Reviews of Art of Animation Resort (Value Resort)
Reviewed by tiredmom812 Review Date: 10/13/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
We arrived around 1:30, and had a room by 3. Check in was quicker than I expected, given the amount of people in the lobby. It was crazy, but Disney kept it moving. The suites are the perfect size for our family of 5, and we loved having our own room and bathroom. The sofa bed, and murphy bed were easy to ready. You could hear noise from the hallway, but not from other rooms. It was very quite, not like our stays at Pop in the past. Mousekeeping was great, always clean. There was a towel fish and Mickey when we arrived, those were the only towel animals we had all week. The Big Blue Pool was great for all of our kids, ages 5,10 & 13. We didn't get to use it as much as we would have liked to because it was cold at night.
I was not impressed with breakfast. The eggs were just disgusting. DH & DS didn't like the hashbrowns either. And if you order the platter with the yellow sauce, it does not come in a bowl as pictured. It is put on the plate, and gets on everything else. By time you get through the lines, your food is cold. This is the worst food I've ever had on Disney property. We did get pizza one night, and it was good.
We also had problems with phone service in and around the buildings. We had to go to the lake, or out front to use our phones. Another problem was the parking. The closest parking to the Finding Nemo rooms is in front of the main building.
Overall, we were very happy with our stay, and will probably want to stay there again on our next trip.
Pros:
Theme, pool, size of suiteCons:
Food, parking, cell serviceReviewed by momof3inMadisonAL Review Date: 09/24/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
We have APs and usually stay at the All Stars, but have tried 3 moderates. This was by far our favorite Disney Resort! Will not be staying anywhere else from now on.
Loved the theming. The suite layout worked well for our family of 6. My husband and I got a queen bed. So quiet in the back bedroom. Didn't have any hall noise - although we were close to the elevators. did hear some noise at night from pool but our room was looking over it directly. Don't know that I would recommend this type of room for a family with more than 2 adults. I definitely wouldn't want to be the one sleeping on the murphy or the sofa bed. But they were perfect for our kids. Theming was fantastic! A step above the other values and really, even the other moderates where we have stayed in the last 5 years.
Only down side was that we drive and Nemo suites were not close to parking. Next time will pick Cars or Lion King.
Pros:
new, theme, layout of suitesCons:
parking not near Nemo buildingReviewed by eric731 Review Date: 09/23/2013
Rating: (4) Recommended
Pros= Size of suites. Cast members were very friendly and helped out when needed. Bus service was fantastic and never had to wait a long period of time for a new one to get there.
Con= Atmosphere over all was very average at best. Outside of buildings looked like army barracks then Disney characters slapped on. I also felt the furniture in the rooms was very average at best.
The worst part of the resort had to be the food court. It was horrible. Thank god we only had one meal there. I could not believe the time spent in lines waiting for stuff and then getting back to the table and everything was cold. They need to really think about the way they do things and the food that they serve. It was below average. Even a late night burger and fries where not that good.
We will never stay at this resort again. For the amount of money that we paid for a suite, it should of been a lot better.
Pros:
Buses,Mousekeeping,Cast MemebersCons:
Food courtReviewed by jamesilkstone Review Date: 09/08/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
I stayed at Art of Animation (AoA) in June 2013 and absolutely loved my stay here.
Having added an additional member to my party just prior to arriving, there must have been a mix up with my reservation and when I got to the front desk, they informed me that I wasn't due to check-in for another two days. This took some time to sort out as well as my own efforts finding the confirmation emails that showed I was checking in that day. However, this mistake was not the hotels, and although it took them some time to fix, they made up for this by upgrading me from a Little Mermaid room to a Cars suite. This was amazing service and was so much more than I ever expected to receive.
From then on there were no more errors, just great experiences...
The suite itself was spacious with an amazing living area and a large master bedroom. The fact that the room had two bathrooms really helped to speed things up on a morning or before heading out for dinner. We are big fans of tea and coffee and quickly used up our supplies, but the front desk were happy and incredibly fast at responding to our request for replacements - this was also true with a request for additional pillows.
Our favourite aspect of staying in the Cars wing had to be the pool. The pool was themed around the Cozy Cone Motel in the Cars films and had around 8-10 cabanas in the shape of cones! This made for great shade during the day if you needed a little break from the sun. In addition, the life guards at this pool were so attentive that I never had any hesitations over safety.
I've read a few reviews that talk of the AoA food court negatively, however, I cannot agree with this. My experience at Landscape of Flavors was only positive. For breakfast I tried waffles with bacon and sausage and yoghurt pavlova (which you personalise). Both were great - the yogurt was particularly good!
