Review of the Little Mermaid Rooms at Art of Animation

[AgentC]

Over the last few years, I’ve made a tradition of taking a day trip to visit the Food & Wine Festival. This year I decide to splurge a little and stay overnight, but not splurge too much since this was a solo trip and I knew ICOT15 was coming up fast. With the prices for a moderate running from $150-$210 (with a discount), this was going to be a value trip for me. I had only stayed at Pop Century once about 3 years ago, so I was about to settle on the All Stars until I realized the Little Mermaid rooms would be open. Without a discount, the Art of Animation room would run about $135 (about $45 more than the discounted rate at All Stars) but I couldn’t resist staying somewhere brand new and gave Magical Journeys the okay to book.

First some quick hits:
Pros
Friendly check in cast members
Really cute room décor
Fun theming through the resort
Great view (Building 7)
Lots of variety at food court
Efficient bus service
RFID keys are cool

Cons
Considerable wait at online check in line
Noisy lobby
Check in parking slightly inconvenient
Food court was loud and busy
Quiet pool felt small for number of rooms
No shampoo or soap in the room

[AgentC]

I arrived at Art of Animation at about 1 pm on a Friday. The security guards were friendly and efficient. Parking in front of the building was very crowded. I followed the signs for check in parking but once it the lots there were no designated spots for check in parking (or at least I didn’t see any).

At the front door, there was a very cute display of easels where children could learn to draw a character. Once inside the lobby is bright. The animated pictures on the walls work great with the theming, but the room was also very loud when filled with guests checking in. It was moderately busy with about 8 people in the regular line and 1 in the online check in line.

I seem to be cursed with on line check in. I don’t usually use it but since I was not going to have any special requests and it was just one night I gave it a try. Unfortunately the 2 online cast members were both helping families who were not doing on line check in and who were having issues. The concierge took the woman in front of me who also was having an issue. After about 10-15 minutes of waiting a cast member from the regular check in line came and got me. She was fast and friendly. I was on my way in about 5 minutes.

Since I had a car I moved to the lot closets the Mermaid buildings (7,8 & 9). The Mermaid buildings are the furthest from the lobby and main services. From the Mermaid section, you walk through the Lion King section and part of the Nemo section before arriving at the food court/store/bus area. Although I’ve heard that some consider it a long walk, I did not find it bad at all. Walking briskly, it took me approximately 5 minutes to walk from building 7 to the bus. With children, it would have taken me about 10. I did not find it any longer than walks at Coronado Springs or Port Orleans Riverside and it was shorter than the walk from the pirate rooms at Caribbean Beach Resort.

I was in the Ursula building. The buildings have a center elevator with staircases at the end of each side of the building. My room was facing Pop Century. The view was lovely. Better I think than overlooking the pool or the parking lot. Other than a few ducks at night, it was very quiet. If I were to stay here again, I would request this view/building.

The resort has the RFID keys, so you simply wave the key in front of the Mickey head on the door. I had seen pictures of the rooms online and had been a bit worried that the décor would be too bright, but I actually really liked the rooms. Even though the colors are bold, since the primary colors are blue and green, it is quite calming. Similar to the Royal rooms at POR, the table is decorated to look as if it has papers on it. In this case, it is sheet music for Under the Sea. The curtain that divides the sink/closet area from the room is adorable and my daughter loved the Ariel shower curtain when I showed her the pictures. I also thought the rest of the shower theming was great.

As might be expected in a section of the resort that had only been open for 2 weeks, there were some issues. There was no soap or shampoo in my room. Luckily I always carry some because I didn’t notice until the next morning. The room is also equipped with a self setting alarm clock that had the wrong time. I could not get it to reset or switch to manual mode and it kept displaying a low battery error. There was still some landscaping going on outside building 9.

The quiet pool was very convenient to all three buildings. It is surrounded by a small fence and like the main pool, you need your key to access the pool. There are also bathroom and laundry facilities at the pool. The pool was not huge and I could imagine it will get quite crowded when the resort is full.

I only used the bus service Saturday as I took my car to Epcot on Friday. I took the bus to Magic Kingdom at 9am on Saturday and then back to the resort from Epcot at 2. I didn’t wait long either time and neither bus was full.

I went to the food court twice. First Friday night at around 11 to get a snack. There is a large assortment of quick pick items (salads, sandwiches, bakery items, fruit and cheese plates) which was perfect for me. Even though there were not many people in line, service was slow at the register. This food court uses really silverware so I wasn’t exactly sure what to do since I was going back to my room. I ended up taking silverware with me and leaving it for housekeeping the next morning. Saturday morning I walk through the food court on the way to the bus. It was loud, crowded and almost every seat was taken. I don’t think I would have enjoyed eating breakfast there. I much prefer the atmosphere at the POR food court.

