Reviews of Art of Animation Resort (Value Resort)
Reviewed 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!
Pros:
food court, suites, poolCons:
noneReviewed by teller7 Review Date: 10/26/2015
Rating: (6) Recommended
Hotel cute for young children. We stayed in Cars section. Did not like you can not control temperature in room we request a fan but room was still hot.. Didn't know you had to bring towels from your room for pool.... We have stayed at Port Orleans towels where at pool...Hotel never seem crowded. CM very helpful.
Pros:
CleanCons:
Lack of air conditioningReviewed by mickeymom5 Review Date: 10/21/2015
Rating: (9) Recommended
We stayed in a Little Mermaid room October 10-12, 2015. We did on-line check-in and got our room request. We asked to be in the building with Ursula. We were in Room 4376 on the second floor. We had a great view of the Pop Century resort. Our room was very quiet. We were told that every room was full, but the resort never felt overcrowded. The food court is large enough to support everyone and had plenty of choices for our family. We swam in the Big Blue Pool one night and it was fun. We also ordered a pizza from the food court that night to enjoy after swimming. It was reasonably priced. We enjoyed participating in the animator's classes during the afternoon. Buses were timely. The only downside we found was the lack of towels at the pool. You have to use the towels from your room which to us is a hassle...having to ask for extras. All the CM's were very friendly and helpful!
Pros:
themingCons:
large resortReviewed by Correllian Review Date: 09/24/2015
Rating: (8) Recommended
I have been to Disney four times, twice at midrange to upscale resorts and twice at budget resorts, so I knew what to expect at a budget Disney resort.
Art of Animation compared very well if not better to All Star Movies, EXCEPT for the "free in room wifi". Put simply: it barely worked. It worked sporadically in one corner of one of the beds in the room, and nowhere else. I couldn't get news and weather, (Disney's in-room TV doesn't really do much in the way of decent local weather forecasts), I couldn't use social media to keep my family and friends at home updated, and even worse, I couldn't make meal reservations at Disney restaurants.
I detected a little wear and tear in our room at All Star Movies two years ago, but at least the WiFi worked.
Pros:
Decor, food courtCons:
Subpar WiFiReviewed by mlw17mi Review Date: 03/21/2015
Rating: (8) Recommended
So we took a family trip in Dec 2014. We had a group of 5. It was a first time for 3 of them which included my Sister-in-law, 2 yr old nephew and 75 yr old Grandpa. We stayed in a Cars suite. Check-in was easy and they actually greeted us as we walked in and a man with a tablet had us take a seat why he finished checking us in. Our first room assignment was in the furthest Cars Building and I asked right away if they had something on the end of one of the other buildings as with my grandpa we were trying to limit adding on a lot of extra walking. After a quick check they were able to help us. The room is very similar to the pictures online yet still a bit smaller than I expected. However, in 2012 my mom and I stayed here in a Little Mermaid room and the suites are SO MUCH CLOSER than the Little Mermaid rooms. Which was great when hauling a toddler with stroller and an elder. We were able to use the pool only one day we were there as the rest of the week it dipped near 50's and even for Michigan people that's too cold to swim. My nephew didn't mind as he got one pool day and it was great they had the life vests to use and we felt safer even if he never left our hands. The staff kindly obliged bringing two fans as part of us need it for noise and the other can't stand heat. But having my grandfather in the room he likes it roasting. Our housekeeper was fun and left some towel animals and toys playing around the room. A few times we left our daily tip and returned the favor by leaving little setups of our own. We had brought a cheap Cars magnetic writer that my nephew played with and would often write Thanks, etc next to the tip. She would often erase and leave us messages too. This was a change as in 2012 never once was anything done even with a tip left and it was noted we were celebrating a birthday etc. Buses were much better this time as far as waiting time. Still with being a family resort we still ran into some of the issues of waiting for the "scooter parades" and maneuvering the strollers amongst all the other parents on the bus. I'm guessing since it was early December it helped with the crowds being less but keep in mind if you have small children not everyone is willing to give up their seat for parents with babies, sleeping kids etc. I saw more than one kid hit the floor trying to hold unto a parent or bar. I've noticed this more here than when I stayed at AS Movies but again with the suites I think you'll run into this more as it's so family centered. My biggest disappointment here really is the food court. It's just not really my taste ie Tandoori, Mongolian foods, chicken burgers. Turns out the new people in my group wasn't thrilled either. Good news is we often ate away from AOA having the Deluxe DP. But POP Century is less than a 10 minute walk away and they have a much more familiar QS with Chicken Nuggets (a must have for the 2 year old) pork loin, etc. We did do Pizza Delivery one night which comes from POP and it was quite good. I actually don't care for Pizza that much and really liked it. I think for our next trip (just my mom and I) we're going to stay at POP due to the dedicated Bus System and still a Value Resort. If staying with a group Art of Animation is a good option and might be better staying together than in 2 adjoining rooms. (Which when I was looking at reservations WDW told me couldn't be guaranteed). The theming is fun and my nephew loved running around and touching McQueen and Mater. If you're not going to be staying in a Suite I would recommend staying at a different Value resort like POP. Unless you have a die hard Little Mermaid fan the walk is just too far and comparatively you can stay in a preferred room at POP much closer to everything to use your refillable mug, buses etc.
