Disneyã¢ââ¢s Art of Animation Resort the Little Mermaid Standard View

With its hardcore Disney theming and relatively low prices, Art of Animation catches a lot of eyes for people planning Walt Disney World Resort vacations. Read on to learn more about this popular value option!

Nuts of Disney'southward Art of Animation Resort

Art of Animation is the nearly expensive of the value options at Walt Disney World. Along with Disney's Pop Century Resort, Fine art of Blitheness is priced above the 3 All-Star Resorts. Not-discounted nightly room rates for Little Mermaid Rooms at Fine art of Animation in 2022 range from $195 to $367. For Family unit Suites, non-discounted nightly rates range from $442 to $856 (2022 pricing).

Art of Animation Grounds and Room Types

Permit's kickoff with an annotated map of Fine art of Blitheness:

Not included on that map is the Skyliner, which sits between Art of Animation and Pop Century, so at the peak of the image.

As you tin can see, there are ten buildings of rooms, one main building (Animation Hall), ane feature puddle (Big Blueish Pool), and two small pools (Cozy Cone Pool and Flippin' Fins Pool) at either end of the resort.

Importantly, we've highlighted where the Little Mermaid rooms (the subject of this review) are. The Little Mermaid rooms are the standard rooms at Art of Animation, and they're located farthest from Blitheness Hall. The farthest rooms are about a vii-minute walk from Animation Hall.

That'south not a ton, but when you lot figure it'll be another three or iv minutes if y'all're headed to the Skyliner, you'll really start to rack upward some steps if you lot're going to and from your room a lot.

The remaining rooms, which we won't be discussing in this review, are family suites (themed to Cars, Finding Nemo, and Lion Rex). These suites are priced starting effectually $450 per night. Smart Mouse Travel has a review of a family suite. With their theming, more mod rooms, and total bathrooms, the suites are the bigger describe at Art of Blitheness.

Animation Hall and Fine art of Blitheness'southward Pools

Animation Hall is where y'all'll find the motorcoach stops, reception, the concierge, the Pixel Play Arcade, Ink & Paint Shop gift shop, the Landscape of Flavors nutrient courtroom.

When staying at nearby Pop Century, we'll usually make the walk over to Art of Animation at least once to visit Landscape of Flavors.

Besides its good menu, the cafeteria space is 1 of the cooler food court spaces in Walt Disney World. Every bit much as I savor my quick, easy meals at all the value resorts, the vibrancy of Mural of Flavors makes information technology a fun identify to be.

It's even worth only walking around a chip after a meal to check out some of the beautiful art around the place. Even the calorie-free fixtures have animation on them. It's prissy to see some animation that isn't simply pictures of Disney characters.

If you're looking for convenient tabular array service meals (maybe because you're on a dining plan with table service credits), your best options are probably going to exist meals off the Skyliner if yous can visit them when the Skyliner is running. These include the restaurants at Riviera Resort and the hotels around the Boardwalk. Otherwise you might want to aim for restaurants inside the parks.

Just outside Animation Hall is The Drop Off Pool Bar, which is basically a standard value resort pool bar, only a little bigger than the ones at the All-Star resorts. Like near value resort bars, it mostly caters to hotel guests, though you might occasionally see a guest on the Skyliner bar crawl swing by.

The Ink & Paint Shop really has a great amount of Art of Animation gear. We wish the values did more of this (it's mutual at moderate and deluxe resorts). We're proud frequent guests of the value resorts and would love more gear to testify off!

Just outside Animation Hall is the feature puddle—The Big Blue Pool. The Big Blueish Pool is most known for playing Disney music through underwater speakers, a characteristic that may or may not be going when you visit. Otherwise, it is an average to above average value resort pool.

Equally with all Disney pools, there are pool games scheduled throughout the day. Families wishing to hang out at their resort for an afternoon will find a few things to exercise, though with the Skyliner nearby (discussed below) nosotros might besides suggest taking a trip to visit the Boardwalk (via the Epcot Skyliner station) for more recreation options.

There is a kiddie splash area nearby (the picture beneath was taken before information technology was turned on for the solar day).

Fiddling Mermaid guests will be closer to the Flippin' Fins pool, though all Art of Animation guests are permitted to use either pool.

The resort is filled with Disney animation theming, every bit well as play areas that mostly serve to distract kids while parents are trying to corral them over to the bus stops.

This is one of the reasons why kids volition typically adopt Art of Blitheness to Pop Century. While Pop has some cool larger-than-life figures, virtually of their design isn't Disney character-focused.

