First time trying to plan last minute, which resort.

thor369

Mouseketeer
Joined
May 9, 2019
We are a family of four and have decided to go to Disney last minute. But can’t decide which resort to stay.

The MK area resorts are super super expensive some coming out at $1500 a night. Wow

The POP or the AOA is value resort that we are considering. The kids being toddlers I think they will like the theming. We had a concern of taking the bus ride from these hotels and the sitinated time of 45min- 1 hr seems long. But found out about Minnie van service which should cut down the ride from hotel to park. It’s esitmating on the app about 15-18 min to MK.

What other resorts should we consider?

Dates June 3rd for 5 nights.
 
Minnie Vans are very expensive, easily can be $40 each way, Pop to MK. Pop would be my choice of resort. The estimated times include waiting for the bus. Actual bus rides average 15-20 minutes or less.
 
Last edited:
Pop and AoA are both fine. How old are your children? If you prefer deluxe, a suite at AoA or two rooms at Pop might work. Pop and AoA have excellent bus service. I’ve stayed at all the traditional Disney hotels except Yacht and the French quarter. I prefer pop and AoA bus service to any other busses. Yes, getting on the boat or monorail is nice but those value busses are a better bet to get to rope drop, unless you’re walking from the few resorts you can walk. The issue I have is space which is why I suggested a suite or two rooms depending on kids ages.
 
We are a family of four and have decided to go to Disney last minute. But can’t decide which resort to stay.

The MK area resorts are super super expensive some coming out at $1500 a night. Wow

The POP or the AOA is value resort that we are considering. The kids being toddlers I think they will like the theming. We had a concern of taking the bus ride from these hotels and the sitinated time of 45min- 1 hr seems long. But found out about Minnie van service which should cut down the ride from hotel to park. It’s esitmating on the app about 15-18 min to MK.

What other resorts should we consider?

Dates June 3rd for 5 nights.


On the website, with the summer room offer I see a Grand Floridian "Outer Building-Garden View" for $484/night, if that helps?
 


We are a family of four and have decided to go to Disney last minute. But can’t decide which resort to stay.

The MK area resorts are super super expensive some coming out at $1500 a night. Wow

The POP or the AOA is value resort that we are considering. The kids being toddlers I think they will like the theming. We had a concern of taking the bus ride from these hotels and the sitinated time of 45min- 1 hr seems long. But found out about Minnie van service which should cut down the ride from hotel to park. It’s esitmating on the app about 15-18 min to MK.

What other resorts should we consider?

Dates June 3rd for 5 nights.
How many people are in your party? What is your nightly resort budget?
 
So, the bus ride from POP or AoA is only 15-20 min? I was under the impression that it’s about 45min or more.

Kids are 2 and 5, we are looking for convenience but at the same time if staying for 5 nights can’t see myself spending 400 plus just to sleep.

I could totally see if for 400-500 you also get the ticket included. Disney really knows that’s there is demand and they are milking every penny they can.

Anyways, if I can do the stay for relatively cheap than I am thinking of going back again in October.

Also dinining related question, if we don’t buy dining, can we just eat at the buffet and pay cash/card? For character dining or breakfast I guess only those who buy dining can book right?
 


Have you checked Wilderness Lodge? It tends to have lower prices than the other deluxes. POFQ could also work as it’s such a small resort with good transportation.
 
So, the bus ride from POP or AoA is only 15-20 min? I was under the impression that it’s about 45min or more.

Kids are 2 and 5, we are looking for convenience but at the same time if staying for 5 nights can’t see myself spending 400 plus just to sleep.

I could totally see if for 400-500 you also get the ticket included. Disney really knows that’s there is demand and they are milking every penny they can.

Anyways, if I can do the stay for relatively cheap than I am thinking of going back again in October.

Also dinining related question, if we don’t buy dining, can we just eat at the buffet and pay cash/card? For character dining or breakfast I guess only those who buy dining can book right?

Anyone can book dining (even the character meals,) you don't have to have the dining plan. You should start booking ASAP; reservations open 180+ days in advance and some of the more popular places book very early!
If you can't find reservations for the places you want, keep checking back. Other people will sometimes cancel.
And yes, if you don't have the dining plan, you just pay by cash or credit card.
 
Of the two, I would choose Pop. The rooms were recently renovated and you will have queen beds as opposed to doubles in the standard AoA rooms.

A dining plan is not required to eat at any Disney restaurant, but I would recommend making dining reservations if there are particular restaurants you would like to go to.
 
