Disney’s Art of Animation Hotel Review
What we liked & what we didn’t
First of all let me start by saying this, overall we loved this hotel, despite what the title may or may not imply. There are a few things we feel could be done better, but we walked away with great impressions and positive vibes. Most importantly, we had a great time!
Arrival and Check In
Upon arrival it takes no time for feelings of fun to start to awaken. If you are a first time visitor, you quickly realize you are about to stay at a special place. We have enjoyed a stay here multiple times and arriving on property always brings genuine excitement to our entire family!
Our check in was easy and painless. We probably had to wait only five minutes before we were able to speak to a cast member who got our arrangements handled in quick order. Now you can utilize the app and avoid the desk altogether, but I prefer the personal touch. The sheer speed of how quickly we got checked in and to our room was likely due to the fact we visit at offseason times. Other times it takes ten to fifteen minutes to check in by our experience. As always, cast members were super helpful and accommodating while always exemplifying that special Disney touch.
The lobby is naturally the first thing you will experience indoors, and it is simply spectacular. It’s probably important to know the idea here is to immerse you into a Disney reality, not to necessarily overwhelm you with add on “luxuries” such as spas and sit down dining experiences. In this way Art of Animation will not be as grandiose as something like the Grand Floridian, but it will be much more fun-unless a Victorian era beach vibe is your thing. Instantly you will be entertained with drawings of your favorite Disney characters that line the wall on one side and capture the vibrant colors on the other side. Growing up in the 90’s I admit I am somewhat biased towards vibrant colors, but I believe most people will find this appealing unless they just have an aversion to color. Everything flows together well and it is best to let your eyes wander freely through the immersive lobby, just as Disney intended, taking everything in. This may sound overly “wordy” but is true nonetheless. If you have children be sure to watch their faces, you are sure to see a smile from the excitement and energy of arrival. The fact that you may be wearing the same expression, says that Disney is doing their job well!
At certain times Disney will have an on campus artist available to draw your family, This does come at an additional cost. The larger the group the higher the cost. Our group was about six at the time bringing our total to about $120.00 - so it's not for everyone. However, it is a nice touch and something we saw people paying up for. It is admittedly a great way to remember the trip. If you are looking for a souvenir, there is a fun gift shop that features unique things to the resort. It is fairly expansive when compared to other on property shops and does not feel like an afterthought. A large and diverse arcade is also available for guests, however, it was closed due to Covid at the time of this stay.
The food offerings here come in the form of a food court called Landscape of Flavors. This is one of the best food courts, probably in big part because the hotel is “newer”, and offers a decent variety. You should expect a decent selection that is moderate quality. I would not go in expecting the same level of quality as a sit down restaurant that you need reservations for. Quick service is designed to be, well, quick. Table service is designed to serve you and that usually includes a little better quality meal. The food here is not bad, just expect the chicken to be on par with Wendy’s, not The California Grill.
The Rooms
No matter how impressive the lobby is, if the rooms don’t pass then it is just thunder without rain. Fortunately, there is good news here - the rooms are even better than we expected. Currently there are four themes available at Art of Animation: Cars, Finding Nemo, The Little Mermaid, and my sentimental favorite, The Lion King. Each is themed after their movies and the level of immersive (a word we use a lot here) details, right down to the showers, are as good as anything Disney has done for a hotel.
Part of the magic of the room layout is that it is designed in such a way that you never feel cramped during the day, or when you sleep! This is due to the pull down Murphy bed in the wall. A table transforms into an extra sleeping area so you can stretch out a little more in your own bed. Careful details were thought out in not only design that catches the eye, but also design that maximizes the space available, a big plus for a family of six.
The Campus
We consider this another win for Disney, and consequently for whoever stays also! The layout of the entire resort is sprawling. You could spend a couple of hours walking to take in everything around you. Immersion has been the theme so far, and it continues to be here as well. As you make your way through each themed section you will be greeted by larger than life characters. It would be easy to get caught up in the excitement and feel like you are in (ahem… I mean like the kids are in) a Disney movie. Whether you want to meet some of your Cars friends or run from Scar, you will have plenty of photo ops here. Disney does this so well there are times when it will be easy to picture yourself in the movie.
No property is complete without a good pool either. There are multiple pool options, but the best one (or I should say the largest one as opinions will vary) is called the Big Blue Pool. You won’t miss this as it is located just outside of the lobby and themed with vibrant characters such as Crush and other friends from Finding Nemo. We encourage guests to wander around and explore all the nuances and surprises that Disney has crafted to make the experience exciting, alluring and just plain fun to guests of Walt Disney World. Walt loved to explore new things, and this same sense of adventure is now being passed down to you!
There are two preferred methods of transportation for travel to the parks from this resort. The buses are always running, but depending on which part you are traveling to you might want to catch the Skyliner. It has become our favorite way to travel, and saying a lot because I am a die hard monorail fan. The Skyliner takes you to either Hollywood studios or EPCOT. If you need to go to Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom, the bus system is your only way at this time. At the top of many things we like about the gondola system is the view. It is alway great to have a birds eye view of Disney. In addition, it feels less cramped than the busses on a busy day and many times it has been quicker in our experience. We have found if the line seems long it moves rather quickly and isn’t as bad as anticipated at first glance.
What We Didn’t Like
There aren't a lot of reasonable things we can say in this category. Art of Animation is classified as a value resort, so we shouldn’t expect five star luxuries here and a Tempurpedic in every room. When we talked about what would be a REASONABLE critique against the hotel, my biggest complaint was the dependency of bus travel to get to the parks. Many Disney resorts have this problem and are overly dependent on buses in my opinion. This is something that seems unlikely to change in the near future, but the Skyliner has helped. The other “fair” critique comes from the viewpoint of a mother. The cafe that is “in house” is fairly vast, but there is no way around the fact that it is service quality food. Sit down restaurants are reserved for moderate hotels and up, but at some point the kids get tired of chicken tenders and are not adventurous enough to try some of the other things.
Summary
The Art of Animation resort comes with our full recommendations. We are fans who live locally in the area and have done and participated in a lot of what Disney has to offer. So the fact that this resort is one of our favorites, despite having lodged at resorts with higher price points, says something. We think Disney has a gem here, especially for families or those with BIG imaginations. Regardless, we think you would like it here and are missing out if you overlook this resort. So think like Walt a little, use your imagination, appreciate the art, and immerse yourself into a land of fantasy.
Rating
Couples: 8
Kids: 10
The adult rating can be higher or lower depending on YOUR level of imagination! To me its a 10/10
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