For lunch I tried the make-your-own-pasta - this was delicious with so many options available, including some great seafood! It was a bautiful meal that I would never expect from a value resort. There were so many other options, many which I have forgotten, but I never had a bad meal. I also ordered pizza to my room one night with chicken wings - also brilliant!!
The bus service was also wonderful - one of the main reasons I chose to stay at AoA was because it had its own dedicated transport and it didn't disappoint. My longest wait was around 10 minutes, but other than that, the busses came frequently and they didn't stop at any other resort.
in addition, one day i got in the pool with my iPhone in my pocket (disaster). I quickly got out and visited the food court - the cast members were so friendly and helpful and quickly delivered me some dry rice and a cup to pop my phone in. Thankfully, due to the cast members speed, the phone fully recovered!
I absolutely loved my stay at AoA, so much that I've booked to return this November and I've spent the extra money to stay in a suite. Believe me - it's worth it. i would recommend it to everyone!
Pros:
Great pools and spacious suitesCons:
—Reviewed by D1sneyg1rl Review Date: 09/03/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
Stayed 8/21 - 8/27 with my husband and two little boys (2 and 5). We've stayed previously at Pop, as well as other Moderate resorts (POFQ, CBR, and POR). We decided to take a second trip to Disney this year and chose AOA to save some money. It was a good decision. The theming at Art of Animation is outstanding -- outside and inside, which made it feel a lot less like a Value resort. We spent the entire first afternoon / evening checking out all areas of the resort, taking pictures with the characters, and playing in the different play areas.
Our check-in was fast and very friendly. The staff there was nice throughout our stay.
We stayed the first two nights in a Mermaid Room and the remaining nights in a Cars suite (a complimentary upgrade! We were shocked and thrilled!!!).
Little Mermaid Room: We were in Bldg 7, third floor. LOVE the elevators at this value resort, especially with a double stroller! We had a lake view, which we did not request, but I would recommend. It is very peaceful. Our room was adorable and I was surprised that even our boys loved it...there were ooh's and aah's I didn't expect! The details on the table (like the lyrics of Under the Sea) and the headboards, which have lights embedded in them, are just a few of the details that make the room really magical! To combat the lack of storage space (half of the dresser is a facade that stores a mini-fridge), we requested an extra luggage rack/stand from Mousekeeping (there is already one in the room). This let us leave 2 suitcases on racks, and empty the third one (shared by our boys) into the dresser. The beds are double (vs. queen like at a Moderate resort). This was fine for our family, but something you may wish to consider. We don't tend to spend too much time in our room, except for naps and sleeping at night so we found this room to be more than adequate for a family of four. We did have a pack and play in the room for our 2 year old and it fit between the bed and the bathroom wall (out of the way). As far as the walk to the Little Mermaid area, it isn't too bad (even in the August heat). If you have stayed at Port Orleans Riverside or the Caribbean Beach Resort, the walk will not phase you! Plus, there is so much to look at on the way! Finally, Mousekeeping in this area did a fantastic job...(I'm the Mom who brings Lysol along and cleans the entire room when we get there since little kids touch everything). I was extremely pleased with the cleanliness of the room --the bathtub, corners, floor, A/C vent -- it was really well cleaned prior to our arrival.
Cars suite: We stayed on the fourth floor in Bldg 4 (Mater's building). For a family of four, the suite offered more than enough space to spread out. Once again, the details were impressive. The postcards from Radiator Springs sitting (permanently) on all the dressers and nightstands look so real and the cone lamps were adorable. We loved having two bathrooms, a larger place to eat breakfast (the table seats 4), and a couch / living area for the kids to play. The room is stocked with paper plates, paper bowls, cups, plastic silverware, etc. (which Mousekeeping replenishes). Since we eat our breakfasts in the room (cereal / yogurt) this was great. The pull down Murphy Bed was a breeze to use and my oldest son loved sleeping there, especially with Mater sleeping on the headboard and his own adjustable "night light." We did not need to use the pullout sofa. The master bathroom has a nice walk-in shower and the second bath has a tub shower. Again, more than enough space for a family of four here. We generally bring Mom / Dad and I will say we would have had room for them too, but it would have been less convenient to have to make / unmake the sofa bed each day....if you can afford the suite, go for it. Our boys are still talking about their Cars room!! If not, the Little Mermaid rooms make for a standard, but still very magical, stay.
