All Star vs Art Of The Animation

[Doberge]

When we pay cash we stay at POP. Standard is fine but we usually go for Preferred to be closer to the middle for the skyliner and main building. POP preferred may be cheaper than AoA Little Mermaid?

We have stayed in an AoA suite as a family of 4 + grandma and it was okay but not something I'd recommend for two families. We do love visiting AoA to walk around, and I prefer that food court.

Using the skyliner to get around not just to parks but other resorts is great.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

One factor perhaps is that everyone appears to be comparing resorts based on the idea of relying purely on Disney transportation.

If you have a car or are willing to pay for transportation, then the transportation is less of a factor.

The WDW hotels no longer charge for overnight parking.

The price difference between hotels can be used to offset transportation costs.

A plus of the All Stars is they you can easily go between the three hotels for dining and swimming. They look far apart, but are actually a very short walk to each other. For a long time WDW has not generally allowed pool hopping between most resorts, but guests staying at any of the All Star resorts are allowed to use any pool at those 3 resorts. It is also a plus to be able to eat at any of the 3 food courts. The food they offer is similar, but the change of scenery can be fun.

AoA is my favorite food court of the value hotels is terms of decor and food offerings. To be fair though, I have not been to most of them since before the pandemic.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Long time lurker, rare poster here. This is exactly the decision our family is trying to make. Our trip is further out, May 2024. My family of 3 plus a good friend and her son so 5 people total. The two kids will be 6 and 5 at the time. We are trying to decide between All Star Music suite, AoA suite, or Pop Century separate but adjoining rooms.

Lots of good advice in here so thank you to the OP and others. Leaning a Skyliner resort but the reduced price of All Star Music is attractive. Last trip was in 2016 before my wife and I had our son, but we went with her sister and 3 kids. Stayed at All Star Movies and it was fine, but the busses can get crowded and have long wait times.

A factor to consider is if you are all on the same sleep/park touring schedule. If you plan on touring together and - more or less- all sleeping at the same time, then sharing space is easier.

If though one person is a night owl and the other a morning person, sharing space gets more complicated. Or like if one person needs 9 hours of sleep, while the rest of the group only needs 6 hours of sleep, that would be a similar challenge.

There are other ways too that you might all be compatible, or not compatible that could be a factor when sharing space. Like how neat/messy everyone is.

If you are uncertain, then more space/privacy is generally the better choice. If you are all compatible, then sharing space can be lots of fun. The children might really love the ability to freely interact with each other. In some ways, that can also make getting ready easier for everyone. In a pinch, one adult can babysit the group while someone else makes a food run or something, if you are all on one room.

WDW does not guarantee adjoining rooms. When I requested them in the past, sometimes we got them and sometimes we didn't. When we didn't, we were usually just a few doors away from each other.

 

[PSUDisney77]

A factor to consider is if you are all on the same sleep/park touring schedule. If you plan on touring together and - more or less- all sleeping at the same time, then sharing space is easier.

If though one person is a night owl and the other a morning person, sharing space gets more complicated. Or like if one person needs 9 hours of sleep, while the rest of the group only needs 6 hours of sleep, that would be a similar challenge.

There are other ways too that you might all be compatible, or not compatible that could be a factor when sharing space. Like how neat/messy everyone is.

If you are uncertain, then more space/privacy is generally the better choice. If you are all compatible, then sharing space can be lots of fun. The children might really love the ability to freely interact with each other. In some ways, that can also make getting ready easier for everyone. In a pinch, one adult can babysit the group while someone else makes a food run or something, if you are all on one room.

WDW does not guarantee adjoining rooms. When I requested them in the past, sometimes we got them and sometimes we didn't. When we didn't, we were usually just a few doors away from each other.

Thanks for the advice. I think we will be touring together for sure and the sleep schedule will be similar. It will be the first visit for the other family coming with us.

 

[Eric Graham]

I've stayed at the All Star rooms and they are nice. I've heard to avoid them during cheer season. Whenever that is. It also may be your best bet to look at some of the Disney's Good Neighbor hotels such as the Hilton Bonnet Creek which is a five minute drive to the parks. They also provide transportation to and from the parks. Nice hotel as well.

 

[Eric Graham]

I only said to avoid cheer season because the walls can be pretty thin in the All Star.

 

[Eric Graham]

Also, it may be a best bet to look at AAA because they offer discounts on tickets through their service. Or, if you're going to other Orlando attractions also. Happy traveling to y'all!

 

[mf1972]

only disadvantage i can think of for pop & aoa is they’ll shut down the skyliner due to severe weather. i cant say how often that happens, but florida weather is florida weather. i’ve heard the lines for the skyliner are long in the morning & u can sometimes have a 15-20 minute wait just to get on. i’m not 100% sure on that so i hope someone here can correct me if i’m wrong.

we’ve stayed at asm many times. the bus lines for MK & HS seems to be the longest as of late. cute resort, decent food court. only knock i’ll give it is the walls in the rooms are thin. there’s a chance you’ll hear everything depending on your neighbors. lately we’ve been staying at POFQ. very nice resort if u want to think about going moderate. enjoy your trip.