value resort
Disney's Art of Animation Resort
Filmed on site — video published May 4, 2026 · watch it
The short answer
Art of Animation is the value resort built around family suites sleeping six, from about $555 a night in 2026, with Little Mermaid standard rooms from $251. It shares the Skyliner station with Pop Century and has the best pool of any value resort, and the most immersive theming Disney has built at this price.
Melissa’s resort tour
Filmed on site. The rooms, the pools, and the walk to transport.
How you get to the parks
- Skylinerto EPCOT and Hollywood Studios
- Busto every park, from every resort
- Wheelchair or ECVhow each bus, monorail, Skyliner and boat boards
Routes as Disney publishes them, read Sep 2026.
How long it really takes to get to each park
We haven’t timed this resort yet. A door-to-gate time goes here once we have walked the route with a stopwatch at least five times — a single reading hides the variation that actually makes people miss a breakfast reservation. How we measure.
What it costs
$149cheapest$558median$816dearest
Rack rate for a standard room in the cheapest 2026 season, tax included, from Disney’s published rate calendar. Read Sep 6, 2026.
Who it’s right for
Families of five or six who want one room, two bathrooms and a kitchenette, and who will use the Skyliner. Also families with a child deeply attached to Cars, Finding Nemo or The Lion King — the theming here is not decoration, it is the whole courtyard, and it lands.
Who it’s wrong for
Couples and small families booking a Little Mermaid standard room, who are paying a premium over Pop Century for the longest walk on the property. Also wrong for anyone wanting quiet: the Big Blue Pool is the loudest pool at any value resort, and the resort is built around it.
Is it worth the money?
The family suites are worth it and the standard rooms mostly are not. A suite at $555 sleeps six with two bathrooms; two Pop Century rooms over the same dates cost more and give you one bathroom each. The Little Mermaid rooms, meanwhile, cost $40 more than Pop Century for a comparable room and a much longer walk — book Pop Century instead.
Where to eat here
Every restaurant here with its own page on this site, with the typical spend a head from that page.
- Landscape of Flavors · Counter service, about $17
What the rooms are actually like
Two very different products under one name. The Little Mermaid standard rooms are 277 square feet, sleep four, and are the furthest rooms from everything — a long walk. The family suites are about 565 square feet with two bathrooms, a kitchenette, and beds for six; the Cars, Lion King and Finding Nemo suites are the reason the resort exists.
Sleeps up to 6, not counting infants — the table below says which room that takes.
Every room type, and who fits in it
Straight from Disney’s own booking data, checked 2026-09-19. Occupancy excludes infants — Disney counts a baby in a cot separately, which is why a room that “sleeps 5” here can appear as 6 on their site.
| Room | Sleeps (excl. infants) | Adults | Beds |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Little Mermaid Standard Room Views of the Courtyard, Pool or Parking Area | 4 | 4 | 1 King Bed or 2 Queen Bed |
| The Lion King Family Suites Views of the Courtyard, Pool or Parking Area | 6 | 6 | 1 Queen Bed + 1 Double-Size Sleeper Sofa + 1 Double-Size Pull Down Bed |
| Cars Family Suites Views of the Courtyard, Pool or Parking Area | 6 | 6 | 1 Queen Bed + 1 Double-Size Sleeper Sofa + 1 Double-Size Pull Down Bed |
| Finding Nemo Family Suites Views of the Courtyard, Pool or Parking Area | 6 | 6 | 1 Queen Bed + 1 Double-Size Sleeper Sofa + 1 Double-Size Pull Down Bed |
| Family Suite Views of the Courtyard, Pool or Parking Area Theme Assigned upon Check-In | 6 | 6 | 1 Queen Bed + 1 Double-Size Sleeper Sofa + 1 Double-Size Pull Down Bed |
Which room should you request?
The Big Blue Pool is over 12,000 square feet, zero-entry, and pipes music underwater — it is also the loudest place at any value resort and the Finding Nemo buildings surround it. The Little Mermaid section is quiet and remote in equal measure: about a ten-minute walk to the food court and the Skyliner.
What are the pools like?
- The Big Blue Pool
- Cozy Cone Pool — quiet pool
- Flippin' Fins Pool — quiet pool
Disney’s own recreation page accounts for 4 pools — we list 3, so this is not the full set. Named by Disney: The Big Blue Pool, Cozy Cone Pool, Flippin’ Fins Pool, Flippin' Fins Pool. Disney’s pool page, read 2026-09-19.
What has changed recently?
Opened in 2012, so still the newest value resort. The Skyliner station it shares with Pop Century opened on 29 September 2019.
Working from here
workable
The family suites have a kitchen table and a separate living space, which makes them the only value accommodation where an adult can work while children sleep. Standard Little Mermaid rooms are no better than the All-Stars for this.
Common questions
- How much is an Art of Animation family suite?
- From about $555 a night in the cheapest 2026 season to $912 over Christmas, rack rate including 12.5% tax. That is more than All-Star Music's suites, which run $365 to $716, and the difference buys the Skyliner and much better theming.
- Art of Animation or Pop Century?
- Pop Century for standard rooms — cheaper, same Skyliner station, shorter walks. Art of Animation for family suites, or if the Cars, Nemo or Lion King theming matters to a child in your party. The two resorts are next to each other and share the gondola.
- Is the Little Mermaid room worth it at Art of Animation?
- Usually not. It costs about $40 a night more than a comparable Pop Century room and sits at the far end of the resort, roughly a ten-minute walk from the food court and Skyliner. The theming is charming; the walk is not.
- How big is the Big Blue Pool?
- Over 12,000 square feet with a zero-entry edge, which makes it the largest pool at any Walt Disney World resort of any category. It also plays music underwater and stays busy from opening until close — a feature or a warning depending on your party.
What it looks like
Illustration, not a photograph of this resort — a real one is on our shot list.
Sources
- MouseSavers — Art of Animation 2026 rates — reported by · checked
- Melissa's Art of Animation 2026 overview — Melissa was there · checked
- MouseSavers — 2026 Walt Disney World room rates and season dates — reported by · checked
- Walt Disney World — Disney's Art of Animation Resort: room types and rates (official booking data: 5 room types, sleeping 4–6 excluding infants) — Disney official · checked