Was not crazy about The Art of Animation

[Florida_is_hot]

They had us in the Little Mermaid area it was at least a 10 minutes walk maybe more to the main building and it seemed like every and I mean at every bus area the Art of Animation was the farthest away.

I think next time I will see if I can get a better hotel. May seem petty but you go to WDW at the end of a long day you really can not get into the walk.

Anybody just drive to the Theme parks ?

 

[Dave B]

I have a question for you, when you reserved the room were you able to put in any type of room requests? I am at my check in window and when I go in to put in my room requests, it is just blank on the drop down? Did something change? How was it for you? Have you stayed at the All Stars before? or is this your first time with a value resort?

 

[sxeensweet]

The Little Mermaid rooms are the “value” rooms of the resort so is the farthest away from everything. The rest of the sections at AOA are the suites which yes they are more expensive but gets you a larger room and closer to things. So not all of AOA is like the Little Mermaid section. But still many love TLM section of AOA. Sorry it didn’t meet your expectations.

 

[drizgirl]

I have a question for you, when you reserved the room were you able to put in any type of room requests? I am at my check in window and when I go in to put in my room requests, it is just blank on the drop down? Did something change? How was it for you? Have you stayed at the All Stars before? or is this your first time with a value resort?

That wouldn't have made a difference. The area with the Little Mermaid rooms is the farthest from the food court/gift shop/bus stop area. And it is a very long way.

 

[ohioguy]

I have a question for you, when you reserved the room were you able to put in any type of room requests? I am at my check in window and when I go in to put in my room requests, it is just blank on the drop down? Did something change? How was it for you? Have you stayed at the All Stars before? or is this your first time with a value resort?

I'm not able to add room requests either. Something is up with the site.

 

[MightyMouse]

I was told by a cast member the rooms are not allocated until approx 1 week before a guest arrival. The pull down menu on the site does not allow for a specific wing request. I was told to call back within a week of my arrival and make a request if I wanted to be located in a certain wing. Of course it's just a request, not a 100% guarantee.

 

[correcaminos]

Anybody just drive to the Theme parks ?

We have though we do not drive to MK because having to park at TTC is a pain in the... well you know. It's really easy and not bad to do at all.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Ive been assigned a room before in a building that was a distance from the bus stop, lobby, gift shop, pool & food court, and it sure does make a difference in the enjoyment of the resort. Having to take a long walk to do anything really gets tiring after a few days. The worst is after spending the entire day hoofing around the parks youre looking forward to getting back to the room to relax and once you get off the bus youre looking at another long distance walk. I always scope out the resort maps and try all I can to get into the most convenient building. Sometimes Disney accommodates me, other times not.

 

[jaklgreen]

The way that resort is set up, the regular rooms(Little Mermaid) are the furthest away. Any of the other value resorts you can pay to be in a preferred room that will get you closer to the buses and main building.

 

[sxeensweet]

The way that resort is set up, the regular rooms(Little Mermaid) are the furthest away. Any of the other value resorts you can pay to be in a preferred room that will get you closer to the buses and main building.

Yep so room requests will not help with Little Mermaid rooms ever being they are only in one area at AOA which is the farthest away being those are not “preferred” rooms. The suites (that
make up most of AOA) even though you can’t book preferred (like other Values) are considered the preferred rooms at AOA.

 

[slappy magoo]

I suppose you can try to ask for the rooms closest to The Lion King suites so it's slightly less of a walk...but being on the far end, despite being a hike, might give you a shot at a quieter stay as fewer people need to walk past YOUR room to get to THEIR room. Everyone's mileage may vary, it only takes one noisy neighbor to really screw up a trip.

We only ever stayed at AoA LM section for one night, driving to WDW from NJ per usual and arriving a day early. So we had our car. Had lunch at the food court, giant PITA (and I don't mean a sandwich), so much so that we decided to forgo dinner at the resort, despite being exhausted. We got a reservation for dinner at Whispering Canyon and drove over after a nice swim in Big Blue. Next morning, I went to pick up breakfast in the food court to bring to the room and again it was just misery. Cacophony. Took way too long, I should have just picked up bagels, as gross as WDW bagels are, just get in and out.

