All Star Resorts

[wolfpack]

I was wondering if anyone can shed some light on staying at the All Star Resorts (i.e. rooms, amenities, especially the bus service!). I can't see spending $$$ for a room when we'll be at the parks the majority of the day/night. I'd rather spend $$$ for meals and shopping. By the way we'll be traveling with an 8yr old and a 2yr old; so the transportation issue is a big factor!
Thanks! Much appreciated!

 

[Kadee]

... Any input on any/all of the moderates? ...

I have stayed at two of the moderates: Port Orleans Riverside and Caribbean Beach. My family and I MUCH preferred POR over CB. I have not heard many good things about Coronado Springs, so we have never considered staying there. PO: French Quarter is RIGHT NEXT TO the POR. SO close, you can very easily walk to one from the other. Either the POR or POFQ would be great. It is not so spread out so the walk to the food court is never very far and the short walk you do have is VERY nice. The grounds there are about the best of any Disney resort. It is also pretty quiet there. Caribbean Beach is very spread out, so depending on what building you get, you may never get to the food court. It was also VERY loud......NOT a good thing with us. Bus service with both resorts was great. Only a few long waits with both of them and that was after park closing when EVERYONE was trying to get back to their rooms. My personal preference is POR (or POFQ in a pinch). There are others who prefer CB. I just like the serenity of POR. It would be hard to find a prettier place on WDW property. OH! One more thing!! POR and POFQ have a boat that will take you over to Downtown Disney! It is WONDERFUL!

 

[awallaceunc]

Oh, also, not a big deal but something to consider: the All-Star resorts have a 13% resort tax, whereas all other Disney-owned hotels only have 11.5% resort tax.

I've stayed at 3 of the 4 moderates, and my favorite is hands-down the Port Orleans Riverside (formerly called Dixie Landings). The theming there is sort of the olden days American south... Mark Twain kind of feel. Resort rooms come in two varieties there: the bayou (more of a swamp "in the wild" feel), and the manors (those old southern mansions). There's a piano player in the hotel lobby, which is a lot of fun, and there's some great theming there. It has a lot of the same Disney feeling that you find in the Frontierland, Liberty Square, and Main Street areas of the Magic Kingdom. The only drawback: it's HUGE, which can sometimes mean the service is a bit slow and there can be a very long walk from the lobby or bus or car to your room.

Then there's Port Orleans French Quarter. Disney groups this one and the one I just listed as one hotel, but they are really two hotels that just happen to be near each other and share a few things. Be sure you ask for "Riverside" or "French Quarter," whichever you prefer. This is the one that I haven't stayed at. Just from being otuside of it, it seems a bit tacky to me. There are some funky colors, but that's intentional because they are going for that swing era New Orleans flavor. Some people love it, but it isn't for me.

Caribbean Beach Resort is a great place to stay. There are groups of buildings arranged in an oval. Each building is themed to a well-known tropical island. Pick the tropical vacation of your choice and book a room inside it! While there, you can venture over to the other islands and exlpore the beach atmosphere that they do very well there. Be forewarned, though, the colors here can get a little pink! There's a nice pool too. Again, the drawback is that there's a lot of walking to be done. Also, I hear it's starting to feel a bit old, but I haven't personally stayed there since the the mid-90s.

Coronodo Springs is very pretty inside and out, but I wasn't impressed with the rooms. (There's a thread here that compares this one and the PO-Riverside hotel if you want to read more). This one doubles as a convention center, so there's a lot of that hustle-bustle.

I give my recommendations to Port Orleans-Riverside and Carribean. It really comes down to your taste, though. You can see lots of pictures of all of these hotels as well as a fact sheet and a map at www.allearsnet.com.

-Aaron