All-Star Resort's love them or hate them?

[Angharad]

Love them!!

We've only stayed at the All Stars twice; in Sports way back in '97 for our first ever visit and then Movies in '05! But we have visited them every trip to use their food courts and wander around. I'm a sucker for them!!

 

[SouthernGospelGirl485]

I love the All Star Movie Resort!

Don't get me wrong. The moderate and deluxe hotels are beautiful, but I can't bring myself to pay that much when I only sleep and shower there. Also for my family of 5 we can book two rooms at ASMo for the price of one moderate room, and have two bathrooms. In reality though I like the cheesy theme.

 

[Prettypolly]

My family and I have just returned from 10 nights at Sports and really enjoyed our trip. We normally stay at the Yacht and Beach Club or Swan & Dolphin but got an amazing deal from a travel agent that we couldn't say no to! We were on the top floor of building 8 (Homerun) which meant we could catch either the Sports bus from the parks or the Music bus which was the same distance from our room. We loved having separate queues (lines) for the parks at the bus stop and never had any issues with long waits. Sure, the rooms are basic but we were hardly in them and Mousekeeping was great. The food in the food hall was good and well priced and the whole resort was very clean. I would be more than happy to stay here again.

 

[keishashadow]

We would not be going to Disney without All Star Resorts. Having a special needs child means we're now a one-income family with a monthly hospital bill the size of a car payment and $800 medication. We enjoyed the smallest room on the cruise ship during our honeymoon week and the rooms at ASM are considerably larger. We have a child now, but will be spending our days at the parks so I don't see space being much of a problem. Without 180+ I doubt I could have gotten the ADRs organized enough for Bibbidi Boppidy Boutique, BOG, & CRT in order on "Princess Day," or BOG, Lilo's Playhouse, & 'Ohana on "Date Night." While free dining isn't free because of opportunity cost we saved enough to pay for the princess makeover, childcare, Akershus, and Memory Maker to record it all. The criticisms I've read do not deter me, but encourage me to bring cleanser & disinfectant, hanging organizers to leverage space, and a memory foam topper for our bed. We have access to an indoor pool with hot tub and bubble couch here at home. An annual membership to the nearby water park is less than one hotel night. Twenty years from now my daughter won't care if the rooms were dated or she had to walk a ways to the bus stop three times (we're driving to all but MK so requested a parking lot view), but she will remember getting a week of first-class park experiences which are only possible because I was able to do it all (including transportation) for around $3,000.

Sounds like an amazing trip to me, enjoy! Too many people get caught up in the process.

Can't say I've had a 'dirty' room anywhere onsite. Used to own a cleaning business, force of habit to peek behind the toilet bowl, under the sink, bed mattresses. Some dust bunnies but nothing scary. If i did, I'd be on the phone with housekeeping pronto.

Wish the beds were larger but always a good sleep @ the Values. Might have something to do with walking nearly 10 miles a day lol

As for being a destination resort, well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. We added on a night @ AS Mu this coming Saturday before we move over to AKV. My 6 y.o. GD seems most excited about the 3 amigos pool that she remembers from a quick trip there last August. Specifically requested we return early enough to resort so she can swim.

 

[Arielfan98]

My family has always stayed at the All Star Resorts, particularly All Star Music, but we have done ASMovies, ASSports, and Pop.

Just my two cents....
1) All Stars are ideal for groups who spend a majority of their day in the parks. Therefore, the quality of the pool doesn't matter as much and the large groups aren't an issue because you're absent from the hotel from 8am-12am.
2) Size of rooms are definitely subjective. I grew up in a smaller home and my family of 4 (now all adults), still have no issues with the sizing of the rooms. In fact, we find there is plenty of room for us, and even so when I was smaller with a stroller and other kid accessories.
3) Again, pointing out that groups like mine do not go back and forth between parks and the hotel (we're out from 8am-12am), transportation is not a big deal. We schedule our vacation around the parks we want to visit that day. So yes, the All Stars are far out from everything except for AK. BUT, we are making two trips--1 bus ride to the park and 1 bus ride back. This also means prime location doesn't make a difference (again, 1 trip there and 1 trip back).
4) Groups who book at value resorts prefer other aspects of vacation that do not involve the hotel. Sounds dumb, but what I'm saying is my family is full of foodies. Why spend an extra $200+ per night when we can spend it on the dining plan or other dining experiences? That is what we prefer since we only view the hotel as just a place to sleep for the night.

