where to stay at disney world

 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 walls and as the chandelier.  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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