the-owens-family: You knew we HAD to do it....Right?

If you know us - you know our love of all things Disneyworld. So when we had to take Big Daddy to the Orlando airport (to fly home) in August, we had a few things at Disney we wanted to do.

#1 on our list was seeing the new Value resort - Art of Animation.

Even before we drove in, we knew this resort was going to be special. We told the security guard at the gate that we just wanted to tour the new resort and, after showing him our identification, before we could do anything else, he told us all about the resort. He told us about the amazing new food court, the unique design of the resort, and on and on. It was amazing how much he knew! And that was just the security guard.
We parked and made our way inside. Rain was headed our direction.

Inside, the lobby was impressive:

And the entrance to the food court/ gift shop:

I loved everything about the food court! They made little improvements to everything about the Value food court design. Even the 'bussing' stations were more efficient and impressive:

In addition to cool seating areas, the kitchens were amazing. The food prep area is 80% visible (the result of many customer surveys - I thought it was cool. I know I like being able to see where my food is being prepared, how clean it is, etc. so I thought it was awesome!) Also, ML wanted a grilled cheese for lunch - and even though it wasn't on the menu, they made one for her! Fantastic!

Our lunch was awesome! Everything is very fresh and healthy at the AofA food court. You can still get a few fried things if you'd like, but most things are geared toward healthy (but tasty!) eating.

After lunch the rain mostly went away, so we went on a guided tour of the resort. Here's the main pool - the Nemo pool!

It is the largest pool - not in a water park- on Disney property! Some super cool features include being able to hear Dory speak whale while you are underwater - amazing!

The Lion King section wasn't quite open when we were there, so we toured a suite in the Cars section:

Everything at this resort is themed so intricately. Our tour guide said that Disney had tried to add that 'immersion' feel that the other Value resorts were lacking - and it shows. You really do feel immersed in the scenery.

Unlike other Disney Value (and even moderate!) resorts, the AofA family suites have indoor hallways:

This dining area becomes a bed with one pull of the handle (and removal of the chairs.)

Bathroom #1 vanity:

I love the thoughtful details, like this pocket door (takes up less space in the bathroom when the door is open.) You can see the bathtub/ shower curtain for bathroom #1 in the background.

I don't have a picture of the couch that is to the left (right beside the coffee table) in this pic, but it is so cute. It looks like the leather seat of an old car and it pulls out into a bed as well. What's special about this bed, is that it's made from 3 pieces of memory foam that become one big piece when the bed is pulled out. So, a nice comfortable place to sleep after a long day in the parks. No more weird couch bed springs poking you!: