Help picking resort

[pcoleman]

Hi all, we just cancelled our 2020 trip, sad I know. We were staying at Shades of Green. We are hoping to reschedule for 2021 but now will try and do Disney Resort. We are two family party. one is myself and DD19 the other is parents and DD3, DS1 and grandmother. We want our own room so as not to disturb the kids. I believe they will need a suite due to number of people. Only resort I've stayed in is POP. I'm thinking AOA may be best offer but I'm also looking at CB and POR or PFQ. For those of you who know these resorts can you give me some incite? Food is not an issue for us so I don't pick based on that. I usually like to be nearer to transportation and food option. I don't need connecting rooms but would be nice to be some what close. Does anyone know if Nemo area of AOA also has regular rooms or are they all suites? Is CB really a problem to find room on bus? Is POR/PFQ as fun for young kids as AOA? Cost is a factor so I really want to stick to value or mods. Thanks.

 

[Katybird]

Hi all, we just cancelled our 2020 trip, sad I know. We were staying at Shades of Green. We are hoping to reschedule for 2021 but now will try and do Disney Resort. We are two family party. one is myself and DD19 the other is parents and DD3, DS1 and grandmother. We want our own room so as not to disturb the kids. I believe they will need a suite due to number of people. Only resort I've stayed in is POP. I'm thinking AOA may be best offer but I'm also looking at CB and POR or PFQ. For those of you who know these resorts can you give me some incite? Food is not an issue for us so I don't pick based on that. I usually like to be nearer to transportation and food option. I don't need connecting rooms but would be nice to be some what close. Does anyone know if Nemo area of AOA also has regular rooms or are they all suites? Is CB really a problem to find room on bus? Is POR/PFQ as fun for young kids as AOA? Cost is a factor so I really want to stick to value or mods. Thanks.

I can tell you a bit about POR and POFQ. Both resorts have great food courts. I absolutely love the pool at POFQ and also at POFQ being the smallest resort in all of WDW it is so easy to get around. I also think the bus is also great at both places. I am only 19 years old now and have stayed at both as a young kid and from what I remembered I loved the resorts.

 

[shu24]

Nemo section at AoA is only suites. Little Mermaid is the only section that has non-suite rooms. POR and FQ both have fun kid-friendly theming. FQ has the better pool IMO, but POR has one main pool and 5 smaller pools that are in the mansions sections. If you think you will use the pools, POR/FQ is a great choice because that leaves you with 7 pools that you can use. POR is spread out so walks to the main building may be quite a hike. FQ on the other hand is a small resort so transportation/food is very close. The rooms in POR/FQ with a trundle bed may work out nicely for the 5 person family as long as they are okay with one bathroom (which was always the kicker when we traveled with my parents- we pretty much needed 2 bathrooms). Otherwise, they will want a suite- AoA has very themed suites with 2 bathrooms, but All Star Music also has suites with 2 baths and the prices are a good bit cheaper there. We stayed All Star Sports and were happy, it in comparison to POP, it (and all of the All Stars) are less spread out, have similar dedicated bus lines, and similar food courts.

I have never stayed CB, but have visited there to just check it out. It is HUGE. The benefit of being on the Skyliner is a great perk, and CB was lovely but if you are concerned with being close to food/transportation I think CB is the riskiest choice. You could luck out, but then you could have a huge hike to make it to the main building.

 

[CNYMickeyFan]

Have you considered renting DVC points and going for a 2 or 3 bedroom villa? Although with canceling you probably have credit towards booking another trip, not sure how Shades works. We had a family of 8 stay in a 2 bedroom at Old Key West and it was comfortable. We had the option of a 3 bedroom at Saratoga but choose OKW.

 

[mike45248]

We have stayed at Pop, CB and PFQ and others. CB is one I don't like at all. Too spread out. You might be too far away from the main area for food/drink to walk and yes the busses are bad. Once we waited 45 minutes for a bus to pick us up(just 4 of us at the time) every bus was filled up.
PFQ is very nice and it can be a walk to the transportation but also more $$ then value resorts. AOA is all suites, and POP has been our go to when it is all 6 of us. 2 rooms I think are better than 1 room at AOA. We get them connecting and it is nicer to have 2 bathrooms. It s cheaper to get 2 rooms at POP than 1 AOA. We pick the 70's building not too close to the pool so it is not too noisy, but close enough to walk to the transportation.

 

[pcoleman]

Thanks for all the great feedback. Please keep ideas coming. I never thought about 3 rooms. Getting 2 at POP instead of suite at AOA. I will definitely check it out.

 

[shu24]

I think the big question is how many bathroom are needed by your whole party, then plan from there. I think the trundle bed rooms in POR/FQ were made for parties like the larger family in your group. Set up would be parents in a queen bed, grandma in a queen sharing with one of the kids and one of the kids on the pull down little bed. If the baby sleeps in a pack and play, grandma could have the bed to herself. If that larger party needs 2 bathrooms, then I think you are stuck with either a suite at AllStar Music + a preferred room for you and your mom in the same building (All Star Music suites are in the Calypso and Jazz sections which also house preferred non-suite rooms), a suite at AofA for the larger family+ a non suite room for you and your mom that will NOT be in the same building as them, or 3 regular rooms at a value. I'd price all options, sometimes how Disney prices rooms can be surprising and multiple rooms works out better than suites.