All stars music vs contemporary - second guessing myself

[dansdad]

I've literally only seen them share mid-day when it wasn't busy. And maybe when they're doing the post-close sweeps like for if you jump in Flight of Passage's line at closing, etc.

This. We have had a total of 45 nights across all 3 All Stars and have shared a bus a grand total of 3 times. All 3 were in the middle of the day with a total of 4-5 other people on the bus each time.

 

[brockash]

On a whim, I booked 4 nights at all stars music family suite for early February. My plan was to do a resort-only stay with my 3yo - ride the skyliner and monorail, eat snacks, take it easy and let him explore, etc.

But then it was such a good deal that I realized I could add in 2 days of tickets and still be in budget and now it's morphed into Family's First Disney Trip.

My husband is balking at "be at bus stop 45min before park open" and is asking why we can't stay closer to Magic Kingdom??? $$$$, dude.

But...I just priced contemporary and it is ~$900 more. Is that "worth it"? We lose the bedroom (not sure how much we were going to use it) and the full-sized fridge (annoying but can manage). I'm planning on doing afternoon break back at the hotel. Is $900 worth not schlepping back and forth 4x?

Ehhh...for us yeah we'd probably make the switch.

I meant to add, also if you have a stroller being able to just wheel it onto the transportation for 2 of the parks is a HUGE perk.

 

[cruising spud]

Compared to other hotels, Disney hotels are expensive. You are paying for location and the Disney bubble. Just my personal opinion, I would not go to Disney, stay in one of their hotels, and not go to the parks. Two reasons-hotel cost, and I know I would want to go to the parks.; like looking into a candy store window and not being able to get a piece of candy. So, I would say-go to the parks and get a hotel that fits this budget. Your son is young, meaning small, so any room at Disney would be fine.
Our family always use the buses. Even when our kids were young, the buses were just part of the fun. We always went back to the hotel for afternoon breaks and never had a bus issue.

 

[Disneylover99]

I find the AllStar buses quick and efficient.

 

[redrosesix]

I agree with @cruising spud ^^ I was looking at beach locations to do a split stay this year and I found some nice suites on the beach in Clearwater for under $200 per night, kids eat free. A 3 year old will be happy sleeping in a cardboard box and swimming in a mud puddle as long as they're having fun with their family. At that age we didn't take them to wdw, we had them wilderness camping in a canoe and we rented a cottage on a beach for a week every summer. 3 year olds do like big stuff like trains and diggers, but also little stuff like hermit crabs and baby frogs.

Going to wdw is something the parents should do if they want to go...your child probably will not remember it and you will spend a lot of time carrying them or pushing them in a stroller if you go to the parks. I would probably choose AK for little guys though because they can do most of the attractions and there are playgrounds and other areas where they can just chill. Music is fine...the family suites are in the preferred area meaning that your child can do most of the walking between the room and the food court and pools.

 

[redrosesix]

This. We have had a total of 45 nights across all 3 All Stars and have shared a bus a grand total of 3 times. All 3 were in the middle of the day with a total of 4-5 other people on the bus each time.

I think it's ridiculous how people like to use the bus issue to put the All Stars down. What they don't mention is that many of the Mods and Deluxe resorts are huge, so big that they have an internal bus system. Each of the All Stars is less than a third of the size of these resorts, yet they each get their own bus but sometimes share. Compare this to CB which has 5 stops within the resort, or OKW where you might have a 30 minute walk just to get to the bus....which has I think 8 stops. Yes you can walk from CR to MK, but that will take you 20 minutes carrying a toddler. The walk from the Poly to get their resort monorail is 20 to 30 minutes to the TTC and then you wait for the monorail up to 20 minutes. The wait for the boat is up to 35 minutes according to the most recent data.

I like all of the resorts but each in their own way. The bus systems for all of the resorts which have alternate means of transport like a boat or monorail are frustratingly slow, so slow that I wouldn't recommend them if you want to spend most of your time in all of the parks....because you can't take a monorail to everywhere.

I actually preferred it when the All Stars shared more because there was almost no wait for a bus going to and from the parks. But even so, I don't think the bus system is a big deal at all.

 

[Lumpy1106]

The bus line from Contemporary is nowhere near as organized as ASM. We found that to be a considerable drawback. We own DVC now, but we could never make the math work on staying at Contemporary. POR was our Pre-DVC go-to. Have you considered any of the Moderates?

