Are the All Star Resorts THAT bad?

[peachgirl]

I think a LOT of people who stay outside of WDW, particularly in parts of Kissimmee and on I-Drive might argue that statement. In fact is seems that there is an overabundance of Days Inns in the greater Orlando area.

I didn't say that no one STAYS at those motels, I said they don't GO there for their vacations. Of course people stay offsite at all types of places, but I doubt they consider a standard motel their vacation destination. One could easily go to any WDW resort, never leave that resort, and yet still have a perfectly wonderful vacation. I don't think that can be said of the local Motel 6.

To describe any WDW resort as being even close to a regular motel just isn't accurate. That's like saying non-fat milk is just cream without the fat. The only thing the All Stars have in common with a standard motel is that neither have interior corridors. That can be said of many of the WDW resorts.



Personally, I don't see anything wrong with any of the hotels, motels or resorts that have been mentioned. To each their own and what their own personal preferences are. We've stayed at some of the most expensive WDW resorts and we've stayed at Days Inn type motels. It all depends on what you want and what you can and are willing to pay.

 

[crazelion]

I loved the All Star Resorts. They is a great value for the money. Where else can see huge icons at. I loved having a huge pool. The food court is a dream for me and mom because we both picky eats and eat like children do.

I could not afford a mod or deluxe unless its under a 100.00 dollars a night.

Would belive I going to WDW next year is thinking about staying offsite because we have a total 20 or more going. I will try to talk them staying onsite. But it will be a family decision. All we won't is a clean room and pool.

 

[dsnylndmom]

We stayed at the All Star Movies this past August. I seem to be the minority but we REALLY didn't care for it. Let me start out by saying I was anticipating the rooms being small, that didn't bother me. And we are DL veterans and when we go we usually stay at the smaller motels right across the street on Harbor blvd. unless it's a special occassion. My point being we don't have a problem with small but CLEAN motels at all. Now on to my reasons for not enjoying our stay...........
We were on the ground floor of the Toy Story section and every morning and evening had to fight off the roaches to get into our room There was gum or some other sticky substance stuck all over the Toy story poster in our room, there were peeling paint, garbages over filled by the staircase, the pool area was filthy and the pool water had us itching sooooooo bad!

We did like the housekeeping, the food court and the theming was adorable! We had one reallllyyyyy good cm that got our E-Ride tix. Other than that the cm's were okay.

We switched to the Caribbean Beach on Monday(we spent saturday day and sunday there)because we were that unhappy with it and what a wonderful difference especially for only $50 more a night!!!! The rooms seem so much more spacious, the staff was wonderful and the grounds were beautiful. We were VERY happy with the CBR.

Our boys were 4 and 8.5 when we went and they couldn't wait to stay at the Buzz & Woody hotel. We all couldn't wait! But by Monday even my older son was happy we switched! He loved loved loved the Caribbean Beach, playing in the sand, the big pool, walking around the lake, seeing the fireworks from Epcot, the food court etc etc. Even my 4 year old was okay with leaving the Buzz Hotel after playing at CBR. They also had a BLAST!!!! searching for lizards and frogs and such(they still talk about that part! LOL) We would defitnely stay here again.

I'm sorry to be negative but I thought it might be helpful for you. Please let us know what you decide and have a WONDERFUL time!

 

[wallytosa]

We stayed at ASM last time we went and loved it. The atmosphere is very Disney as many have mentioned. I like the hustle and bustle feel and the large characters. If you want a true Disney experience, then the All-Stars is the right place. The pools are great, as is the snack bar. If you want a fancier hotel, that is quieter and feels alot like any other upper scale hotels anywhere, then go for one of the moderate ones. I personally like the "feel" of the All-Stars. It's what Disney is all about.

 

[TimeWarp]

We had a great time at the All Stars with my two boys who were then 7 & 8. The theming was so fun and I have many pictures of them that were taken at the resort...very cute. The food court was fine. The desk service was friendly. The price was appropriate. I'm sure the kids will love it.

 

[Aisling]

I'm always amazed at the "when it rains, it pours" coincidences of some unlucky people, that the time some people have peeling paint in their room, they also have roaches, mousekeeping never came, the toilet overflowed, they were charged double on their room bill, the CMs were rude, and a BTG keep them awake all night. I hope I'm not jinxing myself, since I've only had one problem at a time at WDW!

 

[KdawnLily's Mom]

dsnylndmom, did you tell the management of the resort about all your problems? I'm sure that if they knew the paint was peeling and there was 'sticky stuff' on the posters in your room they would have taken care of it somehow. The 'roaches' you had to fight off are at every WDW resort. They are those pesky lovebugs or palmetto bugs or water bugs or (insert your favourite name here). These are extremely common in Florida and no matter where you stay at WDW if it's the right season you can bet you will see lovebugs.. Value, Moderate or Deluxe resort.
Even in the parks and at Home Away from Home resorts too.

