Disney's ART OF ANIMATION RESORT Information & Questions

[JohnDaleswife]

So can anyone else report that the bedroom in the suites are hot? Thats a concern.

 

[bluezy]

So can anyone else report that the bedroom in the suites are hot? Thats a concern.

We've stayed in 2 different LK suites and have not had that experience. If I found the bedroom to be hot (or significantly warmer tham the rest of the room), I'd be down at the front desk letting them know and requesting that it be fixed or asking to be moved. I don't like to sleep in a hot room.

 

[sibesx2]

We just got back from a 4 night stay in a LK suite. We found that it was plenty of room for our party of 7. The bedroom was not hot!
Housekeeping seemed to do the bare minimum - they made the beds and refilled supplies but didn't seem to vacuum or do anything else.

The busses were fine except to the MK. There was always a very long line going to and leaving from the MK. And they couldn't seem to get busses there in a timely manner. After the party on Thurs. night AOA was the only resort with a long line. Other resorts only had a few people in line (if any). We waited about 30 mins to get a bus while we watched bus after bus for other resorts come and go. Yet on the morning of an early MK ADR they had a double bus waiting when we arrived at the bus stop at 7am. There was only our party and 1 other family. There were only a few times that we saw the double bus being used when it would have made a big difference many times.

 

[trishadono]

Good to hear about the room temp! Thanks for asking and responding.

The 3 girls I'm taking (dd20 and friends) are getting excited. Since they are home from college for the holiday they have been over to see me and we are having fun with the planning! Having a first timer in the group makes it so fun!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[bluezy]

We just got back from a 4 night stay in a LK suite. We found that it was plenty of room for our party of 7. The bedroom was not hot!
Housekeeping seemed to do the bare minimum - they made the beds and refilled supplies but didn't seem to vacuum or do anything else.

The busses were fine except to the MK. There was always a very long line going to and leaving from the MK. And they couldn't seem to get busses there in a timely manner. After the party on Thurs. night AOA was the only resort with a long line. Other resorts only had a few people in line (if any). We waited about 30 mins to get a bus while we watched bus after bus for other resorts come and go. Yet on the morning of an early MK ADR they had a double bus waiting when we arrived at the bus stop at 7am. There was only our party and 1 other family. There were only a few times that we saw the double bus being used when it would have made a big difference many times.

That's the perfect time to hop on a bus to Pop Century and then walk back to AoA from there.

 

[aimes0105]

Just wondering about the bathroom fan sensor. My DD4 needs her own sleeping space so on past trips we've put her travel bed in the walk-in closet at VWL and BWV and this time were planning to use the master bathroom. I'm hoping the fan won't kick on in the middle of the night and wake her up though. She will have a white noise machine in there with her but does anyone know if the fan is motion sensor only when the light is on or could it turn on even with the light off? Is it possible to cover the sensor with a piece of tape to deactivate?

 

[Aurora0427]

So can anyone else report that the bedroom in the suites are hot? Thats a concern.

We did a split stay in late October... One night at the beginning in a finding Nemo suite at the beginning, one night at the end. I discovered if I put the room temp at 70, the heat turned on. So I left it at 68. Nice and cool suite all night!

 

[bluezy]

Just wondering about the bathroom fan sensor. My DD4 needs her own sleeping space so on past trips we've put her travel bed in the walk-in closet at VWL and BWV and this time were planning to use the master bathroom. I'm hoping the fan won't kick on in the middle of the night and wake her up though. She will have a white noise machine in there with her but does anyone know if the fan is motion sensor only when the light is on or could it turn on even with the light off? Is it possible to cover the sensor with a piece of tape to deactivate?

I *think* that the fan sensor is independent of the light. I always put a night light in the bathroom so I don't have to turn on the BRIGHT light in the middle of the night and I'm pretty sure the fan still kicked on even without the light. Hopefully someone who is there now can double check for you.

 

[teachertink]

Does anyone know what activities AOA has on Christmas Eve? Are characters at the resort that evening?

 

[dansdad]

Does anyone know what activities AOA has on Christmas Eve? Are characters at the resort that evening?

The December Activities Calendar has not been posted yet. Probably around the 2nd or 3rd.

 

[Scott2552]

I am staying at the AOA in June for the first time and was wondering of the three family suite options which section would be best to stay in. I will be traveling with my wife, son who will be 11 and my nephew who will be 18. I am already booked for the Little Mermaid but I am looking to upgrade if it's worth it. Thanks to everyone who helps me out.

 

[bluezy]

I am staying at the AOA in June for the first time and was wondering of the three family suite options which section would be best to stay in. I will be traveling with my wife, son who will be 11 and my nephew who will be 18. I am already booked for the Little Mermaid but I am looking to upgrade if it's worth it. Thanks to everyone who helps me out.

