Is the view shown on the room finder tool for AOA the view from the entry to room or the view from the window?
In the LM rooms, they are right beside each other - the door and the window - so it’s the same, really
Not sure about the family suites
Edited: for the family suites, I forgot that the rooms have interior hallways!
So the view would have to be from the window 
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If the room is a family suite, then the view is from the window. The entry to those rooms is from an interior hallway.
If the room is a standard room in the Little Mermaid section, then the view is from outside the room on the walkway. It’s hard to tell if the shot was taken from standing in the doorway or in front of the window.
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I was just editing as you posted that I forgot that detail about AoA suites!
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Any idea on why they laid out AoA like that? Seems really odd that the regular rooms have exterior hallways while the suites are all interior. Is it just to make the suites themselves seem a little more upscale?
We just stayed there and loved it. We booked a Little Mermaid normal room, but somehow got upgraded to a Cars Suite which was in a great location and really enjoyed the upgraded room…But were very surprised to learn the LM area was external entry and were wondering why.
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Possibly. It also has to do with when those sections were built.
1992 All-Star resorts started construction.
1994 ASSp and ASMusic opened
1999 ASMovies opened
1999 Pop Century started construction. Originally it also had 1900-1940’s sections where AOA is.
2001 9/11 happened. Construction stopped. It resumed but the economy and travel were down so only the Classic Years section, 1950-1990’s, were completed as Pop Century. The rest was left as shells. Only 40’s section was fairly complete with walls and doors, now the Little Mermaid section.
2003 Pop opened
2005 Family suites at ASMu were made by combining two standard rooms, keeping their exterior door.
2010 Pop Legendary Years changed to AOA. Construction began to finish all remaining rooms as suites. Because they were incomplete, they could finish with interior hallways and as family suites.
2012 AOA opened.
*thanks to Mouseplanet - The Story Behind the Art of Animation Resort by Jim Korkis
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Thanks - that’s a really good explanation. While I knew AOA was originally intended to be more Pop, I had no idea some of the buildings were already mostly done, delayed and then converted to the Little Mermaid section. All makes sense then that with the exterior entry already done in those areas there was no reason to change.
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