Favorite All Star Resort

[PolynesianPrincess]

If staying at the All-Stars, I'd choose:

I'll give you a run down based on All-Star best All-Star buildings, followed by resort transportation, then Pop Century overview

All-Star Buildings to Choose:

1. Music - Rock Inn Bldg 3, which would get you equa-distant to Melody Hall (Music Lobby Area) and Stadium Hall (Sports Lobby Area)
2. Movies - Mighty Ducks Bldg 3 - equa-distant Cinema Hall (Movies Lobby Area) and Melody Hall (Music Lobby Area)

Sports - In your case it seems to be the obvious choice as your cousin might like the best. Be warned when the domestic sports type tour groups arrive, it can be a REAL challenge.....the domestic tour groups are the loudest and most privileged of them all

Transportation
All-Star
Don't be concerned with comments on "shared busing". This doesn't happen very often, if it happens at all. We have stayed at every All-Star, multiple times, and NEVER, again NEVER had shared busing....not one time. My guess is this happened occasionally years ago (again, we've stayed at every All-Star, and did so through the 90s) when there were actually times of the year when the resorts were actually slow. If it still happens in this day and age, it must be during the day, when peeps return to the resort for a breather.

There is another Disney "blog" that states the All-Star shared busing, and includes the "Sports is the first stop,Movies is the last stop" comment....this is the origin of most of the "shared busing" comments. This dude's blog is very informative, but some of the content has not been updated for years. He doesn't have plans of updating his Value Resort section until the refurbs at the All-Stars are complete and the Gondola transportation is open. I'll send you a link to his blog if you wish, just send me a PM. He is fairly quick to respond to any email questions.

Additionally, I'd point out, if shared busing was something that happened with any regularity, you would see multiple HORROR STORY Posts on just how bad it is/was.

Last note on shared busing - All-Star Sports is by far and away the easiest value resort to get a reservation. If it was the first stop on the busing circle, and the shared busing was something that happened regularly, Sports would be the first All-Star to sell out, NOT be the last one available. Either the shared busing is rare, or it must not be that big of a deal.

I added the others who commented on shared busing, and asked then for details of when busing was shared...hopefully they'll chime in with their experiences

Pop Century
Currently the hands down best Value resort
If you have the opportunity to stay here BEFORE the end of July, jump on it. After mid-July, it might be a challenge for quite time time.
As @Wngo905 states, the 60s bldgs 4 and 5 can get you a Standard room, close to the Gondolas, and I'll add a short walk over to AoA when the Generation Gap bridge is open/re-opens

Here is a link to a room finder - here you can filter to your exact room type based on proximity to pool, transportation, food, etc...it will take you directly to pop Century, but you can find any Disney Resort, including the All-Stars:
https://touringplans.com/hotel_maps/disneys-pop-century-resort?commit=Show+Matching+Rooms+»&filters[accessibility]=any&filters[balcony]=&filters[floors]=any&filters[lobby_distance]=any&filters[rack_rate]=any&filters[rate_date]=04/14/2019&filters[sound]=any&filters[transportation_distance]=any&filters[ug]=&filters[view]=172


One thing you'd be surprised to hear is Pop Century has, albeit only ever now and again, SHARED BUSING. On one of our stays last Fall we had shared busing twice! Once was leaving Epcot late at night after an EME. The 2nd time we had shared busing at Pop was just before dinner when heading from Pop to AK. It was surprising to have shared busing twice in the same trip, as we've ahd shared a few times over the years while staying at Pop. You are most likely to have this experience when traveling to Disney Springs as the bus area is small compared to those wanting to use it.




Details on shared busing? We've never had shared at an All-Star and are genuinely curious as to what time of day it would occur, the time of year, or if was back in the day when the Parks were actually slower/no crowds? Disney Springs only? Don't misinterpret this as anything other than my curiosity as to when it happens....
Details on shared busing? We've never had shared at an All-Star and are genuinely curious as to what time of day it would occur, the time of year, or if was back in the day when the Parks were actually slower/no crowds? Disney Springs only? Don't misinterpret this as anything other than my curiosity as to when it happens....
The busing hasn't been an issue on our end either
Great tip - the back side of the 60s bldg is a great locale! For some reason/quirk of the system, it appears only the 2nd of bldg 5 is the only Standard room area? Of course this doesn't mean one couldn't get any room in the bldg 4 or 5 as anything is possible with Pixie Dust.
They're still saying this Fall, but the rumors are pointing to the end of July and reasoning is TDO wants to have any bugs worked out well in advance o SW:GE opening....by the way, the same rumor has it for the soft opening SW:GE is the end of July/1st week of August. They have been test running for weeks now, and last week they ran uncovered during the day! We were entering Epcot through the International Gateway mid-week last week and stopped to watch. The first time we saw them in operation, we were surprised in how close it felt they were overhead! While they are well above your head, they are so big they feel to be much closer!!

