Disney's Art of Animation Resort — Hotel in Bay Lake

I rarely leave negative reviews, but after our recent experience at Disney World, I feel compelled to share my frustration. My family and I had an incredibly stressful and disappointing time, which has severely altered my perception of Disney Resorts as a whole. I’ve been visiting Disney since I was a child, and this was the first time I brought my two young daughters for their first magical experience. Sadly, what should have been a memorable and joyous trip turned into an exhausting series of mishaps. Here's a detailed account of what went wrong.||We checked into Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort on March 27, 2025, and had an amazing experience for those first two nights. However, due to unforeseen circumstances with a family member falling ill, we needed to extend our stay, and we booked the Art of Animation Resort for two more nights. This would be our first stay at this resort, and I hoped it would continue the magic. Unfortunately, it was anything but.||Upon arrival at Art of Animation, things started off smoothly, but soon, we were hit with one problem after another. I had originally booked a Little Mermaid room, but when we received confirmation that the room was ready, we found ourselves in a Cars-themed room instead. This wasn’t the biggest issue—my daughters love princesses—but it wasn’t what we had expected. To add a small silver lining, we were upgraded to a suite, which we appreciated.||However, as the evening went on, things began to unravel. The situation grew more complicated when I realized I had mistakenly booked only one night instead of two. This error was entirely my fault, and I called to resolve it immediately. The staff member informed me that I had exceeded checkout time and that I would be charged for another night at the full rate, which was significantly higher than what I had originally paid. I immediately called back to apologize, and I was told I’d need to visit the front desk later that evening after our time at the parks.||The day at Epcot was already stressful—we were managing my wife’s pregnancy (she’s high-risk) and handling two young kids. On top of that, we experienced a delay when my wife’s rented scooter went missing, requiring help from cast members to locate it. After a long day, we rushed back to the resort, only to encounter multiple issues at check-in.||First, I was double-charged for the room. The front desk staff initially told me no charge had gone through, but I could see from my bank statements that I had been charged multiple times. Even after showing them my bank confirmation, the situation was dismissed with little explanation. As I tried to resolve this, I was told there was a system error, and I was asked to swipe my card again. This resulted in three separate charges, which took hours to sort out. I left the front desk feeling completely disoriented and without a sense of resolution.||To make matters worse, when I finally made it to our room, I found that the room key wasn’t working. A note on the door stated that our key had been disabled, and I had to return to the front desk to resolve this issue. After more confusion and a lengthy wait, I was escorted to the wrong floor and had to make another trip to the front desk. Even when I finally got into our room, I couldn’t access it via the app, as it showed that I had no active reservation.||At this point, it was past 1:00 AM, and my family and I were exhausted. My wife and children had been waiting in the car, and we were too tired to handle the mounting issues. After everything, we finally got into our room, and the app miraculously worked. But by then, we had missed out on a lot—the day’s magic was gone. To top it all off, there was no apology or acknowledgment from the staff. In fact, it felt as though the cast members were more interested in covering up the mistakes rather than resolving them in a meaningful way.||The entire experience left us frustrated and disillusioned with Disney’s supposedly top-tier customer service. The lack of communication, misleading information, and errors in the billing system were incredibly disappointing. I never expected to face such a chaotic and exhausting situation at a Disney resort.||I’ve always trusted Disney for their attention to detail and guest experience, but this trip has certainly changed my perspective. I’m incredibly disappointed by the lack of care and professionalism we received, especially considering this was our first trip as a family with young children. I hope Disney takes a long, hard look at their operations at Art of Animation and trains their staff to better handle these types of situations. Until then, I cannot recommend this resort to anyone, and it has left a sour taste on our overall Disney experience.||If you value smooth and efficient customer service, I suggest...

