I also really dislike renting or bringing along car seats, and I am in the minority but think Disney transportation is much easier than renting a car when you have little kids. I also despise the commute from the TTC to Magic Kingdom even though it is probably not much better than a crowded bus. I think not renting a car is the biggest perk to staying on property.
Here are my experiences: (Sorry it got a little long)
Last May,we stayed at WL with a DS4 and DS13 months. I really liked WL - it was very relaxing atmosphere. I thought the room was a little tight with the pack-n-play. Not overly so - but there is no way to possibly have any separation. I would get a little claustrophobic during the getting ready part of the day.
A side note - it was strange but my littlest guy hated the room. He would be happy as could be in the hallway and start bawling as soon as we entered the door. EVERY single time. He got over it quickly but every time.
I really liked that WL was all one building and I liked that the QS was small. It wasnât overwhelming. I also liked having a TS in the hotel - we ate there once for dinner and once for breakfast- very convenient.
In February - we took a five night trip and stayed at AoA in the Cars suite. I loved AoA. Much more than I though I would. It was the four of us in our family again and my best friend. (I keep meaning to write a trip report and not getting around to it). My BF took the bedroom, I slept on the pull down bed with my son , my DH slept on the pull-out coach and DS1 in a pack-n-play. (He didnât seem to hate this room). When I walked in, I thought it was a little smaller than I expected, but during our stay it felt spacious. We parked the stroller and one of our suitcases in the bedroom but other than that stuck to the living area. If it was just our family without my friend it would have been very roomy.
The theming is so cute for little ones. It was a little chilly to swim in the pool but it looked amazing and much more suited to little ones with the zero entry. WL pool was nice too, but my kids were too little to go down the slide and so it was really just a basic pool. DS5 canât swim yet so stuck to hanging out on the steps. Although since last May, I think WL added a splash pad that wasnât there for our stay.
I wasnât crazy about AoA QS. We had dinner and two breakfasts. I found it a little chaotic. My pasta was good for dinner. Breakfast was just OK. Everything was a little cold and they ran out of eggs one morning. I did kind of miss having a TS at the hotel.
Transportation: I thought the buses at AoA were excellent. WL shared with GF during our stay which was a pain. I loved AoAâs one bus stop and it was organized. I really prefer having rope lines for each bus instead of just loitering around the bus stop and rushing when a bus pulls up like at the deluxe resorts. AoA must be pretty centrally located because none of the bus rides seemed overly long. It did seem to be the last bus stop at each of the parks though. The collapsing of strollers is hard whether it is a bus or a tram. It is just going to be annoying.
I did like the boat ride to MK. More relaxing than a bus, but it is just one park. We did have a pretty crowded boat one night back that felt as uncomfortable as a crowded bus.
I guess each place has its good and bad points. If budget is a concern I donât think a few extra square feet of space is going to make that much difference in your trip. Stay in your budget - you are in Disney World so it will be fun (but keeping up with the kids is exhausting - no matter the resort).
