Disney's ART OF ANIMATION RESORT Thread

[bluezy]

I'm a newbie, but have been lurking for a few months. I so appreciate all of the helpful info found here!

We are staying at AoA end of Jan 2018 - husband and three kids 6, 5, 1. We chose AoA for the affordable suites and fun theming. Question or where to find an old thread: How brutal is the bus wait and drive BACK from MK?

Most days park days we will RD and stay as long as kiddos can handle. There is one day that we need to come back for a break then return to MK for CRT and I'm starting to wonder if I should hold out to see if we can afford any Poly discount so we can use the monorail.

Thanks!

We've stayed at AoA three times and I would never consider the bus waits/drive "brutal". We travel in June (busy time) and always head back to the resort for the afternoon. I don't think we've waited more than about 10 minutes for a bus in the afternoon. Sometimes if the Pop Century bus is there when we get to the bus stop, we'll just hop on that bus and walk back to AoA. It's about a 20-25 minute bus ride from MK to AoA depending on traffic. We've made it in 18 minutes but also had it take as long as 30. Our rule of thumb is that if we're heading back to AoA for an afternoon break, we budget a minimum of 4 hours for the total travel/break time. We always assume an hour from the time we're walking under the Main Street Train Station at MK until we're back at our room. And we assume an hour from the time we leave our room until we're walking through the gates of MK. We like to have at least 2 hours back at the room to make it feel like its "worth" taking a break. If we have a dinner ADR, we absolutely leave our room at AoA a minimum of 90 minutes before our ADR time...you just never know when you're going to have an unusually long wait for a bus. Also, it seems that when a park has evening EMH, there are a lot of people heading to that park right around dinner time -- so that can mean a longer bus wait time.

In general, we've always found the bus service to and from AoA to be very good. I tend to keep track of our bus wait times and they're rarely more than 10 minutes (even though they often feel longer because we're anxious to get where we're going. ). and usually are less than 5. While the ride to MK can feel long, all of the other parks are less than a 10 minute ride. Personally, with your kids ages, I'd stick with AoA (but I'm a little biased -- we love the resort) because I think they will really enjoy the atmosphere. Now, if you plan to spend several days at MK, it might be worth switching to Poly if you can find a good deal...but I would expect the rate to be a bit higher than what you'll be paying at AoA -- and that will be for 1 standard room instead of a suite (though I understand paying a premium for convenience). I know there have been times that I could have gotten a garden wing room at CR for the same price as a suite at AoA but we've always stuck with the suite because our kids are teens and we need 2 bathrooms, the extra space is relaxing to us, 2 TV's is a must (I can only take so much of Teen Disney), and we like having a private master bedroom. If our kids were little, I'd be ok with 5 of us being in one standard hotel room with 1 bathroom; but with teens, 2-3 nights is all we can tolerate being in one standard hotel room with 1 bathroom.

 

[jpeterson]

Morning buses for MK can be quite busy. But they usually send extra buses to deal with it. Honestly we found the bus service at AoA to be pretty good and was much better than Port Orleans: Riverside, those buses were a nightmare.

 

[Phijammamama]

Great stuff bluezy! My only hesitation is the day we have the dinner ADR. kind of a bummer to have to have such a short morning at MK in order to make the break worth it. But I know we won't enjoy dinner being too tired. I wouldn't do RD that day except we have an early BBB appt. I'll probably keep the AoA and just cross my fingers hat day goes ok. We really need the suite space. Thanks!

Thanks, jpeterson! Love your catalog!

 

[DWFamilyof6]

First stay at AOA in 6 days! So excited!
Can someone tell me if there are pool towels at the pool?
How's the coffee in the room? Is it refilled by Mousekeeping everyday or is it better to trek to the food court? Coffee is a must for me to function each morning. Any other great tips for a first timer? Thanks!

 

[bluezy]

Great stuff bluezy! My only hesitation is the day we have the dinner ADR. kind of a bummer to have to have such a short morning at MK in order to make the break worth it. But I know we won't enjoy dinner being too tired. I wouldn't do RD that day except we have an early BBB appt. I'll probably keep the AoA and just cross my fingers hat day goes ok. We really need the suite space. Thanks!

Thanks, jpeterson! Love your catalog!

