Reviews of Art of Animation Resort (Value Resort)
Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 07/14/2022
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
There are definitely benefits and downsides to this hotel (like all)! This was our first stay in a value resort. We have stayed at deluxe, moderate, and off property in the past. We stayed here for 3 nights in June 2022. The cast member/manager made our experience so special by upgrading us to a lion king suite! I was 23 weeks pregnant and we had a little mermaid room currently booked. I think our trip would have been significantly less magical had the upgrade not occurred, due to the physical size of this resort. But this cast member really made our trip special and it was so unexpected, and just awesome Disney magic! we also got to our room that night and he had sent gifts/toys for my baby!!! So over the top! The walk from the lobby/food/bus stop to the little mermaid rooms would have been a nightmare after being in your feet all day! Lion king suites are right up front near everything except the skyliner. The food options were very good for it being sort of like a food court. I actually preferred this large quick service with lots of options to the small markets other, nicer resorts have. Though we were only there for 3 nights and they play the same 4-5 songs in the food court, that got really old. The gift shop was huge which was great. The pool was large, but we didn't swim just because of time constraints and it didnt look very relaxing due to how many children and people were in it. The biggest problem I had here was when the skyliner was down due to weather. We walked up and the skyliner attendant said it was down. We asked for an ETA (like have you seen lightning recently, or if we're clear for another x minutes we will open?) And was just told he didn't know, and to go get a bus that run as a backup to Epcot for when the skyliner is down. We walk to the opposite end of the property to the lobby/bus stop area. No bus for 30+ minutes. Another frustrated guest went inside to ask a manager. The manager came out and told us "the bus to Epcot stopped running because the skyliner is back up, so go back there". Frustrating that no cast member was going to come let us (group of about 30 at this point) know that the bus wasn't coming. We all walk again across property to skyliner for them to literally close it as we walk up to the entrance again due to weather. They told us to go back to the bus stop. It was ridiculous with seemingly no communication between cast members. Totally understand weather is uncontrollable, but Disney could improve on this process of back-up skyliner buses a great deal. We waited another 25 min for a bus with no success, then finally had to order an Uber in order to not miss our dining reservation. When the skyliner is open, it's great though! Just beware in hurricane season. Overall, I can see why people love it, but I would never go back unless I was staying in a suite again, and for that price I'll just stay at a deluxe or moderate resort.
Pros:
Price, foot court if you're not looking for sit-down dining at your resort, skyliner access (though can be a con as a described above), suites are spacious, large poolCons:
Theming is VERY heavy and can be construed as tacky, crowded resort, back up plan for when skyliner goes down is not functional, physical distance between lobby/buses/skyliner/food and roomsReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 07/03/2022
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
Way too expensive for what it is. Stayed in family suite. Not impressed.
Pros:
NoneCons:
Too expensive.Reviewed by Agb416 Review Date: 07/30/2021
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
This resort is great—if you’re staying in a family suite. We stayed in a Little Mermaid room and it was a HIKE. After walking all day in the park, walking super far to our room was miserable. We honestly felt like we were closer to Pop Century than Art of Animation.
Pros:
Pool ThemingCons:
Very long walk to the roomReviewed by SondheimGod Review Date: 06/21/2021
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
I’ve stayed here twice. First time was an 8 and this time was a 3 so well balance it out to a 5. First time we stayed in the Cars section and it was great. Family suite for 6 people. Decent size room with two bathrooms that was great for mornings. Not great for privacy though and if you’re a tall person (I’m 6’3”) you better be one of the ones in the “parent” room or like to sleep curled up; as the Uncle, I got stuck on the table bed. There is also a pool that is fairly quiet.
As the kids gets older, we opted to do 2 rooms instead this year. We are in the Little Mermaid section and… it’s real bad y’all. The internet is not very strong in the further rooms and were the furthest room from literally everything: the main pool, the sky liner, the restaurant, the buses… additionally, my mom was with us and had an ECV for help post knee surgery and they put used on the top floor. There is a pool over here but it’s much louder than the main pool or cars pool.
The food for a value resort was quite good. Easy to get what you need, lots of soda fountains, good basic food and open until 10.
Pros:
Good for bigger families. Decent value food. 3 pools. Skyliner!!Cons:
Little Mermaid section is just no good. Not ideal for adults without kids.Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 05/27/2021
Rating: (5) Recommended
Housekeeping missed
Pros:
Near skyliner. Staff at Front Desk,Bell Services and the Gift Shop very helpful. Room theming on point. The grounds are so funny to walk through with Ursula, Simba, and all the rest.Cons:
Currently lack of housekeeping. When on vacation I love to come bsck from a busy park day to a clean room. Not currently happening. Towels and trash only done every other day. The walk from LMR was long, but you get used to it. A DW vacation is always lits of walking. We put on 25,000 steps each day. Would wait for housekeeping to be sa.e before returning.Reviewed by Kiba5401 Review Date: 02/09/2021
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
Meh... We've stayed at two other value resorts that we preferred to AoA. We started in a Little Mermaid room... we knew the section was in the far end of the resort but my daughter wanted this particular theme so we booked it. Although we requested a closer building in the little mermaid section, we were told one was not available and got booked in the farthest building on the backside. Although the themed room is cute, I much prefer the refurbished rooms at all stars and pop Century with the murphy bed/folded table and bright new bathroom with open closet. Perhaps if we stayed in a family suite we would love this resort. We were disappointed by the food here as well- breakfast was good but we felt the quality of the lunch and dinner options was lacking. Lucky the resort is next to the skyliner so we just resort hopped to eat elsewhere.
