Disney's Art of Animation Resort hotel

[PrincessSuzanne]

somebody on another thread just booked for April 2013 with AAA discount.

I did call this morning and I was able to rebook with a AAA discount. For a 2 night stay in a LM room (February, President's week) I was paying $359.99 and I cut my cost down to a whopping $334! Atleast it's something !

Wow, they're on the ball this year. We haven't had AAA in several years, but it was usually a month later when they came out.

Now, if they will just release the military discounts for Oct 2012 thru Sept 2013, I can book my trips for next year.

 

[kelma]

They are not even guaranteed that way. There was a poster a while back who was the only adult with multiple children, and ended up with rooms that didn't connect. I'm sure that doesn't happen very often, but the possibility is there.

It would pretty simple really for Disney to split up a family with 2 adults. One would just have to sleep in each room. I'm sure that is not what they would like to do, but it does happen on occasion. Again, no matter what you are told over the phone, the only thing you are guaranteed is a room on Disney property.

I think we all understand how the sleeping arrangements would have to work in order to split up a family, however it would be anything but simple, at least for the family involved. I would never agree to having non-connecting rooms. It is my husband's and my vacation as well and if we can't visit with each other after our 4 children have gone to sleep, then it's not a vacation.

I have spoken with 3 CM's for just this trip and all have told me that connecting rooms for families that have to be in 2 rooms for size are "now" guaranteed. I don't know if that means that it is a new policy or if the CM's are wrong. I do know that while I am usually very laid back and understanding about hotel issues, I would never pay over $4,000 for a vacation that had me sleeping in a different room than my spouse

We'll be in 2 connecting LM rooms in Oct. goodvibes

 

[jenlov]

Just thought I'd post this email I got from Disney today. I emailed them a few days ago to ask specifically about the AoA LM rooms being connecting. I got a reply today.

"Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World® Resort.

You may be interested to know, the Little Mermaid rooms at Disney's Art
of Animation Resort do have adjoining and connecting rooms, however
connecting rooms are not guaranteed.

The resort handles room assignments on the arrival date according to
actual departures and confirmed arrivals. The rooms are assigned
according to the room categories that are available and as far as
possible are matched to the requests that have been noted on
reservations. Please understand that we cannot promise a specific room
or a specific request.

Jennifer, we wish you a magical day!

If you have questions or need further assistance, feel free to contact
us.

Please include your full name, E-Mail address, and reservation number if
applicable on all correspondence.

Sincerely,

Darci Cullin
WDW Online Communications

PLEASE NOTE: All information is subject to change without notice and
should be confirmed just prior to your visit."

 

[jcarwash]

The AoA suites ARE included in this FD deal, and lots of Disney Visa holders booked them yesterday. The LM are not included this time, but the LM rooms were included in PINs that went out back in March.

We got a fall free dining pin (that I sadly could not use this year) on May 28 that was allowing the LM rooms. Now with the Visa and coming public offer they don't need to sell those rooms.

I did call this morning and I was able to rebook with a AAA discount. For a 2 night stay in a LM room (February, President's week) I was paying $359.99 and I cut my cost down to a whopping $334!

When you say you called, do you call Walt Disney Travel Company and ask for the AAA discount? Or did you call AAA itself and book through them?

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

When you say you called, do you call Walt Disney Travel Company and ask for the AAA discount? Or did you call AAA itself and book through them?

You can call WDTC and book a room only with a AAA discount, but for packages, you have to go through a AAA Travel Agent. (Unless they changed that too)

 

[hulagirl87]

Went to AAA this morning to book our trip and are getting a bit of a discount off the prices that I looked up early this morning ( I wanted to have some idea what we were looking at so I wasn't too shocked ) We will be staying in a Cars suite January 24-Feb 1. DD's first trip and she is excited to sleep with Mater

 

[kbarrett]

I think we all understand how the sleeping arrangements would have to work in order to split up a family, however it would be anything but simple, at least for the family involved. I would never agree to having non-connecting rooms. It is my husband's and my vacation as well and if we can't visit with each other after our 4 children have gone to sleep, then it's not a vacation.