What time is your dinner at CRT? If you're doing rope drop at MK that day, you should be able to stay in the park until lunch time before heading back to the resort for a rest. I agree that you'll want to be well rested for dinner as between waiting for your table, having dinner, meeting the princesses, etc. you can be there over 90 minutes. Definitely not something to attempt with tired young children. I think with just a little planning that day will be very enjoyable for your family.

 

[bluezy]

First stay at AOA in 6 days! So excited!
Can someone tell me if there are pool towels at the pool?
How's the coffee in the room? Is it refilled by Mousekeeping everyday or is it better to trek to the food court? Coffee is a must for me to function each morning. Any other great tips for a first timer? Thanks!

We've stayed at AoA 3 times (3 different buildings) and there have always been carts full of towels on the first floor of the building by the elevators. I do think that in the last few months I've read that they started having carts of towels out by the pools. There were times during our 3 visits that there were carts by the pools but it was very random. I believe it's a constant thing now. However, just in case you need a back-up plan, you can call housekeeping to ask for additional towels (I usually do this as soon as we arrive in our room and have them within 10-15 minutes). And they also have towels at the front desk -- though you have to wait in line for an available CM to get them so that's not always a good option.

I don't drink coffee, but my husband has made the coffee in the suites -- he says it's good (full disclosure: he's not super fussy about the coffee he drinks. ). You could bring your own pods (not K-cups!) if you like a certain kind. They do restock the supplies in the room every day.

Tips for a first timer: Listen for the underwater music in the Big Blue Pool. Take a walk over to the Cars section at night (if you aren't staying in that section). We enjoy taking a bus from a park to Pop Century at night and walking back to AoA at least once during our stay -- the resort is beautiful at night and it's a sight to behold as you walk across the bridge (though the construction walls on the bridge might block some of that view now). If you plan to get the refillable mugs, grab one of those cardboard drink carriers from a local fast food place to use so that one person can go refill all the mugs (I like to use a Double Duty Caddy from Thirty-One Gifts as it folds flat for packing and holds up to 6 mugs.). They might also have the cardboard carriers available if you ask at Landscape of Flavors -- I know they had them when they had the mugs without handles.

 

[DWFamilyof6]

We've stayed at AoA 3 times (3 different buildings) and there have always been carts full of towels on the first floor of the building by the elevators. I do think that in the last few months I've read that they started having carts of towels out by the pools. There were times during our 3 visits that there were carts by the pools but it was very random. I believe it's a constant thing now. However, just in case you need a back-up plan, you can call housekeeping to ask for additional towels (I usually do this as soon as we arrive in our room and have them within 10-15 minutes). And they also have towels at the front desk -- though you have to wait in line for an available CM to get them so that's not always a good option.

I don't drink coffee, but my husband has made the coffee in the suites -- he says it's good (full disclosure: he's not super fussy about the coffee he drinks. ). You could bring your own pods (not K-cups!) if you like a certain kind. They do restock the supplies in the room every day.

Tips for a first timer: Listen for the underwater music in the Big Blue Pool. Take a walk over to the Cars section at night (if you aren't staying in that section). We enjoy taking a bus from a park to Pop Century at night and walking back to AoA at least once during our stay -- the resort is beautiful at night and it's a sight to behold as you walk across the bridge (though the construction walls on the bridge might block some of that view now). If you plan to get the refillable mugs, grab one of those cardboard drink carriers from a local fast food place to use so that one person can go refill all the mugs (I like to use a Double Duty Caddy from Thirty-One Gifts as it folds flat for packing and holds up to 6 mugs.). They might also have the cardboard carriers available if you ask at Landscape of Flavors -- I know they had them when they had the mugs without handles.

Thank you so much! So very helpful! We will definitely have to try the Pop bridge to take in the full sight of the resort.
Thanks again!

 

[Phijammamama]

What time is your dinner at CRT? If you're doing rope drop at MK that day, you should be able to stay in the park until lunch time before heading back to the resort for a rest. I agree that you'll want to be well rested for dinner as between waiting for your table, having dinner, meeting the princesses, etc. you can be there over 90 minutes. Definitely not something to attempt with tired young children. I think with just a little planning that day will be very enjoyable for your family.

CRT is 5:30pm. We'll likely be in close to RD as my daughters BBB appt is 8:20a. My son has Pirate's League at noon, so I'm thinking we'll head back soon after that. Wish we weren't doing all of it in one day, but that was the only appt's available.

