All Star Movies OR Port Orleans ??! help!

[pintradingwedding]

We usually stay at port orleans (it feels like a luxury resort for a moderate price. We love the cafeteria there. Love the pool. Love pouring in through the giftshop late at night. Alligator Bayou feels like home)

BUT all star movies is $400 cheaper!!! ($800 for two rooms)

AND now we have a 2-year-old travelling with us.

it seems like VISUALLY all star movies would be more fun for a little kid ???

(even though mom and dad will really be missing the lovely grounds of port orleans.)

I'm so torn! Anyone with an opinion please weigh in. Did you and your kids stay at all star movies? did they love it?

does all star FEEL like an economy hotel?

or is it worth it to pay more to stay at port orleans?

thanks so much!!!!

 

[NeverlandPixie]

I have stayed with my DS at both ASMo and POR. He LOVES POR! I don't really think it matters where you stay, it's Disney!

But, that being said, and IMHO, he is only 2, so stay where Mommy and Daddy want to -- he'll just love being in the parks! I found that when my DS was that age, he was so overwhelmed by the parks that the values almost seemed to put him into sensory overload, whereas POR seemed to calm him down more and get him bed sooner ... lol. I would put him in his stroller and he'd fall asleep on those gorgeous pathways.

I waited until my DS was older and now he gets to help choose where we stay, so take advantage of his toddler years! Then again, if price is your deciding factor, ASMo is probably better.

All the best, and you'll have a great time no matter where you stay!

 

[pintradingwedding]

PS. your DS is adorable!!!

 

[Doc CW]

I would stay at POR is a more calm and relaxed place so maybe your son will be more relaxed and have more fun and energy at the parks. Thats the way we are with it.

 

[huckster]

we have always stayed at a mod or deluxes , we stayed at a value in feb this year never again noisy, food court crazy stay at port orleans ,,

 

[tinawv]

I would keep my ressies at PO. Your son will love the boat ride to DTD. Have a wonderful time.

 

[dzneelvr]

We've always stayed at the Values and absolutely love everything about them That said, for a more peaceful section, I'd suggest getting a room in the Mighty Ducks section, rather than the noisier and more crowded Toy Story and Fantasia sections of ASMo. The MD section has the second pool, laundry, and locker facilities. And your walk to the food court will take you through the Dalmations section--always a favorite with small children. You are welcome to walk around the other sections and take as many pix as you want. I can't see how your son will be any more "stressed" at a Values than any other resort--the craziness of the parks from a 2 y/o perspective must be a chart-buster I was thinking what I'd do in your situation; we love the ASMo but for $4-800, I'd try it out and give it a fair shot. You can always go back to POR next time.

 

[UmustBGrumpy]

I was was in a similar predicament. I'm going in December with DD, DH and DGS. I booked the Movies for DGS. But DH and I really love POR and was not feeling the excitement because we weren't going back to our favorite place. I eventually changed to POR and am SOOOO glad we did this. DGS wasn't very thrilled about it but he got over it. Choose based on what you can afford. Two year olds won't remember where they sleep.

 

[Cool-Beans]

If you can think of something better to spend the $400 - $800 on (like a couch or college - it is coming faster than you think!!!) then go to the All Stars.

A two year old won't really give a hoot where they stay, so long as mommy and daddy are there and they get to ride on IASW.

If you asked me which place I'd rather stay, it would be POR. But when my kids were little, we never once took them to Disney. If I'd have been able not only to take them but to stay on the Disney property (even an All-Star), I'd have thought I died and went to heaven. So, I'm kind of seeing both sides.

I think I'm voting: Do the cheapo stuff while the kids are little. Very soon you'll have Power Ranger toys, bicycles, video games, sports equipment, and college to pay for.

Have a great trip!

 

[Zooey72]

I never stayed at any of the all stars, but POFQ is great. My aunt goes to Disney constantly and she stayed at one of the values and she was shocked at how bad it was. Her exact words I think were "I can not believe Disney would make a resort that bad".

We will be staying at POFQ this sept but I personaly would have prob. picked a value because of the price difference. POFQ was great, but honestly we didn't spend hardly any time there. In my opinion it does not justify the cost increase. Deluxe - pfft, forget about it.