I have spoken with 3 CM's for just this trip and all have told me that connecting rooms for families that have to be in 2 rooms for size are "now" guaranteed. I don't know if that means that it is a new policy or if the CM's are wrong. I do know that while I am usually very laid back and understanding about hotel issues, I would never pay over $4,000 for a vacation that had me sleeping in a different room than my spouse

We'll be in 2 connecting LM rooms in Oct. goodvibes

I said the same thing to a Disney CM supervisor and he said he understood and that he can guarantee rooms right next to each but adjoining (connecting) rooms is a request and first come first serve priority basis I told him I could live with that but wasn't thrilled that with all that money spent they couldn't guarantee me adjoining rooms, but unless free dining lets me switch to a nemo suite for less $ I'll hope my request becomes a reality 2 LM rooms in Oct hopefully I'll get a solid guarantee too... you are so lucky

 

[mickeye]

Are ALL LM rooms 'Standard View'? It says on the bottom of the Visa offer that that the LM 'Standard' room views are not included, like there is more than one view. That would mean that if there is more than one view, the other views are included for FD. Does anyone know? Thanks.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Are ALL LM rooms 'Standard View'? It says on the bottom of the Visa offer that that the LM 'Standard' room views are not included, like there is more than one view. That would mean that if there is more than one view, the other views are included for FD. Does anyone know? Thanks.

From what I have seen, it just comes up Little Mermaid, it doesn't break it down into standard/preferred. But I only looked at a few dates in February.

 

[smitch425]

Are ALL LM rooms 'Standard View'? It says on the bottom of the Visa offer that that the LM 'Standard' room views are not included, like there is more than one view. That would mean that if there is more than one view, the other views are included for FD. Does anyone know? Thanks.

I have not heard of any different views where the LM rooms are concerned nor has anyone been able to book them with this promotion. Well, one persond did, but it was a fluke occurance before the system was up and running the right way on Monday morning. As far as everyone else who has tried, they have been told no, LM rooms are not included. I can't imagine any of the LM rooms would be considered preferred anyway because they are the furthest from Animation Hall. If anything, it would have a lakeview, but I don't think they would separate it that way.

 

[DisneyFive]

The Little Mermaid rooms were completely built as the "40's" section. They were the ONLY section that was completely done. Here is the info...

http://travel.usatoday.com/alliance...dary-Disneys-Art-of-Animation-Resort/705096/1

Not trying to argue at all, just trying to provide everyone with the correct info. They WILL have connecting rooms, but just because they have them, doesn't mean you will get one.

Yup I hear that! We are a family of 6 with four kids 9 and way under!
The CMs and they're supervisor I spoke to said they cannot guarantee us connecting but at least side by side with a connecting request for 2 Little Mermaid rooms at the Art of Animation resort They have connecting rooms for many reasons but one is single parents who come and have more than 1 child (security reasons duh) Why are so many no believers in the connecting rooms existence?

I think we all understand how the sleeping arrangements would have to work in order to split up a family, however it would be anything but simple, at least for the family involved. I would never agree to having non-connecting rooms. It is my husband's and my vacation as well and if we can't visit with each other after our 4 children have gone to sleep, then it's not a vacation.

I have spoken with 3 CM's for just this trip and all have told me that connecting rooms for families that have to be in 2 rooms for size are "now" guaranteed. I don't know if that means that it is a new policy or if the CM's are wrong. I do know that while I am usually very laid back and understanding about hotel issues, I would never pay over $4,000 for a vacation that had me sleeping in a different room than my spouse

We'll be in 2 connecting LM rooms in Oct. goodvibes

Just thought I'd post this email I got from Disney today. I emailed them a few days ago to ask specifically about the AoA LM rooms being connecting. I got a reply today.

"Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World® Resort.

You may be interested to know, the Little Mermaid rooms at Disney's Art
of Animation Resort do have adjoining and connecting rooms, however
connecting rooms are not guaranteed.

The resort handles room assignments on the arrival date according to
actual departures and confirmed arrivals. The rooms are assigned
according to the room categories that are available and as far as
possible are matched to the requests that have been noted on
reservations. Please understand that we cannot promise a specific room
or a specific request.

Jennifer, we wish you a magical day!

If you have questions or need further assistance, feel free to contact
us.

