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In this post we will be introducing you to Disney Art of Animation Resort through this Disney Art of Animation Resort review. It is our hope that the information that we cover from a brief history to room prices will help you decide whether or not you may want to choose this resort for your visit to Disney World.
As a leading UK travel agent that books customers to every single on-site Disney hotel we have first-hand knowledge on every resort and what it can offer every family we send there. Hopefully this article will give you a better understanding on whether booking the art of animation for your disneyland orlando holidays would be a good choice.
Brief History
Disney Art of Animation Resort opened on May 31st, 2012 and at the time it was the newest of their value resorts. It featured 1,120 family suites along with 864 of their standard rooms. The buildings were set up into four different themed sections to represent four of their more popular Disney/Pixar and Disney films and was originally supposed to be movies from the past 25 years at that time.
Originally the entire resort was meant for the Pop Culture Resort that had intended to include the 1940’s through the 1990’s in order to have a total of 5,760 rooms, but the 1940’s idea was abandoned and eventually was used to help create the Art of Animation resort.
Category & Rating
The Disney Art of Animation Resort is one of the group of “value” resorts in the hope that it would be a less expensive resort for families who might be on a tighter budget but still want to experience the charm and quality of a Disney resort. On average when it comes to a five star rating system, Disney Art of Animation Resort generally rates at a four star level.
Resort Theme
Guests are surrounded by a theme of artistry and the enchantment of popular Disney and Pixar movies. Guests enjoy exploring it’s storybook landscaping that can be found in movies that include: Finding Nemo, The Lion King, Cars, and The Little Mermaid. Their family suites have delightful and whimsical animation themes that appeal to children and adults of all ages.
Last Major Refurbishment
In 2017 a variety of different areas of the resort were given a face lift in order to bring the resort more up to date. In 2018 they began the construction of the Disney Skyliner transportation system and was finished in the fall of 2019. This gave guests a great birds-eye view of the Disney World while they traveled on sky gondolas.
Also, in 2018 they refurbished the Big Blue Pool, Flippin’ Fins Pool, Schoolyard Splashground, and the Cozy Cone Pool. They also did more refurbishing of the pools in the spring of 2022.
Location & Accessibility To Parks
You’ll find Disney Art of Animation located off Victory Way in the area of Lake Buena Vista. It sits nicely across from the Pop Century Resort located on “Hour Glass Lake” and it’s just a short Skyliner ride from the Caribbean Beach and the Disney Riviera Resort.
If you are renting your own car, you’ll be happy to know that Disney Art of Animation Resort is conveniently located and in close proximity to all the Disney theme parks, Disney Springs, and their two water parks.
Transportation Access
Disney Art of Animation Resort offers a variety of complimentary transportation to nearly all destinations on the property. They do not share any bus transportation with the other resorts, which many guests really appreciate.
Traveling to the Animal Kingdom or the Magic Kingdom guest can take the appropriately marked buses that will take them directly to either of these theme parks.
To get to the Hollywood Studios or Epcot guests can take the Skyliner to the Caribbean Beach Resort where they can switch over to the line that is marked for the appropriate park. There also might be buses available but might be on limited schedules.
Guests wanting to go to Disney Springs they can take the bus specifically marked heading to Disney Springs. If they want to go to the Blizzard Beach Water park they can take a bus that’s marked for the Animal Kingdom and then transfer at the bus stop that’s marked for the Blizzard Beach Water Park. And, if they want to go to the Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, they can board the bus that’s marked Disney Springs/Typhoon Lagoon.
Rooms
Somewhat unconventional compared to the other “value” Disney resorts, Disney Art of Animation Resort consists mainly of family suites. Three of the four sections of the resort consist of family suites with one area devoted to standard rooms. Finding Nemo, Cars, and The Lion King are all family suites. The Little Mermaid section is the only area where you can get standard rooms.
All of the family suites are the exact same size with themes that represent the movies Cars, The Lion King, and Finding Nemo.
Finding Nemo Family Suites
They are located near the Food Court, Animation Hall and the bus transportation. The Finding Nemo Courtyard is located near “The Big Blue Pool”, the biggest pool of all the resort pools.
