For the first page of this review of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, see this.
FAMILY SUITES AT DISNEY’S ART OF ANIMATION RESORT
Resorts are ranked on this site based first on kid appeal, and then on convenience in carrying out the site’s recommended itineraries.
Based on that, the 6 person Family Suites at Disney’s Art of Animation resort rocket ahead of their only comparable rooms, the Family Suites at All-Star Music.
Moreover, because the Little-Mermaid themed standard (4 person) rooms at Art of Animation hold to the same depth of theming as the Family Suites, Art of Animation is this site’s most highly-recommended value resort for all room types.
REVIEW: DISNEY WORLD’S FAMILY SUITES AT THE ART OF ANIMATION RESORT FOR FIRST-TIME VISITORS
Art of Animation accommodation buildings are in four different areas, each themed to one beloved Disney movie.
Family suites are found in the Cars, Lion King, and Finding Nemo areas.
(Standard four person rooms are in the fourth area, the Little Mermaid-themed section; there’s no family suites in the Little Mermaid area, and no standard rooms in the Cars, Lion King, or Finding Nemo areas.)
THE CARS AREA AT ART OF ANIMATION
On the map, the Cars area is at the far right.
Here’s you’ll find three buildings, each with a major depiction at its entry.
Building 1 has Mater…
…Building 3 Luigi…
…and Building 2 is fronted by stars Lightning McQueen and Sally Carerra
The Cars Family Suites themselves are also deeply themed to Cars (there’s many more room photos later in this review)…
…as is the general environment in the courtyard created in the middle of the three buildings.
THE FINDING NEMO AREA AT ART OF ANIMATION
On the map, the two Finding Nemo buildings are just above the central services buildings and surround the largest pool at the resort.
Building 4 is fronted by Mr. Ray, and Building 5 by Crush. I love to take pictures of him, day…
…or night.
The stairs are themed to the seagulls…
…also fun at night…
…and the courtyard created between the two buildings, besides holding the main pool (more on the pools later), is themed to make you feel like you are underwater with Nemo and Friends.
(The shot is larger than usual to help you see the details; as always on this site, to enlarge it even more, just click it.)
The rooms continue the Finding Nemo theme (many more room shots will come shortly in this review).
THE LION KING AREA AT ART OF ANIMATION
The two buildings just to the left of the Finding Nemo area on the map, numbers 6 and 10, are the Lion King Buildings.
The courtyard between has parts themed to a savanna…
…and parts themed to a jungle.
You’ll also find all the key Lion King characters here:
Rooms continue the African theming.
THE BEST AREAS TO STAY
Choices as to which group of buildings to book will, in many families, simply be guided by which of Cars, the Lion King, and Finding Nemo is their favorite film.
For those open to any of the three, go for Lion King.
More specifically, go for a 2nd floor or higher Hourglass Lake view room on the Finding Nemo side of Building 6 in the Lion King area. This will yield the least noise, best view, and relative closeness to the main services and bus stop.
ACCOMMODATIONS IN THE FAMILY SUITES
This review continues here.
MATERIAL IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S ART OF ANIMATION RESORT
- Overview of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
- The Little Mermaid Area and Rooms
- Photo Tour of a Little Mermaid Room
- Overview of the Family Suites Areas
- Accommodations in the Family Suites
- Photo Tour of a Finding Nemo Family Suite (plus bed dimensions, storage, etc)
- Photo Tour of a Lion King Family Suite
- Photo Tour of a Cars Family Suite
- Amenities at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
- The Pools at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
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120 Comments on "Review: The Family Suites at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort"
Hi Mega and thanks!
Just to make sure you know this–there will be standard rooms at Art of Animation by then–but they won’t be Nemo, they’ll be lil mermaid…
I have mixed feelings. WL is stunningly kid-appealing, but, if they are both nuts about Nemo, then go for Nemo. If they are fans but not nuts, and are both boys, go WL–it has more of a “boy adventure” feel.
Hey, Dave! Your site is FANTASTIC! We are stuck between choosing the Wilderness Lodge vs. Art of Animation family suites for our stay in October (I know, I know, we have to get moving!!!) It is our first time and our kids are 6 and 8. The cost difference is only about $100 between the two- I know the kids would prefer the decor at the Nemo suite, but is it worth it to do Wilderness Lodge? We wish Nemo had standard rooms to save some cash (!) Oh well…this is our dilemma! HELP!
Heather, I didn’t notice a problem but my room was not on the pool side.
Coupla thoughts: if you want to eliminate the possibility of pool noise, then go for the Lion King area. It’s the only one of the 4 areas with no rooms lining a pool.
On the other hand, if Nemo is really important to your kids, only about 1/3 of Nemo rooms face the pool, so the odds are you won’t be in one of them
Hi Dave!
Thanks for the great review! My husband and I are taking our 4 year old son to Disney for the 1st time this November. We have a 4 night stay booked at the AoA in the Finding Nemo suites. I read another review that talked a lot about the noise coming from the Big Blue pool that is near the Nemo resorts. This concerns me a bit considering that we have a family of fairly light sleepers. Did you notice this being a major issue?
Hi Chris! Yes the walk to the central resources will be longer–but less than 5 minutes extra walking compared to being in one of the suites buildings