Disney's ART OF ANIMATION RESORT Information & Questions

[Itinkso]

Ok.. So what are magic bands? I was going to sign up for it, but I wanted to know about it first. Also, if we pick magic band, do they still give us cards? I like to keep my cards after

Your MagicBand is the same as the KTTW card but you wear it on your wrist: tap to enter room, tap to enter parks, tap to use Fp+, tap to purchase items, etc...

Soon, all resort guests will be using MBs and not cards.

 

[glenpreece]

Your MagicBand is the same as the KTTW card but you wear it on your wrist: tap to enter room, tap to enter parks, tap to use Fp+, tap to purchase items, etc...

Soon, all resort guests will be using MBs and not cards.

I don't understand the fascination

 

[Itinkso]

I don't understand the fascination

It's really not a fascination. It's MyMagic+ moving steadily through the testing process. If you check the Theme Parks board, it is the main topic of the majority of threads. For us, the MagicBand will open our room door and allow to charge to our account. We will be entering the parks using CM passes so we won't have tickets linked which means we can't choose Fp+ ahead of time.

It's just the NextGen way of visiting the World.

 

[JKPreussler]

Super excited!!! We are all set to stay 12/11-12/17 in a LM room. Wondering if there are DVD players in the LM rooms. Everything I've been able to find says that the suites have them, but I haven't been able to find anything about the LM rooms. TIA!!!

Anyone know? (My husband is wondering!) Thanks!!!

 

[dansdad]

Anyone know? (My husband is wondering!) Thanks!!!

No there is not.

 

[Ceryssa]

We are going to stay at AOA in a lion king suite in December and I am nervous so help me feel better. We normally stay CL at YC or BC, those are our favorites. Our last trip we did wilderness lodge CL and we have also stayed GL and AKL so this is our first week long stay at a value resort. We are changing because we just want to try something different and we have 2 teenagers and a 7 year old so I like the idea of 2 bathrooms and more space. We did stay 1 night in a little mermaid room this past trip because we came in a day early and our oldest skipped that trip. And my little one LOVED the decor at AOA, (he is a lion king fanatic). My DD can't do buses because of motion sickness so we will drive to the park or take a taxi. Any tips for room location? Food options? etc. Also, the rooms do have a microwave and fridge, correct? Is the fridge a mini size or larger? I am on a restrictive diet this time due to medical reasons and will need to prepare breakfast in the room.

My younger daughter has trouble with motion sickness as well. I am back and forth on the bus system, I'm worried about her being on it so much. What rides give your DD trouble, any ones in particular we should avoid? Doalles medication help at all? I am really stressing about this aspect.

I've seen a lot of comments about the beds at AoA--how bad are they, really? Am I going to be out a week's sleep? :/

 

[JKPreussler]

No there is not.

Thank you!

 

[jamala]

My younger daughter has trouble with motion sickness as well. I am back and forth on the bus system, I'm worried about her being on it so much. What rides give your DD trouble, any ones in particular we should avoid? Doalles medication help at all? I am really stressing about this aspect.

I've seen a lot of comments about the beds at AoA--how bad are they, really? Am I going to be out a week's sleep? :/

That is the weird thing no rides bother her but the buses make her very sick unless she can sit up front. The beds in LM rooms were ok, not like the deluxe resort beds but they were good. I hope the pull outs and table bed are good because my DD will sleep on one of those. We will carry an air mattress for my little one to sleep right by our bed because on vacation he must be near me, just his little security thing. We found the taxi ride to be great and then some times we drove to each park.

 

[Itinkso]

Ok.. So what are magic bands? I was going to sign up for it, but I wanted to know about it first. Also, if we pick magic band, do they still give us cards? I like to keep my cards after

Here is some more info for you that was posted on the Theme Parks board: Also check the Theme Parks board:

If you have never been to WDW before, have no idea what to expect, and don't have an efficient strategy for using FPs, I have some suggestions for you:

1. Identify in advance which rides and attractions your family wants to experience at each park,

2. Try to decide which park or parks you want to visit each day of your visit. If you are making ADR's you must have some idea of this already.

3. Use the list that mesaboy has posted to identify attractions for which you should make FP+ reservations to make sure that you can do the things that are highest on your priority list.

4. If at al possible, try to get to a park at opening. You may be pleasantly surprised how many things you can do without FPs in the first 2-3 hours after the park opens, especially if you are visiting at something other than the peak Thanksgiving or Christmas periods. (If you are visiting at those peak times, paper FPs have little value for major attractions anyway because they will run out early.) Arriving early at those times is that much more important. .