All of their suites have a very whimsical nautical theme that transports you to the world that Nemo lives in. They all have beautiful images and colors that represent the life of Nemo and his friends.
Each suite is 565 square feet in size, sleep up to six, and include the following:
- Separate bedroom with a Queen bed, flat TV, table and chairs
- Bathroom with tub/shower that’s separated from a sink and closet
- Living area that includes Queen sleeper sofa, chair, flat screen TV, table and chairs, fold down table Murphy style bed
- Kitchenette that includes a counter, sink, mini-fridge, coffee maker, and microwave
- Additional amenities include: hair dryer, iron and ironing board, and free WiFi
Cars Family Suites
Offer the same space and amenities as the Finding Nemo family suites, the only difference is that the them is of course all relating to the movie Cars. They do have their own pool with orange street cones that are actually cabanas for privacy while enjoying their pool.
The Lion King Family Suites
These suites have a great play area for the kids that includes thick woods where they can enjoy playing hide and seek or whatever their imaginations might take them.
All of the suites have a Lion King/African theme. This area, is the only area that doesn’t have it’s own pool, however, the Big Blue Pool is nearby. The Lion King family suites all have the same space and amenities as the other family suites.
Little Mermaid Standard Rooms
The standard rooms are quite small and all of the rooms only offer full sized beds, no Queens are available in any of the rooms, but there are a few rooms that offer one King bed. There’s very little storage compared to the suites and these rooms only sleep up to four people in a very tight space.
They have one small table and chairs, flat screen TV and a mini-fridge and coffee maker area. The bathrooms are also quite cramped. You will not like these rooms if there are more than two of you, so if you have kids you will more than likely prefer a family suite.
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DATE RANGE |
LITTLE MERMAID STANDARD ROOMS |
FAMILY SUITES |
LION KING & CARS FAMILY SUITES | FINDING NEMO FAMILY SUITES |
| Jan 1 | £317.31 | £686.88 | £703.67 | £722.34 |
| Jan 2-Jan 5 | £181.98-£222.11 | £412.50-£468.49 | £427.43-£485.29 | £451.70-£505.82 |
| Jan 6-Jan 8 | £229.58 | £494.63 | £506.76 | £527.29 |
| Jan 9-Jan 13 | £181.98-£222.11 | £412.50-£468.49 | £427.43-£485.29 | £451.70-£505.82 |
| Jan 14-Jan 16 | £238.91 | £503.96 | £520.76 | £541.29 |
| Jan 17-Feb 9 | £181.98-£222.11 | £412.50-£468.49 | £427.43-£485.29 | £451.70-£505.82 |
| Feb 10-Feb 17 | £242.65-£291.18 | £521.69-£587.02 | £534.76-£601.02 | £564.62-£634.61 |
| Feb 18-Feb 19 | £308.91 | £672.88 | £699.07 | £722.34 |
| Feb 20-Feb 27 | £260.38-£303.31 | £558.09-£628.08 | £576.75-£646.75 | £619.68-£707.41 |
| Feb 28-Mar 3 | £242.65-£291.18 | £521.69-£587.02 | £534.76-£601.02 | £564.62-£634.61 |
| Mar 4-Mar 26 | £260.38-£303.31 | £558.09-£628.08 | £576.75-£646.75 | £619.68-£707.41 |
| Mar 27-Apr 7 | £242.65-£291.18 | £521.69-£587.02 | £534.76-£601.02 | £564.62-£634.61 |
| Apr 8-Apr 21 | £319.17 | £672.88 | £689.68 | £713.94 |
| Apr 22-Apr 23 | £260.38-£303.31 | £558.09-£628.08 | £576.75-£646.75 | £619.68-£707.41 |
| Apr 24-May 26 | £237.98-£292.11 | £506.76-£581.42 | £521.69-£597.28 | £558.09-£681.81 |
| May 27-May 29 | £307.97 | £624.35 | £639.28 | £692.48 |
| May 30-Jun 6 | £262.24-£292.11 | £531.96-£294.48 | £544.09-£607.55 | £586.08-£658.88 |
| Jun 7 | £250.11 | £531.96 | £544.09 | £586.08 |
| Jun 8-Jun 11 | £262.24-£292.11 | £531.96-£294.48 | £544.09-£607.55 | £586.08-£658.88 |
| Jun 12 | £271.58 | £531.96 | £544.09 | £586.08 |
| Jun 13 | £262.24-£292.11 | £531.96-£294.48 | £544.09-£607.55 | £586.08-£658.88 |
| Jun 14 | £250.11 | £531.96 | £544.09 | £586.08 |
| Jun 15-Jun 22 | £262.24-£292.11 | £531.96-£294.48 | £544.09-£607.55 | £586.08-£658.88 |
