Disney’s Art of Animation Resort Review
Art of Animation Resort is a Walt Disney World Value Resort with family suites themed to Lion King, Finding Nemo, and Cars. This hotel review features room photos, pool & restaurant info, pros & cons, and whether AoA is worth the money.
In the sense that it mostly consists of family suites, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort (AoA) is a bit of an anomaly as compared to the other Value Resorts. For the most part, the other Value Resorts are all small standard rooms that cater to parties on a budget who still want on-site perks. Those also exist at Art of Animation, but they’re not the focus. (All standard rooms at AoA are themed to The Little Mermaid, which we review separately here.)
Art of Animation’s family suites push the envelope a bit with the ‘Value Resort’ designation. For one thing, they cost significantly more than other Value Resorts, with AoA family suites routinely costing between double and triple the price of All Star standard rooms. For another thing, the style of accommodations is materially different than other budget hotels at Walt Disney World. We’ll cover this in detail later in the review, and offer comparisons to some other comparable hotels.
In terms of its theme and style, Art of Animation is pretty much exactly as described above. The main lobby has a strong animation motif, with details that suggest various stages of the animation process. Outside of the main lobby, the artistic process is mostly glossed over. There are some sketches of characters on the sides of the buildings, but other than that, each individual section is more about recreating environments from their respective films than about taking a peak behind the curtain at the underlying process.
Design-wise, this was a good decision. Kids are the target audience here, and they probably care more about the animated film itself than taking a look behind the scenes. While the execution of some of these environments, particularly the Cars area, is well-done, it’s worth noting that these are still the “big box” Value Resorts you might be used to at Walt Disney World. Most of the ‘theming’ is window-dressing consisting of oversized characters and objects, and vivid colors on these large, big box hotel buildings.
Because of this, Art of Animation is one of those love it or hate it things. Art of Animation is like the Crocs of Disney resorts. The people who love Art of Animation love it because it just makes them happy. To them, it’s fun, whimsical, and reminds them of the magic of Disney animation.
To the people who dislike Art of Animation, it’s tacky, loud, and abandons traditional means of nuanced Disney theming in favor of something that gets by on clunky looks and characters. Sort of the same idea with Crocs, and any of the above adjectives could be used to describe the footwear.
While I’m not quite as sold on Crocs, I love Art of Animation. The difference to me between Art of Animation and Crocs (I really can’t believe I’m keeping up this ostensibly absurd comparison) is that Art of Animation visually does work on a certain level, whereas Crocs are universally hideous. Kids are almost guaranteed to love it, which is a big reason why Art of Animation ranks highly on our list of the Best & Worst Value Resorts at Walt Disney World.
No, Art of Animation doesn’t hit the same high notes thematically as Wilderness Lodge, the Port Orleans Resorts, or BoardWalk Inn, but it does have redeeming qualities and brings something worthwhile to the table. It is not the pinnacle of themed design nor is it something that academics or even fans of themed design will someday devote thoughtful analysis and critique. The short and simple of it for me is that it is a fun resort thematically. That’s it, and in this case that’s enough.
With that said, let’s take a look at the rooms. Some people will view these as fun…and others will see them as obnoxious. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves and you can be the judge.
First up: Cars. Excuse the fisheye lens here, but I wanted to give you an idea of the layout of the family suite. The door to the left (just barely in the frame) is a full bathroom. Moving around the room, you see the living room, then the main bedroom with its attached bedroom, and on the right is the kitchen table, which converts to a pull-down queen bed.
In total, the room is about 565 square feet, which is just over twice the size of a standard room. The space is used incredibly well in these rooms, so it truly feels like a suite.
A closer look at the main living area. As you can see, it’s heavy on the Cars theming. Great for kids and those who are kids at heart, possibly not ideal for honeymooners.
Note that the carpet has been removed in all of the AoA family suites since these photos were taken. We’ll have a fresh review of the new-look Cars family suites soon, so stay tuned for that.
Same idea in the bathroom.
These rooms are themed from top to bottom. Great plus if you have kids, very busy in a general design sense.
