Are the All Star Resorts THAT bad?

[GrandmaP]

I keep reading a lot of negative things about these resorts. Can they be that bad? Previously we've stayed at Coronado Springs. But this time, we'll have 2 grandkids aged 7 and 9. They have no concept of a nice resort, nor will they remember it. We plan on using the pool the day of arrival. Other than that, we only plan to be at the resort for breakfast and sleeping.

Thank you for any input.

 

[SnackyStacky]

I haven't stayed there, but for what you'd be using the resort for, I think the All Stars might be a good choice for you.

My only concern in your position would be the space factor. The All Stars have 260 square feet per room, whereas Coronado Springs had 314 square feet per room.

I'm actually considering a quick trip in January and trying out the All Stars.

You never know until you try!

 

[GoodFairies]

No, they are great. Remember that even "cheap" Disney is still Disney. The magic is still there. They are the best way for a family to take an affordable trip and the theme is great for kids. I don't even have kids and I've stayed there several times. The bus service there is the best of ALL the WDW resorts.

 

[SimbaNoodle]

The rooms are fine, but small. The resorts also tend to be loud.
There is Disney theming everywhere. For 2 young kids I think it would be fine. The allstars are still better than half the hotels in Orlando.

 

[ducklite]

Oh, you'll be suprised how much they'll remember!

How "nice" it is is extremely subjective. Some people love it, others do not.

I'm in the do not category. I think it's garish, noisy, and lacking in many of the amenities I need to feel comfortable while traveling. I"m also one to spend time in my room relaxing and reading.

If you are simply looking for a basic accomodation with a reasonably clean place to lay your head, you will be fine there.

It comes to managing your expectations. If you expect a budget type motel with budget type amenities and services, you'll be happy. If you are looking for upgraded amenities, activites and levels of service, you'll be disappointed.

It sounds to me like it should suit you fine for your purposes.

Have a great trip!

Anne

 

[hmp2z]

If you don't mind staying in a motel, with a TON of small children (and it sounds like you don't, since you are traveling with children), you should be okay. Coronado Springs is much quieter & more adult oriented than the All Stars. It also depends on whether noise bothers you when you are trying to sleep or not. Since there are children galore, there is a lot of running and yelling down the corridors, late at night. But, again, if you are a noisy kids person, that would be right up your alley. It's all in what you prefer.
We had been using the All Stars as our first night hotel, when we got there late, and didn't want to pay GF prices for just a few hours' sleep. But after this most recent trip, we have booked the Dolphin as our first night hotel - All Stars are just way too loud for us! And the rooms have that motel smell, which bothers me. So we will see whether the Dolphin suits our purpose any better...
Cheers!
Heather W

 

[>>^..^<<]

What makes you think the kids won't remember it?

My DD9 still talks about all her vacations since she was 4 years old... she can remember all the pools, hotel, things we did... etc...

The Allstars look like fun.. give them a try.. the worst that could happen is that you will know better next time.

>>^..^<<

 

[StrwLady]

I have never had a bad experience at the All Stars. Yes the rooms are a little small but I didn’t find them to be a problem with 2 adults and 1 Child. I couldn't imagine having 4 adults in one room. I probably miss the food courts the most. It was so nice to have a choice of several different foods. My son loves the game rooms there. There always seems to be activity around the resort but I have never found that I could hear noise in my room. If I had one complaint/concern is at peek times of the day the busses can get very very crowded. If you are leaving a park at closing time you should expect to wait in a good line for a bus and may have to stand up on the bus. We always tried to leave the park before closing time.

We started staying at the Deluxe Resorts because we really like the boat/monorail access to the parks. As long as we can come up with the extra $$$'s we will stay at a Deluxe. But if at some time I don’t have the extra $$$'s I would stay at an all star in a heart beat.

Hope you enjoy your trip.

 

[NancyK]

You'll get many different opinions on every one of the Disney hotels on this board. Everyone has their own preferences and thankfully Disney has enough variety to satisfy almost everyone. I think if you're planning on doing parks most of the time, the All Stars will be fine. Kids love the theming. Last year my family stayed there (two teenage boys and DH and I). Yes, the rooms are a bit small, but it suited our purposes fine. With the money saved on the room, you can have a nice character meal or buy souvenirs or just save it for the next trip. Have a great time!

 

[robinb]

First of all ...

Welcome to the DIS!!!!

I have stayed at all levels of Disney resorts from Value to Moderate to Deluxe to Home Away From Home. My last stay was at All Star Sports. I think you'll be fine! Your grandkids will have a great time. They will love the resort since the giant icons appeal to children. You will love saving money. I also think you'll have plenty of room at the All Stars. We were fine with 2 adults and a 4 year old.

BTW, I would schedule in more swimming time than just the first day. Older children may be able to "commando" from dawn till well after dusk, but I don't think a 7 and 9 year old will be able to. Instead, get to the parks early (when the gates open) and plan on swimming in the late afternoon before dinner. My 4 year old begged me to go back to the resort to swim while we were at MGM! We swam every day for at least an hour and we all loved it. It was great having non-park down time.

