Need help picking a value

[rbramblett]

Planning first trip in September. Originally thought about CSR, but inlight of economy thinking maybe I should try to save a bit. If you had to pick, which of the values would you recommend. Part of the reason we were looking at a mod is they offer a refrigerator, coffee maker and looks like CSR doesn't share a bus with any other resort. All help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[dairyqueenmom]

We have stayed at ASmovies, ASmusic, and Pop. In Sept., if they have free dining the values will be packed. I was there this past Sept. and stayed at Boardwalk, but when we arrived at Magical Express, the lines for the values at 300+ people in each line. They will be very crowded in Sept. I would try for a mod. if I were you. You will enjoy them more. If I had to choose a value, I love the theming at ASmovies. You share buses with all three, so they can get packed.

 

[laura001]

I would choose POP, as it doesn't share its buses. The resort is great!

 

[KSG'sDisneyMem]

If I had to personally choose I would say POP as it is my favorite. If you have young children though you may like the All Stars better. THere is ASMo for the young group who like 101 Dalmations, Toy Story, etc.. movies. Or if your children are a little older, and really into sports then ASSp would be good for you. I also really like ASMu because it has a great quiet pool and main pool. It also offers poolside games such as Karoake, water games and video games the kids can play on the big screen. They also have movie nights (you would have to ask about the schedule as it used to be every night but not sure based on season) by the pool that is played on a large screen. Really fun for the kids. But as I said, I love POP. They have a wonderful lake and the theming is fun with it based on the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's. The food court offers frozen Coke and the frozen blue raspberry drink that children tend to be fond of, as choices for the refillable mugs; this is not offered at any other hotel. If you are driving, you can purchase a small fridge for about $80 or pay $12 per night to have one provided by the hotel. If you are travelling with a child under 2 you can request a free fridge as you will need to store milk for the little one. I really enjoy the theming of POP but you will have to determine which theme best suits your individual family. You can also see the fireworks at Epcot each night from the back side of the 50's buildings. Not the same as seeing them from the park but nice anyways. Hope you enjoy your trip. It is a good savings with free dining and if saving money is best for your family then the values really are a lot of fun. As another poster mentioned, POP does not share a bus with another resort so that can be advantageous as well.

 

[Stitch2244314]

Well the only value we've ever stayed at was AsMovies, and I remember having a great time there. However, for the buses, I think POP might be your best choice because I think the 3 all-stars usually share the same buses.

 

[pianoronni37]

I've only stayed at All Star Sports, but we really loved it. We rarely had to share a bus, but when we did, we were first to be picked up, first to be dropped off. Also, if the bus was too crowded from just Sports, it would bypass the other two All Stars.

It's much smaller than Pop, and it was recently renovated. We got a preferred room, very close to the pool and the food court/arcade was just steps away!

Like I said, I've only stayed at the Sports, but that was the one that was recommended to us and I do understand why!

 

[bigbabyblues]

We like ASMusic the best, we've stayed at all of the values except for Sports.

We stayed at Music over Thanksgiving for 10 days, and we rarely shared buses with the other AS resorts. Each AS had its own bus for park opening and after closing, and I think they did share in the middle of the day, but it was never a problem for us.

 

[rbramblett]

Thank you for all the great info. I didn't realize that Pop didn't share a bus. It is a very hard decision for us. We are going for DS's 10th b-day and he and little brother (6) are sooo excited, maybe as much as me!

 

[Suellen]

We love Pop!

 

[disneymurtagh]

I stayed at POP in 07 then POR in 08. My parents stayed in POP in 08 while we were down there and I spent 2 weeks regretting upgrading to POR. POP is a great resort. They do not share a bus, the resort is clean and the staff is great. The bus rides were not terribly long and the food in the food court was actually pretty good.
If you do POP when you get to the airport you will have to wait on the check in line for the magical express. Once you have passed that line then you have to wait to get on the bus to the resort. Have someone wait on the bus line while you wait on the check in line. That way once you are checked in you can jump right on the bus.

 

[SIMMSMOUSE]

I stayed at POP during Labor Day week in 08 and it was great. we had free dining and we had no problems. We even lost something and they actually found it and mailed it to us after we were home. Great resort on a budget or even if you not. Once you close your eyes at night all resorts look the same

 

[maxiesmom]

I stayed at both the Sports and the Music last year, and they were both great resorts. They have both been recently renovated, so the rooms are fresher than those at the Movies and the Pop.

We also found the supposed always share a bus thing to be NOT TRUE! We sometimes shared going to the parks in the mornings, but never coming back from the parks. And even when they did share, it was not a big deal. The resorts are right next door to each other, well within walking distance. How much time can it actually add to your trip if you have to share a bus? Maybe 8 minutes tops, if all 3 All Stars share a bus. I actually found the bus situation at CSR to be much worse.

I think a negative for the Pop is its size. It is 50% larger than any All Star Resort, so you have that many more people to fight to get a seat on a bus. And to be ahead of you in line at the food court. Plus at the All Stars the food court and gift shop are seperate, not all together in one big mash.

A big plus for the All Star Music is the fact that they play games by the pool during the day, and show movies by the pool at night. It was very neat to swim at night and watch Nemo or the Little Mermaid. It really made the resort feel special.

 

[CLR4321]

Definitely Pop! It is newer and has better themes IMO.

 

[Luna_Lovegood]

Love Pop!

 

[bob6sims]

Its another vote for POP.

You can also try to get a fridge swap - see the budget board, we had a fridge for most of our two week stay and it only cost us $10 plus it also came with a coffee maker and a toaster. Its an excellent resort with great transport links . The rooms aren't huge but how long do you actually spend in them . The beds were comfortable and the rooms were clean .

 

[rbramblett]

Its another vote for POP.

You can also try to get a fridge swap - see the budget board, we had a fridge for most of our two week stay and it only cost us $10 plus it also came with a coffee maker and a toaster. Its an excellent resort with great transport links . The rooms aren't huge but how long do you actually spend in them . The beds were comfortable and the rooms were clean .

You guys are GREAT!!! How do I do a fridge/coffemaker swap? I have seen posts about it but don't know how it works. Sounds like POP is great, but the movies and games as Music sound kinda cool too.

 

[redrosesix]

You guys are GREAT!!! How do I do a fridge/coffemaker swap? I have seen posts about it but don't know how it works. Sounds like POP is great, but the movies and games as Music sound kinda cool too.

There are fridge swaps for all of the Value resorts -- you can find them on the Budget Board. Some have a coffee maker or toaster -- others don't. Pretty simple: you pay a deposit to reserve your time, and pick up your fridge from Bell Services when you arrive. Each swap will have specific rules about deposit, information required, etc.

Also, we love the pool activities at ASMusic -- you can also go to those if you are staying at another AS Resort.

As for bus sharing, we didn't have to share on any of the buses we took on our last trip. But if you do, it takes the same amount of additional time as it would if you made one stop on a city bus -- the resorts are right beside each other. We did, however, take a ASSports bus one night when we had just missed ours and walked the 5 minutes to our resort.

 

[mousecruzer]

We just recently returned from the AS Movies. It was very clean. The themes tend to be for older children. Good food court.
We only stayed one night as we had other sites to see on this trip. I liked the rooms. They had a nice decor theme. I really missed the not having a frig, you have all those little snacks on hand and save you a trip to the food court!

Nice pool areas. Didn't use Magical Express since we had our own rental car and short trip.

Good luck!

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

We have stayed at both All Star Sports (years ago and when it first opened) and Movies....

I honestly liked both of them. My daughter who is 4 really liked All Stay Movies, she is so excited to go back haha. I asked her what was the first thing she wanted to do when she got to Disney World and she said I liked my hotel mommy. We spent out last day just walking around the hotel and taking pics of the different things.

The food court is ok, the last day I discovered a marble cheesecake that was awesome. We really didn't eat there all that much, just 2 breakfasts, and I think 2 dinners which were nuggets and the burgers. My dad ordered pizza one night, that was awful.

The buses we ok, in the morning they were always a few waiting, I dont think we ever waited for a bus to take us somewhere in the AM. We shared with the other AS resorts at night when the parks were closing. People say to stay at sports b/c your the first stop coming home. I also noticed that in May it seemed like ASSp and ASMu shared all the time and ASMo had their own for the majority of the time. Like I said when the parks were closing was the only time I remember sharing with the other AS resorts.

Never stayed at music or pop, but I have heard good things about pop and would consider staying there as well next time around. I chose ASMo this year again b/c my daughter really enjoyed the theme.

 

[redrosesix]

OT but...

We had the pizza at ASMusic this year and loved it. I wonder if they have changed the recipe, or it's just a matter of personal taste. There never seems to be anyone who just thinks it's ok.