The summer is over so its time to head into fall activities, and Walt Disney World is no different. Fall brings the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) and Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival (F&W). This will be my 3rd year attending both of these events. Last week Nancy brought you the story of her first time to the Food and Wine Festival. So now, I’ll share some of my thoughts about F & W from a veteran traveler. Read more
Can you believe summer is nearly over? Where did it go? One end of summer tradition we have is to go to the Indiana State Fair which it seems that I can somehow connect to Disney. (Last year it was finding the Dole Whip 🙂 ). This is year was made super easy by one of the key note attractions- Get Animated. This was a unique exhibit dedicated to the history and stories of animation and the artists; including Disney, Hanna-Barbera, Fox, etc. Read more
Merry Christmas in July! Did you know that Walt Disney World celebrates the Christmas season for over 2 months? Due to work and family obligations, I’ve not been lucky enough to spend the holiday season at Walt Disney World; and unfortunately, it doesn’t look like I’ll be able to anytime soon. But… I was lucky enough to be at Magic Kingdom for the beginning of the “change over” between the seasons. Read more
For the past couple of months, I’ve talked about staying at the Boardwalk, a Disney Deluxe Resort. This month we are taking a trip to the newest Disney resort, the Art of Animation. Art of Animation (AofA) is a value resort, but trust me this not your typical resort. The resort is located across the bridge from Pop Century. As you pull up to AofA, you are welcomed by a large, colorful sign that helps to promote the playful atmosphere of the resort.
The lobby is decorated by sketches from Disney animated movies on the wa
lls and as the chande
lier. We stayed at the resort within the first month of opening last year so the check-in process was a bit hectic to say the least, which gave us plenty of time to look at everything.
The “food court,” Landscape of Flavors, is phenomenal. We could have easily eaten every 
meal here without repeating a dish. We grabbed our first dinner from the make your own pasta bar the day we arrived, so we could fuel up before hitting Epcot. I loved the cupcakes for dessert; they made a great breakfast for the next morning. 🙂
Art of Animation has some unique decorations to keep you entertained as you walk the campus to get to the main building where the bus stop, food court, gift shop, etc are located. 
There are 4 areas- Lion King, Little Mermaid, Cars, and Finding Nemo. The Nemo section, fittingly, has the property’s 
largest pool called The Big Blue Pool. One thing I liked is that you had to use your Key to the World card to access the pool areas.
Many of the rooms are family style suites with the ability to sleep a larger family of 6. There are standard rooms in the Little Mermaid
section which sleep 4. My husband enjoyed our stay in the Little Mermaid section.
I’ve noticed that prices seem to be a little higher for AofA than other value resorts, but in my opinion it is totally worth it! Can’t wait to stay here again.
Have a Magical Day!
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Adrienne is originally from the Chicago area but lives outside of Indianapolis with her husband, 2 dogs, and 2 cats. She went to Disneyland when she was 7, which started her love of Disney. She even named one of her dogs after her favorite princess, Aurora. She and her husband celebrated their honeymoon at Walt Disney World in 2007 and have returned for every anniversary. They have stayed at variety of resorts on property and traveled with friends and family. Adrienne and her husband bought into DVC in May 2011 and rewarded themselves with their first fall trip for some of the special events. Adrienne and her husband consider WDW their “second home” and have become the go-to people for any Disney related questions and advice from friends, families, and acquaintances.
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Continuing my review of Disney’s Boardwalk……Now that you’ve settled into your room, it is time to get some food and drink. Well, there are quite a few options on the Boardwalk and in the resort. The Boardwalk has two sides- Villas and Inn. The Villas are for Disney Vacation Club (DVC), the Inn for cash guests. On the Inn side, there is a small bar (Belle Vue Lounge) that is open in the evenings, but when we were there it was serving coffee, hot chocolate and some light snacks/breakfast. Read more