Disney's ART OF ANIMATION RESORT Information & Questions

[emsmomma]

Is there a cruise shuttle from AOA to Port Canaveral? If so, what time do they depart AOA, and expected arrival at Port Canaveral?

 

[harbin]

We took DCL cruise shuttle to Port Canaveral last week. Shuttle picked us up at 12:45 and we did not get on the ship until 2:15.. which was a bit late for my taste, but the whole process was easy. Have to book DCL cruise transport ahead of time, and is $35 per person. Have FUN!

 

[threebeesatdisney]

I got a purple mug because... I was at All Star Movies yesterday and the signage read ... Select the number of days you want your souvenir cup activated and enjoy refills of fountain drinks, coffee, and tea at any resort self-service beverage station. 8.99 - 1 day/11.99 -2 days/ 14.99 -3 days/17.99-length of stay. Day consists of one calendar day. Additional days are consecutive. So I bought one since it stated they could be used at all resorts. The mugs here at AoA are still pink, blue, and black and they aren't using the rfid system yet.

 

[threebeesatdisney]

I will be staying in November, I am really looking forward to the LM room!!! Let us know when you're there, I already have some q's lined up!

I'll keep checking for questions you may post. We are in a Little Mermaid room in building 8 ARIEL on the map. We have a sign on our fridge saying not to plug it in due to safety issue so we don,t have a fridge. However, due to you lovely people on this board I knew this in advance and bought two disposable coolers to use. So thanks for everyone who posted about the fridges in the past.

 

[DocFourFour]

I know you didn't aske me, but I can help with the DVC question. DVC resorts offer a larger amount of small grocery items at their resorts than non DVC resorts. You can get things like microwavable meals for B/L/D. Stuff like frozen pizza, frozen meals in a bag. Also things like bagels, english muffins, Entemans donuts, cookies & muffins, cereals, soups, Lunchables, eggs, milk, juices, wine, chips/dip, bread, pancake mix, syrup, mac n cheese, icecream.

The items are a little more expensive than going to a grocery store, but it sure is more convienent to grab what you need there if you are staying at the resort.

And I think by "town car" the person meant just that. A town car. (yes an actual Lincoln Town Car) You can hire a town car like you can hire a limo to pick you up from the airport and drive you to your resort. They will usually do a free grocery store stop for you.

Or you can take a taxi, which will not do a "free" stop at the store. They'll take you there, but you'll still be on the meter.

Or you can just stick with your free ride on DME, and order your groceries from Garden Grocer or We Go Shop.

Thanks. I think going to a DVC resort is a good option. Now I just need to figure out the closest one to AOA!

 

[tinkerbell615]

I'll keep checking for questions you may post. We are in a Little Mermaid room in building 8 ARIEL on the map. We have a sign on our fridge saying not to plug it in due to safety issue so we don,t have a fridge. However, due to you lovely people on this board I knew this in advance and bought two disposable coolers to use. So thanks for everyone who posted about the fridges in the past.

How is building 8 Ariel? We will be staying in the LM section next year. Although we don't know about asking for a specific section, if someone on here says that one section is really awesome. We just might have to request it. lol

 

[Newbie123]

Hello fellow AoAer's:
I will be at Art of Animation in 2 days. If you have any questions while I am there and you post them on here I will try my best to answer them. I am staying in a LM room so I won't know any answers about the suites (sorry). So get your questions ready.

The million dollar question: how's the walk??

 

[Newbie123]

I know this has been asked before, but I looked back through and didn't see it in the past few pages....what is the best way to make room requests for AoA?

Thanks!

 

[PinkiexLi]

The million dollar question: how's the walk??

I also want to know this since building 8 is the so far away from the main building. Also, how's the weather? I'll be there in 2 weeks!

 

[yellowfish78]

Thanks. I think going to a DVC resort is a good option. Now I just need to figure out the closest one to AOA!

I might consider which is the most convenient on a certain day... If at DTD, go to Saratoga or Key West, because it's only a boat ride. At Epcot? Go over to the store on the boardwalk. Remember that resort to resort is impossible to do - you have to travel via a park.

 

[threebeesatdisney]

How is building 8 Ariel? We will be staying in the LM section next year. Although we don't know about asking for a specific section, if someone on here says that one section is really awesome. We just might have to request it. lol

The walk in the morning is quite perky because everyone is excited about the day. In the evening however, you are like "Gees, how much farther!" Lol. If you want to stay in LM section some rooms that are closer to the food courts are 9560, 9561, 7512, & 7513. They are the end rooms on the ground floor of Ursula (bldg7) and Triton (bldg 9). The building with Ariel is the furthest from the food court and Big Blue Pool but close to the Mermaid pool. We are enjoying our room in building 8 because it is nice to see Ariel's smiling face in the evening when we are returning to our room. Personally I think walking past Ursula for a little child would be scary.

 

[threebeesatdisney]

I also want to know this since building 8 is the so far away from the main building. Also, how's the weather? I'll be there in 2 weeks!

