Art of Animation Resort Review: Is It Worth the Price?
If you are looking for an Art of Animation Resort review from someone who has actually stayed there, you are in the right place. Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is one of the most visually impressive hotels on Disney property, and it holds a special place for our family.
On one of our trips to Walt Disney World, we were traveling as a family of six, my husband and me, our two young daughters, and my parents, and after a lot of research, we landed on a Finding Nemo family suite at Art of Animation. It turned out to be the perfect choice for our multigenerational group, and my parents extended their stay in a Little Mermaid standard room when we headed off on our Disney Cruise.
So was it worth the price? Here is our full Art of Animation Resort review, including everything you need to know about the rooms, dining, pools, transportation, and the significant changes coming to the resort in 2027.
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Art of Animation Resort Review: An Overview
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is classified as a Value Resort, but it is the priciest of the five Value properties and for good reason. It is also the newest of the group, having opened in 2012, and it offers things that no other Value Resort can match: the largest pool on all of Disney property, the only family suites in the Value category (outside of All-Star Music), and some of the most immersive theming of any Disney hotel at any price point.
The resort is divided into four themed areas: The Little Mermaid (standard rooms only), and Cars, The Lion King, and Finding Nemo (family suites in all three). Every corner of the property is covered in larger-than-life character art, oversized sculptures, and beautifully detailed sets that make the resort feel like walking through a Disney film. For families with younger children especially, it is a genuinely magical place to stay.
That said, it is not without trade-offs, and whether it is worth the price depends significantly on your family’s specific situation. Let’s break it all down.
Location
Art of Animation Resort is located in the Wide World of Sports Resort Area, which is not within walking distance of any of the four theme parks. Some guests are put off by this initially, but in practice it was never something our family noticed. Disney’s transportation network connects the resort to every park efficiently, and the addition of the Disney Skyliner makes getting to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios genuinely enjoyable rather than just logistically convenient.
The Skyliner connects Art of Animation (and the neighboring Pop Century Resort, which shares the same Skyliner station) to Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, where you can transfer to gondolas heading to EPCOT or Hollywood Studios. It is a beautiful ride and one of our favorite parts of staying at this resort. For guests whose park priorities are EPCOT and Hollywood Studios, the Skyliner access is a legitimate selling point.
Bus transportation is available to all four parks, both water parks, and Disney Springs. Buses run frequently and the stops are well-organized, though as with any bus-dependent resort, some rides can take 20 minutes or more depending on the park and the time of day.
The Rooms
This is where Art of Animation really differentiates itself from the other Value Resorts, so it is worth going into some detail.
Little Mermaid Standard Rooms
The standard rooms at Art of Animation are all located in The Little Mermaid section of the resort, which is the furthest wing from Animation Hall, the main lobby, dining, and transportation. That walk is worth knowing about before you book. The rooms are exterior-entry (motel style) and measure approximately 277 square feet, which feels cozy for more than four guests. They sleep up to four adults and are configured with either two queen beds or one king bed.
The Little Mermaid rooms are cheerfully themed with Ariel-inspired decor, brightly colored walls, and character touches throughout. They include a mini refrigerator, coffee maker, hair dryer, in-room safe, and iron with ironing board. As standard Value Resort rooms go, they are perfectly comfortable for a couple or a small family who plans to spend most of their time in the parks.
Current nightly rates for Little Mermaid rooms start at approximately $251 per night, though pricing varies by season and date.
Family Suites
The family suites are the heart of what makes Art of Animation special. Available in The Lion King, Cars, and Finding Nemo themes, these suites sleep up to six adults and measure approximately 565 square feet, more than double the standard room size. The layout includes a private queen bedroom with its own bathroom, and a main living area with a double-size convertible table bed (sometimes called an Inovabed, which folds down from a dining table), a double-size sleeper sofa, and a second bathroom. There is also a kitchenette with a microwave, coffee maker, and small refrigerator.
The two-bathroom configuration was one of the biggest draws for our family of six, and it genuinely made mornings smoother than we expected. Getting six people ready for a park day in a single hotel bathroom would have been chaotic. Having two was amazing!
A few honest notes on the suite sleeping arrangements: the Inovabed is functional but not luxurious, and smaller or younger children are better suited for it than average-sized adults. The sleeper sofa is similarly comfortable for kids but a bit less so for taller guests. The queen bed in the private bedroom is the clear winner for comfort, so think carefully about how to assign sleeping arrangements based on your group.
The Finding Nemo suites tend to be the most expensive of the three due to their proximity to Animation Hall, the Big Blue Pool, and the Skyliner station. On our trip we chose Finding Nemo for exactly this reason, as we did not want additional walking at the end of long park days. That said, the Lion King and Cars suites ended up being closer to things than we anticipated, and those areas felt slightly quieter, which some families may prefer.
Family suite nightly rates currently start at approximately $519 per night and can climb significantly during peak seasons and holidays.
