AoA review!

[disneynarula]

We stayed at AoA back in October. I usually don't spend time on Intercot unless we are planning a trip but I wanted to let you all know what we thought of the AoA resort.

Our travel party was:
MIL
DH
Me
DD 3
DS 8
DS 6

On our last trip we stayed at a condo off property for most of our trip. We were in the Orlando area for close to three weeks (we came from overseas) and decided to cut down costs by renting a condo. We bought ten day park hoppers with the water parks and more option so we were able to get basically get 14 days of Disney, including trips to the water parks and Disney quest. The condo was really nice and it was closer to the Magic Kingdom then some of the on- property hotels. If it wasn't for the extra magic hours we would stay off property for future trips.

At the last minute we decided to treat the kids to a week at AoA. Here is our experience.



Pros: The theming was amazing. The kids loved it! We took tons of really cute pictures there. It was clean and fresh looking everywhere.The Big Blue pool was perfect for little kids. I did like the interior corridor. It kept the noise down to a minimum. The food court was also very nice. It had some nice menu items besides your typical pizza/chicken nuggets.


Cons: The adults were not impressed. The linens were super cheap and the beds were awful. The only comfortable bed was the "table bed". There was almost no storage area for suitcases. Normally this is what you expect at a value resort. When I pay value resort prices these are things I am willing to overlook. However, the price tag for a suite at AoA is more like that of a moderate. It is also really not big enough for three adults and three kids. It would have been fine for just our little family but another adult in the mix made things tight. I would not recommend it if there are more than two adults in the party.


Maybe I am just used to staying at moderates? I have not stayed in a value in a long time. We also rent DVC points with some frequency and stay at Saratoga Springs. Paul also earns tons of Marriot and Hilton points when he travels. We get to stay in 4 and 5 star hotels with some frequency and now I am spoiled. I just feel like if I am spending over $200 a night for a hotel room there should be a decent mattress on the bed and some nice sheets.

[buzznwoodysmom]

The linens were super cheap and the beds were awful. I just feel like if I am spending over $200 a night for a hotel room there should be a decent mattress on the bed and some nice sheets.

This is one of the reasons we no longer stay at the values. I find the beds and sheets to be horrible! Even the toilet paper is thin and scratchy at the values. Lol. That combined with how loud the value resorts are.....we are not fans!

[minnie04]

Thanks for all the info. My DS has been asking if we can stay there. I keep trying to justify the prices when you look at the pictures and actually see you are getting the same as the other values, with a little extra space and by the sound of what you said "not much" and some fresh characters & grounds I can't see paying for it. I would love to stay there at least once, but I doubt it will happen. I'm willing to pay for atmosphere and service if its good, but not uncomfortable rooms (i.e. bedding, loud noise, "scratchy" toilet paper & school cafeteria food.lol oh and don’t forget those lovely SLAMMING doors @7:00am) You would think Disney would have gotten this one right, but as long as people book they will build in this fashion. Oh well to each his/her own. If you stay there I hope you have a great experience. I know your kids will, they don’t understand what we see and complain about. As long as the room has a mermaid or Cars on the wall it’s all good to them. And god bless them for that…lol

I think this one compares to the “Nick” hotel the kids love it, but all the reviews say it’s a really bad resort for the money..

[January-2007]

Thanks for sharing your experience with us.

[Katzateer]

We stayed in a Lion King suite and my only complaint were the pillows. The towels were thicker than what I am used to at POP and the sheets were fine. I thought the mattresses were great also. Maybe we were in a room that hadn't been been used a lot yet.

That said, I would not spend the money for a suite if there were more than 2 adults. I would get 2 connecting value rooms before I paid for a suite - especially since we no longer have little ones with us. College age like their own room - The suite would not work if the 4 of us went.

I do love the theming of the suites and AoA!

[LVT]

Sounds like the suites are really geared toward the family with small children and not more than 2 adults. Bummer.
I will stay with connecting rooms. thank you for the review.

[shev]

We just got back last night from AOA and were a little disappointed. For a brand new resort I was surprised by a few things that were broken. One of the elevators in our section was broken down for a while which made it difficult in the morning relying on one elevator when everyone pretty much leaves at the sime time. We then headed out for breakfast and was told sorry no pancakes because they had no gas...not a huge deal except when that's all a 3yr old wants it can be rough. Our eggs were ice cold so for the entire week we walked over to POP anytime we had a meal at the resort. We loved the pool theming and our Nemo suite was perfect for us.