Disney's ART OF ANIMATION RESORT Thread

[Madzac]

We spent two nights here mid July and one day at MK right before our cruise. As a family of 6 I love that we were able to stay together and not worry about being in different buildings!

We LOVED the resort! The over the top theming was incredible especially the cars section. We stayed in a Nemo suite and used all three pools on arrival day. We ate in the food court twice and found the food very good with lots of choices. Cast members were friendly. We never had any problems finding a place to sit.
Our suite was great with lots of space. We loved the two bathrooms. I slept one night on the table bed and one in the bedroom and found both comfortable. Our boys said the sofa was also comfortable. We took buses to the MK the one park day and had very short waits. It was crowded leaving at night but you expect that.

My only complaint was noise the first night. My only online request was fourth floor and we got first floor building 5. While location couldn't be beat, people loudly walked through our hallway to the elevators until 2am. Shouting, yelling, talking on speaker phone. I always try to teach my kids to be quiet in hotel halls but it was NOT. I did not sleep well. The kids sleep through everything so they were fine. The second night I slept in the bedroom and didn't hear a peep. Much better. And DH is a more sound sleeper and had no issues.

We are going back to wdw next summer and staying here again as we just loved it!

 

[Tbone17701]

It's been a while since our AOA stay. Can anyone tell me what grocery items they sell in the store now? Just looking for breakfast and snack foods mostly, but I can't even recall seeing a section like that when we were there?

 

[bluezy]

It's been a while since our AOA stay. Can anyone tell me what grocery items they sell in the store now? Just looking for breakfast and snack foods mostly, but I can't even recall seeing a section like that when we were there?

I took a picture of the food available in the gift shop last month (I have no idea why this stuff isn't in the food court, but it's not. It's in the gift shop with the other "Disney brand" snacks -- candy, cookies, etc.)

There are also items available in the grab-n-go area of the food court: muffins, fresh fruit (apples, oranges, & bananas -- I think), yogurt, small containers of cut-up fresh fruit. I'm sure there are a few other things, but those are the ones I can remember.

 

[spookymickey]

Hey everyone! So I just booked our stay at AOA for the end of Jan. beginning of Feb for 7 days. We are going to be staying in the LK suites. But I wanted to get opinions. Is it worth requesting a building (6 or 10), is one better then the other? And why? Also did you prefer ground floor, or the upper floors? Just curious since our last stay was at POR and we loved it, but to immerse the kids more into Disney, we thought we'd try AOA.

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[megster1123]

We got back about 2 weeks ago and here was our take....




Cleanliness of our room--not good. Carpet not very clean, found a pair of dirty underwear in the bathroom from previous guests (ew), and found a child's bracelet and contact lens case under the couch (also not ours). No biggie, but I expected better.

OMG that is beyond vile. Seriously WTH.

Hi all! I was hoping someone has current info on the walking distance to the bus stop for AOA at the parks? Reluctantly considering a stay next summer due to kids' schedules and I do NOT play well with heat and humidity. We did a LK suite in 2012, but are taking my teen niece and nephew for their first onsite stay and they are really drawn to the AOA themes. I recall from our previous value stays always feeling like the trek to and from the the buses was a haul and a half and it's giving me pause about booking AOA in the summer. We spend a lot of time at MK and we've been spoiled by WL of late. However, 5 bodies makes that a no go this trip. While I'm at it...are there still no towels at the pools?

If you look on youtube there is actually a video of someone walking from their LM room all the way up to the bus stop. If I remember right the video starts with them closing their door and then it took about 12-13 minutes for them to walk through the resort, through the lobby and out to the bus stop. It really put it in perspective. Search for Art of Animation walk to bus stop and you should be able to find it.

 

[bluezy]

Hey everyone! So I just booked our stay at AOA for the end of Jan. beginning of Feb for 7 days. We are going to be staying in the LK suites. But I wanted to get opinions. Is it worth requesting a building (6 or 10), is one better then the other? And why? Also did you prefer ground floor, or the upper floors? Just curious since our last stay was at POR and we loved it, but to immerse the kids more into Disney, we thought we'd try AOA.

