Sept Trip - help wanted

All.....I am looking for help for my Sept trip. This is our first time staying on the property and I would LOVE some tips and tricks.
We are probably flying and wanted to know how the Magic Express is.
Also - how is the All Star Movies? We have 2 kids under 8 but I read weird things about the bathrooms - are they OK?
I am interested in the grocery shipping to hotel....
I didn't ask for park hopper - should I?
We have the dining promo but what about everything extra - is it full price or discounted?
Any more info on this resort or anything would be greatly appreciated.
I have been told to book dining in advance but I have Noooooo idea how to organize this

Thanks in advance :shrug:

 

[figmentmom]

Magical Express is absolutely terrific! If you decide to use it, they will send you yellow luggage tags to put on your bags. Disney will then get your bags for you (you do NOT need to go to Baggage Claim!), and they will be delivered to your resort room about three hours after your arrival. (That said, if you're going to need anything right away, pack it in your carry-on bag.)

I've never stayed at All-Star Movies, so I can't answer that question.

How long will you be staying? The park-hopper option is worth it, in my opinion, just for the flexibility of being able to go from park to park during the day.

 

[lilclerk]

I stayed at ASMovies last February. I have a few photos in the 2007 WDW link in my signature, including some photos of the bathroom (I think, I take photos of the bathroom of every hotel room I stay in, I know it's weird, but sometimes it comes in handy!) It is small, but I didn't think there was anything really wrong with it... I'm not picky though, I probably shouldn't be the one to answer that for you.

One thing to remember about grocery delivery in the values is there is no fridge in the room unless you request it and it's $10/day. That being said, my boyfriend and I stocked up on non-perishable food to keep in our room this year (at Pop) like pop tarts, snacks, and cereal for breakfast (we'd just buy milk in the mornings.. oh we bought plastic bowls and spoons in the grocery store as well.)

You don't need a park hopper at all. It's very easy to spend a whole day in one park. Keep in mind that you can (and should with kids that small, heck I still do this and I'm 24) take an afternoon break to head back to the hotel for a nap or swim before heading back to the same park you were in before for the evening.

Magical Express is GREAT.

To make dining reservations, take a look at park hours for the dates of your trip and figure out what day you want to be in each park, especially since you don't have park hoppers. Then find the menus to the different restaurants (you can find them on wdwmagic.com) and pick which ones you'd like to try when you're in that park. Call 1-407-wdw-dine and make your reservations. You only need to do this for table service meals. If you're going during free dining you absolutely need to make reservations as soon as you can, restaurants book VERY quickly. Also you won't need a fridge or grocery delivery if you're getting free food through Disney, in my opinion. And the rest of your package deal is full price.

 

[trixie21]

We are staying 5 nights. I am not telling my kids yet....they will drive us nits asking "how many sleeps" :hammer:

 

[figmentmom]

If you're going to have ADR's for meals, you may very well find that you're going to HAVE to park-hop! :ROFLOL: Still, it's up to you.

In any case, have a GREAT trip! :wave:

 

[trixie21]

That's great help!! Loved your pictures! What building did you stay in at ASMovies? Any reccommendations?

 

[lilclerk]

That's great help!! Loved your pictures! What building did you stay in at ASMovies? Any reccommendations?

We were in one of the Mighty Ducks buildings, which is pretty far away from ASMovies' food court and bus stops... but is very close to ASMusic's food court and bus stops, so we used those instead :lol:
I really think your kids will like it there, but if you'd rather move up to a larger room, there's always the moderates. I've never stayed in a mod so I can't comment on them, but the photos are very pretty =)

I'll agree with figmentmom and say park hopping is great, we always use it because we love the flexibility... We will often spend the morning in one park and the evening in another... but again, it's really not necessary.

Another thing I recommend if you're coffee/tea/soda drinkers is to get the refillable resort mugs. They're around $12.99 and you get unlimited refills of everything at the drinks station in the resort food court. They're a great deal and cute (kinda cheap) souvenirs.

 

[trixie21]

We were in one of the Mighty Ducks buildings, which is pretty far away from ASMovies' food court and bus stops... but is very close to ASMusic's food court and bus stops, so we used those instead :lol:
Another thing I recommend if you're coffee/tea/soda drinkers is to get the refillable resort mugs. They're around $12.99 and you get unlimited refills of everything at the drinks station in the resort food court. They're a great deal and cute (kinda cheap) souvenirs.

