Disney

Way back at the end of Summer in 2013, I was toying around with some ideas for my 30th birthday coming up in January. I really wanted to do a cruise, but just kept talking myself out of it. Finally, that’s what we decided to do once Brett decided we should do a Disney Cruise. We had never done a Disney Cruise before, and we wanted to make sure Trent had enough to do once onboard. We booked it almost immediately after deciding on it and deciding on a room (see the review & photos of our amazing room here).

I found out I was pregnant a few months later and that I would be smack in the middle of my first trimester during the cruise. I had never gotten sick on a cruise before (even though I’ve only been on two before this), nor did I have much morning sickness with Trent…but I was still nervous and a little disappointed at the timing (of the cruise - not the baby). I wanted to take advantage of bringing alcohol on board, or stuffing my face with food without being repulsed by it, or looking hot in a bikini! But, we were going to make the best of it and see it how it goes. I mean, a vacation is better than working, right?

Of course, no trip to central Florida is complete without at least one day at Walt Disney World…and heck, why not two? Our cruise was 4 nights and we added 2 nights at the Contemporary Resort prior to the cruise. So this trip will start with our first 2 days at WDW and then our 5 day cruise onboard the lovely Disney Dream.

 

Day 1

On Friday, we woke up at 5am and left at 6am. Don’t even ask how we did it. We never leave on time. Ever. But today we did, so I guess I can’t say that any longer. Our goal was to swiftly take Trent from the bed to the car seat and have him sleep for a few more hours while we were on the road.

HA! Yeah right.

He woke up immediately and there were no signs of an immediate return to sleep. We visited the McDonald’s drive-thru (we’re fancy eaters…) for breakfast. Trent started eating my hash brown and since that’s my favorite part of breakfast, we had to swing through the other McDonald’s that we pass before getting on the Interstate so I could get another one. Two trips to McDonald’s within 5 minutes…I am ashamed.

Getting SunPass for tolls a few years ago….best decision ever. We get to fly right by without having to slow down, wait in line or find change.

Then it was time for the most beautiful sight…

We made pretty good timing and arrived at the Contemporary Resort at 9:45am. I had forgotten that the resort and express monorails were going through an upgrade and were not operational from 11:30 am-7pm. At first, I was pissed that I just paid an extra $150 a night for a convenience that wouldn’t be available, but then realized it only affected us today and not tomorrow, so I calmed down…a little. Shockingly enough, our room was ready, so we had a cast member bring our luggage to our room and got ready to quickly catch the resort monorail to take us to the TTC to transfer to the Epcot monorail.

Our first stop was The Seas with Nemo & Friends. The sign said the wait was only 5 minutes, but we were in line almost outside of the building and wasn’t moving, so we just decided to leave the line and go in the other entrance. Time to look at some fishies!

A little bit about Trent at this age: he doesn’t want to be held, he wants to do everything himself (even if he doesn’t know how to do it) and will scream bloody murder if you take him away from something he is enjoying.

After we looked at the fish for a while, it was time to move onto something else…but not for Trent. When he realized I was leading him to the exit, he started to flip out. Oh boy, it was our first attraction and we were in trouble. I started bouncing him around like a maniac and he started laughing and forgot about what was happening. Mommy=1, Trent=0.

We started to head towards World Showcase, but not before Brett took advantage of a stopped monorail above the upward spraying fountain.

Our first stop in World showcase was the Canada Pavilion. Brett spent quite a bit of time here taking photos…it’s a very scenic area.

Where’s Mommy and Trent? Can you see us?

This area is never crowded…even with the beautiful fountain towards the back. It’s a great place to relax or enjoy some snacks.

I went ahead and left Brett in Canada while I headed to the United Kingdom pavilion to grab some lunch… fish & chips!

While we were eating, Brett joined us…along with plenty of birds and ducks trying to taste our delicious food. Animals in WDW are not afraid of anything…they were literally inches from us, just waiting for something to fall or be given to them. They must know how toddlers work.

