AOA Little Mermaid or OKW 2BR

[Bsmiley94]

Traveling with 5 adults and 1 toddler for a week in November.. should we get 2 connecting Little Mermaid Rooms or 2 BR Villa at OKW. We won’t have a car so will be mainly relying on Disney transportation. Not sure how much down/resort time we will have as this is our first trip with our 2 year old. They essentially the same price. We will have to change resorts after 4 nights at OKW but we will only have 4 adults at that point so can stay in a regular studio at any resort. Please help. I can’t make up my mind. We are used to staying deluxe but thought the theming would be nice for our toddler.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

those are 2 very different resorts!

Old Key West is old school Disney World theming - so less in your face Disney and more “this feels like key west” vibes. Pretty limited counter service - just an outdoor counter - but good options and Olivia’s Cafe is a great sit down restaurant.

The resort is spread out with internal bus stops. There is a boat to Disney Springs.

Art of Animation rooms at Little mermaid are small, basic hotel rooms - but the resort is bright, colorful, and in your face Disney with themed pools and a large food court.

Skyliner provides transportation to Epcot and Hollywood Studios - and the skyliner also stops at Carribean Beach and Rivieria with even more food and beverage options.

If you don’t mind the smaller hotel like rooms - art of animation is probably the winner for you.

 

[JIMINYCR]

I'd lean towards AoA. First trip with your 2yo. you want a better spot for pics for memories. AoA affords that more with the variety of large characters around the grounds. The food court serves good items and is large enough that you aren't crowded in. Yes, rooms are smaller but how much time are you actually in rooms. Yes, with a young one there's naps and park breaks but IMHO room size isn't going to be a deal breaking factor.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

I would shoot for a family suite at AoA…the room will accommodate 5 + a little one comfortably as long as a few can share a bed…for the child, AoA will be awesome! Hell, for this 61 yo, AoA is my favorite resort! In addition to their food court, you’ll also have the option of walking over to POP’s food court with the skyliner in between the 2 resorts…ENJOY!!

 

[Nautilus]

I would go with AoA. Not only will the theme be a lot more fun for the 2yr old, but as others have mentioned the perks of the Skyliner and proximity to food variety will be better. I also would say that AoA is easier to navigate internally. OKW has a lot of roads that run through the resort, so walking from one place to another means having to pay more attention to vehicle traffic. AoA has the parking lots on the exterior of the resort, so you would only encounter vehicle traffic when going out to the bus station, or walking the perimeter and even then, you don't have to cross any roads.

The Skyliner will stop running if the weather is questionable, so keep that in mind. Buses will be provided for the parks and getting back to your resort, but probably not for getting from one resort to another.