When the Gondola do open:

• Pop/AoA are in line to have an elevated Status and TDO is trying to figure out details. The two possibilities are moving Pop/AoA to Moderate status, or leaving them as a Value, and re-branding/renaming the All-Stars to a delicate new term for most affordable.
• Pop/AoA will have shared transportation. This will not only be the Gondolas, but there is talk of busing to MK and AK being shared. Gis may sound far fetched, but I'll point out the Epcot Resort BLVD Deluxes have shared Busing all the time, with no deviation in 1st stop/last stop on the bus loop. It is one of, if not the worst busing on property. They do make up for this with the water taxi service to DHS/Epcot and the International Pathway linking all the resorts as well as Epcot and DHS...it is a nice walk from Epcot, through the resorts over to DHS!

Then you must have gotten lucky EVERY SINGLE TIME because I've stayed at the All Stars, all of them, and at least once on every single trip, busses have been shared. Sports gets picked up first, then Music, then Movies. Everyone else I know who has stayed at the All Stars has also had to share a bus. It seems they do it only at non peak times, like midday when there aren't a ton of people waiting for the busses. And honestly, it makes sense to pick up at all 3. Why send 3 individual busses to each resort and have them pick up like 5 or 6 people per bus when you can send one and somewhat fill it? So to tell someone not to listen to people who say the All Stars share a bus is just wrong because people are talking from experience that the All Stars DO share a bus sometimes.

 

[Dad 2 M & M]

Then you must have gotten lucky EVERY SINGLE TIME because I've stayed at the All Stars, all of them, and at least once on every single trip, busses have been shared. Sports gets picked up first, then Music, then Movies. Everyone else I know who has stayed at the All Stars has also had to share a bus. It seems they do it only at non peak times, like midday when there aren't a ton of people waiting for the busses. And honestly, it makes sense to pick up at all 3. Why send 3 individual busses to each resort and have them pick up like 5 or 6 people per bus when you can send one and somewhat fill it? So to tell someone not to listen to people who say the All Stars share a bus is just wrong because people are talking from experience that the All Stars DO share a bus sometimes.

This subject seems to bring out the passion in many; not sure where the disagreement is? I advised the OP to stay at Music, Movies, and then Sports in that order. Below in Red is cut directly from my post:

Don't be concerned with comments on "shared busing". This doesn't happen very often, if it happens at all. We have stayed at every All-Star, multiple times, and NEVER, again NEVER had shared busing....not one time. My guess is this happened occasionally years ago (again, we've stayed at every All-Star, and did so through the 90s) when there were actually times of the year when the resorts were actually slow. If it still happens in this day and age, it must be during the day, when peeps return to the resort for a breather.

In the above I went ahead and increased the font size on the parts that we are in complete agreement! I stated it doesn't happen very often (it didn't say it doesn't happen), and guessed it was during off-peak times such as midday.

We see many posts of differing/conflicting shared busing experiences here. Many people give this advice for leaving the Parks during the slower times: "just get in line for any of the All-Star buses, and then jump over and ride which ever shows up first"...this is great advice when there is a longer period between buses. It also emphasizes the point, that even during the slower times, the buses aren't always shared.

Additionally, in my post, I asked for people to chime in on their experiences - thank you for doing so! This is good info, and it sounds if your experience with the shared busing wasn't bad, which is another reason not to be concerned with the shared busing comments - it must work well.

I also agree with your point/question as to why would they send 3 individual buses when at that time there is only 5 to 6 peeps needing the service. Further below in my post I stated the times when we had shared busing at Pop/AoA, and those times further emphasize our agreement of the need/lack of need for multiple buses when a few a few peeps are waiting (like late at night after an EME or late afternoon /early evening;again from my post above) for said service.