Continuing on to the France Pavilion, I took a risk and sat by the fountain to get a good photo. Trent wanted to dive in head first. That boy loves the water.

In the Moroccan pavilion, we took a peek at the new Spice Road Table. They have lots of outdoor seating with a wonderful view of World Showcase Lagoon.

A table by the edge would be a great spot to enjoy some dinner/dessert and watch Illuminations!

I can’t even remember if they were actually open yet or not, but there probably wouldn’t have been anyone out there because of how unbelievably cold it was.

Oh yeah…I don’t think I’ve mentioned just how cold it was this day. Just look at Trent with a thick hat on that covers his ears, a long sleeve shirt, a jacket and blanket. His hands were cold, but he didn’t want to wear gloves. I have never been at WDW this cold. Now I know why I don’t go for my birthday.

Time for another game…where’s Mommy and Trent?

You may notice that many of these photos have a different look to them than you’re used to seeing here…that’s because Brett rented a tilt-shift lens from Borrow Lenses and wanted to use it as much as possible. Trent and I did our own thing quite a bit while at WDW this trip so Brett could take photos. I didn’t mind, as I wasn’t always feeling great because of the “morning” sickness, so it was nice to just stroll around and relax with Trent.

Plus, the result is a bunch of beautiful photos to enjoy!

Trent fell asleep in the stroller, so while Brett wandered through the China pavilion to take photos, I set us up a nice little spot on a bench to relax and soak in some warmth from the sunlight.

I wanted a snack, so when we started walking again, I grabbed an order of egg roles from the counter in China. They were ok, but not something I would go out of my way to get again.

Pretties.

Even the Jammitors were bundled up!!

We headed out of Epcot and took the monorail back to the TTC.

Since neither the Express or Resort monorail was running at the time due to maintenance, we had to take the ferry. We have been taking the ferry for the most part these last few trips because it is a more scenic route, however, I would have definitely preferred the monorail this time…the wind chill was almost unbearable…so cold.

I occupied my almost frozen brain with laughing at this sign I saw on the ferry. It just doesn’t look right. Sorry.

We went to Dumbo first. Figures that there was basically no line when we got there, but by the time we were done letting Trent play, there was a long line! Oh well, it’s worth it because he really enjoys the little fire truck in the center of the play area.

It was a cold cold ride on Dumbo!

I don’t even know what I was doing in this next photo..maybe telepathically telling Brett how cold I was. Yeah, that’s it.

Have you ever noticed the sidewalk outside of Dumbo? It has little peanuts! Disney puts so much attention to detail, I just love little things like this.

We tried to do a little recreation of Trent’s photo outside of Dumbo during his first Disney trip, but it was just too sunny that he could barely open his eyes!

Next up was possibly the longest I’ve ever been on It’s a Small World. The boats got extremely backed up and we were hardly moving. Sure, a slowed down ride = more time for Brett to take photos, but that also means Lynn slowly going insane from the song!

Cold, sick and slowly going insane…but hey, we’re in Disney! Hahaha

I really do like all the colors though…lots of things to look at in that ride.

Next time you’re ready to start partying, just remember…it’s 5 o’clock somewhere

Prior to the trip, I had reserved a FastPass+ time for Brett to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, since it had just come out of refurbishment and thought it would be nice for him to get some photos of it. See, aren’t I a nice wife? I couldn’t ride because I was pregnant, but I still thought of him.

It was a great time of day for a ride on the railroad!

Unfortunately, Brett said he had the tallest guy ever in front of him that kept his freakishly long arms up the entire time, so he didn’t get as many photos as he had wanted, but still some fun ones nonetheless.

While Brett rode, Trent played in the playground area by Splash Mountain. There were quite a few kids in there and it’s nearly impossible for an adult to get back just in case something happened. Trent saw all the other kids walking up without holding onto the sides, so he had to do it too, but he was slower at it since he was trying it for the first time, and of course another kid just kind of runs past him with a slight bump, knocking Trent over. He didn’t get hurt, but he was upset and I bumped my head trying to get in there and get him. 2 injuries is enough for me to end playtime!

