Help me be excited for All Star Sports

[DisneyDreamer08]

We have a trip coming up in September (!) and we are staying at All Star Sports- myself, husband, two girls (ages 5 and 1) and my parents, hopefully in an adjoining room. Our last trip was in Dec 2014 and we stayed in Pop and absolutely fell in love with the resort. It just felt like home for us. My daughter especially loved the little kiddie pool with the spraying fountains. We initially booked Pop for this trip but when free dining came out, we had to switch to Sports. I chose Sports over the other two All Stars thinking if we needed to share a bus, at least Sports would be first. We are so bummed we couldn't stay at Pop again. I'm worried the Sports theme won't feel as homey to us and I'm worried the kiddie pool won't be as exciting to our girls without the little spray fountains. Silly, I know. So, please post what you love about Sports so I can be excited and not be so bummed! Our girls are water babies and we will be there during a super hot time so I'm guessing we will spend most afternoons in the pool and eat dinner in the food court a few times.

 

[bethymouse]

I've never stayed at Sports, but OMG- you're at Disney! You can't be bummed!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

I have stayed at all three All Stars and the Pop, although I don't have kids so I haven't paid any attention to kiddie pools. Anyway, out of the three All Stars Sports and Movies are my favorites, there are fun little statues themed to the Sports sections. I liked the Donald and nephews tennis ones. A lot of kids seemed to loved running up and down the football field in that section. If your girls are water babies, my guess is they will just like being in the pool. Maybe bring some water balls for them to play with.

I also liked that when buses were shared it was the first pick up and the first drop off, but I was rarely on a bus that was shared. The food court was fine, just as good as the Pop food court in terms of food quality. I really like the Pop a lot too, and actually avoided the All Stars for a decade+ but I gave it a try and found it was pretty good. All Stars and Pop aren't deluxes but they are great for Values.

 

[belledream]

There's something classic about the All Stars that gives me the nostalgic feels! Fear not, Disney magic can be found everywhere!

I particularly like how Surfs Up really feels like a boardwalk instead of the regular cement walkways everywhere.

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[dodgr98]

We usually stay at POFQ and with 3 kids the need for the extra space (namely the bathroom) we booked at All Star Sports. Honestly, I was not looking forward to staying there. I wanted my nighttime cruise along the Sassagoula River to Downtown Disney/Disney Springs and the ambiance on that resort. We checked in and had the same excellent experience at the front desk, walked into the gift shop....it was nice, checked out the food court and was surprised by the variety in the offerings. We'd requested "The Home Run Hotel" (my two sons play and I coach baseball) but were assigned rooms in the football wing. The walk to our rooms (adjoining, of course) was neat with the giant football helmets. The interior of the rooms were very similar in size to what we had staying at the moderate POFQ and the decorations were nicely themed without going overboard. The beds were extremely comfortable, so my fear of having a bad mattress because of the lower priced room was unfounded. I was very pleased and by the next day I was completely sold on the resort. Yes, the pools didn't have the cool factor of the French Quarter or Caribbean Beach (that's the best pool of the moderate hotels, imo) but they were still nice and my kids had a blast in them. So if you're still unsure you'll be excited, just remember you're at Disney with the people that matter most to you. What else do you need? BTW, We're staying here again in October.

Enjoy!

 

[Hakunamatata]

Being grateful you are able to go should be motivation enough.

 

[Mickey5150]

I go to WDW every year and choose to only stay at All-Star Sports. It's hard to explain exactly why because I love everything about the resort. @belledream is right about that nostalgic feeling you get walking along the "boardwalk" in the surf's up section. Between the amount of foliage and the closeness of the buildings it's a beautiful place to walk around. The surprise of Mount Mickey or Donald attempting to play tennis with his nephews are small touches that add to the overall charm of the resort. A bonus of the All-Star location is how close it is to Animal Kingdom. It also makes it convenient to head back to your room after a morning at AK. 65 more days to go and I need no help to get excited for my trip to All-Star Sports. There's water in the pools, mattresses on the beds, food in the food court and busses to the parks. Smile, you are going to Walt Disney World!

 

[MickeyMomV]

We stayed there for the first time in April and we had a great time. We stayed away from values for a long time but have recently been giving them a try. Its helps make the trips a little more frequent. My only complaint is that unless you pay for the preferred room or put in a room request the walk can be a little long when you come back from the park at 1 am.