 

[cujochurch]

My younger daughter has trouble with motion sickness as well. I am back and forth on the bus system, I'm worried about her being on it so much. What rides give your DD trouble, any ones in particular we should avoid? Doalles medication help at all? I am really stressing about this aspect.

I've seen a lot of comments about the beds at AoA--how bad are they, really? Am I going to be out a week's sleep? :/

I get motion sickness on just about anything that moves lol. I use the transderm scop prescription patch. I put it on 4 hours before my flight and wear it the whole time i'm there. They last 3 days at a time.

My sister gets motions sickness as well (hereditary?) but she is fine with over the counter non drowsy dramamine. Also have a friend who uses the seabands bracelets.

For me anyway it was trial and error. I tried everything over the counter before I found the patch and it works wonderful for me. Some people complain of side effects, but none for me.

I feel for your daughter. If you don't get motion sickness you really don't understand the terrible way it makes you feel. If I were you I would try different things now before you go. Try the non medication seaband first and drive her around and see how it goes and then you can move onto the medication. Hoepfully you will find just what works for her. It is a dreadful way to spend a vacation.

 

[CornishPixie]

We are super excited to be staying in a LK suite Jan 2-8!

Does anyone know if AOA continues their activities program even in the winter? I love the ideas of watching a movie by the pool but what if it is cold out? Do they have an alternate activity?

Another question, slightly off topic...
If you are staying at a Disney Resort and decide to drive from the hotel to the park instead of using Disney Transportation, do you have to pay for parking in the park parking lots?

 

[Itinkso]

We are super excited to be staying in a LK suite Jan 2-8! Does anyone know if AOA continues their activities program even in the winter? I love the ideas of watching a movie by the pool but what if it is cold out? Do they have an alternate activity? Another question, slightly off topic... If you are staying at a Disney Resort and decide to drive from the hotel to the park instead of using Disney Transportation, do you have to pay for parking in the park parking lots?

AoA always offers activities but may cancel due to weather.

You can park anywhere within the resort for free: parks, other resorts, DTD, and water parks!

 

[CaraMiaBelle]

We are super excited to be staying in a LK suite Jan 2-8!

Does anyone know if AOA continues their activities program even in the winter? I love the ideas of watching a movie by the pool but what if it is cold out? Do they have an alternate activity?

Another question, slightly off topic...
If you are staying at a Disney Resort and decide to drive from the hotel to the park instead of using Disney Transportation, do you have to pay for parking in the park parking lots?

I know I read in the activities schedule that there is a place they play the movies inside in case of rain.

 

[Rowanonfire]

I heard that the movie was held in the LK area, but I see on here it's at the pool? Is this year round? I hope so because the idea of watching a movie in the pool is super fun.

Also I check in March 1st and no sign of MB's for us yet. =(

 

[CornishPixie]

AoA always offers activities but may cancel due to weather.

You can park anywhere within the resort for free: parks, other resorts, DTD, and water parks!

Awesome!!
Thank you so much!

 

[CornishPixie]

I know I read in the activities schedule that there is a place they play the movies inside in case of rain.

Yay! Thank you so much!!

 

[bluezy]

We are going to stay at AOA in a lion king suite in December and I am nervous so help me feel better. We normally stay CL at YC or BC, those are our favorites. Our last trip we did wilderness lodge CL and we have also stayed GL and AKL so this is our first week long stay at a value resort. We are changing because we just want to try something different and we have 2 teenagers and a 7 year old so I like the idea of 2 bathrooms and more space. We did stay 1 night in a little mermaid room this past trip because we came in a day early and our oldest skipped that trip. And my little one LOVED the decor at AOA, (he is a lion king fanatic). My DD can't do buses because of motion sickness so we will drive to the park or take a taxi. Any tips for room location? Food options? etc. Also, the rooms do have a microwave and fridge, correct? Is the fridge a mini size or larger? I am on a restrictive diet this time due to medical reasons and will need to prepare breakfast in the room.

I think you'll be very happy with the extra space and 2 bathrooms. That's the main reason we always stay in 2 connecting rooms or now a suite at AoA. I can't imagine 5 or 6 of us (happily) sharing ONE bathroom. Even with 2 bathrooms in the suite there were a few times that both were being used and someone else was knocking on the doors yelling "hurry up, I need to get in there, too!!!" It's nice that the main bathroom is divided so someone can be taking a shower and someone else can be in the sink/mirror area.

We were in Bldg. 10 of the Lion King section and that was right next to the parking lot. We were at the end of the wing closest to the main building so we were very close to Landscape of Flavors (great if you're using the refillable mugs) and bus stops (which I realize isn't an issue for you). I would just request "close to parking" and you'll probably end up in Bldg. 10. But both of the Lion King buildings are relatively close to the parking lot -- and there was plenty of good parking in that area when we were there in June.

