For a year our youngest had been asking about Disney World. All of our kids but him had been there. The oldest boy was about to begin his 2nd year in college and had no desire to come along. My choice of resorts is The Port Orleans but our family is too big. I didn’t like the idea of having two adjoining rooms either. I could see it in the future but not until the younger ones were a bit older. I had heard about the Art of Animation Family suites just opening and decided this is what we’d try. I booked a Cars room and this time we decided to drive there. Probably the first and last time we will ever drive there!
We have always went in early spring, either before or after the spring break rush. It is better prices and smaller lines. This time we were so busy we couldn’t book until the end of August. Prices were still great and we saved a lot on not flying a family of 6!
My plan was to stop one night at a hotel , rest, and get right back on the road. My husbands idea was to drive straight through! I gave in. That was a huge mistake and a horribly long drive.
30 hours of driving (and stopping) and we finally made it.
We made it!!! It was a quick registration and the young one, Andrew (6 yrs. old at the time) loved the sketches on the walls. If you can, be sure to register online before you arrive. It will speed up the registration process. While I was finishing the check-in and getting our Keys to the World cards, Andrew made it over to a little area in the corner to watch a movie. The parking lot is huge but we were able to get a spot close to our hotel entrance.
It took us a while to get into the entrance of our hotel. Not because it was a long walk but because we stopped at every Disney’s Car friend to take a picture! It really was cool and felt like we’d stepped into Radiator Springs!
I’ll spare you the other hundred pictures we took! Every step, “Mom, take a picture of me again!”
Right outside our room was the Cozy Cone Pool. It was small and…well….cozy! For the most part this was very quiet and I mainly saw adults or adults with babies.
The Finding Nemo Big Blue Pool was HUGE! We all had a blast in it. It’s so big that even when it was crowded it didn’t feel like it. Scheduled movies and activities at the pool all throughout our visit. We played a few trivia games and watch a movie. Late August was not is not a good fit for this midwest family! It was so hot and it rained a lot. We still had a good time and never let it stop us but I don’t think I would book again during that time. There are now two other pools open but they were still under construction while we were there.
The rooms were a good size. The 3 boys took the living room area at night, our girl had the convertible table bed and we took the main bedroom. Having two bathrooms was so nice! Many other reviews I read mentioned the beds were not comfortable. We had no problem with the beds. My husband loves a firm bed and I love the opposite! We both slept well. Had I known one day I’d wake up and start blogging, I would have taken detailed pictures of the room. Next time I guess! You can see more at Disney’s Art of Animation.
There are a few things I recommend making sure you do while at Disney. A character buffet or dinner should be done at least once. The smile on my sons face was worth every penny. We went to Pooh and his pals at The Crystal Palace. The food was pretty good and while you ate all the Pooh gang went to each and every table. They were silly and took a few minutes with each child. Eeyore was the coolest! A lot of character interaction and time for photos.
Another must do is eat at Earl of Sandwich in Downtown Disney. I am sure there are many other places that are fabulous food you’ll hear about but I have yet to see someone mention Earl. It is seriously the best sandwich I think I’ve ever had. I wish they had them here in MN. The day we had to leave we had a bit too many meals left on our plan so we drove to Earl and loaded up for the car ride home!
The food court in the Art of Animation, Landscape of Flavors, has a wide range to choice from. I was very pleased with the variety and the snacks. The kids loved the “create your own burger” and “create your own pasta”. The biggest hit, especially for our older teens was the create your own smoothie. We all had a mango smoothie every day and then went to the pool! Good sized portions, too. Andrew had to be on the kid plan but when they would look at him and he’d say how hungry he was they’d give him larger portions. It was a great staff always. (Andrew is a 4ft 5in 6 year old!)
Here a couple photos from one of the days we were waiting for the parade. The second picture was minutes later after it started to rain hard. It looked like we were the only ones there!
Have any of you stayed at Disney’s Art of Animation? Do you have a favorite place to eat at WDW? Be sure to comment and I can always answer further questions about the resort.
All About Vacations - A Minnesota Mom 