Located on-site at the Walt Disney World Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is one of Disney’s “Value” category resort hotels, providing an array of amenities at a fairly affordable price. The resort originally opened in May 2012 and features 984 rooms and 1,120 family suites.
The resort is grouped into four individual sections themed with popular Disney animated movies: Cars, Finding Nemo, The Lion King and The Little Mermaid.
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is located near the southeastern part of Walt Disney World directly across Hourglass Lake from Disney’s Pop Century Resort. It is a short distance to all four Walt Disney World theme parks, the water parks and Disney Springs. The Universal Orlando Resort and SeaWorld Orlando are both less than 30 minutes away.
Hotel amenities at this hotel are adequate for a property of this price point (“Value” Resort) and include a three resort style pools, organized recreational activities / entertainment, a children’s playground area and an on-site Arcade.
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Frequently Asked Questions – Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
What are the hotel rates at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort?
Since the Art of Animation Resort is one of Disney’s “Value Resorts”, prices are fairly affordable and typically range from over $200 per night to more than $500 per night for the family suites depending on the time of year. See our price chart below for rates during specific nights.
Does Disney’s Art of Animation Resort provide transportation to the Walt Disney World theme parks?
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort offers complimentary bus transportation throughout Walt Disney World including the theme parks, water parks, Disney Springs and the Resort hotels. There is also a Disney Skyliner station adjacent to the resort which provides access to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Is there free transportation from the Orlando International Airport to Disney’s Art of Animation Resort?
Complimentary transportation from Disney’s Magical Express is no longer offered. However, Mears Connect shuttle service provides transportation from the Walt Disney World Resort to the Orlando International Airport at a cost of around $30.00 per person.
Is there a Resort Fee or Parking Charge at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort?
There are no resort fees or self-parking charges when staying at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort.
How many pools are there at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort?
There are three pools at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort – the main Big Blue Pool is located behind the Animation Hall lobby building, the Cozy Cone Pool is inspired by the Cars movie franchise and the Flippin’s Fins Pool is themed after The Little Mermaid.
What are the food & beverage options at the Disney’s Art of Animation Resort?
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort features the Landscape of Flavors food court and the The Drop Off Pool Bar. Both venues are quick-service dining restaurants.
What is the check-in and check-out time at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort?
The check in-time at the Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is 3:00 pm and check out time is at 11:00 am.
What is the pet policy at the Disney’s Art of Animation Resort?
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is one of the few pet friendly on-site hotels at Walt Disney World. The hotel has a pilot program that allows up to two dogs in select rooms for an additional charge of $50 per night. Dogs receive “Pluto’s Welcome Kit” that includes a number of items needed during the stay. Four pet relief areas are near buildings 2, 5, 6 and 7.
Click here to see the official pet policies for Walt Disney World.
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About Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort originally opened in May 2012 and is one of Walt Disney World’s “value” resort hotels. The resort is highly themed and features 984 traditional hotel rooms along with 1,120 family suites.
There are four distinct sections at the Art of Animation Resort, themed after popular Disney animated movies. These four sections include:
- Cars
- Finding Nemo
- The Lion King
- The Little Mermaid
In addition to the themed buildings, there is a large lobby building called Animation Hall which features the “Ink & Paint” gift shop, food court and check-in areas. Bus transportation services pick up and drop off just outside of Animation Hall.
This resort hotel is located on-site within the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida near the southern end of the property along West Buena Vista Drive. Access to the area is provided by the Osceola Parkway which connects to Interstate 4 just a few miles to the east.
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
1850 Animation Way
Kissimmee, Florida 32830
407.939.7000
It will take about 30 minutes to get to Disney’s Art of Animation Resort from the Orlando International Airport. Guests can either take SR-528 (Beach Line Expressway) to Interstate 4, west to Osceola Parkway or SR-417 west to the Osceola Parkway. Both routes are similar in mileage and fairly easy to navigate for out-of-area travelers.
From Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, the time / distance to the visitor toll plazas at the Disney theme parks are as follows (per Google Maps):
- Magic Kingdom Park: Approximately 10 minutes
- Epcot: Approximately 10 minutes
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Approximately 7 minutes
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom: Approximately 5 minutes
- Disney Springs (Orange Parking Garage): Approximately 13 minutes
The time / distance to other popular Orlando area attractions is as follows:
- SeaWorld Orlando: Approximately 15 minutes
- Universal Orlando Resort: Approximately 19 minutes.
