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!

 

[wolfpack]

oops! wrong forum! sorry! see resorts...

but if you still want to answer...go right ahead...and thank you!

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!

 

[wannabeBelle]

hi there!!! I have stayed at 2 of the three All Stars ( Movies & Music) as well as Pop. I have also stayed at all four of the Moderates as well. My first question to you is what time of year are you thinking about going?? This makes a difference as if you are going in a warmer time frame you may want to consider the Moderates, as they have more pools and nicer grounds. That having been said, I dont think you can go wrong with a Disney resort. That is always the piece of mind I get when I stay on property. The rooms are always clean and I feel safe in all of the resorts. As sometimes I travel alone, that is important. The All Stars and Pop all have a room dimension of 260 square feet with two full size beds in each room. There is one sink area and the bathroom and tub/shower areas are behind a door so one person can be using the sink/mirror area to get ready while another person is in the shower. There are two pools per All Star Resort and there are Three at Pop Century. Pop also doesnt have the large sports groups ( Pop Warner, Cheerleading groups, Marching Bands) that the All Stars do have upon occasion so if I was choosing between the 4 resorts Pop would be my first option for that alone!!!! Bus service at any of the Disney resorts is pretty decent and I havent ever had a problem with it. Be prepared to wait though. Not extensively in most cases, but there is going to be a wait period involved. Especially at the end of the day when whichever park you are in is letting out!! You are probably better off meandering around the park a bit and letting the lines subside if you dont want to stand on line too long!!! In most cases Disney runs a bus to each park every 20 minutes from the resort. There are more buses brought in at park closings. In one case when I was at Pop they were bringing in busses three at a time!!! Considering the lines that were waiting though, it was justified!
For a more detailed report I would recommend that you look at our friend Deb Wills' Site www.Allearsnet.com The section that you want to really revew is the accomodations area which is located here: http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/faq_hot.htm
That is the main accomodations page. If you scroll down and look on your left, you will see links to each resort individually. These contain info on the resort, pictures and reader comments. Check out all of the All Stars and Pop. I would also encourage you to check out the Moderate level resorts as well. They have more in the way of amenities, pools, dining choices and most of all quiet!!!! They are usually my first choice for resorts. In any event, take a look at this info and let me know if you have any questions, Just post here and I will do my best to reply!!! Welcome to the Boards!! Belle

 

[Kadee]

I've stayed at one of the All-Star resorts (Music) and two of the moderates (POR & CB). While ANY Disney resort is better than ANY place off site, the moderates are much better. Considering you have 2 children there are pros and cons to the AS or Pop resorts

Pro: The theming is WONDERFUL for children. Makes for some great pictures.
Pro: The food court is great to feed children. Not too expensive and lots of variety. BUT the moderates also have food courts (POR has the best)

Con: The rooms are SMALL!!! AND I DO MEAN SMALL!!!! There is barely enough room to get dressed. The moderates have SO much more room. Actually, the square footage difference isn't that much, but it makes a huge difference when the whole family is trying to get dressed.

Con: The Bus service is much better at the moderates vs. the All Stars. I don't know about the bus service at the pop as I have never stayed there, but the AS all share the bus service. That means one bus goes to all three AS resorts, then to the parks. I think the Pop bus service would be much better.

Con: No "sit-down" restaurant. Every once in a while, a nice quiet dinner at your hotel is very nice and relaxing. The Value resorts don't have one. POR has the best one: Boatwrights. Although, if you stay at the POFQ, it is only a very short walk.


Overall, my family and I prefer the "extras" the mods and deluxe resorts offer. It is definitely worth the extra money. There is not that much difference in the price when you consider the overall price for your trip.

 

[TheDisneyGirl02]

I would say stay at All Stars. If you're not looking to spend that much money but you still want to stay on property (which I always suggest), I would stay there. The food court is great for children (that's been pointed out) and the atmosphere is just fun! They have a great arcade and usually have Disney movies or cartoons running in the lobby.

I would also suggest purchasing the refillable mugs they offer at the resort. They are good for your entire stay at the All Stars and will save you tons of money especially if you eat breakfast in the food court. They are easy to take with you to the parks (but cannot be refilled at the parks) so when you get back to the hotel for the night, you can refill them before going back to your room!

Have a wonderful trip!