We ate dinner at Columbia Harbour House…I had chicken tenders and fries and Brett has chicken/fish and fries and we both split a blueberry crumble dessert.

We started to head back towards the Hub area.

We caught some of the Castle show…I was already in the Hub while Brett stayed back to take some photos.

It was around this time that the cold was starting to wear me thin. I also didn’t like the idea of Trent being out in the cold like that since we were both sick and still had a week’s vacation ahead of us. We had FastPasses for viewing Wishes later on, but I had to make the tough decision to opt out and go back to the hotel instead. I was so grateful that we had made the decision to stay at the Contemporary. Getting back to the room was so easy and convenient. We stopped by the Contempo Cafe for some cereal and fruit for Trent to snack on since he didn’t eat much at Columbia Harbour House. Brett was far from finished that night and still had time to go back to the room, pack a few photography necessities and head back out to the TTC to catch Wishes from the Ferry dock.

The fireworks look so much more extravagant and spectacular from the ferry dock. You just don’t realize how high they are when you’re in the parks due to the forced perspective illusion that Disney created.

While Brett froze outside, Trent and I were nice and warm in our room getting ready for bed. Turns out, you can have a fireworks view from a Garden View room at the Contemporary…if you stand all the way at the end of the window!

Remember how I said Brett was far from done that night? Since Wishes was at 8pm, He had enough time to watch Wishes, jump on the Epcot monorail and run to the back of the park to the Japan Pavilion to snag a spot for Illuminations! Two fireworks shows in one night…quite an accomplishment indeed! Especially in that cold weather!

Epcot had Extra Magic Hours that night and was open until midnight, although not very many people stuck around. So Brett continued walking around World Showcase to take photos.

It was so cold that Brett even made a pit stop into the shop in Mexico to buy a set of gloves and a hat! But he says it was worth it to get so much accomplished in one night.

Too bad I missed the fun…sure sleeping in the warmth and comfort of the hotel room is nice, but I would have liked to see these again.

As Brett made his way out of the park, little did he know he was about to accomplish another first…the monorail back to the TTC was no longer running (even though the monorail operators told him that it stopped at a certain time, it stopped even earlier than that…probably because there was no one left in the park!), so he had to take a Disney bus back to the hotel - something neither of us have done before! The one bus that was there asked him where he needed to go and took him directly there. He had the bus all to himself.

Well isn’t he special?!

I hope you enjoyed Day 1 of our January trip report!

Click here to continue reading to day 2 of our trip report!

 

In January before our cruise, Trent got his very first haircut at the Harmony Barber Shop in Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World.

The Harmony Barber Shop is tucked away in a little corner to the left after you enter the park.

They perform haircuts for children and adults, and while it says it’s on a “first-come, first-served” basis, we were able to get a reservation for the 1st Haircut Package. The 1st Haircut Package includes a cut, a certificate and Mickey Ears that say “My 1st Haircut”. They even place some of the locks in a satchel with Pixie Dust (glitter) and stickers and the cash register receipt even says “1st Haircut”.

Prices are $19 for adults and $15 for children. The 1st Haircut Package is $19, which is a completely reasonable price for all of that, if you ask me. They probably put $19 worth of stickers on him to keep him occupied during the haircut.

We wanted to show up early so we could get let in to take some “Before” photos before the massive opening crowds plowed through the parks. Although the park opened earlier than usual, we were able to at least get a few photos since no one was in the Barber Shop area.

We were both sick and unable to breathe through our noses. Fun, right?

While we waited for them to open, they opened the doors to where the horse and trolley was about to walk out and we got to spend some time watching the horse get prepared for a day of work.

When we first walked into the barber shop, I immediately knew this was going to be an adventure…that place is TINY! At the time, Trent wasn’t fond of strangers, but add to the fact there are 10 strangers and they are all within 10 feet of him, including one touching him with scissors on the head, and that makes for one interesting haircut.