 

[liamthompson]

The bus line from Contemporary is nowhere near as organized as ASM. We found that to be a considerable drawback. We own DVC now, but we could never make the math work on staying at Contemporary. POR was our Pre-DVC go-to. Have you considered any of the Moderates?

I considered CBR briefly for skyliner/pool complex but decided that would be more of a pick if we were doing resort-only stay. I'm still trying to convince my brother to bring his kids and I hope that we can do a big family stay there eventually!

 

[Lumpy1106]

The other Deluxe drawback - QS. Contemporary has a small QS, really more like a grab-and-go. The Mods and Values have MUCH better QS restaurants. If your plan is to eat at expensive sit-down places you are better off at a Deluxe, but if you are budget conscious you are better off elsewhere.

 

[Babsy]

Don't laugh at me but I just priced AKL and am wondering if I should skip park days again

The AKL is very close in location to the All Stars and also has buses only for transportation. It is an amazing resort with usually lower prices than any other deluxe resort. Next year I believe that you get a free water park day ticket (arrival day only) if you stay at a deluxe resort. Also, standard view or pool view is really fine at the AKL if budget is an issue. It's what we do all the time. There are lots of public viewing areas to see the animals. Yes, it is nicer to see them from your own balcony, but it isn't worth the extra cost to us. If you book a standard view, you can request a partial savannah view and might still get an opportunity to see the animals from your room. No guarantees, but you are paying for what is essentially a view of the parking lot, so...its a happy bonus if you get lucky!
It is nice to have a separate bedroom and the All Stars are super fun for small children. Taking a Minnie Van to the MK on two occasions would save most of the $900 extra that the CR would cost and would drop you right at the MK without waiting for the bus. You could opt for a bus for the return or ride a boat or monorail to an MK resort and take a less expensive Lyft back to the All Stars (or AKL).
I would much rather stay at the All Star suite and have that extra $900 to spend in other ways. especially since the little one will love the All stars just as much as the CR, if not more.
You have a Lot of good insights in the responses in this thread to help you make your decision. It is really a matter of what matters most to you. I do think that I would want tickets to go to the theme parks. There are lots of nice hotels for a lot less money if you want a resort only stay. A nice hotel on a beach is super fun with small children, for example.

What would I do? I would stay in the 'nicest' resort that I could afford along with buying the two Disney Tickets. If that is an All Star Music suite, then that is truly a very nice option! But I would definitely set up a budget at the outset and stay within that budget (during planning, especially). Little things tend to pop up along the way on vacation and you want to not be stressed about the cost. Personally, I would not spend an extra $900 for the CR, even though I love that resort and it is convenient to the MK.

Enjoy your visit, whichever way you choose to go!

 

[Babsy]

The other Deluxe drawback - QS. Contemporary has a small QS, really more like a grab-and-go. The Mods and Values have MUCH better QS restaurants. If your plan is to eat at expensive sit-down places you are better off at a Deluxe, but if you are budget conscious you are better off elsewhere.

great point!!

 

[redrosesix]

The AKL is very close in location to the All Stars and also has buses only for transportation. It is an amazing resort with usually lower prices than any other deluxe resort. Next year I believe that you get a free water park day ticket (arrival day only) if you stay at a deluxe resort. Also, standard view or pool view is really fine at the AKL if budget is an issue. It's what we do all the time. There are lots of public viewing areas to see the animals. Yes, it is nicer to see them from your own balcony, but it isn't worth the extra cost to us. If you book a standard view, you can request a partial savannah view and might still get an opportunity to see the animals from your room. No guarantees, but you are paying for what is essentially a view of the parking lot, so...its a happy bonus if you get lucky!
It is nice to have a separate bedroom and the All Stars are super fun for small children. Taking a Minnie Van to the MK on two occasions would save most of the $900 extra that the CR would cost and would drop you right at the MK without waiting for the bus. You could opt for a bus for the return or ride a boat or monorail to an MK resort and take a less expensive Lyft back to the All Stars (or AKL).
I would much rather stay at the All Star suite and have that extra $900 to spend in other ways. especially since the little one will love the All stars just as much as the CR, if not more.
You have a Lot of good insights in the responses in this thread to help you make your decision. It is really a matter of what matters most to you. I do think that I would want tickets to go to the theme parks. There are lots of nice hotels for a lot less money if you want a resort only stay. A nice hotel on a beach is super fun with small children, for example.