TheDisneyGirl02

 

[hrmom26]

i stayed at the ASMovies in 2004 and loved it my kids were 6 and 9 at the time they LOVED the themes of the biuldings the food court was great it served all are purposes. we are going to stay at pop next time though i heard it was great to i just figure your going to disney for the parks not your hotel right, but my kids really felt like they were in disney all the time with the value resort i think if i was to go to a moderate resort it would be for more mom features and they would not have had as much fun there as they did at ASM if i was to go to anything but a value i would spend the money on going to AKL because of the great combo of mom features and kids features as i would put it.

 

[stitchlvr]

The only time we have stayed on property is at ASMovies. Room size was very small, but it was enough. Especially if you're just sleeping there. That's all we did basically, except for the day it rained so hard that we were chased out of the parks. But rather than hang out in our tiny room for the storm, we headed to the lobby building and food court, which was just like a big party! It just poured and poured that night,to the point the ceiling in the food court was leaking, but it was fun, all things considered. Although I'm sure any of the hotels would be like that.

By the way, we had 3 kids in our room. We were part of a dance team group and on paper we had one of the kids rooming with another family, but she didn't want to sleep there after all, so we had 3 kids age 13, 9 and 6 with the 2 adults! And yes it was tight, but we only slept there.

 

[SANDKRUSER]

The first year we went, we stayed at a moderate and after that year, we've stayed at the Values. Our family does not spend much time at the resort and would rather spend the extra money on gifts, etc. If you are not planning on spending a great deal of time at your resort, I would definitely choose a value resort. We love All Star Movies. We've stayed there every year since it opened. It's very well themed for the young (and old) and has the Disney magic and service.

We have never had a problem with bus service - if anything, the values are better because they generally have more customers. We actually had considerable waits when we stayed at Caribbean Beach. The only time you end up with buses serving all 3 All Stars is when there isn't enough people to warrant a bus of their own. In the last 5 or 6 trips, I think we've had to share a bus with the other resorts on only 2 or 3 occasions. Each All Star has generally enough people to have their own bus (sometimes several). There's generally several buses waiting to pick up additional guests when they have a large crowd (after Fantasmic, Illuminations, Wishes).

As far as the rooms - they are small, but with 2 small children, I don't think it will be a problem. We have two adults and a 17 year old (so 3 adults) and find it to be okay for us. Food courts have a lot of choices for adults and children.

Again, if you are not planning on spending a great deal of time in your room, I would definitely go with the values.

 

[daveemtdave]

I can honestly say, enjoy the All Stars. We did. I also stayed at a moderate and to honest for the difference in price and for the length of time we were actually in the room, we prefered to buy that extra something to make our trip more enjoyable..like a tour or a special dinner.

 

[Aurora_25]

I have always stayed at the All Stars (until this year- first time being a DVC member) and my daughter (6) LOVES them. They are themed great and honestly, I think it is a great place when you have kids, want to be on property, are on a tight budget, and only use the room for sleeping and washing up. My daughter is disappointed when we don't stay at the All Stars (especially All Star Movies ) She loves to play in the pools there, see all the larger than life characters, and play on the playground. I am sure the other resorts (moderates and deluxe) have alot to offer, but for my daughter All Stars is just right for her.

We have never had much of a problem or wait with buses, but we also go in November so that might be part of it. I think the longest wait we have ever had was 20 minutes and that is because we were in line with people right after MK closed.

 

[wolfpack]

Hi there Belle! Thank you for all the info! We are planning on going November 19-26, 2005 (right at Thanksgiving). How is it at that time of the year? (i.e. crowds, line waiting time, weather, etc.)

