Disney's Art of Animation Resort (Part II)

[Marblies]

Thanks for the fresh report Minniebeth! Looking forward to more. The room thing would really be upsetting for most people. The CM better have been wrong about that. With such distinct themeing, it really DOES make a difference to most people and should definitly not be just a request. To me it would not be the same as getting poolside instead of lakeside at LM. THAT is a request.

[noahdove]

Not to sound dumb, but what is EAC? Thanks

[Bell30012]

Originally Posted by Sunshinepixie27

According to a menu I just saw, yes you can get them. They did not have them listed as a kid pic, only on the adult menu with a fruit topping option.

My daughter says this means that I better like something on the kid's menu because she is eating my waffles.

[minniebeth]

Originally Posted by Marblies

Thanks for the fresh report Minniebeth! Looking forward to more. The room thing would really be upsetting for most people. The CM better have been wrong about that. With such distinct themeing, it really DOES make a difference to most people and should definitly not be just a request. To me it would not be the same as getting poolside instead of lakeside at LM. THAT is a request.

Agreed...thanks for confirming my feelings about it!

Originally Posted by noahdove

Not to sound dumb, but what is EAC? Thanks

East Austrailian Current~ in the movie, Dory and Marlin take the ocean "superhighway" to find Nemo

[DisneyMomFanatic]

This is just my thinking on this...

On the website it has each of the three themes as available to pick then it also has family suite (no theme mentioned) as an option. Wouldn't it seem that the family suite is the one to pick if your theme didn't matter but you would choose the specific theme you want by actually clicking on it. So if you just click family, then they can put you anywhere there is room but if you click on Cars, then your room should be in cars??? That is what makes sense to me, but I am just a DISer, not a cast member. What do any of you think on this???

[minniebeth]

Originally Posted by DisneyMomFanatic

This is just my thinking on this...

On the website it has each of the three themes as available to pick then it also has family suite (no theme mentioned) as an option. Wouldn't it seem that the family suite is the one to pick if your theme didn't matter but you would choose the specific theme you want by actually clicking on it. So if you just click family, then they can put you anywhere there is room but if you click on Cars, then your room should be in cars??? That is what makes sense to me, but I am just a DISer, not a cast member. What do any of you think on this???

Makes sense, right? That's what most assume is what I'm thinking.

[DisneyMomFanatic]

Originally Posted by minniebeth

Makes sense, right? That's what most assume is what I'm thinking.

That is what I assumed. My TA put on my reservation that we wanted Finding Nemo, and I really hope that is what we get. 37 days, we shall see...

[gigifaye]

I am thinking about booking this resort sometime soon for next Jan/Feb. Is there any free dining packages listed for 2013 yet? This would be a first ever trip for DH and DD so I want it to be perfect!

[mom2munchkins]

I booke for the week of Easter through Disney. I got my confirmation in the mail today and it says Art of Animation Lion King suite. Just as I requested. So it would appear to me if you ask you shall receive

[parkers218]

Originally Posted by DisneyMomFanatic

This is just my thinking on this...

On the website it has each of the three themes as available to pick then it also has family suite (no theme mentioned) as an option. Wouldn't it seem that the family suite is the one to pick if your theme didn't matter but you would choose the specific theme you want by actually clicking on it. So if you just click family, then they can put you anywhere there is room but if you click on Cars, then your room should be in cars??? That is what makes sense to me, but I am just a DISer, not a cast member. What do any of you think on this???

