We just got back from a week at Art of Animation and thought I’d give a quick review. My husband and two daughters ages 5 and 8 shared a Finding Nemo Family Suite, 4532 on the ground floor.
The suite was great, we also asked for a trundle bed for the bedroom, which barely fit, but our girls do not share a bed well without fighting. We gave them the room so we could hang out in the living area during the evening after they went to bed. The extra bed was supposed to be $15 per night but we weren’t charged.
I did the online check in and I’m glad I did because when we arrived at the resort (11am) we were emailed our room number and we could go straight there, change into bathing suits and jump in the pool.
The Food court is really big and has quite a lot of different options. I’ve heard people complain that it’s something of a zoo but we never found it all that busy. We had breakfast around 7:30-8:00ish and used it for dinner one night at around 6-7ish. I did go in there on our last morning though around 9 for breakfast and it was a lot busier, so I guess it depends when you go.
Our suite was very close to the transportation being a Finding Nemo room and it looked out towards the lake at the back rather than the pool, which is really hopping right up until 11pm when it closes. No idea if rooms looking towards the pool are noisier.
One of my concerns was transportation and getting on the bus or waiting times, but we never had to wait very long. We went to MK, Epcot and HS. We used the bus in the morning around 8:15ish most mornings and always got on the first bus, never had to wait more than 5 minutes. We took the bus back to the resort around 2pm every day for a swim and then went back around 5:30ish for dinner. We came back to the resort again around 8:00-8:30 every night and once again never had to wait more than 6-7 minutes at the most. I’m sure if you’re leaving after the parade it’s much busier. There was a sign telling you the expected time for the next bus, which was pretty accurate.
For anyone wondering about wine, I asked many questions about this. The large store that sells all the Disney clothing, toys, mementoes etc. sells normal size wine bottles. They have their own brand of white and red for about $12 and Kendall Jackson for about $15. The selection is fairly limited, I’d say about 6 different wines in all. As for hard liquor I didn’t look for it, so they may have it. The bar sells some really good drinks open from 12pm-12am every day also. You can also buy beer by the bottle and also the smaller bottles of wine in the food hall.
The staff were all very friendly and helpful. We had plenty of fresh towels each day and there were plenty for the pool also. We never had a problem getting a lounger by the pool when we got there in the afternoon, but when I passed the pool in the evening, from about 7pm to 11pm it was super busy so I would imagine it might be harder at that time.
Happy to answer questions.