Please include your full name, E-Mail address, and reservation number if
applicable on all correspondence.

Sincerely,

Darci Cullin
WDW Online Communications

PLEASE NOTE: All information is subject to change without notice and
should be confirmed just prior to your visit."

Well, hopefully that puts this one to rest. There are connecting rooms (which are different than adjoining rooms), but they just aren't gauranteed. This makes perfect sense and is similar to past Disney policies and the same types of rooms at Pop Century.

Dan

 

[jcarwash]

Are ALL LM rooms 'Standard View'? It says on the bottom of the Visa offer that that the LM 'Standard' room views are not included, like there is more than one view. That would mean that if there is more than one view, the other views are included for FD. Does anyone know? Thanks.

I take the language "Little Mermaid Standard Rooms" in the Visa offer to differentiate between these and the suite rooms in the rest of the resorts. This tells you that the Cars, Lion King, and Nemo suites are included in the free dining, but not the Little Mermaid standard rooms. No view or preferred differentiations for the LM rooms...yet...

I can't imagine any of the LM rooms would be considered preferred anyway because they are the furthest from Animation Hall. If anything, it would have a lakeview, but I don't think they would separate it that way.

Agreed -- if they decide to segment the rooms, probably will not be any preferred rooms in this section just like there are no preferred rooms in the 80's/90's section at Pop. They could do the standard and standard pool view types perhaps.

 

[Colleen27]

Oh well that is good to know because it says "All suites are excluded" I thought they meant all suites. But your news is better

Family suites have never been part of that "all suites" exclusion (which applies to almost all discounts, btw). They mean real suites, from the business oriented suites at Coronado to the luxury suites at the deluxe resorts. The ASMu suites occupy a category all their own, not subject to the "suite" exclusion though they were excluded from some offers when they were very new. It makes sense that AoA suites would be the same, since they're the same room type - any exclusions we see right now would likely be because of their newness and the demand that generates, not because they're lumped in with the high-end/specialty suites.

 

[cinderella73]

I said the same thing to a Disney CM supervisor and he said he understood and that he can guarantee rooms right next to each but adjoining (connecting) rooms is a request and first come first serve priority basis I told him I could live with that but wasn't thrilled that with all that money spent they couldn't guarantee me adjoining rooms, but unless free dining lets me switch to a nemo suite for less $ I'll hope my request becomes a reality 2 LM rooms in Oct hopefully I'll get a solid guarantee too... you are so lucky

I totally feel for you. I kept getting slightly different answers. Every time a copy of my reservations came it said "connected requested, but not guaranteed". I called them back and said I want my reservations to say it is guaranteed or I will have to cancel my reservation. They did fix that and now it says "connecting rooms guaranteed". By the time I travel 900 miles with 3 kids and a service animal I need to be able to get right into a room without hassle.

So now I printed it out and plan to take it with me just in case. This way if it happens they are putting us in a family suite. My daughter wouldn't like that but my boys would. As long as we are connected I will be happy.

They need to understand that some people just cant not have connecting rooms. Its not as easy as just choosing another value either. In our case if we didn't have connecting at AOA then we would be doing WL. But its not something I can budget for after I arrive. I have to know ahead of time.

Anyway sorry to rant. But I say call back and tell them you need your reservations to reflect its guaranteed. They can do it and if another poster is right hopefully they have changed policy.

 

[kbarrett]

I totally feel for you. I kept getting slightly different answers. Every time a copy of my reservations came it said "connected requested, but not guaranteed". I called them back and said I want my reservations to say it is guaranteed or I will have to cancel my reservation. They did fix that and now it says "connecting rooms guaranteed". By the time I travel 900 miles with 3 kids and a service animal I need to be able to get right into a room without hassle.

So now I printed it out and plan to take it with me just in case. This way if it happens they are putting us in a family suite. My daughter wouldn't like that but my boys would. As long as we are connected I will be happy.

They need to understand that some people just cant not have connecting rooms. Its not as easy as just choosing another value either. In our case if we didn't have connecting at AOA then we would be doing WL. But its not something I can budget for after I arrive. I have to know ahead of time.

Anyway sorry to rant. But I say call back and tell them you need your reservations to reflect its guaranteed. They can do it and if another poster is right hopefully they have changed policy.

