Disney's Art of Animation Resort Opens Today

by  Liz Webber | May 31, 2012
Disney's Art of Animation Resort
Disney's Art of Animation Resort / Photo courtesy of the property

Disneyland may have Cars Land but only at Walt Disney World can you stay in a Cars-themed room. Or Finding Nemo. Or The Little Mermaid. Or The Lion King.

OK, technically you have to wait until June 18 for the Cars rooms, but the first section of the new Disney’s Art of Animation Resort – the Nemo suites – opens today. These family-friendly rooms sleep up to six and include three sleeping areas, two bathrooms, and a kitchenette. And of course the entire room is decked out in characters from the Disney-Pixar film, from sea turtle wall hangings to a shark attack bathroom.

After Cars in June, you’ll have to wait until August 10 for Lion King suites; these two sections will have the same room set-ups as Nemo. Debuting September 15, the Little Mermaid standard rooms will be smaller, with two double beds (sleeping up to four people) and no kitchen area. Total room count for the resort is 1,984, divided between 1,120 suites and 864 standard rooms.

Naturally, family fun abounds outside the rooms as well. Art of Animation boasts three pools – including the largest swimming pool (11,859 square feet) at Walt Disney World – a mini water park, a playground, and an arcade. The Landscape of Flavors food court features kid favorites like burgers and pizza as well as Tandoor ovens, a Mongolian grill, and healthier choices like buckwheat pasta.

Disney is calling this hotel one of its “value” properties, but the suites will start at $249/night (on weekdays during “value season” in August and September), jumping to $345/night for weekdays and $395/night for weekends in summer. We found rates of $97/night for the Little Mermaid standard rooms the week that section is scheduled to open.

For more trip-planning information see our Walt Disney World destination guide and Disney travel hub, then use our Travel Search price comparison tool to find the lowest rates on flights, hotels, vacation packages, and more travel deals.

Toronto skyline
Find The Best Cruises
Find a cruise

Find the best deals!

Click on multiple sites to get the lowest prices

Click on multiple sites to get the lowest prices