This summer, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is getting in on the fun with Cool Kid Summer, a celebration packed with activities that bring extra magic to your stay. From themed dance parties to poolside games, there’s something going on every day that gives families even more reasons to love this colorful, character-filled resort this summer. Whether you’re staying in a Finding Nemo Family Suite, a Little Mermaid standard room, or even just visiting for a few hours, Cool Kid Summer events add an extra layer of fun for guests of all ages, but especially for the little ones.
When you arrive at Disney’s Art of Animation, keep an eye out for displays around the resort with all of the activities in store, as certain events take place on select days during specific times, and you don’t want to miss out. You’ll see A-frame boards in the lobby, Ink & Paint Shop, and Landscape of Flavors. There is a QR Code in the top left-hand corner if you’d prefer to pull up the website on your mobile device. Tap the image below or follow this link for a PDF of the Cool Kid Summer schedule for Art of Animation.
Families checking in who have kids in their party will receive a Cool Kid Summer gift bag full of fun items to use during your vacation. Click the image below to see what’s inside the bag in my article about the Wilderness Lodge activities.
Guests will find high-energy games, music, and surprise visits from Disney characters decked out in their summer best. There are two scheduled times daily for the character experiences – 8:50 am to 9:20 am and 3:35 pm to 3:55 pm. It’s important to know ahead of time that the characters are free to wander around. You’ll likely find that guests will try to form a line leading to the character because that’s what we are all used to doing, but for this special experience, the character is free to roam and will walk away and head to a different location on a whim. I witnessed many absolutely adorable interactions between characters and kids, and I especially love this one below, where Dale and a little boy cracked up laughing and both covered their mouths. It’s so fun to see this even when it’s not your own kids!
I also enjoyed seeing Daisy Duck kneeling down to interact with a little one in a stroller after she came in from outside. Seeing a child’s face light up from the pure joy of meeting a Disney character in real life might be one of the purest forms of enjoyment I’ve ever experienced! Seeing all of these interactions brought me right back to when my own children were small and characters were always roaming around in the resort lobbies – it’s pure magic that is simply not found anywhere other than Disney.
Cast Members do a great job in keeping the good vibes going with trivia, themed crafts, and interactive fun that’s perfect for getting kids moving and making memories. And don’t worry, parents can kick back and relax in the nearby lounge chairs or join in on the excitement, too. Most of the grown-ups I saw were in there having a blast right along with the kids.
There were three characters outside, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto, with a large crowd of parents and kids one day, and a cast member was wandering through the guests, reminding them that the characters were free to roam about, so not to be surprised if they walked away.
Donald Duck decided that he was in the mood for a game of checkers, so he walked over to the larger-than-life game and began playing with a child there while the others followed and watched. These are the kinds of experiences that make lifetime memories. They’re the things my adult kids still talk about from their childhood, and I couldn’t be happier to see that a new generation of families is getting to experience it.
Each day from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm, there are Poolside activities such as cast member-led trivia at the Big Blue Pool, the largest resort pool at Walt Disney World.
I had some of my own fun with the Find a Friend scavenger hunt. At Art of Animation, a Nala photo prop was the object to find, and while this one was easier to find than some of the others, it still took a decent amount of searching as the prop could be anywhere in the lobby, arcade, shop, or restaurant. The prop is moved daily and is a lot of fun during those inevitable afternoon thunderstorms. Once you find the prop, you need to take a photo of it and show the photo to a front desk cast member for a prize.
The first prize given out is a cute resort-specific button with a character image of the photo prop you searched for. There are four circles on the button, and you must return each day to find the prop in its new hiding place to earn a sticker.
While perusing the shop at Art of Animation, you might spot some adorable kid-sized shopping carts for your children to use while there.
At the front desk, you will notice a Mickey head-shaped pin board, and all you need to do is ask to see it if you want to trade pins. The cast members are willing to bring the board over for guests to see at any time of the day.
A Cool Kid Summer Little Library was located near the Kids’ section of the lobby, packed with books that kids could borrow to read. This is such a great spot to take a break and read a story. Sometimes, those familiar activities we do at home with our kids can be so relaxing while on a busy and very stimulating vacation.
As the sun starts to dip, the party doesn’t stop. Evening entertainment takes over with a campfire from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm at Pride Rock featuring complimentary marshmallows for toasting – a s’mores kit is also available for purchase. Just a note that if there are thunderstorms in the area, the campfire won’t happen. Unfortunately, the campfire was cancelled on the two nights I tried to see what it was all about. The skies can change quickly in Florida – they were blue with just a few white clouds, but turned dark and gloomy about 15 minutes later when it started raining.
Starting at 8:00 pm on Sunday through Thursday nights, there is a PJ Party, and at the same time on Friday and Saturday nights, there is trivia on the movie lawn near the pool. Sunday through Friday nights, beginning at 8:30 pm, guests can finish the day with a Movie Under the Stars, and on Saturday nights at 8:30 pm, there is a nighttime pool party on the Big Blue Pool Deck!
Be sure to pick up the Cool Kid Summer Fun For Families With Kids maps for each of the four major theme parks. They are full of tips and experiences that are not to be missed if you are visiting with kids. You can also find digital versions at the links below.
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is one of four Walt Disney World Resort hotels with special activities happening for Cool Kid Summer – Disney’s Pop Century Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, and Disney’s Wilderness Lodge are the other three, so stay tuned as I’ll be back to tell you all about each of those!
You can also find our articles detailing all the happenings at the four major Walt Disney World theme parks below.
If you’re ready to plan your summer vacation and experience Cool Kid Summer at Walt Disney World, there are fabulous specials that can save you up to 30% on your resort stay and 50% off kids’ (ages 3-9) theme park tickets! Reach out to us at Dreams Unlimited Travel for your no-obligation quote.
