First time at All Star

[Horizons1986]

So my fiancee and I are taking a spur of the moment trip to Disney World in January '08. Since this was last minute planned, we wanted to spend as little money as possible without losing too much of the Disney magic. We have decided to stay at the All Star Movies Resort.

I was just curious what the All Stars were like. Once, about ten year ago, I stayed one night at All Star Music with a friend while visiting his grandma and we were only at the resort long enough to sleep.

Basically I am used to staying mostly at the moderate resorts and occassionally the deluxe. Am I in for a surprise as far as the difference between resort types? How do you guys feel about a week + stay at the All Star?

Thanks!!

 

[minnie61650]

We have stayed at Allstars, Pop Century, and all of the moderate resorts. From what I remember, here are the major differences:

• The moderates offer much more space. I'm not sure of the exact dimensions, but it feels like the value resorts are about 2/3 the size of the moderates.......

Of course, this is just based on memory. Your mileage may vary. Whatever you choose, have fun.

Actually, I feel that moderate rooms are not much bigger than the value rooms.

The mod has 54 square feet more than the value.
That means if both the mod and the value room were 27 feet long than the mod would be 2 feet wider. Just enough room for a double sink instead of a single. There would not be much more room for storage. There would be a 2 foot wider area between the foot of the bed and the TV.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[crazydaveh]

I've stayed at all the moderates and all of the value resorts. Honestly, the only main difference is the price. Bottom line, no matter where you stay, you can sleep/nap/rest, watch the top 7 things to do at Disney, and shower.

The pools at the values aren't as themed, but in January here, you might not want to jump in, or you might, just depends on mother nature!

The food courts at the values are a little more like a shopping mall, but food is food.

Go, have fun, enjoy your trip. Do be prepared for crazy changes in the weather! That time of year it can be 80 degrees on day and 50 the next... So be prepared.

 

[Flower'sChild]

Do be prepared for crazy changes in the weather! That time of year it can be 80 degrees on day and 50 the next... So be prepared.

That is Florida for you Now I love Florida I just love it :wave:

 

[HoneyMnShawnee]

Just got back from All Star Sports and did not enjoy it at all .. We knew that there would be more noise, from the groups and children.. It was the service from the staff that was not pleasant at all.. I would rather spend the extra $$ for a mod.. Especially for the quieter atmosphere and the few extras you get..

 

[ScottNBecky]

My two cents is that POP is the best of the values. Newest, largest, and hs 3 pools. My dad (67 years old) said POP is like a mini vegas with activity all the time. We like Vegas so it was perfect for us.

 

[kiawahman]

yeah you're vacation is going to suck if you stay at the asr

 

[Horizons1986]

yeah you're vacation is going to suck if you stay at the asr

that is nice to know! Thanks for the advice!

I noticed a lot of people mentioning the weather. I was just curious, I have only been to WDW in the summer or spring. What is the temp like in January? I live in St. Louis so I am pretty used to the cold weather. Is it usually int he 60's or 70's?

Thanks!

 

[Rob562]

Yea, get a rental car for $100 for a week. (And let me know how that works out.)

I'm paying $85 for a Compact for a week in December, renting from Alamo at the airport. Admittedly this is with a discount code from my warehouse club, but I just went on their site and put in the exact same dates without the discount rate code, though still using the $20 off coupon advertised on the main page of the website, and I got $101.74

Of course the only reason I'm renting a car is because I'm staying at a friend's house down the road from WDW. When I stay on-property, I don't rent a car.

-Rob

 

[minnie61650]

My two cents is that POP is the best of the values. Newest, largest, and hs 3 pools. My dad (67 years old) said POP is like a mini vegas with activity all the time. We like Vegas so it was perfect for us.

Yes, largest hotel at WDW is correct. With 2,880 rooms it is one of the top 20 largest hotels in the U.S. 17 of the other largest hotel are located in Las Vegas.(Keep in mind that Pop is 4 storys tall while the large hotels in Vegas are many more stories tall.


Here is a list of differences between Pop and the All Stars.

Pop is newer.
Pop was opened in 2003.
All Star Movies was opened in 1999.
All Star Sports and Music were opened in 1994.

All Star Music is underwent a refurbishment of all of the rooms and was completed in June 2007.

All Star Sports is slated to be refurbished between June 2007 and Febuary of 2008.

Pop has a lake. The All Stars do not have a lake.

When staying at the All Stars you use any of the All Stars pools.
The 3 All Stars are within easy walking distance of each other.

The gift shops are separate from the food court at the All Stars.
The gift shop and food court are combined at Pop.

Pop has 2,880 guest rooms. 4 floors in each building.
Each of the All Stars has 1,960 rooms. 3 floors in each building.

Both Pop and the All Star rooms are 260 square feet.

The beds at the All Stars are movable.

The beds at Pop at bolted to the floor.

The far bed at an All Star is closer to wall. And the near bed is not as close to the doorway as it is at Pop

The far bed at Pop is pulled away from the wall more. The near bed is closer to door.

For most people that would not make a difference but since I need an EVC the bed being so near the door at Pop makes it more difficult for me to back my EVC in.

just my 2 cents.

