All Star Sports - details please...

[It's A Happy Day]

This is our first onsite experience and our childrens first ever disney experience and we are anxiously awaiting the next 21 days to fly by. As we have never stayed onsite and are booked here for 10 nights can anyone who has been here before give us some pointers - the good, the bad, and the ugly... things to avoid, best tips for this particular hotel, transportation issues, any information is welcome... Thanks for the hints/help!!!

 

[eatntae]

Well, my girlfriend and I stayed there for four nights. Because of this, we tried to maximize our park time, so we were really only in the room/at the resort to sleep. This worked out very well for us. No need for all the bells and whistles of the more expensive resorts. Transportation was great, except for one afternoon going to MK, where we waited almost 30 min for a bus. We saw a lot of people using the pool from late morning til late night, but we never got in. We didn't even eat at the food court there. The only thing we did at the resort besides sleep is spend a few minutes in the gift shop a handful of times, mainly after getting back from a park.

If you're using the resort mainly to sleep/rest like we did, I think it'll work out great for you. But if you're planning on hanging out there, getting in the pool, eating, etc., then I'm sorry to say I have no input. Well, I guess I do have one tip, which I'm assuming works at every resort: wake up early and the place will be fairly empty.

 

[minnie61650]

I have not stayed at All Star sports but I have stayed at the other
All Stars. Rember the All Stars are right next to each other. The All Stars are allowed to share the pools with the other All Stars so if you want to you walk to Music right next door and go swimming in the Clypso pool which features Donald or even head over to Movies and swim in the Mickey pool. Also check the # story Buzz and Woody they have at Movies.

All Stars is my favorite resort.

I am 55 years old and travel several times a year. I often stay at 4 star hotels.
So the deluxe resorts do not have anything special for me.
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 Clypso 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.
They are the preferred buildings and cost about $12 extra per night.
The Calypso pool at ASMU has Donald Duck.

Here is the map of All Movies.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/allstarmovie.JPG
The Fantasia Buildings are the preferred buildings.
The All Star Movie Fantasia pool has Mickey.
It is a great place to stay .
Preschoolers love it.
It is like being in the middle of a Disney Movie Fantasyland.
The buses are wonderful.

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

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

It is usually just our stop and maybe one more on the way to the parks. On the way back sometimes its all 3 but often Sports and Music share and Movies has it's own bus back.

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!)
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 theaming is pure Disney.
My last 4 visits have been at The All Stars and this fall when we take dd,dsil, and our grandson age 3 we are staying 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 a great time at Disney!
Linda

 

[webray]

We love AS sports and have stayed dozens of times.

The pools and play area for kids is great. Lots of grassy areas for them to run in. Rooms are fine. I would recommend bringing a bar of soap and your own shampoo, (those are the only items we don't care for at all stars).

The food court has very good food for a food court. Even better than at the moderates. Pool bar (well only bar there) stays open until midnight. Bartenders are excellent.

No matter what building they put you in, you are no more than a few minute walk from everything. Sometimes we stay preferred there, sometimes not, depends whats available and what the rate is. The resort is so well laid out you really don't need to stay preferred. Laundry rooms great, everything has always been in working order.

Rooms are fine, two beds, table chairs and a dresser. Very basic.

 

[cobbler]

All Stars is great fun if you have boys. Girls to but especially boys.

Mine loved the Grid Iron football courtyard and seeing the different sports things around.

 

[Bob P]

If you haven't seen this, take a look:

http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/faq_as.htm

 

[dyna]

I agree the food court is better at AS than at the moderates cheaper too.

Building 7 and 10 the touch down buildings are close to the food court and bus stops and there is a play area between them for kids to run and play a bit noisy facing those buildings esp if cheerleaders are there when you are they practice in that area.

Oh and the pools are close too. Depending on which end of the building you are on the baseball pool might be closer it's the quiet pool.

Love the surf's up pool myself even tho it's the more crowded of the 2 didn't matter usually didn't visit during peak time at the world.

Even tho the rooms at All Stars the same size as at Pop Century the beds are arranged different at AS 1st bed further from the door and the 2nd bed closer to the wall and makes the room seem much bigger than at Pop.

Avoid the food court on your way out to the parks and at park closing it's a mad house at those times. Take breakfast for the room and eat in room. Some can eat while others are dressing and showering saves lot of time in the AM.

The laundry is located by the pools it's nice to throw a load of laundry in while you enjoy the pool. Take laundry soap and softner from home much cheaper.

Oh and the gift shop has a store in it with basic food items milk is much cheaper there than in the food court.