ASMusic vs. POR

[nklooz]

We stayed at POR this past Sept. and are now planning our next Sept. trip and are considering trying out a value. I have read/heard that ASMusic is newly decorated and one of the quiter values and I like that for a small price I can get preferred location and be very convenient to food court, pool, and bus. It is me, DH, DD8. I understand I'll be giving up a waterslide and a hot tub and sit down dining (though we didn't use that at POR). What else will I be "giving up" by going from a moderate to a value? Is transportation a lot less convenient? Are the rooms that noticeably smaller? Other things I should know? Just want to make sure, if I do go to a Value, I know the switch I'm making. Thanks a lot.

 

[Magalex]

Just helping out to keep this question alive! I would like to know the same information. Our next trip will not be until summer 2009. But I am leaning towards POR or ASMU

 

[SAKPEG99OKW]

DW and I are DVC members and when we are not staying on points we always stay at POP. We love this hotel. The food court is excellent. The layout is great. since it is newer, the rooms are in great shape and the CM's are great as well.

My DW, DS and DD are Disney crazy so we are never in the room any way. Always out all day at the parks. I have the $$$ to stay at any deluxe I want and we still choose POP. With the $$$ we save, we spend it on gifts or any thing else we want. IMHO I would stay at the values any time.

 

[inloveindisney]

The rooms are just a little nicer with better soaps, etc. The transportation is a little bit better too in that there aren't as many people loading hte busses at moderates. There are times in a value that you may not make it on the bus and you'll have to wait for the next one. It was never a big deal to us. Just more time to talk about our plans for the day or the next day, but it can be a deal breaker for some.
For the most part, moderates are a little less crowded.
I have enjoyed all my stays at the all stars and pop century and would recommend these resorts to most people. Those I wouldn't recommend them to include anyone that is inpatient about waiting for busses or doesn't like crowds. And of course the time of year matters with this as well.

 

[SAKPEG99OKW]

i would agree as well regarding the buses and crowds. But like he/she said, if these do not bother you then no big deal.

 

[Mrs. Bee]

I have no been to either. But we are going to POR next month.

Here's some comparisons from the unofficial guide book to WDW...

They have a "room quality" chart that is based on many factors. POR got an 83 and the All Star resorts got a 73. The highest was Contemporary resort with a 93 and the lowest was Pop Century with a 71.

Room size...
POR = 314 square feet. Has a mini-fridge (which I don't think the all-stars have.) Also has double sinks in bathroom area.
All-Star resort rooms = 260 square feet.

The unofficial guide people did many tests for sound, lighting, pillows, and an overall rating for the rooms at each resort.

Sound...
POR = A
All Star Music = A

Lighting...
POR = C
All Star Music = D

Pillows...
POR = D
All Star Music = C

Overall...
POR = C+
All Star Music = C+

Quietest rooms...
POR = Alligator Bayou buildings 26 and 28 (rooms facing east); Acadian house, north wing (rooms facing west)
All Star Music = buildings 5 and 6, rooms facing west; building 4, rooms facing northwest.

If you want even more info, you should buy the Unofficial Guide to WDW 2008 by Bob Sehlinger. It is very informative and interesting.

 

[Maraena]

I'm (hopefully) about to have my first stay at a Value. Previously, all my stays had been at a POR (then known as Dixie Landings) and POFQ with two nights at the Yacht Club. From what I've seen of pictures, the values are far more dramatic (in an in-your-face sort of way) with their theming. The mods and deluxe are a bit more subdued but absolutely beautiful.

The mods and deluxe do have mini-fridges and coffeemakers. The values do not. However, you can get on a fridge/coffeemaker swap to alleviate that issue. Since I haven't actually seen the inside of a value yet, I can't attest to the size difference so I'll have to just believe the folks here.

Honestly, for as little as I tend to stay in the rooms or at the resorts, the values would seem to be a better choice. Not all people are like that, however, and enjoy the perks of the resorts more frequently. Until I get to the point where I'm spending a good deal of time at the resort, I'll probably try to stick to the values.

 

[nklooz]

Thank you for all of the very helpful feedback.

My main concern is the crowds, as my DH doesn't love those, which is why I had chosen Music, as I'd heard it was the calmest/least crowded, even though I thought Pop looked cool.