If you are wanting to book in the value category, I would choose POP over AOA. I stayed at both last week, and POP was much nicer. The AOA room was outdated, no coffeemaker, no fridge and no storage. The POP room was recently renovated and had coffeemaker, fridge and a storage area in the bathroom.
If you can swing it, I would recommend staying at one of the mods -POR and POFQ are both very nice resorts and have nicer rooms and better pools in my opinion.
 
The reason for looking at these resorts was for the theming. The kids would really like it.

I don’t know the POR or the POFQ are and are they themed too?

Another consideration isn’t the swan but they don’t give the magic band and no Disney theme.

Do the buses wait for it to get full? Because that would add a lot of time.
 
The reason for looking at these resorts was for the theming. The kids would really like it.

I don’t know the POR or the POFQ are and are they themed too?

Another consideration isn’t the swan but they don’t give the magic band and no Disney theme.

Do the buses wait for it to get full? Because that would add a lot of time.
No Of course not. The buses come to a stop, pick up those there and waiting and head out. There may be a few extra minutes if they need to load a WC or ECV, but they never just wait.
 
Consider checking a variety of travel booking sites. Sometimes the inventory and pricing differs significantly. For MK area on Priceline, I see Grand Floridian for $437. AoA for $190 and Pop for $154. They also have moderates and other deluxes available at decent prices. If you do go with Priceline, there is also a 10% off coupon on RetailMeNot, but you'll have to call to add the kids. Make sure you compare final price after taxes since some places (like Priceline) do add their own fee buried in the "Taxes and Fees" section (but still might be cheaper overall). Other sites might have more options or better prices, so it's always good to look around!
 
No Of course not. The buses come to a stop, pick up those there and waiting and head out. There may be a few extra minutes if they need to load a WC or ECV, but they never just wait.

While they don’t necessarily wait to fill the bus, sometimes they’ll wait for a few minutes or more, both at the resort and at the park. It probably depends on the bus schedule.
 
The reason for looking at these resorts was for the theming. The kids would really like it.

I don’t know the POR or the POFQ are and are they themed too?

Another consideration isn’t the swan but they don’t give the magic band and no Disney theme.

Do the buses wait for it to get full? Because that would add a lot of time.
I’ve stayed at different resorts around Disney world, including Pop twice. If taking Disney transportation, you should allow for 60-90 min prior to when you want to arrive.
At Pop, I like that you wait in a cue for the buses and that they only have one stop. Art of Animation also has only one stop.

I have arrived at the cue as a bus pulls away or right after, then had to wait 15-20 min for the next bus. Then, say I want to go to MK, it could take 20 min to arrive.
Then expect 20 min to go through security to enter the park.
If I wanted to go to a resort on the monorail line or to a resort by boat, I may have to wait 20 min for the boat. I haven’t had to wait that long for the monorail. It takes probably that long to go through all the resorts then back to the TTC though.

At other resorts with multiple bus stops, I have seen buses come to the first few stops, fill up, and not pick my family up at our stop for that reason. When that happens, I have waited almost an hour just for the bus to pick us up to go to a park.

Also, when the buses at Pop or Art of Animation stop, if they are not full, they may wait 1-2 min, then leave. I’ve seen the Disney springs buses wait a few more minutes sometimes. At hotels with multiple stops, the bus drivers just leave.

There is Disney theming in all Disney resorts. The moderates and deluxe resorts are more subtle though.
We stayed at POR, and enjoyed the southern theme, but especially the pool when my kids were small.

At POR FQ, think Mardi Gras, with elements of princess and the frog around the resort. Also it has a fantastic pool, only one bus stop, and you can walk to any room within 5 min on property. It’s the smallest on property. That’s what I really like about it.
I think you will like Art of Animation (really nice pool!) especially if your kids are into the area you choose to stay in. I have always enjoyed Pop too. Enjoy your vacation!
 
Some more research as this is what I have come up with and need finalizing some of it.

Travel dates june 1 - June 6 5 nights
POP - $965 Disney site
Park ticket undercover tourist - $1355. 5 day or 4 day 1299 non flexible.

Thoughts?
Still can’t find a website that shows FP+ availability.
 
It's not a bad price for a trip planned on short notice. If you are looking for something with a little more theming---consider the Royal Rooms at POR. They have a headboard that lights up with fireworks and those Royal Rooms are close to the bus stop that picks up and drops off first---and you are just a short walk over to the main building with the food court. When my kids were those ages, that food court turned out to be more amazing than planned just because it was quick and fast. Allowed us to eat after the kids took a longer nap, needed to get to bed early or just for us to lounge around the pool longer than planned.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!






Top