Art of Animation - how easy is it to get to the parks and is it worth it anymore?

[friedela]

Last time we went to DW we stayed in a condo off property and the circus of trying to get back to our condo at the end of the night was SO frustrating and long!! Waiting for monorails and buses and boats, trying to find our car in the parking lot, then having to still drive to the place we were staying at... we would really like to avoid that again and pick a resort that is easy to commute to and from the parks from. Because of that we were hoping to stay on property next time. I had dreams and visions of waking up in the morning and simply walking to the parks and avoiding waiting around for transportation but clearly I am a newbie because I didn't realize that the hotels that are within walking distance to the parks are horrendously pricey and out of our budget. So we are starting to look at some of the on site resorts that are a bit more budget friendly but farther away from the parks.

Art of Animation looks fun. Can someone please explain what the transportation experience is like from AOA? How hard is it to get to the parks and does it take a long time to get back to the hotel at the end of the night? It looks like there are shuttles and the skyliner. Are they easy to navigate and relatively quick? Surely it should be easier than staying off property but I would love to hear your experiences.


Also, can someone comment on if staying on property is even worth it anymore with all of the perks that have been taken away? Why do YOU stay on property and why do you think it is still worth it?

TIA

 

[friedela]

Oh and I just noticed that there is a specific thread for questions about AOA. My apologies.

 

[chasgeese]

Transportation and proximity have always been the biggest perks of staying on-site regardless of what has been lost. Based on your experience and frustrations with your off-site stay, staying on-site would be worth it for you. You have the Skyliner to two parks and dedicated busses that don’t stop at other resorts to the other two.

The only thing I would warn you about at AoA is that the Little Mermaid rooms (the only non-suite rooms) are a trek (about 10 minutes) from the main parts of AoA. I might recommend considering Pop Century, since it has the same transportation setup as AoA (the Skyliner station for both is halfway between them), but you can still get a standard room there reasonably close to everything.

 

[Statefan17]

I feel your frustration with driving to an off-site hotel. This is the reason we now stay on-site when we go to WDW. I have never stayed at AOA but I would take a WDW resort over an off-site resort. In addition to the transportation, we enjoy the resort pools and just being in the Disney "bubble". From AOA you have skyliner transportation to both EPCOT and HS. At times, there is a wait for buses but at least you get to sit down and let someone else drive you back to your resort.

We drive to WDW, so we often choose to drive to AK from our resort as the parking lot is smaller and there is no transfer to another form of transportation in order to get to the theme park.

I think AOA has great theme and I have seen nothing but positive reviews for this resort.

Good luck with your decision and have a great time at WDW when you go.

 

[VeronicaZS]

Look into the Swan and Dolphin. Nearly the same benefits as a Disney hotel.

 

[katyjeka]

I agree. We reserved the dolphin for December for less than a value. I think the prices this year on the resorts are crazy!!! I guess they are just following suit to everything else in the world today.

 

[WVU Disney Fan]

We stayed at AOA in 2014 and 2015 and loved it. This was ore sky liner and never had an issue with the buses.

 

[friedela]

Look into the Swan and Dolphin. Nearly the same benefits as a Disney hotel.

Is it easy to get to the parks from the Swan and Dolphin?

 

[friedela]

Transportation and proximity have always been the biggest perks of staying on-site regardless of what has been lost. Based on your experience and frustrations with your off-site stay, staying on-site would be worth it for you. You have the Skyliner to two parks and dedicated busses that don’t stop at other resorts to the other two.

The only thing I would warn you about at AoA is that the Little Mermaid rooms (the only non-suite rooms) are a trek (about 10 minutes) from the main parts of AoA. I might recommend considering Pop Century, since it has the same transportation setup as AoA (the Skyliner station for both is halfway between them), but you can still get a standard room there reasonably close to everything.

Thank you for that tip, it was the Little Mermaid rooms we were looking at! Good to know!

 

[VeronicaZS]

Is it easy to get to the parks from the Swan and Dolphin?

It’s super easy, Walk or boat to Epcot or Hollywood Studios. Mears bus to Animal Kingdom or Magic Kingdom but for MK it drops you at the TTC so you should take the bus from the Boardwalk which is only 5 min away.

