lonegungirl
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 4, 2003
- Messages
- 448
Just some observations on the accomodations from this last trip...
When I was making reservations, I had originally wanted to stay at a moderate, however there was absolutely no availablity for anything with the AP discount at my original dates. I switched dates to another week, and found available discounts at the values, but not moderates. I tried checking with both the travel agencies from this board and from mousesavers, but neither was able to find me a moderate with the discount (although there was timely response and a good effort to find alternatives from both agencies) or a deluxe with the discount less than $200/night. After about a week of calling, I finally ended up with All Star Music with the AP discount--I had asked for Pop Century but that was unavailable as well.
I was a little worried about the All-Stars, as it seems as thought there have been a lot of reports that they are filled with loud, rambuncious teens, cheerleading conventions, etc., but after crunching the numbers, the price difference between them and the next cheaper alternative was about $50/night, which seemed like it could pay for dinner, so I just resolved to take earplugs and hope for the best. Previously, I had only stayed in deluxes, which were very nice, although about $100 more per night.
On arrival, I waited a much shorter time than I had at the Contemporary to check in. They were unable to give me a refrigerator, as all of them had been checked out, but it wasn't a huge deal. The room was small, but I was only 1 person, so certainly big enough, with 2 double beds, and very clean--more so than at the Contemporary. I was put in the Rock building, on the bottom floor, facing the courtyard, which was very well situated for me--it was around the corner from the ice machine, so convenient, but no noise; and a building length away from the parking lot where there were plenty of spaces. This was important on check out, when I had to take the luggage to the car to get it over to the lobby. At the deluxes I've been to, the parking was so far away, there really was no choice but to ask for help, if by yourself.
As far as noisy teens were concerned, I probably saw no more than a handful of people around the whole time I was there. I was beginning to think I was in the building by myself until I saw a few people marching by on their way to the pool. The theming was actually more cohesive, I thought, than either the Contemporary or the Swan (perhaps because the other two don't really have a theme). A little garish, perhaps, but in a good-hearted, non-intrusive way. Most importantly, the housekeeper, Henry, left me a towel animal (a duck) the first day.
The checkout and magical express check in process was seamless.
In sum: I found the All-Star Music to be a very good housing choice. It had all the advantages of staying on Disney property, it was relatively inexpensive, clean, and efficient. I had no problems with noise, although that may be more due to the timing of my visit. There was no view to speak of, but I was rarely in the room except to sleep this trip, so I didn't really miss it. The only disadvantage was that geographically it was farther away from MK, EPCOT, and MGM so it took some driving around and getting lost before I could reliably figure out how to go back and forth, but it wasn't so difficult. I would definitely stay there again, but would try to check on any upcoming cheerleading conventions before scheduling a visit...
[for information on bus transportation, I have included some in my transportation trip review on the Transportation Board.]
Hope this helps! May your trips be happy!
When I was making reservations, I had originally wanted to stay at a moderate, however there was absolutely no availablity for anything with the AP discount at my original dates. I switched dates to another week, and found available discounts at the values, but not moderates. I tried checking with both the travel agencies from this board and from mousesavers, but neither was able to find me a moderate with the discount (although there was timely response and a good effort to find alternatives from both agencies) or a deluxe with the discount less than $200/night. After about a week of calling, I finally ended up with All Star Music with the AP discount--I had asked for Pop Century but that was unavailable as well.
I was a little worried about the All-Stars, as it seems as thought there have been a lot of reports that they are filled with loud, rambuncious teens, cheerleading conventions, etc., but after crunching the numbers, the price difference between them and the next cheaper alternative was about $50/night, which seemed like it could pay for dinner, so I just resolved to take earplugs and hope for the best. Previously, I had only stayed in deluxes, which were very nice, although about $100 more per night.
On arrival, I waited a much shorter time than I had at the Contemporary to check in. They were unable to give me a refrigerator, as all of them had been checked out, but it wasn't a huge deal. The room was small, but I was only 1 person, so certainly big enough, with 2 double beds, and very clean--more so than at the Contemporary. I was put in the Rock building, on the bottom floor, facing the courtyard, which was very well situated for me--it was around the corner from the ice machine, so convenient, but no noise; and a building length away from the parking lot where there were plenty of spaces. This was important on check out, when I had to take the luggage to the car to get it over to the lobby. At the deluxes I've been to, the parking was so far away, there really was no choice but to ask for help, if by yourself.
As far as noisy teens were concerned, I probably saw no more than a handful of people around the whole time I was there. I was beginning to think I was in the building by myself until I saw a few people marching by on their way to the pool. The theming was actually more cohesive, I thought, than either the Contemporary or the Swan (perhaps because the other two don't really have a theme). A little garish, perhaps, but in a good-hearted, non-intrusive way. Most importantly, the housekeeper, Henry, left me a towel animal (a duck) the first day.
The checkout and magical express check in process was seamless.In sum: I found the All-Star Music to be a very good housing choice. It had all the advantages of staying on Disney property, it was relatively inexpensive, clean, and efficient. I had no problems with noise, although that may be more due to the timing of my visit. There was no view to speak of, but I was rarely in the room except to sleep this trip, so I didn't really miss it. The only disadvantage was that geographically it was farther away from MK, EPCOT, and MGM so it took some driving around and getting lost before I could reliably figure out how to go back and forth, but it wasn't so difficult. I would definitely stay there again, but would try to check on any upcoming cheerleading conventions before scheduling a visit...
[for information on bus transportation, I have included some in my transportation trip review on the Transportation Board.]
Hope this helps! May your trips be happy!