Now for the disadvantages....
1) The food court in the morning for breakfast is more chaotic than other resort food courts I've noticed. With that said, it is very easy to replace the food court breakfast with eating at the parks or packing your own breakfast for each morning. My family flies in from NY, but packing granola bars isn't hard to manage. Despite the chaotic atmosphere, we prefer the All Star food courts for breakfast and sometimes bring our food back to the room.
2) The bus transportation can be hectic and often we end up waiting 2-3 buses on the way back from MK.....BUT again we are saving so much money staying there and 1 bad bus a day isn't that big a deal for us.
3) I suppose the school/tour groups are a nuisance, except my family has never experienced this in all 20+ years of staying at All Stars. I suppose it's because we rise before they do and are gone most of the day and return after they are in their rooms. Either way we are not nap people and do not hang out by the pool area. Even so, still worth it for the savings at these hotels.

 

[goofy4tink]

As I posted earlier, I've stayed at Movies and Music. Liked Movies a lot, Music not so much. I just spent 5 nights at Sports. It was ok. I was in the Surfs Up section...bldg 6. I had a car so it was a quick walk to the parking lot. My room was as expected. My biggest issue was the location. I was right at the intersection of the 'hallways' so there was a lot of foot traffic going by. And housekeeping spent a fair amount of time chatting right in front of my room!
The food court was lacking, at least in my opinion. It's small and cramped if it gets at all busy. Actually, I found the whole resort to feel cramped. Just felt very crowded, something I didn't feel at Movies.

 

[greg9x]

Saying they are 'some of the worst resorts on property' is kind of a misleading statement... yes, they are the 'worst' by being the value resorts, but that doesn't mean they are bad. I have stayed at Movies, Music, Sports, and POP..as well as a stay at CBR Even though I got a good discount on CBR at the time, it was probably my least favorite. Talk about walking to get anywhere, and the multiple bus stops around the resort was annoying...i'd rather stand in a line and be off to the parks when the bus comes, than get on the bus and spend another 10-15 minutes picking other people up.

Last year was Sports and it was generally fine.. I think the food court could have used a couple more options, and a bit of a walk from the Tennis buildings. But I wouldn't be adverse to staying there again, other than to avoid the ping pong tables that my son would rather play than go to the parks !

But did like POP better from a few years ago so doing there again.

As others have said... it's a place to keep your stuff and sleep. I make a decent living, but can't justify Deluxe prices for a room I will hardly be in... Disney is expensive as it is, why multiply the trip cost by 3-5X ??

 

[Magalex]

We are staying at All Star Music this month. It was a last minute trip planned(made reservations on May 8th) with discount code. We are pretty excited. We have stayed at POP two times. We have stayed at CBR multiple times(and sometimes CBR guests would give negative reviews about that resort and we always enjoyed our stay) I am hoping the same goes with All Star Music. If cast members are nice and room is clean we are usually happy. We spend most of our time at the parks and pass out by time we reach the resort at night. We are use to the hit and miss of bus transportation at all the resorts.

