Disney's ART OF ANIMATION RESORT Thread

[Minniedap]

Do they still have the drawing classes. If yes, what time?

 

[bluezy]

I have two adults and two kids staying in a cars suite. I saw there is no closet. Are there enough drawers to unpack suitcases? Also where do you store your empty suitcases?

There aren't closets per se, but there are hanging bars and hangers in both the living room and the master bedroom. You can see them in the pictures in this review. I think there's a good amount of drawer space for 4 people in the suites. My husband and I can fit all of our clothing in the dresser in the master bedroom (and we're over-packers). Two of our kids (late teens...so "adult" size clothing) have no problem fitting their clothing in the dresser in the living room and there's usually a drawer or two left over for "stuff". We could easily put all 3 kids' clothing in that dresser but I usually bring a hanging sweater holder to hang in the living room "closet" for one child to use as their "dresser". There is also storage space in the bottom of the "closet" in the living room -- there is a large drawer at the base of the"closet" (extra blankets/pillows are stored there but can easily be stored on a shelf if not needed). As far as storing the empty suitcases, we usually fold up the luggage rack (or move it and use it somewhere else) and stack up the suitcases on the floor of that "closet". There are other nook-type spaces in the master bedroom that could be used for empty suitcases.

 

[Julia Ann]

Do they have usb charging points in the TV unit in the LM rooms?

 

[sophie832]

Just booked a Finding Nemo suite for Oct. 31-Nov. 4! This is our first time at AoA or even at a value resort, but we are really looking forward to it. We will only have our 4 yr old with us, so I don't think bus travel will be too tough. He definitely needs a separate room for sleep, though, so we are happy with the suite setup.

 

[bluezy]

Just booked a Finding Nemo suite for Oct. 31-Nov. 4! This is our first time at AoA or even at a value resort, but we are really looking forward to it. We will only have our 4 yr old with us, so I don't think bus travel will be too tough. He definitely needs a separate room for sleep, though, so we are happy with the suite setup.

I'm sure you'll enjoy the space of the suites. Having 2 defined sleeping areas is one of the things we really enjoy about the suites. We've stayed in both the Lion King and Nemo suites and loved them both but *really* loved the location of our Nemo suite last year. First floor of building 5 in the hallway that juts out toward the LK section. Quiet area (no really foot traffic in that hall except for people who have rooms there) and convenient to the pool, food court, and bus stops. The only thing that wasn't convenient was getting back and forth to our car. We use Disney transportation exclusively while we're there but it felt like we had to walk a mile when unloading and loading the car.

 

[Neverbeast]

Is anyone planning to stay at AoA and visit this year's F&W festival before Sept 10?

I'd love to get two festival passports left at the desk... if you're willing to snag a few for us I'd be happy to work out a small payment or gift exchange!

 

[sophie832]

I'm sure you'll enjoy the space of the suites. Having 2 defined sleeping areas is one of the things we really enjoy about the suites. We've stayed in both the Lion King and Nemo suites and loved them both but *really* loved the location of our Nemo suite last year. First floor of building 5 in the hallway that juts out toward the LK section. Quiet area (no really foot traffic in that hall except for people who have rooms there) and convenient to the pool, food court, and bus stops. The only thing that wasn't convenient was getting back and forth to our car. We use Disney transportation exclusively while we're there but it felt like we had to walk a mile when unloading and loading the car.

That sounds like a fantastic location! I chose Nemo specifically because it's centrally located, and we might want to walk over to POP sometimes. We don't mind a little bit of a walk sometimes, but I just didn't want to get stuck with a hike to the bus stop every day.

 

[bluezy]

That sounds like a fantastic location! I chose Nemo specifically because it's centrally located, and we might want to walk over to POP sometimes. We don't mind a little bit of a walk sometimes, but I just didn't want to get stuck with a hike to the bus stop every day.

That's exactly why we always stay in Nemo building 5 or either of the Lion King buildings (always requesting a room at the end of the building closest to Animation Hall). We find that all 3 of those locations work really well for us. But that Nemo room last year was perfect.