A look at the outside of the Cars wing. We both agree that the Cars wing is the best in terms of exterior theming. It’s like Cars Land except with skimpier theming, no restaurants, and no attractions. That’s not meant to be a dig–for a value hotel area it’s really cool. Sarah and I disagree in terms of interiors.
I prefer Lion King, whereas she prefers Cars. She actually returned to the Cars wing on girls’ trip with her sister, who also liked the hotel. The less scrutinizing, casual young-person Disney guest perspective on the hotel from her was that it was a really fun and cute hotel.
Layout in The Lion King suites is exactly the same.
This table is just inside the door. Here’s how it looks as a table, and how it looks as a bed…
The perfect arrangement if you’ve ever wanted four of your closest friends to sit in chairs around your bed and watch you sleep!
The Lion King rooms are just as over the top as the Cars ones, but I feel like there are fewer clashing pieces of decor, although the color scheme itself does clash more. Pick your poison, I suppose.
What I prefer is that it pretty much is “jungle stuff,” even if that presents a wide array of colors. I just think it’s more harmonious for whatever reason. Then again, maybe I’m just biased towards The Lion King.
Restroom adjacent to the main bathroom–note that it’s a walk-in shower as opposed to a bathtub with shower.
Standalone bathroom with a tub. All of these rooms are consistent in terms of layout, so the Finding Nemo rooms are just like these, except with Nemo stuff. After looking at rooms online, we weren’t wowed by those rooms, but if there’s a Finding Nemo fan in your party, you should look at those rooms. Also, they are the closest ones to the main lobby.
On the exterior, we agree that The Lion King is the weakest. There’s a lot of dead space, and none of it is illuminated at night. Don’t let the photo above fool you–that is a really long exposure and looks better than it would look at night when viewed with the naked eye.
Now let’s take a look at everything else at the resort outside of the rooms, because Disney’s Art of Animation has some excellent amenities!
Landscape of Flavors, the food court, is one of the most inspired food courts at any Walt Disney World hotel, and is superior to any other Value Resort. Additional amenities include a play area, arcade, free a jogging trail, WiFi, and movies under the stars.
The best amenity of all is the Disney Skyliner gondola station, which Art of Animation shares with Pop Century Resort. This connects these sister Value Resorts to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot via Caribbean Beach. Access to two parks and several hotels (including the character dining at Riviera Resort) without getting on a bus is huge.
Since going into operation, we have used the Skyliner many, many times, and are huge fans. From our perspective, the value the Skyliner adds to Art of Animation cannot be overstated. It’s great to be able to utilize non-bus transportation for getting around Walt Disney World. Read our Skyliner Gondola Review: Walt Disney World’s Most Magical Flight on Earth for more info and commentary.
Even when you do need to use buses, the good news is that Art of Animation does not share bus transportation service with any other Walt Disney World hotel.
This means that, along with Pop Century, it has the best bus transportation in all of Walt Disney World. Sort of odd that two Value Resorts would share this crown, but whatever, I guess.
Another thing to take into consideration when booking a room at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is the walk. The Finding Nemo suites are closest to the main (Finding Nemo-themed) pool, with The Lion King and Cars wings being about the same distance away, maybe a 5-7 minute walk from the lobby. The Little Mermaid standard rooms are a bit of a hike, maybe 8-12 minutes from the lobby depending upon how quickly you walk.
The Little Mermaid rooms are also disadvantaged in that they do not have internal halls, whereas the suites do have internal halls between the rooms. To this extent, the suites are less like the other Value Resorts and the standard rooms are more like the other Value Resorts.
Above is the main, fittingly named “Big Blue” pool.
The Big Blue Pool is the only Value Resort pool to not allow pool-hopping (likely to keep the riff raff from Pop Century out! ;)) and is pretty cool. Disney really hypes up the underwater music, which is a cool touch. I actually prefer the Cars pool, which is quieter and has a neat look with the Cozy Cones nearby.
My biggest issue with Art of Animation is the pricing of the suites. These suites range from about $400/night to about $650/night. (The range of regular prices is $474 to $570.) That varies significantly based on dates, with winter and early fall off-season costing the least, and holidays costing the most. Typically, two standard value resort rooms combined will cost you less than a single family suite.