Like I said, I have not stayed at a value but I would recommend it. Take the extra $ and do some stuff you may not have done if you stayed at a mod. Myabe some speed boats, parasailing, spa treatment, Victoria and Alberts, souveniers. Whatever floats your boat.

 

[Zooey72]

I never stayed at any of the all stars, but POFQ is great. My aunt goes to Disney constantly and she stayed at one of the values and she was shocked at how bad it was. Her exact words I think were "I can not believe Disney would make a resort that bad".

We will be staying at POFQ this sept but I personaly would have prob. picked a value because of the price difference. POFQ was great, but honestly we didn't spend hardly any time there. In my opinion it does not justify the cost increase. Deluxe - pfft, forget about it.

Like I said, I have not stayed at a value but I would recommend it. Take the extra $ and do some stuff you may not have done if you stayed at a mod. Myabe some speed boats, parasailing, spa treatment, Victoria and Alberts, souveniers. Whatever floats your boat.

 

[pintradingwedding]

your opinions and insight are very helpful !!!

 

[Speedemon21]

we have always stayed at a mod or deluxes , we stayed at a value in feb this year never again noisy, food court crazy stay at port orleans ,,

I totally agree! We stayed at Pop in September and I know that a lot of people love it, but we were turned off by the above mentioned also. Even our kids did not like all the noise and rowdiness of the food courts. We just wanted to eat a meal not watch a circus. We will not stay at a value again either. Not being a snob, just our opinion.

That being said we LOVE Riverside also. My husband and I stayed in AB in 2004 and it was such a great experience. We were there in July and it never felt crowded, and never any problems in the food court. It was so nice. With your child being so young I do not think the themeing of a resort will even matter. We think that the resort choice is an important part of the vacation. I would go were you and hubby will be able to relax and have a good time. There will be many years to come where your children can help pick a resort. Just my 2 cents.

Have a great time!

 

[jmpellet]

We stayed at POFQ last October (with kids) then ASMu in January (no kids -- marathon) and I can easily say I will never stay there with kids. It's just too far to get to everything.

 

[SqueakyMouse]

We just (this morning!) returned from 10 days at WDW -- 9 at POR and 1 at Sports. I cannot believe I'm saying this but I enjoyed our 1 night at Sports (which I have NOT liked in the past) more than our 9 at POR. We had a very recently refurbished room at Sports and a great location by the Grand Slam Pool. Our walk to the main building was fairly short. All of this for $104 including tax using the AAA rate.

We have not stayed at POR in some time and were very much looking forward to our stay. Right off, I have to admit that the resort didn't do much for me. I am absolutely certain that some of my perception was colored by the heat and humidity. Even though our room (in building 15) was fairly close to a quiet pool, Ol' Man Island, the main building, and the bus stop, it was still a hike in the heat. Everyone we passed looked equally as miserable in the heat. I really felt for those guests staying in the more outlying buildings! Additionally, we found POR to be ill-kept. The food court was dirty ALL the time (Sports was absolutely spotless), housekeeping did the minimal (not changing linens after 3 days as policy states even though my ds' pillowcase was obviously dirty with red juice!!), and the plantings appeared weedy and littered (an empty water bottle remained floating all week in the small pond we passed on the way to our quiet pool). To make matters worse, our ressie was screwed-up 2 times -- upon arrival and when we added-on a day. We had a confirmed AP rate which we had paid already. The front desk computer had us at a regular summer rate -- about a $50/day ($450/stay) difference. Even though our initial deposit was for the AP amount and the balance equaled perfectly, I had to dig through our very hot car (temps in the mid to upper 90's with the heat index at 108 that day!!!) to find my confirmation. Even after that, the CM "helping" us couldn't get it fixed. After a nearly 45 minute check-in, the CM got permission to log our ressie onto his computer as a "7-day package" whatever the heck that would be. At that point, I didn't care. I was hot, tired, and irritated. I just wanted my room! Of course, we got NONE of our requests -- 1st floor and non-parking lot view were all we wanted -- and there were LOTS of empty rooms during the beginning of our stay.

Sorry for the rant. Honestly, I didn't hate POR. I just wasn't all that impressed with it. I'd take CSR or POFQ over it in a heartbeat. However, I know we'll be staying there again. As I stated previously, the kids loved it. Plus, we can stay 5 in a room when we're feeling cheap!