We needed a place to stay for one night in the Orlando area before our Carnival Dream cruise. Being a DVC member, I booked a night at the Boardwalk Villas since we figured we would go over to Epcot that day. Shortly after doing this, the Art of Animation opened and I thought even though it was just the two of us, I should check this out for my clients (everything is done in their names!). We did a poll and the most popular request was that we stay in the Finding Nemo section so I booked the reservation. We were able to get a travel agent rate on this room which helped since it was just the two of us. Otherwise, it would have been hard to justify staying here due to the cost.
Even though I had toured this resort before completion, I was very excited to go back and see how everything turned out. We parked and went in to check in. We had done online check in and our room was ready. This has always worked out well for us. Only a couple times our room was not ready, but in both cases the room was ready shortly after that.
We were in building four which was to the right when we left Animation Hall (closest to the Cars section) on the third floor. Our view was of Hourglass Lake.
I enjoyed seeing the murals that were outside of the elevators. So much so that we had to stop on each floor!
We had lunch in the food court – Landscape of Flavors. There was a wide variety of choices. I chose the tandoor area and my husband went for the burgers. He got a Surf and Surf which was a crab cake topped with popcorn shrimp and a remoulade. It was very good! Since we were eating a little bit on the later side (just after 1:00), I think I should have chosen something else to have. The sausages I tried had definitely been sitting under a heat lamp for a while. The food was tasty, it just was a bit tough. I did really enjoy the sides though. They also had sandwiches and pizza, plus a number of choices just for kids at each station.
Next we had to check out the pool.
This pool area was great with a dry play area, wet splash area and a zero entry pool. There was a lot of chairs around all three areas, plus a bar and laundry at one end of the pool.
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We had heard that there was music underwater so I brought my waterproof camera in with us and recorded. The music underwater was completely different than the music played by the DJ.
Looking around the resort while in the pool, you really did feel like you were in Finding Nemo! Coming in the pool you were met by the jelly fish, Crush was off in the distance as was Mr. Ray. In the middle of it all was Nemo and Marlin in the anemone. Even the plants used for landscaping made you feel like you were Under the Sea!
As I mentioned, we were right next to the Cars section, so of course we had to check it out! We took some photos from the end of our building, but then after we returned from Magic Kingdom, we walked through Radiator Springs.
This resort is a great choice for families of five or six. It was relatively quiet and very comfortable. It’s a more practical option to two rooms or a deluxe villa for those budget-conscious. This week the Lion King section opened and in September, the Little Mermaid standard rooms will be opening. This resort has been very popular with limited availability for the Little Mermaid rooms and several of the family suites for many dates through the rest of this year and beginning of next year. If you want to stay here, you should definitely get a reservation as soon as possible. Remember, your reservation is fully refundable up until 45 days prior to arrival (for packages). When you use Travel On A Dream as your travel agent, we will continually check to make sure you are getting the best possible price for your stay as well, so what have you got to lose! Contact us today for your quote.
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