Disney's ART OF ANIMATION RESORT Thread

[yellowfish78]

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

WELCOME! to the FAQ thread for Disney's new Art of Animation Resort in Walt Disney World, Florida! Here you will find lists of amenities, room types, and answers to general questions about the resort.

Disney's Art of Animation Resort overview:

Opened: May 31, 2012
Resort Category: Value
Closest Theme Park: Hollywood Studios
Guest Rooms: 1,120 family suites 864 standard rooms
Address: 1850 Animation Way, Lake Buena Vista, FL, 32830

Disney's Art of Animation Resort combines the magic of Disney animation with a resort experience you will love. Built on the site of Pop Century's abandoned Legendary Years expansion, Art of Animation is Walt Disney World's newest resort hotel that will leave you in awe. AoA includes 10 guest buildings, Animation Hall (main lobby, food court, gift shops), and 3 pools, and is just a short walk from neighboring Pop Century Resort.

ROOMS

Art of Animation Resort is divided into four sections, themed after classic Disney movies: Finding Nemo, Cars, the Lion King, and the Little Mermaid. There are two room types available at Disney's Art of Animation Resort: standard rooms, which sleep up to 4, and family suites, which sleep up to 6.

Standard Room diagram:

Family Suite diagram:

FINDING NEMO:

Family Suite - sleeps up to 6

Located in the Finding Nemo Courtyard are:
The Big Blue Pool - Art of Animation's main pool.
The Drop Off pool bar
The Schoolyard water play area for kids
Squirt's Righteous Reef playground
Life-size statues of Nemo characters: Mr. Ray, Crush, Marlin, and Nemo

CARS:

Family Suite - sleeps up to 6

Located in the Cars Courtyard are:

The Cozy Cone Pool - one of Art of Animation's quiet pools
Life-size statues of Cars characters: Lightning McQueen, Sally, Mater, Ramone, Flo, Sheriff, Luigi, Guido, and Filmore.
The Cozy Cone Motel "office"

THE LION KING:

Family Suite - sleeps up to 6

Located in the Lion King Courtyard are:

The Elephant Graveyard playground
Life-size statues of Lion King characters: Mufasa, Timon, Pumba, Simba, Shenzi, Banzai, Ed, Scar, and Zazu.

LITTLE MERMAID
http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/1431/Art-of-Animation-Resort-01.jpeg

Standard Room - sleeps up to 4

Located in the Little Mermaid Courtyard are:

Flippin' Fins Pool - one of Art of Animation's Quiet Pools
Life-size statues of Little Mermaid characters (more detail to come after the opening of the Little Mermaid section)

*Standard Rooms include two double beds. Family Suites include sleeper sofas, table beds, and a queen sized bed.


POOLS

Art of Animation is home to three pools, the main pool located in the Finding Nemo section, and two quiet pools, located in the Little Mermaid and Cars sections.

BIG BLUE POOL: The Big Blue pool is located in the Finding Nemo courtyard and is the largest resort pool on Walt Disney World property. It features a kids water play area, a poolside bar, and underwater speaker systems projecting the voices of Finding Nemo characters. This is one pool you wont want to miss!



FLIPPIN' FINS POOL: The Flippin Fins pool is located in the Little Mermaid courtyard and is a designated quiet pool.


COZY CONE POOL: The Cozy Cone pool is located in the Cars Courtyard and is a designated quiet pool.


TRANSPORTATION

Art of Animation is a bus-serviced resort that includes direct transportation to any Walt Disney World theme park (this includes service to water parks and Downtown Disney). Bus transportation will not take you to another Disney resort. You will need to transfer at Downtown Disney to a bus to the resort you wish to visit. *Guests wishing to visit Pop Century can take a scenic walk across the bridge over Hourglass Lake*

The good news is...Art of Animation does not currently share busses with other resorts!!

DINING

Landscape of Flavors food court: The main food court at Art of Animation is Landscape of Flavors. It is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and features tasty American and worldly cuisine. The 'mini restaurants' inside the food court are: The Soup-Salad-Sandwich Shop, The World Flavors Shop, The Pizza Shop, The Burger Shop, and The Market. Fruit smoothies and drinks are made to order, and teas, beer, gluten free beer, and juice is also available. Landscape of Flavors is split into four areas, themed after the four Disney movies utilized in the guest rooms.

Drop Off Pool Bar: Drop Off Pool Bar is located in the Finding Nemo Courtyard and seves drinks and quick foods.

