We returned home from WDW and ASMo on Tuesday.... just wanted to share my thoughts on our stay.
This was our first time at any of the All Star Resorts. We generally stay on property, either at a moderate or DVC, though we've tried FW and some of the deluxe resorts for a couple of days here or there as well. We picked the All Stars this time just trying to save some money....and figuring that the kids might like it there.
We checked in at about 6:30 Saturday morning...the check in CM was great. Our room wasn't ready (obviously...it was a little early!) so we headed to the food court for some breakfast before going off to MGM. We had croissant sandwiches which were very tasty, and once again the CM's were very nice.
When we returned from the studios at noon our room was ready already (very impressed by housekeeping here). We had reserved a preferred room with an AP discount....it was the only type of room available when I made the reservations. Our room was in building 8, the Fantasia 2000 section, on the first floor facing the courtyard area. We were closer to the Love Bug buildings than to the pool, but I think this made our room quieter than it would have been.....the pool was quite noisy well into the night.
Our first impression upon entering the room was that is was very, very small. The tub even seemed smaller than standard size. We had a hard time not tripping over one another and had to be sure to put our shoes under the closet area so we weren't tripping over those the whole time. We had taken a cooler with snacks and cereal and packed a little heavier than we usually do because we knew we'd be sweating a lot and we wouldn't have laundry facilities in our room. Our stuff also really filled up the room. The beds were comfortable, the shower hot, and the room was very clean though.
The thing is, though I have no real serious complaints about the resort, it just didn't meet the same standard as other Disney resorts. The room was too small to really relax in and we generally stayed in the parks rather than go back even when we needed rest. Also, it just didn't have the feel of other Disney resorts. I really felt as if I was staying at some zanily decorated Motel 6. We weren't immersed in a different place and time.
I honestly think that if we need to save money on a room in the future we'll either camp at FW again (though not in July!) or stay off property. I'm rather disappointed that I didn't spend the $10-$15 more per night to stay at a moderate. And I definitely don't think the preferred location is worth the extra $10 or whatever....it was noisier and not really that much closer to things than the farthest out rooms.
I will give the resort some credit for 2 things.....its not a sprawled as some of the moderate resorts. Makes getting to your room easier. But then again, this is a result of the rooms being so much smaller and compacted into taller buildings. Also, there was a cute light fixture in our room that when lit just looked like a plain white box. When the light was turned off though...it looked like a popcorn box! Very cute....as is the whole place. I'm just not particularly into "cute" in general....and like a little more of an immersive experience. And if I can't have that I'd rather just have a nice relaxing hotel room where my family and I aren't tripping over one another.
Oh, and we didn't even attempt to use the busses. The bus stops constantly looked crowded, so we decided to save ourselves some time and aggravation and drive. The only place where this may have been a mistake is the MK....as you still have to be herded onto the monorail or ferry after you park. I think in a less crowded season the transportation situation is just better all around.
I know the All Stars are really liked by many, but they just didn't do it for us. Hopefully our input will be of some use to someone...even just so they know exactly what to expect. We pretty much knew what to expect, but didn't realize how that would impact our vacation....we just didn't seem to be able to relax. Of course if you're out of the room from dawn to after dark and don't have small kids who need down time, this could be a decent option.
This was our first time at any of the All Star Resorts. We generally stay on property, either at a moderate or DVC, though we've tried FW and some of the deluxe resorts for a couple of days here or there as well. We picked the All Stars this time just trying to save some money....and figuring that the kids might like it there.
We checked in at about 6:30 Saturday morning...the check in CM was great. Our room wasn't ready (obviously...it was a little early!) so we headed to the food court for some breakfast before going off to MGM. We had croissant sandwiches which were very tasty, and once again the CM's were very nice.
When we returned from the studios at noon our room was ready already (very impressed by housekeeping here). We had reserved a preferred room with an AP discount....it was the only type of room available when I made the reservations. Our room was in building 8, the Fantasia 2000 section, on the first floor facing the courtyard area. We were closer to the Love Bug buildings than to the pool, but I think this made our room quieter than it would have been.....the pool was quite noisy well into the night.
Our first impression upon entering the room was that is was very, very small. The tub even seemed smaller than standard size. We had a hard time not tripping over one another and had to be sure to put our shoes under the closet area so we weren't tripping over those the whole time. We had taken a cooler with snacks and cereal and packed a little heavier than we usually do because we knew we'd be sweating a lot and we wouldn't have laundry facilities in our room. Our stuff also really filled up the room. The beds were comfortable, the shower hot, and the room was very clean though.
The thing is, though I have no real serious complaints about the resort, it just didn't meet the same standard as other Disney resorts. The room was too small to really relax in and we generally stayed in the parks rather than go back even when we needed rest. Also, it just didn't have the feel of other Disney resorts. I really felt as if I was staying at some zanily decorated Motel 6. We weren't immersed in a different place and time.
I honestly think that if we need to save money on a room in the future we'll either camp at FW again (though not in July!) or stay off property. I'm rather disappointed that I didn't spend the $10-$15 more per night to stay at a moderate. And I definitely don't think the preferred location is worth the extra $10 or whatever....it was noisier and not really that much closer to things than the farthest out rooms.
I will give the resort some credit for 2 things.....its not a sprawled as some of the moderate resorts. Makes getting to your room easier. But then again, this is a result of the rooms being so much smaller and compacted into taller buildings. Also, there was a cute light fixture in our room that when lit just looked like a plain white box. When the light was turned off though...it looked like a popcorn box! Very cute....as is the whole place. I'm just not particularly into "cute" in general....and like a little more of an immersive experience. And if I can't have that I'd rather just have a nice relaxing hotel room where my family and I aren't tripping over one another.
Oh, and we didn't even attempt to use the busses. The bus stops constantly looked crowded, so we decided to save ourselves some time and aggravation and drive. The only place where this may have been a mistake is the MK....as you still have to be herded onto the monorail or ferry after you park. I think in a less crowded season the transportation situation is just better all around.
I know the All Stars are really liked by many, but they just didn't do it for us. Hopefully our input will be of some use to someone...even just so they know exactly what to expect. We pretty much knew what to expect, but didn't realize how that would impact our vacation....we just didn't seem to be able to relax. Of course if you're out of the room from dawn to after dark and don't have small kids who need down time, this could be a decent option.
