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

[dmbcanada]

Just found out we are going to be there for the All Star Cheerleading and Dance Worlds (April 27-29, 2013) Hoping the parks won't be too crowded with screeming teen girls!

 

[DevonsDisneyMom]

Checking in the Finding Nemo suites in 35 days for 7 nights! We have 12 people, so we have 2 suites. We have 4 kids and I want to be on the ground level so that I don't have to deal with elevators or stairs with our 2 strollers. We also want rooms next door/across the hall since we will be sharing breakfast foods. I would also like to be near the bus stops so that my mom doesn't have to walk too far.

How should I make my requests? Are those 3 requests too many? And, since I booked both of the rooms can I put the same requests on each reservation, or do I need to have my parents call and put in the same requests on their reservation?

If you booked directly with Disney I would call and add the requests to the rooms ASAP. I have booked several rooms at the same time for my travel party, and basically they linked all the rooms under a travel with # that way all the reseravations were linking together allowing disney to know you were traveling together. If that was not done ask Disney to do that.

You have the BEST chance of getting your requests the more vague you are. I'd also be sure to give them to Disney in the order they are most important to you. Looks like you booked a Nemo room so that right there means you will already be pretty close to the main hall and transportation.

So if I were you, I'd call and have the following request added to your reservations: Request adjoining room on ground floor, closest to Animation Hall.

Be sure to reiterate your request at check in time too. The front desk will be more then happy to try to accomodate all your requests.

 

[beth4]

If you booked directly with Disney I would call and add the requests to the rooms ASAP. I have booked several rooms at the same time for my travel party, and basically they linked all the rooms under a travel with # that way all the reseravations were linking together allowing disney to know you were traveling together. If that was not done ask Disney to do that.

You have the BEST chance of getting your requests the more vague you are. I'd also be sure to give them to Disney in the order they are most important to you. Looks like you booked a Nemo room so that right there means you will already be pretty close to the main hall and transportation.

So if I were you, I'd call and have the following request added to your reservations: Request adjoining room on ground floor, closest to Animation Hall.

Be sure to reiterate your request at check in time too. The front desk will be more then happy to try to accomodate all your requests.

Thanks so much for the help!

I booked through aaa, but last trip was also through aaa and I was able to call Disney myself to add requests. I will call and add the requests as you suggested. I am pretty sure they are already linked together because when I pull up my reservations on the my disney experience app, they both appear on my page. Thanks again!

 

[pookie10]

Magical Express is pretty easy to find. But we did end up walking a long ways to get there. There are many buses - the one we had for AoA went to Caribbean Beach and Pop first. We had to go to Poly one day too. We ended up renting a town car from Mears (it was a Cadillac escalade). It was $17 for the trip from the front door of AoA to the front door of Poly. Your other option is the bus to magic kingdom and then either the monorail or a boat to the poly. They do start running buses early for the advanced ADRs.

Thank you! We are just using the buses, anyone know how long it takes to get to the poly from magic kingdom????

 

[lilpooh108]

We're planning on hanging out by the pool while waiting for DME after check out.

Are there any showers near the pool, or a locker room to clean up before we get on the DME bus?

Thanks!

 

[cflmom]

We're planning on hanging out by the pool while waiting for DME after check out.

Are there any showers near the pool, or a locker room to clean up before we get on the DME bus?

Thanks!

In the past, when staying at POP, they have let us have a later check out time when the ME wasn't picking us up right away.

 

[lynypixie]

Just returned from AoA stay in LK suite and I thought I'd share my thoughts for those who are planning:

The Lion King section is probably the safest bet if having a quiet room is your priority as there is no pool and windows are a decent distance from walkways. Most of the LK rooms are pretty close to buses and FN pool. If you get a room in the FN section that is off in the wings, it will be quiet but you may not be any closer to food court/buses than LK or parts of Cars, so consider that in choosing your section. The theming in all areas is adorable, although I thought the outside areas in Cars were the cutest. I would choose based on the movie your kids like best. The views are going to be better the higher up you are. We were on a ground floor facing the lake and had some service areas in our view that wouldn't be noticeable on a higher floor. The landscaping and theming is also more likely to block views on the ground floor in the LK section, although this certainly does not affect a majority of the rooms.

The murphy bed is close to the door to the hallway and will get some noise from passersby. The bedroom for us was super quite - no hallway noise and no plumbing noise. The first morning my 3 year old in the murphy bed thought she heard Grandma's voice in the hall which got her up earlier than we hoped so consider that in how you place light sleepers. My kids were so tired on subsequent days that it didn't matter.

We had good luck with the buses. This was our first Disney trip and I fretted about whether to get a rental car. I'm very glad we didn't. We used WeGoShop for grocery delivery and never waited more than 10 minutes or so for a bus, and often less.

The rooms look just like the pictures online and the kids absolutely loved them and the pool. This place is made for little kids. At least in the LK section, the landscaping seemed nicer than at other value resorts.

This has been my exact experience. We just loved this resort and I wish we could go back.

