First Look: Disney's Art of Animation Resort

This week D-Luminations got its first look at the great new resort that recently opened at WDW, Disney's Art of Animation Resort.  Though only partially open, the resort is a wonderful addition to WDW.  Art of Animation is the fifth resort to be priced in the value category following the All Star and Pop Century Resorts.  This resort will feature family suites as well as standard rooms.  The resort should be fully operational in September 2012.

 The Art of Animation Resort is set up similiar to the other value resorts.  There is a main building containing the check in area, food court, shops and arcade.  The food court features a wide array of offerings so everyone in the family should be able to find something they like.  A nice feature is that unlike the other value resorts the food is served on real plates (not paper) and offers actual flat ware (not plastic).  I had the Mongolian Beef and it was delicious.

The buildings which house the guest rooms are based on 4 classic Disney films, Finding Nemo (Suites now open), Cars (Suites opening June 18th), The Lion King (Suites opening August 10th) and The Little Mermaid (Standard Rooms opening Sept. 15th).  The suites are designed to accomodate up to six guestes and feature 2 separate bathrooms, a master bedroom, and three separate sleeping areas in the living space.  A feature I really like about the buildings that house the suites is that unlike the standard value rooms, the suites have inside corridors.

 The pool area was large and amazingly themed.  We were only able to see the Finding Nemo pool as it was the only one open.  The Imagineers have really stepped up the theming compared to the other value resorts.

 We were able to get a glimpse of the Cars, Lion King and Little Mermaid buildings though they were still under construction.  Again Disney has done an incredible job with the themeing. You may notice that the Little Mermaid buildings are different than the others.  This is because they were actually built to be apart of the the second phase of Pop Century that was abandoned after 9/11.  The Little Mermaid buildings have   outside corridors similar to the ones at the All Star and Pop Century Resort.

 If you are planning a trip to WDW, especially a large family, we highly recommend  the Art of Animation Resort.  The resort is located adjacent to Disney's Hollywood Studios and the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and guests can enjoy complimentary transportation to the theme parks as well as the water parks.  For more information check out the WDW website and for more pictures check out the D-Luminations Facebook page.