Allstar Suite or POR???

[tjknitz]

The only resort that I've been too has been POP and I was very satisfied! I loved the transportation (only one resort, one stop, etc) and the kids loved the theme.

I plan on going back this year but our family has grown since our last trip - we are too large for POP (and I'm not willing to take the chance of getting connecting rooms at POP). So we are opting for either Allstar Suite or POR.

My first concern is the transportation. I heard all the Allstar resorts share the same bus. When I went to the world in 2009 I remember walking to the POP bus and thinking "thank goodness we didn't stay at the Allstars" because the lines at the end of the night were LLLOOOOONNNNNNGGGG.
I don't recall what POR line looked like, but from reading posts here I hear POR is very large with lots of different bus stops and they also may share a bus with POFQ.

The second concern is with the theming and pools. My kids will be 11, 9, 3 and 10 months. I think that Allstars will have been theming for the kids than POR - but then again, I'm just basing that off of pictures, so what do I know.

On our last trip we didn't spend much time at the resort, but this year we plan on taking 2 days out of our vacation to relax and explore our home away from home. So I also don't know which one of these resorts are suited more towards the ages of my kids.

Can anyone give me any feedback about these resorts and which one you would prefer over the other and why?

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions......

 

[ValinWV]

We haven't stayed at ASMu. But we have stayed at the other two and it was a pain with the buses. They do share and it seemed to take forever and be overly crowded.

We stayed at POR last summer. It was really nice. I think the kids will like the pools. There are quiet pools, but also the main pool has a slide and a baby pool as well as a hot tub. I found the hot tub to be too hot on some days because the air temp was still so warm. We enjoyed the resort a lot. The last value we stayed at was POP and we loved Pop as well. Unless you really want the benefit of having two bathrooms and a little more room to spread out in. Personally, I would rather be at POR then ASMu.

 

[monami7]

We LOVE POR.
It is my favorite resort at WDW and we are DVC members. We love having a jaccuzi in our room in te 1 BR's in case you were wondering. Still every few years we get a deal and stay at POR.
I just booked a room for June today.

We love the themeing and the pools. We can spend a whole day at the pool.
I love the boat to DTD. To me it is an attraction in itself.

The bussed are long but that is true at any of the Mods or Values I think.

 

[monami7]

By the way with 4 cildren have you considered renting points to get a DVC 2 BR?
It would give you so much more space.

 

[SGMCO]

POR is our favorite Resort. It is so nice to come back from the parks and
be able to relax and enjoy the resort--no over the top theme but POR and POFQ have very nice Main Pools and playgrounds for kids. Plus there are so many things to do there. We really enjoy the boat ride to DTD. The food Court is wonderful. Landscaping is beautiful, lots of trees, flowers and cute animals (bunnies, ducks with ducklings, Water birds, Turtles).

 

[Millie12591]

I would hands down stay at POR over staying at ASmovie, even with the ages of your kiddos.
Have you thought about staying at ASMusic in their suits? That could be another alternative for the amount of room your needing.

And if your thinking about staying at a Moderate resort, may I suggest staying at Coronado Springs resort over POR just because the size of the rooms and beds might better accommodate your needs. The CSR is a really beautiful resort, and since the resort is also a convention center the competition for the bus is minimal (and they don't share a bus). They have queen sized beds (the only moderate besides POFQ) and they just recently did a reno., so the beds and rooms are still really nice. The pool is a lot of fun for the kiddos and it's so big you don't worry about it being crowded.

If your wanting another alternative for the extra bed your going to need, I suggest taking a blow up bed. We did this the last two trips, one staying at the POP and the other staying at CSR. We moved the table to the other side of the dresser in POP and we moved the desk to the other side of the dresser at CSR. It made plenty of room for a queen sized blow-up and everyone was much happier than having to share a bed.