| Jun 23 | £249.18 | £531.96 | £544.09 | £586.08 |
| Jun 24-Jun 30 | £262.24-£292.11 | £531.96-£294.48 | £544.09-£607.55 | £586.08-£658.88 |
| Jul 1-Jul 3 | £307.97 | £624.35 | £639.28 | £692.48 |
| Jul 4-Jul 10 | £262.24-£292.11 | £531.96-£294.48 | £544.09-£607.55 | £544.09-£607.55 |
| Jul 11 | £271.58 | £531.96 | £544.09 | £586.08 |
| Jul 12-Jul 16 | £262.24-£292.11 | £531.96-£294.48 | £544.09-£607.55 | £544.09-£607.55 |
| Jul 17 | £249.18 | £531.96 | £544.09 | £586.08 |
| Jul 18-Jul 31 | £262.24-£292.11 | £531.96-£294.48 | £544.09-£607.55 | £544.09-£607.55 |
| Aug 1 | £249.18 | £531.96 | £544.09 | £586.08 |
| Aug 2 | £262.24-£292.11 | £531.96-£294.48 | £544.09-£607.55 | £544.09-£607.55 |
| Aug 3 | £271.67 | £532.15 | £545.53 | £587.64 |
| Aug 4-Aug 6 | £262.24-£292.11 | £531.96-£294.48 | £544.09-£607.55 | £544.09-£607.55 |
| Aug 7 | £235.80-£272.29 | £512.78-£583.89 | £512.78-£524.94 | £554.88-£629.74 |
| Aug 8 | £224.57 | £512.78 | £524.94 | £648.46 |
| Aug 9-Aug 10 | £235.80-£272.29 | £512.78-£583.89 | £512.78-£524.94 | £554.88-£629.74 |
| Aug 11 | £250.77 | £525.88 | £538.98 | £568.92 |
| Aug 12-Aug 14 | £235.80-£272.29 | £512.78-£583.89 | £512.78-£524.94 | £554.88-£629.74 |
| Aug 15 | £262.94 | £525.88 | £538.98 | £568.92 |
| Aug 16-Aug 17 | £235.80-£272.29 | £512.78-£583.89 | £512.78-£524.94 | £554.88-£629.74 |
| Aug 18 | £262.94 | £525.88 | £538.98 | £568.92 |
| Aug 19-Aug 20 | £235.80-£272.29 | £512.78-£583.89 | £512.78-£524.94 | £554.88-£629.74 |
| Aug 21-Aug 23 | £209.60-£245.16 | £443.53-£504.36 | £456.63-£520.26 | £477.22-££541.78 |
| Aug 24 | £199.31 | £443.53 | £456.63 | £477.22 |
| Aug 25-Sep 1 | £209.60-£245.16 | £443.53-£504.36 | £456.63-£520.26 | £477.22-££541.78 |
| Sep 2-Sep 4 | £270.42 | £557.69 | £574.54 | £598.86 |
| Sep 5 | £209.60-£245.16 | £443.53-£504.36 | £456.63-£520.26 | £477.22-££541.78 |
| Sep 6 | £219.89 | £557.69 | £574.54 | £598.86 |
| Sep 7 | £318.14 | £557.69 | £574.54 | £598.86 |
| Sep 8-Sep 10 | £209.60-£245.16 | £443.53-£504.36 | £456.63-£520.26 | £477.22-££541.78 |
| Sep 11-Oct 6 | £239.54-£289.14 | £514.65-£589.51 | £533.36-£606.35 | £566.11-£634.42 |
| Oct 7-Oct 9 | £300.37 | £614.77 | £633.49 | £656.88 |
| Oct 10-Oct 22 | £239.54-£289.14 | £514.65-£589.51 | £533.36-£606.35 | £566.11-£634.42 |
| Oct 23-Nov 2 | £226.44-£252.64 | £463.18-£527.75 | £485.64-£553.95 | £511.84-£582.96 |
| Nov 3-Nov 5 | £262 | £540.85 | £570.79 | £596.06 |
| Nov 6-Nov 18 | £226.44-£252.64 | £463.18-£527.75 | £485.64-£553.95 | £511.84-£582.96 |
| Nov 19-Nov 25 | £285.39 | £602.61 | £570.79 | £652.20 |
| Nov 26-Dec 1 | £226.44-£252.64 | £463.18-£527.75 | £485.64-£553.95 | £511.84-£582.96 |
| Dec 2-Dec 8 | £256.39-£297.56 | £519.33-£609.16 | £545.53-£636.39 | £582.02-£676.53 |
| Dec 9-Dec 15 | £276.04-£320.95 | £553.95-£632.55 | £581.09-£666.24 | £640.04-£647.52 |
| Dec 16-Dec 25 | £333.12 | £808.47 | £742.03 | £776.65 |
| Dec 26-Dec 31 | £343.41 | £737.35 | £764.89 | £800.98 |
Dining
When it comes to dining, there are limited options that include a pool bar and one food court with a variety of different foods to choose from. The food is decent and pretty much comparable to most quick service venues.
The food court is called “Landscape of Flavors” and it’s a large dining hall that is located just off the Animation lobby. They offer their guests breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They offer an American menu that includes:
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Hamburgers & cheeseburgers
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Grilled cheese
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Sandwiches
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Chicken
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Chicken nuggets
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Pasta
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Pizza by the slice or the whole pizza
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French toast
