Disney's ART OF ANIMATION RESORT Information & Questions

Sorry if these questions have been addressed before. I've tried going through previous pages, but I just can't read through the whole thing!

We recently decided to switch from two rooms at POFQ to one suite at AOA, but some in our party are a little worried about the sofa bed. I've seen conflicting reports. Some people say they don't have metal bars like a traditional sofa bed, and that it's more like a platform. But I've seen about 1% of people say that no, it does have the metal bar right in the middle.

So my question is: do the sofa beds at AOA, specifically in the Cars suite, have the metal bar? Or are they on a platform?

And secondly, does AOA have egg crate mattress toppers that we can request for the room?

Thank you in advance!!!! :rainbow:
I stayed in a Cars suite in September, and there were definitely no bars. I can see how somebody might be confused though because you can notice a separation in the middle IF you don't make sure that the fitted sheet hasn't gotten caught between the two pieces of foam/mattress. I slept on it for 4 nights, and I thought it was plenty comfy. Best bed I've ever slept on, definitely not, but definitely better than any metal framed sofa bed I've ever slept on.
 
Hi,
We are staying at AoA on December 24th and 25th.

Does Santa make an appearance on Christmas Eve?
If so, how where the queues?

Thank you
 
Anyone know approximately how long I should plan for a "tour" around the resort? Like if my kids and I just walked around to take a few photos in all the sections? Would 2 hours seem appropriate?
 
Anyone know approximately how long I should plan for a "tour" around the resort? Like if my kids and I just walked around to take a few photos in all the sections? Would 2 hours seem appropriate?
You could plan two hours including the gift shop and eating a snack. It is not that spreadout. If you endup with too much time, you could also cross the bridge and visit Pop as well.
 


We are staying our first night at AOA and then switching resorts. The day we check out of AOA, we want to just chill some by the pool. We are wondering if our magic bands will allow us into the pool area after check out.

Yup. You are considered a guest until midnight of check out day with full access to all amenities.

We were doing the same on a previous trip, and our bands stopped working. We did online check in at the new resort, and once that hit their system after 11 AM (AOA check-out time), our MB didn't work for the pool. Our room wasn't ready at the new resort yet, so we were stuck. Luckily one member of our party was heading home late that day (not going to the second resort), and her band still worked for the pool.
 
We were doing the same on a previous trip, and our bands stopped working. We did online check in at the new resort, and once that hit their system after 11 AM (AOA check-out time), our MB didn't work for the pool. Our room wasn't ready at the new resort yet, so we were stuck. Luckily one member of our party was heading home late that day (not going to the second resort), and her band still worked for the pool.

Even though your MBs stop working you're still allowed to use all the resort amenities until midnight. When we're in this situation we just get a grey MB from the front desk that will work for the rest of checkout day.
 
Woot!! Just changed my Feb stay from AKL to AoA! Looking at how little I’ll be in the room, I could not justify the jump in price! Got my TP request all set - building 7, top floor, lake view! Super excited!!

(Counter to be changed when I get home today.)
 


Stayed at OKW for the past 2 weeks, but visited AoA to get a sense of the layout/options. Naturally, they are completely different grades and costs, but we found AoA to be way too crowded, loud, smelly and the carpets in the guest hallways was utterly disgusting. Other guests told me they tried it for a few days, but never again. Interesting comment was there was no where to escape the chaos.

I assume they are due for a refurbishment based on my observation(s).

We just stayed there from 10.26-10.31 and felt exactly the same way. It was our first and last time ever staying at AOA. We stayed in building 5 Nemo suites lake view. The room was extremely dingy/dirty, as was the rest of the hotel. The official room pictures also make the suites look much bigger than they actually are. I have no idea how 6 adults with luggage would be able to all fit in the room. There are no closets, no where to store your luggage out of the way. The entire time we were there, I felt like we were in the same type of chaos as when you are at the parks. There was no respite. We went to AKL to eat dinner at Boma one night and I was seriously considering getting a room there and not going back to AOA. It is unfortunate because we were really excited about staying there.
 
