Luggage Delivery At The Pop Century Resort
Compared to moderate or deluxe Disney resorts, value resort guests receive a much lower level of service and assistance at the value resorts. For example, although you can leave your luggage with Luggage Assistance at the front entrance , it can take around an hour or more after check-in for your luggage to be delivered to your room.
We suggest that you think ahead and pack anything you may need in a carry bag that you keep with you. Some people like to pack swim gear in a carry bag so they can go swimming after they arrive.
If you feel that youll need your luggage quickly, you have the option to bring it to your room yourself. You should be able to use one of the resorts luggage carts, but they require that you have a credit card on file to do so.
At check out, luggage services in the value resorts are not as convenient as in the other resorts. Instead of calling when youre ready to go, they require 24 hours notice. What may be even more challenging for guests with health issues is that they dont guarantee availability of luggage service if you call the day youre leaving. They request that you call the night before youre leaving to make arrangements if you wish to be certain that youll have your luggage handled for you.
If youre not leaving right away, they can store your luggage for you until youre ready for it.
Disney’s Art Of Animation Resort Pro & Con
Advantages – Clean, comfortable setting with a huge pool and incredible, colorful Disney/Pixar themed courtyards. The Family Suites can accommodate larger families and multi-generational groups at a price point that is much lower than the Deluxe resort villas. If you’re looking for an immersive Disney/Pixar experience, this resort will certainly provide it.
Disadvantages – This resort is a more expensive than the other value resorts. The Little Mermaid Standard Rooms have such limited quantity and are so popular that Disney has excluded them from every discount and promotion since they opened. The Family Suites have typically been included in discounts and promotions.
Our Opinion – We wish this resort was open when we were raising our four kids because we always had to rent two connecting rooms and a well-themed suite like this would have been more fun. The theming of this resort is just fantastic, and this has quickly become one of the most popular hotels at the Walt Disney World Resort. Each courtyard is scaled so that you “fit” into the scene so that you are IN the animation. This charming hotel is probably the most “Disney” of any of the Walt Disney World Resort hotels, making it a delightful choice for kids and Disney fans. A nice bonus is that you can see some of the higher fireworks from Epcot’s IllumiNations over by the lake, at the back of the Lion King area.
Art Of Animation Hotel Amenities
Value resorts have quite a few amenities, but not as many as the moderates or deluxe resorts. You will still find a few additional selling points for this value resort. It is the only value resort with a business center and has the only salt water pool at a Disney resort.
Arcade
Bike and Surrey Rental
Business Center
3 Pools
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Layout Of The Art Of Animation Family Suite Rooms
Even though the décor is different in each section, the layout of the family suites follows the same basic floor plan. When you walk in, there is a small eat-at table with chairs, which converts into another bed in the evening. Since it is a murphy bed, there are two bedside cubbies with chargers that you can use, or you can utilize them for extra storage.
To the right is the first of two full bathrooms with a separate sink and bathing area. This has a shower and tub combination, which is great for families with young kids. Both entrances to this bathroom have pocket doors, which helps save space and prevents your kiddos from whacking one another with the door.
Connected to the eating area and the bathroom is the living room, where youll find the kitchenette along with your sofa as well as a TV. Other touches, like chairs and end tables, vary from section to section based on the décor. You also have a hanging space with drawers in the living room, so if this is where one or two people are sleeping they can unpack their things.
The Different Themed Areas At The Art Of Animation Resort
Each themed building has its own courtyard. Theyre incredible recreations of some of the characters and scenes from the corresponding movie.
The Cars area has all of your favorite friends from the movie, real size. They sit outside each entrance along with various life-sized props. For example theres a faux garage, faux-motel . All around you, buildings are painted to look like a desert backdrop.
In the Nemo section, larger-than-life statues surround the pool. The enormous turtle could be threatening, except he lolls on his back with a goofy smile and sleepy eyes. Nemo himself is small, but he peeks at you through the tentacles of a huge jellyfish, or maybe orange seaweed we werent sure. Theres real living foliage which was selected to give the impression of underwater plants.
The Lion King courtyard also has larger-than-life statues of your favorite characters, and rock caves to play in. Theyre guarded by a large, potentially scary elephant skeleton, Scar the villain lion, and a couple of hungry hyenas.
In the Little Mermaid section, towering over the guests are massive, colorful characters from the movie including Ursula, King Triton, and Ariel.
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Finding Nemo Big Blue Pool
We spent the first 1-2 hours at the Finding Nemo Big Blue Pool. This pool is the largest single water tank pool at Walt Disney World. Theres definitely plenty of space to hang out and enjoy a sunny Florida day. The music playing underwater was a big hit. My youngest also loved the splash pad water features.
