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Here at Green Vacation Deals, we love all the Disney World hotels. There is so much convenience if you are staying onsite when visiting the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. It is nice to be able to just park your car at the beginning of the trip and have convenient transportation everywhere you want to go. Or to fly into Disney World and not have to bother renting a car or getting an Uber or Lyft. Plus, you can get into the parks earlier than other guests if you stay at a Disney hotel. The benefits can go on and on.
So the problem isn’t so much should you stay at a Disney World hotel. The question is more, which one?
Two Disney hotels you may be considering are Art of Animation. Art of Animation is a Disney hotel themed to Disney and Pixar classic animated movies. Coronado Springs is a Mexican-themed hotel with Spanish, Southwest American, and Mexican influences. I’ve stayed at both hotels multiple times. They both have their advantages and disadvantages.
So to help you make a decision, I’ll compare Art of Animation and Coronado Springs on a number of factors.
Theming
This is a difficult one to compare because theming is so dependent on your taste.
Art of Animation is themed to four specific Disney movies: Cars, Finding Nemo, The Lion King, and The Little Mermaid. In each section are larger-than-life colorful depictions of the movie characters.
It is fun theming especially if you love Disney movies and Disney characters. It can make a Disney World trip even more Disney, which can be a great thing.
Coronado Springs makes you feel as if you’ve stepped onto a Mexican resort. This theming more makes you feel as if you have taken two trips in one: both the Disney World trip and a trip to a Mexican resort. This can be a neat feeling, especially if you were unsure about which kind of vacation you wanted to take. It is also a really beautiful resort with beautiful Mexican architecture and decorations.
So if you want a two-in-one trip, you want an escape from Disney at the end of the night, and you love Mexican architecture and decorations, then Coronado Springs would be a better fit for you. But if you love all things Disney and want a complete escape into your favorite stories and characters, then Art of Animation would be better for you.
Winner: Draw
Transportation to the Parks
Now both hotels offer bus transportation to the parks. But one thing that was added to Art of Animation in 2019 that wasn’t there the first time I visited Art of Animation was the Skyliner transportation. There is a Disney Skyliner Station located in between Art of Animation and Pop Century.
The Skyliners are a great transportation mode. I much prefer it to the busses. They are quicker and the views are more pleasant. And you don’t have to stand up like you often do on the bus.
Now, you can’t take the Skyliner to every park. But you can take it to the World Showcase entrance of Epcot and Hollywood Studios. This is great especially if you love the Epcot festivals like my family does, the restaurants at the World Showcase, Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios, Toy Story Land at Hollywood Studios, etc.
Coronado Springs does not have any transportation like this. Coronado Springs offers traditional bus service to the parks and Disney Springs (like Art of Animation does with Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, the water parks, and Disney Springs). But it does not have Skyliner transportation.
Winner: Art of Animation
Pool
Both resorts have multiple pool options. The highlight of Art of Animation’s pool is The Big Blue Pool in the Finding Nemo section.
It’s a great pool with fun play areas.
That pool though can get quite crowded during the day. Luckily there are smaller pools in the Little Mermaid and Cars section you can use that do not get as crowded.
Coronado Springs also has multiple pools. They have smaller, quieter pools which are great if you want more room to swim without all the people.
But of course, the highlight is the main pool. And it’s one of the best pools at Disney World.
It’s a great pool to swim in and relax. But what makes it even better is the whole pool area, theming, and slide. The pool complex has a 50-foot replica of a Mayan pyramid and there’s a great slide there, too.
While the pools are great at Art of Animation, none of their pools have a slide. So this gives the advantage to Coronado Springs.
Winner: Coronado Springs
Dining Options
Art of Animation has one of my favorite food courts at Disney World, Landscape of Flavors. I love all the beautiful pictures of drawings for the animated films featured at the hotel.
I also love the music they play, which includes different versions of songs from the movies featured at the hotel. They have a nice selection of food and Disney’s reusable mug system, which I like (it saves you money over a long vacation).
But that is Art of Animation’s only restaurant. Art of Animation also has a pool bar, The Drop Off Pool Bar. Coronado Springs also has a pool bar, Siestas Canteen. Coronado Springs also has a great food court, too: El Mercado de Coronado. It is a really beautiful food court with wonderful Mexican touches and great music playing. And they also have the refillable mug option.
But the dining options don’t stop here. They have a full-service, table-service restaurant, Maya Grill. It has ancient-modern theming and serves Nuevo Latino cuisines. Coronado Springs also has their own sports bar and grill, Rix Sports Bar and Grill.
Rix Sports Bar and Grill has plenty of TVs to watch games – and a pretty good menu to boot, too.
