The Pools at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
The pools at Disney’s Art of Animation are a great place to take a break during your Disney vacation. There are three pools available for guests of the resort.
Whether you want to relax in the Flippin’ Fins pool, take a plunge in The Big Blue Pool, or hang out in a cabana at the Cozy Cone Pool, there’s something for everyone.
This article will preview the three pools at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. In addition, we’ll look at the Schoolyard Sprayground, the pool bar, laundry facilities, and the other playgrounds at the resort.
The Big Blue Pool is the feature pool at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. It contains over 308,000 gallons and is inspired by Disney’s Finding Nemo film.
The pool sits directly behind the resort’s lobby. It is centered between the Finding Nemo suites section of the resort.
The pool’s far end has a zero-entry and several fun splash elements.
In addition, this pool area is home to The Schoolyard Sprayground, an interactive water play area for smaller children.
I don’t know what you think, but the splash pad looks like a ton of fun for children. And a stay at this resort is more than warranted when the kids are still young.
Related: Disney’s Art of Animation Resort Review
There are a few posted rules at all the pools at Disney World. This sign indicates that children under 12 must have adult supervision while playing at the Schoolyard Sprayground.
And if your child doesn’t want to get wet, there’s a playground behind the splash pad. This playground is one of two at Art of Animation. It’s called Squirt’s Righteous Reef.
It’s a great place to let children burn off a little energy. Like everything else at the resort, this play area is designed with small children in mind. You’ll notice that the slide is not very intimidating. And the playground is surrounded by rubber flooring.
Crush sits nearby, reminding everyone to chill-ax.
Toward the front of The Big Blue Pool sits a kiosk that offers airbrush tattoos and hair braiding. These items are an extra cost.
You’ll also find a laundry room next to the pool restroom area. Unfortunately, the family suites do not have washers and dryers in the unit.
The Drop Off pool bar is located immediately beside the pool’s main entrance. The Drop Off mainly has beverages and cocktails, but a few snacks might be available. You can preview their menu here.
However, if you want to enjoy a meal at the pool, you’ll need to mobile order from the resort’s food court, Landscape of Flavors. Then, when your order is ready, you can walk in and pick it up.
Related: Landscape of Flavors at Art of Animation
Or you can always go in and order it yourself. But mobile order is so much easier, especially when hanging out at the pool.
One far end of the resort is home to the Cars Section at Art of Animation. In the center of this area, you’ll run into the Cozy Cone Motel.
This area is home to the Cozy Cone Pool. You’ll walk through what appears to be the lobby entrance.
The pool sits on the opposite side. It’s the shape of a wheel well.
Additionally, the Turbo Wash Laundromat is located beside the pool.
And here is one of those cozy cone cabanas! These are available to guests on a first-come, first-serve basis.
A second entrance is located behind the pool.
Lastly, we’ll head down to the opposite end of Disney’s Art of Animation. That’s where you’ll find the Flippin’ Fins pool.
In addition, the Little Mermaid section is where you’ll find the standard rooms at the resort. All of the other sections have family suites. While I love The Little Mermaid, these are probably my least favorite rooms at Disney.
So if you’re planning a stay on a tight budget, you might want to compare these rooms to the ones across the lake at Pop Century.
Related: Disney’s Pop Century vs. Art of Animation
Anyway, the pools at Art of Animation (and the entire outdoor area) are tough to beat.
The pool rules indicate that the pool is open daily between 10:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. These were the hours for all pools in mid-December when I took these photos. However, pool hours do change from time to time.
For instance, the pool hours might be shorter if you visit during colder weather. And during the hotter summer months, hours will likely be extended. So make sure to check the hours of operation during your visit if swimming earlier or later is important to you.
All of the pools at Art of Animation have life jackets available for children.
And here is the laundromat that’s located beside the Flippin’ Fins Pool.
It’s a sizeable pool.
Lastly, The Lion King section of the resort doesn’t offer a pool. However, it does have a children’s play area. This playground is between the main lobby and The Little Mermaid section of the resort.
Overall, the three pools at Disney’s Art of Animation are equally fun. The main pool, The Big Blue Pool, is the largest, with an additional water play area and playground.
The Cozy Cone pool, designed after Cars, has those cool cabanas that anyone can use. And the Flippin’ Fins Pool is perfect for fans of The Little Mermaid.
Your children will love staying here, and they’ll remember these larger-than-life characters around the resort for many years to come. And don’t be surprised if they want to spend more time at the pool than in the theme parks.
For more information, all of our articles for Disney’s Art of Animation Resort are available in our resort guide:
Additionally, you might enjoy some of these other planning articles:
- Transportation Options at Art of Animation
- Disney’s Pop Century Resort Review
- The Best Pools at Disney World
- Planning a Split Stay at Disney World
- Benefits of Using a Travel Agent For Disney World
If you’re following along, we’ll have more updated coverage of this resort in the next week. We’ll preview the gift shop and the food court, Landscape of Flavors. And as time allows, I’ll cover these same items for Pop Century.
In the comments:
Now that we’ve taken a detailed look at the pools at Art of Animation, what do you think? Is there one that you might prefer? What are your thoughts on this resort?