What would I do? I would stay in the 'nicest' resort that I could afford along with buying the two Disney Tickets. If that is an All Star Music suite, then that is truly a very nice option! But I would definitely set up a budget at the outset and stay within that budget (during planning, especially). Little things tend to pop up along the way on vacation and you want to not be stressed about the cost. Personally, I would not spend an extra $900 for the CR, even though I love that resort and it is convenient to the MK.

Enjoy your visit, whichever way you choose to go!

Good news...everyone staying in wdw gets a free water park day on their check in day.

we're planning a split stay so we'll get 2...

good advice on the Minnie Vans

 

[liamthompson]

I agree with @cruising spud ^^ I was looking at beach locations to do a split stay this year and I found some nice suites on the beach in Clearwater for under $200 per night, kids eat free. A 3 year old will be happy sleeping in a cardboard box and swimming in a mud puddle as long as they're having fun with their family. At that age we didn't take them to wdw, we had them wilderness camping in a canoe and we rented a cottage on a beach for a week every summer. 3 year olds do like big stuff like trains and diggers, but also little stuff like hermit crabs and baby frogs.

Going to wdw is something the parents should do if they want to go...your child probably will not remember it and you will spend a lot of time carrying them or pushing them in a stroller if you go to the parks. I would probably choose AK for little guys though because they can do most of the attractions and there are playgrounds and other areas where they can just chill. Music is fine...the family suites are in the preferred area meaning that your child can do most of the walking between the room and the food court and pools.

I think your reply is really hitting the crux of my indecision!

I just put together a 2 day MK itinerary, which only includes 4 rides each day, and I'm still wondering if it's too much. My kid IS the type that would happily entertain himself with a mud puddle for 30 minutes. I know if we do the parks, I need to lower my expectations. And maybe it's just not worthwhile at all to do the parks or even Disney. My original plan was to go to Amelia island for the week. I've learned that the Florida sunshine in February does wonders for my seasonal depression.

On the other hand, you're right; this trip is absolutely for me. I've wanted to go back to Disney ever since my trip years ago was cut short by food poisoning (lesson learned: avoid the toppings bar at Pecos bill!) And I want to see Galaxy's edge...so I'm wondering if I should make this trip about me and just have my toddler along for the ride. Book a stay at BC/YC/swolphin, do a day at HS and a day at Epcot, and finally scratch those items off my bucket list. As you said, my kid will have a good time, no matter what we do. And Epcot doesn't seem as hectic as magic kingdom. I am planning a morning to go see AKL because that's also been something that I've wanted to do. Then I can finally give Disney a rest - I've planned 4 trips that have had to be aborted! And when my kid is late elementary aged, we can come back for a "proper" trip.

Whew, so many feelings tied up in this

 

[Pyxie]

I'd stay with All Stars or price out Pop Century in a standard room so you get Skyliner access. Since your kid is young, that second bedroom can be nice for them to go to sleep early while they parents stay up, but the Skyliner is a great asset.

I also wouldn't consider going back to a resort only stay vs having park tickets. I think resort only stays can be fun, especially if you are a seasoned Disney visitor who has done the parks enough. But I'd highly recommend hitting up the parks for a first trip.

 

[liamthompson]

The other Deluxe drawback - QS. Contemporary has a small QS, really more like a grab-and-go. The Mods and Values have MUCH better QS restaurants. If your plan is to eat at expensive sit-down places you are better off at a Deluxe, but if you are budget conscious you are better off elsewhere.

Thanks for the heads up - perhaps I need to do a menu study. At my last trip, I wandered over to contempo cafe and was so relieved to see a green vegetable after eating theme park food for 4 days straight so I was under the impression that the food offerings were a little more expansive!

I think the all stars music fridge might be a bigger priority than I thought.

 

[Mouse Tracker]

Book a stay at BC/YC/swolphin, do a day at HS and a day at Epcot, and finally scratch those items off my bucket list. As you said, my kid will have a good time, no matter what we do. And Epcot doesn't seem as hectic as magic kingdom. I am planning a morning to go see AKL because that's also been something that I've wanted to do

 

[liamthompson]