We have had not so great experiences with service and have also observed lights that need replacing or pool features in dysfunction. With all that said, it's still a beautiful and wonderful place to bring your kids! 4 themed areas here (finding Nemo-center restort),(Cars - right wing), (Lion King -left mid wing), & (the little mermaid Far left wing) I can personally say that although not worth the money but the finding Nemo rooms are beautiful, alot of aquatic scenery and vibrant ocean colors but you can still have alot of those things much more affordable at a greater distance in the little mermaid location. The "big blue pool" has the most features for little ones like toddlers such as playful, varying jets of water from Nemo characters and waterfall from jelly fish and a slow, gradual declining pool floor. The food here is very expensive and tastes processed but generally good. Limited vegetarian options, also menu does not change from day to day. You can have unlimited beverages, but my spouse noted soda products have tasted watered down. Staff overall are very friendly and attempt to help. Now, usually getting a room is not a fun or magical part. We have been upgraded to cars once, but the cars room look like a gas station.. and when we came back to say we weren't interested and we said it was due to the theme (our little girl would not be interested), the disney associate said, "JUST the theme." Now the theme is like 80-90% reason to stay at this resort, so yeah, it was JUST the theme. Recently we stayed another time and conformed accommodations for a king bed room, and we were given a double queen bed room that was clearly just finished as the sign on the door stating the room was under cleaning and the service cart was directly outside the door. Now, an associate was there that helped correct all this mix-up but, meanwhile, was verbally downplaying the issues and our expectations. At the price of these room costs, please do not let anyone downplay any of your concerns or deal breakers. This is a place you come for your children so if your not getting what's expected than that effects the over all experience which will trickle over into their experience so it's simply not worth letting go, as much as some associates may want you to, if they can't help, I recommend reaching a manager, who in my opinion are more dedicated to helping you find a solution or correct the problem. Overall, the art of animation is conveniently located near the skylines, which is a huge improvement over disney Worlds' terrible terrible bus transportation. Beware the skyline does not function during rain, so that leaves you at the mercy of the bus transportation system, which they may not even have a bus scheduled at times (past experience). In the long run I don't know if I would recommend this resort, it depends how much your little ones love the theme because all the other features are not attractive to bring you to this resort alone. Continued disgusting unclean grout tiles, dysfunctional air-condition units, imperfections in dry wall/paint work, without trim/molding in rooms, cheap unkept appearance. I highly don't recommend it unless you have children who love to see the character theme. They may say the pool is heated, but it feels...

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is a truly magical and vibrant place that brings some of Disney’s most beloved animated films to life in the most colorful and enchanting way. From the moment you arrive, you are surrounded by giant, larger-than-life icons and breathtaking themed areas that make you feel like you’ve literally stepped into the movies. It’s the perfect resort for families, animation fans, and anyone looking to experience the whimsy and creativity Disney is known for.

The resort is divided into four brilliantly themed sections: The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Finding Nemo, and Cars. Each section is meticulously designed with incredible attention to detail, from the towering statues of favorite characters to the themed landscaping and building facades. Walking through each area feels like an adventure in itself, and kids (and adults) are absolutely thrilled to see their favorite Disney characters at every turn.

One of the best features of Art of Animation is its family suites. These suites are incredibly spacious and cleverly designed to accommodate larger families, featuring two bathrooms, a separate bedroom, and a living area with multiple sleeping options, including a Murphy bed that folds down from the wall. The theming inside the rooms is just as impressive as the grounds outside, with colorful artwork, themed furnishings, and thoughtful touches that create a joyful, immersive experience.

The Finding Nemo section is home to the main pool, The Big Blue Pool, which is the largest resort pool at Walt Disney World. It’s a huge, zero-entry pool themed after the undersea world of Finding Nemo, complete with underwater music that kids absolutely love. There are also fun splash areas for little ones and cozy, quieter pools in the Cars and Little Mermaid areas for those who want a more peaceful swim.

Dining is easy and convenient at the Landscape of Flavors food court, offering a wide variety of fresh, tasty options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. From build-your-own pasta and salad stations to delicious burgers, international dishes, and an excellent selection of kid-friendly meals, there’s something for every palate here. The food court is bright, lively, and a great place to grab a quick bite before or after a day at the parks.

Transportation is another major plus at Art of Animation. The resort has a station for the Disney Skyliner, offering quick and scenic access to EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It’s a game-changer for getting to the parks quickly while enjoying an exciting and relaxing ride high above the Disney property.

The Cast Members at Art of Animation go above and beyond to create a welcoming and magical atmosphere. They are always ready with a smile, a helpful tip, or a fun activity for the kids, like movies under the stars or poolside games.

Overall, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is so much more than just a “place to stay” it’s an experience all its own. The creativity, the fun, the convenience, and the unbeatable theming make it a fantastic choice for families and Disney lovers of all ages. If you’re looking for a resort that truly captures the wonder of Disney storytelling from the moment you check in to the moment you leave, Art of Animation is absolutely the...