It really depends on what you prefer. The advantages of a suite, IMO, are:
1. Two bathrooms
2. Private bedroom & bath for the adults. Plus your son and nephew would each have their own bed.
3. Two TV's (this is important for us as DH seems to like to watch CNN and the kids prefer pretty much anything other than CNN.)
4. The kitchenette -- great for heating up leftovers, making coffee, and a larger refrigerator for drinks and snacks
5. More space to spread out -- which is great if you're planning to spend any amount of time in the room (we usually take a break in the afternoons and just hang out in the room to escape the heat of the June sun) or will have resort/down days during your stay.
6. Any of the suites (with the exception of some of the rooms in Bldg. 2 in the Cars section) will be closer to the bus stops and main building than any of the Little Mermaid rooms.

The suites are about double the cost of a LM room, but they are also double the size and offer additional amenities that the LM rooms don't have. With a family of 4, I think it really just comes down to: 1. Are the two boys ok with sharing a double bed in a LM room; and 2. Are the extra perks of the suite worth the extra cost to you? (FTR, I'd go with the suite -- but that's just me).

As far as which section of suites is best...that's also a personal preference. Some people choose based on which movie they like the best. Some people choose based on location or proximity to a pool or the main building. Some leave it up to chance and just book a "family suite". We've stayed in a Lion King suite on two different trips. We chose Lion King because we wanted to be as close as possible to Landscape of Flavors (we like to get the refillable mugs and use them often) and the bus stops. On both of our stays, we had about a 100 yard walk from our room to the back door of Landscape of Flavors. You can't get much closer than that. The Lion King section doesn't have a pool, but we were ok with that. We usually only go swimming 3 or 4 times during the week; we use the food court and bus stops 3 or 4 times a day during the week, so it's more important to us to be close to those things.

I will say that we're booked in a Nemo suite for our trip in June just to try something different -- I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we can still be close to the main building. We've been spoiled by the great location of our LK rooms.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[mthousing]

It's our first time staying at Disney, and we'll be at AOA mid-January (just after MLK weekend). We'll have a car--is it easier/faster to drive to the parks or take the buses? We have toddlers, so we plan to go back to the room early afternoon each day, and I know the buses run less frequently. TIA!

 

[dansdad]

It's our first time staying at Disney, and we'll be at AOA mid-January (just after MLK weekend). We'll have a car--is it easier/faster to drive to the parks or take the buses?

We have always found it easier to take the buses to the parks. And especially to Magic Kingdom. If you drive to Magic Kingdom you have to park your car at the Ticket and Transportation Center, take a tram to the front (depending on when you arrive and where you park), then take to boat or monorail to the Magic Kingdom. If you take the bus you will be dropped off right in front of the gates to Magic Kingdom. Can it be quicker to drive to the other parks? It depends. But to us it's not enough of a time savings to deal with driving. We actually enjoy the buses, we feel they are just another attraction. We like to meet people from all over the country/world and talk about all things Disney.

We have toddlers, so we plan to go back to the room early afternoon each day, and I know the buses run less frequently. TIA!

The buses run at least every 20 minutes, if not sooner.

 

[Jen4400]

It's our first time staying at Disney, and we'll be at AOA mid-January (just after MLK weekend). We'll have a car--is it easier/faster to drive to the parks or take the buses? We have toddlers, so we plan to go back to the room early afternoon each day, and I know the buses run less frequently. TIA!

We also have small children (3 & 4) and recently stayed at AoA. We did not rent a car during our stay, so we relied on the buses for transportation. We had a great experience. The kids loved the bus rides and we had very low, if any, wait times. The only thing I will say is that they tend to pack the buses during busy times, and if you are not part of the initial group on the bus, you will have to stand. We had to do this once and my kids sat on the floor near the back. The second (and only other) time this situation arose, we opted to wait for the next bus because our youngest was asleep, and we ended up only waiting 20 minutes. Both of these instances took place at night during MVMCP.

Also, we stayed at a less busy time of year and the buses seemed to run on a regular basis.

I hope your first stay is fantastic. The AoA really sealed the deal for our family and we can't wait to go back!

 

[jcarwash]

It's our first time staying at Disney, and we'll be at AOA mid-January (just after MLK weekend). We'll have a car--is it easier/faster to drive to the parks or take the buses? We have toddlers, so we plan to go back to the room early afternoon each day, and I know the buses run less frequently. TIA!

During my last visit (staying at Pop Century) when I had a rental car, I drove to Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios. I took the bus to Magic Kingdom.

While I don't mind the buses, there is convenience being able to come and go in the car -- except for Magic Kingdom, where the bus to and from the entrance area is advantageous vs. taking a monorail or ferry.

 

[colarey]

Dumb question(s). Are we able to get a tray of food from landscape and take it back to our rooms, or do we have to eat it in the food court? How about drinks from the bar, can we take those back to the room?

 

[nardoneje]

Yes, just ask them to make it to go

 

[colarey]

Yes, just ask them to make it to go

Thank you!

 

[Fennella Brewer]

I am getting ready to sort out what to pack. Are children permitted to have inflatable pool toys in the pools at A0A? Even though they don't take up any measurable room in the suitcase, there is no point in dragging something we can't use.