Dining
As a Value Resort, Art of Animation does not offer table-service dining. The primary dining option is Landscape of Flavors, a food court-style quick-service restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night snacks. It offers a decent variety of options including American classics, international flavors, and kids’ favorites, with mobile ordering available. We ate breakfast here most mornings before heading to the parks and found it perfectly satisfying for a quick, affordable start to the day. Sharing meals is an easy way to save money here, especially for kids.
The resort also has the Drop Off Pool Bar for poolside drinks and snacks, and in-room pizza delivery is available for evenings when you want to stay close to your room.
If you want a proper sit-down dinner, Disney Springs is a bus ride away and offers an excellent range of dining options from quick and casual to upscale. You can also hop to another resort via bus or Skyliner for a table-service meal, which is something our family has done on several trips.
The Pools
The pools at Art of Animation are genuinely impressive, especially the Big Blue Pool, which is the largest pool at any Walt Disney World hotel. It is a stunning Finding Nemo-themed pool with underwater music and a vibrant atmosphere. On our visit, Orlando was experiencing unusually cold temperatures and swimming was not an option, but my girls were absolutely mesmerized by the pool and very vocal about wishing it were warmer.
There are two additional pools as well: the Cozy Cone Pool, inspired by Mater’s Tall Tales and Cars, located in the Cars suite area; and the Flippin’ Fins Pool, a Little Mermaid-themed pool near the standard rooms. All three pools are available to all Art of Animation guests regardless of which section of the resort they are staying in.
Recreation and Amenities
Beyond the pools, Art of Animation offers outdoor movies under the stars, a playground, a jogging trail around Hourglass Lake (shared with Pop Century, approximately 1.3 miles), an arcade, and access to the Play Disney Parks app for resort-specific activities. It is a solid recreation lineup for a Value Resort, though it does not match the amenity depth of Moderate or Deluxe properties.
Standard amenities across all room types include complimentary WiFi, online check-in, resort-wide access to Disney Signature Services, laundry services, and an ATM. Family suites include a kitchenette, microwave, two bathrooms, in-room safe, coffee maker, hair dryer, iron and ironing board, and telephone with voicemail. Standard rooms include a mini refrigerator, coffee maker, hair dryer, in-room safe, iron and ironing board, and telephone with voicemail.
Coming Soon: A Major Room Renovation in 2027
This is genuinely important information if you are planning a stay at Art of Animation. Starting in summer 2027, the resort will undergo its first significant hard goods room renovation since it opened in 2012. Both the Little Mermaid standard rooms and all three family suite categories are included in the project.
The most notable change coming to the Little Mermaid rooms is the introduction of Murphy beds similar to the configuration already in use at Pop Century Resort, replacing the original furniture layout that has been in place for over a decade. The new rooms will also feature updated artwork, refreshed furnishings, and redesigned themed accents throughout, while maintaining the overall undersea aesthetic. The original Little Mermaid rooms as they currently exist will not return once the renovation is complete. For guests who have fond memories of the original design, this is worth noting.
The resort will remain open throughout the renovation, which will be completed in phases. Disney is expected to share construction timelines and affected buildings as the project progresses, which will be helpful for guests making room location requests. I will update this post as more details are announced.
Transportation
All Disney resort hotel perks apply at Art of Animation, including the 7-day Lightning Lane booking window, 30-minute Early Theme Park Entry every day, and free transportation throughout the resort. Bus service connects the resort to all four parks, both water parks, and Disney Springs. The Disney Skyliner provides a more scenic and often faster route to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios via a transfer at Caribbean Beach Resort. Overnight self-parking is available for guests who bring their own vehicle.
Is Art of Animation Resort Worth the Price?
That depends on who you are traveling with and what you need from your resort stay.
If you are a family of five or six who wants to stay on property without booking two separate hotel rooms, the family suites at Art of Animation are one of the best solutions at Walt Disney World, full stop. The two-bathroom configuration alone is worth a significant premium when you are coordinating a large group for early park mornings. Our family of six had a genuinely smooth experience, and my daughters loved every minute of being surrounded by their favorite characters in the resort’s larger-than-life settings.
If you are a smaller family or a couple looking at the standard Little Mermaid rooms, the value equation gets a little more complicated. At current pricing, the Little Mermaid rooms sit meaningfully above Pop Century next door, which has newer room renovations and an identical Skyliner connection, for not much more overall floor space or amenity difference. If immersive character theming is a top priority, the Little Mermaid rooms deliver that in a way Pop Century does not. If budget optimization matters more, Pop Century may be the smarter pick until the Art of Animation renovation is complete.
For families with young children who love Disney and Pixar films, however, this resort is hard to beat. My daughters still talk about the Finding Nemo suites years later. There is something about waking up surrounded by Crush and Squirt that no standard hotel room can replicate, regardless of price point.
For the most current room availability and pricing at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, be sure to visit the official Walt Disney World website.
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