Walt Disney World Resort: Art of Animation is themed after 4 popular movies and immerses guests into the animation process. In the lobby in Animation Hall, you’ll find pencil drawings that show the starting process and as you move through the resort to your room, you’ll notice the drawings become more enhanced until they finish with a close up in your room. This resort features family suites with a Lion King, Finding Nemo and Cars theme. It also has regular rooms with a Little Mermaid theme.
Resort type: Value resort
Walt Disney World Resort: Art of Animation Price: $180 to $648 a night depending on season; $15 fee per 3rd and 4th adult (first 2 adults pay no fee)
size: Family suites are 565 square feet; Little Mermaid rooms are 277 square feet
Sleeps: Suites sleep up to 6 plus an infant under 3; Little Mermaid rooms sleep up to 4 plus an infant under 3
Resort: Art of Animation Room count: 1120 family suites and 864 Little Mermaid rooms
Room amenities: Suites include a kitchenette with microwave, coffee maker, sink and small refrigerator, 2 bathrooms, a master bedroom with queen size bed, the “Inovabed” – a table that converts into a bed and a pull-out couch. Art of Animation Suites Video Tour
Little Mermaid rooms include 2 double beds, a table with 2 chairs, an entertainment center with a beverage cooler and television, bathtub and toilet inside the bathroom, vanity with single sink located in the closet area with curtain to close off the area from the room. Little Mermaid Rooms Video Tour.
Available to Request: Bed rails and Pack n Play.
Official Dog Policies: Guests of this resort may bring their dogs for an additional $50/per night, limit 2 dogs per guest room.
Resort: Art of Animation Food options: Landscapes of Flavor food court; no room service other than pizza delivery which is available from 4 pm to midnight. Landscapes of Flavor Video Tour
Pools: 3 pools, 1 kiddie water play area
The Big Blue Pool is inspired by Finding Nemo and is a zero-entry pool featuring underwater speakers. It is the largest pool on Disney property. Beside the pool is the Schoolyard Sprayground featuring pop-up jets, gushing water and familiar faces from Finding Nemo. You can order snacks and beverages from The Drop Off pool bar located by the pool.
Cozy Cone Pool in the Cars section is a quieter pool surrounded by cone-shaped cabanas.
Flippin’ Fins Pool in The Little Mermaid section features the “Under the Sea Orchestra” characters conducted by Sebastian.
Activities: Nightly Movie at the pool; Daily Pool Party at 3 pm; Poolside Activities from 1:30 – 7:30; Arcade; Pin Trading from 8:30 – 9:30, 5-5:30 and 6-7; Pixel Parade; Guided Fishing Excursions ($), Daily Tours; Teach to Draw Classes at 11 am, 2 pm and 5 pm; Ask for art supplies at the lobby and kids can sketch their favorite Disney character for a chance to be chosen as “Sketch Artist of the Day.” Drawings are due by 4 pm and the winner will be displayed at 5:45 pm.
Playground: Squirt’s Righteous Reef play area located by The Big Blue Pool and Elephant Graveyard in the Lion King section.
Shopping: Art of Animation Ink and Paint Shop carries popular Disney souvenirs, basic health and beauty items, snacks and more.
The fee to park at this resort is $15.
Transportation: Bus only. The bus stop is located in front of the lobby. It does not share with other resorts. The bus stops are not covered.
Distance from parks by bus:
- Animal Kingdom – 8 minutes
- Blizzard Beach – 6 minutes
- Hollywood Studios – 5 minutes
- Downtown Disney – 10 minutes
- Epcot: 8 minutes
- Magic Kingdom – 12 minutes
Amenities:
24-hour front desk
atm
connecting rooms (in Little Mermaid rooms)
check-in and guest service
childcare service
complimentary wifi
daily mousekeeping
dry cleaning
fridge
gift shop
hair dryers
handicap accessible rooms
ironing boards
irons
kiddie waiting area in lobby
laundry facilities
luggage service
Magical Express
mail services
merchandise delivery and pickup
online check-in
outdoor smoking areas
resort airline check-in
safe
Mailing Address: 1850 Animation Way, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Phone: 407-938-7000
Another Walt Disney World Resort: Pop Century
Reader Review
This is a review from my reader Amy…
My family had the privilege of staying at Disney’s new Art of Animation resort August 9-12, 2012. After our last stay in the All Star Movies resort, I have to say that we were truly wowed. Everything was crisp and fresh, as you would expect from a brand-new facility.
Room-We stayed in a Cars Family Suite. I was pleasantly surprised at the floor space. We had a separate master bedroom that featured a Queen bed and bathroom with large shower. There was also a Full pull-out sofa and a Full Murphy Bed that pulled down from the wall (when not a bed, this unit is a dining table that seats 4). The Suite will comfortably sleep six. There was a second bath with tub/shower combo as well. The suites also contain a mini-kitchenette with Microwave, Coffee maker (pod style), Refrigerator and disposable tableware. The room theme was classy and fun. TV units stand on dressers that resemble a mechanic’s tool chest. The upholstered furniture looks like an upholstered car. The Murphy Bed has an image of Mater sleeping in a barn above it.
Radiator Springs- The area outside the Cars rooms is a mock-up of Radiator Springs, complete with many of the Cars characters (2/3 scale, perhaps?), The Cozy Cone Hotel surrounds the resort’s secondary smaller pool with cones serving as cabanas. Also represented are The Wheel Well Motel, Sarge’s Army Surplus, Mater’s Towing, Fillmore’s Organic Fuel, and Guido & Luigi’s Tire shop.