Is it a big deal to use other hotels facilities (pools as well)?
I love the idea about the refillable mugs - they are for the resort only right? Anything like that in the parks?
I read about the souvenirs being cheaper at Downtown Disney - know anything about that?

 

[lilclerk]

Is it a big deal to use other hotels facilities (pools as well)?
I love the idea about the refillable mugs - they are for the resort only right? Anything like that in the parks?
I read about the souvenirs being cheaper at Downtown Disney - know anything about that?

You can't use their pools, but the Mighty Ducks buildings actually had their own pool. You can absolutely use the bus stop or food court though. All three All Star resorts share buses, so you're taking the same bus, just not walking as far.
The refillable mug is only for the resort and is good for the length of your stay, so it's great if you get coffee/tea in the mornings (like me.) The theme parks don't have anything like that, but the water parks do. They're only good for one day though.

I just looked through last year's pictures and I thought I had more of the resort, but I guess not.. sorry =\ For more info and photos check out these two sites:
http://allears.net/acc/faq_asmv.htm
http://wdwmagic.com/resorts_allstarmovies.htm

Oh and I've never done much shopping in Downtown Disney (just went to the World of Disney and the Christmas shop very quickly this year) so I'm not positive, but everything I saw seemed to be about the same as it was in the parks. World of Disney is huge though, it's definitely worth a stop. Also you can have any purchases shipped back to the resort for free so you don't have to carry them around DTD/the parks all day.

 

[canuckCM]

1) Definitely take advantage of Magical Express, its a great way to start the holiday not having to worry about rentals or taxis etc.

2) A Park Hopper Pass is great, but with younger children it may not be necessary as you may not want to be hopping them around parks and tiring them out. It may be better to visit one park a day. Also you may want to consider getting a 4 day pass, leaving 1 day 'off' to visit Downtown Disney or lounge at the pool.

3) I wouldnt make too many Advance Dining Reservations as you don't want to make your scedule too tight. You're on holiday and don't want to be worrying about rushing around to get to meals on time.

4) Say hi to me at the Canada Pavillion in Epcot!

If you have any other questions please ask!

-fellow Ontarian.

 

[trixie21]

1) Say hi to me at the Canada Pavillion in Epcot!

What do you mean?

 

[NewfieFan]

Hi and welcome! (As you'll notice I'm a fellow Canadian!:wave.

I've never stayed at the AS Movies but I've stayed at AS Music and they're pretty much all the same. I think you'll like it!?! I like AS Music enough that I've chosen it again for our Sept. trip! I believe you can use ALL the pools at 3 of the AS resorts (that's my understanding of it). The pools are pretty much the same thing at all three AS resorts, just different theming. The only reason I would pool hop is if you wanted a change of scenery.
The bathrooms are fine! The tub/shower & toliet is seperate from the sink area - which is a nice feature when there's someone "using" the bathroom!:animwink: Also, the sink area has a little curtain you can pull across - so it gives you another little area of privacy (to change your clothes etc.)
I don't know what the bus situation will be like in Sept. but when I was there in June each AS resort had its own bus. A lot people say you have to share a bus with the other AS resorts but I've never shared a bus!:shrug:

Magical Express is great - no complaints on that one!

I personally would get the park hopper option. I can't live without it. I like being able to split up my days and it gives you a lot more choice when planning your ADRs. I have two small children and they don't mind "moving" from park to park!

I may have more "tips" to add later...

But have a great vacation!:wave:

 

[NewfieFan]

Oh, I forgot to mention...

Make your ADRs ASAP!!! I cannot stress this enough. Everybody who is there during Sept. is on the free dining promotion and the restaurants are booked solid! Like someone else already mentioned, look at the calanders for all the different parks, try to get a feel for where you will be for at least one meal a day, then make an ADR at a restaurant of your choice. Keep in mind that restaurants are already starting to fill up and some of the popular ones are already booked. Have a couple a different options listed when you call WDW dining b/c you may find that the restaurants you want and/or the times you want are already booked.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask...

 

[lilclerk]

Oh and if you have trouble making reservations, don't forget to try for lunches or restaurants in the resorts, neither of which are as busy as breakfast or dinner in the parks.

