Please help me decide!

[Aur0ra]

Currently booked in at POFQ with dining plan for late Sept, flying from Manchester.
I can go to AOA, no dining plan, flying from Newcastle (my local airport) for £1800 less and this includes premium both ways.
Myself and 5 yr old daughter, first time on site and I’ve only visited the parks once before in 2001 so new to the parks too!
What to do?
I liked the idea of POFQ being a compact resort so not far to walk for the food court / transport but is that too high a price to pay?
The dining plan also alleviates the need for factoring food in to the cost (bar the tips), but again is the overall price worth it?
I’ve heard AOA is a huge resort, Will this impact on the bus service?
Any thoughts and advice welcome!

[Guest]

How long are you going for? It is hard to really say without knowing that, as the £1800 effectively needs to cover X days of food costs.

However, on the face if it, premium economy flights and £1800 lower costs seems to make AoA make more financial sense.

You will presumably be in a Little Mermaid room so you will have a walk to the main amenities. I don’t see why the bus service would be “impacted” because it is a large resort, other than you may have a longer walk to and from the bus stop as I am sure there is only one - although I can’t get into MDE at the moment to check on the map.

[Aur0ra]

Originally Posted by Claudette

How long are you going for? It is hard to really say without knowing that, as the £1800 effectively needs to cover X days of food costs.

However, on the face if it, premium economy flights and £1800 lower costs seems to make AoA make more financial sense.

You will presumably be in a Little Mermaid room so you will have a walk to the main amenities. I don’t see why the bus service would be “impacted” because it is a large resort, other than you may have a longer walk to and from the bus stop as I am sure there is only one - although I can’t get into MDE at the moment to check on the map.

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For 2 weeks. My daughter can be a fussy eater, I’m hoping for 2 character meals but the rest of our meals will be as and when we want them, don’t want to be tied to ADRs.

Apologies, I’ve read about bus services in the larger resorts being a pain due to the numerous bus stops and passengers which made me think it could be the same at AOA.

[Posiesmum]

There is only one bus stop. However AoA has the massive advantage of the Skyliner. Plus a nice food court
Edited to add I think AoA is a far more child friendly resort and I can’t imagine that you’d spend £1800 on food! If you are concerned over budget you could put that amount on a card and use that for all dining?

[Guest]

Originally Posted by Aur0ra

For 2 weeks. My daughter can be a fussy eater, I’m hoping for 2 character meals but the rest of our meals will be as and when we want them, don’t want to be tied to ADRs.

Apologies, I’ve read about bus services in the larger resorts being a pain due to the numerous bus stops and passengers which made me think it could be the same at AOA.

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Well you would be paying cash for character meals anyway so the POFQ dining plan wouldn't help you there (unless you paid to upgrade it).

Some of the sprawled out resorts have more than one bus stop, this is a help in terms of reducing walking but it can mean buses are full by the time they get to your stop. We had that once at CBR so we got the internal bus round to the first stop. Anyway as mentioned AoA has only one bus stop.

[Guest]

as claudette said have you paid already to upgrade to TS at pofq? if not then you are on the quick service dining plan ,so you wouldn't be paying tips on QS. You would have to pay OOP for character dining anyway….so as its just you and your 5yr old I would def go for the lower cost holiday as it will give you much more flexibility. Far easier with a youngster to take some cereal & snacks with you for breakfast etc & a 5 yr old rarely eats enough(especially if its going to be very hot & humid) to justify the difference you would be paying. being 5, shes also the perfect age for AOA themeing.

[Aur0ra]

Yes I paid for the upgrade to the DDP, got swept away with it all and have to now agree that a 5 yr old, in the heat, really isn’t going to eat that much. Good idea about taking cereal and snacks too! I’ve looked at some YouTube videos of AoA and the theming is definitely more suited to her.
I’m going to make the switch!
Thank you all!
Now I need some trip reports from AOA!

[JulieB01]

For what its worth, I would agree with your decision

[Lily8]

I think AOA looks like it would be a lot of fun for a 5 year old, and if you're only planning a couple of character meals than you'll make substantial savings - which you can of course put towards your next holiday

And flying from a local airport is a big bonus in my view, even more so when travelling with a young child.

[Aur0ra]

Originally Posted by Lily8

I think AOA looks like it would be a lot of fun for a 5 year old, and if you're only planning a couple of character meals than you'll make substantial savings - which you can of course put towards your next holiday

And flying from a local airport is a big bonus in my view, even more so when travelling with a young child.

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This is all so true! Yes a 15 minute cab ride is so much more appealing than a 4 hr train ride after a long night flight. I’m happy I’ve made the decision even though I would love POFQ.