When staying inside the World, there are 3 types of resorts to stay in: Value, Moderate and Deluxe.  Value will find you the best pricing with rooms to sleep up to 4 and the least of amenities – which really isn’t insignificant by any means!  You will find Value Resorts to be the most Disney-themed out of all the resorts on the grounds. All resorts offer transportation to & from all of the parks and Disney Springs. Moderates will find you in between Value and Deluxe – with gorgeous grounds, sometimes more food options, more amenities at a slightly higher price.  Deluxe resorts offer luxury at deluxe pricing, where you will have the convenience of more than 1 option for transportation to parks like monorail or boat; with extreme proximity to whatever parks they are located near and usually more than 1 sit down service as well as your quick service.  Deluxe and moderates offer pool slides, where values do not. All Disney World Resorts offer complimentary Magical Express Transportation to and from the airport!  When you arrive your checked luggage magically shows up in your resort room a few hours after you check in… and at time of departure, they provide transportation for return to the airport.  They will also help you with documents for airline check-in for travel home, and will weigh, take and check your luggage for your departure.

In August of 2016 we stayed at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort for our annual Disney World vacation.  What a perfect resort for those with families!  Art of Animation provides family suites for that much needed extra room space.  Unlike Deluxe resorts that can provide extra space, AOA comes at slightly cheaper pricing but immerses you in all larger than life Disney themes inside and outside your room! While walking through this resort you become completely absorbed into the magically enhanced statues of our favorite character inside their worlds.

Whether it’s a giant few-stories-tall Ursula, or walking down a road that leads you into the world of Disney’s Car’s, it really puts the wonder and amazement in your eye!

WHAT YOU GET:  When staying at AOA, you are able to choose from Lion King, Nemo and Cars for family sized suites – all separated into their own sections.  The Little Mermaid section and rooms offer a typical value resort room with 2 double beds, or 1 king, (sleeping up to 4 people) 1 bathroom and a mini-fridge at value pricing.   The Family Suites provide you with a 1 bedroom with a queen sized-bed, one double sized table bed convertible, and 1 double-sized sleeper sofa, 2 televisions, 2 bathrooms and a kitchenette! So if you are taking a break one afternoon and put the kids down for a nap, you have another space to hang in! Family suites will cost you at least around $350 & up per night where the Mermaid room will be around $150 and up depending on the time of year your travel date is.

CARS SECTION:  We chose to stay in the Car’s section of this hotel, which was an easy walk to and from the lobby, food court and transportation.  Nemo and Lion King Sections are situated with a slightly shorter walk.  The Little Mermaid Section is the furthest and leaves you with a 10-15 minute walk from the bus to your room – something to keep in mind with tired legs after being at a park for an entire day!

The Cars Room was beyond our expectations; not the best in luxury, BUT unsurpassed Cars themed ornamenting.  Embellished from floor to ceiling, you are placed into the world of Lightning McQueen and Mater; with all vintage and retro touches one could only expect. You may even find a cone for a lamp shade!  Metal accents throughout, the 50’s retro Cars bathrooms have a vanity with the slogan and lit arrows are incredible.

FOOD:  As a value resort AOA only provides 1 quick service food court that serves all 3 meals, called Landscape of Flavors. We really enjoyed this quick service with plenty of options and plenty of seating.  Value resort quick service food courts are always much bigger with much more seating than you will find at most Deluxe Resorts.  We are partial to the bigger quick services because you don’t waste much time eating, if you are in a rush to a park. 

POOLS:  Art of Animation offers 3 pools: the Nemo Pool – which is AOA’s main pool which is the largest out of all Disney Resorts and is where you can hear music UNDER the water!

There is a splash pad located directly next to this pool.

The other 2 pools are the Cozy Cone in the Cars Section and the Flippin’ Fins Pool by the Little Mermaid Section.

None of the pools at a value resort offer pool slides – but we really don’t find that to make much of a difference. **We loved AOA’s pool bar which was conveniently located on our walk back to room each night!** All Disney Resorts offer a pool bar (or more) located on premises.

The only CON to staying with the Art of Animation resort, was that we felt it was such a heavily populated resort that the busing was always crowded – even with their double-long buses they provided. However more recently it seems no matter where you stay busing is always crowded.

Would we stay at Art of Animation again in the future??  ABSOLUTELY!  We had a tremendous amount of fun at AOA – our children LOVED every inch of the resort – and as a Disney Lover’s Heaven, it was so cheerfully fun!  It was really nice having the extra space for a change as well and I can totally see us venturing back there in the near future.

Be sure to read my Disney World Top Travel Tip HERE!

Check out my review of the Animal Kingdom Lodge and my article on ways to save on your next Disney World Vacation!

Where will will you stay during your next Disney World Vacation?