I was speculate our "luck" is due to not using the busing during the day, as we used it in early A.M. when there was many waiting at the resort(s), as well as Park closing when in reverse, there were many waiting in bay(s) to get back the resorts. It wouldn't be wise to share buses when those waiting would fill the capacity of more than one bus, especially if it was x3 All-Star Resorts! Sound obvious or at least likely to be the reason for our "luck".

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

This subject seems to bring out the passion in many; not sure where the disagreement is? I advised the OP to stay at Music, Movies, and then Sports in that order. Below in Red is cut directly from my post:

Don't be concerned with comments on "shared busing". This doesn't happen very often, if it happens at all. We have stayed at every All-Star, multiple times, and NEVER, again NEVER had shared busing....not one time. My guess is this happened occasionally years ago (again, we've stayed at every All-Star, and did so through the 90s) when there were actually times of the year when the resorts were actually slow. If it still happens in this day and age, it must be during the day, when peeps return to the resort for a breather.

In the above I went ahead and increased the font size on the parts that we are in complete agreement! I stated it doesn't happen very often (it didn't say it doesn't happen), and guessed it was during off-peak times such as midday.

We see many posts of differing/conflicting shared busing experiences here. Many people give this advice for leaving the Parks during the slower times: "just get in line for any of the All-Star buses, and then jump over and ride which ever shows up first"...this is great advice when there is a longer period between buses. It also emphasizes the point, that even during the slower times, the buses aren't always shared.

Additionally, in my post, I asked for people to chime in on their experiences - thank you for doing so! This is good info, and it sounds if your experience with the shared busing wasn't bad, which is another reason not to be concerned with the shared busing comments - it must work well.

I also agree with your point/question as to why would they send 3 individual buses when at that time there is only 5 to 6 peeps needing the service. Further below in my post I stated the times when we had shared busing at Pop/AoA, and those times further emphasize our agreement of the need for multiple buses when a few a few peeps are waiting (like late at night after an EME or late afternoon /early evening) for said service.

I was speculate our "luck" is due to not using the busing during the day, as we used it in early A.M. when there was many waiting at the resort(s), as well as Park closing when in reverse, there were many waiting in bay(s) to get back the resorts. It wouldn't be wise to share buses when those waiting would fill the capacity of more than one bus, especially if it was x3 All-Star Resorts!

Buddy you need to chill. No need to increase the font size or make it RED. Because I'm not going to re-read it.

 

[Dad 2 M & M]

Buddy you need to chill. No need to increase the font size or make it RED. Because I'm not going to re-read it.

Love your passion, and certainly wasn't trying to do anything other than emphasize where we agree.

The OP was looking for advice/details and the feedback you have given is valuable. The All-Stars are a great place to stay while in the Magic, and shared busing is not a reason to steer anyone from the Resort. For those who have had the shared experience, again it seems to work well.

Enjoy your day

 

[Minnie1986]

Thanks everyone. My cousin seems to have his heart set on All Star Sports so it looks like that’s where we’re staying. I’m still hoping to check out the gondolas at pop, though.

 

[Minnie1986]

If staying at the All-Stars, I'd choose:

I'll give you a run down based on All-Star best All-Star buildings, followed by resort transportation, then Pop Century overview

All-Star Buildings to Choose:

1. Music - Rock Inn Bldg 3, which would get you equa-distant to Melody Hall (Music Lobby Area) and Stadium Hall (Sports Lobby Area)
2. Movies - Mighty Ducks Bldg 3 - equa-distant Cinema Hall (Movies Lobby Area) and Melody Hall (Music Lobby Area)

Sports - In your case it seems to be the obvious choice as your cousin might like the best. Be warned when the domestic sports type tour groups arrive, it can be a REAL challenge.....the domestic tour groups are the loudest and most privileged of them all

Transportation
All-Star
Don't be concerned with comments on "shared busing". This doesn't happen very often, if it happens at all. We have stayed at every All-Star, multiple times, and NEVER, again NEVER had shared busing....not one time. My guess is this happened occasionally years ago (again, we've stayed at every All-Star, and did so through the 90s) when there were actually times of the year when the resorts were actually slow. If it still happens in this day and age, it must be during the day, when peeps return to the resort for a breather.

