Hi All! I’m looking at planning a trip for next summer. We’re a family of 4 and looking to stay somewhere that my young children will love but that will also help reduce travel time to/from parks and restaurants. We’ve stayed at Caribbean Beach before and loved the Skyliner, which is why I’m looking into Art of Animation. The price of the family suites though is high!! Is it worth it? Or am I better off staying at a nicer resort? I’m thinking the primary trade off will be the size of the hotel room but would be happy to receive any recommendations.
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Have you looked at Pop? Is there something about Pop that doesn’t appeal to you?
I have actually stayed there before. I don’t mind it at all, I was just hoping to get a bit of a bigger room. My hope is that we’re taking a more relaxing trip which means we will be enjoying our resort a bit more than we normally would.
I did the finding Nemo suite with my kids when they were 8 and 5 and loved it. That they had their own sleeping area and bathroom and my 5yo was so excited about the pull down bed. I would definitely say for us it was worth it.
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also I just learned there is a skyliner scavenger hunt you can ask for at front desk and it comes with a prize so if you do stay in a skyliner hotel and have a free day might be fun.
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Have you seen this website? It lists all resort activities each month! https://www.magicalresortguide.com/
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I’ve wanted to stay at AofA in a family suite but it has never made sense economically. It’s cheaper than 2 rooms at some resorts, but not by much. It’s often better to get two regular rooms at Pop. The big advantage is the theming, which kids love.
It’s also not much cheaper than a DVC rental! You can get two rooms at SSR or OKW for a little over $500/ night depending on time of year, etc. And now that I own points it’s even harder for me to justify not staying DVC.
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All that makes sense but I also loved the theming and the pool was neat. I don’t like All Star Music so it’s definitely a better vibe.
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We like the AoA family suites when we go for Marathon weekend. The extra bathroom makes a big difference for us. It has a lot of room to spread out compared to a regular room. I also like having the skyliner for a transportation option.
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We stayed at AoA suites twice when the kids were little. Loved the theming, the two bathrooms. It also has a microwave so we had groceries delivered for breakfast.
What eventually caused me to stay elsewhere was the lack of dining options. After three dinners in the food court, I was over it. So something to think about if “enjoying resort” also means “eating there more often”
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We stayed in 2019 and it was pricey then but it’s ridiculous now. Having the extra space and especially 2 bathrooms is nice but it’s hard to justify the price now. The theming and vibe is great though too. My biggest gripe is it’s priced as a deluxe but you’re treated as bottom value - last bus stop at the parks, only the value discount etc. You could look at ASMi suites - they’re a bit cheaper. This past trip we stayed at FW cabins and loved it - still not cheap especially when you factor in golf cart but it’s a relaxing place. Not sure what prices will be now that’s it’s turning to DVC.
I will say that next trip when my kids will be older we’re just going to stay at a mod - probably POFQ.
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So if food matters, not AOA. While I love the family suites, your one easy food option is the food court. If you’re gonna do self service minus a TS in the parks daily, do the AOA suite. They’re super fun
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The only real advantage a suite at AoA gets you over doing two hotel rooms is the kitchenette. That’s it.
I always feel like if you’re in for that much money, better to stay at a deluxe which offers you more amenities and proximity to parks. I don’t think AoA suites are a great value, the exception sometimes being for a bigger group than your family of 4, but even then two hotel rooms offers you accommodation for more people than an AoA suite. The caveat to getting two rooms is that you’re never guaranteed that those rooms will be connecting; that’s only a request and while they try hard to meet it is a bit of a gamble.
All that said sometimes what you’re after is a bit of separation. My family’s first stay was at ASMu in a family suite. We had done enough traveling to know that we did not want to share a room with our kids if we could avoid it. My kids would not fall asleep with us in the room unless we were going to sleep too, and we did not want to go to sleep at 8pm. So separate rooms were best for us, and were happy to spend a little more to get that. It was over 13 years ago, though, and pricing has definitely changed since then, when (I think) the ASMu suites were the only suite around. Or maybe we chose them for the affordability over AoA. If space and separation is what you’re after a suite might be the better option over a deluxe. But definitely keep in mind that you get value resort amenities at a very high cost.
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Thanks everyone for the feedback! I really appreciate the insights!
My kids will be 5 and 2 so theming is probably the only thing that has me still thinking about the suites. As of now, the price per night is $580 
lol so when I looked at the other options I’m thinking maybe the copper creek villas. They were around the same price and have the kitchenette as well but obviously don’t have the separate room or second bathroom.
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We stayed at CBR and did a Skyliner trip to AoA one night to eat dinner and check out the resort. That scratched the itch for our family - my kids loved seeing the life sized characters. If you looked at Boardwalk or BC, you could do the same.
(Although, if I ever get to stay deluxe, Wilderness Lodge and BW are probably my top two choices)
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I can’t believe the price of AoA suite. I was looking into as I’ll be doing a trip with 4 adults & 1 10yr old. Two rooms at POP would be cheaper. Although we are leaning towards a split stay and just sharing a room at a Moderate/Deluxe. Waiting to see what kind of pricing I can get for Bounceback.
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Def only ones around cuz we stayed there right after they opened and that was 11 years ago.
Also I was at ASMusic 13 years ago. Wonder if we passed each other. Only 365 days worth of chances lol.
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It was late June that year.
It’s insane! What’s bounce back?
No I lie, it was mid June. We were there 6/14.
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