and sorry if this is in other threads I mostly check this at work and like to have quick access to the info I need

 

[cbettua]

AOA is fun! What wing, well I would say what wing does your child like the most? Cars? Lion King? or Nemo? Out of the three, I think the Cars one is just really themed and fantastic. A car isn't a must, but if you want to just take off and go to a reservation the car is the fastest way.

I love the food court, the pool, the themeing by far!
I have stayed here and will be again in November, but have never used the child care clubs.

 

[hsisthebest]

I put a full review in the resorts section of wdwmagic back in 2012. Long story short, I would go with Nemo, as they are close to the pool and not far from the eatery and buses. While the walks at AOA are some of the shortest at any resort, the Lion king Suites still might be pushing it for a tired 4.5 y.o. Here is a snippet from my review:
We recently stayed at AOA for 5 nights. There were 6 of us (me, DW, MIL, DD5, DS2, DS1). We had a Finding Nemo room. The good: * Resort layout. The Finding Nemo Rooms are very close to the main pool, food court, and Disney Buses. It is nice to have a value resort with all doors on the interior of buildings. The Cars rooms are also close to the main building, but if you want a quieter section of the Resort then I would try Lion King or Little Mermaid- these have somewhat longer walks to the main building but not nearly as far as some of the other resorts. * Theming. Very fun especially for kids. The outdoor characters are huge and look great. The Finding Nemo and Lion King Section have a lot to look at and interact with. The Cars section however, really steals the show. There is a nice tribute to radiator springs and the Cozy Cone Motel. Several (replicas) of the cars from the original movie are also displayed and look amazing- they had no visible wear or tear even after some months of the Resort being opened. Inside the rooms the great theming continued; from fish pictures made from smaller fish, to bubbles in the chairs, to ocean themed paint schemes, you could almost forget that this is a value resort. The picture of Nemo and his dad sleeping in the hideaway bed was the kids' favorite. *Room layouts. AOA manages to get a lot of amenities/accommodations in their rooms without it feeling cramped.

 

[HollyAD]

Just left AoA this AM! We loved it and we're super impressed. We experienced the best bus service out of 15 plus trips staying on property in recent years. We never waited more than 10 min for any bus. We had a cars suite and my son (5) loved it. He was so excited to have a table that folded down into a bed. I spent a few hours wondering around the resort and taking pictures of the themed areas. I would not advise the lion king suites for a little one it could actually be a little scarey. The nemo suites are the best location.

I would actually say that AoA is up there with a deluxe resort for little kids. It was well worth the money for extra space! We will def be going back for our next trip.

 

[Matt_Black]

For a value, AoA is really nice. One of my favorite little touches is in the gift shop entrance to the food court, there's a little dry erase board with a daily Disney fact and trivia question.