I don't know about the other sections, but I found that LK had the perfect balance. It was super quiet (I had a room by the elevator, but parking lot view), yet not too far from anything. And there is always someone to help you, and greet you good morning.

LK might not have a pool, but the landscape is superb. It made walking around pleasant.

I loved it so much I bought a Lion King shower curtain at the shop. They were just too cute.

I wish there was more LK section stuff at the shop. It was mostly little mermaid and nemo.

 

[dansdad]

We're planning on hanging out by the pool while waiting for DME after check out.

Are there any showers near the pool, or a locker room to clean up before we get on the DME bus?

Thanks!

Yup!

 

[ReturnToOz]

Thinking about booking a trip in October and fly in late Friday. I was wondering could i call the day of my stay and request building, floor, view etc (LM room)? Has this worked for anyone? I would hate to check in late and get even farther room from the buses.

 

[Disneymama01]

Thinking about booking a trip in October and fly in late Friday. I was wondering could i call the day of my stay and request building, floor, view etc (LM room)? Has this worked for anyone? I would hate to check in late and get even farther room from the buses.

If you do online checkin you can request things at time of checkin. You can also call or fax once you check in online.

 

[mom2rtk]

Thinking about booking a trip in October and fly in late Friday. I was wondering could i call the day of my stay and request building, floor, view etc (LM room)? Has this worked for anyone? I would hate to check in late and get even farther room from the buses.

When we stayed at Pop in 2011 we checked in late in the evening. Based on our room location, I do feel like we got a less desirable room because of that late check-in.

In 2011 we checked in late at AoA. And got pretty much what we asked for.

I think a lot depends on who requested what on a given day, and whether anyone checking in ahead of you complained and they needed to switch things around.

We have not done online check-in, as I heard that made it harder to switch things around if you don't like what you got. Of course, by a certain point in the evening, they wouldn't have anything left to switch you to anyway. Especially at AoA.

 

[Jays2013]

Just found out we are going to be there for the All Star Cheerleading and Dance Worlds (April 27-29, 2013) Hoping the parks won't be too crowded with screeming teen girls!

Yeah, so are we. I didn't deal very well with teenage girls when I WAS one, so I hope it's not too bad.

Where are you in Ontario? We're in Buffalo, NY ... about as close to Canada as we can be and still in the U.S. I used to live and work within site of the border. (Lewiston and Niagara Falls, USA.)

 

[DISvirgin1]

We're planning on hanging out by the pool while waiting for DME after check out.

Are there any showers near the pool, or a locker room to clean up before we get on the DME bus?

Thanks!

YES! This is what we did. One word of caution - this is the first time I decided not to bring my own blow dryer and they do not have one in the locker room

 

[DISvirgin1]

Just got back from the AoA! We were in Bldg 9 Little Mermaid rooms.

The pros: Loved the themes, and the resort was beautiful. My two girls (6 & 7)LOVED the LM room!!! We were in bldg 9 and faced the parking lot. Not the best view but it was quiet!
The buses were awesome (but packed - especially the MK ones) and we never really waited for transportation. Having a dedicated bus for AoA was nice and made going back to the room mid day possible (as we knew it would be a quick ride)
Pool areas were nice, and the kids loved the splash area. Having a fridge was awesome and allowed us to have breakfast in our room each day.
The staff were friendly and helpful. We had to request more towels and they were delivered pretty quickly.

The cons: The WALK! We are a fairly active family but found the 5 minute walk from the main bldg to our room to be almost intolerable Especially after a long day in the parks DH and I would look at each other and say "and then we get to hike back to our room!" Thankfully we had breakfast food in our room, because we were not about to hike to breakfast every day! We were not going to pay more to stay in a suite when we are hardly in the rooms, and the themes of the suites were not as appealing to our kids. Thankfully we rented a stroller from Magic Strollers so the kids would hop in to go back to the room.

We went during a peak time and expected things to be crowded, but they would herd us on to the buses, even when there was another bus pulling up...People would be jammed in the bus and the driver would stuff them in even further and say "plenty of room!" even when there clearly wasn't I also felt like we were discouraged from standing to the side to get the next bus.

The Food court. Again it was peak time, and it was always packed. We didn't care much for the food offered. We had our best meals at the parks or at DTD.

All in all we loved the AoA and staying on property but will probably stay at another resort (Pop or an All Star) and either ask/pay more to stay in a room closer to the bus area to reduce the walk.

 

[ReturnToOz]

I am in the debating stage. AOA LM room sounds great but the walk sounds bad. However, I heard POP has the same type of walk situation too. But can't figure out if POP room categories is set up the same. Are the suites in the 60s section in POP like AOA suites are in the middle? Are there basic rooms in the 60 section in POP? If you get a room at POP you could still have the long walk like AOA LM rooms.

POP and AOA are also I think the only ones value resorts that have there own bus transportation and don't share with other resorts?

Just got back from the AoA! We were in Bldg 9 Little Mermaid rooms.

