We are just back from a 7 night stay at All Star Movies resort. The trip included me, DH, and DD 9. We were there from 2/11 to 2/18.
Below are some brief thoughts and observations about our trip.
Magic Expresswe arrived in Orlando at 7am and after checking in at the ME desk, walked straight onto a bus. We left about 10 minutes later with 3 families on the bus. It was very pleasant. On the return trip ME arrived for us a little early, causing my husband to panic and rush to the gift shop to find me. We stopped at a 3 other resorts and had a fuller bus on the way back. Again a pleasant ride, though a little sad to be leaving.
ResortVery pleased that our room was ready when we arrived (830am or so??). We were able to rest a few hours before heading out to a park on the 1st day. We liked the movie themes a lot. My DD especially was enchanted by all the cute decorations. The pool was nice and heated. The room was small but clean. One night the power went out around 4am but came back on in about an hour.
Resort food courtIt was ok. Not a lot of non greasy/not heavy options. There was sushi trays in the fridge but they werent included in the dining plan. Busy a lot, especially early in our stay because of the cheerleaders. But we always got a table.
TransportationNo complaints. The longest we waited for a bus was about 15 minutes. Usually it was more like 5 minutes. We usually had seats, but about 20% of the time stood up. That was ok for us. We were especially glad that following the Hoop de Doo Revue on 2/16 there were buses to take us back to our resortwe were the only ones on our bus that night. We did a taxi twice (for 1900 Park) because we didnt want to spend the extra time transferring buses at a park to get to another resort.
CrowdsI was a little surprised by the crowds. This was our 1st trip and so I can only compare to DL (which I usually visit during spring break or in the summer). It felt like good-sized crowds to me most days--especially in walkways. The lines werent bad most of the time. We dont do thrill rides but other rides we didnt wait more than 20 minutes. I think we spent more time waiting on characters than on rides.
WeatherOn 2/12 it was pretty coldcoats and scarves for us. Then it started getting a little warmer and by 2/14 it was warm/hot the rest of the time. We had some light rain the last 2 days we were there. Overall good weather. I realize though that my family would not do well in summer timewhen it was 80 degrees on a couple of days we felt like we were melting. I dont think wed do well if it got much hotter!
Cast memberscant complain, no problems, some of the people in the countries at Epcott were really nice, when I needed to ask a question people were always nice even if they didnt know the answers, at the move it shake it parade one of the dancers danced most of the time with my daughter and was teaching her the movesthat was nice.
Dining PlanWe got the free dining and upgraded to the regular dining plan. I also paid out of pocket for Hoop De Doo. Overall it was a lot of food. We dont need desert with QS meals, but since it came with it we found ourselves eating a lot of junk. We shared a large breakfast platter between the 3 of us most mornings and often at lunch my DH and I shared. For TS meals we did 5 character buffets and 3 other TS meals. At the end I had 2 snack credits left unused (I meant to use them on snacks at the gift shop but accidentally paid for them instead of using my snack credits).
Restaurants
Crystal Palace (dinner)I liked the salmon a lot, otherwise it was ok, cute pooh characters
Tusker House (breakfast)we thought it was a lot of interesting and good foods, DD is picky and didnt eat much. She especially liked interactions with Daisy and Goofy.
1900 Park (breakfast)my husband really liked the food here. I liked the strawberry soup. Lots of good choices for the adults and DD. The Mad Hatter was funny and spent a lot of time talking with DD.
1900 Park (dinner)again DH really liked the food, DD also had good choices. I liked everything too. Great character interactions with Cinderellas step sisters especially. Really glad that they fit us in when we showed up 80 min early for our ADR.
Akershus (dinner)the appetizer buffet was good, the food was so-so, ambiance was nice for DD and she enjoyed the princess procession, all the princesses came around, not a lot of interaction but nice. It was nice that the picture package was included. Again got in a little early for ADR.
Le Cellier (lunch)I was most looking forward to this meal but got sick and left the table to return to the hotel after eating a piece of bread. My husband said he liked the food, waiter was nice. DH liked the smoothie (that he ordered as his drink). They were running late and after we checked in had to wait about 40 min before being seated.
Tonys Town Square (lunch)we liked this, DD had spaghetti and meatballs, DH and I shared a chicken Parm dish. DD got a special lady and the tramp straw.