We are back from our first visit to All Star Music Resort(June 17 to June 24). It was a lovely stay at ASMU. No large groups. Buses were fantastic. We have been to several multiple resorts since 2005 and I have to give kudos to all the cast members at ASMU. All the cast members we encountered(check in, guest services, food court, housekeeping, gift shop) were friendly and happy. I especially notice the attitude of cast members serving food. We had some grumpy ones at CBR and POR in the past. All the cast members in food court smiled and polite. I also like the new colors of the food court. I would recommend ASMU to any family on a budget and ones that spend most of their vacation at the parks. Plus with the opening of Pandora and AK having late hours the All Stars were the resorts with the prime location this summer. Hoping maybe in the future the All Star resorts will have the renovated rooms similar to the new rooms at POP. We even walked over to Movies on the last evening. Looks fun and will put that on my list for a future visit.

 

[Arielfan98]

Saying they are 'some of the worst resorts on property' is kind of a misleading statement... yes, they are the 'worst' by being the value resorts, but that doesn't mean they are bad. I have stayed at Movies, Music, Sports, and POP..as well as a stay at CBR Even though I got a good discount on CBR at the time, it was probably my least favorite. Talk about walking to get anywhere, and the multiple bus stops around the resort was annoying...i'd rather stand in a line and be off to the parks when the bus comes, than get on the bus and spend another 10-15 minutes picking other people up.

Last year was Sports and it was generally fine.. I think the food court could have used a couple more options, and a bit of a walk from the Tennis buildings. But I wouldn't be adverse to staying there again, other than to avoid the ping pong tables that my son would rather play than go to the parks !

But did like POP better from a few years ago so doing there again.

As others have said... it's a place to keep your stuff and sleep. I make a decent living, but can't justify Deluxe prices for a room I will hardly be in... Disney is expensive as it is, why multiply the trip cost by 3-5X ??

For me the worst statement is when people call the Value Resorts "less magical." I personally am not offended, but I can imagine the family who have been scraping their savings together for years just to afford one Disney vacation for their family/kids only to hear from people that the Value Resorts aren't as magical as say the pirate rooms at CBR. To add, I also find this statement very subjective and in my personal opinion false. My favorite part about the All Stars as a kid was going up and down the themed stairwells (have you seen that large coke stairwell ). Other than that I could care less what people say because the All Stars will always have a place in my heart.

 

[prprincess]

I think the themes are cute, but the rooms are a bit on the small side for me.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We've never stayed since we can't do double beds and a pool slide is important for my kids. We don't go just for the parks. Vacation to us includes some relaxation and pool time. No matter where we go.

My aunt did Pop for years and never had complaints. They loved it for their family of 3. They took a 6 year hiatus from WDW when she had a new baby. When she went back she got a deal at the Beach Club. She fell in love and only wants to stay Deluxe now. She priced out a trip this year and the prices were too high and she didn't want to stay at Pop so they went over to Universal.

We also stayed deluxe last trip and I don't know if I want to go back to moderate. I REALLY liked staying deluxe.

 

[emsstacey]

We have been here at All Star Music since Monday night. I love the grounds, it's more charming than I expected. I do miss having queen size beds and hot tubs. The resort is fine but overall, we find the rooms just enough smaller to make it feel cramped. I also prefer to have a closer bus stop, but overall... not a bad option if it fits in your budget better.

 

[Lexx1214]

I really enjoyed All Star Movies. Stayed there with my son when he was younger and it was just us. I found it was clean and comfortable for the price. Mousekeeping was great - everyday they would create an "arrangement" with my son's stuffed animals. He loved it. And we were only there to sleep and shower. We didn't even eat in the food court as we had the deluxe dining plan. The only real downside was the coffee - absolutely terrible. While the theming outside the rooms was larger than life, the rooms were more toned down. I won't stay at AoA again because it's a complete sensory overload for me. DH and I are planning our first trip without any kids and are thinking of staying at Sports.

