When I think of Disney, I think of the Little Mermaid. That was my favorite movie growing up, so when I got the opportunity this past month to stay at the value resort, Art of Animation, in the Little Mermaid rooms, I was beyond excited. Although the trek to the rooms is good one from the main lobby and the Landscape of Flavors food court, the rooms were very nice for our family of 3. We were travelling with our best friends and requested a connecting room and that request was filled! It was nice having the connecting door with our rooms.
Little Mermaid Rooms
Diving into the Little Mermaid Rooms, it was FULLY immersive for those who LOVE the movie! If this is a first visit, I highly recommend this resort period, but if you’re looking to save and do not want to go for the suites, the Little Mermaid rooms definitely fit the bill. You have two comfortable queen beds that have storage underneath for your luggage to slide under. If you’re like our family, you can stick all your Disney bags with your purchases under there too! The bathroom is nice because it has the sliding curtain so if your little ones or your spouse is still asleep and your getting ready you can slide that curtain closed and get ready without disturbing your crew!
My absolute favorite part of the room, which may sounds a little silly, was the shower! The tiles in the shower are Ariel’s Secret Grotto and it is amazing…sometimes it’s the little details that win me over the most! The small table with two chairs was handy when we would grab a meal to go at the Landscape of Flavors and bring it back to the room. It also came in handy when we needed to use the computer after we had been in the park! The media cabinet held the TV on top with a coffee maker and also a mini fridge in the cabinet with small drawers on the side for us to store our clothes. This was nice to organize our clothes during our stay.
Landscape of Flavors
Dining while we stayed at Art of Animation was at Landscape of Flavors. This is the food court and offers a good variety of food selection. In fact, it is one of the biggest and best variety of food courts available. Mobile Order is the preferred way of ordering and what we did each time. Service was always great and the wait times were very small. My recommendation is to order and eat in the lounge. The walk back to the Little Mermaid rooms with your food is a long walk and if your starving or if in a hurry you will just end up with cold food. We found that if we got ready and just ordered our food as we walked out the door, it was ready when we got there and we could eat and enjoy it!
The options at breakfast was a good selection from waffles to eggs, breakfast sandwiches, fruit cups and oatmeal. I can personally approve of the waffles! Lunch & Dinner are pretty similar with Pizza, Chicken Strips, Cheeseburgers, and the regular kids meal options. You really can’t go wrong with what you choose and the kids were always happy!
Art of Animation Transportation
Transportation options are vey simple. You have the skyliner to go to Epcot or Hollywood Studios and you have the bus to take you to any of the four parks! If you have early morning breakfast at a resort, keep in mind of the time, as buses and the skyliner may not be running. If you plan to do Topolino’s Terraceor Chef Mickey’s you may have to take an uber or a lyft. The good thing about this is they will pick you up right outside of the Little Mermaid Rooms.
If you heading to Epcot or Hollywood Studios the skyliner is the best options and the easiest. You will board at the Art of Animation/Pop Century station and take it to the transfer station located near Caribbean Beach Resort. There you will transfer to where you want to go. There is a line straight across for Epcot and to the left for Hollywood Studios. The transfer station also has a Joffrey’s coffee spot and restrooms. In the middle is an information booth with cast members if you have any questions. The lines may seem to be long, however they move fast and easy. Make sure to call the front desk or check your signs at your resort for the skyliner operation hours.
The buses start running about an hour before the park opens and they start lining up around that time too. So, from my experience, if you want to get on early, get to the bus stop early. For those travelling and staying at Art of Animation, if you stay until park closing at Epcot or Hollywood Studios and the line is very long at the skyliner you have the option to ride the bus back to Art of Animation and the line is typically shorter and you may get back a little quicker. This was our experience. Although, the skyliners are so much fun you may want to wait.
Art of Animation Pools and Recreation
The Big Blue Pool is the largest resort pool in Walt Disney World. We were able to enjoy the Flippin Fins Pool, this is the pool right at the Little Mermaid rooms. It was genuinely nice and had plenty of room for guests and the kids to enjoy. There is also the Cozy Cone Pool located in the area of the Cars Family Suites. Towels are provided for guests as the enter. While we enjoyed some great temperatures, the pool was a nice relaxing spot for us to enjoy after a long day in the sun! During our stay, there was also movies on the lawn twice during the week showing two different movies each time. Another great way to unwind in the evenings.
Is Art of Animations a good fit for your next vacation?
Art of Animation is a great resort for any Disney guest wanting to be fully immersed in the Disney experience. If you are concerned about the walking distance to the Little Mermaid rooms from the front of the lobby/transportation area, then you may consider the family suites! If you are wanting to be closer to the Big Blue Pool and want a little more space you may consider the Nemo Suites that sleep 6. Overall, I think this is a great family resort. When you arrive, whether you are celebrating your first or your 10th visit, you know you’re at Disney and your getting every aspect of it from your stay to your parks. Ready to get started?