 

[dsnylndmom]

Believe me I wish we wouldn't have been caught in the "when it rains it pours" cycle. It was our first family trip to WDW!

 

[ducklite]

I'm one of those "when it rains, it pours" types. Every now and then the sky seems to open up over my head

There's always going to be something that goes wrong on a trip or with a room, and when it's one small thing, you shrug it off and chock it up to "that's life". But when it's one thing on top of another, you start to see even more things that are wrong, you become more sentitive to things that perhaps wouldn't otherwise bother you.

I've had numerous great trips to WDW. I've also had a few that fell into "Vacation Disaster" status. Regretfully some (but not all) of the latter were directly caused by problems created by WDW. On the flip side, some of my most magical memories were also created by WDW, in many cases by incredible CM's.

I think a lot of it has to do with how management handles the situation. I've had a couple of incidents that I've reported, and management took care of the situation in an effective manner to my satisfaction, or at least tried as hard as they could to make it right. I know that sometimes somethings just can't be made totally right when they go wrong, but knowing that the management cares enough to try their best will leave you a satisfied cusomer anyhow.

I've also had things that I've reported, and just felt like I was getting the runaround about. I had a problem at a resort where my tickets for a hard ticket event weren't coded properly onto my room key (it was a package deal) and when we arrived for the event, we couldn't get in. When I complained to the manager of the resort about it (this was only part of a long vacation disaster story) she basically blew me off and tried to hand me a few one day park hopper comps to give me the bums rush. These did me no good as we had AP's. I don't think she really cared about fixing the overall situation, and that bothered me in the long run even more than the situation itself--which is why that particular resort won't get my business in the future!

Anne

 

[llebrekniT]

We have stayed at the movies and the sports. Never had even one problem! And, btw, I'm a picky person!

 

[StrwLady]

Originally posted by ducklite
The OP asked for an honest opinion, which I gave in a manner to manage his expectations. My second post was in response to another poster who posted inaccurate info.
Anne

I did not post inaccurate info. I simply stated my opinion (as you did yours). I would not compare the All Stars to a motel!!! I did state the it lacks some of the extras of the other hotels but *** in my opinion*** I would not compare them to the Hotels you did. I would say all around the All Stars far surpass those hotels. And that is ***my opinion***.

 

[ducklite]

Hellloooo--

The All Stars have exterior corridors, therefore they are a motel.

Hotels have interior corridors, Motels have exterior corridors.

Anne

 

[twinmomplus2]

Ok, now I will jump in on this one. My first trip with my daughter when she ws little was to CB. I loved it. We had a great time. however I did not like walking alone from the bus to the rooms with her at night. From there we Went to the Poly loved it but I was with others and I still had to take her outside to get to Captain cookes etc.... Loved it. Disliked it for only... the having to go to the Great Ceremonial house outside on the walkways. Next All Stars a very large group 45 people. had a great time, loved the food court, Kids loved the football and giant coke. in fact after the trip the giant coke was all my DS then 2 talked about. went back stayed at ASMU, had a great time stayed with another large group. walked back and forth with the group. on this trip, An Aunt and a Brother said they would Never stay At the All stars again. In fact what my brother said was he fealt like he was in public housing. Then we bought DVC. Which I was fortunate enough thanks to my family to do and now we stay mostly there. I have stayed at every level at WDW And enjoyed every property for what it was at the time. there is only one property I would not go back to and that is a moderate. If you prefer an inside corridor which for me traveling alone with young children is no longer negotible than you are in a deluxe. I also need room service on those evenings my little guys have run me down and I need a safe place to have some quiet time and relax. It all comes down to what you need to enjoy yourself and to feel safe in your travel endevours and for me No outside corridors. I am sure someone will take my comments as offensive I assure you they are not meant that way. It is very hard to list ameneties at a resort without people thinking you are being elitest, I do not think Ducklite was being so. Simply stating her 2 cents which is what was asked for. There is good and bad in every single level of service my worst experience was at a deluxe and it probably was so upsetting because I anticipated it to be of a higher standard of customer service. Ok, thats IMHO.

