We got back recently from our first trip to AOA (many pre-kiddo trips to mods and deluxes), and we must tell you...VERY pleasantly surprised! Thank you to everyone for giving advice... we are converted for sure! a few things of note:
1) My questions about whether two full size rented cribs would fit in the bedroom - they absolutely did! We put one between the bed and the window and one between teh foot of the bed and the tv. We folded them up in the morning, and out of the way for us to get dressed/ready. It worked REALLY well and the twins were able to sleep in the same crib formation as home, which is comforting to them. It also left the pathway to the bathroom wide open, which we were trying to accomplish, so that I could shower early and not wake the kids. My mother slept on the sofa bed and folded it each morning when she got up around the same time as me, and having the extra running room for two year old twin boys in the living room was invaluable, as was the 2nd
2) The boys LOVED the theming in our Cars Suite. They don't know a lot of the movies yet, just the Fab 5, etc. But they loved the cars along the path and the pictures of cars in the room and especially the cone lamp shades. We were in building 2 and had a perfect location on the 2nd floor beside the elevator, so short walk to/from buses/pools/main building...all of it! And, not one ounce of noise could be heard from the elevator.
3) Food Court - really our only disappointment. Yes, there is choice, but execution lacked a lot. But we had planned for breakfasts in the room, which we stuck with and only did one lunch and one dinner in the food court, which was fine by us.
4) Pool - our guys loved it and the splash pad specifically! Huge success there. One of my boys loved saying "Hi" back to the Nemo Birds on the roof beside the pool every time they said hello.
5) Lovely little surprises - they boys loved the bug toss into Pumba's mouth in the lobby and finding characters like Eeyore, Hook and Pooh (along with a Country Bear and a Penguin from Mary Poppins) was a huge hit when returning to the hotel from the parks.
6) Buses - never a huge wait and yes, often platforms are the furthest away at parks, but we never found that a problem in the least. Buses were plentiful to come at peak periods and using the large "double" buses made for quick and easy rides. and yes...the "expected time" boards were fully functional.
We will certainly introduce the boys to other resorts over the years, but for now, we think we might just stick with AOA. It served our needs with young kids perfectly and made for a great trip all around!