All Stars Movies vs. Port Orleans

[jcat2312]

We have reservations for this September 13-20 for 3 adults and 1 child. We are now thinking of upgrading to Port Orleans, but are not sure if it is going to be worth the extra $300. Does Disney do any upgrade specials to make the Port Orleans cheaper?

Thanks

 

[Kadee]

Just out of curiosity, does having more bus stops at POR make it a longer time from getting on the bus in the morning to getting to the park, since the bus has to make more stops? Or do they have different buses for every stop?

No, the buses make the rounds to all the stops, but the line for the buses at the ASMu was horrible!!! VERY LONG! I'm not sure about this, but it seemed to me that the buses came much quicker at POR (maybe they have more servicing them and the stops were much less crowded. It didn't take that long to go around the resort. It actually took less time to get to all the parks. I think it is faster because it is more centrally located than AS or the traffic pattern is more functional than the route from AS. I just found the transportation better at POR than AS. Also, the buses that service AS go to ALL the AS resorts.....sports, music and movies. Maybe that is why it took longer. Who knows.....I just found POR better all around.

 

[daveemtdave]

When we were there in December at All Star Movies - at the end of the day we had our own bus going back to the resort at each park -- also, it appeared as buses were coming in, if a resot had no line, those buses were turned over to the other resorts that had lines- we left MK and we had a 20 minute wait - that was the longest we had any night. You just need to be patient. We only shared a bus going to a park once - and that was to MGM.

 

[KLP]

All Star Movie or Pop Century

We will be taking our 1st trip ever to WDW in October. I am getting ready to book our trip and cannot decide on where to stay. We know we will be staying at one of the value resorts (yes, I read all of the post re value vs moderate and I would rather spend the money on other activities). I have read different posts about the All Star Movie and Pop Century resorts and wonder which one will be best for us. We have one child (boy 8) and three adults in the group. We would like to be centrally located to the attractions. Also, is PC complete?

 

[daveemtdave]

We will be taking our 1st trip ever to WDW in October. I am getting ready to book our trip and cannot decide on where to stay. We know we will be staying at one of the value resorts (yes, I read all of the post re value vs moderate and I would rather spend the money on other activities). I have read different posts about the All Star Movie and Pop Century resorts and wonder which one will be best for us. We have one child (boy 8) and three adults in the group. We would like to be centrally located to the attractions. Also, is PC complete?

We stayed at All Star Movies and my daughter and her friends stayed at Pop Century -- to be honest it really depends on what THEME you like best - PC is located seperate from the All-Stars but each has its own neatness - I would ask the 8 year old which sounds fun and enjoy it -- We all enjoyed our rooms and both are basically set up alike (except themes) --- enjoy your trip.

 

[SummerInFL]

Wow. All you do is sleep at your resort? That's no fun. When I stay at resorts, in addition to sleeping, I take a shower there, use the toilet, watch Kryssa, go swimming in the pool, wait for my family and friends to get ready (either in the lobby or in the room), look at the maps and literature and plan out what I want to do and use the phone to make any last minute priority seatings.

hahaha I'm sorry that's just too funny that you mentioned using the toilet. Like he's going to hold it the whole vacation LOL I get your point but still... hehehe

As far as the resorts if the budget isn't an option I would do the upgrade. The additions you get alone are well worth it. The boat to DTD, the pools etc.. I always recommend when a family stays for an extended period of time to make sure they allow one day to relax and hang out at the hotel. Some people don't like that but WDW can be intimidating with all the Go Go GO! that is going on.

I prefer the French Quarter but only because I like the atmosphere better. Will be trying Riverside next weekend for one night to get an idea for future trips but I would definitely upgrade. Then again I've never stayed at any of the Value resorts because other than the motiff they give me the feeling of any ordinary Best Western, Super 8 etc... (Just MHO though)

 

[slappy magoo]

I've never stayed at a Value resort, but I'd have to say, based on their size, I'd try to only stay there if I were alone or with just one other person (preferably someone I like a whole lot). 3 adults and one child in a room that small? Even if you are at the parks from morning to night and are only at the resort to sleep, that's gonna put a strain on anything but the most functional families. And even if you plan to spend no time at the hotel, having that extra space (and extra sink) will make it that much faster and easier to get up and out of the park. But let's face it, at least one of you is probably going to hit the wall and want/need to go back to the resort to lie down or rest. Why not rest in a nicer room, or at a bigger and better-themed pool, or a nicer lounge? Or if you're not the one who needs rest but went back to the hotel with the person who did, why not take advantage of a quiet pool, or a boat/bike rental, or just a walk amongst much nicer scenery?

 

[Heatherbell]

I have stayed at All Star Sports, Movies and Music. I have stayed at Caribbena Beach, POR, the Grand Floridian and the Contemporary. Now, the deluxes were beautiful but for the time we spent in them, I would've spent my money somewhere else (went with mom those times ). We stayed at the moderates and those were awesome too, but again, money that could've been spent elsewhere. My opinion to you is: if you have the extra $300 then stay at POR. If you think that there is something else you'd rather spend your money on or if $300 is a hardship (which I am assuming it isn't) then All Star is good. I really like it there and now prefer to stay there when I go even though I can afford a moderate. I figure that I would rather spend the extra money on food, souveniers etc then a place to lay my head.

 

[wdwdave09]

Do what makes your family feel best

I realize that you answered your own post but I think the choice really has to do with the party you are at WDW with. What I mean is that my wife, DD (11) and DS (7) enjoy hanging out at the hotel by the pool or the beaches. I'm pretty much the only one who can take the FL heat all day so if I don't build in some downtime, I'll have a riot on my hands. I used to be like KYfriedPanda - why would anyone waste time OUTSIDE the parks!? Perhaps I'm mellowing with age, but I actually enjoy other activites at WDW. I'd like to rent a surrey bike and rent a watermouse. We all like to pin shop and we don't have to do it at the parks. I love looking at what each resort has to offer - I could tool around WL for hours just soaking it in. The values don't do much for me in terms of atmosphere - too much sun and not enough trees/foliage - but the prices are right. My kids love the slides and other amenities at mods and deluxes. Some day we'll do the Poly because of its wonderful theming and because its on the monorail. I'm finding as I age that a nice hotel (vacation HQ if you will) really makes the trip feel like a vacation, and not just a pit-stop. What sealed the deal for me was when my wife and DD (age 2.5 at the time) camped at Ft. Wilderness in May/June in a tent. We were bickering, my DD wouldn't sleep and pretty much we weren't feeling the "Magic." My DD fell asleep in the comfort station when we were washing clothes - the first nap she'd taken during the day for 2 days. That was it - we transferred to PO and have tried to stay in as nice a resort as possible ever since.

But we approach our trip in this manner because we only visit every 2nd or 3rd year at most. But I totally understand shifting $$ from one area to another - thats why we drive from VA instead of flying. I use the $400 saved in airfare to stay at a nicer hotel, buy souveniers (sp) or eat at nice restaurants. Its all about priorities and what defines a vacation for you.