 

[NADINENURSE]

Just came back Monday, and can't wait to go again. This time stayed at ALLstar Music, food court quieter than ALLstar Movies, food court was smaller, but never had too much of a crowd. We liked ALLstar Movies better, both were fine. Kids swam at 0700, in the middle of the day at 1300 and at night until 1200 midnight. Believe it or not I also liked the exterior cooridors. My kids played lego's with others on the cooridor in from of our rooms. The first and last night we stayed off-site at CmoftInn on Idrive, clean and nice, but nothing compared to Disney magic. We found at the Wilderness Lodge, the lifeguards were no fun at all , repeadtly yelled , "no running" and the families were also very "uptight", . Have never, never, seen a bug, dirt or anything else unfavorable at Allstar, been there 3 years in a row. Heard no noise from other rooms, even felt comfortable enought to allow 10 and 11 year olds to go swimming without my eagle eye, BUT, the Allstar resorts are large. So , I recommend spending the extra $10 a night for a preferred room , close to the big pool, the food court and the buses, it was worth it . It may be the time of year we go, no cheerleaders, no large groups, etc. That could make a big difference, so in conclusion. If cost is a factor, stay at a Allstar, if not, try a moderate, but definately, definately , stay on Disney.

 

[arielfan]

We stayed at the ASMO and we loved it and were going to go back next year in October 2004...My daughter really liked it there also it is great for kids and kids at heart...

 

[dreamflight99]

Originally posted by >>^..^<<
What makes you think the kids won't remember it?

My DD9 still talks about all her vacations since she was 4 years old... she can remember all the pools, hotel, things we did... etc...

The Allstars look like fun.. give them a try.. the worst that could happen is that you will know better next time.

>>^..^<<

I absolutely agree here. Our DD still recalls her early visits with amazingly VIVID DETAIL & REMARKABLE CLARITY. She's been a regular @ WDW & DL since birth, but her recollections seem to begin around age 2, and truly bloom around age 4.

I regret I am unable to offer any opinion on the All Stars resort, as we've never stayed there. Yet, I do not have any "negative" connotations associated with this resort either. LOTS of DISers LOVE this place. I would urge you to do what ever you are PERSONALLY able to swing (affordably). MOST of all...stay ON DISNEY PROPERTY. That's where the MAGIC LIVES!


Your GC will definitely remember. This will be a very special time...spent with you.

Enjoy!

 

[Krisu]

We stayed at ASMu once when we did a last minute trip. The rooms were clean, staff was nice. Our only problem was being in a room so far away. We were only there to sleep, spent all our time at the parks, but did eat often at food court (which we liked for the variety). Bus service was good. It depends on what you are looking for in a vacation. If you aren't going to take advantage of moderate or deluxe amenities save your money for more souveniers and stay at the All Stars.

 

[hmp2z]

Hi! Ducklite is right - the exterior entrances make the All Stars fall into the motel category, not hotel. Now, you may LOVE the theming, love the food court, love the swimming pools, but they are still motels. Maybe great ones, if that's what you think. But still motels, with motel-style amenities. Although I personally have stayed in motels that offered shampoos & conditioners in little bottles, not the dispensers that the All Stars now use. They used to offer the Mickey products, a long time ago, but have stopped that now.
We stayed in the All Star Music this past time, Broadway building 8, and our room just had that classic "motel" smell. We noticed that it wasn't terribly clean, either. We were much happier with our stay at Coronado Springs. Even though it has the outdoor corridors, the theming is more elegant, the rooms are quieter (or at least when we went, b/c there were fewer kids there), and the room smell is better.
It's all what you're used to, also. We usually stay in deluxes, so it's a real shocker to be in a value resort. But our first stay at WDW was in All Star Sports, and I was fine with it, before I experienced the deluxe hotels.
We had been staying All Stars for our first night at WDW, when we get in late and can't see spending $300 for a place to crash, but have decided that we will now try the Dolphin for our first night stay. I have heard good things about it, so hopefully we will be happier there! Good luck deciding - I know your grandkids will be happy just to be at WDW!
Cheers!
Heather W

 

[billybaruch1]

Originally posted by ducklite
Hellloooo--

The All Stars have exterior corridors, therefore they are a motel.

Hotels have interior corridors, Motels have exterior corridors.

Anne

POR and CBR and CSR have exterior walkways. Are they resort motels? Motel (motor hotel) is a funny word, isn't it?

 

[ceecee]

We have stayed at ASMo 4 times. I have always been pleased with them. They are clean and well kept and full of Disney magic. Kids LOVE the giant themes! My DD is a Dalmatian fan and we always go back because she loves it. We plan on doing a nicer one next time. The rooms are small with 2 double beds (we don't spend much time in them anyway). DD is 7 and discovered the arcade with prize tickets this time (like Chucky Cheese's) and really enjoyed a few hours doing that. Your grandkids would be sure to love this resort. My SIL hates it and said they notice a different in the "dress code" and people (she's that way) between Contempory and ASMo...they wanted to leave after one night.