I’ve been to Disney twice in the past 6 months and both times I’ve stayed at Art of Animation resort in a Lion King Family Suite.  These rooms are fantastic and I’ll tell you why.

If you’re like me and you’ve got a whole minivanload of kids, you need the extra space that the family suites offer.  Each suite is approximately 565 sq ft and house one bedroom, two bathrooms, a double sofa bed, a double Murphy-style table bed, and a kitchenette.  Each suite sleeps six people.

sofa bed and kitchenette

As you walk into the suite, the first thing you see is the living room with its giraffes and that amazing flower lamp/table.   The kitchenette has a small sink, a large size cube refrigerator, and a coffeemaker (lifesaver!). Across from the sofa there is a dresser that houses the flat screen TV next to a little storage unit. Off to the side (right or left, depending on the layout of your room) is the super cool table bed.  My kids fought over who was going to sleep there. It has a foam mattress which is surprisingly comfortable.  They could probably make all the beds out of that stuff and I’d be happy.

bed in the table position

When the bed is up, it makes a great spot for having breakfast in your room or for setting up a laptop to upload photos.  What’s really nice is that the chairs actually stack so you can set them out of the way when you’ve got the bed pulled down.  Another fun feature is the built in reading lights on the inside of the setup.  It’s those little things Disney thinks of that make the difference.

Across from the table is the living area’s bathroom.  It’s got a pocket door (love those!) with a sink area and then a second door with the toilet and shower.  This makes it really easy for a few people to dress at once and that can be a big time saver.

main bathroom

On to the master bedroom!  It’s got its own door to close it off from the rest of the suite, so you parents can have some privacy away from the kids.  Always a sanity saver!  It has a queen sized bed (rare in a Value level resort!) with a television and an ensuite bathroom.

master bedroom

I absolutely LOVE this master bath.  It’s so beautiful!  The tiling in the shower stall is so well done and artful.  It feels very expensive and not at all like it should be in a Value resort. Not to mention, this bathroom is HUGE.  I think it’s bigger than the one in my first apartment.

master bath

The whole suite is just so well done and gorgeous.  I see how some could think it was overdecorated and maybe too busy, but my kids really loved it. They enjoyed the bright colors as did I.  I thought there was a decent amount of storage, though we halfway lived out of our suitcase because for a family of five, there wasn’t THAT much storage.

Another nice feature is that all the suites are in buildings that have indoor corridors.  I like the security of that, not to mention, it’s nice to be inside out of the heat when you’re headed to your room.  I also think the indoor corridors tend to have less noise than the outer ones.

For the price, I think Art of Animation is a great resort for families.  It’s fun, they have a great pool, their food court is one of the best on property, and they have their own buses, meaning they don’t stop at other resorts on the route.  That makes a big difference in transportation times.

Overall, I love this resort and I can’t wait to stay here again!