Art of Blitheness, on the other manus, lives and breathes Disney characters. Yous really can't turn a corner in the resort without seeing some character or another.

Booking Disney's Fine art of Animation Resort

The beginning matter I want to annotation about booking Art of Blitheness is that it's common for Disney to "hide" the everyman prices from you. If you search during a deal flow, Disney usually shows the lowest deal cost get-go.

If the bargain is only applicable to the family suites, Disney volition show that toll first even though a lower priced (non-discounted) Little Mermaid room is available. Hither'due south a search result where Disney was showing me annual passholder discounts:

It looks like rooms will showtime at $324 pre-tax because only the suites are subject to this offering on these dates. But if I click through and get rid of the disbelieve, I come across that there are Little Mermaid rooms available for $191 pre-revenue enhancement:

Y'all might crush Disney'due south prices on tertiary-party sites similar Expedia or Booking. Equally always, if you lot book through a not-Disney site you should exist sure to link your reservation to your My Disney Experience account both every bit a means of confirming it and to be sure you get all the perks associated with your stay.

Check in lines at Disney hotels can move slowly considering guests have lots of random questions relating to things like tickets and Genie+ so on.

If you arrive and your room isn't ready, you tin drop off your bags at the bell desk and then become to a park. We recommend just taking the Skyliner to Epcot or Hollywood Studios if you don't take other plans, equally it'due south a nice way to first your trip.

The Little Mermaid rooms are peradventure the most polarizing rooms at Walt Disney Globe. Basically, people either think they look "actually fun" or "actually tacky." It's not really of import what side we're on—the images speak for themselves on this signal (use the arrows to click through the galleries below the video).

The Art of Animation rooms were lightly refurbished in early on 2020. The major changes to the room are the replacement of carpet with a nicely washed blue hard surface, bigger TVs, new dressers and nightstands, and the placement of the beds on frames that leave storage space underneath.

These are all welcome changes. I complained recently about the more complete upgrades at Wilderness Lodge impacting the rooms' spirit—that's at least not a problem hither.

Relatedly, lots of guests (not the states) accept felt the upgraded value resort rooms lack heart. This leaves the Fine art of Animation Footling Mermaid rooms as a fine pick for these guests. These rooms have a ton of Disney zip to them, they're merely not quite the same quality as the other value rooms.

The bathrooms didn't receive any noticeable work as office of the upgrades, which is a shame. The vanity is pretty small-scale and separated from the residuum of the room by only a curtain. The shower is pretty one-time, though the theming really shines.

It's a silly thing to note, but something virtually the brightness of the shower drape and the vanity curtain really strikes me. The newer Disney rooms aren't exactly bland, simply they definitely don't have the bright range of color that this room has.

Transportation at Art of Animation

Traveling to and from the Art of Animation, you'll be relying on buses, the Skyliner, and rideshare (Uber, Lyft, Minnie Vans). It'south uncommon for Art of Blitheness to share buses, which is an reward over the All-Star resorts. We'll briefly embrace each of these transit options.

To Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and the two water parks (Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach), yous'll exist relying strictly on buses. You can check gauge bus expect times for your hotel in the My Disney Experience app ("Resort Hotel" carte item) and they are posted at the stop.

Travel times to the theme parks are, approximately:

• Art of Animation to/from Magic Kingdom — xv-twenty minutes

• Art of Animation to/from Animal Kingdom — 10 minutes

Epcot (10-15 minutes) and Hollywood Studios (nether 10 minutes) aren't likewise far either, just betwixt bus load times and wait times it's commonly going to make sense to accept the Skyliner to those parks (read on for more about that).

When it comes to getting to meal reservations or getting to the parks (other than Magic Kingdom) in a tight timeframe, we however favor using Uber or Minnie Vans. Rideshare isn't perfect, simply information technology by and large will beat using Disney's double-decker services in a pinch.

If you're going to Magic Kingdom, you'll demand to take a Minnie Van to become to the park gate, every bit Uber/Lyft will drop yous off at Ticket and Transportation Heart.

If y'all have a car at Walt Disney Earth, your travel times will usually be similar to the jitney times, plus a few minutes from the parking spot to the forepart gate. Going to Magic Kingdom you'll almost always prefer bus to driving, equally y'all demand to account for 20 minutes from parking infinite to the Magic Kingdom gate if you bulldoze.

