All Star Movies Newbie

[KLedford90]

I've had Disney trips in 2014, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and my next one is planned in late January 2023.

October 2014- Off site
October 2018- Port Orleans French Quarter (so far my favorite)
November 2019- Coronado Springs
December 2020- Old Key West DVC
October 2021- Animal Kingdom DVC


For 2023 we are taking additional family members and paying for their hotel room and ours. That being said we're trying to keep spending under control but do enjoy staying on Disney property, so we'll be staying at All Star Movies. We'll be getting two All Star Movie preferred rooms.

I've never stayed at a value resort. We'll have one rest day, one Universal day, and 4 Disney park days. We usually stay in the park for the majority of the day when we visit parks. We almost always do open-close.

That being said...

- How are the buses at All Star Movies?

- We enjoy a late night food court run when we decide we're hungry even after having dinner in the parks. How is the food court area?

- What does swimming look like in late January 2023? (These kids cannot go to a hotel with a pool and not ask to swim!)


Thank you everyone!

 

[MidnightMeeko]

Buses are hit or miss anywhere at Disney. The Value resorts have a designated line/queue for the buses, so at least you'll be able to have a better idea of whether, or not you'll make it on the next bus arriving - versus Mod and Deluxe resorts, which are kind of a free for all, depending on who is in the crowd waiting.

Value food courts tend to have great selections.

Swimming...I'm always cold, so I'm not the right person to answer anything about swimming in January, lol.

 

[Grumpy4196]

Movies is a great choice for a budget stay. All rooms have recently been renovated. As previous poster stated buses will be hit/miss during your stay. Personally my family prefers Pop when staying at a value resort (Rapidly getting priced out though). It has skyliner for Epcot and Studios so that eliminates bussing to those 2 parks and their food court is very good.

 

[cheshiregoofy22]

We love POP but we very much enjoy Movies as well. Couple reasons - the shop and the food court are separate vs. POP where the food and shop are combined - allows the food court to remain open later after the shop closes. The lobby smells unbelievably good. Seriously good. Busses were fine. (We like the value resorts having actual clearly defined bus lines as opposed to the random clumping at the moderate and deluxe resorts.) As a family of five (with twin girls), we really appreciate getting two value rooms - the two bathrooms are a morning game changer! Have an awesome trip!

 

[WEDWDW]

Good point in the above Post about the Merch Shops and Food Courts being separate at the All-Stars-this allows their Food Court Beverage Islands to be accessible 24/7.
(The Mug Refill Station at POP is now open 24/7,but doesn't have Coffee/Tea/Hot Chocolate).

Also the All-Stars have the McDonalds in walking distance.

So the All-Stars do have a few advantages over POP but not enough IMO to "overecome" POP having a beautiful Lake and the game-changer that is Disney Skyliner.

However the unofficial "Skyliner Surcharge" at POP must be factored into the comparisons.

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

Swimming is hit or miss when we typically go in January (marathon week). 39 degrees one year, 82 another. We had great swimming weather the year we went in late January, but then again I've had nice swimming weather in December and froze one year on Veteran's Day week.

 

[ChanaC]

Just stayed in All-Star Music. Technically it's not the same as Movies, but really they are all about the same. I didn't use the buses so unfortunately I can't report back on that. As for the food court, we went on our arrival day at 8:30 and just casually sat outside for a while and it was definitely hopping at that time of night. The food was pretty basic, but I got some pasta with chicken and green beans and it hit the spot. There were lots of desserts too. I don't think you'll find anything groundbreaking at the All-Star food courts, but it was open late and had some hot and fresh options, and plenty of kid friendly stuff (pasta, pizza, chicken fingers, etc.) And the January weather is always weird. This "winter" was really warm. When we were there in mid-December it was pretty hot (like mid 80s) in the day and relatively chilly at night. That night we got food I noticed there were still lots of people playing around in the pool. The All-Stars are a great option if you are looking for a cheaper option on Disney property and are spending most of the time in the parks.

 

[pens4821]

We spent a couple nights to end our trip. We didn’t experience much of the resort, but it was an ok place to stay. We were in the ducks section so walked to music for the bus. We didn’t use the bus early in the am, but had no issues with them in the late morning early afternoon. Coming back from the parks went smooth too.

I believe the food court was open until 11. That’s one thing I liked more about movies than some deluxes. They have a wide variety of menu items and they are actually good too.

We’ve been in January before. As others have said, it truly varies. We’ve had it in the low 30s in the evening and the day before was in the upper 80s as a high. The pools are heated which helps. I’ve swam when it was in the 50s outside. Getting out is horrible though.

 

[DJFan88]

What I love about All Stars is that all 3 are easy to walk amongst and all 3 food courts have some different options so you really have good food selection! Example when We were in Sports, but I’d hike it down to movies for the chicken parm sandwich. And if I wanted the best cupcake selection, music was my go to. I’m a walker though so maybe this isn’t for everyone but feel free to utilize food options at all 3 all stars.
Also we found the bussing to be better here than any of our many bussing experiences and this was the first time we’d stayed value. They just seem to run more busses due to the amount of guests.

 

[eeudj]

As a family of five (with twin girls), we really appreciate getting two value rooms - the two bathrooms are a morning game changer! Have an awesome trip!
we have booked two rooms as well for the same reason .. EXTRA BATHROOM!! Lol did you make a request prior to checking in fir rooms to be close or adjoining! Or did you wait until you arrived? TIA!

 

[cheshiregoofy22]

Yay! EXTRA BATHROOM CLUB! We’ve never requested them, but we’ve always gotten adjoining rooms. Every time. (I’ve read that others haven’t been so lucky so ymmv). Had we not, I’d have definitely visited the desk with a friendly inquiry just to see if they could make it happen.

 

[Denise W]

Yay! EXTRA BATHROOM CLUB! We’ve never requested them, but we’ve always gotten adjoining rooms. Every time. (I’ve read that others haven’t been so lucky so ymmv). Had we not, I’d have definitely visited the desk with a friendly inquiry just to see if they could make it happen.

Make sure you request “connecting” rooms, not “adjoining” if you want a door in between the two rooms. Adjoining rooms will be in the same area but not necessarily next to each other.

 

[cheshiregoofy22]

Make sure you request “connecting” rooms, not “adjoining” if you want a door in between the two rooms. Adjoining rooms will be in the same area but not necessarily next to each other.

YES! Thank you for picking up on that!! (and ours were connecting with the door)

 

[Shellyred8]

Also the All-Stars have the McDonalds in walking distance.

For all of the times that I've driven past this McDonalds, I didn't make the connection that it was so close to the All Star resorts! I had to google it to see for myself! LOL!!!

 

[smallworldnh]

Is the food court fully opened now or do you still have to do mobile ordering? Thanks!

 

[WEDWDW]

Is the food court fully opened now or do you still have to do mobile ordering? Thanks!

World Premiere Food Court is back to Pre-Pandemic set up.

 

[3.14nTrader]

We have stayed at All Star Movies twice and enjoyed our time there.
The buses in the morning seemed to be good. One tip I'll share is that if you are on your way home late at night leaving a park, sometimes the lineups for the buses can be pretty significant. If you see a short lineup for All Star Sports or Music, it can be worthwhile to catch that bus instead. It means a bit of a walk, but you still get to bed sooner!