Staying at the Little Mermaid from 12/21 - 12/27. Any good room/locations recommendations? Looks like the whole section is pretty far away ... First choice would be the closest room available to the dining center & buses, but is there a cool spot or special view from another location that justifies a longer walk? First visit with the kids since they outgrew the stroller - expecting bus travel to be way easier, but a little concerned with the kids' stamina. Ok, I won't lie - I'm concerned about Dad's stamina; if the kids get tired, I don't want to carry them all over the place.
 
We just stayed there from 10.26-10.31 and felt exactly the same way. It was our first and last time ever staying at AOA. We stayed in building 5 Nemo suites lake view. The room was extremely dingy/dirty, as was the rest of the hotel. The official room pictures also make the suites look much bigger than they actually are. I have no idea how 6 adults with luggage would be able to all fit in the room. There are no closets, no where to store your luggage out of the way. The entire time we were there, I felt like we were in the same type of chaos as when you are at the parks. There was no respite. We went to AKL to eat dinner at Boma one night and I was seriously considering getting a room there and not going back to AOA. It is unfortunate because we were really excited about staying there.

I am sorry your experience echoed what we saw and heard from a guest. It's very interesting that you compared the hotel as the same type of chaos as in the parks, because that is exactly, verbatim what we heard.
 
Staying at the Little Mermaid from 12/21 - 12/27. Any good room/locations recommendations? Looks like the whole section is pretty far away ... First choice would be the closest room available to the dining center & buses, but is there a cool spot or special view from another location that justifies a longer walk? First visit with the kids since they outgrew the stroller - expecting bus travel to be way easier, but a little concerned with the kids' stamina. Ok, I won't lie - I'm concerned about Dad's stamina; if the kids get tired, I don't want to carry them all over the place.

You don’t have a choice. Too be blunt little mermaid is the red headed stepchild of aoa. At least at pop century you get same room type but better roo pm locations. You will be far out there with little mermaid. Sorry
 
Staying at the Little Mermaid from 12/21 - 12/27. Any good room/locations recommendations? Looks like the whole section is pretty far away ... First choice would be the closest room available to the dining center & buses, but is there a cool spot or special view from another location that justifies a longer walk? First visit with the kids since they outgrew the stroller - expecting bus travel to be way easier, but a little concerned with the kids' stamina. Ok, I won't lie - I'm concerned about Dad's stamina; if the kids get tired, I don't want to carry them all over the place.

I would request close to transportation and first floor. If you get an upper floor you'll have to walk further to get to the elevators, and possibly even back track from there. If they "do good" at your assignment with first floor and close, it will be the best walk.

Don't worry about views, you'll likely have your curtains closed ........ and I highly suggest you take time to wander the whole resort. Some of the best imagineering and photo ops. Cars ... you feel like you are in the movie, Nemo landscape you feel like you are under water, love the LK boneyard and LM pool icons are incredible.
 
We have booked a family suite for late Feb 2018. I was going to request Nemo bldg 5, but the comments about wear & tear, cleanliness etc. have me a little nervous. Looking for recommendations for the best location (ie: Lake view, close to transportation & lobby etc.) Our party includes 2 little girls, 4 & 2. Thanks in advance.

Janet
 
We have booked a family suite for late Feb 2018. I was going to request Nemo bldg 5, but the comments about wear & tear, cleanliness etc. have me a little nervous. Looking for recommendations for the best location (ie: Lake view, close to transportation & lobby etc.) Our party includes 2 little girls, 4 & 2. Thanks in advance.

Janet

I hope my comments don't dissuade you from not trying AoA. It was just my opinion, but I will say the Cars area, including pool area, looked very nice and clean.
 