The weather today was actually not too bad. It was a lot less humid than I had expected although it was in the mid 90s.

 

[RachelTori]

Thanks. By 'town car' do you mean a taxi or the ME bus? And the DVC resorts have grocery stores? We've decided to bring over supplies for the first morning and figure something out when we get there.

Thanks. I think going to a DVC resort is a good option. Now I just need to figure out the closest one to AOA!

I definitely wouldn't call the groceries available at the DVC resorts a "grocery store". They have very limited selections.

Do you really want to spend valuable vacation time going from resort to park to DVC resort to park to AoA?

I'm sorry I haven't read back -- I don't know how long you'll be staying and what groceries you're looking for....... but depending on a DVC resort for your groceries is probably not your best option.

If you're using Magical Express, you might consider a Garden Grocer delivery or taking a cab to the nearby Publix Supermarket. You can even rent a car for a day at the Dolphin hotel (Alamo) or the Car Care Center near MK.

 

[threebeesatdisney]

I was over at Pop today and their movie by the pool tonight is Alice In Wonderland and the one here at AoA is Tangled. So if you are ambitious and don't like the movie playing here you could always "hoof it" over there to Pop and watch their movie...lol

 

[threebeesatdisney]

Please don't mind me, I need to share my excitement with someone!

I just added an extra night to our tip which is only 9 days away!

So now we will have 3 nights/4 days at AoA in a LM room!!!

We can't wait to get back to this resort, we loved it so much in Dec. No parks planned for those days, so we will get to enjoy the resort to the fullest!
(Then we switch over to BLT 1 bedroom for a week!)

When we went last time I didn't request anything and I feel like we got a great room. (7861 corner room, 4th floor building 7) We got to see the fireworks from our room too! So now I'm wondering if I should put in a request or just leave it up to chance? What should I do?

Well, if you don't like the room you receive you can always walk down to Room 8560 or climb the stairs to get above it and watch the fireworks from Fantasmic there. I just did!

 

[tinkerbell615]

The walk in the morning is quite perky because everyone is excited about the day. In the evening however, you are like "Gees, how much farther!" Lol. If you want to stay in LM section some rooms that are closer to the food courts are 9560, 9561, 7512, & 7513. They are the end rooms on the ground floor of Ursula (bldg7) and Triton (bldg 9). The building with Ariel is the furthest from the food court and Big Blue Pool but close to the Mermaid pool. We are enjoying our room in building 8 because it is nice to see Ariel's smiling face in the evening when we are returning to our room. Personally I think walking past Ursula for a little child would be scary.

Thanks for the info. I really think we will just see where we end up. We don't mind the walk, as I mentioned on here before. Our only request so far is to be on the bottom floor so that it is easier with the stroller.
Have a great time!

 

[DocFourFour]

I definitely wouldn't call the groceries available at the DVC resorts a "grocery store". They have very limited selections.

Do you really want to spend valuable vacation time going from resort to park to DVC resort to park to AoA?

I'm sorry I haven't read back -- I don't know how long you'll be staying and what groceries you're looking for....... but depending on a DVC resort for your groceries is probably not your best option.

If you're using Magical Express, you might consider a Garden Grocer delivery or taking a cab to the nearby Publix Supermarket. You can even rent a car for a day at the Dolphin hotel (Alamo) or the Car Care Center near MK.

Hi, we're staying for 16 nights. The groceries are really just basics for breakfast and night-time snacks. If we are in Epcot it night be worth it to head over to the Boardwalk and check out the Screen Door General Store or maybe even walk over to the HESS gas station. Or maybe we'll just order from the Garden Grocer.

Thanks everyone for the info.

 

[ChrissyLady]

I'll keep checking for questions you may post. We are in a Little Mermaid room in building 8 ARIEL on the map. We have a sign on our fridge saying not to plug it in due to safety issue so we don,t have a fridge. However, due to you lovely people on this board I knew this in advance and bought two disposable coolers to use. So thanks for everyone who posted about the fridges in the past.

Thanks so much! We also are not concerned about the walk, more about noise levels! The last time we stayed at Pop, it was really loud outside of our room. Granted, we were in 60s with a pool view, which is great, don't get me wrong, but there seemed to be a lot of foot traffic.

How's the pool area at LM? I imagine it must be quieter than the main pool.

We also put in a request for a king bed rather than two doubles. Do you know if these are exclusive to a certain building?

Thanks for all of your updates while you're on vacation!!!

 

[tinktinktink]

Great thread!
I'm having a hard time if I should go with the little mermaid or a suite.
What do you guys think? Why must we have so many choices!!
Lol...

I would go with a suite! We stayed in LM 1 night and a Nemo suite the rest of the stay. Walking into the suite was a breath of fresh air.

 

[tinktinktink]

I know this has been asked before, but I looked back through and didn't see it in the past few pages....what is the best way to make room requests for AoA?

Thanks!

I would call and tell the CM what you're looking for and ask them what their suggestion is then ask that they put the request in.