Waiting for a bus doesn't bug us as much, we did that several times at POR, we just want to be able to sit down in the food court, have chairs at the pool, fall sleep at night, etc.

Keep the opinions coming and if anyone feels I really won't be able to get the above things at Music, please let me know!

 

[minnie61650]

All Star Music is my favorite Disney owned hotel.

I can well afford to stay at any of Disney's resorts but these are the main reasons I stay at All Star Music:

1. I can book a preferred room location.
The way All Star Music is laid out it "seems" smaller than most of the other Disney resorts. If I stay in a preferred building I only see the Calypso and Jazz builings on the way to and from the main pool and the bus stop and food court. Since I stay in preferred room I know I am going to be close to the food court, bus stop, & main pool.

2. I enjoy the theming at the All Stars. All Star Music is also is the quietest of the values. Generally less people stay there and there are more seniors and couples and less young children because children enjoy the themes of the other values more.

3. The bus service at the All Star Music is very good. Since I use an ECV good bus transportation is essential.

4. The entry at the values and Mods are much more Handicap friendly.
I am able to get in and out of my All Star room unassisted. This way my husband can go and play a round of golf and know I can leave my room to relax by the pool if I choose.
--------------------------------------------------

All Star Music tends to be the quietest of all the values.


All Star Music just underwent a refurbishment of all of the rooms and was completed in June 2007.


Here is a website with photos of the newly refurbished rooms at All Star Music.

Look at the Jazz Inn section with new posted:

http://allearsnet.com/acc/g_asmu.htm




---------------------------------------------------------


DH and I enjoy the landscaping and peacefulness of All Star Music.
We enjoy relaxing by the pool (there are plenty of chairs and lounges), and the beautiful lighting at the resort by night.

I have never had the unfortunate experience of running into the any of the large
groups of teens who sometimes stay at the values on school trips.
As long as you can avoid those large groups I do not think Noise will be an issue.

*HINT if you close your bathroom door at night you might not even hear the turbo toilets.
I close my bathroom door and I don't hear them.
------------------------------------


I love The All Star Resorts.

I am 57 years old and travel several times a yearfor pleasure. I often stay at 3and 4 star and sometimes a 5 star hotels and motels.
So the deluxe and mod resorts are just another hotel/motel to me.
Staying at an 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 Calypso 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.

The Calypso pool at ASMu has Donald Duck.

The buses are wonderful.

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

All Star Buses-CBR buses---POPbuses--PO buses--- Contemporary
MK 20 min---- 20 min-----25 min------10 min---20 min(mono)
Epcot 10 min-- 15 min-----20 min------10 min---15 min
MGM 10 min----12 min-----15 min------15 min---20min
AK 10 min------20min-------15 min----15 min---20 min
DTD 15 min----20 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

To me Bus Sharing at the All Stars is really a non issue.

In the mornings during Park opening hours each All Star usually has a dedicated bus.
During mid day it is usually just our stop and maybe one more on the way to the parks. On the way back sometimes it is all 3 but often Sports and Movies share and Music has it's own bus back. Each of the All Stars usually has it's own dedicated bus back from the MK.
That is a big plus. It seems like the Music bus stop usually has the shortest of the three All Star bus lines.

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!)

The pools at The All Stars are very kid friendly.

When staying at the All Stars you can use any of the All Star pools.That means 3 main pools ,3 quiet pools and 3 kiddie pools to chose from.

The All Star Movie Fantasia pool has Mickey.

The Calypso pool at ASMU has Donald Duck.

And the Surfs up pool at All Star Sports has giant surf boards.

Here are a few pool photos.

All Star Sports pool.

All Star Music Donald pool.

All Star Movies Mickey Pool.

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 theming is pure Disney.

My last 8 visits have been at The All Stars and during the fall of 2005 when we took dd,dsil, and our grandson age 3(at the time) for 8 nights we stayed 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 , Goofy or Mickey Mouse at the pool?

Have fun at Disney whevere you choose to stay!

 

[minnie61650]

It is my opinion that there is not much room size difference between POR and All Star Music.

Here is the layout of POR.
The bathroom is about the same size as the All Stars but you will have 2 sinks instead of one.