 

[mickeysgirl17]

We are staying in a LM room and plan on taking disney buses to and from the parks. I'll be leaving my car at the hotel. My question is after a long day at the parks, would it be easier to drive my car from my room to animation hall to get drink refills and snacks rather than walk? I hear it's a pretty long walk from the LM section.

 

[Jays2013]

Ugh... we've been booked for a while, but this is my first foray into the resort threads for this trip. I just saw that there is/was a possibility of the bridge to Pop Century being closed due to construction, etc.? Does anyone know anything about this?

My family is in a Nemo suite; my parents are staying in a preferred Pop Century room. It seemed the best bet for them to have a little distance (so the boys can't glom onto them all the time) but still be fairly nearby. The plan was that they'd walk over each morning and we'd all head out to the parks together (we have a car, DH is a control freak ). A closed bridge would put a real wrench in our plans!

 

[WDWFan0813]

We are staying in a LM room and plan on taking disney buses to and from the parks. I'll be leaving my car at the hotel. My question is after a long day at the parks, would it be easier to drive my car from my room to animation hall to get drink refills and snacks rather than walk? I hear it's a pretty long walk from the LM section.

I think the best answer here is "it depends". If your situation allows, you may consider taking the cups with since the bus drops you off at Animation Hall to avoid having to walk back to your room to get the cups before refilling them. Understanding that may not work for you, the decision to walk might be based on what LM building, and even what part of a given building, you are in. For example, if you are in building 7 or 9 on the end closest to Animation Hall, it would probably make sense to just walk. If you are on the far side of building 8, driving may be your best bet. I would recommend trying it out each way on your first day and seeing what you think works best.

 

[jpeterson]

Ugh... we've been booked for a while, but this is my first foray into the resort threads for this trip. I just saw that there is/was a possibility of the bridge to Pop Century being closed due to construction, etc.? Does anyone know anything about this?

My family is in a Nemo suite; my parents are staying in a preferred Pop Century room. It seemed the best bet for them to have a little distance (so the boys can't glom onto them all the time) but still be fairly nearby. The plan was that they'd walk over each morning and we'd all head out to the parks together (we have a car, DH is a control freak ). A closed bridge would put a real wrench in our plans!

At this point I don't think anyone knows if or when they will close the bridge.

 

[bluezy]

We are staying in a LM room and plan on taking disney buses to and from the parks. I'll be leaving my car at the hotel. My question is after a long day at the parks, would it be easier to drive my car from my room to animation hall to get drink refills and snacks rather than walk? I hear it's a pretty long walk from the LM section.

It's really going to depend on where your room is located. I have heard of people driving to the main building but I think far more people walk. Just for reference, the longest walk from a LM room to the back door of the food court is about 530 yards (or .30 miles). The shortest walk is about 300 yards. If you take your car, assuming the best conditions -- closest parking spot to a LM building and closest spot to Animation Hall, you will still need to walk about 225 yards to and from the car. And chances are, it will be further than that as the closest parking spots are usually taken. Plus, you'll be getting in a car that's been baking in the sun for hours which is probably going to be hotter than walking.

My advice is to request building 7 or 9 and "close to transportation" to hopefully get a convenient location. The other potential option is to leave your mugs in a locker in the changing rooms by the Big Blue pool. I don't know how much those lockers cost, but I think it's relatively cheap ($1.50-$2.00). You could put them in the locker in the morning when you head to the bus stop and then retrieve them when you get back (and you'd have to make sure you're back before they lock those buildings for the night). It's a little extra walking (for one person anyway) but it will save a lot of walking. I've never actually done that at AoA but we've done it at Pop Century in the past. It was worth the cost of the locker to not have to walk all the way back to the room to get the mugs when we got back from the parks. We only did it on days that we knew we'd be back from the parks by about 8:00 because I didn't want to risk our mugs getting thrown out when they empty the lockers at the end of the day (if they do that).

 

[Disneylover99]

Do they still have the drawing classes. If yes, what time?