We have booked a family suite for late Feb 2018. I was going to request Nemo bldg 5, but the comments about wear & tear, cleanliness etc. have me a little nervous. Looking for recommendations for the best location (ie: Lake view, close to transportation & lobby etc.) Our party includes 2 little girls, 4 & 2. Thanks in advance.

Janet

We stayed in the Cars section in October and thought the resort was great. Our housekeeping was the best we have had in over 15 stays at all levels of resort.
 
We have booked a family suite for late Feb 2018. I was going to request Nemo bldg 5, but the comments about wear & tear, cleanliness etc. have me a little nervous. Looking for recommendations for the best location (ie: Lake view, close to transportation & lobby etc.) Our party includes 2 little girls, 4 & 2. Thanks in advance.

Janet

Don't be nervous. There are going to be rooms and buildings at every resort (other than those that are newly renovated...and even those have problems). In general, I've seen very few comments about "bad" suites at AoA. I'm not saying that there aren't rooms there that are in need of some TLC, but I think the majority of the rooms are still in good shape. We stayed in a Nemo suite in Bldg. 5 last summer. The hallways looked terrible even back then (and I complained to Disney about it. Had a nice long conversation with a Guest Services Supervisor that obviously had zero impact.) but our suite was fine. I didn't see any obvious signs of wear and tear in it (though I did not bring my white gloves or magnifying glass to look at every little detail. :D ) There were no marks on the walls, no stains on the carpeting, no mold/mildew in the bathrooms, and no signs of wear on any of the furniture. If the room had been anywhere close to the horrible condition of the hallway, I would have been at the front desk asking to be moved. We just tried to ignore the condition of the hallway when we walked through it. We loved the location of that room (1st floor, lake view, not the main hallway) so much that we booked a Nemo suite again for next summer and I will try to get a room on the same hallway. We were close to the food court (important to us as we get the refillable mugs and use them a few times a day) and transportation (also important as we use the buses a few times a day as well) and as a bonus, we were close to the swimming pool (not as important as we usually only swim 2 or 3 times during our stay), but because we were in the section of the building that juts out towards the LK section, we weren't in the main hallway and our area was very quiet even though (according to housekeeping) every room on our hallway was occupied.

We've also stayed in a LK suite on 2 other trips. Both times we were at the end of the building closest to the main building and Nemo section. Those were also great locations for us as we were very close to the food court and transportation. And it was a quick walk to either the Nemo or the Little Mermaid pool. I actually really liked the LM pool as it was much quieter and far less crowded than the Nemo pool.

I think the Cars area has the best theming. It's especially gorgeous at night. The decor of the rooms doesn't appeal to us, but if your kids are fans of the Cars movies, they will probably love everything about this area.

My advice is to choose the area that most appeals to your family and indicate that you'd like a room close to transportation (not a guarantee). If you get to your suite and find the room to be in need of work you can go to the front desk and ask if there is anything else available (letting them know the issues you have with the room). I will say that if you've booked under the general category of "Family Suite", you most likely won't end up in the Nemo buildings as those rooms cost more than the LK and Cars suites and are usually booked to capacity.
 
Staying at the Little Mermaid from 12/21 - 12/27. Any good room/locations recommendations? Looks like the whole section is pretty far away ... First choice would be the closest room available to the dining center & buses, but is there a cool spot or special view from another location that justifies a longer walk? First visit with the kids since they outgrew the stroller - expecting bus travel to be way easier, but a little concerned with the kids' stamina. Ok, I won't lie - I'm concerned about Dad's stamina; if the kids get tired, I don't want to carry them all over the place.