Pros:
Size of roomCons:
Food CourtReviewed by NewmanFamily6 Review Date: 02/18/2015
Rating: (8) Recommended
This is way overdue but we stayed in the Lion King Section July 20-26 2014. Our room was in a far corner and it felt like a long walk in torrential downpours. My kids loved the Murphy bed and no one complained of sleeping on either that or the couch pull out. We liked having the small kitchenette and brought our sandwich maker. AOA mailed back when we left it there. I just felt this resort really has the Value resort feel but is priced too high. We probably wouldn't stay here again. Also, they need to install ceiling fans in the bedroom.
Pros:
Very Vibrant and FunCons:
Should not be listed in the Value Category for priceReviewed by lizzie1974 Review Date: 01/31/2015
Rating: (8) Recommended
Our departure was delayed due to Blizzard Juno so we made arrangements to stay at AoA for 3 nights.
We were at the Boardwalk first. They transferred our luggage very easily. We got ourselves there via Disney bus.
They allowed us to take advantage of a weather emergency discount for the room, which was great.
We stayed in the Lion King room, building 6. Quite a convenient location to the main building. We've stayed at Pop several times and this is basically the same but feels somehow smaller and more compact.
The room was very spacious. Cool pull down bed. New. Great showers, big bathrooms. The furniture is not super comfortable but it's fine.
Wish the windows opened for fresh air.
Overall very nice. Buses are dedicated to AoA and convenient.
Pros:
good valueCons:
lots and lots of guestsReviewed by Mike_S Review Date: 01/28/2015
Rating: (9) Recommended
We stayed for a week at Art of Animation in January. It was a pleasant surprise, better than the other value resorts we have stayed at.
We had a Little Mermaid room and the theming was great. Everything felt new, clean, and colorful. We did not have a suite, and were placed in building 8 which was pretty far from the food court and main pool. Most of the other buildings were suites, so if you're just a family of 4 you may be far from the main areas. That said, there was a nice smaller pool close to our area.
The outdoor theming of the various buildings was really well-done; we thought it was better than the All-Stars which we also like. There is also a very nice walking/running trail along a quiet lake.
The pool was great, the kids loved it. The resort also had great poolside activities during the late afternoon, including a DJ, trivia contests, and similar, with super-enthusiastic staff. Fun!!
The Food Court was better than we expected. The highlights were a "Choose Your Own Pasta Bowl" and "Build Your Own Burger". For the Pasta Bowl, you could choose pasta type, chicken or shrimp, sauce type, and other toppings such as garlic and peppers and they cooked it to order. Similar for the Build Your Own Burger. The prices were not bad by Disney standards, and the quality and selection was great for a family with varying tastes and pickiness.
If we stay at Value resorts on our next WDW trip, we certainly would try to choose Art of Animation again.
Pros:
Room Theming, Pool and Poolside Activities, Food CourtCons:
Distance from main pool was pretty farReviewed by Cinderellasball Review Date: 11/02/2014
Rating: (8) Recommended
We stayed in adjoining rooms in the Little Mermaid section of the hotel. The rooms were not displayed as they were on the internet. Comforters were replaced with runners which although much more sanitary, less eye appealing. We had 5 adults and 3 children on our trip. Our room was on the top floor overlooking the lake giving us an amazing view. Busses were amazing, never had to wait for more than 10 min.
Food-The landscape of Flavors was amazing for anyone who has a child with allergies. I have a child that is highly allergic to all dairy and dairy product, eggs in all forms, and peanuts. This was our first trip and I was very nervous about having to head to the hospital due to an anaphylactic reaction. Well parents of children with allergies, rest your worried little heads, the chef at the resort, as well as all of the dining establishments on Disney property were more than accommodating. The Chef came out to guide me through what options were available for my child and offered to make anything (within reason) upon request. Overall amazing experience and we are returning to stay again.
Pros:
Super accomodating for food allergies, beautiful view from roomCons:
shower water was neve hot, luke warm at bestReviewed by alexandergirl68 Review Date: 10/13/2014
Rating: (8) Recommended
I did really like this resort and it is great if you have a family with small children but if it is just adults you might prefer another resort that is a little quieter.
The buses in the morning and late evening were great but if you were using them in the middle part of the day the waits were quite long.