The pros: Loved the themes, and the resort was beautiful. My two girls (6 & 7)LOVED the LM room!!! We were in bldg 9 and faced the parking lot. Not the best view but it was quiet!
The buses were awesome (but packed - especially the MK ones) and we never really waited for transportation. Having a dedicated bus for AoA was nice and made going back to the room mid day possible (as we knew it would be a quick ride)
Pool areas were nice, and the kids loved the splash area. Having a fridge was awesome and allowed us to have breakfast in our room each day.
The staff were friendly and helpful. We had to request more towels and they were delivered pretty quickly.

The cons: The WALK! We are a fairly active family but found the 5 minute walk from the main bldg to our room to be almost intolerable Especially after a long day in the parks DH and I would look at each other and say "and then we get to hike back to our room!" Thankfully we had breakfast food in our room, because we were not about to hike to breakfast every day! We were not going to pay more to stay in a suite when we are hardly in the rooms, and the themes of the suites were not as appealing to our kids. Thankfully we rented a stroller from Magic Strollers so the kids would hop in to go back to the room.

We went during a peak time and expected things to be crowded, but they would herd us on to the buses, even when there was another bus pulling up...People would be jammed in the bus and the driver would stuff them in even further and say "plenty of room!" even when there clearly wasn't I also felt like we were discouraged from standing to the side to get the next bus.

The Food court. Again it was peak time, and it was always packed. We didn't care much for the food offered. We had our best meals at the parks or at DTD.

All in all we loved the AoA and staying on property but will probably stay at another resort (Pop or an All Star) and either ask/pay more to stay in a room closer to the bus area to reduce the walk.

 

[EpcotBill]

I am in the debating stage. AOA LM room sounds great but the walk sounds bad. However, I heard POP has the same type of walk situation too. But can't figure out if POP room categories is set up the same. Are the suites in the 60s section in POP like AOA suites are in the middle? Are there basic rooms in the 60 section in POP? If you get a room at POP you could still have the long walk like AOA LM rooms.

POP and AOA are also I think the only ones value resorts that have there own bus transportation and don't share with other resorts?

there are no suites at Pop.

 

[mom2rtk]

I am in the debating stage. AOA LM room sounds great but the walk sounds bad. However, I heard POP has the same type of walk situation too. But can't figure out if POP room categories is set up the same. Are the suites in the 60s section in POP like AOA suites are in the middle? Are there basic rooms in the 60 section in POP? If you get a room at POP you could still have the long walk like AOA LM rooms.

POP and AOA are also I think the only ones value resorts that have there own bus transportation and don't share with other resorts?

At AoA you cannot get a non-suite near Animation Hall. The Little Mermaid section is the only area with basic rooms.

At Pop, it is ALL basic rooms, so you can get a preferred room and be close to the main hall and bus stops.

And you are wise to consider the dedicated bus service. I won't stay anywhere else because of that. We'll be back at Pop next time. I'm glad we did AoA once, but my feet are insisting that be one and done since we don't do suites.

 

[wdwfann]

I'm so glad to hear that the LK rooms are not too far from the bus stop. My husband is not much of a walker. We are going for my oldest son's graduation and even though I can't wait to get to Disney, I'm not so sure I'm ready for him to graduate.

 

[smidgy]

the preferred rooms at pop can vary,. you can be in the 50s 60s or 70s section. and you can be on any of the 4 floors.

so, if you pay for a preferred room at pop. you could be on floor 4 of one end of the 50s section.(closest to the food court, as the crow flies). now, unless you intend to walk up and down 4 flights of stairs, you will still end up walking back to the elevators, in the middle.

so, some lucky person who booked standard room, could have a 4th floor room in the 50's just 1 or 2 rooms away from the elevators (in the opposite direction) and actually be closer to the elevator than you.

as a PP stated, there are NO suites at pop... and the preferred rooms are NO longer the 60's,, rooms closest to the food court in 50s 60s and 70s are preferred. those in those decades are standard (unless they are pool view.. they found a lot of ways to add to the price)

same at ALL star movies. last time we stayed there I booked preferred becasue I HATE a parking lot view . I thought we would be in Fantasia.. they had already changed it to "proximity to food court, bus stops" so we were in the dalmations section with a view of a bunch of cars. ( toy story is now also preferred view)

by the way, I have stayed at all of the all stars, and can't remember once having the bus go any of the other 2 resorts. but I do know we loved the convenience of grabbing an SPorts bus if it pulled up, and then walking over to the music resort. and, when we were in the Mighty Ducks section of Movies, we used the music bus stop and food court by choice, it was closer to our room.

we will be in Littel mermaid this spring, by I'm thinking is won't be any longer a walk than from the end of the 50s at pop.

the moderate resorts have a much longer walk to the food courts! (although, theydo have various bus stops through out.. but then.. you do have to wait while the bus stops at all those stops!

 

[WinGS]

We will be staying at AoA in a LM room in March. Our flight arrives early around 8:30am. Would early check-in be a valid request? I am also going to ask for a ground floor room in building 9 to have less of a walk to the buses...