Family of 5 - AoA Suite vs GF

[Disneyhenry]

We're a family of 5 with young children (<2, 5, and 6) and are torn between a suite at Art of Animation and a standard room at the Grand Floridian. The price difference is around $100 per night to stay at the Grand Floridian which seems worth it to upgrade from a value resort to deluxe, but there's obviously less room. Has anyone done 5 in a standard room at the Grand Floridian?

I agree with other GF before the little one grows much more. We have done the GF and loved it so very much! Have fun

 

[SillySallySews]

We’ve stayed in both rooms you’re considering and while we really like AoA, it would be GF hands down. Deluxe is worth the money. The room is just as spacious, the balcony is great, the resort is much quieter, better food, the boat to MK is pure magic at the end of the night, and the pool is very fun! The suite at AoA is great too, but GF is just so much more relaxing.

 

[KenHutch]

With children that young its easy AoA. They are going to love that pool far more than you may realize and they are not at the age to enjoy the GF very much. At 10 and 18 the girls enjoy eating at Narcoossees but describe the hotel at to snooty for them.

 

[Sarahslay]

I would honestly rent DVC points and stay in a multi-room villa over staying in GF or AOA. While I like both resorts I like the spaciousness of the DVC villas with the ability to have a full kitchen. It's MUCH cheaper to rent points and stay that way than it is to book it through Disney. My mom and I are about to stay at Bay Lake in a 2 bedroom (some say it's overkill, but we both are horrible sleepers and it makes the most sense so we don't keep the other person awake) and it is not much more than my room at GF was last summer, might even be slightly cheaper.

 

[kpd6901]

I'd do the suite no exception.
AoA is a value but doesn't feel like one. We like the food court and pool, but you'll also have your own space at AoA.

I would second this in a heartbeat. We were just in an AoA Cars suite in November. Theming was perfect for our 6 year old, and there was plenty of room for DS14 to sleep on the pullout and DS6 and DS9 to share the themes Murphy bed. Mom and Dad get some private space. It is worth much more than a value. Depending on when you are going, you may have Gondola options too, which negates much of the bus travel issues as well.

 

[AllieBoo]

I would go with GF for sure. The deluxes are just so much nicer in my opinion. You have better transportation, pools and just nicer rooms in general. I just came back from a stay at AOA and did not enjoy it. It was my first time staying at a value for more than one night. The food court was a little hectic and the AOA bus stops at the parks are the last ones, so a long walk after you've been at the parks, especially with little ones. There are no hot tubs, and the pool has no slide. I think you would love having the easy access to MK, as well as the splash pad and pool at GF, plus you will have a balcony where you can relax while the kids are napping.

 

[ninafeliz]

I would definitely do the GF, no question in my mind. I’ve stayed at all levels of resorts and cannot think of any time I would ever choose a value over a deluxe for any reason other than cost. We have 4 kids (2 under 3 so we can still stay in a regular room) and while space sure is nice,
IMO the deluxe is well worth giving up the extra space.

 

[ShadowRegent]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts! I expected some differing views, but I was surprised how polarizing the opinions were. It was a tough decision, but we decided to go for GF this time. Access to the monorail will be great with our youngest, our stay is before the Skyliner will be available, and the second bathroom will be more valuable in a few years if we return and want to give AoA a try.

We picked up an amazing deal on the GF, and if anyone is looking at booking for Disney I'll mention that you can find a 10% off coupon for Priceline on some coupon websites right now that applies to regular (non-express) bookings. While the taxes and fees seemed to be slightly higher than other places, 10% off an already discounted price managed to make GF significantly cheaper than even passholder rates which were already 40% off for GF.

 

[TJA]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts! I expected some differing views, but I was surprised how polarizing the opinions were. It was a tough decision, but we decided to go for GF this time. Access to the monorail will be great with our youngest, our stay is before the Skyliner will be available, and the second bathroom will be more valuable in a few years if we return and want to give AoA a try.

We picked up an amazing deal on the GF, and if anyone is looking at booking for Disney I'll mention that you can find a 10% off coupon for Priceline on some coupon websites right now that applies to regular (non-express) bookings. While the taxes and fees seemed to be slightly higher than other places, 10% off an already discounted price managed to make GF significantly cheaper than even passholder rates which were already 40% off for GF.

Excellent decision! Your kids are going to love the splash pad, and wait until they see the Castle right from the GF! When our kids were younger and would go to bed at night, having a room with a balcony and decent view was pretty important to us because the kids would go to bed at night and DH would sneak out and get us a drink/snack and we'd enjoy a little quiet time on our balcony. Great memories! I hope you love your family stay at the GF!

 

[Firebird060]

Good Choice GF is a great place on property, for the little ones when they need naps, it isnt as much as a hassle as getting to AOA, with the boat or Monorail you could make it from the furtherest part of MK to your room in as little as 30 minutes if you hit the boat right. Compared to AOA where you could easily be looking at a hour/hour a half to get back to your room. Also depending on how much you walk, the free foot rub cream they give you at the GF is nice if you put alot of miles on your feet.