 

[canuckCM]

What do you mean?

I will be a Cultural Representative at the Canada Pavaillion for a year starting this June.

 

[LCK123]

I am also Staying in September. This will be our 3rd in the past 5 years about this time of year. I also have kids the same age that we travel with (3, 6, and 8).

Magic Express is great. Quick, easy to use, and very convenient. Especially with kids in tow. Definately use it!

Can't speak to the resort...haven't been there.

In 2005, we stayed at Saratoga Springs and had groceries shipped to the resort. This was perfect because a Disney vacation club resort with a full kitchen and dining room. We were on the dining plan (and also had an infant), so the groceries mostly consisted of breakfast items, snacks, and baby items.

I would NOT recommend it for your trip however, since the room is not equiped with a fridge or other kitchen ammenities. An alternative, is to pack your breakfast items and snacks and bring them with you in a duffel bag or extra luggage case. Then you'll have the extra luggage to pack your souveniers for the return flight home. I did this on my last trip at the PO-FQ and it worked great. I put the kids favorite cereal in a large zip lock (takes less room) and bought the milk from the resort store. I brought instant oatmeals (that can be made with hot water from the in-room coffee pot)...stuff like that. It will save you $$ too.

I recommed the park hopper. Especially if you are on the dining plan. It allows you to be more flexible with your dining reservations.

I am working on my dining reservations now too (just booked the trip today). I recommend making them asap. I've found it works well if you work with the extra magic hours. Plan your days in the parks with the extra hours and book your meal around the park you will be visiting. For example....if we are going to MK, we will most likely plan a character breakfast either in the park itself or one of the MK resorts - Contemporary (Chef Mickey's). Then for dinner we will eat in Crystal Palace or go to Grand Floridian, since it's so close in location. This way you are not spending your all your time on transportation.

With the kids, I've found it much easier to have well-planned itinerary. Be flexible, but mapping out your days makes it much easier with the kids...for my family anyway:animwink:

A couple of dining recommendations:
Disney Studios - Book the Fantasmic Dinner Package
Epcot - Dine in Canada

Remember if your kids are picky eaters, you can check out the menus online. I have one that only eats plain pasta and grilled cheese. It has saved us a lot of time and frustration knowing which counter service and restaurants serve these items.

Good Luck...planning is a lot of fun! It builds up the excitement.
Enjoy your trip.

 

[kasey1988]

Hello from another Canadian!
I stayed at ASMO in may 06 and i loved it. There was nothing wrong with the bathrooms, a little small but thats it:shrug:.
If you want to eat in any sit down places i defintally reccomend making ADRS NOW!.
And defintally take advantage of magical express, i found it alot easier then going ot get my luggage myself. Remember though to pack everything you will need in your carry on though, because it can take 3+hours for your bags to arrive. If Orlando is your first stop in the US and you are clearing customs there im not sure how that works, i think you would need to retrieve your bags??
HAVE A GREAT TRIP!:wave:

 

[Turcicus]

So far, everyone's suggestions have been good. However, my wife and I tend to do a couple things a little differently:

Magical Express - Completely awesome and the only way to get from the airport to WDW, in my opinion. However, we have always claimed our own luggage from baggage claim as you're not required to have Disney pick it up. It doesn't take very long at all and that way you've got your bags right away.

Advanced Dinner Reservations - Rather than trying to plan out which parks you'll be in on what days, pick out which restaurants you want to try and just make the reservations, then base your park visits around them. As has been said, because of the free dining plan offer, reservations are filling up fast (especially for the one restaurant you're probably not interested in - Le Cellier in the Canada pavilion at Epcot - I've never eaten there and still can't get an ADR!!).

 

[popsicletrees]

My family has been going in September for the past two years, and we even booked a trip for this upcoming September. As mentioned, make your ADRs now! You can look up the menus to the restaurants on various sites. The number to call has already been given. I usually make the ADRs for our trips and the CMs are very helpful with this easy process. You will absolutely love staying on-site. Plus, September is a really nice time to go because the crowd level is fairly low. Have fun!

To add:
If there is a restaurant that your family would like to go to but they are filled up for dinner, consider making a reservation for a late lunch. The menus are generally the same, and you will eat so much that you won't be hungry for the rest of the day.