Hey there, Lisa! Thanks for stopping by the Disney Parks Moms Panel with your question. I've actually stayed at both of those Walt Disney World Resort Hotels and have enjoyed my time at each one.
I wouldn't necessarily say that traveling to and from the Walt Disney World Theme Parks is harder from
Disney's Art of Animation Resort, just different. But honestly, it's only different going to two parks. From
Disney's Polynesian Village Resort you are able to get to Magic Kingdom Park and Epcot using the monorail system. The benefit of that is you can leave your children in the double stroller to board the monorail. However, going to Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park you are going to have to take everything out of your stroller and fold it up to board the bus no matter which resort you stay at. If the thought of managing a bus with two little ones and all of your stuff is too much, I suggest using
Disney's Minnie Van Service. You can request a Minnie Van using the Lyft Mobile App, so be sure to have that downloaded on your smartphone before your trip. When you're ready to go somewhere simply open the Lyft app and select the Minnie Van. If it is not the default vehicle displayed you can swipe through the options to find it. You'll be able to enter your destination, see the price and pay all conveniently within the app.
As far as the rooms go, both are really nice. I feel like the rooms at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort are very spacious and have more of an upscale feel than you'll get at Disney's Art of Animation Resort. There, you definitely get a bigger space thanks for the family suite layout and an overall theme that your children will probably love. If the pool area is important to you, I should mention that because Disney's Art of Animation is considered a value resort, you'll be losing the slide and the hot tub. However, The Big Blue Pool at Disney Art of Animation is really cute and still enjoyable. Both are really great choices and I am sure you are going to have the best time wherever you choose to stay.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to come back and ask.