 

[Mickey5150]

I wish if Disney wanted to have value rooms at the value resort they should have had some in each area. I'd eliminate most of little mermaid and add a lion king value building at the end. Then add a nemo and cars value building and then the resort would be perfect.

 

[DryerLintFan]

We're going during peak times and the difference in price between a LM room and a suite for four nights is $1200. For $1200, I'll take the walk.

 

[drizgirl]

We're going during peak times and the difference in price between a LM room and a suite for four nights is $1200. For $1200, I'll take the walk.

But a suite is more like having 2 rooms. For parties of more than 4, a LM room isn't even an option.

 

[DryerLintFan]

But a suite is more like having 2 rooms. For parties of more than 4, a LM room isn't even an option.

The OP chose the LM room over the suites when they booked, so I'm guessing they didn't have a party of more than 4.

If they wanted to pay the higher rate they could have received a room closer to the transportation and food court and saved themselves from the walking.

 

[slappy magoo]

We're going during peak times and the difference in price between a LM room and a suite for four nights is $1200. For $1200, I'll take the walk.

But a suite is more like having 2 rooms. For parties of more than 4, a LM room isn't even an option.

The OP chose the LM room over the suites when they booked, so I'm guessing they didn't have a party of more than 4.

But @drizgirl was quoting you and not the OP so I'm guessing her comment was directed in response to yours.

 

[freesvoice]

Ive been assigned a room before in a building that was a distance from the bus stop, lobby, gift shop, pool & food court, and it sure does make a difference in the enjoyment of the resort. Having to take a long walk to do anything really gets tiring after a few days. The worst is after spending the entire day hoofing around the parks youre looking forward to getting back to the room to relax and once you get off the bus youre looking at another long distance walk. I always scope out the resort maps and try all I can to get into the most convenient building. Sometimes Disney accommodates me, other times not.

This is the perfect reason as to why if you can afford more, you should book better! Most people love to say they are park warriors and won't spend time at the resort other than to sleep but all the time at the resort still adds up. Learned over the past few months that saving time costs money at WDW but is well worth it in most cases. Hence why people dish out for the monorail resorts or preferred rooms at moderates or value at the very least.

 

[allgiggles]

They had us in the Little Mermaid area it was at least a 10 minutes walk maybe more to the main building and it seemed like every and I mean at every bus area the Art of Animation was the farthest away.

I think next time I will see if I can get a better hotel. May seem petty but you go to WDW at the end of a long day you really can not get into the walk.

Anybody just drive to the Theme parks ?

This is where doing a little research before booking is very beneficial. A quick search on any forum about LM rooms will turn up numerous posts about how far of a walk they are from the main building/bus stops. Requesting a room "close to transportation" and either building 7 or 9 can get you a good location (some of those rooms are actually closer than a few of the Cars Suites...and certainly closer than some rooms at other resorts are to their food courts/bus stops). Now, if you end up in building 8...you're going to have a long walk no matter what. If you have a car and plan to drive to the parks and don't plan to use the refillable mugs or eat in the food court frequently, the LM rooms are ok. My son and DIL have been in Building 7 & 9, both times in a room close to the LK section and their walk from those rooms was shorter than their walk when they stayed at one of the All Star resorts (can't remember which one). I do sympathize with guests who either didn't realize how far away the LM rooms are when they booked or didn't get their request for "close to transportation" -- after a long day of walking around the parks, I would not want to have to walk all the way to building 8 (or the far ends of buildings 7 & 9). We've stayed in a suite a AoA on 3 stays and really enjoy the resort, but if I was booking a standard room, I'd book a preferred room at Pop.

 

[Lets Respect]

We always rent a car and drive even when we stay onsite (unless we are on the monorail/WL or the Epcot area)

 

[John Dulmage]

We stayed at AOA in LM rooms last year and LOVED it. We were with the grand kids and they enjoyed going past all the characters and things going to and from the room. Even though I'm in my 60's I didn't mind the walk and the cuteness of the rooms made up for it. Plus the pool that's right there is awesome. We had 7 in our party - too many for a suite, so we got 2 adjoining rooms in the LM section. Still way less expensive than other resorts for that party size. Great food court, too. I'd go back in a heartbeat!