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Waffles
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Eggs
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Sausage & bacon
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Pastries
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Grocery items
Resort Amenities
There are a variety of family friendly amenities and activities that you and the family can enjoy that include:
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Movies Under the Stars (nightly)
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Pixel Play Arcade
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Numerous pools
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Hair wraps & temporary tattoos
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Trivia night
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Mermaid school
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Art classes
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Ink and Paint Shop (gift shop)
Pros & Cons Of Staying At Art Of Animation
No matter where you stay, there’s always both pros and cons and here is where we list those in our Disney Art of Animation Resort Review.
Pros & Cons For Staying At Art Of Animation
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Pro – It’s a value resort. This means you’ll be paying a little bit less than the moderate and deluxe resorts.
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Con – It’s a value resort which means it has far less amenities and choices.
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Pro – It’s the one and only resort that has “The Big Blue” which is the largest and most unique of all the resort pools.
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Pro – It has the “Landscape of Flavors” food court which, for food courts is one of the better ones and pretty much has something for everyone.
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Con – It has the “Landscape of Flavors” food court as it’s only choice for dining.
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Pro – The “Drop Off Pool Bar” located at the Big Blue Pool and is a neat little open air pool bar where you can order food, snacks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
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Pro – Is located near the Hourglass Lake where you can enjoy the lake and what it offers as well as some great walking trails everyone can enjoy.
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Con – Not anywhere near the Monorail Loop.
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Pro – It does have direct access to the Disney Skyliner, which is an excellent form of transportation to get you to a variety of places.
Families Resort Is Best Suited For
The Disney Art of Animation is ideal for large families with kids that are just about any age because it has something for all ages, but the younger ones will get the most out of it.
Trip Adviser Reviews
Here are a handful actual reviews from people posting on Trip Adviser:
1) “The resort was great! The themed areas were well done and felt like an immersive experience! The room was comfortable and we all slept well. Lots of activities going on for the kiddos and easy transport to all the Disney parks. The food in Landscape of Flavors was pretty good but next time I would venture out to other resorts to try something new. We will be back!”
2) “Our family of 5 (plus a dog) stayed in a Lion King suite and we were pleasantly surprised by the amount of room we had. Loved that we had two bathrooms! Rooms were clean and nicely decorated. Did not have maid service but there was a cart in the hallway with towels so it easy to get new ones. If you are on a budget this property works out very well. Skyliner was a great and fast option to get to Epcot and Hollywood Studios rather then taking a bus.
