I was spoiled on my first ever Disney trip. Worried about being disappointed now.

[MaC410]

I know I know, disappointed is not a word someone should be using when talking about going to Disney haha. Let me give some backstory!

My wife and I went to Disney World last April for our honeymoon. It was my first ever trip to Disney. Since it was our honeymoon we didn't hold back on where we decided to stay. We stayed for 10 nights at the Yacht Club. We absolutely loved it. It wasn't so much the actual rooms at the resort we enjoyed it was just how beautiful everything was in the Epcot area resorts and how convenient it was to walk to Epcot.

Honestly though, we were barely in our rooms except to sleep at night. We spent our entire days out at the parks. While we enjoyed it so much we both had the same feeling after the trip. $300-400 a night just to sleep at night doesn't seem like a smart decision to keep doing every time we go back. When we go on vacation we like to stay for a good amount of time.

I know the moderate resorts can be beautiful as well and also a cheaper option, but with how little time we spent actually at the resort we just can't get ourselves to go for anything more expensive than a value resort. So for our next trip we decided to try out a much cheaper option, the Art of Animation. We chose the Art of Animation since we will be staying 11/30-12/9 and that will most likely be when Pop Warner Week is. All of our research shows that the Pop Warner groups never stay at the Art of Animation.

As excited as I am to return back to Disney World, I can't help feel disappointed that we can't replicate our last visit. Staying in the Epcot area was amazing, again mostly for the location and convenience. Is it silly to feel this disappointment? With how little time we actually spent at the resort it's the smart move to pay 1/3 of the price. How did everyone here deal with feelings like this? I'm sure everyone here has had that one trip that completely spoiled them but knew they couldn't really do it again or as much as they wanted to.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Realign your thought process. You're going to experience something different this time. Maybe do some research for having kids (if that is a future choice you expect to make)? Also, saving money for other squad goals.

You have to view it all in perspective.

 

[dansdad]

We have stayed at all 3 levels of WDW resorts and every trip has been special in it's own way. We have found our Disney home in CBR but when we have a last minute super budget trip and stay at a Value we are having so much fun we don't notice. Plus when we do have a budget trip planned we are park commandos and stay rope drop to closing time. When we stay at CBR or a Deluxe we will have 3-4 resort only days. So we "DO" Disney different depending on where we are staying.

 

[willmccready]

Art of Animation is great. You'll love it. Plus, get excited about all of the other things you can do with the $$ you're not spending on a deluxe!

 

[Lesverts]

You could also split stay. Stay are a more economical resort for the majority of the trip, followed by a few nights at a Deluxe to relax and enjoy the resort.

 

[Hopefully]

AoA is considered a Value, not a Moderate. The Little Mermaid rooms are small. I believe they are double beds, not Queen beds.
I would recommend you continue to do your research so you can reset your expectations. It will be very different, but good in a different way if you approach it that way

 

[MaC410]

We have stayed at all 3 levels of WDW resorts and every trip has been special in it's own way. We have found our Disney home in CBR but when we have a last minute super budget trip and stay at a Value we are having so much fun we don't notice. Plus when we do have a budget trip planned we are park commandos and stay rope drop to closing time. When we stay at CBR or a Deluxe we will have 3-4 resort only days. So we "DO" Disney different depending on where we are staying.

I guess we the park commando type people. Our version of a relaxing vacation is walking 10 miles a day at the parks trying to do as much as possible. I mean we only went into stormalong bay once during our 10 day honeymoon stay at the Yacht Club. Of course our way of doing vacations at Disney will change once we have kids, so as auroraborealis mentioned maybe it's good to see some of the other options out there.

 

[MaC410]

AoA is considered a Value, not a Moderate. The Little Mermaid rooms are small. I believe they are double beds, not Queen beds.
I would recommend you continue to do your research so you can reset your expectations. It will be very different, but good in a different way if you approach it that way

I just realized I worded that part of my original post weird. I was trying to say that I know moderate resorts can be beautiful and also a cheaper option but we decided to go with the a value resort like AoA. I fully expect the rooms to not be the most spectacular but the resort will really only be used for sleep after each long day.

 

[Hopefully]

I just realized I worded that part of my original post weird. I was trying to say that I know moderate resorts can be beautiful and also a cheaper option but we decided to go with the a value resort like AoA. I fully expect the rooms to not be the most spectacular but the resort will really only be used for sleep after each long day.

No Problem
Are you ok with the double beds? They would be too small for DH and I. We are used to a Queen at home and today lots of folks have Kings at home. Doubles are small.

 

[MaC410]

No Problem
Are you ok with the double beds? They would be too small for DH and I. We are used to a Queen at home and today lots of folks have Kings at home. Doubles are small.

We should be ok. We have slept in a double bed before. She is 4'11" and takes up like no space haha. I'll still request a king bed and hope for the best but we should be fine either way.

