Disney's ART OF ANIMATION RESORT Thread

[2010_Bride]

Is it still only shampoo at AOA and not conditioner?

 

[WEDWDW]

Was planning to ride the bus rather than drive to MK because I have a bum knee and I'm trying to do as little walking as possible and hopefully rent a scooter. Is there a way to get to the parks that early? Anyone know if rentals will be available at that time?

Buses to Magic Kingdom "usually" start between 6:00 AM and 6:30 AM.

With Main Street USA now opening at 7:45 AM for all Guests,I would "think" ECV/Wheelchair/Locker Rentals would be open by 7:00 AM.

 

[bluezy]

Have several questions re: AoA. We head out in a week,Staying in a Lion King suite. I purchased some over the door organizers for the bathroom and it looks to me that those door are pocket doors? Can anyone clarify. Its just 4 of us but my 20month old grandson has travels with a lot of things so I thought these might be helpful. Second question is regarding blankets. My 80 yo MIL freezes. In the video of the room I don't see blankets on the murphy or sofa bed. Should I bring my own? We're driving a sedan and space will be tight! Third question: I snagged BOG resvn for 8;15 am. Was planning to ride the bus rather than drive to MK because I have a bum knee and I'm trying to do as little walking as possible and hopefully rent a scooter. Is there a way to get to the parks that early? Anyone know if rentals will be available at that time? Thanks for any advice. This is my first time planning a trip less than 3 weeks out but the opportunity presented itself so we're going with it!

The door on the master bathroom is a standard door (not pocket). The bathroom in the main living space has 2 doors. There is a standard door that divides the tub/toilet area from the sink/dressing area. Then there is a pocket door between the sink/dressing area and the main living space. In short, you will most likely be able to use the over-the-door organizers on the standard doors in either bathroom -- though I've never actually tried them at AoA because I've found there to be plenty of storage space for us in those bathrooms. We actually just take collapsible fabric bins and each person stores there stuff in those on the shelf below the sink.

There are blankets on each of the beds in the suite (actually, the one for the sofa bed might be in the storage drawer under the closet bar in the living room - I can't remember). If you need more (we always do), just call mousekeeping from the room phone and ask for them. Ditto for sheets, pillows, and towels.

We've take a bus from AoA to MK as early as 6:45. I've been told by bus drivers that they start runs to the parks at 6:30 every morning.

Is it still only shampoo at AOA and not conditioner?

Our most recent stay was this past June, but it's always been a bottle of combination shampoo & conditioner when we've been there.

 

[WEDWDW]

I've been told by bus drivers that they start runs to the parks at 6:30 every morning.

"First Bus" for MK is "usually" even earlier than 6:30 AM.

 

[KMarston]

Thank you both!

 

[MudQueen22]

.

 

[cheapster316]

we stayed at AOA in January. Got to the bus a few minutes after 7, saw s double mk bus pulling away. Checked the bus board and it said 7:16, the bus pulled up at 7:13, drove away 7:16 and we were st mk for 7:32. We had to go to guest relations and we're making our way in the park st 7:46, we got to Bog at 8;06 after stopping for s few photos of Main Street and the castle with low crowds. We had 8:05 bog. We ordered online ahead of time (I highly recommend) and rode mine train 3 times before park opened.

 

[ShelleyLynn]

First stay at AOA, checking in this Saturday! I have a few questions:
1. I know you will get shampoo daily but do you get conditioner and lotion like at the other resorts?


2. what is the current bounce back offer?

 

[jcarwash]

1. I know you will get shampoo daily but do you get conditioner and lotion like at the other resorts?

At AoA the shampoo is a shampoo/conditioner combination. There is no lotion in the rooms.

 

[nelsonj3]

I did a full tour of Art of Animation in 4K UHD for anyone who hasn't yet stayed here and wants an overview of the resort. (It might also be fun for those like me who just love this resort and want to relive the magic!)

 

[cinderellashosh]

Is liquor/beer/wine available to purchase in the gift shops or food court? We're using Magical Express so we won't be making a grocery stop but want a little something in our room for a nightcap after park time.

 

[WEDWDW]

Is liquor/beer/wine available to purchase in the gift shops or food court? We're using Magical Express so we won't be making a grocery stop but want a little something in our room for a nightcap after park time.

Yes-at the MICE PRICE!!!!

 

[wmmoorejr]

I've settled on an AoA family suite as the destination for my family of 5 this time next year (Jan or Feb 2018). I see peoples signature time trackers on posts indicating their trip is one-year-so many days away. But when I go to the Disney website dates are only released through December this year, and two discount sites I've plugged my dates into say "sold out this date". Are suites really not released yet as Disney indicates? Or have I missed the boat for booking via discount site? I read a hundred pages back a post from June 2016 saying rooms were about to be released for Jan 2017. Should I check back in June or are these rooms already sold out?

Also, is there a rhyme or reason to when they do promotions like free dining and such...so that I should be patient and wait for a great deal to come by since I have the time? I'm afraid to miss out on a suite as they seem very popular!

I just booked a Finding Nemo suite 2 days ago for 2/13/2018-2/19/2018. I had to call directly though since nothing is available online yet. There are no deals yet and the price quoted will be full rack rate. You can swap to a package or a better deal when it comes available. This just guarantees your room in your desired location.

