My best friend and I are planning a trip to WDW for next year (first-timers). We're looking at the value hotels...besides Art of Animation, which would you guys say is the best/coolest? Thank you!
I find staying at one of the three *original* Values is better in terms of location ( closer to the Parks ) and pricing then Pop.
Since Pop ( and Art of Animation ) are both the *newer* Values, the price often reflects that and is higher.
Pop is also off on it*s own...check out a Property map to see what i mean.
It can eat up some travel time to get to and from your Resort to the Parks, especially on the Disney Transport buses.
The three All Star Resorts are all immediately next door to each other, linked only by their parking lots and various outside walkways.
It is a short 10 minute ride via bus or car to MK, EPCOT, or DHS...even less to DAK.
I find *All Star Music* to be my favorite of the lot for several reasons.
It is pretty nice for basic needs overall.
Clean room and nicely themed without too much overkill, and it is between Sports and Movies.
In my personal experiences over the years of staying there i have found it to have several advantages that many may not be aware of.
First advantage - the bus/transport advantage in the evening.
Staying at the All Stars means that at the end of the night, during the Park Close crunch, you will have THREE bus destination choices to take you back to your Resort instead of the usual ONE destination bus that everyone else will have to wait for.
As noted earlier, all three of the All Star Resorts are within immediate walking distance to each other, so this means you can take any All Star bus if need be and just hoof it to your Resort in a couple of minutes.
This can be a real lifesaver on those evenings when the bus lines get insanely long.
I cannot stress how handy this aspect has been when things have gotten ugly at the bus terminals late at night post Park Dump/Close.
It has saved me ( and my sanity ) SO many times in the past!
While everyone else is waiting for their sole Resort bus taking them back to their one hotel ( like Pop, for example..) you just pick the shortest line of the THREE All Star Resorts and off you go!
Sports, Movies, or Music...regardless of which one you are actually staying in you can in reality take any of the three specifically designated buses.
Of course...this strategy may not work if at that particular time the buses are not running separate Resort runs...usually during slower times.
Sometimes in those cases, a *All Star Resorts* destination bus will be running in which case all three Resorts will pack on.
It is always better when you have the three routes separated, but sometimes that is not always the case.
Usually it depends on the crowd levels, what Park you are at, and when you are trying to leave to go back to your Resort.
During peak transport times however there is usually buses assigned to each of the three All Star Resorts.
Second advantage relates to the differences in clientele that typically rooms at the three All Star Resorts.
All Star Music has the least amount of children/families rooming there when compared to Sports and Movies.
All Star Movies tends to attract the kids and families in droves like magnets..mainly due to the visual appeal of the themed statues on the grounds related to Toy Story and 101 Dalmatians are the primary draw.
All Star Sports also draws in a lot of kids/families, but Sports also pulls in most of the tour groups, cheerleaders, sports teams, etc that are in town at any given time for competitions or school visitations.
You will sometimes see price differences that reflect this as well.
Often Movies will be priced higher then Music at certain times of the year, same goes for Sports.
Music however does have a few downsides, primarily it*s Food Court.
It is massive, and has decent food, but the decor/theme is sparse and it feels very mall-like.
It*s huge size can also be a disadvantage, as it encourages a feeling of overcrowding sometimes.
*Morning mayhem* is what i call it...the mad crush of people who show up for breakfast.
Note to self - Do breakfast elsewhere if you want to avoid starting your day like that!
Movies has the better Food Court for theme and setting, and the food choices vary slightly better at times from Music.
It is smaller in size, which i find drives people outside or back to their rooms to eat.
When i stay at Music, i tend to walk over to Movies and hit their Food Court instead during the off-times.
Sports feels very crowded to me....and not being a sports fan in general the theme is kind of blah to my tastes.
All three basically offer the same menu items, though i find Movies offers a slight cut above.
MIght just be the setting, though.
I encourage you to explore the other two All Stars if you stay in one of them.
They all are similar, but also unique in their layout and presentation of theme.
All Star Music has always fit my travel criteria perfectly like a glove.
Not a bulky white Mickey glove mind you...but a nice glove that fits my hand perfectly.
Clean, tidy, room..though small, but i like that cozy aspect.
A comfy bed, nice theming and grounds, and for a visitor it most importantly gives you all the benefits of staying *On Property* at a Disney Resort but not paying too outrageous a price.
Those *benefits* for Resort Guests only are numerous, but the most valued are EMH, free Disney Transportation and airport transfers via Magical Express, and most recently FP+ options/MagicBands.
Average off-seasons pricing for Music used to start at $68 - $89 a night...slightly more during busier seasons.
Summertime rates will be $100+ at night.
Hope this helps.
Feel free to ask me more about these particular Resorts, as i have spent a lot of time in them over the years in the past...mostly Music.
