Disney's ART OF ANIMATION RESORT Thread

[lemonears6]

We are staying at AOA. First time ever at a disney resort. I picked the nemo room. Any tips would be great. I'm so excited. Our kiddos will be 4,6,7,9. We have been to disneyworld before just never stayed at disney resort.

 

[Ceryssa]

Currently booked in a Nemo suite for a few days at the end of October and now I'm worried about a discount not being available? Planning to wait and see, but is it likely I'll encounter any problems with availability if I try to switch to LK after the discounts come out?

 

[Kat016]

Currently booked in a Nemo suite for a few days at the end of October and now I'm worried about a discount not being available? Planning to wait and see, but is it likely I'll encounter any problems with availability if I try to switch to LK after the discounts come out?

They've been offered for Nemo suites in the past but I believe it's limited.

 

[Frozen2014]

There's no difference between the suites other than theme and location. They're all the same size and have the same amenities within the suite. I find all the suites to be gender neutral. When we originally booked, we were in a Nemo Suite. I chose that because that section -- as a whole -- is the closest to the Animation Hall. When discounts came out, there were no Nemo Suites available at the discounted rate (that's very common -- they seem to either not include those suites or only include a handful) so we switched to Cars because *I* thought that's what my kids would like that better than Lion King since Cars has a pool but LK doesn't. Well, they were a little disappointed when I told them. They said they would have preferred Lion King. I told them I wasn't switching again. Fast forward to check in and I just casually mentioned to the check-in CM that my kids weren't happy with my choice of a Cars suite -- that they wanted Nemo or Lion King. So he called the room assignor and checked what else was available (our assigned location in the Cars section wasn't that great anyway). I told him that it was most important that we be close to the main building/bus stops. He said he had the perfect room for us. And he did!! We loved our location in the Lion King section (bldg 10, end of the wing closest to Animation Hall). We were closer to AH and the bus stops than many of the Nemo rooms. We liked the theming both inside the rooms as well as outside. Though I will say that I think the Cars section has the best outdoor theming of all the areas of AoA -- especially at night. Even if you don't end up staying in that section, make sure to walk over there one night. It's amazing.

Thank you. Great advice. I am taking note of the location for when we call and book. I remember someone else saying Lion King in building 10 as well.

 

[kristinradico]

After over a year of planning, I offically booked our Cars Suite for June!!!! We had to wait so long to see if my husband had a good chance to get his miltary leave approved. We plan to check in at 9-10 in the morning so I put in no buliding/floor requests (as all seem to have pros) and leave it up to Pixie Dust where we end up


Kristin

 

[mkitchens]

Thank you. Great advice. I am taking note of the location for when we call and book. I remember someone else saying Lion King in building 10 as well.

What type of discount did you receive for cars suite? We will be staying here in early December and am hoping for free dining or 30% off

 

[bluezy]

Currently booked in a Nemo suite for a few days at the end of October and now I'm worried about a discount not being available? Planning to wait and see, but is it likely I'll encounter any problems with availability if I try to switch to LK after the discounts come out?

My Disney TA said that there are usually a small number of Nemo rooms available for discounts. While she didn't say an exact number she implied that it was less than 10. That section is almost always sold out so they don't really need to offer a discount to get people to stay there (kind of like the Little Mermaid rooms). When we were booked in a Nemo suite in late June 2013, we didn't have any trouble switching to a Cars suite when discounts came out about 8 weeks before our travel dates. We changed to a Lion King suite at check-in. My TA kept watching for discounted Nemo suites to open up before we arrived but it didn't happen. Her advice was to try again at check-in which we did but there were still none available. As it turned out, we loved our LK suite location and chances are we were closer to the things that were important to us (Landscape of Flavors and the bus stops) by being in a LK suite than we would have been in a Nemo suite so everything worked out great for us.

 

[emsmomma]

Is there a discount involved with booking with a TA or same price if I book online or call AOA?

 

[Ceryssa]

My Disney TA said that there are usually a small number of Nemo rooms available for discounts. While she didn't say an exact number she implied that it was less than 10. That section is almost always sold out so they don't really need to offer a discount to get people to stay there (kind of like the Little Mermaid rooms). When we were booked in a Nemo suite in late June 2013, we didn't have any trouble switching to a Cars suite when discounts came out about 8 weeks before our travel dates. We changed to a Lion King suite at check-in. My TA kept watching for discounted Nemo suites to open up before we arrived but it didn't happen. Her advice was to try again at check-in which we did but there were still none available. As it turned out, we loved our LK suite location and chances are we were closer to the things that were important to us (Landscape of Flavors and the bus stops) by being in a LK suite than we would have been in a Nemo suite so everything worked out great for us.

