I'll be honest that I've been sitting her for a while thinking about your question about staying at
Disney's Art of Animation or the
The Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness, and that's a tough one to answer as each have such unique styles and amenities. Let me help by laying out some of the differences for you:
Disney's Art of Animation family suites are 565 square feet and have a master bedroom with a full bathroom. In addition, there is a living room with another full bathroom & a kitchenette. The furniture in the living room converts into sleepers. The resort has 3 pools & a counter service restaurant. The theming is truly immersed in all things Disney animation so much so that it is easy to feel as if you are part of one of the featured films.
The Cabin's at Disney's Fort Wilderness are 504 square feet & have a bedroom with a double bed as well as a bunk bed. In the living room, there is a murphy bed that comes out of the wall. There is a full kitchen and a single bathroom. The resort has 2 pools, one buffet restaurant, 2 dinner shows & a counter service restaurant. With the woodsy-rustic feel, the Disney theming is more subtle throughout this large resort (some guests rent golf carts to move about the resort).
Since I often find that a picture if worth a thousand words, I'd really encourage you and your party to look over the pictures of the resorts and their rooms to see which best fits everyone's needs. As for the question about needing to upgrade your dining plan, I'd call a Disney vacation planning expert at (407) 939-7684 who would be able to better assist you with this to make sure everything is done correctly.
Please let us know if we can help again. Wishing you a pixie-dusted vacation!
-Kara