From the get-go we messed up the plan, I went to hang our coats and bags on the wall and Brett had already started seating him the chair, causing him to reach out for me to “save him”. So I quickly ran over there (all of 3 feet) and started playing and talking. She placed Mickey stickers all over him and handed us a light-up spinning toy to grab his attention. He didn’t really care for that one so she handed us another one, which he liked.

While his eyes fixated on the swirling, flashy plane, it seemed like he almost forgot there was someone touching him, until she came around to his side to cut his little sideburns.

Luckily, the front of his hair didn’t need to be cut, it was the back that was a mess, and she was done in about 5 minutes. We had expected him to completely flip out during the entire thing, but he really only cried for part of it and mostly just wanted to get out of the chair and away from the people. It also didn’t help that he was sick, so he had to keep getting his little nose wiped, which pisses him off even more. (Is it bad that I want to cry while writing this and looking at these photos? Poor little guy)

Once she was done cutting, we took him out of the seat and paid. While paying, the barber gathered up some of his cut hair (which she very nicely placed on her workstation while cutting it, instead of letting it drop to the floor), put it in the satchel with some glitter and stickers and gave us his certificate and Mickey Ears.

She held up a mirror to show him how handsome he was, but he was not interested.

After it was done, Brett and I both agreed that he did much better than we expected. She was able to cut his hair without having to stop, so that must mean he wasn’t moving all that much, I suppose.

Happy to be done!!

I would definitely recommend using the Harmony Barber Shop for a first haircut. They really try to make the child happy during the entire process and they give you the mementos to keep forever. The price isn’t bad and baby gets to say he got his first haircut in Walt Disney World. How cool is that?!

You can read more about the Harmony Barber Shop at the official WDW site here: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/magic-kingdom/harmony-barber-shop/

 

Check out some of our other Disney reviews here!

 

Your Thoughts:

Do you know where your first haircut was or have any locks of hair from it? Or if you have kids, did you do anything special for their first haircut? Tell me in the comments!

Raglan Road is an Irish restaurant in Downtown Disney in Walt Disney World in Florida. Their most popular dessert is Ger’s Bread & Butter Pudding. This recipe was featured in the February issue of WDW Magazine, since Raglan Road was the featured restaurant in that issue.

 

Ger’s Bread & Butter Pudding from Raglan Road

Ingredients (serves 8):

12 slices white bread
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar

First, grease a 2-quart ovenproof dish. Then, cut the crust off of all the slices of bread.

Spread the butter over both sides of each piece of bread and then cut each piece into 4 smaller pieces.

Arrange 1/3 of the bread pieces in the bottom of the dish.

Sprinkle the raisins on top.

Lay out another layer of buttered bread on top of the raisins. Set aside.

To make the custard, heat cream and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it almost comes to a boil. Remove from heat.

Fill another medium saucepan halfway with water and place over high heat. Bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, separate eggs and combine yolks with sugar in a large heatproof bowl.

Once water in saucepan is boiling, turn heat down to medium and place heatproof bowl over the simmering water.

Whisk egg yolk mixture until whisk leaves a clear path behind it.

Then remove from heat and add cream mixture. Beat until well combined.

Pour two thirds of the custard over the layered bread and leave to stand for 30 minutes or until bread has soaked up all the custard.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour remaining custard over the soaked bread and arrange the remaining bread pieces on top. Press down gently with a spatula so that the top layer of bread absorbs some of the custard.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the custard is set and the top is golden brown.

Cut up and serve immediately…

…preferably with caramel sauce and ice cream

 

This recipe was derived from the recipe book: Chef Mickey Treasures from the Vault & Delicious New Favorites…

 

…and was also featured in the February Issue of WDW Magazine (learn more here).

To see more Disney posts, check out our Disney page here!

