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

[jcarwash]

Originally Posted by CDolacki2003

So I think we might change our reservation and stay here with a LM room. We have never done a value resort so I was wondering if the only way to get a king bed is through a request? DH and I cannot sleep comfortably on a double. We have tried at CB.

Yes, you cannot reserve a king bed room. You would need to add it as a request to your reservation.

Originally Posted by JessicaPitre

This question is for anyone that has stayed at Art of Animation. It appears from the sketches and from when we went there that there is only one area for bus pick up/drop off. Just curious with the size of the resort if there are typically long lines to wait for the buses? Just seems like a large resort for only one bus area...thoughts?

Yes, there is one large bus stop area, similar to Pop Century and each of the three All Star resorts, and within those areas there are queues for each of the four theme parks, plus the water parks and Downtown Disney. Generally these stops work well for these resorts.

[DanaMark3boys]

Mike- the videos are great! Thank you! Can you give me some info on the food? I know they have a huge variety of different foods including lots of healthy options but can you tell me if they have food for picky kids.. I'm talking things like the over values offer on kids menu such as nuggets, grilled cheese, crossaints in the am?
Do they have the area that is self serve with all the breakfast options like donuts, bagels, crossaints.. Etc.
Thank you so much.
We really want to stay here in April but just by the menu itself on all ears, I didn't see much my kids will eat?

[disneydreamfan14]

Originally Posted by jenhum

Did you have a courtyard view? If so, were the movies loud enough to bother you? I'm afraid they might do the movies later when we are there (April) and didn't know if noise would be an issue for the courtyard facing rooms in LK.

We stayed in LK in November with a courtyard view. The movie was shown directly outside our window, and it was not too loud at all. If everyone is super quiet you can hear the movie, but if people are talking, the TV is on, toilet flushing, shower going, coffee being made, there wont be a problem.

However I'm sure volume varies with how many people are sitting watching the movie.

[jenhum]

Originally Posted by disneydreamfan14

We stayed in LK in November with a courtyard view. The movie was shown directly outside our window, and it was not too loud at all. If everyone is super quiet you can hear the movie, but if people are talking, the TV is on, toilet flushing, shower going, coffee being made, there wont be a problem.

However I'm sure volume varies with how many people are sitting watching the movie.

Oh that is good news! We all sleep with white noise machines or fans for white noise, so as long as it isn't crazy loud, we should be fine.

[caselaw3]

I just read a review of AofA on TripAdvisor and the lady said children were not allowed in strollers - does anyone have any idea what this is about? We have two small children and I planned on bringing our double stroller but she said not to even bother bringing one cuz children couldn't be in strollers....this seems incredibly strange to me as I know they rent strollers at Disney...

Thanks

[dansdad]

Originally Posted by caselaw3

I just read a review of AofA on TripAdvisor and the lady said children were not allowed in strollers - does anyone have any idea what this is about? We have two small children and I planned on bringing our double stroller but she said not to even bother bringing one cuz children couldn't be in strollers....this seems incredibly strange to me as I know they rent strollers at Disney...

Thanks

This is one of the reasons I refuse to use Trip Advisor for anything Disney related.

My only guess is that they were complaining that you can't leave your children in their strollers on the buses. All strollers have to be folded up before boarding the bus.

[caselaw3]

Originally Posted by dansdad

This is one of the reasons I refuse to use Trip Advisor for anything Disney related.

My only guess is that they were complaining that you can't leave your children in their strollers on the buses. All strollers have to be folded up before boarding the bus.

Well - that makes sense - I didn't think I would leave my kid in a stroller on a bus, HAHAHA....ok - yeah it was a crabby review - said there was nothing to do at A of A and that it was not for small children - I thought it must be a crock cuz the whole place seems geared toward small children, lol

[dansdad]

Originally Posted by caselaw3

Well - that makes sense - I didn't think I would leave my kid in a stroller on a bus, HAHAHA....ok - yeah it was a crabby review - said there was nothing to do at A of A and that it was not for small children - I thought it must be a crock cuz the whole place seems geared toward small children, lol

Wow...I can't fathom how somebody could say that. Oh well.

[mnmhouston]

I thought I had read somewhere on here that the RFID system was not yet installed in the AoA, but I just read a weekly emailed newsletter that was explaining the new stationary payment devices that allow you to touch and pay using your room key and AoA was listed as participating. If so, I guess maybe guests here will be one of the first to be able to use the FP+ and other RFID features.

Anyone with experience with any of this?