hi there!!! I have stayed at 2 of the three All Stars ( Movies & Music) as well as Pop. I have also stayed at all four of the Moderates as well. My first question to you is what time of year are you thinking about going?? This makes a difference as if you are going in a warmer time frame you may want to consider the Moderates, as they have more pools and nicer grounds. That having been said, I dont think you can go wrong with a Disney resort. That is always the piece of mind I get when I stay on property. The rooms are always clean and I feel safe in all of the resorts. As sometimes I travel alone, that is important. The All Stars and Pop all have a room dimension of 260 square feet with two full size beds in each room. There is one sink area and the bathroom and tub/shower areas are behind a door so one person can be using the sink/mirror area to get ready while another person is in the shower. There are two pools per All Star Resort and there are Three at Pop Century. Pop also doesnt have the large sports groups ( Pop Warner, Cheerleading groups, Marching Bands) that the All Stars do have upon occasion so if I was choosing between the 4 resorts Pop would be my first option for that alone!!!! Bus service at any of the Disney resorts is pretty decent and I havent ever had a problem with it. Be prepared to wait though. Not extensively in most cases, but there is going to be a wait period involved. Especially at the end of the day when whichever park you are in is letting out!! You are probably better off meandering around the park a bit and letting the lines subside if you dont want to stand on line too long!!! In most cases Disney runs a bus to each park every 20 minutes from the resort. There are more buses brought in at park closings. In one case when I was at Pop they were bringing in busses three at a time!!! Considering the lines that were waiting though, it was justified!
For a more detailed report I would recommend that you look at our friend Deb Wills' Site www.Allearsnet.com The section that you want to really revew is the accomodations area which is located here: http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/faq_hot.htm
That is the main accomodations page. If you scroll down and look on your left, you will see links to each resort individually. These contain info on the resort, pictures and reader comments. Check out all of the All Stars and Pop. I would also encourage you to check out the Moderate level resorts as well. They have more in the way of amenities, pools, dining choices and most of all quiet!!!! They are usually my first choice for resorts. In any event, take a look at this info and let me know if you have any questions, Just post here and I will do my best to reply!!! Welcome to the Boards!! Belle

 

[HauntedPirate]

Thanksgiving at WDW = BUSY.

 

[wolfpack]

Hi there! Thank you for the info. We will also be at WDW November 19-26, 2005, Thanksgiving. Any comments on where to have a traditional or as close to traditional Thanksgiving meal? Any other info would be appreciated. I plan on booking the vacation this week; barring any constant "change of mind" which is driving my husband absolutely insane! LOL! Thanks!

I have always stayed at the All Stars (until this year- first time being a DVC member) and my daughter (6) LOVES them. They are themed great and honestly, I think it is a great place when you have kids, want to be on property, are on a tight budget, and only use the room for sleeping and washing up. My daughter is disappointed when we don't stay at the All Stars (especially All Star Movies ) She loves to play in the pools there, see all the larger than life characters, and play on the playground. I am sure the other resorts (moderates and deluxe) have alot to offer, but for my daughter All Stars is just right for her.

We have never had much of a problem or wait with buses, but we also go in November so that might be part of it. I think the longest wait we have ever had was 20 minutes and that is because we were in line with people right after MK closed.

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hi there! Thank you for the info. We will also be at WDW November 19-26, 2005, Thanksgiving. Any comments on where to have a traditional or as close to traditional Thanksgiving meal? Any other info would be appreciated. I plan on booking the vacation this week; barring any constant "change of mind" which is driving my husband absolutely insane! LOL! Thanks!

Thanksgiving How lovely Id push it ahread a few days if you can and try to catch some of the Christmas festivities going on at all the parks!!! As far as weather, it is totally unpredictable. I have been there and been freezing in November and then a few years later it was warm enough to go swimming!!!! I would recommend Liberty Tree Tavern in the Magic Kingdom for a traditional type of Thanksgiving meal, although my understanding is a great many places have more traditional stuff on that day!!! LTT has that type of stuff every day for dinner. It is an all you care to eat meal served to your table. Cost is about 27.00 per adult. As previously mentioned any time that there is a holiday the crowds go up!!!! I would seriously consider pushing the trip ahead a few days to catch at least some of the Christmas stuff. There is nothing like Christmas at WDW and it doesnt even have to be on 12/25!!! Christmas Season goes from the day after Thanksgiving to a day or two after New Years. Not to be missed if you can at all do it!!! Belle

 

[wannabeBelle]

Another thread where the Christmas activites were discussed from last year!!:
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=47448
Belle

 

[meatloafsfan]

Another thing to think about (aren't there enough already!) is that currently all moderates have free fridges and mini coffee makers in them which can mean an easy cheap breakfast and some nice cold drinks (without the need to keep refilling ice).