Additional FAQ:
1. Can I request a guest building for my stay?

Absolutely! You may request any movie section of the resort when booking your stay. However. be warned that requests for certain floors or views are REQUESTS and your desired room may not be what you get in the end. If, upon arrival, you are not granted the room that you asked for, bring it up with a cast member at the front desk. Im sure they will be happy to try to work things out!

2. What amenities are available during my stay?

A concierge, laundry service, babysitting service, pizza delivery, and wheelchair-accessable rooms are all available at Art of Animation. Inside your room, you will find Cable TV, Wi-Fi,a Hairdryer, a safe, an iron/ ironing board, and a mini fridge for your personal use.

3. Are Refillable Mugs available for purchase?

Yes! You can buy your refillable mug at Art of Animation

4. How do I get to Art of Animation from highway I-4?

Take exit 65 off I-4 for Osceola Parkway West toward Animal Kingdom/Wide World of Sports. Turn right onto Victory, right onto Century Drive, Art of Animation is 1850 Century Drive. (Special thanks to jenaemmaFL's daughter)

5. Where can I find even more information?

www.disneyworld.com
www.wdwinfo.com
DIS link to Art of Animation: http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/resorts/art-of-animation.htm

Previous Art of Animation threads:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2957090
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2576995
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2934412
http://www.easywdw.com/uncategorized...es-aka-part-2/
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2966053

This thread will be updated once more questions arise. Have fun and enjoy your stay at Walt Disney World's magical new Art of Animation Resort!

*all pictures and info used in this thread are courtesy of wdwinfo.com and disneyworld.com*

(Copied from disneydreamfan14's first post of previous closed thread.)

 

[fd1972uk]

Hi Guys,

Also asked similar question in CBR thread where we stay for 1st week, 2nd week in LM in AOA.

Sorry bit of a weird one here, not sure if any recent goers can recall or if anyone is heading off very soon or maybe there at moment.

Our little one whilst being confident in the water (she's 7), is not able to swim without the aid of water rings.

Just wondering if anyone recalls the types of character or themed water rings that are sold within the shopping shop (think that's the name of it).

Our little one has a few swimsuits, a couple of flowers type ones (if any Pirates Arm Bands that'd be quite cool), also a Red and White Minnie Swimsuit and a Ariel Swimsuit.

Anyone able to advise? Or is it exactly what I'd find in the Disney Store website?


TIA


FD

 

[jkid721133]

Awesome thread. I got about 6 answers to various questions I had that I couldnt find on the Disney website.

 

[MinnieTink]

Bumping up this thread! One more sleep until DH and I are at AoA. We have a LM room booked. I'm hoping for a room in Bldg 9 because that seems a bit closer to the bus stop and main building, am I right?

 

[rteetz]

This is a great thread. We are looking to stay here next April as we are starting to plan our next trip!

disney lover at heart

 

[LivingtheWDWdream]

We check in tomorrow for a short 3 night stay in a Cars Suite can't wait!

 

[RoseRoni2]

This is an awesome thread! I can't wait to arrive in July!!!!!

 

[Enchanted Minnie]

Hi Guys

Our little one whilst being confident in the water (she's 7), is not able to swim without the aid of water rings.

Just wondering if anyone recalls the types of character or themed water rings that are sold within the shopping shop (think that's the name of it).
FD

I do know that they have Finding Nemo arm floaties. I stayed there before Little Mermaid opened so maybe they have those now?

I don' remember the bathing suits because i have all boys so I wasn't looking, sorry!

They do have life jackets available for the kids by the pool also. They are free to use. They were in a big bin, if you can't find it a life guard can show you.

Have a great trip!!

 

[MyTwoPrincesses]

Just got back from AoA yesterday. We had a wonderful time. The resort is beautiful and the theming is just fantastic. We stayed in Building 6 in the Lion King section. The location was perfect. We were on the first floor close to Nemo (near Pride Rock but facing the lake). We had a short walk to the pool and animation hall. The room was VERY quiet.

I thought the room quality was great. I actually felt the room was nicer than the rooms at CSR and POFQ - I stayed at both when they were freshly remodeled. The bathrooms are much nicer. The beds were comfortable. I slept on the sofa bed several nights with my 2 year old and the sofa was actually very comfortable. I was surprised. My kids loved the "magic bed." When we walked into the room, my 2 year old kept saying "I can't believe it!" She just loved it.

The feature pool is a lot of fun. It's very spacious and the zero entry is great. Perfect for little ones. My older kids got a huge kick out of the underwater music.