 

[lovesdumbo]

Our family of 5 has stayed at both POR and ASMu family suite. I think you'll be much happier with the set up of the suite for your family of 6. The layout of the suite is really nice. It is nice to have the couch & chair during the day rather than always sitting on the beds. The pullouts are super easy to use and my kids loved them. Mom & Dad will get a queen in the suite.

 

[kaffinito]

The suite would certainly work, and it would be handy for you to have a microwave and fridge in the room. So that would be a bonus - as would be the two bathrooms.

But, POR is a really lovely resort, and is the only mod that allows 5 in a room. The AB rooms have a trundle bed, and there are several quiet pools besides the main pool. Another bonus for POR is that it shares with POFQ, so you can use the pool there too. Your three year old would probably really like the pool over at POFQ.

 

[paigers1793]

POR all the way! By far my favorite resort. It's great and fun for all ages. There's a great median -- not too geared towards kids but still very kid-friendly. Hope that helps!

 

[Disneyhenry]

With 4 kids I would suggest the suite at ALL STAR MUSIC, 2 bathrooms, the extra space to move around, a fridge and a microwave is always a must when you have kids

 

[thej]

We are just back from a 7 night stay in a family suite at ASMu, and while we were only 4, bringing my mother necessitated the extra space over our original pirate room at CBR. Pop would have been wayyyy to small, and we didn't want to take the risk on connecting rooms given the pres day week crowds.

We really liked ASMu, the room was great, with plenty of space for 6, esp if 2 are small. The kitchenette worked well for us, though we used it less than we could have. The resort was the most kid friendly we've stayed at with lots of activities around the pool all afternoon and evening. The theming at the pool was great for kids, I thought better than PoP. In the end though having 2 bathrooms was what really made the suite worth doing over a single large room.

We only had to share busses twice during our entire week. Once coming back very late from Cali Grill via MK the bus was for all 3 All-Stars but we were the only people aboard, and another night coming back from AK we shared a bus. That might have been due to the Pres day week crowds though. We never had a really long wait, though a few times the busses were standing room only, which gets long on the way to & from MK. Little kids couldn't (and shouldn't) be standing for that trip on the bus.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I love both resorts and have stayed at both resorts (POR, twice with #3 coming up, ASMU, four times). I have also stayed at all the other values and mods.

I love POR, its about my favorite resort, but I do have to say, I think for a family of six, a POR room will be very tight even with one of you being a baby. I am not honestly sure I'd try that with a family the size of yours.

The All Stars do not always share busses. I find this bus sharing thing they do to be a bit over hyped. We have always had great luck with the busses at the All Stars. At night at park closing we have never shared, and in the morning we sometimes shared with Sports, but usually the bus was too full after Music to go over to Movies so the bus driver would radio dispatch that he was leaving for the park and to send Movies another bus. I do have add, that the shared route between POR and POFQ is much more frequent and takes longer than the sometimes shared route of the All Stars. When the Port Orleans Resorts share, that's five stops total on a meandering route vs. the three stops, that are all lined up in a row of the All Stars. Although I have to say, neither resort's bussing have ever been a problem with us and we have almost always relied solely on Disney transporatation.

I think All Star Music has the prettiest grounds of any of the values and the nice thing about a suite besides the two bathrooms and mini kitchen is that the suites are all in the preferred section of All Star Music, so close to the main area.

We love the pools and grounds at POR, although the pool games and movies would be big hits with your kids. But no slide. ASMU does have a very large baby pool that is just basically part of the main pool and I like that feature since for parents that have toddlers and older kids, they can pretty easily keep an eye on both. POR's baby pool is a bit more separate but its more shaded and has lounge chairs right there. Also at ASMU, you'd be pretty close to the quiet pool at All Star Sports since the Calypso buildings (where the suites are) are a quick and easy walk to ASSP. We really enjoyed that feature in our preferred room locations because it just gave us another option for swimming. For that matter, All Star Music is also right next door to Movies. on your "off" days, I am sure your kids would love to check out the icons of Movies in particular. At POR, you'd have the pool at French Quarter. I like the way both of these resorts are tied to other resorts meaning they both have amenities and pools nearby to use when you want to branch out.