There’s a lakeside tequila and mezcal bar called Laguna Bar.
They also have multiple lounges. Dahlia Lounge is a rooftop lounge with great views, premium wine, and signature cocktails. Barcelona Lounge serves espressos and pastries in the morning and craft beer, wine, and cocktails at night. And Three Bridges Bar & Grill is a lakefront restaurant serving sandwiches, salads, and shared plates. So if you want the option to eat at the hotel rather than the parks and you don’t want to eat at the same restaurant for every meal, Coronado Springs gives you that. Art of Animation does not.
Winner: Coronado Springs
Kid-Friendly
So with the Disney theming of Art of Animation, it is a bit more kid-friendly. This is not to say, of course, that kids don’t like Coronado Springs. Coronado Springs has a lot of fun features for kids, especially the aforementioned pool. But Art of Animation is more kid-friendly, especially for the youngest guests.
Winner: Art of Animation
Suite Options
Not all Disney hotels have suite options. But Coronado Springs and Art of Animation are exceptions. They both have suite options. In fact, most of the rooms at Art of Animation are suites. All the rooms in the Cars, Finding Nemo, and The Lion King are suites. So you’re more likely to find an available suite at Art of Animation. Additionally, the suites are a lot more affordable at Art of Animation than Coronado Springs.
Winner: Art of Animation
Pricing
Art of Animation is considered a “value” resort which means that by definition, it should be one of the most affordable hotels at Disney World. But most of the rooms are pretty expensive because they do have so many suites. However, if you stay in a standard Little Mermaid room, the price is going to be cheaper than a lot of Disney hotels. Not as cheap as the Disney All Star hotels (All Star Movies, All Star Sports, and All Star Music). But cheaper than standard rooms at Coronado Springs.
Now, it is not tremendously cheaper. But let’s look at how much you pay for Coronado Springs on Priceline and Art of Animation on Priceline. I’ve found you can get the cheapest prices on Priceline – their rates are even cheaper than the Disney annual pass discount on their website!
So for the date I checked, you could get a room for 2 adults and 2 children at Art of Animation for $179 per night. You could get a room for 2 adults and 2 children at Coronado Springs for $186 a night. Now, as you see, this is not a significant increase in price. But if you stay a week, it does add up a little. And the difference in price does increase at more peak times. So, Art of Animation would be cheaper.
Winner: Art of Animation
Resort Activities
So earlier I compared the pools. But those aren’t the only resort activities available at the hotels.
Some activities are offered at both hotels. This includes movies at night, a playground, and an arcade.
But there are differences. For instance, you can fish at Art of Animation.
But Coronado Springs has some resort recreational opportunities that Art of Animation does not have, like beach volleyball.
But the biggest difference in resort amenities is the Health & Fitness Center at Coronado Springs. This center has two fitness centers, massage therapy options, facial treatments, and a beauty salon. Art of Animation does not have a spa or fitness center. So this is a big plus of Coronado Springs.
Winner: Coronado Springs
Ease of Getting Around The Resort
Coronado Springs is a much larger resort. And at the center of it is a lake. This makes it quite beautiful. But it also makes it a lot easier to get around the resort. If you don’t opt to pay extra to be in a preferred room, your room could be quite far away from the main building.
Art of Animation Resort is more compact. Little Mermaid is the section farthest away from the main building. But it doesn’t take long to get to the main building from your room. So that is an advantage of Art of Animation.
On the other hand, one thing Coronado Springs has going for it is multiple bus stops. So even if your room is far away from the main building, you can take a bus to the main building. And more importantly, this means you can leave your room and quickly get to the bus stop. There is only one main bus stop at Art of Animation, so you have to go to the main building to get on a bus.
But in terms of having a resort you can easily walk around quickly, Art of Animation gets the edge.
Winner: Art of Animation
Conclusion
As you can see, there is no clear-cut winner. Both hotels have advantages over the other one. So it really depends on what you want out of your trip.
You should choose Art of Animation if you want:
- Your trip to be all Disney, all the time
- A more kid-friendly hotel
- Affordable suites
- Cheaper rates for standard rooms
- Better transportation to Hollywood Studios & Epcot
- A more compact hotel you can easily walk around
You should choose Coronado Springs if you want:
- A hotel that is themed to an exotic location (Mexico) rather than just themed to Disney
- More dining options
- A better pool with a slide
- A spa
- Fitness centers
- A bus station stop very close to your room no matter where you are staying
Oh, and by the way, no matter which hotel you choose, you’ll need Disney World tickets. So check out these great Disney World coupons.