 

Be Our Guest is a restaurant that opened in 2012 with New Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World in Florida. It has French-inspired cuisine…lunch is fast casual and dinner is table service.

It is one of the main new additions to the park as part of the New Fantasyland expansion. The theming is absolutely breathtaking.

Since dinner is table service, advanced dining reservations can be made on the WDW website…but lunch is a different story. At lunch, you order and pay at the cashier’s stand and then take your number into the dining room and your food is brought out to you when it’s ready. Due to it’s incredible popularity, the line outside to get in is often extraordinarily long…so long that we had never eaten there because we don’t do lines that long. So long that cast members bring out a stand with water and cups for you to “enjoy” while you wait.

Brett has wanted photos from the inside since it opened, but you can only go in if you have a reservation and because we haven’t wanted to stand in line or eat dinner there (Brett is beyond picky and nothing stood out to him on the menu) he has gone without any photos of the inside, just lovely photos of the outside.

Well, one day, I noticed a blog post from another Disney blog I follow that said she got a Fastpass for lunch! What the WHAT?!

She said there was a special link for Be Our Guest Fastpass reservations and it did not count towards your regular ride/attraction Fastpass+ selections for that day. So I tested the link and whad’ya know…there were times available for when we would be there in January. So I scooped up a time slot for us and then had to make the hard decision of whether we wanted to pre-order. You have 2 options when making your selection:

FastPass+ Direct To Table

You select your time, select your entire meal and pay for it, then when you arrive at the restaurant, you check in and go find a seat and wait for your food to be brought to you. You skip the line outside and the cashier part.

FastPass+ Expedited Arrival

You select your time and that’s it. When you arrive at the restaurant, you check in and get to bypass the line outside, but still have to stand in line to order and pay from the cashier.

I really liked the idea of ordering and paying ahead of time, but we NEVER know how hungry we’ll be at any point in the day, nor do we know if Trent will eat. I almost did the pre-ordering, but decided against it.

When we arrived at Be Our Guest, we were somewhat disappointed that the line wasn’t as long as we’re used to. I mean, isn’t that part of the fun of having a Fastpass? To be able to laugh on the inside at the people waiting in line as you rush past them? Hehe.

We checked in at the counter to the left of the line, where they simply asked us my name and then said to go right in. We had Magic Bands on, so they didn’t need to give us a “Rose tracker” as they use our signal from the Magic Bands to find us. Pretty neat and scary at the same time, huh?

Once you get inside, there is still a short line before reaching the cashiers. There are several digital menus along the way so that “hopefully” you’ll know what you want by the time you reach the cashier.

At the end of the line, a cast member directs you to the next available cashier station.

Even though standing in line for the cashier added another 10 or so minutes to the waiting, I was happy I hadn’t ordered because I wasn’t that hungry and knew Trent wouldn’t eat very much, so we sort of split our meals. Brett even ordered an impromptu dessert.

Once we ordered, We walked through 2 of the dining rooms to take in the magnificent decor. I mean, this place is done to the nines. Everything is so beautiful. We settled on the middle room, while Brett went and took photos of everything.

The “Rose” room is popular among guests.

Here is another room.

But we ultimately decided on the main room, it was the largest of the three, well lit and had tables available that were convenient just in case we had a toddler meltdown for some reason or another (we have to plan for these things now).

Our food was wheeled out to us by a cast member. Brett got the turkey sandwich with pommes frites (fries). It was really disappointing because when he ordered, the sandwich comes with turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion. But Brett doesn’t eat onions, so he asked for no onions, but the cashier cast member said it’s basically all or nothing and if he didn’t want onions, the entire cheese/lettuce/tomato/onion would be left off. They wouldn’t even put it on the side. So he had turkey on bread…for $14.

I had the French onion soup and it was delicious. It was better than the much-raved-about Belle’s Onion Soup in the Royal Palace restaurant on the Disney Dream. Yup, I said it.

On another note, isn’t it funny how much Brett hates onions and then I go and order onion soup. No wonder he never kisses me haha j/k!