 

[StrwLady]

My experiences with the All Stars is from 2 years ago. Unless things have changed I would never compare them to a motel. I always found the rooms and the property to be very clean. Yes they do lack some of the extra's. For instance no room service (when I was there last you could still get in room pizza delivery), no house keeping after a certain hour, and shampoo and soap dispensers instead of the individual shampoo and soaps in the room. As for nosie from people moving past your room I find that even in the Deluxe hotels. I guess I have just grown accustom to it. But I have stayed at the All Stars when all the High School Cheerleaders were there I never found a reason to complain.

My experiences with the All Stars was always good.

 

[KdawnLily's Mom]

We have always enjoyed ourselves at the AS resorts. You have Disney magic around you at all times, especially if you like the Disney movies. It's like walking through a movie set.

We spend most of our time at the Parks, with the money we save staying at the Value resorts we can do extra Character meals and bring home more souveniers.

The pools are great at the resorts and we have never heard those turbo toilets everyone talks about, nor have we been kept awake at night because of load noises at the pools. Our last visit we had a ground floor room right beside the pool, had no problems with noise even though it was when the Cheerleaders where there for their competitions.

The food courts offer a good selection of food with rates about the same as in the parks.

The bus transportation is busy when the parks close other than that it seems to be fine. I never had to stand on one of the buses even when it got crowded. People are very understanding when you are tired and offer their seats.

No matter what resort you chose your grandchildren will love whereever you take them.
Enjoy your vacation.

 

[Piglet203]

I have stayed at the All Star Resorts three times!!! I loved them just much as the moderates. Sure, the moderates are better themed and what not, but the value resorts are really really nice. I was impressed when I went for the first time. THey are perfect for a family with young children, since it's themed for kids. You'll love the pool area and food court. I really don't think you'll be disappointed. IMO, All Star Movies was the cutest! I loved Fantasia section...it was so nice

 

[DisneyLisa]

We really enjoyed our stay at the ASMu and wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. There were 2 adults and 2 pre-teens in our party and we found we had plenty of room (and we drove so had tons of stuff like a cooler, etc.). Yes, the moderates & deluxes offer more amenities and have bigger rooms, but if you're not in your room much, it probably won't matter...we were rarely there. We actually found there were things we preferred at the AS...like the food court, which was great for a quick snack/meal. I think your grandkids will love it....it's Disney.

 

[safetymom]

You will be fine at All Stars. We usually stay at moderates but stayed at ASMusic on one of our last trips. It was fine.

When people offer opinions you should ask where they usually stay. If they are used to deluxes and better many tend to look down on the value resorts. I would rather stay at a value or moderate and be able to go more often then scrimp and save to be able to afford a deluxe.

Disney is all about being for everyone. You will have a great trip.

 

[susy]

Can I recommend the All Star Movies? I just think the theming will really appeal to the kids. Once they arrive at the hotel, they will feel like they are IN DISNEY! I don't find the rooms small, but then I'm small. A family of heavyset people might find it cramped. The landscaping is lovely and the resort is very clean. The food court is wonderful and your grandkids can get Mickey waffles for breakfast! They have a grab and go section for late night, after the park snacking. We always take a mid-day pool break and find the bus service to be excellent and the pools to be fun. There is a pool bar and a hairwrapping station. It doesn't have extra amenities so come prepared for that.

By accident I discovered a way to block out room noise at night. On one trip we used a humidifier for my son who was getting over a cold. Well, none of us ever slept so good! From then on, we pack it every trip and never have a problem with noise.

 

[CamColt]

We have stayed at ASMO 3 times in the past 2 years and hope to stay at ASSP next summer. We love ASMO! Its just so Disney! We never had a problem with space in the room(even had 3 adults, a child and an infant with a crib once). We have never had any excess noise in our rooms however we have always been in the back side of the buildings. That might make a difference. The variety of the food court is wonderful for picky kids, and the bus service is wonderful! Mousekeeping did a great job of keeping our rooms clean. All CMs we encountered have always been very friendly and helpful. I would have a hard time going back to a moderate after staying at a value.

 

[TDC Nala]

Kids generally love the Allstars. I'd bet if my nephews knew about the Allstars, they'd be disappointed that they have to stay at the Beach Club next year.

For more fun, coordinate your resort choice according to your grandkids' interests... if they're into sports, stay at Sports. If they like music, stay at Music. If they're not into either of these, go for Movies.

I've had more room noise at Old Key West... they always put the folks with the screaming infant in my connecting room.

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

We've stayed at Music twice. It's a nice resort, nothing great, but an excellent value for the price. I'll probably stay there again sometime.

 

[Memaw2Wm]

I'm glad to read that that All Stars gets a thumbs up most of the time.

I like staying in the FW cabins, but my DH and I are taking the grandkids (7 & 8) to Disney in January for a 4 day weekend (teacher workdays) and I opted for ASMo as it saved me $500.

I figure we're only going to be sleeping there for 3 nights so we don't need a large room and the theming sounds like fun for the kids.