We spent time at each of the three pools. Based on another review, we brought our own beach towels. However, I learned part way through the trip that you can request pool towels from the front desk (they look the same as the bath towels). For a family with two small children, the advantages of the Big Blue Pool were the zero-entry area and the separate splash area. I loved being able to sit in a sun chair and watch them run in the splash area (it was nice not having to hold someone and be in the pool the entire time!). TIP: There is a mug refill station at the Big Blue Pool Bar (so you don't have to go inside Landscape of Flavors). The Cozy Cone pool is definitely the most quiet / tranquil. You can't beat the atmosphere and our boys loved swimming with the Wheel Well Motel in the background. We loved how the music played at each of the pools fit the theme (i.e. at the Cozy Cone pool, all of the songs are about cars, driving, the road, etc.). If you aren't going to the parks everyday (and even if you are), I recommend pool hopping! It really gives you a chance to enjoy all of AOA.
Also - based on another review re: swimsuits fading....we experienced the same thing, but only with one Gap swimsuit. It was not your standard spandex / lycra, but more of a cotton swim short. Despite rinsing it in cold water after every swim (hoping to avoid what I had read) my son's suit is now a very light orange and blue plaid (previously fluorescent!).
We didn't have any problems with the buses while we were there. The single transportation stop is laid out well, with separate queues for each park / Dwtn Disney. Yes, they are crowded on the way home if you leave when the parks close, but that is true with any resort. One night, when we left the Magic Kingdom, there was a significant line and they sent two buses simultaneously.
Lastly, I will discuss the Landscape of Flavors food court. The theming inside is cute -- with sections of tables matching each of the different areas of AOA (Lion King, Cars, etc.). I was pleased with the selection of food, but disappointed in the wait times. Even though it wasn't crowded, the service was VERY slow. Having been to Disney a number of times, my husband and I always split up and order from two lines to avoid going from one to the next and having our meals ready at pretty much the same time. Even doing this, the first two days we found we were eating in shifts / pieces as meals from one line were ready well before meals from another line. Later, we decided the whole family would order from one line to avoid some meals being cold. TIP: There is a microwave in Ariel's Grotto (the portion of the food court that resembles being Under the Sea!). We reheated our meals a couple of times. We also microwaved our popcorn there for Movies Under The Stars!
This is now our favorite Value resort! The theming and landscaping are perfect for children....and adults too! We had a very magical vacation and can't wait to return!
Pros:
Theming, details, staff, pools, good value for priceCons:
slow food court, faded swimsuit!Reviewed by igpg826 Review Date: 08/29/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
My family of 4 stayed at AoA 8/18-24 in a Lion King suite. Check in was a breeze since we had done the online check in before hand. They held our carry ons (did Magical Express so bags were to be delivered to our room) and we went to AK the first day. I got a text shortly after arrival (probably around noon) that our room was ready.
We eventually made it back to the room...gorgeous, wonderful layout, tons of storage drawers and space, plenty of hangers, immaculate, lots of towels, etc. I loved everything about this room. I had ordered stuff from Garden Grocer and it was waiting in the room for us. I also ordered from Diapers.com and that too was delivered to our room. Luggage was there as well.
The pool is amazing. My kids loved it. Grounds are beautifully maintained. Mousekeeping did an excellent job every single day.
Had a wonderful experience with Zach (front desk) who worked tirelessly to try to get our bag back which was stolen along with our rental stroller in MK one day. He was amazing and handled it all for me so that I didn't have to spend my vacation time dealing with it all.
My only negative comments really relate to Landscape of Flavors. I had high hopes for this even after reading mixed reviews. My family and I didn't enjoy a single meal we had there. First of all, the lay out is stupid, you have to go from line to line, the "cooks" are very slow in getting stuff out and by the time you get to another slow person at a register, the food (which was awful - breakfast, lunch and dinner) was ice cold. The drink area was always a mess and no one really seemed to clean it. While I appreciate their efforts to go green, there has to be a better way than to have to scrape your food off of plates and organize all the dirty dishes. Every station was a disaster and kids were just throwing stuff in the garbage, making it worse.
My other negative comment was due to several different cashiers at Ink and Paint. Slow doesn't even begin to describe what is going on there. They had no idea where stuff was located and didn't make any effort to help.
All in all, we loved loved loved this hotel and I would stay there again in a heartbeat. I would just order more stuff from Garden Grocer to ensure I would not ever have to eat in Landscape of Flavors while there.