Thanks for any suggestions!

The main difference between the 2 buildings is the view out the "outside" portion of the building. The interior rooms all face the nicely themed courtyard area while the outer rooms of Bldg. 10 face the parking lot and the outer rooms of Bldg. 6 have a lake view. We've stayed in both of the LK buildings and liked them both. We requested "close to transportation" and "4th floor" (or top floor...can't remember how it was worded) and we got that request both times. FWIW, we also indicated that having our room available at our estimated arrival time (11:00 a.m.) was the first priority (and the room was ready at that time). Our room in each building was just 2 or 3 doors away from the end of the building closest to Animation Hall/Finding Nemo section. It was the exact location we had wanted. We requested 4th floor to cut down on the potential noise in the hall from people walking by. We also didn't want to have to worry about noisy neighbors above us. We loved how close we were to the main building. The downside to being on the 4th floor and at the end of the building we were at is that you either need to climb 3 flights of stairs at the end of a long day in the parks or walk to the middle of the building to the elevators and then walk back to the end of the building to get to your room. Not really a big deal for us as our kids are older, but it is something to think about if you have young kids or use a stroller. We did decide we wanted a break from that extra walking and had a first floor room in Nemo Bldg. 5 on our recent trip. I have to say that I really liked being on the first floor. However, I made sure to request a room on the wing of the building that juts out towards the Lion King area. That way we didn't have very much foot traffic going past our room since we weren't in the "main" hallway. We also didn't have any issues with noise above us (didn't even hear anyone walking around). So, if I was to stay in the LK section again (which I wouldn't hesitate to do), I would definitely request a room on the 1st floor, but in the wings that extend either towards the parking lot or the lake to try and stay in a quiet area. It's a quick walk (5 minutes or less) to the food court and bus stops from anywhere in the LK section.

 

[Mbuksa]

Considering AOA for our next trip. I like the look of the cars rooms. Are they too far from the food court? Any benefits or negatives to this section? Any advice appreciated

 

[Tbone17701]

I took a picture of the food available in the gift shop last month (I have no idea why this stuff isn't in the food court, but it's not. It's in the gift shop with the other "Disney brand" snacks -- candy, cookies, etc.)

There are also items available in the grab-n-go area of the food court: muffins, fresh fruit (apples, oranges, & bananas -- I think), yogurt, small containers of cut-up fresh fruit. I'm sure there are a few other things, but those are the ones I can remember.

Awesome! Thanks!! Don't suppose you recall if there were cold items like milk, butter, cream cheese, etc.?

If you look on youtube there is actually a video of someone walking from their LM room all the way up to the bus stop. If I remember right the video starts with them closing their door and then it took about 12-13 minutes for them to walk through the resort, through the lobby and out to the bus stop. It really put it in perspective. Search for Art of Animation walk to bus stop and you should be able to find it.

 

[bluezy]

Awesome! Thanks!! Don't suppose you recall if there were cold items like milk, butter, cream cheese, etc.?

There was definitely half gallons of whole milk -- we bought 2 of them (I think they were $2.99). I didn't specifically look for cream cheese last month, but I know that they had the little individual size tubs (like you would get at a restaurant) of cream cheese last year. I don't know how much those cost because every time we got them (usually 4 or 5 of them) the cashier would just tell us to take them. I think there were also those little tubs of butter last year as well...but I can't be positive.