Now, this isn’t an apples to apples comparison as there are certainly benefits to the single family suite as opposed to two adjacent single rooms, but that still gives me pause, and makes me question just how much of a value these suites truly are.
Interestingly, though, if Walt Disney World were to re-classify Disney’s Art of Animation Resort in a higher (or its own) tier, I think it would pass for something higher. If you actually like the theme at Art of Animation, it might pass muster as a Deluxe-caliber resort. I still don’t view them as rooms that are worth over $450/night, but if you can score a discounted rate at one, I do think ~$350/night for a party of 6 is reasonable. Everyone’s opinion of value-for-money differs, though.
Transportation, pool, and other amenities are all top-notch, and really the only significant amenity missing as compared to the Deluxes is a nice table service restaurant and a good location in relation to a theme park, and these two things aren’t even something all Deluxes have. We aren’t suggesting that you should compared Art of Animation to a Deluxe when determining whether you should book it (we do not think it’s Deluxe-caliber), just pointing out that the argument could be made.
In terms of theme, price, and category, Art of Animation compares interestingly to Cabana Bay Beach Resort over at Universal Orlando Resort. For those unfamiliar with it, Cabana Bay is very similar in nature, offering both value single rooms and value family suites. Its look is one of a 1950s retro, with a lot of midcentury modern and Googie architecture, and styling drawn from beach and car culture. It’s the kind of style that has become popular in recent years thanks to stores like IKEA and shows like Mad Men.
Cabana Bay has a lower price and a theme that is more adult. What it lacks is the Disney theming and on-site advantages of a Walt Disney World hotel. To many people, this will be an absolute deal-breaker. Our Florida visits focus primarily on Walt Disney World, so staying on-site in a Disney-owned hotel is a must. Your mileage may vary on that, depending upon your priorities in Orlando. I think both hotels have their place, and each will be the ‘clear-cut’ winner for some guests depending upon their vacation plans, design preferences, and budget.
The Art of Animation family suites price-point makes them something we don’t strongly recommend unless you want to be on-site at Walt Disney World, need to sleep 6 people, and the layout of a family suite is desired. In fairness to the Art of Animation suites, maybe viewing them solely in terms of capacity and thus comparing them to two standard rooms at a Value Resort is missing the point.
One bedroom villas might be the more apt comparison, and these compare fairly to those, price-wise. The living area in the suites is totally different than simply doubling a standard room, after all, and the suites are actually larger than two standard rooms combined, even if the total capacity of the suite is only 6, versus 8 between two standard rooms.
Overall, this review was a very long-winded way of saying the Family Suites at Art of Animation and the hotel as a whole are really cool, but also not for everyone’s personal tastes and party size. While we both really enjoy Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, we also have concerns about it and how it compares to similarly-situated options.
Hopefully, our playing of devil’s advocate and presentation all of the pros and cons of Art of Animation was helpful to your decision…and didn’t complicate it further. Ultimately, we like Art of Animation and will definitely return here. We will probably stick with The Little Mermaid standard rooms in the future, but if we had a party of 6 and we wanted more of a “resort” type room for our Walt Disney World trip, we wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again–especially in the Cars wing.
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Your Thoughts
Do you think Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is for you? Have you stayed here? Do you want to stay here? Agree or disagree with our resort review? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
The decor at Art of Animation is OBNOXIOUS! But it has some of the best places for awesome photos. My twin and I were at Pop Century the night before our birthday cruise and we ran over for an hour to take some pics. There are at least 20 spots with characters and cute movie props to take fun pics. Our fave was the scene from Lion King where we pretended to be chased by the scary hyenas and the Ariel’s treasure chest where we were “making off with” the pearls. I have no desire to stay there, but it is worth the time to take cute pictures and stroll around.
