I stayed at AoA in 2022 with my mom and the theming is excellent, however, if you aren't looking at a suite, the single room units are only in the Little Mermaid buildings and it's a bit of a hike from the bus or skyliner (or food court) at the end of a long day. Plus, the price difference for basically the same room at Pop Century is not insubstantial. I stayed at Pop Century for a solo trip last year, at a preferred room right by the main pool and food court, for, gosh... around $70 less per night than I paid at AoA. The theming is less interesting in my opionion, but you can take a walk around Hourglass Lake and check out all the theming at AoA whenever you want. If money is not a big consideration and you want a real in-your-face DISNEY vibe (which I wanted for my mom since she hadn't been to WDW since 1987), AoA is pretty great, especially having breakfast outside the food court next to the Nemo seagulls who will start shouting "MINE! MINE!" every once in a while. But if you want a comparable experience for less money, Pop is worth considering. But either way, with the Skyliner there, either one is a lot of fun for a value (or value+ for AoA) price.