Landscapes of Flavor was good. We ate dinner there twice. Both times I had the CYO pasta. I really enjoyed it and the portions were huge. My friend had the tandoori fish the first night and thought it was good, though the portion isn't huge. The second night he had the steak sandwich which he enjoyed. My kids had the pizza a few times as well as the mac and cheese (available in the "Grill" area). We also did Pizza delivery from Pop Art one night for the kids and they loved it.

Bus service was great. One time we did take the Pop bus because we were leaving DHS mid-day and JUST missed a bus (we saw it pull away). The Pop bus came about a minute later so we took that and walked over to AoA. That took 5 minutes. The only negative I had with Bus service was that the AoA bus stops tended to be far from the park entrance - particularly at Epcot.

I'd DEFINITELY stay at AoA again. Thumbs up from everyone!

 

[LivingtheWDWdream]

We checked in this morning and hotel is awesome! We arrived around 9:30 not expecting a room to be ready given check out time hadn't even arrived but they told us they had a Cars Suite available (we booked a Cars Suite) so it was no problem to get into the room right away. Unfortunately, no one actually verified with housekeeping or housekeeping didn't verify that the room was A. Empty or B. Clean. So we got to the room I opened the door and well all I can say is that family may never be the same after having someone open the door on them ummmm how to word this so I don't get dinged for improper language... "going to the movies" I backed out of the room quickly yelling sorry and slamming the door. We went back to the front desk and got moved to a different move the manager went and checked before allowing us to go there to make sure this room was ready and empty. We originally would have been in Building 1 but got moved to Building 3 in a 2nd floor facing the pool. Great location close to the elevator and the room is quite nice!

We didn't use the food court we did get mugs though and have gone in just to get beverages. Everyone though has been quite friendly and when the big oops done, they couldn't have apologized more I told them to save the big apologies for that other family in case they complain as they were the ones who probably died of embarrassment!

Thought the big blue pool looked like a lot of fun but appeared to be quite loud when they were doing activities so the pool in the cars section seems to be a great fit for us even though it is smaller in comparison. I love to have a great time and can see that they have set this area up to encourage that but when they run activities or when it's been busy the noise level can be a bit bothersome for long bursts of time. So we will balance our time between both pools.

We will explore the rest of the resort over the next few days but I think the decorations in the room are great, the life size characters make it feel so realistic to the movie cars, kids love it from what I've seen and I am glad despite the mix up that we chose to stay here.

If you have questions I can try and find the answer to them while I am here just let me know!

 

[Shaden]

Hey guys, I am actually EXTREMELY "frustrated" at this point, I would use MUCH strong words anywhere else.

I am trying VERY hard to find a FRICKING picture of an AoA Little Mermaid King Bed .... we just want to have some bloody clue what it looks like.

Have googled searched, have searched these forums, nothing comes up ... ready to just strangle someone or something


Hahaha, ok, vent done. If anyone here could post a picture of a King room, I would greatly appreciate it. We are at Disney now, checking out tomorrow, and are thinking of booking BB ... or looking into a AoA King next Feb. Really want a picture or two.

Thanks all,

 

[marvel]

To those that have just returned or are there now, what is the insulation like between rooms? ie - how much noise can you hear from the rooms next door, such as talking or using bathrooms?

Have never stayed at a value and wondering if its more likely that you can hear the people next door, or above you. its a bit of an issue with us, with the likelihood the neighbours may have very small children prone to being noisy in the wee hours of the morning.

any info appreciated.

 

[jrmo]

I have a few questions, if anyone there has run across the answers.

Can you use the laundry rooms with a credit card?

What is the width of the door from the hallway to the dining area? Wondering if our City Elite double with fit.

I would also like to second the question about noise level in the suites. Wondering if it's worth requesting a top floor room.

Thanks!

 

[ajfd]

We stayed at AoA Building 1 (Mater) a few weeks ago. We were on the third floor, about midway down the hall. In other words, rooms on all sides.

I don't think we heard a single peep from any other room the whole time we were there. Occasionally you'd hear some hallway noise (heavy footed kids running down the hall), but that was RARE.

All in all, very quiet. That being said, we were only in the room one afternoon (there for 8 days.... usually we out by 8a and not back until very late). That afternoon it was as quiet as it was overnight.

