May I ask? Your favorite (budget)Disney resort?

[truegirl]

I didn't find a thread like this anywhere, so I hope it's okay I'm asking.

Hubby and I are planning on taking our 8 year old daughter to WDW in the summer of '09. We'd like to stay in a budget resort on the property. Do any of you have any preferences/ suggestions/ favorites?

I'd love to read your input on this. I have absolutely no experience with WDW, and this is probably going to be a one time event.

Thanks for all your help. true

p.s. How far in advance should we book a room???

 

[Mickey23]

Pop Century is a nice resort in the value category. They have their own buses and you can get a building close to the pool and food court.

 

[marciemouse]

We are staying at POP this month, and I'm really excited to try it. I've stayed at All Star Sports and Movies. Unless your DD is really athletic, I'd skip Sports. I really liked Movies a whole lot better.

 

[cheerforchelsea]

My favorite value resort is POP - followed by AS Movies.....I like them both!!

 

[Taja]

In the value resort category, I've only stayed at Pop Century. One good reason: I love it! I've stayed there four times!

I believe All Star Sports and All Star Music resorts have been refurbished in the last couple of years. And I know many people who prefer the All Star resorts (Movies, Music & Sports) to Pop Century--it's really just a matter of personal preference.

The rooms are the same size at all of the resorts, except the All Star Music family suites (slightly more than double the cost of two connecting rooms). Pop Century is a larger resort than any of the three All Star resorts, which can be uncomfortable for some people. I'm so accustomed to the mega-resorts in Las Vegas that it doesn't seem all that large to me--just spread out over more land rather than vertical!

The All Star resorts are sister resorts, so you can use the pools at any of the three resorts when you are staying at one of them. These resorts typically share busses at times, although there may be individual resort busses at peak times. Sports usually is the first resort to be picked up and dropped of when busses are shared.

Pop Century has one central bus stop outside of Centennial Hall. There are well-defined queues for each bus stop, which keeps line cutting to a minimum. Although I shouldn't say line cutting--it's more mass convergence when there isn't a queue!

All of the value resorts are basic, clean and fun. No pool slides, hot tubs, table service restaurants or water craft rental, which you find at the moderate and deluxe resorts. Pop Century does have a lake (for viewing only, no swimming) between the completed Classic Years section and abandoned Early Years section.

Which resort you select really is a matter of personal preference.

Edited to add:

You should book a room as soon as possible. The rates for 2009 should be out in June or July. You can book now at 2008 rates, but your ressie will be adjusted to reflect 2009 rates when they become available. I would think you're safe waiting until the 2009 rates become available.

Do you belong to AAA? If you're book room only, Disney sometimes offers a limited number of AAA discounts of about 10% - 20% (usually 15% at value resorts). This applies to packages (including tickets and DDP) if you book through AAA travel.

 

[RFrank9504]

I love the ASMo Resort-our children love the Toy Story characters. The pools are fun-and so is the gameroom. I've toured the Pop Century resort-its nostlagic for older travelers. I don't think your 8 yr old will enjoy it as much as the movies resort. Either way-any Disney resort is elaboratly themed and you'll have a great time!

 

[Crazy4Disney06]

We stayed at POP last August and I loved it!!! I would stay in a value resort no problem, they are great for younger children!

 

[Luv4Disney]

We like ASMu the best. We thought it was the quietest. Saw major bus lines for ASMo and never tried there and we hated Pop.

 

[minnie61650]

I have stayed at all levels of Disney Resorts. My favorite Disney owned resort is All Star Music.

Here are a few reasons :



1. I can book a preferred room location..( The Calypso buildings are preferred and they are the closest to the main pool ,food court and bus stop. They cost an $10 extra a night and in my opinion they are well worth it.)
The way All Star Music is laid out it "seems" smaller than most of the other Disney resorts. If I stay in a preferred building I only see the Calypso and Jazz builings on the way to and from the main pool and the bus stop and food court. Since I stay in preferred room I know I am going to be close to the food court, bus stop, & main pool.

2. I enjoy the theming at the All Stars. All Star Music is also is the quietest of the values. Generally less people stay there and there are more seniors and couples and less young children because children enjoy the themes of the other values more.

3. The bus service at the All Star Music is very good. Since I use an EVC good bus transportation is essential.

4. The entry at the values and Mods are much more Handicap friendly.
I am able to get in and out of my All Star room unassisted. This way my husband can go and play a round of golf and know I can leave my room to relax by the pool if I choose.
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All Star Music is my favorite resort. It tends to be the quietest of all the values.


All Star Music just underwent a refurbishment of all of the rooms and was completed in June 2007.


Here is a website with photos of the newly refurbished rooms at All Star Music.

Look at the Jazz Inn section with new posted:

http://allearsnet.com/acc/g_asmu.htm




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DH and I enjoy the landscaping and peacefulness of All Star Music.
We enjoy relaxing by the pool (there are plenty of chairs and lounges), and the beautiful lighting at the resort by night.

I have never had the unfortunate experience of running into the any of the large
groups of teens who sometimes stay at the values on school trips.
As long as you can avoid those large groups I do not think Noise will be an issue.

*HINT if you close your bathroom door at night you might not even hear the turbo toilets.
I close my bathroom door and I don't hear them.
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I love The All Star Resorts.

I am 56 years old and travel several times a yearfor pleasure. I often stay at 3and 4 star and sometimes a 5 star hotels and motels.
So the deluxe and mod resorts are just another hotel/motel to me.
Staying at an All Star is like being in the heart of the Magic and that is where I want to be.

All Star Music is my favorite. It is quieter because more couples stay there. I love staying at the Calypso building. It is closer to the pool, food court and bus stop.

Here is a site with a map of All Star Sports and All Star Music.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/allstarmap.htm
Scroll down. All Star Music is at the bottom of the page.
The Calypso buildings at All Star Music are #1 and #10 are nearest to the food court and bus stop.

The Calypso pool at ASMu has Donald Duck.

The buses are wonderful.

Bus rides are quite short from the ALL Stars according to PassPorter.com

All Star Buses-CBR buses---POPbuses--PO buses--- Contemporary
MK 20 min---- 20 min-----25 min------10 min---20 min(mono)
Epcot 10 min-- 15 min-----20 min------10 min---15 min
MGM 10 min----12 min-----15 min------15 min---20min
AK 10 min------20min-------15 min----15 min---20 min
DTD 15 min----20 min------20 min-----15 min---35 min

It only takes 10 minutes to get to Epcot, MGM and AK from All Stars.
MK is 20 min away. That's the same amount of time it takes on the monorail from the Contemporary.

A WORD ABOUT BUS SHARING

To me Bus Sharing at the All Stars is really a non issue.

In the mornings during Park opening hours each All Star usually has a dedicated bus.
During mid day it is usually just our stop and maybe one more on the way to the parks. On the way back sometimes it is all 3 but often Sports and Movies share and Music has it's own bus back. Each of the All Stars usually has it's own dedicated bus back from the MK.
That is a big plus. It seems like the Music bus stop usually has the shortest of the three All Star bus lines.

I guess some people who stay at POP see all 3 All Star names on the return sign of our bus stop when they head to the POP bus stop and think All Stars also has 3 stops on the way to the park.
(Even when we stop at another AS resort to load up it has not taken more than 5 minutes and we are on our way!)

The pools at The All Stars are very kid friendly.

When staying at the All Stars you can use any of the All Star pools.That means 3 main pools ,3 quiet pools and 3 kiddie pools to chose from.

The All Star Movie Fantasia pool has Mickey.

The Calypso pool at ASMU has Donald Duck.

And the Surfs up pool at All Star Sports has giant surf boards.

Here are a few pool photos.

All Star Sports pool.

All Star Music Donald pool.

All Star Movies Mickey Pool.

I have visited WDW more than a dozen times with the 1st time in Oct. 1971. It was brand new. I've stayed at FW, Disney Inn, a few the of Hotels on hotel Blvd., CBR and the towers at the Contemporary. I got to see the MK from my balcony at the Contemporary and I'm happy I got to experience it once. I just prefer the All Star Resorts.
The theming is pure Disney.

My last 6 visits have been at The All Stars and during the fall of 2005 when we took dd,dsil, and our grandson age 3(at the time) for 8 nights we stayed at the All Stars Music. I thought about AKL and even though we can well afford AKL I just wanted Alex to experience the Disney Magic at the All Stars on his first visit.
Where else can one find Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse at the pool?

Have fun at Disney!

 

[nikki'smom]

POP is a great resort!!!

 

[Amy&Dan]

All Star Music is my hands down favorite. I have stayed at all the values (some more than once) and all the moderates. We just stayed at Music for six wonderful nights last month and it was a perfect stay. It has the nicest grounds of the values and is generally the quietest. The rooms have been recently refurbbed and have some nice touches that have been added. They are also currently doing a program where they have pool games for the kids in the afternoons and then movies by the pool at night. Both of which I am sure your daughter would enjoy. I have enjoyed all the values but Music is really nice, esp. given its recent refurb. In the end however, you cannot make a bad choice. Due to the fun theming, super clean rooms and Disney service, you won't feel your are going cut rate and your daughter will probably fall in love with the icons of whichever value you do choose.

 

[Atchley]

I have absolutely no experience with WDW, and this is probably going to be a one time event.

You think that now. Just wait. You'll catch the Disney "Bug"! Especially if you stay on these boards very long!

We liked ASMo when we stayed there. Larger than life characters. Pretty neat.

 

[Buzz2001]

I'd go with POP!

 

[Disney Fans]

I have only stayed at POP and loved it.

But we have friends that love All Stars also.

 

[kaysmommie]

We have only stayed at Deluxe resorts (WL and Poly) until March of this year. We stayed at Pop and loved it! Sure it's deluxe but it was a really fun place. My kids actually really want to stay there again glad I wasted over $2000 more for Poly .