Disney's ART OF ANIMATION RESORT Thread

[jenseib]

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.

Disney does not allow griddles at all. It could be taken away till your departure day. I am pretty sure they frown on crockpots too. Anything that is plugged in and can't be watched all day is usually against fire code

 

[monique5]

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.

I've stayed but had the meal plan. As others have stated small appliances are not allowed, and coffee pot provided. It's a small area with sink, dorm size fridge so won't hold many groceries, etc. Not enough space to cook, only room for breakfast on the go. Possibly room for lunch meat depending on what you store in fridge. There are numerous sites to view room. Also, the kitchenette is only in the suites. Adjoining rooms are not guaranteed either.

 

[larie21]

What about in the Little mermaid rooms? Can I bring my own coffee pot?

 

[jenseib]

What about in the Little mermaid rooms? Can I bring my own coffee pot?

I know people do, but I think officially no

 

[AliceandAriel]

Hey all!

I was lucky enough to experience some pixie dust in the form of a room upgrade to the LK suites recently, and I LOVE THEM so much more than the LM rooms! Those kitchenettes really help out when you're prepping medication in the morning in shakes using a travel blender, and keeping everything away from the sinks where you wash your hands post-bathroom.

So my question- last year were the suites at AoA featured for RO discounts or FD? If so, how much was the RO discount, and/or what kind of FD is offered for them?

I'm planning an October trip back, just want to get some rough figures down before I take the plunge!

 

[mom2cgj]

Hey all!

I was lucky enough to experience some pixie dust in the form of a room upgrade to the LK suites recently, and I LOVE THEM so much more than the LM rooms! Those kitchenettes really help out when you're prepping medication in the morning in shakes using a travel blender, and keeping everything away from the sinks where you wash your hands post-bathroom.

So my question- last year were the suites at AoA featured for RO discounts or FD? If so, how much was the RO discount, and/or what kind of FD is offered for them?

I'm planning an October trip back, just want to get some rough figures down before I take the plunge!

I do know we got the Stay-Play-Dine (adults pay kid prices on DDP and tickets) for a LK suite in January 2013. I think they are included in some discounts, but not always. That really helps, doesn't it?

 

[Kat016]

What about in the Little mermaid rooms? Can I bring my own coffee pot?

I know at POP you can bring a small coffee pot. I cant imagine AOA being different.

 

[2009CAN]

Can someone tell me, are there any connecting (not adjoining) LM rooms?

 

[monique5]

Hey all! I was lucky enough to experience some pixie dust in the form of a room upgrade to the LK suites recently, and I LOVE THEM so much more than the LM rooms! Those kitchenettes really help out when you're prepping medication in the morning in shakes using a travel blender, and keeping everything away from the sinks where you wash your hands post-bathroom. So my question- last year were the suites at AoA featured for RO discounts or FD? If so, how much was the RO discount, and/or what kind of FD is offered for them? I'm planning an October trip back, just want to get some rough figures down before I take the plunge!

The suites were included in the Stay/Play/Dine discount that included room discount, ticket discount, & dining discount (quick service plan since value resort). There was a certain number if nights required & a certain number if days for tickets. This was a group/bulk discount so you didn't know how much was on room, tickets, food. Just that it was cheaper.

You can go to mousesavers.com and search historical data on Disney World discounts for more info.

 

[bluezy]

What about in the Little mermaid rooms? Can I bring my own coffee pot?

I've seen many people post that they were told that small coffee pots are allowed in the resort rooms that don't have them supplied. My son and his girlfriend took a small coffee pot last summer and used it in their LM room. They made sure it was unplugged every morning before they left the room. No one ever said anything about it -- in fact, mouskeeping cleaned it for them some days (they weren't expecting that -- just happened).

 

[AthenaBolina]

Hey everyone, I posted this on another board but I was wondering about bus transport to AK? How long did it normally take? We want to be at AK about a half hr before RD, so 7:30am. When should we be at the AOA bus stop? Thanks!

 

[Carrie772]

subbing

 

[bluezy]

Hey everyone, I posted this on another board but I was wondering about bus transport to AK? How long did it normally take? We want to be at AK about a half hr before RD, so 7:30am. When should we be at the AOA bus stop? Thanks!

It's about a 5-10 minute ride to AK from AoA (at least that's what we experienced last June). I like to be at the bus stop at least 45 minutes before I want to arrive at the park (earlier if we're heading to MK), so I would get to the bus stop between 6:45-7:00 that morning. That gives you a cushion of time to wait for a bus if you happen to get to the bus stop just *after* a bus leaves for AK. It also gives you plenty of time to walk from the drop-off point to the gates at AK.