 

[Enchanted Minnie]

We stayed in the Nemo suites by the big blue. We were on the top floor, in the corner lucky us! The only noise we heard was in the hallway when excited kiddos made their way out the door

Yes, you can use credit cards in the laundry room. You pay and you plug in which machine you're wanting to use. It was so much easier then carrying a pocket full of change!

 

[Sunnywho]

Just got back from AoA yesterday. We had a wonderful time. The resort is beautiful and the theming is just fantastic. We stayed in Building 6 in the Lion King section. The location was perfect. We were on the first floor close to Nemo (near Pride Rock but facing the lake). We had a short walk to the pool and animation hall. The room was VERY quiet.

Did they play the movies in the Lion King courtyard while you were there? You couldn't hear it in the room? That's been my main qualm about the Lion King section but it's the section we want because we are LK fans.

 

[MyTwoPrincesses]

Did they play the movies in the Lion King courtyard while you were there? You couldn't hear it in the room? That's been my main qualm about the Lion King section but it's the section we want because we are LK fans.

They played movies every night right by Pride Rock. Our room was close to Pride Rock on the first floor but faced the lake instead of Pride Rock. It was EXTREMELY quiet. I heard zero movie-related noise. I can't speak for the room across the hall - it's possible that they heard noise - but I would think that requesting a room facing the lake would avoid the potential issue.

 

[ammag]

Where do the busses drop off at mk and ak? If its a big walk just want to make sure we know for my mom

 

[Lazor460]

Just got back from AoA yesterday. We had a wonderful time. The resort is beautiful and the theming is just fantastic. We stayed in Building 6 in the Lion King section. The location was perfect. We were on the first floor close to Nemo (near Pride Rock but facing the lake). We had a short walk to the pool and animation hall. The room was VERY quiet.

I thought the room quality was great. I actually felt the room was nicer than the rooms at CSR and POFQ - I stayed at both when they were freshly remodeled. The bathrooms are much nicer. The beds were comfortable. I slept on the sofa bed several nights with my 2 year old and the sofa was actually very comfortable. I was surprised. My kids loved the "magic bed." When we walked into the room, my 2 year old kept saying "I can't believe it!" She just loved it.

The feature pool is a lot of fun. It's very spacious and the zero entry is great. Perfect for little ones. My older kids got a huge kick out of the underwater music.

Landscapes of Flavor was good. We ate dinner there twice. Both times I had the CYO pasta. I really enjoyed it and the portions were huge. My friend had the tandoori fish the first night and thought it was good, though the portion isn't huge. The second night he had the steak sandwich which he enjoyed. My kids had the pizza a few times as well as the mac and cheese (available in the "Grill" area). We also did Pizza delivery from Pop Art one night for the kids and they loved it.

Bus service was great. One time we did take the Pop bus because we were leaving DHS mid-day and JUST missed a bus (we saw it pull away). The Pop bus came about a minute later so we took that and walked over to AoA. That took 5 minutes. The only negative I had with Bus service was that the AoA bus stops tended to be far from the park entrance - particularly at Epcot.

I'd DEFINITELY stay at AoA again. Thumbs up from everyone!

Hi sounds like you had a good time! We are staying in LK too in Sept! I had a few questions if you dont mind. I wanted to request a building and a floor. What would you suggest? We have 3 little children an 8, 5, & 8 mos old so are concerned about the walk to buses and stuff. Especially at the end of a long day when they are asleep lol! Wasnt sure your opininon on which floor was most convenient and quiet? I know you said buses were good but I was wondering how long you waited and then how long it took to get to MK? We were originally planning on staying at the CR so our ADRs were earlier I switched most of them but my DD BBB appt is at 830? Couldnt switch it! Really hoping we can make it! Thanks for all your help!

 

[yellowfish78]

Hi sounds like you had a good time! We are staying in LK too in Sept! I had a few questions if you dont mind. I wanted to request a building and a floor. What would you suggest? We have 3 little children an 8, 5, & 8 mos old so are concerned about the walk to buses and stuff. Especially at the end of a long day when they are asleep lol! Wasnt sure your opininon on which floor was most convenient and quiet? I know you said buses were good but I was wondering how long you waited and then how long it took to get to MK? We were originally planning on staying at the CR so our ADRs were earlier I switched most of them but my DD BBB appt is at 830? Couldnt switch it! Really hoping we can make it! Thanks for all your help!

My only comment would be to suggest a ground floor. Having a stroller and not having to deal with elevators was VERY nice. We actually stayed in Building 10, under the zero. Very easy to walk to the buses in the morning following the parking lot path.