Pros:
Front desk staff, mousekeeping, groundsCons:
Landscape of Flavors, some cashiers at Ink & PaintReviewed by shazzey Review Date: 08/20/2013
Rating: (7) Recommended
Party of 6, 4 adults, 2 teens, stayed 8/11-8/17
Magical Express went off without a hitch, room ready early (used online check in). Plenty of room, nice to have bathrooms. It was a great room for that many people and would definitely recommend for larger parties.
Front desk service very helpful. Mousekeeping good, but not over the top like other resorts
The food court was chaotic at best. Unless you would get up early for 6:00 opening or really late, it was always packed and unorganized (they seemed a bit overwhelmed). Bought refillable mugs, but they had a hard time keeping up with coffee, drinks. Should also have some kind of fruit punch available for refillable mugs.
Onlione check out and airline check in service was great and also went off without a hitch. What a great service!
Overall, a good resort, great for the room, but do prefer moderate/deluxe service and grounds a little better
Pros:
theming, room sizeCons:
food courtReviewed by jbkilcoyne Review Date: 08/12/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
We just returned from a 5 night stay in a Cars suite. My son is 3 and loved the life sized cars! Our room was really too big for a family of 3. We had an abundance of space to spread out and relax. I liked having a mini kitchen to prep a toddler snack or have milk handy.
The only real draw back were large crowds. This resort is massive! The suites hold 6 people! All that adds up to longer lines, full buses, and tons of pool patrons.
We've only ever stayed at a deluxe resorts. Both my husband and I agreed that we would stay here again...only in a off season time.
Pros:
Theme, Layout of suitesCons:
crowdsReviewed by tinkw Review Date: 08/10/2013
Rating: (2) Not Recommended
The theming of this resort is fabulous with so much attention to detail, it's an animation fan's heaven. Check in was swift and the cast member who checked us in noticed my birthday fell whilst we were there and gave me a birthday button during check in. By the time we got to our room she had forwarded a call from Mickey and Minnie wishing me a happy birthday and sent a card to the room the day before my birthday. That made for a good start but unfortunately that's where the praise ends.
Little Mermaid Rooms -
As previous visitors to Disney Value resorts we are no strangers to the 'long walk' from some parts of the resort to the food hall, although I have to say the walk from Little Mermaid rooms with small children would be complete torture particularly after a day in the parks.
Mousekeeping -
The room was kept tidy although bins were not always emptied and the bath wasn't cleaned daily. Bathroom tissue wasn't always replaced and on one occasion I returned early whilst the room was being cleaned, so to be polite waited for the maid to finish- it took 40 minutes. Now why does it take 40 minutes to empty 3 bins, wipe a sink and bath and tuck in a few bed sheets? By the end of the 2 weeks I could write my name in dust on the furniture - so I did!
The food hall -
Where to begin on this one?
The types of food are a little bit strange and probably not to everyone's taste. I'm not a picky eater by any stretch of the imagination, but the food was the same every day and really who wants Indian based foods for breakfast? What's wrong with the good old traditional Bounty Platter? The quality of the food is also not what you come to expect from Disney.
The lines were long and the cast members clueless about the products they were selling.
On the first day, the ice machine on the beverage isle was clearly broken and as a result the floor was flooded and coned off whilst it was fixed. Later in the holiday, the same machine began churning out ice and wouldn't stop. I witnessed 3 cast member look at it, do nothing and walk away. What happened to Disney's Safety First policy?
As good resort guests, we bought a refillable cup each and used it with our meals, however other guests clearly don't believe they should do this and walked up to the machines, filled a variety of drinking vessels and walked away. Again this was witnessed by cast members who chose not to challenge them. Surely this is theft?????
Coffee pots were often empty as were the creamer machines, so if your a coffee lover, forget it!
As a traveller from the UK I always bring Travellers Cheques, BIG MISTAKE! I got tired of having to explain to cast members what they were and then having to wait whilst they found out what to do with them - resulting in lots of cold meals!
The Pools
The pools at AoA are gated and require your Key to the World to access them. On many occasions I witnessed whole groups of people waiting by the gates for guests with keys to open the gates and then followed them in. Were they really AoA guests? I suspect not!
If this is the future of Disney hotels, I think I will keep a foot in the past thank you very much!
All I can say is thank goodness Pop Century was only over the bridge - as a result I didn't starve, my sanity remained in tact and I still believe in Disney customer service!
Pros:
ThemingCons:
Everything elseReviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 08/01/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
I stayed at Art of Animation with my two friends for the first time for six nights, 7/24-30. I had been twice prior to walk around and was able to previously tour a Cars suite with allears. This time I wanted a Lion King suite, and was able to book with a 60% off cast member discount.