POR room lay out

Here is the All Star room layout'

All Star room layout

POR has 54 square feet more than All Star Music.
That means if both the POR room and the All Star Music room were 27 feet long than POR would be 2 feet wider. Just enough room for a double sink instead of a single.
To me that is not a lot of room size difference.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Mrs. Bee]

A good place to go to read reviews of hotel is www.tripadvisor.com
I also like that they show you candid photos from guests. Tripadvisor.com was basically what made us chose POR. We wanted to stay at a moderate (this will probably be the one and only time we'll be able to do that) and the pictures of POR were just beautiful. We figure since the parks close so early there is a good chance we'll be walking around the hotel grounds at night.

 

[copper0426]

Those three words say it all. All stars are the only disney resort where you get what you pay for in every way. I live in Fl. and if we have to stay at All Star or not go WE DON"T GO.

 

[minnie61650]

When I am at Disney I enjoy going to the parks, shopping, dining and just exploring. I'm not spending a lot of time relaxing in my room. I don't need to be pampered or have my ego stroked.

Some guests enjoy the pampering and the deluxe resorts.
That is fine and of course they should choose the kind of vacation they would like.
They worked hard for their vacation money and should spend it the way want to.
Sure I can well afford a deluxe resort but just because I can afford it does not mean I want to stay at one. I can choose to stay at a value
if I want to.

Those three words say it all. All stars are the only disney resort where you get what you pay for in every way. I live in Fl. and if we have to stay at All Star or not go WE DON"T GO.

copper0426 has a right to her/his thoughts

You get what you paid for?
When I stay at a Disney value resort I feel Disney has given me and other families who stay at a value a real bargain. We get a lot more than we pay for.
Disney's value resorts are a total bargain. You get so many perks (Disney theming, large wonderfully themed pools. Plenty of room and chairs to relax on by the pools, Disney transportation, and EMH)
Any of Disney's resort guests (even those staying at a value or mod) are allowed to shop, dine, use the transportation or spa facilities at any of the Disney Resorts. (Of course pool hopping is not allowed.)


Disney does charge a premium price for their Deluxe resorts.
Deluxe guests are paying for location and amenities not for stellar customer service.
Many guests are disappointed because they think the GF is a 5 star hotel.
They expect the service of a 5 star and are disappointed when their expectations are not met.
It is in no way near a 5 star hotel even though it costs as much as many 5 star hotels.
The GF is rated 4 diamonds by AAA but most sites rate it as 3 and a half.
The Poly and CR are usually considered 3 star hotels.


Yes, I fall into higher income who enjoys staying at a Value.

I chose to stay at All Star Music for 3 main reasons.

1. I enjoy the theming at the All Stars. All Star Music is also is the quietest of the values. Generally less people stay there and there are more seniors and couples and less young children because children enjoy the themes of the other values more.

2. The bus service at the All Stars is very good. Since I use an ECV good bus transportation is essential.

3. The entry at the values and Mods are much more Handicap friendly.
I am able to get in and out of my All Star room unassisted. This way my husband can go and play a round of golf and know I can leave my room to relax by the pool if I choose.

The Deluxe rooms have a narrow hall with the bath on one side and closet on the other. I cannot open the door from the inside unassisted.

Hope you have a magical vacation wherever you choose to stay!

 

[bellebuzzntink]

We just returned from POR, staying in the Mansions, and stayed at a ASMovies last year.

I understand why people want to stay at a value resort, you really do get a lot for the money you pay. Our experience there, however, was not a good one. Maybe it was a fluke that we had so many things go wrong....sometimes that does happen. But I won't be staying at a value resort again.

We had a completely opposite experience with the POR, and cannot say enough good things about the property, the room and the service. I really enjoyed having a refrigerator in the room. Although we weren't very close to the food court and front desk, the walk was just beautiful and very relaxing. After being in the parks all day long, it was nice to go someplace that wasn't in your face Disney themed.

I'm not going to recommend that you not stay at a Value. What is the worse that could happen? Maybe you have a great experience and you love it? If not, chalk it up as an experience and go back to staying at the POR! Have fun!

 

[Shmily1]

I've stayed at Value, Mod, and Deluxe. I had a ball at BC! It was wonderful!! I've stayed at POFQ and it was wonderfully laid out and easy to get around. It was the first time my DS and DD went to WDW so we didn't spend a lot of time there. I started staying at POP right after it opened. I POP!!! We will be staying at ASMu in just a few days and will be at POR three weeks later.