 

[wilkeliza]

Just realign your expectations and it will be fine. The room will be smaller (I imagine you didn't get a suite), the buildings are brighter/loud in design and much more Disney, and it won't be as convienant to get to the parks. With that said you only sleep there so no big worry. Just know it will take a little longer on the bus system to get to Epcot and staying at AoA every day will be walking through the some of the most popular Disney/Pixar movies. You can definitely have an awesome trip at the values.

 

[Dis703]

I think if you go into it knowing what to expect you'll be fine. Having gone from BC Club Level and BWI before moving down to CBR I was worried about being disappointed but we loved it and didn't miss the deluxes at all. Value to me is much more of a noticeable difference, but I have stayed value more than any other category simply because of needing to spend less so we can go more often. To be perfectly honest I don't enjoy the value resorts the way I enjoy the mod and deluxes. It's more like just staying at any random hotel on any other vacation, but we still get all the onsite perks of being in the Disney bubble. If that makes sense?

Bottom line, attitude and expectations have a lot more to do with how much you enjoy your vacation than what room or hotel you pick.

 

[MaC410]

Thanks for all the tips and advice so far everyone. To be honest I don't even know why I feel this way. I'm happy to be saving a ton of money and I'm excited to go back. It's almost like I'm worried about being disappointed rather than I'm already feeling disappointed. Going to Disney World for the first time last year was one of the most fun times I've ever had. I guess I'm just worried about doing anything that will lower my opinion of going there. I know once we get there I'll forget all about the worry.

 

[ADisneyQueen]

Keep in mind that when discounts for your dates come out, they usually don't include the mermaid rooms at AOA. You could stay at a moderate with a discount for the same price as rack rate in a mermaid room.

 

[MaC410]

Keep in mind that when discounts for your dates come out, they usually don't include the mermaid rooms at AOA. You could stay at a moderate with a discount for the same price as rack rate in a mermaid room.

Oh yeah that's true...Didn't even think of this. We still have a loooong ways to go before any discounts would be announced but I will definitely do some research on the moderates if we could end up upgrading for no extra cost with a discount.

Since we are on that subject...if we do end up upgrading if a discount comes out. How does that work if we already have some of our current reservation paid off? Like let's say we have several hundred paid into our current AoA reservation by the time discounts come out. If we decided to switch to a moderate does what we have paid off get applied automatically to our new reservation? Or do we just get refunded the amount paid into our original reservation?

 

[ErinsMommy]

We stayed one time at a value when we were younger and hated everything about it - in our opinion the food courts didnt have a great selection, the dining area was always packed as was the pool, the rooms were small as was the beds, and the bus lines and time to get to/from the parks took too long. You can easily stay at a moderate for about the same. Or try a less expensive deluxe such as Boardwalk or Wilderness Lodge. Maybe even instead of spending so much time at the parks, chill and relax by the pool for a day here or there so you feel like you're getting more out of the resort.

That's just my 2 cents FWIW. =)

 

[Roxyfire]

Oh yeah that's true...Didn't even think of this. We still have a loooong ways to go before any discounts would be announced but I will definitely do some research on the moderates if we could end up upgrading for no extra cost with a discount.

Since we are on that subject...if we do end up upgrading if a discount comes out. How does that work if we already have some of our current reservation paid off? Like let's say we have several hundred paid into our current AoA reservation by the time discounts come out. If we decided to switch to a moderate does what we have paid off get applied automatically to our new reservation? Or do we just get refunded the amount paid into our original reservation?

What you would do is just change the existing reservation. You can call or it's very easy to accomplish online, too easy actually! People switch resorts and room types all the time, no need to fully cancel. The thing is about the discounts is there has to be a room category available during your dates so popular resorts and standard views may be sold out.

 

[MaC410]

What you would do is just change the existing reservation. You can call or it's very easy to accomplish online, too easy actually! People switch resorts and room types all the time, no need to fully cancel. The thing is about the discounts is there has to be a room category available during your dates so popular resorts and standard views may be sold out.

Oh awesome. Glad to know it's very simple to do online. I'll definitely keep an eye on it later in the year

 

[westie55]

I actually stayed at AoA the trip following my stay at YC. While I enjoyed YC, I really loved AoA too! The theming of the resort is so well done. While you can't walk to any parks, we did enjoy walking around the resort and seeing all the larger than life Disney characters. The rooms are less plush and are smaller than YC but they are still very clean and well themed. One of my favorite things about Disney is the variety of resorts. They make each trip new and unique! Have a great time at AoA!

 

[DisBuckMan]

If you are park people (rope drop to close) people, there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with the value resorts. Sure, the beds are full size, but if you know that going in, who cares? With only two people in the room, size isn't an issue. Bed, hot shower...what else do you need for park warriors?