Thoughts on the Art of Animation

[PrincessWithABlaster]

We just got back from a stay at AoA. I was a little hesitant to book it because we have stayed at moderates and deluxes with this being our first value resort. But the discounts available were not very good for the monorail resorts this year. We could have gotten a room in our price range at GF of all places (??? it was less expensive than Poly and Contemporary), but that resort is just not for us. I don't like the theming at all. We are a family of 5 and the kids are getting older so we decided to go for the AoA family suite for more space and while the kids are still young enough to enjoy the theming there.

Honestly, I really liked it. The theming blows me away. There are so many details and it's so larger than life and well done. I can see why some people find it garish or over the top, but I really just enjoyed marveling at everything. Even the plants fit the themes in each area. It was great to have extra space. The kids really enjoyed the pull down bed and they didn't complain about the fold out sofa (that was another concern I had). It was nice to have two bathrooms and I loved the shower tile and theming on the counter and mirror (we were in a Nemo suite).

People have remarked on the dingy carpet in the hallways. That was definitely still the case. Also, the couch and chair in the room had seen better days - they were threadbare in places. They could really use a carpet and furniture refresh.

We also didn't love that at each park, the bus stop for AoA was very far from the entrance. Although once the gondola system is running, that won't be an issue for at least some of the parks.

The grounds were really nice. We had no issues with not having any TS onsite (we ate at the parks). And the QS Landscape of Flavors was pretty good.

All in all, we liked it quite a bit. The kids still prefer the Contemporary and I prefer Poly but we definitely enjoyed our stay at AoA and would consider it again in the future (especially after the gondola).

 

[pd1138]

Thank you for this review. We are used to staying deluxe ourselves, but now that our youngest is three that makes six of us which is too many for one room anymore. We checked out AOA during our trip last august and booked our bounce back for our upcoming August trip at AOA with the upgraded dining. Then DH started noticing how far the bus stops were from each park and Disney springs. By November he started to panic and in Jan I ended up canceling and booked room discount with tickets at wilderness lodge with two rooms knowing we may not be adjoining. I still think AOA will still be in our future though.
Was the pool crowded in the afternoon there? Is it easy to move the fold up bed to use the table or is it more of a once the bed is down it’s down for the week? How were the lines in the morning for the theme park buses from AOA? When we visited we noticed a queue system vs what we are used to with the deluxe resorts which are just covered stops and not an organized line.

 

[AngiTN]

We had our first stay there in March. I'm not sure I liked it as much as you did but I have to admit I didn't dislike it as much as I expected to. We won't be returning anytime soon, if ever.
But DGD wanted it for her birthday and with DD with us it was nice to have the extra space. Villas usually cost less so that's the route we'll take in the future but I don't regret trying out AoA this one trip.

We also didn't love that at each park, the bus stop for AoA was very far from the entrance. Although once the gondola system is running, that won't be an issue for at least some of the parks.

The grounds were really nice. We had no issues with not having any TS onsite (we ate at the parks). And the QS Landscape of Flavors was pretty good.

Just to note, one of the main reasons for this, for those that don't know, is the double buses. Many believe it's because it's Value and they put them further away but really it's where they can best fit those oversized buses.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

Thank you for this review. We are used to staying deluxe ourselves, but now that our youngest is three that makes six of us which is too many for one room anymore. We checked out AOA during our trip last august and booked our bounce back for our upcoming August trip at AOA with the upgraded dining. Then DH started noticing how far the bus stops were from each park and Disney springs. By November he started to panic and in Jan I ended up canceling and booked room discount with tickets at wilderness lodge with two rooms knowing we may not be adjoining. I still think AOA will still be in our future though.
Was the pool crowded in the afternoon there? Is it easy to move the fold up bed to use the table or is it more of a once the bed is down it’s down for the week? How were the lines in the morning for the theme park buses from AOA? When we visited we noticed a queue system vs what we are used to with the deluxe resorts which are just covered stops and not an organized line.

The bus stops are far, yes. Personally, I like the queue system much better than the deluxe free for all. I always felt like people were going to push in front of us and we wouldn't get on the bus at the deluxe resorts (no, that never happened - irrational fear). The lines for MK were always long in the morning around RD times. The queue was always full. The first day that had me wondering if I had made a mistake picking MK that day but it was totally not an indicator of park CLs. I think there are just a lot of families with young children there. We saw lots of buses coming for MK. We even saw a bus change its sign from AK to MK to help handle the crowd. We never waited more than 15 mins going to any park. We did wait at least 20 coming home from Epcot EMH which was annoying because there were probably 100 people waiting for the bus to Pop and 60 waiting for AoA and buses were rolling in for other resorts and even pulling in to park for the night right in front of our stops which was kind of adding insult to injury.

The pool is bigger than Poly but I would say the level of crowding (people per square foot) was about the same. The Little Mermaid pool was smaller but much less crowded.

The pull down bed was super easy. We pulled it down each night and we eat breakfast in the room so each morning we just took the pillows off and pushed it up. We didn't even make it.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

We had our first stay there in March. I'm not sure I liked it as much as you did but I have to admit I didn't dislike it as much as I expected to. We won't be returning anytime soon, if ever.
But DGD wanted it for her birthday and with DD with us it was nice to have the extra space. Villas usually cost less so that's the route we'll take in the future but I don't regret trying out AoA this one trip.


Just to note, one of the main reasons for this, for those that don't know, is the double buses. Many believe it's because it's Value and they put them further away but really it's where they can best fit those oversized buses.

When you say villas cost less, is that because you're renting points?

