Disney's ART OF ANIMATION RESORT Thread

[chelseabun76]

If there are only 3 of us booking a stay, and we wanted a suite... would they try to talk you into the LM rooms instead or do they even care, as long as they get their money.... lol

 

[dansdad]

If there are only 3 of us booking a stay, and we wanted a suite... would they try to talk you into the LM rooms instead or do they even care, as long as they get their money.... lol

They will gladly take more of your $$$ no questions asked.

 

[ejgonz2]

ejgonz2
Thank you for your review!

I have to say that I bow down to you and your wife...we have just turned 2 year old twins and we just starting even trying local outings (zoo, etc.) in the last few months

Our twins will be 33 months or so when we go plus we will have a 9 year old. I kept debating on resort, but in the end decided on AoA as being the most comfortable with the extra room and "fun" for that age.

I have to say the credit goes to my wife. She was pretty insistent at a young age that we do our best to behave like a "regular" family and not become hermits like I would have preferred since it was so much harder to do simple things like go to the mall or a zoo. The boys have become good in their stroller and we try to let them out as much as we can handle. And like I said, they did nap a fair amount, which was great since they were going to be later than usual and still waking up at 6 am on the dot.

Friends advised me to keep my expectations low, target a few must do's and then anything else on top of that is gravy.

We honestly didn't get to as much of AK as I would have liked due to a late start that day, rain, and the park closing. But that's what next time is for I guess.

 

[bluezy]

Little help needed pls
I have 4 kids aged 3,5,11,16 we are booked into the cabins at fw for 8 nights then 2 nights at aoa
I'm beginning to think mayb my kids would prefer the whole time at aoa so they can enjoy pools and extra bed space and 2 bathrooms.
If we stay at cabins it's one bathroom one bedroom not near pools and somewhere to refill mugs. We would also need 2 golf carts.
Any thoughts pls

I think you would have less bed space at AoA. There's a queen bed in the master bedroom and a full size sleeper sofa and full size table bed (3 beds total). At the cabins, you'd have the trundle bed in the living room along with the bed and bunk beds in the bedroom (4 beds total).

That being said, the extra bathroom trumps the extra bed in our family. We stayed in a suite last summer with our 4 kids (ages 8-24 at the time) and even though we had 2 bathrooms, there were still times that someone was waiting to get in to one. If your kids will share beds, then AoA would be a no brainer. Our kids don't like to share beds, so we took air mattresses and used those so every one had their own bed.

My friend went to Disney last summer with her parents and her 2 daughters. They've been to Disney many times and usually stay in the family suites at ASMu. They decided to try a cabin on the trip last year -- the full kitchen with a "table that they all could sit together at" was a big draw. As it turned out, they didn't use the kitchen nearly as much as they had imagined they would. They didn't like that you needed a golf cart to get around or had to take 2 buses to get anywhere. And most of all, they decided they don't ever want to stay in a room all together and only have one bathroom. Just their experiences....

 

[Planning Mama]

I was going to site the extra bathroom vs. full kitchen debate. It really is what is more important to you. If you plan on getting groceries and making your own meals then the cabins are going to be a better choice. If you won't be utilizing the kitchen at all then, to me, it's a no-brainer: go with the extra bathroom. But honestly, pick whatever is right for you family and I'm sure your vacation will be wonderful

 

[nardoneje]

Little help needed pls
I have 4 kids aged 3,5,11,16 we are booked into the cabins at fw for 8 nights then 2 nights at aoa
I'm beginning to think mayb my kids would prefer the whole time at aoa so they can enjoy pools and extra bed space and 2 bathrooms.
If we stay at cabins it's one bathroom one bedroom not near pools and somewhere to refill mugs. We would also need 2 golf carts.
Any thoughts pls

Having stayed at AOA in December and a Cabin the beginning of this month.. Stick with AoA! Your children are almost the exact same age as mine (15, 10, 9, 6) and while the cabin had it's pro's, we probably won't do it again.
Having 1 bathroom in the cabin stunk! Our cabin was near the quiet pool so that wasn't a huge deal. One golf cart is plenty (and a necessity IMO). We only used one and it was fine. The full kitchen was nice, BUT we didn't use it so it was pointless. The table we can all sit at was nice, but tiny. Huge annoyance was the drink refill stations. As far as we could find there were only 2 - 1 at Pioneer Hall (and you had to go into the restaurant while people were dining, it is at the end of the buffet in there) and 1 at the big pool snack bar, which closes at 5pm!

 

[ejgonz2]

Little help needed pls
I have 4 kids aged 3,5,11,16 we are booked into the cabins at fw for 8 nights then 2 nights at aoa
I'm beginning to think mayb my kids would prefer the whole time at aoa so they can enjoy pools and extra bed space and 2 bathrooms.
If we stay at cabins it's one bathroom one bedroom not near pools and somewhere to refill mugs. We would also need 2 golf carts.
Any thoughts pls

I've never stayed at FW but I think your smaller ones will love AoA and I imagine your older ones won't hate it either (depending on how cynical your 16 y/o is). The beds are a good size with DW and I sharing the table bed with no problem. And 2 bathrooms are very nice. The kitchenette was perfect for us to have breakfast (bagels, cereal, etc) before heading out to the parks.