Stayed January 2019 in the Cars Family Suite. We have never stayed on a Disney resort before but have traveled a lot. The two bathrooms in the family suite is nice and the food in their food court is really delicious, BUT I would much rather pay a little more for a nicer resort next time. They only offer queen beds and ALL 3 beds in this room are so thin and hard it made sleeping impossible. After long days at the parks all I wanted was a nice comfy bed and good night sleep which I never got. The other thing to note, at EVERY park, the Art of Animation bus pick up is the FARTHEST from all the others and I mean sometimes A LONG WAY ( it’s usually next to pop century FYI) that being said it seemed like the more expensive resorts were closer to the gates so basically they had more accommodating services even outside the resort. Will not stay at AoA again. If Saving a hundred dollars or so is more important that comfort than this place is for you! But if you value sleep and comfort stay at a nicer resort.
In general, the more you are willing to spend on a WDW resort, the closer your bus will be to the entrance of each theme park. Yes, it’s a hike at any time but particularly at the end of the day. The walk from World Showcase, through Future World, and out to the last or next to last bus is very long and tiring. While we would love to be able to spend more and stay at nicer resorts we just can’t afford to and watch for bargains. I strongly recommend checking mydisneyexperience.com frequently for any good deals on rooms or packages. The gondola system (asked several people. didn’t get an official start date from anyone yet as of 1/17/19) will connect Art of Animation/Pop Century, Caribbean Beach, and the new Riviera (a Vacation Club property) to Epcot and Hollywood Studios.
I recommend spending some time acclimating yourself to the boat, monorail, bus, and taxi services and costs, to help figure out speedier and less tiring ways to travel around WDW. I think $25 minimum (without tip!) for a Minnie van is too expensive.
We’re planning to stay at AoA this coming January. My husband and I honeymooned at WDW 20 years ago and wanted to return with our two boys, 11 & 7. (We were in Caribbean Beach Resort then.) We don’t have the budget, alas, for a bungalow at the Poly. The deal breaker for us is the two bathrooms. I’d much rather the main bedroom in the family suites offered king size beds, but I’d still rather squeeze into the queen than have to wait on my bathroom-hog boys, (all three of them!) for a week. There are so few options (especially for a reasonable price!) for on-Disney propterty with space for a family (AND a second bathroom!). My mother will be staying in one of the Little Mermaid rooms, so I imagine the boys will take turns having sleepovers with their Grandmama, too. Yeah, the decor is campy, but I’m okay with it. The boys will love it (they’ve already insisted on cars room, not nemo!), and it will be a nice change from the endless steel-drum “Under the Sea” music of CBR.
We’ve just recently stayed in a cars suite and LOVED it! Even my husbands best friend that tagged along thought it was brilliant. Only issue was too many things for my kids to look at between hotel room and buses, we had to stop and say hello to every car, every time we went past them.
We walked over to Pop Century one morning to try the cheesecake and we noticed the gondola will have a station between the 2 resorts- what’s your opinion on this? Do you think the price will go up once it’s completed?
I just don’t get it about the Art of Animation food court. We’ll try it one more time to be sure but the last time we ate there, in January 2018, the service was just okay and we’ve had better food at the less expensive counter service WDW theme parks. I keep seeing rave and good to very good reviews of the food court’s food and I’m wondering what others have eaten there. Please suggest something good!
I am staying in Little Mermaid at the moment, no kids. Hate the walk to pretty much everything. Busses have not been a problem yet.
Food is disappointing, particularly since they have you as a captive audience. Menu should not be the same daily.
I have stayed there several times. I think the theme is really cool and my son really liked the layout while I personally prefer the poly. I have few issues with this location.
1. They beds were like sleeping on plywood. Very hard and not comfortable. Esp after long day of taking kids around you need a comfy bed to get some rest.
2. Transportation stinks. I do not like taking buses to everything and you are always the last stop even though you pay more than some of the other resorts that are in front of you.