I think either resort is well suited to spending time at. We have spent many a day at values, relaxing by the pools and while its not the same atmosphere of a moderate, it can still be quiet and relaxing. I do find the inside common areas of the values to be crowded and noisy quite often, but we have found the grounds of Music and Pop in particular to have some quiet areas that are great for relaxing. The pool games and movies are really nice for those non park days, at POR you'd have even more pools, surrey bike rentals, the boat to DTD and they have a catch and release fishing thing that is fun for kids. I think they also have some sort of pirate cruise thing for kids too (check out www.portoreleans.org for info on that).

Love them both so to me you cannot make a bad choice although again, I think for a family of six you'll be very, very crowded in a POR room. Once the trundle is made out, the pack n play for the baby will probably have to be set up in the bathroom area (near the sinks).

Good luck with your decision!

 

[maxiesmom]

I have done 6 people in 1 room at POR before, and there is no way I would do it again. And POR is one of my favorite resorts! That was just way too many people in 1 room that is not huge, by any means. If 1 person needs some peace and quiet then the others need to leave the room, or not move.
It is hard to wake up before anyone else and not wake the rest of them up too.

Trust me, you will be way happier with the space, kitchenette,and second bathroom you get at ASMu in a suite. Plus you would have a bedroom with a door and a queen sized bed. Nice if some of the little ones want to nap but the rest of you don't. There is also a second tv in the family room area to watch.

 

[DadtoPrinceNoah]

I was facing a similar decision as yours, but we had four adults and 1 child. Having stayed as a couple in POR a few years back, I knew that it was way too small for four adults and 1 child, and then just getting 1 bathroom would be a killer. But in my mind, I couldn't get over not going back to POR as well as having to deal with the busses and the crowded common area's at ASMu...so we decided to pay the extra and hope for connecting rooms at POR (we are going during value season, so we thought there would be a better chance of getting connecting rooms). If you can afford connecting rooms at POR, I would do that...otherwise I would go with ASMu just for the extra space/bathroom.

 

[estherhead]

If it's just bussing that makes you undecided, I've stayed at all of those resorts, Pop, All Star Music and Sports, POR. The busses are all the same. At the end of the night the POR and All Star lines are long, but they will often stack 3-4 busses one right after another. It goes quickly.

Our trip at Music was very nice. The main pool has a movie every night and is a very fun environment for kids. There are Wii tournements in the food court all the time. It's just FUN!

POR is a LOVELY resort. Very garden like and pretty. Our little ones spent the whole time chasing ducks & ibis. The pool is fun, a slide and water pouring from above.

Pop was actually my least favorite.

If they are the same price, I'd probably go with the All Star Music. You'll have more room and two bathrooms. And really, the busses are more of an issue on these boards than in real life.

 

[Kay1]

I prefer the busing situation at the All Stars because there is only one central bus stop, and it is marked with chains which makes for an orderly entrance.

However, I think the pool at POR is very nice and you can also use the pool at POFQ as they are sister resorts.

Have fun making your decision.

 

[aeronboy]

You will love the family suite, especially with the baby. Mom, Dad, and baby get a quiet room with a queen bed. Great for nap time!

We've stayed in the family suites twice, and I highly recommend them.

 

[tjknitz]

Thank you so much for all the responses.....

When I first started reading, the responses I was thinking POR all the way. Then I started thinking about the down time we would be spending at the resort and I would hate to be crammed in a small room. Decisions Decisions Decisions

Now I am probably leaning towards ASMu because of the bigger room, and all the activities for the kids around the pools. I have a feeling my kids will love the theming of the Allstar Resorts (they are very familiar with the Disney movies, esp my 3 year old).

I'm planning a trip for Sept 2012, hoping AOA is open by then too.