Which Value resort to choose

[JohnD]

All who have replied and experienced shared All-Star busing; when was busing shared?

Peak season? And shared every day for the duration of your stay?
Slow Season? And shared every day for the duration of your stay?
1 time time at park closing - Like MK after Wishes? EME Park closing early A.M.?
1 time midday returning to the resort?

We have been during Peak and Slow seasons, multiple times each......

Do not misinterpret this as anything other than true curiosity, as again, we have NEVER had shared busing at All-Stars and wonder if this is Urban Legend.

One reason we are so perplexed is we did, finally have shared busing last year.....at a Deluxe!! Beach Club, last bus stop, every day, duration of our trip!!!

Allow me to clear this up. Going to the parks, there is no shared busing. HOWEVER, at park close when people just want to get back to their resort, many times the bus is for all the All Stars. Just board the bus for "All Star Resorts". It will make three stops. You get off at your resort.

 

[MickeyMomV]

When it comes to Value resorts we have now stayed at all of the All-Stars but have not stayed at Pop or AoA. Between the 3 AS resorts we liked the preferred room at Movies the best. Last month we stayed in a preferred room at Sports for the first time and it was full of high school seniors on their senior trip. It just seems like Sports always has a couple of groups staying there that tend to "crowd" the experience (longer waits for buses, food court, and just over all crazy shenanigans) . We have not seen that at Movies and Music.
As for the buses - Every bus we were on for MK was dedicated. The rest of the parks were hit or miss depending on the time of the day and the amount of people waiting. At park close all of the buses were dedicated!! I think the terminal workers try to communicate the amount of people waiting to dispatch so if a dedicated bus is needed they can make it happen.

No matter which value you choose I would recommend stepping up to a preferred room. We find it worth the $10 to $20 per night to be close to the main building and the bus stop.

 

[Dad 2 M & M]

Allow me to clear this up. Going to the parks, there is no shared busing. HOWEVER, at park close when people just want to get back to their resort, many times the bus is for all the All Stars. Just board the bus for "All Star Resorts". It will make three stops. You get off at your resort.

Thanks...little miffed it would happen at Park closing (should be the 2nd busiest time of the day) vs midday....

 

[SSH]

My DH and I have stayed at all the values (with exception of AoA) too many times to count - probably around 50 diff stays in total over the past 25 yrs.

I love values overall - you get all the great benefits of pricier resorts like the EMH, free parking, transport and being in the "WDW bubble" for a fraction of the cost. Some think their theming is tacky, but I think it's cheerful and fun. It feels like the all star rooms are a wee bit smaller than POP (but I may be wrong) and those resorts are older. I prefer POP, but wouldn't rule out any All Stars.

The only thing I really hate about all the values is the thin walls. It's luck of the draw: sometimes we have no problem. Other times we're in rooms next to very loud families, kids screaming or babies crying at all hours of the night - and you can hear every toilet flush as if it were in your own room. We go during holiday season, so sometimes resort is sold out and moving isn't always an option.

No matter which one you choose, bring a set of earplugs, just in case your neighbors are noisy or you're a light sleeper.

I'm always tempted to try a moderate and always talk myself out of it, rationalizing the money we save can go towards non-WDW fun the rest of the year - like cruises, visits to the keys, etc. .

 

[JohnD]

Thanks...little miffed it would happen at Park closing (should be the 2nd busiest time of the day) vs midday....

Would be too much chaos with separate All Star buses at park closing. People would likely get on the wrong bus, for example, and be miffed they're at the wrong resort. Having a bus for all the resorts guarantees you'll get back to your resort.

 

[Dad 2 M & M]

Would be too much chaos with separate All Star buses at park closing. People would likely get on the wrong bus, for example, and be miffed they're at the wrong resort. Having a bus for all the resorts guarantees you'll get back to your resort.

uhhh...okay...we'll go with that