I love staying at a Disney Resort. There really is something magical about living on Disney property – even for a short time. As a local, however, I don’t often justify the cost and effort of actually scheduling a hotel stay when I live so close to the theme parks. But recently we threw caution to the wind and took a (very) short one-night vacation at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort!
With such a short stay, we didn’t get to experience everything the Resort had to offer. But we soaked in everything could (sometimes literally), and I’m excited to share our short experience with Disney’s Art of Animation Resort.
About Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
Celebrating decades of Disney animation, the hotel is divided into four “wings.” Each section is themed to a different Disney film. These films include Cars, Finding Nemo, The Lion King, and The Little Mermaid. While the Finding Nemo section is considered the Resort’s hub (containing the central pool, front desk and the dining locations), each section features larger than life characters as well as unique spaces such as a themed pool or play area.
Art of Animation is considered a “value” resort – which it is by Disney standards (fewer dining options, amenities, etc). But it doesn’t feel like a value hotel (at least not compared to some of the actually cheap hotels I’ve stayed in around the country), and the price won’t fit into every budget. Of course, the actual cost will vary by date, available discounts, and other factors – but expect to spend multiple hundreds of dollars a night on these accommodations.
Art of Animation Accommodations
Little Mermaid Standard Rooms
The majority of guest rooms available at the Art of Animation Resort fall into two categories: Family Suites or Standard Rooms. Standard rooms are in The Little Mermaid area of the resort and feature what you’d basically expect in a regular hotel room. There are one or two beds, a bathroom, and a TV.
Family Suites
The Family Suites (in the Finding Nemo, Cars, and Lion King sections), however, offer a bit more space and pizazz. There’s a separate bedroom with queen bed, two bathrooms, two fold-out beds (one of which is actually found inside the table) in the main section, living area, and small kitchenette. The kitchenette includes a microwave, sink, refrigerator (Your leftovers won’t go to waste!) and coffee maker. We were assigned a Family Suite in the Cars section of the Resort.
For a family of four, this was the perfect amount of space! Just having a separate bedroom (with a real door) gave my husband and I plenty of privacy from our kids. And both children LOVED the incredible theming in the living areas as well as the novelty of sleeping on a real table-bed. As someone who craves alone time and suffers from a touch of claustrophobia – I could have spent a week or even more in this room with no issues.
Art of Animation Resort Amenities
While we didn’t get to see everything during our short stay at the Resort, we did get to experience many of the awesome amenities that make the Art of Animation so unique!
Transportation
While all Disney accommodations feature some sort of transportation around the property (most commonly shuttles and busses), the Art of Animation Resort has a bonus transportation option – The Disney Skyliner!
You can take the Disney Skyliner to Caribbean Beach Resort, Epcot, Hollywood Studios (with brand new standby queue for Rise of the Resistance), and Disney’s Riviera Resort.
The Disney Skyliner Takes Flight!
Pools and Play Areas
There are three pools at Art of Animation. The main pool, located right in the Finding Nemo section, is called the Big Blue Pool. This area features large jellyfish sculptures in the main pool, a splash pad (currently closed), and reef-themed playground.
Other pool are located in the Cars area of the resort and the Little Mermaid rooms.
Dining
There is only one quick-service restaurant available at Art of Animation: Landscape of Flavors. Pre-pandemic, this restaurant served its offerings food court style – with several stations from which to peruse and select your meal. Nowadays, the stations are blocked and you must either order your food on the app or directly from the cashier.
While this is a less fun (and less picture-worthy) experience, the dining area still serves a wide variety of dishes including pastas, burgers, and other plates. I chose the salmon dinner, complete with roasted potatoes and green beans. It was so delicious! My only complaint is that there was a little too much butter on the fish and green beans. I was able to scrape some of it off, but it was still a bit heavy for me.
Walking Path
If you’re a morning jogger, you’ll appreciate the 1.38 mile trail around Hourglass Lake – a body of water separating Disney’s Art of Animation Resort and the wonderfully kitschy Pop Century Resort. I really enjoyed getting up extra early to explore the lake’s shore and see a bit more of the two hotels.
Freaky Thoughts: Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
Even though Art of Animation is considered a “value” resort, it doesn’t feel like a budget hotel (in either atmosphere or price). Our room was simply amazing. There was enough space for all of us to feel comfortable, and plenty of tools to make our stay more pleasant – like extra blankets, a refrigerator for extra drinks, and microwave.
The pools, playgrounds, and other amenities around the resort were clean and whimsically themed for a fun atmosphere; and I adored my meal from Landscape of Flavors. All in all, this was a great resort and I would definitely return!