I stayed in the Little Mermaid section of AOA for two weeks during the holidays last year and to be honest, each park day, I didn't look forward to the "journey" back to that section. LOL. It was my first time being there and although a lot of people were saying that its a very long walk, I still underestimated their critiques. Also, the resort maps make it seem like the walk isn't too far when in actuality it is and I'm sure that's by design by Disney. LOL. So here's what I recommend you do, keep in mind that theses many different suggestions. And I know that everybody will have better suggestions than me but any idea is a good idea when it comes to Disney World. :) Anyway, when you come back from the parks and either the store or Landscape of Flavors are still opened, stop and look around if in the store OR sit down and relax in Landscape of Flavors OR even better, do BOTH & in that order. The point of doing that? It's simple really, you can not only reflect on the fun you had during the day but more importantly, you're conserving the energy that you'll need to make the trek to the Little Mermaid section. Another idea is taking an Uber or Lyft back to that section, it's not worth the money but at least you won't have to worry about carrying your kids to your room. And the last resort is actually having a rental car, which I feel isn't worth the money neither BUT once again, you're not carrying the kids back to the room & if you're lucky, you might get a parking spot closer to the area your room is at, which only adds to the convenience. But even with all these suggestions, make sure that your Family is mentally & physically prepared to make that long walk to that section, no matter where your room is located. Don't make the same mistake I made by underestimating the distance.
 
I'm getting concerned about booking this resort! We have a party of 8 adults. My husband and I will have our two sons (18&20) plus one friend each. Looking at the LK section. The above comments have me thinking six adults will not fit! Then My in-laws want their own room, so they were going to book LM section. It seemed like the best plan for 8 adults, but maybe not?
 
I'm getting concerned about booking this resort! We have a party of 8 adults. My husband and I will have our two sons (18&20) plus one friend each. Looking at the LK section. The above comments have me thinking six adults will not fit! Then My in-laws want their own room, so they were going to book LM section. It seemed like the best plan for 8 adults, but maybe not?

It was a tight fit for us (4 adults, 13 yo boy, and 8 yo girl). Some of us had to live out of our suitcases because there weren’t enough drawers. My sister said the sofa bed was terrible. I thought the Murphy bed was comfy. We made it work and had a great trip. Just keep in mind that the Murphy bed and sofa bed are only full sized when planning sleeping arrangements.

Next time we do a family trip, we will just get 3 value rooms and request they be near each other. We did that at Pop in 2014 and were so much more comfortable.
 
I'm getting concerned about booking this resort! We have a party of 8 adults. My husband and I will have our two sons (18&20) plus one friend each. Looking at the LK section. The above comments have me thinking six adults will not fit! Then My in-laws want their own room, so they were going to book LM section. It seemed like the best plan for 8 adults, but maybe not?

We have stayed at AoA 3 times and have a 4th stay planned next summer. We've had 5 adults (2 of those are late teens) and a tween staying in the room and we don't have a problem fitting. We have plenty of space for everyone to unpack and stow the luggage in "nooks" around the room (but we're overpackers so we do take a hanging sweater holder to hang in the living room closet for one person to use for storage and we also take some collapsible bins to hold the overflow that doesn't fit in drawers). However, we're all one family. I think things are different when you're including non-family members in the mix. None of our kids wants to share a bed with each other so the tween makes a bed out of the sofa cushions (with a sheet wrapped around them) and sleeps on the floor and another person sleeps on an air mattress. As much as our family loves this resort, based on the dynamics of your group, I wouldn't recommend putting the 6 of you in one suite. It could work (using air mattresses -- assuming the 18 & 20 yo's aren't going to share beds), but I think there are better options. I would either book a separate suite for the "kids" (assuming 2 of the "kids" would be willing to share the queen-size bed or one of them is willing to use an air mattress) at AoA or 3 standard rooms at another resort. The "kids" are old enough to be in rooms by themselves so you wouldn't need to worry about getting connecting rooms. The three rooms would be the cheaper option and would give everyone their own bed and plenty of space (but you lose the microwave and the convenience(?) of all being in one room -- if those are important to you). If you go with 3 standard rooms, I personally wouldn't book those at AoA just because the LM rooms are such a long walk from everything. If you plan to drive to all of the parks and don't plan to use the resort food court/refillable mugs frequently, then the LM rooms would be fine.
 

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