There is another Disney "blog" that states the All-Star shared busing, and includes the "Sports is the first stop,Movies is the last stop" comment....this is the origin of most of the "shared busing" comments. This dude's blog is very informative, but some of the content has not been updated for years. He doesn't have plans of updating his Value Resort section until the refurbs at the All-Stars are complete and the Gondola transportation is open. I'll send you a link to his blog if you wish, just send me a PM. He is fairly quick to respond to any email questions.

Additionally, I'd point out, if shared busing was something that happened with any regularity, you would see multiple HORROR STORY Posts on just how bad it is/was.

Last note on shared busing - All-Star Sports is by far and away the easiest value resort to get a reservation. If it was the first stop on the busing circle, and the shared busing was something that happened regularly, Sports would be the first All-Star to sell out, NOT be the last one available. Either the shared busing is rare, or it must not be that big of a deal.

I added the others who commented on shared busing, and asked then for details of when busing was shared...hopefully they'll chime in with their experiences

Pop Century
Currently the hands down best Value resort
If you have the opportunity to stay here BEFORE the end of July, jump on it. After mid-July, it might be a challenge for quite time time.
As @Wngo905 states, the 60s bldgs 4 and 5 can get you a Standard room, close to the Gondolas, and I'll add a short walk over to AoA when the Generation Gap bridge is open/re-opens

Here is a link to a room finder - here you can filter to your exact room type based on proximity to pool, transportation, food, etc...it will take you directly to pop Century, but you can find any Disney Resort, including the All-Stars:
https://touringplans.com/hotel_maps/disneys-pop-century-resort?commit=Show+Matching+Rooms+»&filters[accessibility]=any&filters[balcony]=&filters[floors]=any&filters[lobby_distance]=any&filters[rack_rate]=any&filters[rate_date]=04/14/2019&filters[sound]=any&filters[transportation_distance]=any&filters[ug]=&filters[view]=172


One thing you'd be surprised to hear is Pop Century has, albeit only ever now and again, SHARED BUSING. On one of our stays last Fall we had shared busing twice! Once was leaving Epcot late at night after an EME. The 2nd time we had shared busing at Pop was just before dinner when heading from Pop to AK. It was surprising to have shared busing twice in the same trip, as we've ahd shared a few times over the years while staying at Pop. You are most likely to have this experience when traveling to Disney Springs as the bus area is small compared to those wanting to use it.




Details on shared busing? We've never had shared at an All-Star and are genuinely curious as to what time of day it would occur, the time of year, or if was back in the day when the Parks were actually slower/no crowds? Disney Springs only? Don't misinterpret this as anything other than my curiosity as to when it happens....
Details on shared busing? We've never had shared at an All-Star and are genuinely curious as to what time of day it would occur, the time of year, or if was back in the day when the Parks were actually slower/no crowds? Disney Springs only? Don't misinterpret this as anything other than my curiosity as to when it happens....
The busing hasn't been an issue on our end either
Great tip - the back side of the 60s bldg is a great locale! For some reason/quirk of the system, it appears only the 2nd of bldg 5 is the only Standard room area? Of course this doesn't mean one couldn't get any room in the bldg 4 or 5 as anything is possible with Pixie Dust.
They're still saying this Fall, but the rumors are pointing to the end of July and reasoning is TDO wants to have any bugs worked out well in advance o SW:GE opening....by the way, the same rumor has it for the soft opening SW:GE is the end of July/1st week of August. They have been test running for weeks now, and last week they ran uncovered during the day! We were entering Epcot through the International Gateway mid-week last week and stopped to watch. The first time we saw them in operation, we were surprised in how close it felt they were overhead! While they are well above your head, they are so big they feel to be much closer!!

When the Gondola do open:

• Pop/AoA are in line to have an elevated Status and TDO is trying to figure out details. The two possibilities are moving Pop/AoA to Moderate status, or leaving them as a Value, and re-branding/renaming the All-Stars to a delicate new term for most affordable.
• Pop/AoA will have shared transportation. This will not only be the Gondolas, but there is talk of busing to MK and AK being shared. Gis may sound far fetched, but I'll point out the Epcot Resort BLVD Deluxes have shared Busing all the time, with no deviation in 1st stop/last stop on the bus loop. It is one of, if not the worst busing on property. They do make up for this with the water taxi service to DHS/Epcot and the International Pathway linking all the resorts as well as Epcot and DHS...it is a nice walk from Epcot, through the resorts over to DHS!