I am not a resort snob at all. I have stayed at POP atleast 8 times since it opened and it seems like home. We love POP because of the theming of it. When I go to WDW I want it to be decorated in that WDW style and for it to feel like it was designed for a kid. I don't care what kind of soap it has--if I don't like it, I can bring my own--but if the soap has the Mickey design on it, I'm perfectly happy. I want to see the Mickey design on everything and the very dramatic designs on the outside of the resort. It FEELS like WDW. I've never had to wait on a bus for too long (I'm on vacation and don't have anywhere else I need to be) and it's never been overly crowded. I can always find a seat to eat my breakfast in the food court and love the shop and all the art around the resort.

I have been on a bus at an Epcot resort that was so full, that the driver could not raise it up. He had half the people get off then get back on to see if it would go up. Those are deluxe resorts!! That has never happened to me at POP.

Last Christmas, I took DD and DD's BFF to MVMCP and Epcot and we stayed at POP. After MVMCP, we got back to the room around 1 AM. We had so much fun and were so tired that we were just giggly. Not loud with it, just having fun. At POP, nothing is "stuffy". Even coming back in late or getting up early and eating breakfast is fun.

Moral of the story.... it's all in what you are looking for and what you make of your surroundings. If you go to ASMu and are expecting GF service, you will have an awful time. If you go to ASMu and expect it to be a place full of fun, then that is what you will get. It will be wonderful fun!! And that's what WDW is all about!!!

 

[copper0426]

When I am at Disney I enjoy going to the parks, shopping, dining and just exploring. I'm not spending a lot of time relaxing in my room. I don't need to be pampered or have my ego stroked.

Some guests enjoy the pampering and the deluxe resorts.
That is fine and of course they should choose the kind of vacation they would like.
They worked hard for their vacation money and should spend it the way want to.
Sure I can well afford a deluxe resort but just because I can afford it does not mean I want to stay at one. I can choose to stay at a value
if I want to.



copper0426 has a right to her/his thoughts

You get what you paid for?
When I stay at a Disney value resort I feel Disney has given me and other families who stay at a value a real bargain. We get a lot more than we pay for.
Disney's value resorts are a total bargain. You get so many perks (Disney theming, large wonderfully themed pools. Plenty of room and chairs to relax on by the pools, Disney transportation, and EMH)
Any of Disney's resort guests (even those staying at a value or mod) are allowed to shop, dine, use the transportation or spa facilities at any of the Disney Resorts. (Of course pool hopping is not allowed.)


Disney does charge a premium price for their Deluxe resorts.
Deluxe guests are paying for location and amenities not for stellar customer service.
Many guests are disappointed because they think the GF is a 5 star hotel.
They expect the service of a 5 star and are disappointed when their expectations are not met.
It is in no way near a 5 star hotel even though it costs as much as many 5 star hotels.
The GF is rated 4 diamonds by AAA but most sites rate it as 3 and a half.
The Poly and CR are usually considered 3 star hotels.


Yes, I fall into higher income who enjoys staying at a Value.

I chose to stay at All Star Music for 3 main reasons.

1. I enjoy the theming at the All Stars. All Star Music is also is the quietest of the values. Generally less people stay there and there are more seniors and couples and less young children because children enjoy the themes of the other values more.

2. The bus service at the All Stars is very good. Since I use an ECV good bus transportation is essential.

3. The entry at the values and Mods are much more Handicap friendly.
I am able to get in and out of my All Star room unassisted. This way my husband can go and play a round of golf and know I can leave my room to relax by the pool if I choose.

The Deluxe rooms have a narrow hall with the bath on one side and closet on the other. I cannot open the door from the inside unassisted.

Hope you have a magical vacation wherever you choose to stay!

you made all my points for me. After all your opinion is all anyone gives or asks for on these boards. I do not have access concerns,Mine is based on preference for peace and quiet amenities and so on. You are correct all resort guests get all of the perks so again the question was about opinion on the rsorts themselves. i do stay at POP disney seems to have tweaked this resort correctly it is a better value resort.

 

[Stac1023]

We just got back from ASM last week.
It was our frist trip to disney and we loved it. My husband had a blast. (he hates crowds and standing in line). we have a 4 year old and she loved everything about disney. ASM was the best we were in 6611 County Fair. It was a walk to the front, but it was very quite and peaceful. We are already planning to go back the first week of Dec. 08. Everyone at disney was very friendly and helpful. I would recommend ASM