 

[AthenaBolina]

It's about a 5-10 minute ride to AK from AoA (at least that's what we experienced last June). I like to be at the bus stop at least 45 minutes before I want to arrive at the park (earlier if we're heading to MK), so I would get to the bus stop between 6:45-7:00 that morning. That gives you a cushion of time to wait for a bus if you happen to get to the bus stop just *after* a bus leaves for AK. It also gives you plenty of time to walk from the drop-off point to the gates at AK.

Thanks. Someone else told me to be at the bus at 6:15-6:30! Crazy early.

 

[mom2cgj]

It's about a 5-10 minute ride to AK from AoA (at least that's what we experienced last June). I like to be at the bus stop at least 45 minutes before I want to arrive at the park (earlier if we're heading to MK), so I would get to the bus stop between 6:45-7:00 that morning. That gives you a cushion of time to wait for a bus if you happen to get to the bus stop just *after* a bus leaves for AK. It also gives you plenty of time to walk from the drop-off point to the gates at AK.

I would agree with this. We found that if we were there about 45 minutes early, we usually made it to the park we wanted to go to a little ahead of my schedule. But if you just happen to miss a bus by a minute or two, it still gives you time to catch the next one without worrying.

 

[AthenaBolina]

I would agree with this. We found that if we were there about 45 minutes early, we usually made it to the park we wanted to go to a little ahead of my schedule. But if you just happen to miss a bus by a minute or two, it still gives you time to catch the next one without worrying.

Great!! What do you recommend for the other parks at RD?

 

[bluezy]

Can someone tell me, are there any connecting (not adjoining) LM rooms?

Yes, there are some connecting rooms in the Little Mermaid section but it's a small percentage of the rooms. You can request connecting rooms, but they are not guaranteed (though families with 3 or more children under the age or 18 who need 2 rooms are given preference).

 

[bluezy]

Great!! What do you recommend for the other parks at RD?

These are the travel times we experienced last June (and we went to each park at least 2 or 3 times during our stay so these are averages).

MK - 20-25 minutes
EP - 10-15 minutes
DHS - 10-15 minutes
DAK - 5-10 minutes

For rope drop, I would say you should be at the bus stop 45 minutes before you want to arrive at the park for EP, DHS, & DAK. For MK we try to be at the bus stop at least an hour early. Of course we like to be near the front of the line for rope drop, so if that's not important, you could probably get to the bus stop a little later. I will also mention that if you are carrying bags and need to go through the bag check at the park, that can add another 10-15 minutes depending on crowd levels. We didn't carry anything that didn't fit in our pockets in June (what a liberating feeling) so we didn't have to deal with bag checks. However, the day we were at EP for rope drop, the family in front of us at the entrance waited over 20 minutes for their (adult) daughter to get through the bag check line. In fact, she didn't get through the line in time for the actual opening of the park and the family ended up standing inside the gates waiting for her. Bag check lines were crazy long and slow that week.

 

[AthenaBolina]

These are the travel times we experienced last June (and we went to each park at least 2 or 3 times during our stay so these are averages). MK - 20-25 minutes EP - 10-15 minutes DHS - 10-15 minutes DAK - 5-10 minutes For rope drop, I would say you should be at the bus stop 45 minutes before you want to arrive at the park for EP, DHS, & DAK. For MK we try to be at the bus stop at least an hour early. Of course we like to be near the front of the line for rope drop, so if that's not important, you could probably get to the bus stop a little later. I will also mention that if you are carrying bags and need to go through the bag check at the park, that can add another 10-15 minutes depending on crowd levels. We didn't carry anything that didn't fit in our pockets in June (what a liberating feeling) so we didn't have to deal with bag checks. However, the day we were at EP for rope drop, the family in front of us at the entrance waited over 20 minutes for their (adult) daughter to get through the bag check line. In fact, she didn't get through the line in time for the actual opening of the park and the family ended up standing inside the gates waiting for her. Bag check lines were crazy long and slow that week.

Oh man that stinks! My husband planned on taking a backpack with our waters and snacks and my camera. Isn't bag check before you get to the rope though? I know when we were at DL, bag check was before the entrance. I can't remember how it is at WDW.

 

[jcarwash]

Oh man that stinks! My husband planned on taking a backpack with our waters and snacks and my camera. Isn't bag check before you get to the rope though? I know when we were at DL, bag check was before the entrance. I can't remember how it is at WDW.

Bag checks are before you get to the tapstyles / ticket entrance.