That's pretty much what mine said--they apparently offer discounts for locations under 60% occupancy. Not sure how accurate those #s are but good to know there shouldn't be a problem switching. My problem now is that I have one kid that wants LK and one that wants Nemo.

You don't get any special discount from booking through a TA; they just (or should) make things a little easier for you. They also should get a heads-up on discounts coming out (although not much of one from what I understand) and can make sure they get applied to your reservation.

 

[kkoe04]

We are staying at AOA in June and have 7:15 am reservations at Chef Mickey's. I had read on another board that there is early busses that run for dining reservations. Does anyone know if that is true?
We are flying and our kids 5 & 7 won't have their car seats so I guess taking a taxi would be out if the question.

 

[TandLMommy28]

Kinda funny...

First, I showed my six year old a YouTube video of the Cars section and he couldn't even breathe. He had no idea it even existed and to know that he was going to stay there was almost too much for him to handle.

So then I asked him if he had a preference on which building we stayed in for when I put in a request. I showed him the main entrances of the three Cars buildings. He couldn't decide. He was going crazy and finally said "This is too hard to decide, I think you better tell them to surprise us!" hahahahaha. I think I'll stick with requesting "as close to the main building as possible".

 

[TandLMommy28]

anyone know if there are places for a family of 12?

Three regular rooms at a value or mod or two suites at Art of Animation would probably be your best bet.

 

[isabellea]

Kinda funny...

First, I showed my six year old a YouTube video of the Cars section and he couldn't even breathe. He had no idea it even existed and to know that he was going to stay there was almost too much for him to handle.

So funny! I am itching to show pics and a video of the LM section to my 4.5 yo because I know she will react like your son but I also want to keep it a total surprise for her. Luckily she's not cardiac because she might faint when she sees where we're staying... She's a HUGE Ariel fan and often asks us to call her Ariel!

 

[TandLMommy28]

So funny! I am itching to show pics and a video of the LM section to my 4.5 yo because I know she will react like your son but I also want to keep it a total surprise for her. Luckily she's not cardiac because she might faint when she sees where we're staying... She's a HUGE Ariel fan and often asks us to call her Ariel!

Aw! Good luck with your surprise! I can't surprise my kids, I am so bad at it.

 

[Kat016]

Aw! Good luck with your surprise! I can't surprise my kids, I am so bad at it.

Our trip last year we wanted to surprise our kids the morning we left. We ended up telling them a week after we booked. It was hard to talk about plans because they were always around. Plus sharing the anticipation with them was fun. But my kids are older....10 & 8 at the time. Its easier to hide it when they're younger...IMO

 

[CouponDivaDesirae]

So we are looking into this resort and I want to know what peoples opinions on it for cooking wise? We are going to bring our crockpot & electric griddle so that we can make breakfast and dinner since we are not doing the dining plan. We are going to get adjoining rooms with my parents so that they can have their own place. Do you think the "kitchen" is big enough for this? Has anyone stayed here without doing the meal plans and found it just fine? I am really stressing out about it.

 

[disneygrl704]

So funny! I am itching to show pics and a video of the LM section to my 4.5 yo because I know she will react like your son but I also want to keep it a total surprise for her. Luckily she's not cardiac because she might faint when she sees where we're staying... She's a HUGE Ariel fan and often asks us to call her Ariel!

We are surprising our 7 yo dd this August. I am also having a hard time keeping it a secret. We are staying in a LM room also and she is going to flip when she finds out!

 

[bluezy]

So we are looking into this resort and I want to know what peoples opinions on it for cooking wise? We are going to bring our crockpot & electric griddle so that we can make breakfast and dinner since we are not doing the dining plan. We are going to get adjoining rooms with my parents so that they can have their own place. Do you think the "kitchen" is big enough for this? Has anyone stayed here without doing the meal plans and found it just fine? I am really stressing out about it.