Yup I think it's this...cause I had Nemo booked for months then when FD came out I went to take advantage of it but there were no Nemo rooms available. So I picked Cars as it was the children's second choice but I have been checking back regularly to try and get the Nemo since we aren't due to arrive until Dec. Well on one of the calls the CM tells me she can adjust my reservation so that it says just "Suite" and then when I arrive I would get whatever was available I just about fell out my chair!! ...I was like uuuuh no thanks! LOL So I'm not sure what her reasoning for that suggestion was..if that somehow increases your chance of getting what you want (though I dont see how) Any how Our family suffers from "The Parker Curse" basically if it can go wrong it will With our luck we'd end up in Lion King which wouldn't be the end of the world but if you are gonna pay a mortgage payment (and then some) for a vacation you should at least get what you want

[dontthrowsand]

I booked nemo because the colors in LK are too much for me and I think cars is kind of ugly/motel ish which is what some people want except me. I sure hope I get my nemo suite. I am paying full rack rate for 7 nights instead of discounted 2 rooms somewhere else.

[minniebeth]

More thoughts on our AoA stay~
The trip on the EAC to the Nemo buildings is an adventure in itself. So many amazing details to look at on the way! The colors that pop in the Big Blue feature pool area are so vibrant and fun, yet the abundance of the blues makes it relaxing to offset all the color. The icons are fun and huge but somehow blend into the scenery so makes it less in your face than like say Pop Century (we love Pop too).
Take notice of the landscaping, it all looks and makes you feel like it's all underwater plant material! I love that fact that in the official WDW videos (blogs, etc.) it tells you that you are the size of Nemo to scale in this part of the resort to give you a perspective of size compared to Crush, Mr. Ray, etc. We loved that storyline detail and kept it in mind enjoying this area.

Love the inside hallways for the suites~ definitely gave the resort a more deluxe feel! Even the elevators and hallways have undersea details. We even went to other floors to look at the wonderful murals/artwork that are all different.
Which leads to the Nemo suite~ Here again, pictures don't do the suites justice in both decor and size. The suites are so much more spacious than I envisioned in the pictures. I loved the feeling of the "brand newness" of the room, so clean and pristine, modern and up to date. The details of the decor are amazing! My dds laugh at me but I couldn't get over the richness and beauty of the drapes and textures of the fabrics of the furniture. The colors are beatiful and much of the kitch is offset by the the choices of fabrics, woods, tile, etc. in the different rooms/bathrooms. The bathrooms are gorgeous!
Enough of the decor, and onto function of the room: definitely enough space and I would say even storage. A lot of storage space in the bathrooms and master bedroom. The only place I would say lacks in storage is if you were to want to stock up and have food, drinks, etc. is the mini-kitchen area.
The footstools in the living room area are light and easy to move for the pullout couch...bed large and comfy! The chairs for the murphy bed are plastic (as well as those footstools) and can easily stack to open the bed and have them out of the way. The murphy bed (table to bed conversion) has the Marlin and Nemo mural over it that will melt your heart. It has a mini overhead light with a dimmer on it perfect for a little nightlight for kids. I took like 10 photos of my youngest DD sleeping there, it was so sweet (gosh Disney! you make me such a sap!)
Another amazing feature of new construction: we heard no, none, nada noise above us, below us, or in the halls! The a/c was wonderful, quiet and efficient. Our soaking wet pool towels dried overnight laid out on the plastic chairs and you can't say that about lots of the Disney resorts.

I love the details of the decor, loved the carpet for some reason:


Couch is larger than I thought it would be and the light in the corner lights up really cool at night!


Big Blue (Feature Pool) looks big but you don't realize how big until you get in the middle of it!


The biggest surprise of the stay: we loved Big Blue. BUT we loved the Cars quiet pool even more! It was our favorite There was hardly anyone swimming there and was just so way cool! We had a cozy cone "cabana", hardly anyone was there. I have to find those photos to post.

[ilovejsparrow]

Thanks for the pictures and review Minniebeth!! I leave in 32 days and I just love seeing pictures to get me even more excited!

[buffalogirl]

Wow! Great pics minniebeth! Thanks so much for posting!

[Marblies]

Originally Posted by Bell30012

My daughter says this means that I better like something on the kid's menu because she is eating my waffles.

As for the pics of AOA. WOW, just WOW!