 

[NewfieFan]

A couple people have mentioned noise as an issue while staying at the AS resorts. I stayed at the AS Music during June and I never heard a thing! We also use to come back to our hotel in the afternoon for a nap and we still never had a problem with noise. And our room did face the center of the resort (where the pools are) which is supposed to be the noisest part of the resort! Some people actually say that the value resorts are quieter than some mod. & deluxe resorts. This is b/c your hotel room door in a value resort is designed to keep out the elements where it's motel style. Your door exits outside not into a hallway. So a door designed to protect against weather would also keep out some noise as well.
Hope you have a great trip! We loved the AS - I'm sure you will too!:wave:

 

[celticdog]

We just stayed at the ASMu in September. It was a wonderful place to stay. Since it was September, it was less crowded. We did not have any problems with noise. The food court was quite adequate, Mickey waffles for breakfast every morning.:slurp: The guitar pool is huge with plenty of seating and deck space. Every afternoon and evening they had games and movies at the main pool. The piano pool was nice and quiet. It was a good place to relax. We stayed in the Broadway building no.7. It was a bit a walk, but the theming of the resort made it a nice walk. We never had any trouble with buses, however, we didn't go to the parks until 10/11 am. We were also the last ones to leave the parks in the evenings.

I was a bit apprehensive about staying there, but now, I'd easily stay in an All-Star again.

 

[MichWolv]

If find the all-star resorts delightful places to stay. The pools are very nice and lively, what with all the kids around. The food courts are big and comfortable, and the rooms have exactly what I need in a hotel room at Disney, a bed, a shower, and the TV with the Top 7 show (OK, maybe I could skip that). The theming of the All-Stars is kitcschy and over the top -- kind of like you're staying in Toontown. My son thinks the other resorts are boring compared to walking around the all-stars.

A couple things that I wish were different are 1) I wish there was a whirlpool, and 2) the buses tend to be quite crowded. But these are small nits. You're saving $50/night compared to staying at a moderate, and you'll find good use for that savings.

 

[Flower'sChild]

AllStarMusic is like the quiet resort out of the 3 and most of the time it's always the last one to book up, with Movies most of the time being the first one to book up. When I go to book a room with a passholder rate, many times I find that movies is booked up and Music still has the rates :wave:

 

[lilclerk]

I stayed at Movies in February, and I loved it. We were in one of the Mighty Ducks buildings and it was much easier to get to the Music bus stops. The only time I had a problem with noise was in the food court, and that was mainly because there was a cheerleading group there and they were crazy loud in the mornings while eating. But in the rooms, I never heard anyone else. It was such a colorful, fun place to be and it really gets you in the Disney spirit.
I've got some photos in the link in my signature if you'd like to take a look.
Have a great time!

 

[dreamfinder]

Just got back from a 4 day stay at Sports. My DGF was concerned about staying there as it looked "tacky and cheap" but once we got there she really didn't have any major complaints. Some of the international groups that were there for the Martial Arts festival were loud, but it wasn't bad. Walk to the food court was ok, buses got a little full at times, but can't beat the price to stay on property.

 

[palmage]

We've never stayed there but picked up some friends who were staying there once.
I was thinking "Take away the fiberglass stuff and you got yerself a motel 6 Bubba".

 

[Beja]

I stayed at All Star Sports once back in May of 2005. My only complaint about it was largely due to the time of year that I was there, mainly Senior Week.

I think that the value resorts tend to attract more groups than the more expensive ones. I'd like to think that I'm not turning to an old grump at the age of 31, but I would like some peace and quiet after midnight. There were large groups of kids hanging outside of my door talking and playing a radio at 1:00am. I eventually went to ask if I could change rooms, which the staff permitted. So there I was at 1:30am, hauling my luggage across the football field.

Other than that, the room and food court were fine and there was just as much Disney ambiance as there is in the moderate resorts. My only advice is to avoid the resort during the months of May and June.

 

[disney1983]

Yea, get a rental car for $100 for a week. (And let me know how that works out.)

I last stayed in Movies back in 1997. The car was worth the extra expense of avoiding the buses.

By the way, I'm paying $115 total for a week at Alamo. I applied an e-mail coupon and received a free mid-size upgrade.

 

[Montyboy]

I last stayed in Movies back in 1997. The car was worth the extra expense of avoiding the buses.

By the way, I'm paying $115 total for a week at Alamo. I applied an e-mail coupon and received a free mid-size upgrade.

I may have typed too soon, but I was responding to the idea that $100 is a typical rate for a week.

I'm always amazed at what the total is after week. "You had the $99 special, so your total after taxes and fees comes to... $157"

Nice job with the $115."

 

[Lindsy1052]

So my fiancee and I are taking a spur of the moment trip to Disney World in January '08. Since this was last minute planned, we wanted to spend as little money as possible without losing too much of the Disney magic. We have decided to stay at the All Star Movies Resort.

I was just curious what the All Stars were like. Once, about ten year ago, I stayed one night at All Star Music with a friend while visiting his grandma and we were only at the resort long enough to sleep.

Basically I am used to staying mostly at the moderate resorts and occassionally the deluxe. Am I in for a surprise as far as the difference between resort types? How do you guys feel about a week + stay at the All Star?

Thanks!!

The rooms are small, 2 double beds. If you want to request a King your chances of getting one are slim, as the King bedded rooms are handicapped rooms and they will go to those who need it first.