3. Would be nice to have a sit down table meal option.
Just got back from a week’s stay at A of A. We (myself, my daughter & 3 granddaughters) stayed in one of the Nemo suites. Liked the suite and it’s lay out. The room was clean, beds were comfy, & 2 bathrooms is a real plus. Hallway carpeting appeared very dirty in areas. Was pleased with the breakfast menu & the “grab & go” snack items, but have to say that I didn’t care for any of the dinner entrees that I tried. The housekeeping staff, pool area staff, and dining room staff were all very pleasant & helpful. The staff at the counters for checking in and out…now that’s a different story. This area was either understaffed, or they were very inefficient. Both checking in & out took exceedingly long & at times, they were downright rude. Upon check in, we were told that we would be given a letter the evening before check out explaining the process & time frame. When we got back from the Magic Kingdom on our final night it was close to midnight. There was no letter in our room or under the door, so we called the front desk & verbally got the info. What they told us was incorrect and resulted in us missing our bus to the airport. At first they told us we would now have to arrange transportation ourselves & that a cab would run us around $100. When I pointed out that they had failed to give us the correct check-out info, they then offered to get us on the next bus, which would have worked, but then one of the gals told me to take the luggage out front where the buses pick up. My daughter stayed inside with the three children while they made the necessary calls & I hauled all the luggage out as directed. Once outside, I was informed that the luggage should be taken to the backside of the building & checked in with the airline that we were traveling with. So I hauled it all again, only to find that each piece weighed in 4 lbs heavier than it did when we left home. Impossible! They all had the exact same contents as they did on our flight in. All purchases were packed into our carry ons. There was no time to debate anything so I paid the extra $100 & went back out front to meet up with my daughter & grandkids, only to hear now that they weren’t sure there would be enough room on the bus for all of us! Rather than risking the possibility of missing our flights, we opted for a cab. The cab fare ended up being $60 as opposed to the $100 that we were quoted at the hotel desk. Would I return to this resort? A part of me wants to, as I liked the room & pool area. Maybe next year when it’s time to plan the next trip, I’ll be able to laugh at the chaos of this mornings departure & want to go back there.
We stayed in the Finding Nemo family suite from Christmas to New Years of 2017. We had read mixed reviews but we absolutely loved it! It was relatively costly to have the family suite but with kids too young to stay in a connecting room (and the fact that it was Mom and Dad’s vacation too!) we needed to have the separate spaces. 2 full bathrooms were a complete bonus. Bath time was divide and conquer which made a huge difference.
Our 2 young children couldn’t get enough of the large character statues throughout the resort. We had a great time walking around at the end of the day with the kids in the stroller and looking everything. The Nemo building is right next to the main lobby and was a must for us. The other buildings are quite far and make it challenging to go back/forth to the room quickly when you realize you forgot something in line for the bus!
We didn’t love the food court but it was good for breakfast and great for snacks.
The big blue pool was perfect for our group! 2 little ones that were comfortable going in and out of the gradual entry and the music is a fun touch.
My family and I are staying in the Cars Suite on our upcoming April trip, and I couldn’t be more excited. The price was about the same as what we could get 2 Value Resort rooms for, but since we have grocery delivery, and eat breakfast in our room each morning, it is much easier to have everyone all in one room. Plus I have heard great things about Landscape of Flavors, and am excited to check it out!
How do you get grocery delivery
Something called Garden Grocer. I’ve not tried it, but info is here: https://smartmousetravel.com/2017/04/02/garden-grocer-disney-world/
There may be other options as well.
We will be staying at A of A in 4 weeks. Great review, but I wish you had included some pictures of the Little Mermaid area where we will be staying.
Just a small correction but in your section on the Cars family suite you mention, “Moving around the room, you see the living room, then the main bedroom with its attached bedroom”. Obviously, you mean bathroom here but just thought you might want to know that it was misstated.
As always, great review and very entertaining to read! We have a stay booked for June 2018 in the Lion King family suites and it’ll be our first time at AoA.
Tom’s information is accurate. The Family Suites have two full bathrooms! One bathroom is in the master suite and the other is in the second room. My family always at AoA. We LOVE the Nemo Suites!
Just spent 7 nights at Art of Animation. Filthy resort. Don’t let the nice photos hook you in. Carpets are really filthy, housekeeping is sparse at best. Food court is like a mad house of morons. Food is fair. The suites are large and roomy but your better off staying off resort at a condo at a third of the cost. Buses are slowwwwwwwww. Usual wait is 30-45 minutes and longer at Theme parks trying to get back to resort. Contact Linda Taylor, she is resort manager. Knows me well.