Life jackets are on hand and free for kids to use, which I always appreciate.
We brought our refillable mugs and filled them several times at the Drop Off Pool Bar. This pool is the busiest of the three at Art of Animation. Surprisingly, my kids tired of the chaos after a while and asked to go check out the Cars Cozy Cone pool. Fine by me.
The Drop Off Pool Bar
Over at the Big Blue Pool in the Finding Nemo section, The Drop Off pool bar is the only other spot to grab a bite besides Landscape of Flavors. However, the emphasis is definitely more on the drinks at the Drop Off, so you might want to come to the pool prepped with snacks.
Watch this video to see The Drop Off pool bar:
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Art Of Animation Tips And Information
- As of March 2018, all Disney resorts charge for parking. Art of Animation is a value resort so it is $13 per night for self-parking, including tax, for stays in 2019. Reservations made before June 18, 2019, for a 2020 stay are still $13. However, any reservations made June 18, 2019 and after fr 2020, will be $15 per night
- This is the only value resort to have a business center
- The Cars pool has cone cabanas that are free, but go quickly so arrive early to grab one
- The Big Blue Pool is the only salt water pool on property
- The Big Blue Pool is the largest on Disney property, besides at a Disney water park, and requires you to scan in for access to the pool. You cannot enter this pool unless you are staying at Art of Animation
Disney’s Art Of Animation Resort Trivia
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is Disney World’s 26th Resort. The resort plan was officially announced on May 12, 2010 with construction beginning in summer 2010.
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is near Disney’s Pop Century Resort. Originally, Pop Century was going to be built in two sections with the first section called The Classic Years . The second section was to be called The Legendary Years and would be built on the spot now occupied by Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. Construction had started on The Legendary Years but stopped when tourism dropped following the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York.
Back in 1985 1992, Epcot had two afternoon shows Skylaidescope and Surprise in the Skies that featured ultra-lights that took off and landed in the area that is now Disney’s Art of Animation Resort.
The Topping Ceremony for the Art of Animation Resort took place on July 21, 2011 on The Lion King wing, when the construction and engineering crews placed the highest piece of steel on a building’s frame. The tradition dates back to the Vikings, who would place an evergreen tree on the top of a building to celebrate and wish for good luck.
This resort celebrates two Pixar Films 3 Cars buildings and 2 Finding Nemo buildings. The only other Disney World hotel featuring a Pixar movie is Disney’s All-Star Movies which has two Toy Story buildings.
All photos are our own
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Food Court Dining Options
When you stay at a Disney Value Resort, that means no table service restaurant on site. This is not a big loss, in my book. We typically have made table service reservations at our favorite Disney restaurants ahead of time, such as Ohana and Chef Mickeys.
My family actually loves the Value Resorts because their quick service cafeteria style restaurants are larger than those found at Disney Moderate or Deluxe Resorts.
We ate two good meals at Art of Animations food court, the Landscape of Flavors. The tasty pulled pork sandwich is my top recommendation. And save room for the fresh gelato! Snacks and drinks are also served next to the Finding Nemo Big Blue pool, at the Drop Off Pool Bar.
TravelingMom Tip: You can also use your refillable mugs at the Drop Off Pool Bar, which is handy! We brought our mugs along to the pool for free drinks while we swam.
Art Of Animation Family Suite Review
Art of Animation is a large value resort located on-property at Disney World. There are two types of rooms at Art of Animation: Little Mermaid standard rooms or themed family suites. There are 3 types of Art of Animation family suites: Cars, Nemo, or Lion King. We opted for a stay in an Art of Animation Cars family suite for a one night stay prior to embarking on a Disney Cruise.
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Checking In And Checking Out
There are few options for checking in and checking out, including: at the front desk, online through the official Walt Disney World website, or via the My Disney Experience app.
Even though the front desk in Animation Hall, the lobby/main building, is there to assist guests, especially with checking in and checking out, all Disney World Resort guests are encouraged to check-in online or by using MDE.
- Checking-In: After you check-in online or using the app, youll receive a room-ready notification via next. You can then use your MagicBand or MDEs digital key feature to unlock your room door.
- Checking-Out: Currently, guests will automatically be checked out of their rooms. But, if you have unresolved charges to your hotel folio, youll need to visit the front desk.
Note: Guests also have the option of to chat virtually with resort Cast Members via MDE for any assistance.
Animation Hall isnt just where youll find the lobby. The gift shop, Ink & Paint Shop, the food court, Landscape of Flavors, and the arcade, Pixel Play Arcade can also be found here.
Magical Express pickup and bus transportation are also right outside the main lobby, along with luggage storage for those who have checked out or are waiting to check in.
Note: Resort Airline Check-In is no longer available.