 

[spookymickey]

The main difference between the 2 buildings is the view out the "outside" portion of the building. The interior rooms all face the nicely themed courtyard area while the outer rooms of Bldg. 10 face the parking lot and the outer rooms of Bldg. 6 have a lake view. We've stayed in both of the LK buildings and liked them both. We requested "close to transportation" and "4th floor" (or top floor...can't remember how it was worded) and we got that request both times. FWIW, we also indicated that having our room available at our estimated arrival time (11:00 a.m.) was the first priority (and the room was ready at that time). Our room in each building was just 2 or 3 doors away from the end of the building closest to Animation Hall/Finding Nemo section. It was the exact location we had wanted. We requested 4th floor to cut down on the potential noise in the hall from people walking by. We also didn't want to have to worry about noisy neighbors above us. We loved how close we were to the main building. The downside to being on the 4th floor and at the end of the building we were at is that you either need to climb 3 flights of stairs at the end of a long day in the parks or walk to the middle of the building to the elevators and then walk back to the end of the building to get to your room. Not really a big deal for us as our kids are older, but it is something to think about if you have young kids or use a stroller. We did decide we wanted a break from that extra walking and had a first floor room in Nemo Bldg. 5 on our recent trip. I have to say that I really liked being on the first floor. However, I made sure to request a room on the wing of the building that juts out towards the Lion King area. That way we didn't have very much foot traffic going past our room since we weren't in the "main" hallway. We also didn't have any issues with noise above us (didn't even hear anyone walking around). So, if I was to stay in the LK section again (which I wouldn't hesitate to do), I would definitely request a room on the 1st floor, but in the wings that extend either towards the parking lot or the lake to try and stay in a quiet area. It's a quick walk (5 minutes or less) to the food court and bus stops from anywhere in the LK section.

The main difference between the 2 buildings is the view out the "outside" portion of the building. The interior rooms all face the nicely themed courtyard area while the outer rooms of Bldg. 10 face the parking lot and the outer rooms of Bldg. 6 have a lake view. We've stayed in both of the LK buildings and liked them both. We requested "close to transportation" and "4th floor" (or top floor...can't remember how it was worded) and we got that request both times. FWIW, we also indicated that having our room available at our estimated arrival time (11:00 a.m.) was the first priority (and the room was ready at that time). Our room in each building was just 2 or 3 doors away from the end of the building closest to Animation Hall/Finding Nemo section. It was the exact location we had wanted. We requested 4th floor to cut down on the potential noise in the hall from people walking by. We also didn't want to have to worry about noisy neighbors above us. We loved how close we were to the main building. The downside to being on the 4th floor and at the end of the building we were at is that you either need to climb 3 flights of stairs at the end of a long day in the parks or walk to the middle of the building to the elevators and then walk back to the end of the building to get to your room. Not really a big deal for us as our kids are older, but it is something to think about if you have young kids or use a stroller. We did decide we wanted a break from that extra walking and had a first floor room in Nemo Bldg. 5 on our recent trip. I have to say that I really liked being on the first floor. However, I made sure to request a room on the wing of the building that juts out towards the Lion King area. That way we didn't have very much foot traffic going past our room since we weren't in the "main" hallway. We also didn't have any issues with noise above us (didn't even hear anyone walking around). So, if I was to stay in the LK section again (which I wouldn't hesitate to do), I would definitely request a room on the 1st floor, but in the wings that extend either towards the parking lot or the lake to try and stay in a quiet area. It's a quick walk (5 minutes or less) to the food court and bus stops from anywhere in the LK section.

bluezy, thank you so much for the response! That's exactly what kind of info I was looking for. I was going to ask for a Ground level room, but you've helped solidify it. So I've put in a request now with our Booking Agent to request the wing closest to the AOA main hall, and ground floor. Plus a priority on an early check-in if possible since we'll be getting there around noon.

Thanks again and appreciate all the great info! If you have any other suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them, i.e. anything about the buses from there (line up really early or there's a lot that come through), anything at all.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Are animation classes still available off the lobby? If so, do you know what days and times?

 

[WEDWDW]

If so, do you know what days and times?

11:00 AM,2:00 PM,5:00 PM

http://www.themouseforless.com/tripplanning/resorts/wdw/pdf/AoACalendar.pdf

 

[scrappinginontario]

Thank you so much @WEDWDW! That's exactly what I was looking for.