One fun thing I saw later in the day was two cast members using wet brooms to draw pictures of Mickey and Minnie on the concrete. Very cute.

Overall, I enjoyed my stay at the Art of Animation. I would stay here again if my children requested it or if I need a less expensive place to stay for a short trip. This is purely personal since the busier bigger resorts are not my favorite. I really like the resorts that are quieter with more landscaping and details. If you have a little girl who loves princesses this is a nice alternative to the Royal rooms. My 4 year old daughter loved the pictures and would definitely like to try the room out. My 6 year old son was less enthusiastic. If you are a value resort fan, I think you will really like this resort.

I will add pictures tomorrow.

[LVT]

Thanks for the review. I hope to try it some day.:number1:

[AgentC]

Art of Animation- Mermaid room

[AgentC]

Art of Animation. Outside views.

[AgentC]

Art of Animation.

[AgentC]

View from Building 7.

[Lindsey310]

Great review!!:thumbsup:

We checked out the AOA when we were there in early September but the little mermaid section was still closed. Thanks for the pics :mickey3:

[Scar]

There was no soap or shampoo in my room.Cindy, do you know if this is policy, or just a mistake?

[AgentC]

Cindy, do you know if this is policy, or just a mistake?

It was a mistake. They are supposed to have the same soap/shampoo as all the value resorts.

[Melanie]

Great review and great pics. Wow, that shower is something else. Had to double take! My first thought was "why on earth did they put that bar on the shower curtain?" :doh: lol!

[VWL Mom]

Great pictures and review, thanks.

Love the view you had!

[disneymom15]

Very nice, thanks for the pictures and review.

[SBETigg]

My children are now adults, so I’m probably not the target market for this resort. Some adults might love it, too, it’s just not for me. It looks like a kid’s room that some overenthusiastic mom has gone wild with on the home decorating. Some young fans will adore it.

But, couldn’t it still be whimsical and fun, and not look like something you could duplicate at home for under $300 at Wal*Mart? This is the same impression I had of the Lion King rooms (though of course, those are much worse). Am I too grinchy? Maybe my heart is two sizes too small. I'm not impressed.

[Katzateer]

Very nice, thanks for the pictures and review.

:thumbsup::mickey:Can't wait to see it in person in a few weeks!

[Katzateer]

My children are now adults, so I’m probably not the target market for this resort. Some adults might love it, too, it’s just not for me. It looks like a kid’s room that some overenthusiastic mom has gone wild with on the home decorating. Some young fans will adore it.

But, couldn’t it still be whimsical and fun, and not look like something you could duplicate at home for under $300 at Wal*Mart? This is the same impression I had of the Lion King rooms (though of course, those are much worse). Am I too grinchy? Maybe my heart is two sizes too small. I'm not impressed.

It would have been so much more fun when the girls were younger but since we aren't in the room much - I don't mind all the bright colors in the room. Plus you certainly can't forget you are at WDW!:thumbsup:

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

Thanks for sharing! I hadn't seen as many pictures of the Mermaid rooms, so this is great. :thumbsup:

[hoop de do]

Great Job!
Thanks for all the pictures and review.
:thumbsup::thumbsup:

[SBETigg]

Yes, thank you for the pictures and review! Some fine reporting, Cindy. Even if I am an Ursula today (actually, an Ursula room might be cool, Flotsam Jetsam throw pillows, anyone?). Also nice that you had some solo time for the F & W Fest.

[DisneyorBust]

Thanks for the reviews and pics! We'll be staying at AoA next month and certainly appreciate you taking the time to share your experience.

[ginny57]

Great review and love the pics! I'll be there with a friend in December. I knew when I booked the the LM room it would be geared to little girls but that's what I go for when I go to Disney.....escape from reality to be a kid again....so I think I'm gonna LOVE it!! :mickey:

[arbie_c]

Thanks for sharing.

[January-2007]

Thanks so much for the report and the pictures!

[jennsky]

Thanks for sharing your review and pictures! We are staying there in January with my 6 year old daughter and 3 year old son. I think it'll be perfect for their ages. Looks like a great place! Thanks again! :mickey:

[Crow]

nice review. i stayed at POP in AUG and walked around AOA, thought the food court was def better than POP and it has some good decor.
a friend is stayin at AOA mermaid in Dec so ill get more feedback then. may stay there in Feb if theres any discount, would rather stay at the family suites but it would just b my gf and I..she doesnt like outside corridors but thats wat Mermaid has. plus the Mermaid building was built when POP was, so the shell isnt new..whereas the other building are new.