Any idea how to find out when these groups may be in the Disney area?

 

[Dad 2 M & M]

Any idea how to find out when these groups may be in the Disney area?

Below is one link that will show you the events at Wide World of Sports:
https://www.espnwwos.com/sports/

It is certainly not the only place to look, but it is a good forecast especially when many of these groups will be staying at an All-Star or Pop.

Cheerleading and Baseball are the big ones, Softball is to a lesser degree

 

[ninjaprincesst]

Sports, because of the bus service. (It's actually the oldest of the All Star resorts, but it's the first place buses stop. You want that

The big drawback to Sports is cheerleaders, they always stay at sport and they are so obnoxious, they descend on buses and food courts way worse than the Brazilian tour groups, they have zero adult supervison, they are outside yelling cheers at all hours , and of course they are quite entitled and think they should be able to cut lines ect because they are cheerleaders.

 

[Minnie1986]

The big drawback to Sports is cheerleaders, they always stay at sport and they are so obnoxious, they descend on buses and food courts way worse than the Brazilian tour groups, they have zero adult supervison, they are outside yelling cheers at all hours , and of course they are quite entitled and think they should be able to cut lines ect because they are cheerleaders.

Thankfully, it doesn’t look like there will be any while I’m there.

 

[disneyfireman]

We like music. The bus system is just fantastic. Never an issue.

 

[Minnie1986]

Thanks, everyone! We decided to go with a preferred room at All Star Sports. He flipped when he saw the theme.

 

[Dave B]

If staying at the All-Stars, I'd choose:

I'll give you a run down based on All-Star best All-Star buildings, followed by resort transportation, then Pop Century overview

All-Star Buildings to Choose:

1. Music - Rock Inn Bldg 3, which would get you equa-distant to Melody Hall (Music Lobby Area) and Stadium Hall (Sports Lobby Area)
2. Movies - Mighty Ducks Bldg 3 - equa-distant Cinema Hall (Movies Lobby Area) and Melody Hall (Music Lobby Area)

Sports - In your case it seems to be the obvious choice as your cousin might like the best. Be warned when the domestic sports type tour groups arrive, it can be a REAL challenge.....the domestic tour groups are the loudest and most privileged of them all

Transportation
All-Star
Don't be concerned with comments on "shared busing". This doesn't happen very often, if it happens at all. We have stayed at every All-Star, multiple times, and NEVER, again NEVER had shared busing....not one time. My guess is this happened occasionally years ago (again, we've stayed at every All-Star, and did so through the 90s) when there were actually times of the year when the resorts were actually slow. If it still happens in this day and age, it must be during the day, when peeps return to the resort for a breather.

There is another Disney "blog" that states the All-Star shared busing, and includes the "Sports is the first stop,Movies is the last stop" comment....this is the origin of most of the "shared busing" comments. This dude's blog is very informative, but some of the content has not been updated for years. He doesn't have plans of updating his Value Resort section until the refurbs at the All-Stars are complete and the Gondola transportation is open. I'll send you a link to his blog if you wish, just send me a PM. He is fairly quick to respond to any email questions.

Additionally, I'd point out, if shared busing was something that happened with any regularity, you would see multiple HORROR STORY Posts on just how bad it is/was.

Last note on shared busing - All-Star Sports is by far and away the easiest value resort to get a reservation. If it was the first stop on the busing circle, and the shared busing was something that happened regularly, Sports would be the first All-Star to sell out, NOT be the last one available. Either the shared busing is rare, or it must not be that big of a deal.