We got the Mickey Turkey Meatloaf and fries for Trent. After cutting up the meatloaf, I tested a piece and it was cold. Yuck! So we called a cast member over and she offered to take the meatloaf and “warm it up” - making us move the fries off the plate so she could take it. She brought it back and said “That should be ok” and put her hand a half an inch above the meatloaf to show she was feeling the warmth. I tested another piece and it was barely warm. There are so many things wrong with what she did. First, you don’t make the customer scoop their fries off of the plate to another plate so you can go place the meat under a heat lamp for a minute. You offer to bring another meatloaf. For a $10 kids’ meal, trust me you would not have lost any money on bringing us another one. I wasn’t trying to get a free meal, but Trent is picky enough that we were already taking a chance on him even eating the meatloaf in the first place, but COLD meatloaf? Forget about it, he wouldn’t touch it. Then, you definitely don’t put your entire hand over the food like that. I know she didn’t actually touch it, but by her doing that, it makes me wonder if she moved it around with her hands to test it while she had it in the back and we couldn’t see. She wasn’t a chef…she was the floor supervisor, so I don’t necessarily trust that she washed her hands before doing any of that. I was just surprised at the terrible customer service coming from a new, popular and expensive restaurant at Walt Disney World. It definitely took us off guard and was very unfortunate.

Well, after all that…Trent didn’t eat any of the meatloaf. Go figure. I helped him finish his fries and then Brett and I split the dessert because Trent didn’t want any. What a weird kid.

Overall, Brett was glad he got to take photos of Be Our Guest, but we probably won’t be going back anytime soon. Between the inability to customize anything on the menu, the questionable service, and the above-average (for WDW) prices make this a less than desirable lunch option for us. We’d rather take advantage of the toppings bar at Cosmic Rays or the delicious seafood options at Columbia Harbour House instead.

 

Your Thoughts…

Have you been to Be Our Guest? Lunch or dinner? How do you like it compared to other places in WDW? Tell us in the comments!

 

Art of Animation is a resort in Walt Disney World located in Florida.

We have stayed at AOA twice since it opened in 2012 (during Trent’s first trip to WDW in April 2013 and once in October 2013). The location and buildings of AOA were originally intended to be the 2nd half of the Pop Century resort, which is located on the other side of Hourglass Lake. Pop Century’s buildings are themed by decades and the first section that was built and that you know of today as Pop Century is the Classic Years. The other side was intended to be decades 1900 to 1940, and known as the Legendary Years. The building skeletons were built and sat empty for several years, until Disney scrapped the original idea and instead decided to go with an entirely new theme.

It was fun watching the transformation from across the lake over the course of a few trips.

We were definitely excited to be able to finally take in the view from the other side of the bridge!

There is a central building that contains the Check-in and Concierge desks, the gift shop, the arcade and the food court.

The check-in and concierge area is large, so as to accommodate the large crowds that descend upon it during peak check-in times. It’s also very colorful with lots of interesting drawings from the Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo, Lion King and Cars movies located along the opposite wall. They progress from basic sketches all the way to the full color final drawings that you’ve seen in the movies.

The Ink & Paint Shop is the place to get souvenirs and various sundries.

Definitely don’t go into the arcade if you are prone to epileptic seizures…lots of bright flashy lights!

The food court is called Landscape of Flavors and offers several stations to order various types of food off of a digital menu. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are offered, and there is also a gelato station and several cold cases to choose from. Here, you’ll also find the refillable mug stations.

Right outside the food court doors is our favorite pool of WDW, the Big Blue pool. Sure, we haven’t experienced every pool on property, but so far, this one is our favorite…and Trent especially loves it. It is large and wide open, but the best part is the zero entry side with jellyfish that spray water down. The zero entry is perfect for little kids. This is the single largest pool on WDW property and is also the first to have underwater speakers playing…what else…Disney music!