 

[sam_rogers]

On 3 trips to Disney I have only ever stayed in the all star sports and me and dh love it! Coming from the UK our trips are normally 2 weeks long so adding on flights, the moderates and deluxe break the budget a bit too much although I'm sure these resorts are fantastic to stay in.
The all star suits our needs perfectly, we're generally not in the room a lot, just for a quick power nap in the day sometimes and there's only 2 of us so the room size is fine. I love the theming, the pools are good. Dh and I spent a good while tossing around a little football on the little field one evening (love that bit of the resort!) and it of course turned into a competition! We haven't been back for a few years now so I'm hoping things haven't taken a downward turn when we go back next year, but we love the all stars!

 

[djc9699]

I have stayed at Deluxe, Moderate and Value resorts and off-site. We keep going back to the value resorts. We like having a food court big enough and varied enough to grab a bite before or after the parks, and the walk to transportation is always minimal. We drive to WDW but I park the car and don't use it again until we leave. The difference in price allows us to stay 12 to 14 days instead of 5 to 6. Of course, we spend most of our time in the parks so only use the resort to sleep and shower.

 

[DreadBaroness]

We stay in a Value when it is just me and my SO going on a WDW trip. Whenever we travel with friends or family we go for the larger rooms, because it's always adults when we travel, no kiddos. The theming at the All Stars is delightfully goofy and the bang for the buck is soooo worth it. I will never stay off property again, I love the perks of being a resort guest. Why not go for the least expensive option that works for your travel party's size?

 

[shellyj]

We had the most AWESOME experience at All Star Music last fall. We had never stayed value before because we travel with big groups and getting renting points for deluxe villas is actually a better deal for us (at AKL, OKW, or SSR, anyway). Our only moderate experience was a CS in 2007 and it was a great trip.
Last October DH and I took a trip without the kids! So great!! But Hurricane Matthew had us stuck in town for a couple of extra nights. We transferred from SSR (which was by far our least favorite Disney experience ever. Beautiful resort, zero Disney magic) to All Star Music. We LOVED it there. The beds were WAY more comfortable than SSR. The room felt spacious because the front window is kind of bumped out. It had the more standard hotel style bathroom with the sink area outside of the bathroom which is a great set up for families. And that sink area also had a curtain so it created an area with privacy. We really enjoyed the food court which had a great variety to choose from even though a lot of the convenience items were picked over due to the storm. The pools looked fun but we didn't swim that trip. I liked the way the resort was shaped - it would be easy to move between rooms if you travel as a big group like we do.

The only downside I could think of is that the bus stops are uncovered. We don't travel during the summer but I imagine it could be really uncomfortable in the heat of the summer. I don't mind that they are set up as lines rather than open bus stops. A lot of times at deluxe bus stops people will hover at the curb or rush up to the front when the bus is in view with no regard to others who are waiting. Most people are polite, I'm not saying it's a problem, just that it does happen and the line system is fair - same as it is when you're at the park stops.

AKL is our favorite resort and it's always our first choice because renting the points makes it affordable for us. But I would not hesitate to stay at an All Star again. I highly recommended it to my sister who just decided to join in the next trip and there aren't any more studios available at AKL for our dates.

 

[isabellea]

For value resorts they are okay. I prefer ASMo and ASMu to Pop Century and would stay again at Movies if the budget requires it.

 

[Imamom2]

They serve their purpose but I was always able to get a better deal at a Moderate and now we rent points thru DVC. I can understand why people with little ones and those traveling in groups (cheer, baseball, etc) would choose All Stars but with a little research I have been able to stay at mods and deluxe for almost the same price. We are paying $700ish to stay at BWV for 4 nights in Sept.

 

[ConvenientTruth]

I love the All-Star resorts...it is like Walt himself barfed Disney all over the place and I mean that in the best way.

We are going in 3 weeks, first time back in 3 years (had 4 years of annual passes before that) and are giving the All-Star suite a run. It is about the same as a moderate, but with a ton more room (at least from the photos).

The best part is seeing those families where this is the first and likely only time they will get to Disney, to watch them navigate this magical place...hear them discussing their day at breakfast, and return in the evening laden with bags, exhaustion, and fulfilled joy.