Yes, the rooms have a microwave & fridge. The fridge is slightly bigger than the mini-sized ones in the LM rooms. It's about counter height. We were able to fit quite a bit of stuff in it.

That is the weird thing no rides bother her but the buses make her very sick unless she can sit up front. The beds in LM rooms were ok, not like the deluxe resort beds but they were good. I hope the pull outs and table bed are good because my DD will sleep on one of those. We will carry an air mattress for my little one to sleep right by our bed because on vacation he must be near me, just his little security thing. We found the taxi ride to be great and then some times we drove to each park.

We found all 3 of the beds to be comfortable. The kids had no complaints about the sofa bed or the table/murphy bed (my 24 yo DS said that bed was more comfortable than the beds in the hotel we stayed at on the drive to DW). I found the bed in the Master bedroom to be a little firmer than I like but I put a blanket under my hips/lower back and that fixed the problem for me. My husband didn't find it too firm. We also used an air mattress in the main room but would have had plenty of space to put it in the bedroom instead. We had planned on using 2 mattresses (none of the 4 kids wants to sleep with any of their siblings (shocking, right???) so I was prepared for everyone to have their own sleeping surface. Once we took the cushions off the couch to pull out the bed, my 8 yo said she wanted to sleep on those instead of the air mattress. She turned them upside down so they were kind of like a little trough (you'll understand that when you see them) and I wrapped them in a sheet and that's where she slept every night. They fit perfectly between the pulled out sofa bed and the wall with the window -- she felt like she had her own little fort. Now if I *told* her she had to sleep like that....

 

[kalee45]

We also stay in 2 connected rooms. I was so excited about AoA before it opened: an entire complex full of rooms where all of us could fit! Then I saw the prices for the suites@#*! So we are staying at AoA, in 2 hopefully connected LM rooms

 

[bluezy]

We also stay in 2 connected rooms. I was so excited about AoA before it opened: an entire complex full of rooms where all of us could fit! Then I saw the prices for the suites@#*! So we are staying at AoA, in 2 hopefully connected LM rooms

I was a little taken back by the price of the suites as well, but all the "little" things made the extra cost well worth it. The "little" things for use were:

1. Guaranteed to all be in the same room (though we've never had trouble getting connecting rooms at Pop).

2. The table & chairs, microwave, counter space, and larger fridge. We eat breakfast in our room every day and it was nice to have a space to do that. It was also nice to have a central place to put all of our food. When we're in 2 rooms it seems like the kids grab the snacks and cereal boxes that they want and take them to their room. This time I lined everything up on the shelf above the microwave -- everyone knew where everything was.

3. The suite felt *much* bigger to us than 2 connecting rooms (even though there's not a huge difference square footage wise. It's the loss of one bed that provides much of the extra floor space.). There was a lot more open space in the suite than there is in 2 rooms. Even with the air mattress and luggage for 6 people, the room never felt cramped. There is a lot of storage space (shelves, nooks/corners, etc) in the suites.

4. The master bedroom -- very nice to have a little privacy. Also loved the big walk-in shower in the master bath.

5. Location. My husband works long hours at work and even though he's not as big of a fan of Disney World vacations as I am, he's always willing to go there because he knows the kids and I love the place. His only real request is that we always request a room close to the main building and buses. We get the refillable mugs, so being close to the main building is a huge bonus for us. Staying in a suite guaranteed that we would be relatively close to the main building and bus stops regardless of what building we were in. We ended up in Bldg. 10 (LK) which was a fabulous location for us.

I don't know when you're staying at AoA but discounts can make the suites much closer in price to the cost of 2 LM rooms since the LM rooms aren't usually included in discounts (but suites are). When we went last June, our suite only ended up costing about $20/night more than 2 LM rooms would have cost us. So, if you think you'd like to stay in a suite, just keep your eyes open for discounts -- it might make them much more appealing.

 

[kalee45]

I, actually, would love to stay in a suite! But when I priced them, we could get 2 rooms at POFQ for less, and I still have an issue with paying that much for a room where only 2 of the 6 of us have a real bed. The kitchenette area would be awesome, though. The, of course, there's my DD17 who's the celebrant this trip (her hs graduation), who is a total Ariel freak I told her if we stay in the Ariel bldg, we`ll have the longest walk possible to the food court and busses, but she just looked at the map, the pics of the resort, shook her head, and said "I don't care, it's Ariel!"!!