 

[friedela]

It’s super easy, Walk or boat to Epcot or Hollywood Studios. Mears bus to Animal Kingdom or Magic Kingdom but for MK it drops you at the TTC so you should take the bus from the Boardwalk which is only 5 min away.

Sounds super convenient, thanks! I'll look into the pricing of Dolphin.

 

[Brett Wyman]

Look into the Swan and Dolphin. Nearly the same benefits as a Disney hotel.

Was going say this. Their rooms are cheap cheap cheap right now(for that level of hotel) and you can walk to HS and Epcot, which is better than waiting for the Skyliner any day.

 

[friedela]

Was going say this. Their rooms are cheap cheap cheap right now(for that level of hotel) and you can walk to HS and Epcot, which is better than waiting for the Skyliner any day.

Classify "cheap". When I split a package up it's working out to be about $457 CDN a night for the Dolphin for a very basic room (2 queen beds). I did find a room for $360 CDN a night on expedia last night which is better but still This morning the cheapest I can find is now over $400/night.

 

[Brett Wyman]

Classify "cheap". When I split a package up it's working out to be about $457 CDN a night for the Dolphin for a very basic room (2 queen beds). I did find a room for $360 CDN a night on expedia which is better but still

I dont know about that Canadian monopoly money but they are about $216 a night right now plus the $35 resort fee, US, for most of June.

 

[friedela]

I dont know about that Canadian monopoly money but they are about $216 a night right now plus the $35 resort fee, US, for most of June.

Where are you seeing that price? That's $303 a night in my "monopoly money" We are also looking at going in Feb 2022 so maybe that's why I am not seeing that price anywhere.

 

[Brett Wyman]

Where are you seeing that price? That's $303 a night in my "monopoly money" We are also looking at going in Feb 2022 so maybe that's why I am not seeing that price anywhere.

Thats for June so quite possibly Feb is just more expensive. Marriott seems to have their summer prices slashed right now

 

[friedela]

Thats for June so quite possibly Feb is just more expensive. Marriott seems to have their summer prices slashed right now

Yeah, I think it's gonna be AOA for us unless the Dolphin goes significantly on sale again. Although not as convenient as the Dolphin, it's close to half the price.

But from what you folks are saying, getting to and from the parks from the AOA is still going to be WAY easier and more convenient than staying off property again. At least we won't have to try to find out car in the parking lot then still drive off property to get back to our room.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Is it easy to get to the parks from the Swan and Dolphin?

One thing to note with Swan and Dolphin is that it is not serviced by Disney's Magical Express if you are flying and planning to go in 2021. If you are going in 2022 or later this us a mute point as DME ends Jan 1, 2022.

All parks are busy at park opening and especially, park closing. Other than the parks that are within walking distance, lines are going to happen for guests who choose to leave when the parks closes.

 

[NotTheBatesMotel]

I'm not trying to be a downer, but it's worth noting that getting to/from the parks when staying on property doesn't get rid of the stress completely. It's still an often-lengthy process. The busses are pretty much luck of the draw. I've heard of people having to wait an hour+ for a bus, no matter the level of hotel. Hopefully the Covid issues/staffing/etc. will be fixed by your trip but you really can't predict it and busses were hit or miss even before Covid.

The Skyliner also is not a direct shot to the parks unless you're staying at Caribbean Beach. You have to wait in line for the Skyliner, board, exit the Skyliner at the transfer station (I believe this is at Caribbean Beach but I've only ridden the Skyliner once so I'm not 100% sure), wait again, board the Skyliner at CB, and then it takes you to the parks. It's a neat transportation option but it can take some time. I've heard that the Skyliner lines at opening/closing rush can be quite long. We've stayed on property and off and both have their perks/downfalls.

 

[DizneyFamof4]

I can tell you that if you are leaving the park right after fireworks etc. when thousands of other people are leaving, it's also going to be a madhouse and "all" transportation will be backed up (except any that you can walk). The key is either to leave before the masses or (what we do) wait about 60 minutes by going through stores or getting a snack and sitting down and just relaxing in the park and then slowly head out of the park. Even if staying off-site the majority of people have been herded out by then.