I added the others who commented on shared busing, and asked then for details of when busing was shared...hopefully they'll chime in with their experiences

Pop Century
Currently the hands down best Value resort
If you have the opportunity to stay here BEFORE the end of July, jump on it. After mid-July, it might be a challenge for quite time time.
As @Wngo905 states, the 60s bldgs 4 and 5 can get you a Standard room, close to the Gondolas, and I'll add a short walk over to AoA when the Generation Gap bridge is open/re-opens

Here is a link to a room finder - here you can filter to your exact room type based on proximity to pool, transportation, food, etc...it will take you directly to pop Century, but you can find any Disney Resort, including the All-Stars:
https://touringplans.com/hotel_maps/disneys-pop-century-resort?commit=Show+Matching+Rooms+»&filters[accessibility]=any&filters[balcony]=&filters[floors]=any&filters[lobby_distance]=any&filters[rack_rate]=any&filters[rate_date]=04/14/2019&filters[sound]=any&filters[transportation_distance]=any&filters[ug]=&filters[view]=172


One thing you'd be surprised to hear is Pop Century has, albeit only ever now and again, SHARED BUSING. On one of our stays last Fall we had shared busing twice! Once was leaving Epcot late at night after an EME. The 2nd time we had shared busing at Pop was just before dinner when heading from Pop to AK. It was surprising to have shared busing twice in the same trip, as we've ahd shared a few times over the years while staying at Pop. You are most likely to have this experience when traveling to Disney Springs as the bus area is small compared to those wanting to use it.




Details on shared busing? We've never had shared at an All-Star and are genuinely curious as to what time of day it would occur, the time of year, or if was back in the day when the Parks were actually slower/no crowds? Disney Springs only? Don't misinterpret this as anything other than my curiosity as to when it happens....
Details on shared busing? We've never had shared at an All-Star and are genuinely curious as to what time of day it would occur, the time of year, or if was back in the day when the Parks were actually slower/no crowds? Disney Springs only? Don't misinterpret this as anything other than my curiosity as to when it happens....
The busing hasn't been an issue on our end either
Great tip - the back side of the 60s bldg is a great locale! For some reason/quirk of the system, it appears only the 2nd of bldg 5 is the only Standard room area? Of course this doesn't mean one couldn't get any room in the bldg 4 or 5 as anything is possible with Pixie Dust.
They're still saying this Fall, but the rumors are pointing to the end of July and reasoning is TDO wants to have any bugs worked out well in advance o SW:GE opening....by the way, the same rumor has it for the soft opening SW:GE is the end of July/1st week of August. They have been test running for weeks now, and last week they ran uncovered during the day! We were entering Epcot through the International Gateway mid-week last week and stopped to watch. The first time we saw them in operation, we were surprised in how close it felt they were overhead! While they are well above your head, they are so big they feel to be much closer!!

When the Gondola do open:

• Pop/AoA are in line to have an elevated Status and TDO is trying to figure out details. The two possibilities are moving Pop/AoA to Moderate status, or leaving them as a Value, and re-branding/renaming the All-Stars to a delicate new term for most affordable.
• Pop/AoA will have shared transportation. This will not only be the Gondolas, but there is talk of busing to MK and AK being shared. Gis may sound far fetched, but I'll point out the Epcot Resort BLVD Deluxes have shared Busing all the time, with no deviation in 1st stop/last stop on the bus loop. It is one of, if not the worst busing on property. They do make up for this with the water taxi service to DHS/Epcot and the International Pathway linking all the resorts as well as Epcot and DHS...it is a nice walk from Epcot, through the resorts over to DHS!

They would have to upgrade the pools at POP and AoA if they want to call moderate, will need to add a waterslide and Jacuzzi for sure, their is already a price difference between the all stars and POP and AoA

 

[Dad 2 M & M]

They would have to upgrade the pools at POP and AoA if they want to call moderate, will need to add a waterslide and Jacuzzi for sure, their is already a price difference between the all stars and POP and AoA

To brand them Moderate, maybe, but not to elevate their status, or create a new status and group and lump them with CRB (CRB has been the referred to as the “low end Moderate” for years. CRB, even with its pool and dining is really have trouble with its per night pricing, and has AP discounts that get it within $20 of Pop Century.....That has CRB closer in price to Pop, than Pop is to an All-Star.

One rumor is CRB, Pop/AoA, and the new Star Wars Resort would get branded into new resort category.
There could even be two categories in the Moderates:

1. Coronado and the Port Orleans Riverside/French Quarter
2. CRB, Pop, AoA, and Star Wars (Star Wars will be priced as a Moderate, no matter how its categorized...and sold out forever)

or even two Value Categories:

1. CRB, Pop, and AoA
2. All-Stars

The Deluxes already have two categories....