On a side note we have requested adjoining rooms twice and have been accommodated both times. As long as the adjoining request is on both sets of reservations you should be fine.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Thanks so much everyone!! Thank you for taking the time to share your wonderful memories. I especially loved all the beautiful pictures- I didn't realize Surfs Up had the boardwalk walkways, what a cool feature. I'm sure we will end up loving Sports just as much as we loved Pop. I did request connecting rooms as our first choice and ground floor as our 2nd because we will have a double stroller with us and would like to avoid stairs/elevators if possible. I made the same 2 requests on my parents page as well. I would love to also be close to the kiddie pool so we are hoping to be in basketball buildings. I can't believe how fast this trip is sneaking up!! Thanks again everyone

 

[cdeev8690]

My stays at the resorts are strictly Values and All-Star Music is the only one (and AoA but I've booked a trip there for December) I've never stayed at. As someone else said, it's a classic feel. I have a lot of great memories over the years at these resorts and specifically at Sports as I stayed there on my senior trip. My friends and I would get up early every morning and go for a run through the resort, checking out all of the statues and decorations, then grabbing a quick breakfast before the rest of our classmates. I remember jumping into the pool for a little night swimming with the rest of my classmates after a long day at the parks. These value resorts aren't flashy or ritzy but the experience is what you make of it.

 

[Foltzy]

While I've only stayed at movies, I took one to tour the other two All-Star resorts. I'm goi to stay that it's really good. Disney did a good job with all of them, and they are all themed really well.
Also remember, the worst day in Disney is the better than the best day any where else, so be happy! It's Disney!

 

[PixieDustMamma]

Thanks so much everyone!! Thank you for taking the time to share your wonderful memories. I especially loved all the beautiful pictures- I didn't realize Surfs Up had the boardwalk walkways, what a cool feature. I'm sure we will end up loving Sports just as much as we loved Pop. I did request connecting rooms as our first choice and ground floor as our 2nd because we will have a double stroller with us and would like to avoid stairs/elevators if possible. I made the same 2 requests on my parents page as well. I would love to also be close to the kiddie pool so we are hoping to be in basketball buildings. I can't believe how fast this trip is sneaking up!! Thanks again everyone

Hi there!

I'm sure you are going to LOVE Sports! Our family has stayed there often. I saw you requested connecting rooms and I'm sure you have already done this, but with the reservations you can also request a travel with number so that the reservations are linked. Enjoy your stay! I'm jealous that I'm not going......

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

Hi there!

I'm sure you are going to LOVE Sports! Our family has stayed there often. I saw you requested connecting rooms and I'm sure you have already done this, but with the reservations you can also request a travel with number so that the reservations are linked. Enjoy your stay! I'm jealous that I'm not going......

Thank you! Our TA did link our reservations and also requested connecting rooms when she booked us. So hopefully its all set

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

We stayed there for the first time in April and we had a great time. We stayed away from values for a long time but have recently been giving them a try. Its helps make the trips a little more frequent. My only complaint is that unless you pay for the preferred room or put in a room request the walk can be a little long when you come back from the park at 1 am.

On a side note we have requested adjoining rooms twice and have been accommodated both times. As long as the adjoining request is on both sets of reservations you should be fine.

Good point about the cost, by staying at the Values I can afford to go to WDW 2-3 times a year, and i barely spend any time at the resort anyway.

 

[JIMINYCR]

I've never stayed at Sports, but OMG- you're at Disney! You can't be bummed!

There isnt anyplace I'd be bummed about staying at as long as I'm at Disney. Place me in a hallway, a broom closet, I'll sleep out on a deck chair by the pool, I'd sleep in the arcade, heck ... put me in the luggage check in room and I'll even be happy there. I've never complained about any of my resort stays. I'm in heaven the entire time I'm there.

 

[RRDallas]

I have stayed At either Sports or Movies the last 9 years and I absolutely love both of them. I think they get a bad rep for being value resorts but they are awesome. We attend for the World Championships for All Star Cheerleading and even when its as book as it gets for that weekend the CM and Managers are phenomenal. Whenever I've had any kind of issue or request not filled they work their hardest to fit it. If you're still concerned about your request private message me and ill give you some info you can use to almost ensure your rooms are joined. I've only stayed is Surfs Up and Touchdown and for me both are great! Surf does have the Boardwalk essence to it and I will admit the kids pool isn't as splendid as others but both surfs up and Homerun's pools are very nice and spacious. Homerun is getting a renovation currently so you might get to experience the changes made to it when yall go on your vacation. I hope you love your first stay at Sports! I am returning in April and I cant wait!!

 

[Scoppin]

We are going to be going in September and staying in Sports as well. This is our first trip to WDW and looking forward to it. Actually, I am currently DD and DS think we are going next summer. It was nice to hear about all great reviews of Sports. Nice to know they have the first pick up and drop off.

Any ideas on the average bus times to the parks?

Thanks,

 

[Me 'Earties]

Never been to Sports, but all WDW resorts look fun and have their own charm. As bethymouse said, you're going to Disney and that itself is super exciting! Enjoy it with the fam!

 

[officialtom]

We stayed there for one night during our last trip because we went a day early, and we liked it a lot! Our favourite is POR, and I would say the All Stars are definitely different from the moderates, but they're nice in different ways. My only concern would be going there when a cheer group is staying there.

 

[KaliSplash]

First ON and OFF the bus IS the reason you stay at All-Star Sports.

Having said that, it IS a fine resort and you are at WALT DISNEY WORLD.

Case closed