Does All Star Music Have Coffee Maker
The Standard Rooms at Disneys All-Star Music Resort do not have coffee makers in the rooms, but they do have a mini-refrigerator, hair dryer, in-room safe, and many other amenities. Luckily, Intermission Food Court is right around the corner! Here, you can get coffee along with breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
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Art Of Animation Front Desk
Hopefully you wont have to spend a ton of time in the lobby if you use my time-saving tips, you can even bypass it at check-in but if you need some assistance, the Art of Animation front desk is absolutely gorgeous. I love vivid colors, gradients, and rainbow blends, so the brilliant colors behind the front desk are perfect for me. Even if you dont need to hit the front desk at check-in or check-out, its worth walking through at one point during your stay just to enjoy the colors.
The lobby area by the gift shop also has some cool sketches of favorite Disney movies to look at.
Best And Worst Places To Stay In The Little Mermaid Area Of Art Of Animation
The Little Mermaid Section of Art of Animation has three buildings, numbered 7, 8 and 9.
Seven is the best, and 8 the worst. Specifically, ask for an Hourglass Lake view room in building 7 closer to the Lion King area. This will give you the shortest walk, least pool noise, and best views.
Distance. Building 8 is furthest from the Skyliner, central services and bus stop, Buildings 7 and 9 closer.
Noise. Unlike in the Family Suites at Art of Animation, corridor noise is not much of an issue in the Little Mermaid section. This is because there are twice as many corridors, none is walled on all sides, none is air conditioned, and thus none has a real draw as a pathway to the resorts central services.
Noise, to the extent it is an issue, comes from the pool. One-third of rooms in building 8, and one-sixth of rooms in each of 7 and 9, face the pool.
Views. Two thirds of the rooms in both buildings 8 and 9 have parking lot views there are no bad views in building 7, though as noted above the pool-view rooms in 7 can be noisy.
Art of Animation and Pop Century are the only value resorts on a lakeHourglass Lake separates the two. While there may be some obtuse views of Hourglass Lake from a few of the pool-facing rooms of building 8, a third of building 7 rooms have a view of the lake.
The best rooms specifically are 7513-7524, 7613-7624, 7713-7724, and 7813 to 7824.
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Family Suites At Disneys Art Of Animation Resort
One of the unique features of this resort is the family suite arrangement of all the rooms, except those in the Little Mermaid section. The 1,120 family suites sleep up to six adults and are found in the Cars, Finding Nemo and Lion King sections of the resort.
Family suites all cost the same in any given season, regardless of location. For a relatively compact space of about 565 square feet, the rooms are cleverly designed. They each have one private bedroom along with the common areas, and two full bathrooms. They include:
- One queen-sized bed in the Master Bedroom.
- One double-sized bed thats converted from a table
- One pull-out couch that has a double-size bed
- One full bath with a tub and one sink
- One full bath with a shower only and one sink
- A tiny kitchenette with counter, small microwave, sink, mini-fridge
- Kitchenette supplies Plastic and paper kitchenware including paper plates, bowls, cups, forks and knives, and a can opener.
- coffee maker Cuisinart with coffee pods and tea bags
- 2 flat screen TVs
- Ironing board & Iron
One queen bed is in a private master bedroom with a door.
Another sofa bed is in the living room, and another is a table bed in the entry hall/dining room area. The table bed is a Murphy-style bed that folds away into a table that includes little reading lights. It is also weighted so most people should find that its easy to pull down and lift back up. There are chairs for use when its in its table form.
Other Art Of Animation Resort Amenities
Youll also find your basic Disney World hotel amenities and perks at Art of Animation. Youre eligible for free Magical Express transportation to and from the airport if youre flying into MCO through the end of 2021 and Disney bus transportation to and from the parks and Disney Springs. You can also ride the Skyliner to Hollywood Studios or Epcot/the Boardwalk or check out Caribbean Beach or the Riviera Resort.
Each pool has a laundry room nearby if you absolutely have to do laundry on your vacation. Lets be real Id just buy new clothes before I spent my Disney time at the laundry machine, but you do your thing.
Art of Animation is a pet-friendly hotel, so you can make arrangements in advance to bring your pet with you. Service animals are of course welcome in all Disney hotels, but plain old pets can come to Art of Animation too. Check out the rules before booking.
Disney movies are screened outdoors in a grassy area in the evenings. These showings are free for resort guests. There is also a playground on site and an arcade if you need to keep the kids busy.
Like all on-site Disney resorts, Art of Animation guests get to book their FastPasses 60 days prior to the start of their reservation . Extra Magic Hours are periodically offered before park opening and after park close for exclusive access to selected parks for resort guests. Note: These are not currently offered due to covid.
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