And I'll chime with a good word for Cabana Bay, which is our confirmed home away from home at UO. Everyone is different, but I've never found the beds to be uncomfortable (well, no more uncomfortable than any hotel bed) and the only time in MANY trips that we've been bothered by the noise is when we were in first floor room by the pool. I usually ask for an upper floor, but one time we chose an early check-in versus location. If noise concerns you, steer away from a volcano view room.
If you are a Disney person, please know that the buses at UO are VERY different than Disney. At CB there is almost always a bus at the stop, waiting to take you to the park. At park close, there are 2-3 buses waiting to load to get you back to your hotel. Also, assuming that Sapphire Falls has reopened, you can always take that boat and then cross the street to CB.
Some of CB's pros - Walking distance to Volcano Bay (literally right next door); has a lazy river plus two pools (assuming that things are back to normal by your trip); very nice food court (good quality, easy to grab and go back to your room if you want to); lots of family suites, which give you more room, a kitchenette (microwave/frig) and separate sitting area with a TV
Usually, if you are going to be at UO for a longer period of time and/or are traveling at a lower crowd time, EPs aren't quite as necessary. Of course, it is impossible to know what crowd levels will looks like next year with pent up demand.