Nemo Pool- This is the main pool area in the center of the resort. I have to say that you truly feel like you are in the middle of “Finding Nemo”. The buildings facing the pool are all decorated in such a way that you feel like you are under water. There are large Jellyfish on the zero-entry end (imagine walking into the ocean rather than down steps into the water) that have water streaming down. This area is fabulous for young children to play in. The resort offers poolside movies and activities frequently as well. My favorite surprise at the pool was that you can hear music playing under the water. This music is not audible above the surface. We thought this was a magical touch.
The Schoolyard Wet Play Area- This is a fountain-style play area for the kids with a wonderful non-slip surface. My kids ran all over it with wet feet without incident. The center of this feature is Marlin & Nemo in the Anemone and they are surrounded by Nemo’s classmates. Mr. Ray is close by, as is Crush. Just behind the wet play area is a small playground that is also Nemo themed.
Food- The food court had a nice array of offerings, including more healthy choices. My favorite spot was called Taste of the World (I believe) and featured some Indian, Thai, and other international choices made in Tandoor ovens. On the meal plan you can choose a seafood dish here with acorn squash and Naan bread on the side ($15) or a Turkey Sandwich ($8). Either is acceptable as one of your meal choices. I say, make the most of it! I think the food at this resort was much better quality than our last stay at a Value Resort three years ago. I do not know if it has improved across the board, or if it is because AoA is new. The coffee was also significantly better. Previously, all we were able to find was an instant brand of coffee in the food court. I’m not a coffee snob, but I do like it brewed. Art of Animation serves real coffee.
Other features- There is a gift shop, of course! They feature marker boards with different Disney trivia questions daily. There is an arcade that we did not make use of.
Nice touches- We often saw cast members with stiff-bristled brooms painting characters on the sidewalks with water. (This is an art form that we have witnessed in China as well.)
A fountain drink dispenser next to the large pool for refilling those Resort Refillable Mugs.
Art Easels for kids in the entry area with instructions on how to draw some of the characters featured at the
resort.
A covered waiting area for buses. This is great for sun shade or rain shelter.
Large bathroom areas in the lobby. This is great to have close for the kids, just before going to the buses. Oh, and did I mention that there is music under the water at the pool?
I cannot imagine our family ever wanting to stay at another Disney Resort. We are incredibly excited that a value facility has been designed that works so well for a family of more than four members.
Learn more about the Walt Disney World Resorts and contact Destinations in Florida to help you book your perfect resort.
Hi guys! I am hoping to stay at AOA for the first time in October. I’ve always stayed in all star sports at all of my previous visits. Does anyone have advice on which rooms are the best to stay in? Particularly keeping in mind distance to food, pool, etc. Thanks!
I want to know too. Thanks for any advice.
Do not choose the cars if u guys have any girls they WILL hate it
We just returned from a week at AOA and we have a mixed opinion. While we loved the theming, decorating, pools, and the rooms, we felt that the food court and the lack of enough washer/dryers make it highly unlikely that we will stay there again. The resort is beautiful and it is new. However… I ALWAYS had to wait on a washing machine, and when you stay a week, you MUST do laundry. I ended up getting up at 4 a.m. to do laundry, which makes for very long, tired days. And there was never any change at all in the change machines, so take lots and lots of quarters. ($2 for a wash or dry, which is not bad). An employee told me that the change company comes once per week. I believe there are 864 rooms in the Mermaid part, which is where we were, and for that there are 6 washers and about 10 dryers.?!? Definitely not enough machines nor change!
We hated, hated, hated the food court. The food was fine; it was the layout, design, and acoustics that made it so terrible. We tried to go in off-times, and even then, it was so loud that I could not hear my girls telling me what they wanted. And, there were people going in every direction, trying to decide what they wanted, changing their minds, yelling at family over the noise… chaos! Then you have to carry your tray with food through the crowd of bodies, being bumped and sneezed on. But the biggest design failure is the trash receptacles! The “trash” (as opposed to the dishes, silverware, etc.) is supposed to go into a mail-slot sized hole, which is impossible, so that by the time you finish putting your trash in, you want a bath since you’ve got everyone’s food on you. Gross! I really think they will have to replace those. I even saw harried workers offering to take the trash sometimes because it just wasn’t working. They definitely didn’t have the time to help, what with cleaning tables for hundreds of folks.
It was our first stay on a Disney property, so maybe we were expecting too much. (I’ve been to Disney twice before, but stayed off-property.) The parks were fabulous, as always. We just think we’ll aim for a moderate resort next time, and we’ll probably do full dining instead of quick service. Maybe that will cut down on the “lunchroom cafeteria” type experiences!
We are going to WDW in November and it will be our last time staying probably anywhere else other than the art of animation because our fifth family member will still be under 2 years old. I am SO happy they have come out with a value resort that we will be able to afford for our family of five!! Great review!!
We are booked for a Little Mermaid room in March, and I’m so excited!
We recently came back from our trip to WDW. We also stayed at the AOA it was amazing! I loved everything about it and don’t wanna stay any other place when we go back. I don’t think I have one bad thing to say. Next time, we’ll be staying at the resort a little longer since they offer so much!
we go to AOA at the end of Sept and are very excited. I am wondering, could you hear the people in the next suite thru the walls or the hallway? Kinda worried about that. Great review, thanks for it. any more tips?