- Downtown Orlando: Approximately 30 minutes
- Orange County Convention Center: Approximately 15 minutes
- The Mall at Millenia: Approximately 25 minutes
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Amenities at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is a value based hotel so while it may not have all the features of a full service resort, it does not lack on amenities.
Resort Pool Areas
There are three separate pool areas at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, all of which have full-time life guards. The main pool is The Big Blue Pool which is the largest hotel pool at Walt Disney World consisting of 308,527 gallons of themed water fun. Themed after the “Finding Nemo” movies, this pool is located just behind Animation Hall and features a number of water features as well as The Drop Off poolside bar.
The 74,740 gallon Cozy Cone Pool is inspired by the Cars movies and includes a number of cone-shaped cabanas. This pool is located near the Cars section on the south side of the property.
The Flippin’ Fins Pool consists of 103,642 gallons of water fun and is themed after The Little Mermaid. This pool features Sebastian and the “Under the Sea Orchestra” and is located on the north side of the property.
During our most recent stay the pool hours were from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM and complimentary towels were provided at the pools.
Other Amenities
- Entertainment and Recreation
- The Pixel Play Arcade
- Children’s Playground
- Jogging Trail
- On-site Business Center
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
- On-site Laundry Facilitates
There is also complimentary transportation provided throughout the entire Walt Disney World Resort. The hotel features shuttle bus service outside of Animation Hall to the theme parks as well as Disney Springs and a station for the Disney Skyliner is located at the rear of the property. Guests can use the Skyliner to travel to Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Boardwalk area.
Click here for the Photo Gallery at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
Dining Options at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
Dining options at the Art of Animation Resort are adequate for the hotel and since it is a “Value” resort, both options are quick-service dining.
- Landscape of Flavors (Food Court): Serving American fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
- The Drop Off Pool Bar: Serving beer, wine, specialty cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks.
The Rooms at Art of Animation Resort
There two types of rooms at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, the Standard Room or the Family Suites Room. All rooms feature free wireless internet service, a coffee maker, mini-refrigerator, iron / ironing board, in-room safe, telephone with voicemail, hairdryer and bathroom products.
The Little Mermaid Standard Rooms
Standard rooms at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort sleep up to four adults and feature one King-Size bed or two Queen-Size beds.
Family Suites
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort features family suites in the Cars, Finding Nemo and Lion King sections of the property. The suites sleep up to six adults and feature Room include one Queen-Size bed and one double-size sleeper sofa and one double-size table bed.
Hotel Rates for Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
Like most hotels in the greater Orlando area, rates at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort are highly seasonal and we have found that rates and availability do vary quite considerably throughout the year. The rates shown below are the best available rate in both room types offered at this hotel.
The following rates were obtained from the hotel web site at the time of publication. Please note that nightly rates can change at any time.
| Rates for 2022-2023 | Dec 15th | February 15th | April 15th |
| Standard Room | $270.00 | $239.00 | $288.00 |
| Family Suites | $542.00 | $515.00 | $574.00 |
Taxes: There is a 6% resort tax on top of a 6.5% sales tax. There are no resort fees or self-parking charges.
Disney is constantly running special offers and there are always discounts for annual passholders and Florida Residents.
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What We Liked about Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
There are a number of things to like about Disney’s Art of Amenities Resort. Following are some of the highlights:
- Large family suite
- Great theming and decorations
- Complimentary Disney resort wide transportation include the Disney Skyliner
What We Did Not Like about Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
There are a few things about the Disney’s Art of Animation Resort we do not like which include:
- Limited on-site dining options
- Very crowded check-in, transportation service, dining and pool areas during peak times
- Pricing is steep for a “value” resort
What We Think Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is Perfect For
We were very happy with our stay at Disney’s Art of Animation and find that it is perfect for:
- Short and intermediate-term Disney vacations
- Large families (families suites)
- Sports team events at the nearby Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex
Our Thoughts
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is a great budget-friendly options if you choose to stay on site and take advantage of the Disney benefits including the free transportation service. The resort has excellent theming, quality amenities and plenty to do if you need a break from the theme parks. There is also the benefit of Disney Skyliner service to EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios
However, it is quite a large hotel that can get very crowded during peak travel days including the dining area and the pool. Also, be prepared to do a lot of walking to get around the hotel.
We would highly recommended this hotel at a nightly rate of $250.00 per night or less. Otherwise, we feel that there are better off-site options as you get above the $250 per night rate level.
However, without a vehicle guests are not fully able to explore the Orlando area outside of Disney (this of course is by design). Outside transportation service costs can add up if you are looking to visit non-Disney theme parks or off-property restaurants so keep that in mind for your next visit.
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