Pros:
Next to skyliner, love the cozy cone pool cabanas (first come first serve) ...the little mermaid pool and big blue pool were also great.Cons:
If staying in the little mermaid rooms- small, dark compared to the refurbished rooms at Pop/ all stars, long walk to transportation and foodReviewed by MetallicSplinter Review Date: 07/26/2020
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
This is a review of the Little Mermaid rooms.
The theming is fun throughout the resort grounds, pools, and rooms making for some great photos and really immerses you in Disney. Being a Skyliner resort also gives the advantage for quick transportation to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. The food court is great with plenty of varied and delicious options but you also have the option to hop to the many fantastic restaurants on the Skyliner loop. The water view rooms can give you some beautiful views of Hourglass Lake, the Skyliner, and Pop Century Resort.
The Little Mermaid rooms are VERY FAR from everything in the resort. The hike back from transportation to the room at the end of a long day in the parks can be arduous, so make sure everyone is fed before going back to the room as the food court is far as well. While well decorated, the rooms feel old. The carpets and paint are faded, the beds feel creaky, and after staying in the renovated rooms at All-Star Movies and Pop Century for less money these rooms were very underwhelming.
Pros:
Amazing Theming Great Food Court Quick Transportation Access to Restaurants on Skyliner loopCons:
Lots of Walking Faded Carpet/Paint Not Worth the PriceReviewed by Dizney71 Review Date: 05/15/2019
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
Of the 11 Disney Resorts we have stayed at this was the worst for customer service and for screwing things up continually.
We checked in and immediately had charges on two different credit cards. One of them wasn’t even on file for this trip! Had to go to front desk and stand in line only to be told it was a mistake and the charges would be reversed. IN 3-5 business days! So right off the bat I was not happy. Now that money was “tied up” because they made an error. No resolution from the front desk manager except sorry it was a mistake. Then five days into our stay in the middle of the day our Magic Band was declined. Again another trip to the front desk. Turns out it’s a “common error” when they send a charge to your credit card your bank sometimes might take your card “off file” or so we were told. We presented the same card and in two seconds it was reinstated. That being said we were half way thru a busy well planned day at the parks and had no charging privileges. Super inconvenient. Next day we get a call from the front desk to tell us our card has been taken “off file” and need to present another card. Was from the previous instance but clearly the left hand doesn’t talk to the right hand.
I got double charged for a tee shirt while shopping and when I went to the gift shop to fix the issue they wouldn’t help me. Said I had to go back to where I bought it. I asked if we could call that place and she said “there’s a house phone in the lobby”.
Very disappointed with the entire experience. Resort is typical Disney standard but the service was NOT even close to other resorts.
Pros:
Great decor Suites Great food at the food courtCons:
Bit pricey for what you get Horrible guest serviceReviewed by ntaylor28 Review Date: 03/29/2013
Rating: (5) Recommended
We stayed in the Little Mermaid section for our stay. Had we known about the long walk to the buses and cafe, we may not have chosen this resort. It seemed closer to Pop Century than to Animation Hall. Disney should consider a shuttle to that area from the buses (or a separate bus stop) because after a long day at the parks, the last thing you want to do is walk even more.
Good selection of food in the cafe. Clean. Liked how a coffee/soda station was set up midway from LM section to Animation Hall.
Rooms were nice, although our second room (we had to change rooms mid stay) was showing a lot of wear already (scuff marks on the walls, trim coming loose, etc).
Glad we stayed for the experience, Would spend more for the suite if we stay there again.
LOVE how the seagulls (on the stairs for the Nemo section) say "Mine, Mine". Detail is fabulous!
Pros:
Beautiful decor/detailCons:
LM section was a LONG, LONG walk to cafe & busesReviewed by jdmark Review Date: 11/15/2015
Rating: (6) Recommended
My husband and I made a last minute decision to come to Disney for the night. We booked The Little Mermaid room. It was the only budget hotel available. When we got here we were given a complimentary upgrade to a suite in the Lion King. Virgina checked us in, gave us the upgrade, arranged fast passes for us, even though the website said none were available, and couldn't have been nicer. After spending the day in the parks we came back here for dinner because we were tired. The make your own pasta station was amazing. You select a pasta (bow ties for me), select a sauce (pesto for me) and select toppings-kalamata olives, spinach, roasted peppers, broccoli, spinach, and mushrooms for me), they put all your veggies in fry pan with olive oil, cook them up, put in your hot pasta, add cheese and garlic bread. Delish! Our suite had a bedroom, two bathrooms, a little living area, eating area, murphy bed and pull out bed/sofa. I have stayed at many properties including the Yacht club and Wilderness, but this room was the best so far. So roomy!
