All Stars Movies Cheap?

[sm4987]

I am planning a second WDW trip next year around Thanksgiving. Since I am going this summer for a long stay (15 nights), I was wondering if the ASMo seems cheap or any less nice. I think my children would love it, but after staying in the mod's, and being used to really nice resorts on other vacations other than Disney, I just want a better take on it. I am not picky at all, but want the most bang. Yes I know it's still Disney, but I don't want to miss anything. We do spend some time at the resorts as the kids love relaxing at the resorts. Any comments you may have will be greatly appreciated.

 

[texmom]

You didn't say the ages of your kids but mine are 5, 6 and 10 and they LOVE the AS Movies! It is one of their favorite places to stay.

now, here is an adult view...I personally love the theming also, it's a very cute resort and the movie stuff is cool. The food court has a fairly wide selection of food and the Fantasia pool is really nice with Sorcerer Mickey! I would not hesitate to stay there if there were only two or three of us and we weren't going for too long.

But...
1. the rooms are dinky...depending on how many of you there are and how much stuff you are taking, you may feel cramped. My DH hates the AllStars for this very reason.

2. My main dislike is the lack of soundproofing...we stayed at ASSports in June and could hear every toilet in the building flush (at least it seemed like that when we were trying to sleep) and could often hear our neighbors who were up later than us every night! The noise didn't bother my kids too much but it did keep me awake some. We were on the 2nd floor so I guess we got toilets from both above and below, asking to be on the top floor might help cut down on that some.

3. One other minor drawback is that Movies is the last bus stop, which means that when you get on in the morning the bus is already full and when you get on in the evening to go back to the resort, you are the last ones to get off.

However, if it was a choice of staying at Movies or no trip to Disney, I would choose the Movies in a heartbeat!

I hope this helps, I really do love the theming at this resort but thought you needed to hear some cons also so you could make an informed decision.

 

[bobcat]

The All Star rooms will be smaller than your moderate resorts. In three trips to the All Stars I have never had a problem with noise. Also we only had to share a bus with the other all stars a handful of times. If your bus does go to the other resorts it doesn't take a lot of extra time.

You won't have some of the amenities that you get at moderates, such as a hot tub or a sit down restaurant, but the theme is pure Disney. The food court is very good and my kids love the pizza. We really enjoy our stays at the All Stars.

 

[dansyr]

My bf and I have stayed at AS's every time. We especially love movies. We definitely take advantage of the pools and enjoy walking around the resort. I don't consider the rooms extremely small, but it is only the 2 of us. We (just by coincidence) have always had a room on the top floor and never had a problem with noise. The food court is very good and convenient especially in the mornings when you don't wanna take the time to sit and be served. Actually the dinners at the food court are pretty good also...which surprised me..being a food court and all.
We may try a moderate next trip, if we get a good deal. If not, we will be extremely happy going back to AS movies.
But this time staying at a value resort made trying a deluxe package affordable.

 

[BKSA]

We stayed last November for our first time at DW. The rooms and grounds were clean and nice. I found the rooms to be small and not too fancy. I expected a lot of movie/music stuff all around and found there was not too much. We hated the fact that the bus ride was sooooooo long. With a 6 year old and a 3 year old and an impatient hubby it was a drag. We really loved our DW experience and we are trying the Contemporary this time because of the monorail service. Hope this helps. everyone is different.

 

[disboo]

I satyed at All Star Sports, and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I love the lushness of the landscaping at many of the moderates, but the *** are fun, have a very nice food court, and the bus service is frequest and easy to get around with. The rooms are smaller than the mod, so if you will feel cramped, a mod would be better.

How about splitting your stay? Half at As and half at a mod?

Have fun - either way YOU'LL BE AT WDW!!!

 

[Firedog]

We stayed at the ASSP this past October, after spending a few days at Universal's new Royal Pacific. I was dreading staying at the All-Stars after seeing how nice the Royal Pacific was. It ended up that I was perfectly happy with the ASSP, as were my wife, 2,6,& 8 Y.O.'s.

The Royal Pacific was the equivalent to a Disney Deluxe (and my wife loved it), but you'll be fine at any of the All-Stars.

 

[puffkin]

The All-Stars are fine!

Nothing fancy, but much nicer than a normal Holiday Inn or Days Inn. Also, the theming is very good. We didn't notice much difference between room size between a mod and value. The food court is very good, the bus service was fast, and we didn't have any problems with noise. I would only upgrade to a mod if you can afford it and you would really miss the restaurant and hot tub. If not, I wouldn't hesitate at all to stay at the all-stars!