This is just my opinion -- and other people may have a different view -- but I wouldn't even consider cooking in these suites. They don't really have a "kitchen" -- it's really just a small counter area. It's more like an "office" kitchen as opposed to a "home" kitchen. They really aren't set up for cooking meals like the kitchens in the villas. I'm not even sure if cooking "appliances" are allowed in these suites -- especially a crockpot that's going to be unattended for hours while in use. The refrigerator is small and it would be a challenge to have enough food for cooking more than a meal or two stored in it. It's great for holding drinks, snacks, and leftovers but it's not really big enough to be keeping meat/vegetables in it unless that's all you're putting in it. There is a small microwave in the room that you could use to cook things. I could see having sandwich "fixings" in the room and maybe some of those individual-sized microwaveable soups, but that's about as complex as I would get for preparing a meal there.

We stayed in a Lion King suite last June and did not do a dining plan. We drive, so we brought breakfast food with us to eat in the room every morning but nothing that needed to be "cooked". We had bagels, cereal, granola bars, oatmeal, and a few other odds and ends. We also had some snack foods for the room: pretzels, microwave popcorn, etc. We ate lunch and dinner in the parks or at the resort every day (sometimes we ate over at Pop Century). Coming back to the room to eat a meal would kill a lot of time that we could be spending in the parks.

If you're trying to save money on food while staying at Disney, there are lots of ways to do that that don't involve all out cooking in the room. I know I've seen threads devoted to that subject. Some simple things to do are to eat breakfast in the room; share meals where allowed (even the counter service meals are sometimes big enough to be shared); counter service restaurants always advertise combo meals but any sandwich can be purchased alone -- you don't have to order it as a combo -- and it's usually $2-3 cheaper. In our last 5 trips we have only gotten the dining plan once and that was because it was free and it saved us more money than the room discount would have. A lot of people choose not to use the dining plans offered and just pay out of pocket for their meals.

Again, JMO, but there is no way I'd be trying to cook a meal in the suite.

 

[ZoZo]

This is just my opinion -- and other people may have a different view -- but I wouldn't even consider cooking in these suites. They don't really have a "kitchen" -- it's really just a small counter area. It's more like an "office" kitchen as opposed to a "home" kitchen. They really aren't set up for cooking meals like the kitchens in the villas. I'm not even sure if cooking "appliances" are allowed in these suites -- especially a crockpot that's going to be unattended for hours while in use. The refrigerator is small and it would be a challenge to have enough food for cooking more than a meal or two stored in it. It's great for holding drinks, snacks, and leftovers but it's not really big enough to be keeping meat/vegetables in it unless that's all you're putting in it. There is a small microwave in the room that you could use to cook things. I could see having sandwich "fixings" in the room and maybe some of those individual-sized microwaveable soups, but that's about as complex as I would get for preparing a meal there.

We stayed in a Lion King suite last June and did not do a dining plan. We drive, so we brought breakfast food with us to eat in the room every morning but nothing that needed to be "cooked". We had bagels, cereal, granola bars, oatmeal, and a few other odds and ends. We also had some snack foods for the room: pretzels, microwave popcorn, etc. We ate lunch and dinner in the parks or at the resort every day (sometimes we ate over at Pop Century). Coming back to the room to eat a meal would kill a lot of time that we could be spending in the parks.

If you're trying to save money on food while staying at Disney, there are lots of ways to do that that don't involve all out cooking in the room. I know I've seen threads devoted to that subject. Some simple things to do are to eat breakfast in the room; share meals where allowed (even the counter service meals are sometimes big enough to be shared); counter service restaurants always advertise combo meals but any sandwich can be purchased alone -- you don't have to order it as a combo -- and it's usually $2-3 cheaper. In our last 5 trips we have only gotten the dining plan once and that was because it was free and it saved us more money than the room discount would have. A lot of people choose not to use the dining plans offered and just pay out of pocket for their meals.

Again, JMO, but there is no way I'd be trying to cook a meal in the suite.

I would agree with this. The suites have a microwave and a small fridge that's a little bit bigger than those "cube" fridges you find in dorm rooms, but that's about it. They're not "kitchenettes" by any means. And I think this post is correct, WDW doesn't allow small appliances like crock pots and griddles.

 

[Kat016]

I would agree with this. The suites have a microwave and a small fridge that's a little bit bigger than those "cube" fridges you find in dorm rooms, but that's about it. They're not "kitchenettes" by any means. And I think this post is correct, WDW doesn't allow small appliances like crock pots and griddles.

Ive only heard you can bring in coffee pots....but not cooking appliances.