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

We stayed at Sports in September 2016 and did not enjoy our stay. However I will say that over our 8 day trip, we only shared a bus once. I believe it was a day we left mid morning for MK. It was not crowded and we weren’t in a hurry so it wasn’t a big deal. Our next trip is January 2020 and I'm torn between Movies and Pop. If Pop goes up in price, or transportation is slower because of gondolas and shared buses, we will give Movies a try.

 

[Minnie1986]

We stayed at Sports in September 2016 and did not enjoy our stay. However I will say that over our 8 day trip, we only shared a bus once. I believe it was a day we left mid morning for MK. It was not crowded and we weren’t in a hurry so it wasn’t a big deal. Our next trip is January 2020 and I'm torn between Movies and Pop. If Pop goes up in price, or transportation is slower because of gondolas and shared buses, we will give Movies a try.

May I ask why you did not enjoy your stay at Sports?

 

[Kingoglow]

Shared busses is a terrible experience. You are waiting at the bus stop and you get so excited when your bus finally arrives. Once everyone loads and the driver finally starts off, you quickly realize that he is turning the bus to drive towards another All-Star. Disappointment hits you. Then more people pack in. The doors close once again and you are off. Then everyone begins coughing and sneezing.

A truly terrible way to start the day.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

May I ask why you did not enjoy your stay at Sports?

This particular trip was myself, my husband, and our two girls who were 5 & 1 at the time. My parents also came along on this trip.
We had connecting rooms with my parents. In between the two doors was a broken piece of metal on the door frame. Both me and my baby cut our foot on it and were bleeding. We reported it and were told it would be fixed by maintenance. It never was. There was a big storm on the Monday of our trip. The walkways were covered in mulch, sticks and debris. When we checked out on Saturday, they were still a mess. They were never cleaned. There was a strong sewer smell by the pool. The pool was also kept way too warm. It was 90 degrees and super humid our whole trip. The pool was too warm to use. It made us more hot. The drink stations were often out. Coffee and cream were often empty at 8am which seemed odd to us. And we found a live cockroach in our bathroom (which I realize can happen anywhere). I complained to a manager about all these issues and he could have cared less. Barely muttered an apology and offered us extra fast passes. I found it insulting and like he was accepting that we were at the bottom of the Disney barrel. That’s how we felt all week. Like Sports was an after thought to cast members. We had previously stayed in Pop and loved it. The cast members were overly happy & friendly, the resort was spotless. We just didn’t feel the same Disney magic at Sports. We realize bad things can happen and I am very forgiving if it is handled correctly. Our complaints were brushed off pretty quickly which was frustrating.
I will say though that parts of the theming are very charming. The walkways around the Surfs Up section look like a wooden boardwalk which was a fun touch. We are a big baseball family and the baseball section is perfectly done. Also, because our kids were little, we spent more time in and around the resort than we planned. The hot weather made them poop out much sooner on most days than we anticipated. So we ate several meals in the food court. And all our experiences there were positive (except for the drink station area). Great food & lots of choices.

 

[Dad 2 M & M]

This particular trip was myself, my husband, and our two girls who were 5 & 1 at the time. My parents also came along on this trip.
We had connecting rooms with my parents. In between the two doors was a broken piece of metal on the door frame. Both me and my baby cut our foot on it and were bleeding. We reported it and were told it would be fixed by maintenance. It never was. There was a big storm on the Monday of our trip. The walkways were covered in mulch, sticks and debris. When we checked out on Saturday, they were still a mess. They were never cleaned. There was a strong sewer smell by the pool. The pool was also kept way too warm. It was 90 degrees and super humid our whole trip. The pool was too warm to use. It made us more hot. The drink stations were often out. Coffee and cream were often empty at 8am which seemed odd to us. And we found a live cockroach in our bathroom (which I realize can happen anywhere). I complained to a manager about all these issues and he could have cared less. Barely muttered an apology and offered us extra fast passes. I found it insulting and like he was accepting that we were at the bottom of the Disney barrel. That’s how we felt all week. Like Sports was an after thought to cast members. We had previously stayed in Pop and loved it. The cast members were overly happy & friendly, the resort was spotless. We just didn’t feel the same Disney magic at Sports. We realize bad things can happen and I am very forgiving if it is handled correctly. Our complaints were brushed off pretty quickly which was frustrating.
I will say though that parts of the theming are very charming. The walkways around the Surfs Up section look like a wooden boardwalk which was a fun touch. We are a big baseball family and the baseball section is perfectly done. Also, because our kids were little, we spent more time in and around the resort than we planned. The hot weather made them poop out much sooner on most days than we anticipated. So we ate several meals in the food court. And all our experiences there were positive (except for the drink station area). Great food & lots of choices.