Will do! Don't worry this wasn't a rant in my opinion this was so sweet advice thank you!

 

[cinderella73]

Will do! Don't worry this wasn't a rant in my opinion this was so sweet advice thank you!

Your welcome.

 

[mickeye]

Hi Cinderella73, good to hear from you!
JCarwash and Smitch, thanks for your input. It looks like we're just not going to get FD this year and that's that. This year is a special treat. It will be our first and probably only Christmas trip and probably the last year for the DDP for us anyway. It's nice to do it, but it's really too much food for us. Each time we had it we had so much food left over in the fridge it was a shame (we've always been deluxe or mod before with a fridge). We don't always need so many desserts and unless there is a serious uprising and I'm outvoted, I think OOP with 3-4 special meals would be better. QS french fries all the time are also too much, but now I know that you can just buy a sandwich if you want. A lot of my Disney dining is going to change next year. I'll probably also go back to my beloved Sept. dates. If they're giving out free food that's fine, but I don't believe that buying the DDP is worth the cost for us. I'll also be packing a lot from home; it's just too expensive.

 

[julieanddanny]

Sorry if this has been talk about way back!

My ME tags say Art of Animation with the letters AK - which I understand stands for the section of the world the resort is in. BUT AoA doesn't appear to be near Animal Kingdom at all! Hoping it doesn't slow down our luggage delivery!

 

[jenlov]

I totally feel for you. I kept getting slightly different answers. Every time a copy of my reservations came it said "connected requested, but not guaranteed". I called them back and said I want my reservations to say it is guaranteed or I will have to cancel my reservation. They did fix that and now it says "connecting rooms guaranteed". By the time I travel 900 miles with 3 kids and a service animal I need to be able to get right into a room without hassle.

So now I printed it out and plan to take it with me just in case. This way if it happens they are putting us in a family suite. My daughter wouldn't like that but my boys would. As long as we are connected I will be happy.

They need to understand that some people just cant not have connecting rooms. Its not as easy as just choosing another value either. In our case if we didn't have connecting at AOA then we would be doing WL. But its not something I can budget for after I arrive. I have to know ahead of time.

Anyway sorry to rant. But I say call back and tell them you need your reservations to reflect its guaranteed. They can do it and if another poster is right hopefully they have changed policy.

I agree. We're putting out a lot money for this trip. We have 7 kids, and it would not be a vacation to be sleeping in separate areas for 10 days. And on that note...I just noticed that my confirmation says "adjoining rooms", so now I'm going to have to call back...again...to make sure they change that to "connecting rooms". Definitely don't want that to cause an issue when they assign rooms.

 

[maxiesmom]

I totally feel for you. I kept getting slightly different answers. Every time a copy of my reservations came it said "connected requested, but not guaranteed". I called them back and said I want my reservations to say it is guaranteed or I will have to cancel my reservation. They did fix that and now it says "connecting rooms guaranteed". By the time I travel 900 miles with 3 kids and a service animal I need to be able to get right into a room without hassle.

Even telling you over the phone, and having it printed on your reservation, does not mean they are really guaranteed. They do pre-assign rooms a few days out. However, your room is not your room until they hand you the keys. The person you talk to on the phone has nothing to do with your room assignment.

Go to Disney's web-site. It states right on it that connecting rooms are a request only, and no room location is guaranteed.

As I've stated before twice now I've been bumped from a paid for room category to a less desirable one. And one time I had even done on-line check in! Maybe the odds of not getting what you want are small, but they are still there. I would hate for any of you who are stating you have to have connecting rooms to show up, only to be told there were none available. I can tell you, not getting what you think you had booked is extremely frustrating.

And, in my experience, they will not upgrade you to fix the problem. The last time I didn't get the preferred room I had paid for I was told that all they could offer me was a standard room. And yes, I did speak to the manager on duty. So don't depend on being bumped up to a family suite. At most they will offer to move you to another value resort that has connecting rooms IF one has them available.

Disney guarantees nothing. Please don't go on your trip with blinders on, thinking they do. The only way to be sure you are all in one space is to book a suite or villa that you fit into. Otherwise there is a small chance you won't get connecting rooms.