New Value Resort : Disney Animation Inn & Suites - Coming 2012

[doconeill]

Groundbreaking was to happen "this summer". It's been summer for, let's see, 29 1/2 hours plus a few minutes (solstice occurred at 7:28am yesterday EDT)

 

[Minnesota!]

Anyone know if "anything" is going on there yet?

 

[jen42002]

Personally, I don't get the excitement behind this. I understand people are happy to see something being done with the abandoned legendary years, but beyond that, I don't get it.

This isn't something new, it's not as if Disney has finally solved the 5th person dilemma. Unless I'm mistaken, this is just going to be like the ASMu family suites but on a larger scale. It doesn't create a solution for the people who do not want to stay at a value but have larger family.

Disney already had the affordable suite options, and they also have the other extreme, which are expensive suite options. What they still don't have is an option in the middle, unless you include the trundle bed rooms at POR which IMO aren't exactly an option if the fifth person isn't a child.

The theme is also disappointing, at face value it just seems like an extension of All Star Movies, and Nemo already has themed rooms at the Caribbean Beach. Also, I don't like the fact that it's "connected" to Pop but the two themes don't really match.

Sorry for being a downer, but that's just my two (or maybe more) cents.

I completely agree. Build a moderate priced suite hotel with beds for 6 (not pullouts) and I am sold!

 

[kifuller4]

I think Disney is just trying to solve a problem they have now... the suites are almost always full. I for one am not going to make my kid sleep on a mattress on the floor (Disney's "trundle" bed). Plus, the adults get a queen size bed, not a double. For me, who is a person who spends most of the day in the park, I want a place to crash and not spend a lot of money.

 

[KELLY]

I can't wait for the suites. As my girls get older I'm sure we will need 2 bathrooms. We will be staying there for sure in 2012 as long as they are open for our dates.

 

[trekker93]

Our room looked over the Hourglass lake and we could see this new area - the old Pop area- 1900's - 1940's. but the Generation Gap bridge wouldn't let us over there. There was plenty of activity there - we could see many construction trailers, and storage trailers. So this planning has been going on for a while. There existing buildings are the same as Pop's and my guess is that they'll open up the wall between many of the existing rooms to create suites. It shouldn't take too long to do this. The decor , statues, etc. should be done in a year if it's anything like the renovation projects I've worked on.

 

[jeanylaser]

I'm pretty confused!

 

[Brandis]

I'm pretty confused!

Why is that?

 

[jeanylaser]

I never heard of Art of Animation Resort! Please I need some info!

 

[doconeill]

I never heard of Art of Animation Resort! Please I need some info!

I think it is all explained in the thread!

But in short, WDW will finally build out the "second half" of Pop Century ("The Legendary Years"), where construction was halted shortly after 9/11/2001. However, it will not be part of Pop Century, instead having it's own identity and being themed around animation.

Also, more than half the rooms (I believe, fuzzy on the number right now) will be suites similar to those found at ASMu.

Construction is supposed to begin shortly.

 

[jeanylaser]

thanks for the info! I can't wait to stay there!

 

[Goofy22]

I'll be there in late August i'll be sure to take pictures of any action going on over there! Last year I got pics of all the mattress trailors that were there when they were redoing the beds at POP! There were loads of them sealy mattress trucks! It was nutz and I have pics of the new mattresses on the balconies waiting to get put in the rooms also this was going on in the 50's and 60's while we were there.

 

[DisneyDadNY]

I was lucky to take a quick trip to WDW 6/16 - 6/18 and staying at Pop Century allowed me to take the following pics of the start of construction for Disney's Art of Animation Resort.

Booms protecting the lake from runoff:

Construction trailer complex:

 

[DisneyDadNY]

Ground clearing from end of Generation Gap Bridge:

 

[DisneyDadNY]

Old building pads being torn up along with service pipes:

So great to finally see construction vehicles on the site again!

How great is it knowing we will not to have to see these for much longer!

 

[DisneyDadNY]

From what I was told the main building will stay as will the 2 existing room buildings. These buildings will be used as the standard rooms with the suites being housed in the yet to be constructed buildings.

Seems to make sense as in comparing pictures from my 2007 trip to this trip much of the safety railings that were broken on the existing room building has been repaired.

For a really cool look at what this place looked like a couple of years ago check out the pics at the following link. This guy was WAY braver than I was in sneaking over to get pics!

http://illicitohio.illicitohio.com/disneycentury/page_0001.html

The pics really show just how quickly they abandoned the project.....

 

[doconeill]

From what I was told the main building will stay as will the 2 existing room buildings. These buildings will be used as the standard rooms with the suites being housed in the yet to be constructed buildings.

Looks that way, given they are tearing up the existing pads (since the room layout would be different) - but I would have thought they'd need more than two buildings for the standard rooms...

 

[DisneyDadNY]

Looks that way, given they are tearing up the existing pads (since the room layout would be different) - but I would have thought they'd need more than two buildings for the standard rooms...

They will need 3 building to get the announced 864 standard rooms.

Each of the existing 2 buildings (just like Pop's) have 24 rooms per floor/wing. This makes 72 rooms per floor in each building * 4 floors gives us 288 rooms per building. If we take the 864 rooms announced as standard rooms and divide by 288 we get 3.

It looks like they will use the 2 existing shells plus build the third on the pad highlighted in the below picture.

 

[Mama Steph]

The only "complaint" I have is that the suites and standard rooms are separated. We are a family of 7 and I like the idea of a suite with a (connecting) standard room next door. That is what we are doing in August at ASMu. Our only other option is a villa which is not in our price range without a fabulous discount. I love that the suites have a private bedroom with a queen bed for dh and I. The other reason we chose the suite vs 3 standard rooms was because I wanted a place to sit and relax that was not a bed! We will be there for 10 days so I know we will have downtime either at night or during our afternoon breaks and I want a chair or a couch.

 

[jeanylaser]

thanks for the info!