Pros: Every employee during our whole stay was super friendly and went above and beyond. Loved the Skyliner. We had no issues with the food. It was cafeteria food and there was a nice selection. Of course, it is Disney, so you are going to pay more. Don’t complain – that is to be expected.
Cons: Check in line was very long and they did not have a concierge or customer service representative to just ask a question. We had to pay to take a taxi to bring the dog to doggie day care every day. When we made a reservation we were told that we could take a free shuttle. Total stay spent over $200 shuttling the dog back and forth. Because we were upset about this we did get a complimentary taxi ride on the first day only.
If traveling on a budget we highly recommend this property!”
3) “Hotel was ok, very young kids have fun.
But be prepared for unimaginable number of bad surprises.
– Room “cleaning” only every other day
– Room “cleaning” includes only towel change and trash servicing, no beds, no cleaning
– A hefty $6 charges for each package received
– Parking comes at a premium cost
– Good luck if you need anything else, this seems more like a highway motel than like a Disney experience
Not worth it for the price.
4) “We stayed for 2 weeks as a family of 4 with two children aged under 7. We used the room mainly as a base to get ready and sleep in.
Positives:
Breakfast selection and ease of mobile ordering in advance
Large souvenir and basics shop
Skyliner, apart from it stopping in poor weather conditions this is a great plus
Easy bus transport for the parks alongside the skylines
Great theming throughout with large statues dotted around
Nice smaller pool away from the main one
Floating jackets provided at both pools
Towels at both pools
Wildlife, we saw lizards, frogs and long necked turtles in the grounds and lake
Small fridge to store drinks
Plenty of pillows and comfortable beds
Plenty of mirrors if needed
Large room area
Issues:
Sink leaked so half of the sink area was always wet and unusable
Cleaning, this is rarely done
Storage space, there is a small hanging space but we lived out of cases for most of the 2 weeks
Bathroom, this is not clean and when we requested it to be cleaned it was still not the best, I felt uncomfortable bathing my children and showering as it was quite grubby
Shower space quite claustrophic as bath is small and shower curtain is heavy and double lined
Healthy food costs, it is nearly $6 for a small pot of chopped fruit
High beds, not suitable for younger children as they will struggle to get in/out and the floor is hard if they fall in the night
Thin walls/floors, you can hear the toilets from the rooms above you as well as any slightly loud conversations in nearby rooms, this led to poor sleep on a few occasions
Closing curtains is the best way to go during the stay, we had a random child appear and hang around at our window the one day our curtains were half open and we weren’t on the ground floor
We wouldn’t visit as a couple as the rooms are very basic, we wouldn’t visit with our children again in future as there isn’t enough space for a family of 4.
I think the rooms work if you have one child or two aged 7 or under, there is no real cot space so not great for very young children. The suite option might be something we would consider in future, but only if cleanliness was to be improved.”
Other Similar Properties
If you don’t feel that Disney Art of Animation is right for you and your family, then you might want to look into these other value resorts that Disney has to offer that have similar amenities and price range:
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Pop Century
Here you can enjoy all the different fads ranging from the 1950’s to the 1990’s.
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All Star Movies
Here you can enjoy the whimsy of a variety of Disney movies.
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All Star Sports
Great value resort for those really into sports.
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All Star Music
Great value resort for music lovers covering music categories like Calypso, Jazz, Country, and Rock n Roll.
Our Thoughts & Verdict
From what we can gather, it appears that of all the value resorts at Disney, Art of Animation appears to be probably the best and most popular of all the value resorts because of its whimsical nature and the biggest draw, “The Big Blue Pool”. From all that it offers, we’d highly recommend it for large families.
To help take the stress out of organising your Disney holiday, The House of Travel offers some fantastic Disney world all inclusive holidays. This ensures that you can enjoy your time here, with all of the planning in hand. After all, there’s no better way to explore Disney than by letting the experts take charge! Either give us a quick call on 0203 950 7371 or simply fill this quick form here for a call back request today.
