What if I hate the value resort

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

In your first post you made it sound like you didn't want it to be big.
The All Star resorts are very small and very easy to get around.

Although later you mention loud and crowds.
To me that's something completely different from your first post.

You can have noisy neighbors at any hotel anywhere.

If you do want to try All Star Sports then request a room further from the main building so you're not getting as many people walking by.

But honestly it sound like you are just looking for reasons not to stay onsite so I'm not sure why you even considered it to begin with.

I'm not sure if you've been to Disney World before but you're going to find loud and crowds everywhere you turn in the parks so if that is a big anxiety of yours you may want to look into vacationing somewhere else entirely.

 

[DisneyGuy]

I don't know where you would go off site that wasn't a big resort complex? unless you rented a private home or something?

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I don't know where you would go off site that wasn't a big resort complex? unless you rented a private home or something?

There are many smaller hotels that only consist of one building.
I don't necessarily think it will help with OP's fear of noisy neighbors though.

 

[Vijoge]

We stayed at All Star Movies and had a ground floor room right near the pool. There was no noise of any consequence, even when our door was open. Sure, we might hear someone outside talking, or hear the flush of the toilet in the next room, but nothing intrusive. It was quiet enough.

 

[DisneyGuy]

There are many smaller hotels that only consist of one building.
I don't necessarily think it will help with OP's fear of noisy neighbors though.

No, because that can happen anywhere. But yeah, I guess there are smaller hotels out there.

 

[BeautyBeastAndNemo]

I feel like you are going into it knowing you're going to dislike it. Personally I don't think you should ever spend your hard earned money on hotel you are not excited to stay in (even if you are just doing it for the kids). You'd be better spending more, and truly looking forward to it. (Just my opinion and how I look at things)

Agreed!

 

[momto2js]

We have been to Disney World about 8 times in the last 10 years. We have never stayed on property. The All-Star stay started as a one night stay because Shades of Green wasn't available for our arrival day. Then I thought, well we could just stay at the All-star and not have to move mid day. Like I said, I am willing to give it a go.

We are a couple of things when we travel #1. cheap- or maybe value conscious (by being frugal we can travel more). We will stay 5 nights and be in the park 4 days for right @ $1,000 for 2 people. There has always been relief in leaving the "world" for a quiet resort but this trip is just my youngest and me, so we can do a few things differently. If it is not comfortable (and again we are not a 4* family) I would like to have the option to make a plan B.

Oh and for the record last year we stayed in hotels around the country 53 nights last year. I know all the issues. But with our preferred brand, membership has a few privileges.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

I think you may be pleasantly surprised and hope your stay goes well.

 

[writerguyfl]

The All Star resorts are very small and very easy to get around.

I know terms can be relative, but "small" wouldn't be an adjective I'd use to describe any of Disney's All-Star Resorts. Each opened with 1,920 rooms.

With those statistics, all three of the All-Star Resorts fall within the top 50 largest hotels in the United States. (If you remove Las Vegas from that list, the All-Star Resorts all jump into the top 20 largest hotels.) To put top 50 into context, Trip Advisor lists over 55,000 hotels in the United States.

Wikipedia List of Hotels with 1,000 Rooms or More: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_hotels

 

[Apopper74]

If you are already questioning if you are even going to like the resort enough to stay, than my opinion is cancel now to save you the time and effort while you are vacationing of locating a new hotel and then moving. Book off-site now, I think you are setting yourself up to not like it. You may find the value surprisingly pleasant, you may even like it, but you will need to go with more of a positive attitude or you are just going to look for reasons to hate it. I have never stayed value, only do mod and deluxe but never off-site as we like to stay in the bubble.

 

[Marthasor]

We have been to Disney World about 8 times in the last 10 years. We have never stayed on property. The All-Star stay started as a one night stay because Shades of Green wasn't available for our arrival day. Then I thought, well we could just stay at the All-star and not have to move mid day. Like I said, I am willing to give it a go.

We are a couple of things when we travel #1. cheap- or maybe value conscious (by being frugal we can travel more). We will stay 5 nights and be in the park 4 days for right @ $1,000 for 2 people. There has always been relief in leaving the "world" for a quiet resort but this trip is just my youngest and me, so we can do a few things differently. If it is not comfortable (and again we are not a 4* family) I would like to have the option to make a plan B.

Oh and for the record last year we stayed in hotels around the country 53 nights last year. I know all the issues. But with our preferred brand, membership has a few privileges.

You don't mention where you typically stay when in Orlando or what your preferred hotel brand is, so it's hard to try to make a comparison between what you may be used to and what you may encounter at a value resort. We've stayed at most of the WDW resorts from value to deluxe, plus the Swan/Dolphin and two offsite resorts. I will say honestly, we've had noise issues at both value and deluxe resorts. It really depends on room location, if there is some type of maintenance going on and who your neighbors are, so it really can be luck of the draw. When we go now (and we go multiple times throughout the year), I always put "quiet room" "no connecting door" requests on our reservation to try to avoid noise (sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't). Personally, I would suggest going with a resort (on or offsite) that you've already had a good experience in. We stayed in AoA the first year it opened and the noise was so bad I got little to no sleep. I desperately wanted to move the second night of our trip, but I was traveling alone with DS (who was 5 at the time) and it was in the middle of a tropical storm (that was quite a trip), so the logistics of moving were a bit complicated. Again, if it were me, I wouldn't risk it. If you have to move mid-stay, it will take away precious vacation time with your child. Go someplace you know you will be comfortable and enjoy your trip.