 

[bluezy]

bluezy, thank you so much for the response! That's exactly what kind of info I was looking for. I was going to ask for a Ground level room, but you've helped solidify it. So I've put in a request now with our Booking Agent to request the wing closest to the AOA main hall, and ground floor. Plus a priority on an early check-in if possible since we'll be getting there around noon.

Thanks again and appreciate all the great info! If you have any other suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them, i.e. anything about the buses from there (line up really early or there's a lot that come through), anything at all.

A few suggestions (just from our experience):

1. There are carts of extra towels on the first floor of each building (at least the 3 different buildings we've been in) right by the elevators. Grab a few to use at the pool. Depending on where your room is, you might never walk past this area so you wouldn't know they are there. If there aren't carts there, just call housekeeping and ask for extra towels (they usually bring them within 15 minutes) or stop at the front desk to ask for some (they have them there). Also, if you like a more relaxing swimming experience, head to the Little Mermaid pool. It's much less chaotic than the Big Blue Pool (though we enjoy that one as well).

2. Walk around the resort at night. The Cars section is beautiful when it's all lit up.

3. Take the bus back to Pop Century one night and walk back to AoA. The resort is stunning at night and it's lovely to see from across the bridge. I also like to grab an adult beverage at the pool bar at Pop Century to sip on while walking. Black Cherry Lemonade was my favorite bar beverage last month. Yum.

4. As far as bus service in general, we've found the service at AoA to be very good. When we were there last month, I don't think we waited more than 15 minutes for a bus at any time and the vast majority of our waits were under about 7 minutes. That being said, if we're heading to the parks for rope drop, we still get to the bus stops about 60-70 minutes before the scheduled opening time. AoA now has bus monitors at their resort stops so you will always (assuming they're working) have a good idea of when the next bus is going to pull up. We also found the waits at the parks for a bus back to AoA to be relatively brief (would love to see bus monitors there!). When heading back to the resort, if Pop Century's line is shorter or their bus shows up first, we'll often take that bus and just walk back to AoA. The only thing that stinks about the bus service is that the AoA stop at the parks is usually one of the furthest stops from the park exit.

5. A lot of people like to walk over to Pop Century to eat a meal. We're kind of "meh" on Pop Century's food court, but a lot of people like it.

 

[CJK]

Has anyone done the scavenger hunt at Art of Animation? On the July activities guide, it says that there's a scavenger hunt at the front desk. Anyone have any experience with it?

 

[Shay212]

Hi there does anyone know if you can get a cot for a child. We will have 6 in the room but I think my son and daughter would rather sleep separately if possible. Thanks all

 

[dansdad]

Hi there does anyone know if you can get a cot for a child. We will have 6 in the room but I think my son and daughter would rather sleep separately if possible. Thanks all

No cots available. You can bring/ship an air mattress though.

 

[Shay212]

No cots available. You can bring/ship an air mattress though.

Thanks so much!

 

[Kevin355]

Staying at AoA in 16 days...Finding Nemo Suites. Looking forward to it...will have my 80 year-old mother and 22 year-old son. Seemed like the most cost efficient rooms available.

 

[vllygrrl]

Woohoo! We had booked the Swan for our upcoming trip at the end of this month because we got a great deal with a warehouse travel co, but it just didn't feel right to me. Yesterday DH started asking about next year's bounceback and I told him we weren't eligible at the Swan, which led to him considering booking one night at Pop just for that purpose. Long story short, I noticed the Back to School room only discounts, cancelled the Swan and now we will be at AoA 8/28-9/4! I know the Swan is more deluxe, but I would rather have the full blown fun of Radiator Springs! We booked a Cars Suite, and it's really much better for us because we're travelling with my husband, my sister and my son who is 12 but grew 7 inches this year and is now taller than me at 5'8"! To have 3 beds and 2 bathrooms is huge! Are there room requests I should put in? I'd like to see the Radiator Springs stuff at night.