Is it just me or are the AoA suites not very functional?

[I_heart_Tigger]

For a family of 3 or more to stay at the AoA suites it seems like the room is not very functional. At the end of the day suppose the young kids need to go to bed but the parents don't. That means you have to put the kids in the master bedroom and the parents can stay up and use the rest of the living space.

Then when the parents go to bed they can either sleep on the dining room table/bed or the living room sofa bed or they have to take the kids from the master bedroom and put them in one of the other beds.

It seems like a great layout if you are a couple with no children but I don't find it very useful for a family unless I'm missing something?

 

[captainkidd]

How is that different from any other hotel room on property?

Besides, isn't there a TV in the master bedroom?

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

How is that different from any other hotel room on property?

Besides, isn't there a TV in the master bedroom?

It's not different than any other room on property, that's the problem. They are called family suites which would lead me to believe they are convenient for a family yet I find they are no more convenient than a standard room.

Also, yes if the parents only want to watch TV they can stay in the bedroom and let their kids sleep in the living room/dining room but if they want to have a snack, drink, prepare things for the next day they can't do that.

I just think that the name implies that they are designed with families in mind and I don't think enough thought was put into them. If so there would at a minimum be a way to at least shut the living room completely off if the kids are to sleep in there and leave the rest of the suite open to the parents (I don't believe this is the case now...correct me if I'm wrong) or ideally there would be 2 bedrooms with a small living/dining area.

 

[captainkidd]

OK, I get what you're saying.

Honestly, I don't think they were intended for that use. I think it was simply Disney's answer to providing more lodging for families of 5 or 6 at a price less than Deluxe and Villas.

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

True...maybe I was picturing deluxe accomodations in a value resort. I guess I just never thought about their functionality until I pictured a family of 4 utilizing the space.

 

[Master Yoda]

They are as functional as what is essentially a 1 bed room apartment can be. To do what you suggest would require at least a 2 bed room layout.

I have stayed in the original value suites at ASM I can tell you from first hand experience that they work quite well.

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

They are as functional as what is essentially a 1 bed room apartment can be. To do what you suggest would require at least a 2 bed room layout.

I have stayed in the original value suites at ASM I can tell you from first hand experience that they work quite well.

I haven't stayed in the ASM suites but do you think they could have closed off the living room with a door (or even double doors for a wider entry) with the same square footage?

I think that may have been an easy fix to sort of give the kids their own sleeping space.

 

[murphysmom]

I haven't stayed in the ASM suites but do you think they could have closed off the living room with a door (or even double doors for a wider entry) with the same square footage?

I think that may have been an easy fix to sort of give the kids their own sleeping space.

There is a door that closes off the bedroom from the rest of the suite.:shrug:

 

[Master Yoda]

I haven't stayed in the ASM suites but do you think they could have closed off the living room with a door (or even double doors for a wider entry) with the same square footage?

I think that may have been an easy fix to sort of give the kids their own sleeping space.

Have you seen the floor plan for the suite? I just do not see a location where you could add a door or partition that would do anything. The master bedroom already has a door separating it from the living area. It is as private as you can get when you are converting a living room into a bedroom. Like I said before, the only realistic way to do what you are suggesting is with a 2 bedroom floor plan.

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

There is a door that closes off the bedroom from the rest of the suite.:shrug:

I don't mean the master bedroom I mean a sleeping area for the children, either the living room or a separate bedroom, so the parents can stay up past the kids bedtime without having to lock themselves in the bedroom.

 

[Master Yoda]

I don't mean the master bedroom I mean a sleeping area for the children, either the living room or a separate bedroom, so the parents can stay up past the kids bedtime without having to lock themselves in the bedroom.

It is just not practical in a 1br format unless you put the kids in the bedroom. To do what you suggested requires a 2br floor plan. No real way around it.

 

[DVCOwner]

I don't mean the master bedroom I mean a sleeping area for the children, either the living room or a separate bedroom, so the parents can stay up past the kids bedtime without having to lock themselves in the bedroom.

Can you say DVC two bedroom villa at a value cost - not going to happen. This is a value resort and a great deal for the price. If you start increasing the floor space to do what you this could not be offered at a value resort.

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

Have you seen the floor plan for the suite? I just do not see a location where you could add a door or partition that would do anything. The master bedroom already has a door separating it from the living area. It is as private as you can get when you are converting a living room into a bedroom. Like I said before, the only realistic way to do what you are suggesting is with a 2 bedroom floor plan.

I did see a floor plan for AoA but not for ASM suites. I wasn't sure if ASM would have allowed a closed living room. I didn't know if they were the same type of plan or not. It was when I saw the floor plan for AoA that I found them poorly designed.