Bummer.....I know September can be brutally hot! The bummer is if you go in September and it is not SLOW! Sounds like it was busy/crowded that trip?

 

[Dad 2 M & M]

Shared busses is a terrible experience. You are waiting at the bus stop and you get so excited when your bus finally arrives. Once everyone loads and the driver finally starts off, you quickly realize that he is turning the bus to drive towards another All-Star. Disappointment hits you. Then more people pack in. The doors close once again and you are off. Then everyone begins coughing and sneezing.

A truly terrible way to start the day.

Was it years back in peak season? The shared busing seems to have been reduced to very minimal in this day and age.....

And that would be a terrible way to start a day!

We haven't had the shared experience at an All-Star, and stayed there any times in the past. Up until three-four years ago, we used the busing as our sole means of transportation. These days, we typically drive (either drive down from GA, or fly and rent a car) to the Parks now that the AP includes parking. We advise peeps not to let busing sway their decision whether or not to stay the All-Stars as we haven't heard too many negative experiences; sorry to hear about yours.....

Surprisingly, we have had negative All-Star busing experiences, but it was because of the allocation of busing for the three All-Star Resorts (not shared) when leaving MK at Park closing. On several occasions (more than one trip), we were waiting at the All-Star Music MK bus area and witnessed two to three All-Star Sports buses, or Movies buses arrive BEFORE even one Music bus showed!! These were evenings when one bus wouldn't even come close to emptying the bay!!

I'm sure most people have had one of those Park close busing experiences....you REALLY see people go crazy at the end of a long day in the Magic!! Especially in the three All-Star bus queues (they were in three adjacent bays back then) as people will jump from one to another. When the bus arrives at the other, they jump over, thinking they'll make it on the bus. If the bus fill up before they get on, they'll try to re-enter their original queue, back to their original place in line!!

We've seen some real doozies at Park closing! And it was almost always the GUESTS that were creating the havoc, not the CMs!!

 

[Minnie1986]

This particular trip was myself, my husband, and our two girls who were 5 & 1 at the time. My parents also came along on this trip.
We had connecting rooms with my parents. In between the two doors was a broken piece of metal on the door frame. Both me and my baby cut our foot on it and were bleeding. We reported it and were told it would be fixed by maintenance. It never was. There was a big storm on the Monday of our trip. The walkways were covered in mulch, sticks and debris. When we checked out on Saturday, they were still a mess. They were never cleaned. There was a strong sewer smell by the pool. The pool was also kept way too warm. It was 90 degrees and super humid our whole trip. The pool was too warm to use. It made us more hot. The drink stations were often out. Coffee and cream were often empty at 8am which seemed odd to us. And we found a live cockroach in our bathroom (which I realize can happen anywhere). I complained to a manager about all these issues and he could have cared less. Barely muttered an apology and offered us extra fast passes. I found it insulting and like he was accepting that we were at the bottom of the Disney barrel. That’s how we felt all week. Like Sports was an after thought to cast members. We had previously stayed in Pop and loved it. The cast members were overly happy & friendly, the resort was spotless. We just didn’t feel the same Disney magic at Sports. We realize bad things can happen and I am very forgiving if it is handled correctly. Our complaints were brushed off pretty quickly which was frustrating.
I will say though that parts of the theming are very charming. The walkways around the Surfs Up section look like a wooden boardwalk which was a fun touch. We are a big baseball family and the baseball section is perfectly done. Also, because our kids were little, we spent more time in and around the resort than we planned. The hot weather made them poop out much sooner on most days than we anticipated. So we ate several meals in the food court. And all our experiences there were positive (except for the drink station area). Great food & lots of choices.

This sounds awful! Maybe I’ll switch to Movies? Had a great experience there last year.