Our only bus driver story this trip was about all the construction around DHS. One of the things she said was that Disney is extremely cautious about safety and the articulated buses. She said they go way out of their way to keep them out of tight spaces. So that fits with your comment about why they're located so far away.

 

[saraheliz]

We stayed there in April for the first time and I liked it a lot more than I expected to- and my kids LOVED it. We were in the Little Mermaid section and I was concerned about the walk but it really wasn't a problem, even after a day at the parks. The theming was awesome and I liked it so much better than Pop, pools were great and the food court was good as well. We had great luck with the buses, as well, even if the stops were the last one at most of the parks. Was it a value resort? Yes. Would I stay in a LM room with the whole family? No. (This trip was just myself and my two girls). But I'd definitely consider staying in a suite with all of us. I thought it was a great resort!

 

[jpeterson]

Personally, I like the queue system much better than the deluxe free for all. I always felt like people were going to push in front of us and we wouldn't get on the bus at the deluxe resorts (no, that never happened - irrational fear).

I much prefer the queues. At the deluxes, we would patiently wait for a bus and then someone would invariably show up last minute and get on before us, taking the remaining seats.

 

[pd1138]

I much prefer the queues. At the deluxes, we would patiently wait for a bus and then someone would invariably show up last minute and get on before us, taking the remaining seats.

I was thinking the same thing....I was looking forward to the queues for the buses at AoA. But, in all of our deluxe stays we were fortunate to at least make it on the bus from the resort even though no one knew exactly who arrived when at the bus stop. I guess it’s simply just a whole lot less people staying at a deluxe vs AoA.

 

[AngiTN]

When you say villas cost less, is that because you're renting points?

Our only bus driver story this trip was about all the construction around DHS. One of the things she said was that Disney is extremely cautious about safety and the articulated buses. She said they go way out of their way to keep them out of tight spaces. So that fits with your comment about why they're located so far away.

No, we don't rent points because we don't plan trips far enough out to do so. Suites at AoA are as pricey as Deluxe rooms because you end up getting a higher discount on the Deluxe than you do the Value

 

[pd1138]

The bus stops are far, yes. Personally, I like the queue system much better than the deluxe free for all. I always felt like people were going to push in front of us and we wouldn't get on the bus at the deluxe resorts (no, that never happened - irrational fear). The lines for MK were always long in the morning around RD times. The queue was always full. The first day that had me wondering if I had made a mistake picking MK that day but it was totally not an indicator of park CLs. I think there are just a lot of families with young children there. We saw lots of buses coming for MK. We even saw a bus change its sign from AK to MK to help handle the crowd. We never waited more than 15 mins going to any park. We did wait at least 20 coming home from Epcot EMH which was annoying because there were probably 100 people waiting for the bus to Pop and 60 waiting for AoA and buses were rolling in for other resorts and even pulling in to park for the night right in front of our stops which was kind of adding insult to injury.

The pool is bigger than Poly but I would say the level of crowding (people per square foot) was about the same. The Little Mermaid pool was smaller but much less crowded.

The pull down bed was super easy. We pulled it down each night and we eat breakfast in the room so each morning we just took the pillows off and pushed it up. We didn't even make it.

Thanks! Good to know the bed is easy. We would need the table space for breakfast for sure. One thing I was looking forward to was using the microwave for breakfast.
We stayed at Poly last year and pool was so crowded. I assumed since AoA has a much bigger pool it would be less so, but it again makes sense since there are a lot more rooms!!

 

[pd1138]

No, we don't rent points because we don't plan trips far enough out to do so. Suites at AoA are as pricey as Deluxe rooms because you end up getting a higher discount on the Deluxe than you do the Value

We booked the bounce back with the “free” dining at AoA for this August. Then we had to pay to upgrade to regular from QS. After paying the full rack rate for the room and the price to upgrade DH didn’t really see the value of it. When I called to cancel the CM wanted to know why and I told him the rack rate for AoA is higher then some deluxes and then to only get the QS meal plan included just simply wasn’t a good deal for us. The CM seemed upset by this, but I told him it is what it is and I just wanted to cancel, very bizarre conversation. He asked if I wanted to escalate the problem to management....I told him I just wanted to cancel since it’s clear only deluxe resorts get the regular free dining and even though the price of the suite is higher then some deluxe rooms AoA is still a value resort and gets the QS included. I didn’t want to escalate anything!!! I told him I was just going to wait for a room only discount later and that I was ok with it. The CM kept telling me this wasn’t fair and he wanted to escalate it...very very bizarre. I was the customer and I was ok with the policy and just wanted to cancel and he was upset and wanted something done. He must have been new. I’ve never seen a discount for AoA suite more then 10-15% , but I did get a pin code for 35% off a deluxe so you can get a deluxe for less then the suite.

 

[closetmickey]

Thanks for your review. We've only stayed deluxe but are staying AoA this summer for the first time. Im pretty certain my 3 girls will love the theme and the extra space but I'm a bit concerned about the comfort of the mattress and pillows. Flying from afar so probably won't pack my own.

 

[AngiTN]

It is unfortunate these rooms get caught in the limbo land of Value resort and Value discount but Deluxe pricing.
When you need the space then it can make it something to consider but the one other time we went we actually found 2 rooms at a Mod, with a discount, cheaper than the Suite, with a discount. Again, due to the discount discrepancy. If you can't risk not getting connecting rooms it won't be an option but if you can, it's also a good consideration.

 

[Staceysparkle8]

We are staying in AoA in September for the first time. Probably a sad truth the value resort bus stops will be furthest away. Oh well, keeps the step count up! Bit of a change from our last stay at AKL, but that was for our honeymoon. Still, very excited!