I'll start with the minor negatives.
1)At check in, Pat forewarned us that cell phone service in the rooms and buildings might be poor as they were designed for hurricane weather, not wi-fi and cell towers. We had AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon as carriers, and none of us got great reception-one bar or no service at all.
2)The bathroom lighting, at least in the "guest" bathroom, was super dim due to the energy saving lightbulbs. It was so dark in there at first that I couldn't even tell I'd turned on the light.
3)Mousekeeping, particularly during the weekend, was a little odd. One day, they didn't make up the sofa bed at all, and while they replaced a few towels in the bathroom, the rest were just left in a pile (and not even a folded one, at that) on the Inovabed. We also came back to the room on Saturday night to find the safe locked and unable to be opened. Perhaps mousekeeping saw that there was money and medication in it and locked it? We called the desk and they sent up the Duty Manager quickly to help us out. Also, for the first two days we couldn't find the privacy tag (it was behind the emergency exit plakaed on the door), so I was woken up at 8:30am by mousekeeping knocking. Once we found it, we had no more disturbances.
4)When we first got to the room, my room key, and only mine, wouldn't work to open the door. I went down that evening to get it fixed. They told me that they would print me a new key and hopefully that would fix the problem. If not, it may be that a Magicband error was attached to the reservation and that would take longer to fix. Of course, it couldn't be the easy solution. On our second day I called the desk and they told me they would have to essentially re-book the reservation and cut us all new keys, which they did promptly. However, I didn't have my credit card with me, so the PIN and charging privileges were unable to be set up. This caused some confusion with the dining plan and purchases until I was able to go back again to add it back on. We also ended up with an extra day of CS credits on the DDP and a second set of mug credits as a result of the re-booking. Thankfully all cast members were extremely eager to help fix the problems I encountered.
All of these were pretty minor things and did not influence my choice of staying here again.
When we arrived around 1pm, our room was ready. I had requested a highest floor lake view room prior to arrival, and we were given a third floor lake view room. Our room was 6738, the second door from the exterior stairs, which made it a quick jaunt to the parking lot. The lake view was great! We hardly ever heard neighbors upstairs or to the sides, so either we didn't have any, they were very quiet, or the insulation was fantastic!
We found the suite to be spacious for the three of us and it allowed us to separate: the two girls took the living area and we gave the boy the bedroom. I slept on the Inovabed and found it perfectly comfortable, and nobody else complained about their beds either. The bathroom vanity had enough space for two females to spread out all their stuff. I did find the towels to be uncomfortable scratchy and thin, but hey, it's a value resort.
We liked having the kitchenette for drinks, breakfasts, snacks, and leftovers. I was sad that that they've done away with the colorful bedspreads; now they are just white with a runner at the bottom. We did have enough drawer and closet space, but the male in our group also basically lived out of his suitcase (his choice, not due to space restrictions). There was enough room to put luggage, albeit not out of the way-I kept mine against the wall between the living and bedrooms. We left the sofa and table beds pulled out all the time and mousekeeping left them that way. The floor by the living area windows was crowded with suitcases, the bug chair, and the couch cushions, but this wasn't a big deal. We also found there to be plenty of outlets, which is kind of a rarity in Disney hotels. The wi-fi in the rooms was great.
I did go down to the Flippin' Fins pool one night, but sadly, never made it to the Nemo pool. It wasn't crowded, but the water was warm, so it was relaxing. We enjoyed walking around the resort and exploring the different areas. I do feel the Lion King got a bit jipped on outdoor theming. There was construction on the "playground" the whole time, so perhaps Disney is finally converting it to something resembling more of a play space.
We used the buses only a few times: once coming back from Downtown Disney late at night, and one time each to and from Magic Kingdom in late afternoon/early evening. The wait was 10 minutes or less for all trips.
Landscape of Flavors was very good. The Ink and Paint shop had some cool stuff, and the cast members were very easy going and helpful when we had to return a couple of items. Pizza delivery was also satisfactory.
I highly recommend using Resort Airline Check In if eligible. Although they had a bit of difficulty finding our info at first, we were able to check in, get our boarding passes, and leave our luggage. It arrived back in Buffalo with no problem, and this also allowed us more space for souvenirs from Downtown Disney!
I absolutely adored this resort, and would not hesitate to stay here again. In fact, I may stay here in December or January with my mom and brother. None of the minor complaints inconvenienced us enough to influence our thoughts on the resort.