The AKL is very close in location to the All Stars and also has buses only for transportation. It is an amazing resort with usually lower prices than any other deluxe resort. Next year I believe that you get a free water park day ticket (arrival day only) if you stay at a deluxe resort. Also, standard view or pool view is really fine at the AKL if budget is an issue. It's what we do all the time. There are lots of public viewing areas to see the animals. Yes, it is nicer to see them from your own balcony, but it isn't worth the extra cost to us. If you book a standard view, you can request a partial savannah view and might still get an opportunity to see the animals from your room. No guarantees, but you are paying for what is essentially a view of the parking lot, so...its a happy bonus if you get lucky!
It is nice to have a separate bedroom and the All Stars are super fun for small children. Taking a Minnie Van to the MK on two occasions would save most of the $900 extra that the CR would cost and would drop you right at the MK without waiting for the bus. You could opt for a bus for the return or ride a boat or monorail to an MK resort and take a less expensive Lyft back to the All Stars (or AKL).
I would much rather stay at the All Star suite and have that extra $900 to spend in other ways. especially since the little one will love the All stars just as much as the CR, if not more.
You have a Lot of good insights in the responses in this thread to help you make your decision. It is really a matter of what matters most to you. I do think that I would want tickets to go to the theme parks. There are lots of nice hotels for a lot less money if you want a resort only stay. A nice hotel on a beach is super fun with small children, for example.

What would I do? I would stay in the 'nicest' resort that I could afford along with buying the two Disney Tickets. If that is an All Star Music suite, then that is truly a very nice option! But I would definitely set up a budget at the outset and stay within that budget (during planning, especially). Little things tend to pop up along the way on vacation and you want to not be stressed about the cost. Personally, I would not spend an extra $900 for the CR, even though I love that resort and it is convenient to the MK.

Enjoy your visit, whichever way you choose to go!

Thank you for this - I played with the dates on the Disney site this morning and realized I can add an extra night at all stars + another ticket for under $900 so that really puts the value of keeping my current booking in perspective.

 

[liamthompson]

I admit - I don't know if this emoticon means "this is a terrible idea, I'm begging you not to do it" or "this is a wonderful idea, you should totally do it" hahaha. Please kindly clarify

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I would add on park days with the $900 before I upgraded to the contemporary. Your kid will probably be more into the pool than anything else.

I’m also with a PP that I can’t see paying Disney prices for a resort only stay. You can get way more bang for your buck elsewhere.

People also really get into the hype of spending 1-2k extra for the convenience of walking back to your room 1-2 days. You can save tons of money and get an Uber or Minnie van instead of booking the walkable resort.

My fave resort is BC and I love the ability to walk to two parks but that’s not why we stay there. I stay there because I truly love the resort and the amenities, pool, look and feel of the resort. We have an 8 night trip in May and wanted to stay there during flower and garden festival since we have a lot of time at Epcot and DHS but won’t do it with the pool closed even if I can save tons of time by walking to Epcot and DHS.

We don’t mind busses though. I live in an area where we use buses and trains so waiting for a bus or boat doesn’t bother me. (After 20 minutes I get antsy)p The bus rides also don’t bother me. To me it’s part of the vacation.

 

[redrosesix]

I think your reply is really hitting the crux of my indecision!

I just put together a 2 day MK itinerary, which only includes 4 rides each day, and I'm still wondering if it's too much. My kid IS the type that would happily entertain himself with a mud puddle for 30 minutes. I know if we do the parks, I need to lower my expectations. And maybe it's just not worthwhile at all to do the parks or even Disney. My original plan was to go to Amelia island for the week. I've learned that the Florida sunshine in February does wonders for my seasonal depression.

On the other hand, you're right; this trip is absolutely for me. I've wanted to go back to Disney ever since my trip years ago was cut short by food poisoning (lesson learned: avoid the toppings bar at Pecos bill!) And I want to see Galaxy's edge...so I'm wondering if I should make this trip about me and just have my toddler along for the ride. Book a stay at BC/YC/swolphin, do a day at HS and a day at Epcot, and finally scratch those items off my bucket list. As you said, my kid will have a good time, no matter what we do. And Epcot doesn't seem as hectic as magic kingdom. I am planning a morning to go see AKL because that's also been something that I've wanted to do. Then I can finally give Disney a rest - I've planned 4 trips that have had to be aborted! And when my kid is late elementary aged, we can come back for a "proper" trip.

Whew, so many feelings tied up in this

Definitely you need to enjoy your trip because taking any toddler on a trip is a feat, especially if they get off their schedules. So if you really would like to do the rides in Galaxy's Edge I would either postpone it or have another adult with you because your tiny human is probably too tiny to ride.

Getting sunshine in February is extremely important for kids too, since they're covered so much that very little of their skin is even exposed to the sun. So you're doing your kid a favour too.