Hi. We have traveled from the uk twice in last 2 years and stayed at aoa. The kids(and us) really loved it. We are planning next years trip and thinking of staying at wilderness lodge. Anyone have any thoughts on weather it would be worth the extra expense?
I have never stayed in the lodge itself, but camped for a week and loved it. Ft. Wilderness is an amazing day in itself. However, if you have kids and money is an option, consider port Orleans riverside, the rooms have a pull down twin and are very spacious we stayed for 4 nights with 3 boys 4, 5, and 6, and they absolutely loved this resort. I also plan on staying at Art of Animation for 5 nights this June. We are FL residents. The carribean beach resort is another one I am anxious to try, good price and great amenities.
I loved the Wilderness Lodge! But we are going back to Disney after many years and we are not financially able to stay there this time. So we will be trying out the Art Of Animation.
I would highly recommend Wilderness Lodge for the ambiance. I’ve been to Yellowstone and the lobby of the WL looks so much like the Yellowstone Lodge. Enjoy!
One small correction…the table bed isn’t a queen. I wish it was!
Do they offer free dining with the suites? Since it states that it sleeps 6 adults seems like a great way to abuse the free dining promotion.
Historically, they have. Who knows for the next round of free dining?
I will be staying the week before Christmas and we did get the free dining plan… it’s the QSR plan not the Table one.
We just spent the past weekend at the lion king suites. The beds were like slabs of concrete. The chairs were small an d vinyl, not meant for adults. The worst part is that the rooms are not sound proof and you can clearly hear hallway conversations,and screaming children day and night. You can also hear flushing toilets and pipes making odd sounds. I wish I had been warned before spending 370.00 dollars a night.
thank you for this….i was debating between AOA and the fort wilderness cabin and i think you just helped me decide!
We (3 adults, including me in my third trimester, and 2 kids) stayed in the Lion King suites and thought they were fabulous. The chairs were fine and definitely fit all of us adults – including my big pregnant self! Beds very comfy and we never heard a peep out of our neighbours despite staying at a very busy time of year. I would stay there again in a heartbeat. 🙂
We (my family of 6) stayed at AOA for our 1st trip ever in 2015 for 4 days, Lion king suite, absolutely loved our stay. Then in 2016 wanted to go again but had to be cheaper so w/ free dining stayed at Cabins @ Ft. Wilderness (cheaper because of promotion) and loved it also!!!)
consider this though are you paying for a golf cart because cabins probably wont be as enjoyable w/ out one which adds which adds an extra amount. It really depends on your family because the differences are big but still awesome. Would love to stay at either but I am currently planning another trip at AOA because the Disney feel is very enhanced there and we didn’t get to stay long enough last time!! We didn’t really have any complaints about the beds at either place.
I believe that with current promotions, little Mermaid rooms are going to cost us $220 more than Pop.
Is it worth it?
This is the second year I have booked Mermaid. Last year I changed the reservation because I received some Pixie Dust. Mermaid is never included in discounts.
Having stayed in both the art of animation and cabana bay (in the standard rooms as a party of two adults), the art of animation just tips it.
Cabana Bay pros were the excellent lobby bar, the convenient buses and the general theming. What really let it down were the paper thin walls and the terrible food court – awful food, cleanliness and atmosphere. The best food we had was when we ordered a pizza to be delivered from food court to lobby bar and scoffed it with our cocktails. The awful soundproofing is what would put us off staying there again.
Animation, we loved the mermaid rooms. Outdoor corridors and walking don’t bother us, and the soundproofing was better! The food court was pretty busy, but the better food quality made up for it. We were really impressed with the buses.
No real point to this, other than to say that when you stay at Cabana Bay try the lobby bar and bring earplugs!
I stayed at art of animation April 16-30th 2016 and you could not fault it it was lovely and was annoyed to find I had left behind a present to which I emailed them and was then told that I had to call an American number as they had no email I then asked them if it was possible for them to call for me as I live in the United Kingdom and it would cost a lot to call and the reply I recieved was they do not have an email. Blunt and short