I was trying to remember the hotels I stayed in (one was in Copenhagen and the other in Istanbul) where double doors closed off the living room. The suites were both very small but it allowed for the doors to stay open leaving a larger feel to the suite in the day time. At night you could close the double doors and have a small "bedroom" with TV while the other areas - bedroom, bathroom, kitchenette remained open.

This design means that no matter who goes to bed earlier - the other people can still have access to the rest of the suite. It was a simple, very functional and quite compact design for a one bedroom suite. Ideal for a family of four when kids have an early bedtime and parents want to enjoy the evening without having to stay in their bedroom.

 

[murphysmom]

I guess I'm not seeing the big deal. There is a tv in the bedroom section. It is not as if the parents are trapped in there with nothing to do. The bathroom is maybe 5 steps away, and you don't need to walk thru the living room area where the kids are sleeping to get to it.

No one set up is going to be perfect for every family. You have to pick what works for your family.

I've seen where many people book the Fort Wilderness Cabins and put their kids into the bedroom. That may be more the set up you are looking for.

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

No one set up is going to be perfect for every family. You have to pick what works for your family.

True, I guess with my family since I am a night owl and a snacker - as is my boyfriend and my sister and my niece and mother are both early risers this wouldn't work for my family. Same for my in-laws and traveling with my friends.

We wouldn't have access to the kitchen without waking up my niece who is either sleeping on the dining room table or in the open living room. Since I tend to stay up several hours after everyone else goes to bed (My niece goes to bed at 9pm and I may up until 2am) I wouldn't want to be stuck in the bedroom for 5 hours when I could be having a snack, using the dining room table, setting out all my stuff to take the next day, preparing our snacks for the parks the next day etc etc.

Also, if someone sleeps in and someone else gets up early for coffee and breakfast then they would also wake the person in the living room/dining room. My mom would much rather be able to get up and have her coffee in silence before the rest of us get up.

All of those issues could be solved with a door. It just wasn't designed that way. I guess having seen suites that are about the same size but designed better to suit families who don't all wake up and go to bed at the same time I notice it more.

 

[murphysmom]

True, I guess with my family since I am a night owl and a snacker - as is my boyfriend and my sister and my niece and mother are both early risers this wouldn't work for my family. Same for my in-laws and traveling with my friends.

I hear you on that. My job requires me to get up at 430 am at the latest. I was worried during our last trip that I would wake up and disturb the others, but I was so exhausted that it wasn't a problem. I was actually able to sleep in until 8am, and stay up until 11 or so without any problem at all. Maybe you will find that to be the case too, your body will just adjust to Disney time.

I do think what you are looking for is more of a 2 bedrooms suite, or the fort wilderness cabins. Either of those should work for your family.

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

I do think what you are looking for is more of a 2 bedrooms suite, or the fort wilderness cabins. Either of those should work for your family.

Actually I think my family would be better off with separate rooms...in different buildings...at different resorts...maybe I can stick some of them off property :lookaroun:lol:

 

[SpoonOfSugar]

They are convenient for my family. We are a family of 5, me, my DH, and our 3 girls who are 12,15,and 20. We have never stayed in a suite before because normally we either get one room with a roll away bed (which is way to small for us) or get two rooms connecting (not a bad option). However this resort is newer and in better quality then the All Star resorts and even some rooms at pop. Also, we are really looking forward to having a fridge in the room and 2 bathrooms. 1 bathroom with 4 girls trying to get ready in the morning is a bit crazy. So we are going to stay in the suites at AoA when we go in June. I'll be giving a full report when we come back of the pros and cons.

 

[Princess_Minnie]

I see what you're saying, but at the same time, when I was a kid in Disney World I was so tired by the end of the day that I slept like the dead. My parents could have stood right over my sister and I in our bed asleep and had a loud conversation and we would never have woken up. Maybe some kids aren't like that, but every kid I've dealt with in Disney is way to sleepy to really care if some glasses clink in the kitchen at night.

 

[EvilQueen-T]

It's one of the reasons I loved our stay at the treehouse villas. We went with a group of 6 adults and one child but with 3 separate bedrooms and the living room I found it more functional than the traditional layout you're describing. more functional even than when we stayed in the big king kamehameha suite at the poly (although for location and overall sheer size and stunning views etc this room was amazing don't get me wrong) but at the prices you pay for AoA for a little the treehouse we all had an actual separate room so for us it was worth it. but we also had a 35% discount offer so the price was good for that size party to be together plus have a full kitchen, grill, and the ability to park our car right at the treehouse.