Hi, Kassie!
I'm so excited you get to return to Walt Disney World Resort! It's such a fantastic place to bring your kids. My husband and I visited the parks before kids, and it is a completely new and amazing experience when you are there as a parent.
My family has stayed at both resorts. We have stayed at two different All-Star resorts:
Disney's All-Star Music Resort and
Disney's All-Star Movie Resort. The decorations at each resort are super cool, and the pools are excellent. We spend SO much time in the parks; we did not mind the value resort experience.
As a treat, we stayed at
Disney's Art of Animation Resort another time with additional family members. My brother joined us along for the ride in a Nemo Family Suite while my parents stayed in a Little Mermaid room. The pools, details and room enhancements are incredible. We decided to spend more time at the resort because we didn't want to miss the opportunity to enjoy the environment of Art of Animation's one-of-a-kind resort experience.
I make my spending decisions based on the experiences I hope to get out of a visit to Walt Disney World. If I plan to spend non-stop time in the parks, I'm going to stay at a value resort. If I plan to experience time beyond in my resort, I am willing to make the upgrade.
I hope those thoughts help with your planning process. Let me know if
I can help you with any other questions!
-Jen