Hi Haley,
We are delighted to see you stopping by planDisney with an excellent question!
I am especially happy to see that you are staying at
Disney's Art of Animation Resort. This resort hotel is absolutely adorable and the
Big Blue Pool is my favorite! You will be relieved to know that you can definitely access your resort hotel room without a smart phone. There are several ways to
Access the Magic during your visit. Since you will not have a smart phone, when you check into Disney's Art of Animation Resort, just let a cast member know that you need a Key to the World card.
A second option is MagicBand+. My family actually prefers
MagicBand+ instead of having to rely on our smart phones to open our resort hotel room door and scan into the parks. If you decide to use MagicBand+, everyone does not need one, but I imagine they will want one once they see them. Each of us has a MagicBand+ and I truly feel that they make it easier to navigate the parks and resorts.
As you continue to plan, I do hope you have secured some
advanced dining reservations. We rely on dining reservations for the most popular restaurants and, in general, having reservations helps us save time waiting in line to eat. We are visiting in late May and I am so excited because we have a reservation for the newly reopened
1900 Park Fare.
Haley, if you do get MagicBand+ for your party, you can also use it to scan for your
Disney PhotoPass photos with PhotoPass photographers. These photos have been priceless for us and I trust they will be for you as well. We have come to rely on Memory Maker and now have so many favorite photos from our trips over the years. Sending a little extra pixie dust trusting that you will make those final plans. Let the countdown begin!
Magic and memories,
Donyell