 

[Frozen2014]

Hi,

I'm starting to create my packing list for Disney. Soooo excited since booked back in Feb and now less than 5 weeks away. Yah.

Question about AoA. I remember reading that they do not supply shampoo and conditioner (a single bottle with both which doesn't work for me), so I'll be brining my own. But does the hotel supply a hair dryer? And if so, is it a wimpy one, or does it have power? (If getting MM, I have to make sure I look ok...ha ha).

 

[kgreen]

What are your thoughts on room requests? We have the Cars Suite booked. I can now do online check in, & it asks what room requests I would like.

Here's the options: ground floor, 4th floor, lake view, near elevator, 2nd floor, highest floor, landscape view, & near transportation. I can choose 2 of these, I chose near transportation but not sure which other one to pick?

My mother in law has mobility issues & will be in a scooter. So the ground floor looks appealing, if we could avoid an elevator, that may be a good choice?? But I didn't know if maybe a certain floor or view would be better to request. This is our first stay at AoA, so I'm out of the loop for what requests I should make.

 

[jcarwash]

What are your thoughts on room requests? We have the Cars Suite booked. I can now do online check in, & it asks what room requests I would like.

Here's the options: ground floor, 4th floor, lake view, near elevator, 2nd floor, highest floor, landscape view, & near transportation. I can choose 2 of these, I chose near transportation but not sure which other one to pick?

My mother in law has mobility issues & will be in a scooter. So the ground floor looks appealing, if we could avoid an elevator, that may be a good choice?? But I didn't know if maybe a certain floor or view would be better to request. This is our first stay at AoA, so I'm out of the loop for what requests I should make.

I like ground floor rooms for the time you save navigating stairs or elevators, whether you have a stroller or scooter or not.

At AoA it's a little different because of the interior doors/hallways, and so you still need to use the central exits vs. your exterior door (at other value/moderate rooms) opening directly into a walkway, but I still think ground floor would be my recommendation for you.

 

[mommymanda]

Hi,

I'm starting to create my packing list for Disney. Soooo excited since booked back in Feb and now less than 5 weeks away. Yah.

Question about AoA. I remember reading that they do not supply shampoo and conditioner (a single bottle with both which doesn't work for me), so I'll be brining my own. But does the hotel supply a hair dryer? And if so, is it a wimpy one, or does it have power? (If getting MM, I have to make sure I look ok...ha ha).

Yes only mini bottles after shampoo. No way I could have lasted the week with just that, but my daughter used them. There was a hair dryer in our suite bathroom. I didn't even check if there was one in the other. It was your typical hotel style one, nothing fancy. It worked for me, but I only blow dry my hair occasionally.

 

[momneedscoffee13]

About how long does check-in typically take? I'm trying to decide how early we need to arrive (we're driving in) before heading to our ADR at H&V. I believe I read somewhere on the dis that I have to physically check in at the resort to activate our MBs to use for DDP?

If we use disney transpo, approx how long will it take to get to DHS?

Thanks!

 

[rcklein5269]

About how long does check-in typically take? I'm trying to decide how early we need to arrive (we're driving in) before heading to our ADR at H&V. I believe I read somewhere on the dis that I have to physically check in at the resort to activate our MBs to use for DDP? If we use disney transpo, approx how long will it take to get to DHS? Thanks!

We did online check in and it was pretty quick. The resort is very close to DHS so not long at all. Had great luck with the buses all week. Always seemed like we never waited more than 10 min tops.

 

[cakebaker]

Are there any updates on which cars characters are covered right now?

 

[ejgonz2]

Are there any updates on which cars characters are covered right now?

No Cars characters were covered between 9/3 - 9/10.

 

[PatMcDuck]

If there are only 3 of us booking a stay, and we wanted a suite... would they try to talk you into the LM rooms instead or do they even care, as long as they get their money.... lol

I stay in the suite rooms at AoA with just my (special needs) adult son, just the 2 of us. We need the space.

 

[cakebaker]

No Cars characters were covered between 9/3 - 9/10.

Thanks for the update! There was some talk earlier in the thread that they were doing some renovations character by character. We've got a 2 yr old that just won't survive if he can't see Lightning McQueen or his beloved Mater!

 

[jennilouwho]

I haven't noticed any covered. We have been here since 9/12.

 

[jpandamm]

I am going to have to read this whole thread, b/c I have booked our trip! We are at AoA for 12 days!! I am sure I will have questions answered, so I will wait until I finish reading it before asking them all!

 

[cakebaker]

I haven't noticed any covered. We have been here since 9/12.

So glad to hear this! We'll be there a week from tomorrow and getting really excited!