 

[mco65]

when your spending a ton of time at the Parks and little at the resort, i think the Values are great. Unfortunately we out grew the values and now stay at moderates but if the twins had been just a solo, we would still be at the values. I get that some prefer more creature comforts, because i do too but for now we still spend the majority of our time at the parks and the pool. The room is just that.. a room to sleep in.

 

[firstwdw]

I would continue checking for availability at Shades of Green. Often at the 30day mark people cancel and rooms open up at Shades of Green. Are any nights of your stay available at Shades? If so, call and ask to book those and then check online everyday for availability to open up for the remaining nights, especially 30days prior to your trip.

 

[WhispyPixie]

Room location is a huge thing. Try to send a fax to request a corner, quiet or non-connecting room. Values are great if you want to be "in" the Disney magic the entire time, also the pool themes are really great for kids. Make sure you select a time when cheerleaders wont be there or you will get NO quiet..lol Many people tour the parks all day and really only use their resort for sleeping. Personally, if you have doubts or fears, I would change now..lol You shouldn't be worrying about this during your planning stage.

 

[Beer Me]

I've stayed at every All Stars and they are great if you want to stay onsite cheaply but if you go in looking for things wrong you will find them. They only work if you are willing to put up with some noise or imperfections with the room.

That being said, it is very common to compare the value hotels with motel 6 and I think that is totally unfair. I have stayed at many cheap motels when I was young, broke and traveling around the country. Motel 6 isn't really bad. The rooms are clean and comfortable. It's negative perception comes from the fact that motel 6 and others like it are often not in the greatest neighborhoods and the clientele maybe not the most upstanding citizens. In a word they are sketchy.

This is not a problem you will have at an all stars. Yes, noisy kids and a crowded chaotic food court and lots of rides on crowded buses but it won't be sketchy. Ok end of rant but all stars is not a motel 6. Quit saying that.

My next rant will be about how chef Mickey's is not golden corral.

 

[goofyintoronto]

If you are already questioning if you are even going to like the resort enough to stay, than my opinion is cancel now to save you the time and effort while you are vacationing of locating a new hotel and then moving. Book off-site now, I think you are setting yourself up to not like it. You may find the value surprisingly pleasant, you may even like it, but you will need to go with more of a positive attitude or you are just going to look for reasons to hate it. I have never stayed value, only do mod and deluxe but never off-site as we like to stay in the bubble.

I agree. You're totally setting yourself up to hate it. You need to give this place a chance, stay positive, otherwise you'll end up hating it. I think your kid would love it. Sports is one of my fave value resorts. its not as massive as pop century...and the theme is adorable. Staying at the top floor closer to the little lake they have at the back is definitely a quieter area. (yes, there's a body of water at the back for those that didnt know).

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I know terms can be relative, but "small" wouldn't be an adjective I'd use to describe any of Disney's All-Star Resorts. Each opened with 1,920 rooms.

With those statistics, all three of the All-Star Resorts fall within the top 50 largest hotels in the United States. (If you remove Las Vegas from that list, the All-Star Resorts all jump into the top 20 largest hotels.) To put top 50 into context, Trip Advisor lists over 55,000 hotels in the United States.

Wikipedia List of Hotels with 1,000 Rooms or More: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_hotels

All Star resorts are very small, compact, and easy to get around as far as DISNEY resorts go.
POP has 2,880 rooms and is much more spread out.
Sure when you compare it to say a local Days Inn that consists of one big building on a very small piece of land any of the Disney resorts will seem big but looking at the big picture All Star resorts are small.

 

[StrwLady]

I went from always staying at a deluxe to staying doing 3 week trips at a value. I have no complaints about the values. We normally stay at the Pop but in the past I have stayed at all the values.

You are right about your kid enjoying the sports. I'm betting you will too when you see it through his/her eyes.

As others have suggested request a room that is on the other side of the courtyard. As far away from the elevator as possible. That way you will have less traffic passing your door. If while you are there talk with the front desk to see if they can move you to another room that might be mor quite. I find that if you approach an issue in a very friendly man or they will do all that's possible to see that you are happy.

If you want quiet times out side of the room go to the food court at off peak hours. We are not morning people so our day is always different than most. We may end up in the food court at 2pm for lunch and it's so much less hetic. Also you can pretty much avoid the main building by finding alternate pathways to the bus area. Study the map then you can request an area you like.



I don't think you will regret the decision to star on property. I do suggest you call CRO or the resort itself to get your answer regarding you leaving early. I do think everyone here has the right answer but it doesn't hurt to get it from the horses mouth.

 

[HopperFan]

I know terms can be relative, but "small" wouldn't be an adjective I'd use to describe any of Disney's All-Star Resorts. Each opened with 1,920 rooms.

With those statistics, all three of the All-Star Resorts fall within the top 50 largest hotels in the United States. (If you remove Las Vegas from that list, the All-Star Resorts all jump into the top 20 largest hotels.) To put top 50 into context, Trip Advisor lists over 55,000 hotels in the United States.

Wikipedia List of Hotels with 1,000 Rooms or More: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_hotels

Agree. I think Disney regulars become immune to the size of the hotels, the long lines at food courts etc. The average hotel in the US is under 200 rooms - the smallest Disney hotel footprint (I combine attached hotels/DVC) is 800 with most being much bigger than that.

I feel for the most part Disney has all the amenities structured to handle that number of people but I can see where it also makes some uncomfortable and prefer a smaller traditional hotel. I would always book with what I think will make my vacation the best it could be, on or off site.

 

[scrapquitler]

I think it will be OK, but it all depends on neighbors. I am afraid of loud and crowded. I have had these fears about other places, and they everything has been fine, but there is a real possibility that we just may not be onsite people.

If this is the case, maybe a Disney vacation isn't a good option for you regardless of what hotel you sleep at.