Disney's ART OF ANIMATION RESORT Thread

[jeanylaser]

Does AOA has Disney Magical Express I can't remember?

 

[mom2cgj]

Does AOA has Disney Magical Express I can't remember?

Yes

 

[bluezy]

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.

Yes, they're before the entrance, but can definitely prevent you from being at the entrance by rope drop if the bag checks are busy. We've been there in June for several trips and most of the time, the bag check lines were not terribly slow. For some reason the week we were there last June they were horrible...especially in the morning. But even in the afternoon and evenings they were longer than we were used to seeing. It felt so good to be able to breeze through the "no bags" entrance. The lines may not be bad when you're there, it's just something to keep in mind when figuring out how much time you need to get from your resort to the turnstiles at the parks since you have to get through bag check first.

 

[larie21]

So when people advise you to be at the park 30-45 min early for rope drop..... how much earlier do you have to be there to allow for bag check??

 

[Kat016]

So when people advise you to be at the park 30-45 min early for rope drop..... how much earlier do you have to be there to allow for bag check??

We were there around 8:15...and with bag check we were still in front of the train station in plenty of time for rope drop.

 

[jcarwash]

So when people advise you to be at the park 30-45 min early for rope drop..... how much earlier do you have to be there to allow for bag check??

Allowing 2-3 minutes for bag check is really what you should expect. Yesterday at MK rope drop, there were no waits for bag check.

 

[lilybrooke14]

We just switched to AOA in a LM room this morning. I think my kids are going to love it! I just had a few questions.

1. Do they have the channel in the room there that plays the old Disney cartoons? My daughter loved that channel last time we were there.

2. Can you check your bags in for your return flight home at the resort? We'll probably be flying Southwest, if that matters.

3. Have they done the same thing with the bedding there that they have at some of the other resorts?

Thanks for your help!

 

[G719]

We just switched to AOA in a LM room this morning. I think my kids are going to love it! I just had a few questions. 1. Do they have the channel in the room there that plays the old Disney cartoons? My daughter loved that channel last time we were there. 2. Can you check your bags in for your return flight home at the resort? We'll probably be flying Southwest, if that matters. 3. Have they done the same thing with the bedding there that they have at some of the other resorts? Thanks for your help!

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Do you mean how they got rid of the comforters? Not sure about LM but our suite did not have a comforter.

 

[lilybrooke14]

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Do you mean how they got rid of the comforters? Not sure about LM but our suite did not have a comforter.

Yes, that's what I was talking about. Thank you!

 

[cadenrenee]

Does Art of Animation resort offer magic bands??

 

[jcarwash]

Does Art of Animation resort offer magic bands??

Yes, all Disney resorts have switched to Magic Bands for guests, even if you only use it as a room key.

 

[Koh1977]

So are the LM rooms THAT far from the buses? According to Touringplans.com, it looks like there are some that are only 5-6 minutes away. Can anyone tell me how accurate that is?

How comfortable are the beds/pillows?

How's the cell reception and wifi signal in those rooms?

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Frozen2014]

Yah...we booked today for Lion King suite in October. I'm super excited, so can't imagine how crazy our kids will go when they find out. Building 10 is the good one, right?

 

[LLM]

I posted this on another AOA thread but I haven't gotten a reply yet, so I'll try this one!

My husband and I will be staying in a Cars suite at AOA in August with our five year old son, infant twins and mother in law and father in law. The twins will require pack and plays. I called Disney and the request was put in for two, however the agent explained that it was a request and not a guarantee that we will get two. Has anybody here received two pack and plays before? Is there adequate space in the suite for two? Thanks!

 

[Kat016]

Does AOA have their own bus or do they share with another resort? I dont remember.

 

[mom2cgj]

Yah...we booked today for Lion King suite in October. I'm super excited, so can't imagine how crazy our kids will go when they find out. Building 10 is the good one, right?

Depends what you mean by "the good one"!

If you want closest to the parking lot, then yes.

Closest to Animation Hall? Going to depend where your room is at. If it's at the end of building 10 closest to the LM section, you'll be farther away then the end of building 6 closest to the Nemo section.

Want to be sure to avoid a parking lot view? Building 6 (lake view or courtyard view, but no parking lot)

We were in Building 6, about 1/2 way between the AH end and the center, and it was perfect! Lake view, not a long walk, and really quiet.

 

[mom2cgj]

Does AOA have their own bus or do they share with another resort? I dont remember.

AoA has it's own buses!

 

[Kat016]

AoA has it's own buses!

Thats what I thought but I wanted yo check. Thank you!!

 

[bluezy]

Yah...we booked today for Lion King suite in October. I'm super excited, so can't imagine how crazy our kids will go when they find out. Building 10 is the good one, right?

We really liked our location in building 10. We were at the end right next to Animation Hall -- 2 minute walk to food and the bus stops. Our room had a view of the parking lot (as opposed to the courtyard) but we were fine with that -- it's not like we spent our time in the room looking out the windows. We were on the 4th floor so if we had the curtains open and were walking around the room, all we really saw was the trees across the parking lot. We had to actually walk right up to the window and look down to see the parking lot. We actually liked being able to keep an eye on our car from our room.

I don't think that either building in the Lion King area is bad. I would make sure to list what is important to you on your reservation. If a lake view is important, indicate that. If being close to the main building/bus stops is important, note that. The nice thing is, even if you're at the far end of either one of the buildings, you can walk through the air conditioned halls to the door that's closest to Animation Hall. I don't think that any of the rooms in the Lion King section are going to be more than a 5 minute walk to food, buses, or a pool.

 

[somesong2sing]

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 heard from a little birdie cast member and travel agent, that AoA will be excluded from the room discounts and FD this year. We got it the first year it was open, in Sept 2012, but we are going back now in August because we were told they would be excluded adn we are staying there anyway. They used to include them, but rumor has it that they will not be including them. BOTH the suites and LM rooms