 

[awallaceunc]

Hey wolfpack... you go to NC State by any chance? :fork: :animwink:

I've stayed at All-Star Movies twice. Once I had a room with 4 teenagers... the second time was 2 ajoining rooms with 4 teenagers in each. Bottom line: I like them. They definitely aren't for everyone. In fact, they aren't even always for me. It all depends on what kind of trip you're taking and who you are traveling with.

The rooms are very small. Think your standard Days Inn... maybe a little smaller. They are themed well, though, and are generally clean (though some of them are starting to feel a bit run-down). The hotel itself is extremely well-themed too. There's also a lot of hustle-bustle. Now, this can either come off as enchanting to you (which it does for me), or it can be tacky and annoying (as it is for some people). It really depends on your tastes.

Or maybe you don't care about the hotel at all... as you said, you'll spend all days in the park, and the All-Star hotels (and Pop Century) are quite a bit cheaper. Or are they? That depends on when you go and what kind of discounts apply to you. Check out www.mousesavers.com and give yourself a good hour to spend there. You'll find all sorts of discounts you might be able to use to save some big money. Like someone said here, when you consider that you get a free fridge and coffee maker (the fridge is $10/night at the All-Stars) at the moderate hotels, and if you add a discount to that, you can come off with a better value there.

If you wind up staying in the All-Stars, you'll still have fun. The drawbacks are that you're going to be farther away from the parks than the other Disney resorts, you're going to have smaller hotel rooms, and the atmosphere is louder and a little more "pedestrian." The bus service isn't terrible, but you are going to share a bus with the hotels right beside you. Still, it's an awesomely themed place (the only Disney themed hotel at WDW is the All-Star Movies), and can be fun. I recommend it for short stays when you don't have any very small children or older folks with you. Teens and adults can get by on 4 nights or so just fine there, with only a little convenience. If you're staying for a longer time, you should consider 2 rooms at the All-Star hotel or 1 room at a moderate resort. It's definitely better than staying at an equally-priced hotel ($70-90/nigh) that isn't owned by Disney. Hope this helps.

-Aaron

 

[wolfpack]

So much info! Decisions! Decisions! Decisions! Thank you all for all of your input. I guess I'm just hoping for no whining about where we stay (yeah right!). Now my husband just read that the moderates have the refridgerator incuded and wants to check out those resorts. I doubt that I'll be booking anything this week. Although, we are at about 6mos before the vacation(November 19-26), so yes it 'll have to be booked soon. Any input on any/all of the moderates? I know, I know...do I really need to know any more! Sometimes it just pays to be informed. Thanks again!

 

[Miss Bell]

As you can see from my signature, we have stayed at the All-Stars a number of times. The rooms are small, but I think worth the price break. Especially with kids the ages you mentioned, Movies is awesome--you really feel like your still at the park because of the themeing.

This year's my first time away from a Value Resort--I'll let you guys know if I think the price is worth the difference.

 

[wannabeBelle]

So much info! Decisions! Decisions! Decisions! Thank you all for all of your input. I guess I'm just hoping for no whining about where we stay (yeah right!). Now my husband just read that the moderates have the refridgerator incuded and wants to check out those resorts. I doubt that I'll be booking anything this week. Although, we are at about 6mos before the vacation(November 19-26), so yes it 'll have to be booked soon. Any input on any/all of the moderates? I know, I know...do I really need to know any more! Sometimes it just pays to be informed. Thanks again!

aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh the Moderates!!! I have stayed at all 4 of them and love them. My pown personal favorite is Port Orleans Riverside. This place is truly my Southern home. Another member of these boards had put up a pictoral view of this amazing resort. The pictures are truly representative of what you would see at this resort. Check it out:
http://home.comcast.net/~candisfl/wsb/html/view.cgi-photos.html-.html
Use the slideshow feature sit back and enjoy!!!!
My next favorite is the Coronado Springs. A Little Mayan Mystique and some Mexican Heat!!! There are two people that I know that have websites for this resort check it out:
http://www.wdwmemories.com/csr/
http://coronado_springs.tripod.com/
I love the Moderates in general I feel they are quieter, more immersive and just oerall a nicer experience. If you qualify for a discount you may get the Moderates for the full price of the Values!!!! Book with Disney or through Pam of Kingdom Konsultants. If there is a discount that comes out I know either one of those two will apply it to your reservation. I dont know of any other travel agent or agency that will do that. Belle