Disney's Art of Animation Resort Info Thread! Mouseketeers welcome!

[KMcCP]

Hello all again - a little over two weeks for us now!

Anyways... do the tvs in the LM rooms have DVD players?

 

[Lisamarie4400]

disneydreamfan14's review of Art of Animation!

So I just returned from our stay at AoA from November 9th to 12th. First things first, this resort is AMAZING. The layout, themes, statues, gift shop, everything is superb. Now more in-depth.

Resort Grounds: A+
The resort is so neat and clean! No grass clippings on sidewalks, no hanging branches, everything very tidy. I was very happy with the resort grounds and how well they are kept.

Check in/Bag Check: B-
Although in such a beautiful lobby, the check in took a long time for us. The CM checking us in kept walking back and forth into closets, asking other CMs, etc. it took longer than it should have. We checked our bags with the resort since our flight was late at night and we were going to the parks after we checked out. Everything ran smoothly here!

Lobby/Gift Shop: A+
the lobby is so beautiful with all the lights and original sketches! The gift shop blew me away, however. It was beautiful, always kept fully stocked, with all CMs ready and willing to help.

Arcade: A-
We never went into the arcade, but from what I saw outside it looked fun. All your basic arcade games it seemed.

Bus Transportation to the Parks: A
Bus transportation was great as usual. Never waited more than 20 minutes (this was because we didn't make it on the first bus to come). Hollywood Studios always seemed to have long bus lines, but the others were not too long.

Bus Transportation to the Airport: B
We were scheduled to get on DME at 4:45 PM, however the bus didn't come until 5, which made for some unhappy campers who had to stand for a while (we had a party if 17, we got to the bus at 4:35). The bus to the airport was freezing, it must have been 58 degrees and everyone was uncomfortable. However our service from the ilairport to AoA upon arrival was fine.

Rooms: A
We stayed in Lion King building 10. It was great! A 1.5 minute walk to Landscapes of Flavor, 3 minute walk to the bus. Great location with a room view of the courtyard with the characters. The rooms were themes very well, with fun light fixtures and wall decorations. Perfect amount of space for a family of 5 or 6. Very happyoverall, I

Landscapes of Flavor: B+
The cafeteria was great overall. Everything kept clean and stocked. The lines to get your actual food and to check out could get long, but not too bad. Food was great too!

Overall, I give this resort a well-deserved A rating. Fantastic and my new favorite on property. We are definitely staying here next time.

A couple notes:
1) There was a free dining info/offer in our room. However, this may change, just look around and it might be there.
2) Although we weren't supposed to, we went into some of the Quick Service restaurants and filled up our Refillable Mugs. No one stopped or questioned us, so if your craving a drink, done be afraid to walk into a restaurant with a drink refill counter and grab something.

When was the free dining offer for? Was it a bounce back?

 

[jimandami]

Hello all again - a little over two weeks for us now!

Anyways... do the tvs in the LM rooms have DVD players?

As far as I know, none of the TVs at AoA have DVD players.

 

[disneydreamfan14]

When was the free dining offer for? Was it a bounce back?

It wasn't a bounce back, but it had free dining packages for either AoA suites or other WDW resorts.

 

[lovingeire]

Just put in our room request for Cars building 1 (Tow Mater) and a pool or courtyard view! 21 Days!!!!

 

[Funfire240]

Hello all again - a little over two weeks for us now!

Anyways... do the tvs in the LM rooms have DVD players?

No they do not

 

[jeanylaser]

what about Cars wing have DVD players?

 

[dansdad]

what about Cars wing have DVD players?

None of the AoA rooms/suites have DVD players.

 

[lynypixie]

Does the suites have clothes hangers or do I have to bring my own?

 

[jeanylaser]

thanks for the info! dansdad!

 

[jimandami]

Does the suites have clothes hangers or do I have to bring my own?

I am pretty sure there were hangers in our LK suite!

 

[buffalogirl]

I am pretty sure there were hangers in our LK suite!

Just back today, yes, wood hangers in bedroom and living room "closet" areas.