During Skyliner hours, bus frequency to Epcot and Hollywood Studios is reduced to once per hour. Buses are still expected to run more oft before and afterwards the Skyliner opens/closes for the day.

Skyliner

The Disney World Skyliner gondola organisation connects Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Pop Century Resort, Art of Blitheness Resort, Caribbean Beach Resort, and Riviera Resort. The Skyliner station for Pop / Art of Animation sits between the 2 resorts on Hourglass Lake.

Gauge travel time to Epcot is 20 minutes, and to Hollywood Studios is 12 minutes (I've made these trips in 17 and nine minutes, respectively). Both require transfers at Caribbean Beach.

We're fans of the Skyliner generally, but nosotros practice desire to note in that location are two circumstances where you definitely should take the autobus instead of the Skyliner.

The Skyliner tin see pretty long waits (fifteen minutes or and so) when the parks open and close, but nigh of the time midday you can walk right on.

Having Skyliner access theoretically means you have easy access to restaurants at Riviera Resort, Caribbean Beach, and the Boardwalk area, but that comes with the huge caveat that the Skyliner is only helpful for getting to/from the places during the hours its running, which often won't exist early/late enough for your breakfast/dinner reservation.

As we mentioned earlier, the Skyliner is skilful if you wanted to spend your midday somewhere other than a theme park. You could visit the Boardwalk or walk from Boardwalk about 15 minutes to Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf game.

Conclusion - Disney's Fine art of Animation Resort

Putting bated the question of Pop Century vs. Art of Animation for a second, there's no questioning that Art of Animation is a fine value option if the rooms appeal to yous. If the themed room for Little Mermaid hooks yous, that's probably going to seal the deal. If information technology'due south the family suite y'all're later on, Art of Animation is a better option than All-Star Music.

Art of Animation has a great pool and ane of the best food courts on property. Those two checkboxes alone make information technology worthy of consideration for a value traveler. The Skyliner cuts downwardly on your need to rely on buses in many circumstances.

Simply if you lot're non completely sold on the room options at Fine art of Animation, the highest prices in the value category might put you off a bit. Add in that there's a fine choice correct across the lake, and it'southward tough to sell Art of Animation to anyone not already sold on the rooms.

Pop Century's superior rooms and practically identical location make us wonder why Disney is charging more for the Lilliputian Mermaid Rooms at Fine art of Blitheness. The Little Mermaid Rooms are bigger than the Popular Century Rooms, but I'm not sure that extra size makes up for the functional shortcomings of the room.

Some of information technology comes down to your party makeup. Families with more kids may adopt the bigger, more "fun" Trivial Mermaid rooms. Kids beloved the blueprint and cartoon decor of the resort, no doubt.

And and then in that location'due south price. Art of Animation'south relatively high price is going to make it worth thinking outside the box. If it's infinite you're later on, you'll get better blindside for your buck with an Airbnb almost Disney Globe. This is going to be especially true if you find yourself looking at those suite prices.

Overall, we're unlikely to return to Fine art of Animation unless it's to visit a family suite. We're not Niggling Mermaid zealots, and we feel strongly that Pop Century offers much better value. Nosotros're hopeful that Disney will update the Piddling Mermaid rooms in the next few years, equally that could really alter how we compare these value options.

All Your Other Disney World Planning Questions Answered

Don't be overwhelmed by Disney World planning! Accept a second to bank check out our most of import content and you'll non but exist an expert, merely you'll relieve big $$$ along the mode.

But starting out? Cheque out our Walt Disney World planning guide! If you lot're still picking dates, we've got everything you need to know about Disney World crowd calendars. For picking your hotel, bank check out our Walt Disney Globe hotels guide.

When it comes fourth dimension to volume we'll assistance you find discount Disney Globe tickets. Determine whether you need a dining programme in our Consummate Guide to Disney World Dining Plans! And don't forget to book those Disney World Advance Dining Reservations!

Don't forget to primary your Disney World Genie+ and Lightning Lane strategy a few months in advance. We'll proceed you out of long lines so you can maximize the magical time in the parks! We've got park-specific guides every bit well: Magic Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Epcot Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Animal Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, and Hollywood Studios Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.

Know what to ride with our guides to: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, Epcot rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our guide to Blizzard Beach and our guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some some fun prep, bank check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.

Finally, earlier you head out, be sure to check out our to-the-betoken packing list, x essentials y'all forget to pack for every Disney trip. And if yous're interested in saving, in that location'due south no better list than our 53 Ways to Salve on your Disney trip from beginning to finish.

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