 

[KrazeeK120]

Hi everyone! I'm in the very early planning stages for an October 2018 trip. (We haven't even gone on our 2017 trip yet but, ya know...). I was wondering if there is enough room in the bedroom for a toddler blow up mattress (so, smaller than twin size)? My thought is that I would put my son to bed and DH and I would enjoy the living area. We are getting around this on our upcoming trip by staying club level and taking turns in the lounge. However, financially, I don't think we could do a CL stay 2 years in a row. Plus, my son will be just turning 3 on the trip and I'm not sure I would be comfortable with him in a regular bed in a separate sleeping area from myself and DH for the whole night while on vacation.

Any other tips/tricks with toddlers at AOA are most welcome!

 

[bluezy]

Hi everyone! I'm in the very early planning stages for an October 2018 trip. (We haven't even gone on our 2017 trip yet but, ya know...). I was wondering if there is enough room in the bedroom for a toddler blow up mattress (so, smaller than twin size)? My thought is that I would put my son to bed and DH and I would enjoy the living area. We are getting around this on our upcoming trip by staying club level and taking turns in the lounge. However, financially, I don't think we could do a CL stay 2 years in a row. Plus, my son will be just turning 3 on the trip and I'm not sure I would be comfortable with him in a regular bed in a separate sleeping area from myself and DH for the whole night while on vacation.

Any other tips/tricks with toddlers at AOA are most welcome!

Yes, there will be room for a toddler-size mattress in the bedroom. We've stayed in a suite several times and we always use at least 1 twin-size air mattress in the main living space. Last time I dragged the mattress into the bedroom just to see if it would fit. It fit between the bed and the bathroom, though it was tight since you couldn't fully open the door to get in and out of the room and you had a narrow walkway to the bathroom with the mattress on the floor. However, it did fit. So a toddler-size one shouldn't be a problem -- it will still require some fancy footwork to move around it and it will probably need to be in front of the bathroom, so that could be a problem if the noise and light from that bathroom will disturb him. But since there's another bathroom in the suite, you can just use that one when your son is sleeping.

 

[ashleymf1983]

Hello everyone, I'm new here and also new to WDW in general. My family is going on our very first trip this coming September. We'll be staying for a week at AoA. I admit that I did zero research into the resorts before choosing AoA - I chose it solely based on appearance. Now, I'm reading some reviews that are worrisome. People complain of paper thin walls, "dingy" appearance, "looks like a themed Super 8 Motel," and even some horror stories about bed bugs. Can anyone ease my worries? I'm freaking out.

 

[WEDWDW]

People complain of paper thin walls, "dingy" appearance, "looks like a themed Super 8 Motel," and even some horror stories about bed bugs.

RELAX!

Those reviews will make you think you are going to a "roach motel"!!!!lol

Nothing could be further from the truth!

AoA is GORGEOUS!!!!

The landscaping alone is breathtaking!

Have fun!

 

[Mbuksa]

Hello everyone, I'm new here and also new to WDW in general. My family is going on our very first trip this coming September. We'll be staying for a week at AoA. I admit that I did zero research into the resorts before choosing AoA - I chose it solely based on appearance. Now, I'm reading some reviews that are worrisome. People complain of paper thin walls, "dingy" appearance, "looks like a themed Super 8 Motel," and even some horror stories about bed bugs. Can anyone ease my worries? I'm freaking out.

I have never stayed at AOA personally, but I've stayed at POP and walked over the bridge to visit. The grounds are great, the pool is fun, food court is good. Watch the video a few posts above by nelsonj3 to see for yourself. There are other YouTube videos to watch too. Watch some, that way you can see what you think. Everyone's perceptions are different. But I really liked it.

 

[Minniekins]

Hi! My DD26 and I have booked a 4 night trip at AoA in one of the bigger suites, they are all so cute! We've stayed at LM a couple nights a few years ago. So we keep going back and forth on which place to request! One day we're leaning towards Nemo and the next Cars or Lion King, lol.
Those who have stayed in these sections, can you share why you liked any of them so much? I'm gonna read thru all the pages here, but I'd love to hear from any that will share currently, so TIA!
Also, looking at the maps, trying to decide where to request in relation to the bus stop and Animation hall. Looking at Lion King, it looks very close to the bus area, but don't see walkways to get there so my DD26 was thinking Cars the closer buildings, or even Nemo might actually be closer. Also, wondering what floor would be good to request? We will have an ecv so would need an elevator so depending on how far we are down the hall, that could be a pain maybe, and DD26 doesn't really like first floor cause she's afraid critters might get in, lol.
We're excited for our stay here and apreciate all who are willing to share with us here!

 

[jcarwash]

Also, looking at the maps, trying to decide where to request in relation to the bus stop and Animation hall. Looking at Lion King, it looks very close to the bus area, but don't see walkways to get there so my DD26 was thinking Cars the closer buildings, or even Nemo might actually be closer.

Finding Nemo is the section with the closest direct path through Animation Hall to access the bus stop area, however, both the Lion King and Cars sections provide convenient access too; neither are as distant as the Little Mermaid section. In the Cars section, buildings 1 and 3 are closer in proximity versus building 2.