 

[tpettie]

Can anyone who has been speak to the buses going back to the resort after park close...

Like how long, how many say after fireworks at MK...

 

[minniebeth]

Can anyone who has been speak to the buses going back to the resort after park close...

Like how long, how many say after fireworks at MK...

My experience is that the lines will be *very* long but that is also when the buses pretty much have one right behind the other knowing this. How long you wait really depends on your timing of getting out of the MK. If leave right after Wishes, along with everyone else you could be waiting 15-30 mins. Depending on crowds.

They jam pack the buses too... It's a long crowded ride back if you are not in a seat. Tired parents and kids too. Put your patience hat on!

 

[buffalogirl]

Just back, quick review of AoA LK suite.

Requested a room close to bus stop. Did the online check-in before leaving home. Arrived about 9:30 Friday night. Took about ten minutes to check in. Online check-in line had 2 cast members working, regular line had several more. Regular line moved much faster.

We were assigned room 6532. Looking at the map that didn't seem close to the bus stop . We walked there and were pleasantly surprised at how compact the resort is. Everything was close and convenient. Our room was on the first floor with a view of the lake and Pop Century.

Like others have said, the pictures online make the rooms look really busy, but in person they're much nicer. We also had problems with tripping over things on the floor- everything just kind of blends in with the colorful pattern. We ended up storing our shoes on the shelves under the bathroom vanity.

We had no issues with hearing our neighbors or people walking through the hall. We found the room to be very quiet-as quiet as our previous stays at CSR. We did not miss the very long walks to the bus stop, pool or restaurants that we had at CSR. It was nice to actually be able to use the refillable mugs.

We did pool hop between the Big Blue and Cozy Cone pools. Both were lots of fun- Nemo was a much livelier atmosphere, but Cars theming was great, too. If you visit the pools, bring towels from your room! It's probably on this thread and posted all over the resort, but somehow I didn't figure it out until we were already at the pool. We ended up just "roughing" it.

We found the food court to be beautiful, but loud. The food was good. The cast members were kind and helpful.

The resort is well maintained. They are constantly cleaning and tending to the grounds. They were even touching up some of the paint on the walls. Everything is very clean and new.

We were very pleased with the bus service. The rides to the parks were quick. Epcot and Hollywood Studios took about 10 minutes. MK was about 15 minutes.

Mousekeeping did a great job. We were treated to several towel animals.

The Christmas decorations at the resort went up last night. I will attempt to post pictures later.

I've got lots of laundry to do.

 

[disneydreamfan14]

My experience is that the lines will be *very* long but that is also when the buses pretty much have one right behind the other knowing this. How long you wait really depends on your timing of getting out of the MK. If leave right after Wishes, along with everyone else you could be waiting 15-30 mins. Depending on crowds.

They jam pack the buses too... It's a long crowded ride back if you are not in a seat. Tired parents and kids too. Put your patience hat on!

It was also our experience on Saturday that after Wishes, our bus back to AoA took some 'backroads' (as in, not highways or parkways) which added some time onto our trip.

The lines were not too long, and they had two AoA buses loading at once on Saturday after Wishes (however don't get your hopes up for this happening to you).

 

[buffalogirl]

There was some discussion about the Wine and Dine 1/2 marathon impacting traffic on Saturday night. Maybe that's why the backroads were taken. . We waited a while for a bus after Fantasmic (the first bus filled and we were able to take the 2nd)and the traffic seemed especially heavy.

 

[luvthemouse71]

One month from today!! It'll be my first solo trip and my first trip to WDW during the Christmas season.
If it's a good experience, next year my sister will try a Christmas trip. I sense a new tradition in the making.

 

[KMcCP]

Thanks for the response on the DVD player. I'm thinking we should rename this thread "how far is the walk from LM rooms?"

 

[VroomVroomLightning]

I can't wait to see pictures of some of the Christmas decorations at AOA! We stayed there this year the weekend it opened, and next year will be going back for a Christmas visit! Might stay at AOA, but will stay at POP if we get some sort of discount! A quick visit over to AOA won't hurt anyone!