 

[bluezy]

CRT is 5:30pm. We'll likely be in close to RD as my daughters BBB appt is 8:20a. My son has Pirate's League at noon, so I'm thinking we'll head back soon after that. Wish we weren't doing all of it in one day, but that was the only appt's available.

It will be a busy day, but I think it will all work out time-wise. Even with your son's Pirate League appointment at noon, I think you'll still be back at the hotel by 2:00, so you'll have some time to unwind and get ready for dinner. It will probably feel nice to just relax in the room for a little while in the afternoon before heading to CRT.

 

[Practical2aFault]

I didn't notice this on my last trip. Magic Kingdom and Epcot were separated by one or two other resorts. Animal Kingdom they were on opposite sides.

Has it changed recently?

Where is /was this posted ? I thought you couldn't take busses from one theme park to another without going to a resort to between ? First time staying at AoA in a few weeks so trying to estimate how to get to ADR at YC/BW area. Thanks in advance.

 

[lindsayjs]

Where is /was this posted ? I thought you couldn't take busses from one theme park to another without going to a resort to between ? First time staying at AoA in a few weeks so trying to estimate how to get to ADR at YC/BW area. Thanks in advance.

There's park to park buses now. Depending on ADR time uber/lyft might be a good option and timesaver.
http://guide2wdw.com/qotd-disney-world-buses-go-park-park/

 

[Practical2aFault]

There's park to park buses now. Depending on ADR time uber/lyft might be a good option and timesaver.
http://guide2wdw.com/qotd-disney-world-buses-go-park-park/

Thanks so much for the link !!!!- Was considering a lyft and may still ,but good to know they are providing this option for park to park now ( is this their answer to cancelling the PH Express ?)

 

[lindsayjs]

Thanks so much for the link !!!!- Was considering a lyft and may still ,but good to know they are providing this option for park to park now ( is this their answer to cancelling the PH Express ?)

I believe they've had the park to park option for a while now. But it's certainly a nice feature, the last time I was at WDW (2011) it wasn't available. Or I missed it completely

 

[Practical2aFault]

I believe they've had the park to park option for a while now. But it's certainly a nice feature, the last time I was at WDW (2011) it wasn't available. Or I missed it completely

Yes -looking again at the date the article was published it might have been the test phase for the Park Hopper Express so guessing we are back taking bus from Park to resort and or ferry for most destinations not on monorail.

 

[lindsayjs]

Yes -looking again at the date the article was published it might have been the test phase for the Park Hopper Express so guessing we are back taking bus from Park to resort and or ferry for most destinations not on monorail.

You can definitely do park to park buses but not within the park like the express option.
http://wdwprepschool.com/how-to-navigate-with-disney-world-transportation/ Check out topic 5

 

[BareNecessities]

Having a bit of trouble trying to post a new question...here goes...

We're heading to WDW in March (no codes or DDP then sadly), and bringing a WDW newbie who is a light sleeper. I've stayed at Value resorts often, and know that the turbo-toilets didn't bother me, but would definitely bother my newbie friend. Has AoA solved/prevented that problem?

There's so much construction news at CBR and CS, that I'd rather not venture there this trip.

Thanks so much.

 

[jenseib]

I believe they've had the park to park option for a while now. But it's certainly a nice feature, the last time I was at WDW (2011) it wasn't available. Or I missed it completely

You missed it. They have had park to park buses for years

 

[GrumpyFamilyof5]

Question before I decide to make ressies?.. is there any privacy, by looking at the pictures it seems to be an open floor plan in the suites. I don't see a door to the room like there is at ASmu, am I correct?? Thank-you!

 

[lindsayjs]

Question before I decide to make ressies?.. is there any privacy, by looking at the pictures it seems to be an open floor plan in the suites. I don't see a door to the room like there is at ASmu, am I correct?? Thank-you!

There is a door to the Master bedroom with the queen bed. No door between the murphy bed area and pull out sofa area.

 

[lindsayjs]

Question before I decide to make ressies?.. is there any privacy, by looking at the pictures it seems to be an open floor plan in the suites. I don't see a door to the room like there is at ASmu, am I correct?? Thank-you!

Here's a good walk through on the suites. All themes of family suites have the same floorplan.