A look at Art of Animation
a Disney Value Resort
First let’s go over the different types of Disney Resorts. There are value resorts: All Stars (Sports, Music, & Movies), Pop Century & Art of Animation. There are moderate resorts: Caribbean Beach, Port Orleans French Quarter/Port Orleans Riverside, Coronado Springs, & Fort Wilderness Cabins.There are deluxe resorts: Animal Kingdom Lodge, Polynesian Village, Grand Floridian, Wilderness Lodge, Beach Club, Contemporary, Yacht Club & Boardwalk Inn. There are also campgrounds and deluxe villas. As the names suggest each category of resort is in a different price range and thus offer different amenities.
Hallmarks of a Disney Value Resort are swimming pools & interactive play areas, mini fridges, and food courts. Value resorts have a motel style set-up where your door exits to the outside, not in a hallway like traditional hotels. While prices vary depending on season, resort, and room type, you can generally get a value room for between $100-$200 a night. Just this year Disney has introduced parking fees for their Walt Disney World Resorts and it is $13 per night at all value resorts. Art of Animation is currently the newest resort on property and is on the higher end of value pricing.
Resort Overview
There are four distinct sections of the Art of Animation Resort: Little Mermaid, Lion King, Nemo & Cars. Each section has larger than life character displays that immerse you in the movie they represent. The Little Mermaid offers single rooms while the other three sections offer family suites. Since there were only two of us we chose a single room in the Little Mermaid section. There are themed pools in the Little Mermaid, Nemo & Cars section. The Lion King does not have its own themed pool but does have a small play area. The Nemo section is in the middle of the resort, next to the front desk and food court. Nemo has the largest pool and a splash pad play area. During our December trip I was afraid the water would be too cold but I was pleasantly surprised to find the pools warmed. On certain nights a large screen was set up in the Nemo pool area to watch Disney movies.
Food Court
“Landscape of Flavors” is highly regarded among Disney Park fans as the best food court on Disney property. There is a large variety of options so everyone can find something they like. We had several meals in the food court and always enjoyed it. One breakfast platter was enough to feed the two of us! We also had pizza, cheesy pesto bread (a personal favorite from the trip) and specialty burgers. But don’t get the impression that it’s all “fast food,” while it is quick service location there were lots of other options like Brasied Beef Short Rib and Saffron Seafood pasta.You can check out their menu here. You don’t have to settle for only burgers and pizza during your Disney trip even if you only eat quick service meals. We just happened to want burgers and pizza during those instances.
Take Away
We had a great time at Art of Animation and, if budget allows, would stay there again. A few things to note about this resort is that the Little Mermaid Rooms are usually excluded from discounts. So if you are hoping to take advantage of free dining offers or room discounts then I wouldn’t recommend booking a Little Mermaid room. I have also heard concern from others that the Little Mermaid rooms are too far away from Disney bus transportation and the food court. You do a lot of walking at Disney! We averaged 9 miles on our park days with one day reaching almost 12 miles. So a few extra steps to the food court before heading out for the day weren’t too much of a concern for us. But we are two healthy adults, if you have small children you are needing to carry or have trouble walking long distances, then I would suggest staying in one of the other sections. We also had our own vehicle on property so bus transportation was not something we were relying on. Nemo is the center of the resort with easy access to the main desk, food court, gift shop & bus transportation. Lion King and Cars are on either side of Nemo making it a short walk to those areas. The Little Mermaid section is on the other side of the Lion King section so you would be walking through the Lion King section in order to reach the Nemo section with the food court, bus transportation etc. While this wasn't a concern for us it may be for some so take that into consideration if you are thinking of booking this resort.
All in all this is my favorite value resort but it won’t be my go to resort since the other values are less per night. Art of Animation is just across the lake from Pop Century, the first Disney Resort I ever stayed at. Since it is so close you can easily *pop* over to visit their food court with the infamous tye dye cheesecake, or catch a bus if your stop is too crowded. Pop is usually only $10-$15 more per night than the All Stars, and with Pop's new refurbished rooms it will probably be where I stay next.
What is your favorite Disney Value Resort?
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Where are you staying next?
Do you need help booking your next (or First!) Disney Vacation? I personally know a few travel agents who I would highly recommend!