Right behind the pool is the splash area. Trent can’t get enough of this area, although he has usually been the youngest and we have to constantly keep an eye out for older kids that run into him. Luckily, it’s padded, so a minor collision won’t put an end to your vacation

There is also a playground behind the splash area for some non-water action. If you are located in one of the farther buildings or if you are searching for a more layed-back (i.e. not as crowded) pool, fear not, there is also a pool located in the Little Mermaid Section and in the Cars section that are both often less crowded because they lack those extra features that pull in the kids to the Big Blue pool.

Disney has three main categories for their hotels…Deluxe, Moderate and Value. AOA falls into the Value category, but offers two types of rooms: Standard rooms that can sleep up to 4 people, and Family Suites that can sleep up to 6 people. Having both options in a Value resort means more people can experience this amazing hotel. There are 4 themed areas: Little Mermaid, Lion King, Finding Nemo and Cars. Let’s take a look at the room types and the locations.

 

Standard room

All of the standard rooms are located in the Little Mermaid section. Standard rooms have a single bathroom and either a King Bed or two double beds. There isn’t a whole lot of room to move around, but if you don’t spend much time in your room during your Disney vacation, then that shouldn’t necessarily matter.

Our biggest complaint about being in the Little Mermaid section is the distance from all of the amenities, such as the food court and main pool/splash area. Sure, there’s a pool right in the middle of the 3 Little Mermaid buildings, but as a family with a toddler, we prefer the Finding Nemo pool since it has more for him to do. The walk is just so far…and it seems even farther during a hot Florida day.

Here are some photos of a Little Mermaid standard room with 2 double beds.

 

Family Suites

The Family Suites are located in the Lion King, Finding Nemo and Cars sections. The layout of most of the rooms, no matter their location, are basically the same, they are just themed differently. They have multiple rooms and bathrooms and PLENTY of room to move around. The doors to the rooms are located on the inside of buildings, with temperature-controlled hallways (as opposed to the Little Mermaid section, where the doors are located outside), making the trek to your room after a long day much more comfortable.

These rooms have one full bedroom with an attached bathroom, 2 sitting areas with pull out beds, a mini kitchen area and a separate bathroom.

We stayed in the Lion King Suites during one of our visits. We may have had a handicap-accessible room, so keep in mind that our room layout may look slightly different from the regular rooms, but should be almost identical.

Photos of a Lion King Family Suite

-First sitting area with tv and a couch that pulls out to a bed.

Second sitting area with a desk and a bed that pulls down from the wall.

The Lion King Section is where you can catch movie night…and if your room is in the right location, you can watch it out of your window since they open up!

 

Theme

Some people find the theming of Value resorts to be a little cheesy, with their giant icon statues scattered throughout the property. I can see where that thought is coming from, but I think that Disney did much better with AOA as compared to the other Value resorts. It’s just the right level of Disney, without going over the top. Kids will probably find AOA much more fun than many of the other hotels that lack an obvious Disney theme and there are some great photo opportunities throughout the entire property.

 

Cars Section

Don’t wait in long lines at the parks to get photos with Cars characters….take them at AOA!

 

Finding Nemo Section

 

Lion King Section

 

Little Mermaid Section

In regards to it’s location on WDW property, Art of Animation is closest to Epcot and Hollywood Studios, then Animal Kingdom, with Magic Kingdom being the furthest away. We drive our own vehicle on property, so we can’t vouch for timing of buses, but we feel like it is in a convenient location and never took us more than 10 minutes to get to any of the parks or Downtown Disney.

Since we are only a family of 3, we find the standard rooms to be fine enough for us, but when we crave a more convenient location or when our family grows (in both numbers and age/stature) we will most likely be switching to the Family Suites. As far as discounts go, Disney offers numerous room discounts throughout the year, but the Little Mermaid rooms have always been excluded so far. Maybe when AOA isn’t so “new” they will add them to the list for available discounts, but the Family Suites have been included so far.

 

Want to see more of our Disney posts, trip reports and photos? Check out our Disney page here!