 

[sm4987]

Thanks for all the tips. I hope they keep coming.

Texmom-by then my children will be 4 and 7. I want it to be a surprise for them. I don't want them to know, so I'm just doing some pre-research. I always tell them that we can't go during the school year because of lack of time! Won't they be surprised.

Firedog-We can afford the mod's and maybe splitting our stay. We are going this summer to CSR and have stayed at CBR. I don't really do the sit down restaurants. At least I haven't so far.

I am really looking forward to seeing all the christmas things. Actually on this trip, and the one in November, I will be nailing down my trip for 2004. We are going for our 10 year anniversay and really want that to be extra special. So, I'm just saving money now, so that then we can have one of those dream vacations! Next I'll be posting where to stay for an extra specail anniversary!

 

[Mishetta]

Hi S.M.,

I give the ASMovies a thumbs up! The first time we went to WDW we stayed at the former Port Orleans for a very hefty price since it was peak season. The following Christmas (peak again) we went back to WDW & stayed at ASMovies & we liked that better!

Now those are the only 2 places we have stayed at so far, so I can only compare ASMovies to the Port Orleans. The ASMovies was fresher looking in comparison to the dreary dumpy look of our room in building 5 at PO. Our son was 4 y/o the first time we went & his mouth dropped open when he saw the huge Buzz & Woody Icons. That alone was worth the stay at the ASM! Personally, I didn't find the room to be any smaller at ASM than the rooms at PO but who knows....if there is a diff, it must be minimal! We found the food at the food court to be delicious but at the time they didn't have too many healthy dishes to choose from (maybe things are different now). The CM's were much friendlier at ASM than the other resort too! Mousekeeping did all that wonderful towel stuff that they do.

The only complaint I had with ASM was that they didn't have too many washer/dryers. Of course, I still remember one lady hogged up 3 washers & then she went swimming or to the parks or something because she left her clothes in the washer while everyone was waiting to use a washer that day! I was just mustering up my nerve to "unload" her washed clothes when she finally came walking in. I thought the people waiting were all going to jump her!! (They should have ~ that was very rude of her!)

Just keep in mind that it's still Disney. Just don't expect more than a very simple room & you'll be pleased. Personally, I would stay at ASMovies anyday over a moderate. Give it a try.

Have fun!

Mishetta

 

[AMClvsMKY]

We have stayed at Dixie Landings and 2 of the 3 all stars. The all stars are great in our opinion. We didn't notice a difference in the size of the rooms and never had a problem with any noise. The boys loved the giant icons and the pool was great also. We would stay at the all stars again without any hesitation.

 

[friskykitten]

The main differences that I noticed between the AS Movies (Toy Story section) and the CBR was that the sink area was quite a bit smaller (remember that CBR has the biggest rooms of all the moderates) with only one sink instead of two. And there was VERY little in the respects of toiletries that they set out. Instead of Mickey shampoo bottles they have a dispenser in the shower for soap and shampoo. No biggie, but it is a difference. We LOVED the "popcorn light" at the Movies!!!! And there are a LOT of palm trees.....my favorite! The food court is different too. It is more of a help yourself type of style (for donuts, bagels, etc.) whereas the CBR is more of a order and then you will get it. AS has some of those too. I guess AS reminded me more of a colleges food bar. Finding a place to sit can be hard depending on time of day, etc. at either place. I never noticed noise at either resort but we stayed in November which is a low-season for Disney.

Some other differences.

TV is 13" or so where CBR is 19" or so.
Drawer space is VERY limited....more at CBR.


As someone else mentioned earlier.....as long as you don't go into the AS's expecting a moderate you will be pleasantly surprised. The theming and atmosphere is marvolous and you really aren't in your room often anyway!!

 

[AllStarFan]

When you are at WDW next summer, go check out the resort. You can take the bus there and walk around to see how you like it. You can also see your kids' impressions of the scenery and decorations. Also, if I were going to do that, I would go to the Guest Services desk and ask to see a room. You can show them that you are staying at a Disney resort, and that you are thinking of staying there on the next trip. Doesn't hurt to ask.

One other thing to check out is the pictures at www.wdwig.com. There are pictures of all of the resorts - rooms, pools, food courts, buildings, etc. That may help in making a decision.

As for me and my family, we have stayed at ASSp four times and love it. No problems with noise or space. Granted the rooms are not huge, but they serve their purpose and are reasonably priced. We will probably try ASMo next time, if there are discounts for it by then.