[dansdad]

Originally Posted by mnmhouston

I thought I had read somewhere on here that the RFID system was not yet installed in the AoA, but I just read a weekly emailed newsletter that was explaining the new stationary payment devices that allow you to touch and pay using your room key and AoA was listed as participating. If so, I guess maybe guests here will be one of the first to be able to use the FP+ and other RFID features.

Anyone with experience with any of this?

I just read on another thread that YC/BC was going to be the first resort to get the magic bands but they found some issues with it (surprise!).

Now word is that AKL is going to be the first resort to roll with it. Let me see if I can find the link.

Posted over on the BC/YC Thread by MickeyT.

Sounds like they still have a lot to work out on this. IMO they will have to have a different option than bracelet. A lot of folks don't like things on their wrist. Here is a post from Jim Hill Media yesterday with some of updated information. As with all second hand information proceed on your own>>>>

Anyway ... So just to recap here: Though the start of official onsite testing of MagicBands has now been quietly pushed back to late February / early March, it's still full speed ahead for the My Disney Experience program. Which Company officials eventually hope will bring that hassle-free, pampered feel of a Disney Cruise to the Walt Disney World Resort vacation experience.

That said, Disney knows that a lot of people will be paying very close attention to what happens during the initial roll-out / in-park tests of those MagicBands. Which is why -- rather than allowing Guests who are staying at Disney's Boardwalk to have first crack at this particular component of the My Disney Experience program -- the thinking now is that they may need to get away from the Epcot Resorts area. That a far more remote resort might be a better test site for the initial roll-out of MagicBands. Which is why the in-house scuttlebutt now is that Guests staying at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge may wind up being the guinea pigs for this yet-to-be-field-tested-in-a-large-way element of MyMagic+. That it'll be people who've booked packages at AKL who'll be the first to be issued MagicBands.

But make no mistake, folks. In spite on any privacy concerns that Ed Markey's letter to Bob Iger last week may have raised, the My Disney Experience program is still going forward. The Walt Disney Company has put too much time & money into the development of MyMagic+. Though that said, Mouse House managers recognize that -- given how long it took to educate WDW visitors about the particulars of FASTPASS when that ride reservation system was first introduced back in 1999 -- there'll be a pretty steep education curve with the public when it comes to this much-more-involved use of technology. Especially since some of the more innovative features of the My Disney Experience program (EX: The ability to order quick service meals in advance from anywhere inside of a WDW theme park using your smart phone) aren't expected to come online for a few months yet.

Link>>>>> Jim Hill Media

[dansdad]

Originally Posted by mnmhouston

I thought I had read somewhere on here that the RFID system was not yet installed in the AoA, but I just read a weekly emailed newsletter that was explaining the new stationary payment devices that allow you to touch and pay using your room key and AoA was listed as participating.

Also realize that all KTTW cards have had RFID in them for months. So even before a resort has all the locks changed over to RFID, the KTTW cards can still be used with the stationary payment devices that you should touch your KTTW card to for purchases.

[kasedroz]

Originally Posted by mnmhouston

I thought I had read somewhere on here that the RFID system was not yet installed in the AoA, but I just read a weekly emailed newsletter that was explaining the new stationary payment devices that allow you to touch and pay using your room key and AoA was listed as participating. If so, I guess maybe guests here will be one of the first to be able to use the FP+ and other RFID features.

Anyone with experience with any of this?

We were there right before Christmas and I could charge things onto my room card. I used once at the gift shop and in the parks a few times.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

[jenseib]

Originally Posted by mnmhouston

I thought I had read somewhere on here that the RFID system was not yet installed in the AoA, but I just read a weekly emailed newsletter that was explaining the new stationary payment devices that allow you to touch and pay using your room key and AoA was listed as participating. If so, I guess maybe guests here will be one of the first to be able to use the FP+ and other RFID features.

Anyone with experience with any of this?

It was the first resort to have it.

[OceanStateKelly]

I'm sure this has been asked 500 times but I can't find it - Sorry

do the suites sleep 6 people plus an infant in a pack n play or is just 6 total?

thanks so much

[OceanStateKelly]

Originally Posted by mnmhouston

I thought I had read somewhere on here that the RFID system was not yet installed in the AoA, but I just read a weekly emailed newsletter that was explaining the new stationary payment devices that allow you to touch and pay using your room key and AoA was listed as participating. If so, I guess maybe guests here will be one of the first to be able to use the FP+ and other RFID features.

Anyone with experience with any of this?

Just back last night from AOA and they do have them on the doors and was just starting to use the cards for payment with the RFID readers in the parks,, still had a few bugs to work out, didn't always work.. and along with the RFID reader you will be asked at the resort to make up a 4 digit pin number to use with your KTTW card