11am 2pm 5pm

 

[Julia Ann]

Has anybody been offered the Disney gift card to foresake housekeeping?

 

[Jays2013]

Just booked a Finding Nemo suite for Oct. 31-Nov. 4! This is our first time at AoA or even at a value resort, but we are really looking forward to it. We will only have our 4 yr old with us, so I don't think bus travel will be too tough. He definitely needs a separate room for sleep, though, so we are happy with the suite setup.

Nice! We'll be there Oct. 29 to Nov. 4, also in a Nemo suite. It's the same with us: Our oldest definitely needs his space, so this is the best way to make sure everyone gets a decent night's sleep.

I think we're going to move my parents from Pop to AoA and pay the extra for them, just in case the bridge is closed. They're real walkers, but they had some medical stuff this year and I'd rather they only had to worry about the long walks at the parks, and not around the lake at the resorts! Does anyone have any recommendations about where in the Lion King section to request? As I said, we'll be in Nemo.

Bonus for us: They said they'll let the boys stay with them a night or two.

 

[dansdad]

Has anybody been offered the Disney gift card to foresake housekeeping?

The test has not moved to AoA as of today.

 

[lori8481]

We check-in for our first on-property stay next Tuesday, 8/22. Long time Disney travelers but I work for a hotel chain so we typically stay for free offsite. We splurged this time for an on-property stay and we are so excited about AoA!!!

Anyway, I was curious about bellman/luggage storage at AoA... we have an early arrival (10:30am) but I selected my room preferences as higher priority than early check-in so I am assuming our room will not be ready. We are taking ME to the resort and I'd love to leave our carry-on luggage from the plane (iPads mostly) at the hotel before we head to the parks. Just looking for some reassurance from others that have stored luggage before the room is ready. Is it secure?

Also, in an unrelated question - even though I have a credit card on file for park purchases to be charged to my room via Magic Bands, am I able to settle the charges on the final day with Disney GCs, instead of the CC? Thanks in advance for helping this on-property newbie.

 

[lindsayjs]

We check-in for our first on-property stay next Tuesday, 8/22. Long time Disney travelers but I work for a hotel chain so we typically stay for free offsite. We splurged this time for an on-property stay and we are so excited about AoA!!!

Anyway, I was curious about bellman/luggage storage at AoA... we have an early arrival (10:30am) but I selected my room preferences as higher priority than early check-in so I am assuming our room will not be ready. We are taking ME to the resort and I'd love to leave our carry-on luggage from the plane (iPads mostly) at the hotel before we head to the parks. Just looking for some reassurance from others that have stored luggage before the room is ready. Is it secure?

Also, in an unrelated question - even though I have a credit card on file for park purchases to be charged to my room via Magic Bands, am I able to settle the charges on the final day with Disney GCs, instead of the CC? Thanks in advance for helping this on-property newbie.

Yes, you can drop off your carry-ons and whatnot with luggage assistance until you get back to the resort. It will be kept safe. We plan on doing the same thing.
As for the GC you'll need to settle the bill with the gift cards the night before I believe. It will auto charge the card on file sometime overnight. I'm sure others will chime in to verify. I have not done this myself.

 

[HookPan]

We check-in for our first on-property stay next Tuesday, 8/22. Long time Disney travelers but I work for a hotel chain so we typically stay for free offsite. We splurged this time for an on-property stay and we are so excited about AoA!!!

Anyway, I was curious about bellman/luggage storage at AoA... we have an early arrival (10:30am) but I selected my room preferences as higher priority than early check-in so I am assuming our room will not be ready. We are taking ME to the resort and I'd love to leave our carry-on luggage from the plane (iPads mostly) at the hotel before we head to the parks. Just looking for some reassurance from others that have stored luggage before the room is ready. Is it secure?

Also, in an unrelated question - even though I have a credit card on file for park purchases to be charged to my room via Magic Bands, am I able to settle the charges on the final day with Disney GCs, instead of the CC? Thanks in advance for helping this on-property newbie.

I don't have an answer, but we are checking in on the 22nd as well! Can't wait!