50s prime time café (dinner)pretty good food, I liked the pot roast especially. DH and I shared a meal again. Cool theme, waiter was in character and kept telling me to keep my elbows off the table. DD thought it was very funny.
Hoop de Dooagain I was ill, so I didnt eat much but it looked good. DD got macaroni and cheese instead and also ate cornbread. Loved the showwe had a great time at this and my DD had a ball. We were seated in front right behind the piano so we had a good view.
Magic Kingdom
Likes---Peter Pan, Pirates, Dream Along with Mickey Show, LOVED the Move it shake it Parade (much better than the afternoon parade we thought), fireworks, Monsters Inc, Jasmine and Aladdin meet and greet, Winnie the pooh ride, Tiana and Naveen meet and greet, jungle cruise (DD got to drive the boat), Dole Whip floats!
Didnt likeI cant help comparing a little to Disneyland and the downside was that there were less attractions in a larger space which meant more walking to get here and there. Also I like crisscrossing for shows and things and that wasnt as doable with such a large area to walk. I also missed New Orleans Square for some reason.
Hollywood Studios
Likesarriving before opening, Jedi training, Disney junior dance party during magic hours, Fantasmic, American Idol Experience, TSM, Beauty and the Beast show, DD and DH liked the star tours ride
Didnt likeI liked this park but we did go on a crowded day (1st day Fantasmic was showing in a long time). My DD said it wasnt her favorite and we ended up skipping our planned 2nd day here and using that day instead for a 2nd day at Animal Kingdom.
Animal Kingdom
Likesthis might be our favorite parkits hard to choose! We liked the safari, Tusker House, Nemo show, Festival of the LK, Flights of Wonder, DINOSAUR, PW, Camp Mickey Minnie, DD loved the Kids Discovery Club and got all her stamps on her card, Its tough to be a bug show
Didnt likeSome of the kids discovery clubs were hard to find leading to a lot of unnecessary walking, it seemed more congested in the walkways than the other parks (we went on a recommended day too), DINOLAND needs some shade!
Epcott
Likedthe world showcase, Kidcot stations and passports (DD got all her stamps), innoventions, the seas with Nemo pavilion, really pretty, lots of picture spots, cool themes, DD loved Figment, chip and dale meet and greet (they went crazy because DD had a chip and dale t-shirt on)
Didnt likeI had to leave after only a few hours on our last day because I was ill so I missed most of this park, I think we needed more time here (we had 1 ½ days)even DD and DH (who didnt leave sick) missed a lot. A lot of walking! Especially crisscrossing countries to get to character meet and greets. Many of them come out once an hour and then cut the line off quickly which was frustrating for DD and DH when the line was cut off right in front of them 3 times in a row at the Beast and Belle meet and greet.
Overallwe had a great time and were really pleased with what we got to see and do. I had made fairly detailed touring plans. We followed some and changed some on the go. I should have scheduled in a little more down time at the resort. We had a lot of fairly late nights and early morning combos, which was tough. I was surprised at the end that my husband commented that we really could have stayed 2 weeks to be able to see more and be more relaxed. Before the trip he thought I was going overboard with 7 days.
Below are some brief thoughts and observations about our trip.
Magic Expresswe arrived in Orlando at 7am and after checking in at the ME desk, walked straight onto a bus. We left about 10 minutes later with 3 families on the bus. It was very pleasant. On the return trip ME arrived for us a little early, causing my husband to panic and rush to the gift shop to find me. We stopped at a 3 other resorts and had a fuller bus on the way back. Again a pleasant ride, though a little sad to be leaving.
ResortVery pleased that our room was ready when we arrived (830am or so??). We were able to rest a few hours before heading out to a park on the 1st day. We liked the movie themes a lot. My DD especially was enchanted by all the cute decorations. The pool was nice and heated. The room was small but clean. One night the power went out around 4am but came back on in about an hour.
Resort food courtIt was ok. Not a lot of non greasy/not heavy options. There was sushi trays in the fridge but they werent included in the dining plan. Busy a lot, especially early in our stay because of the cheerleaders. But we always got a table.
TransportationNo complaints. The longest we waited for a bus was about 15 minutes. Usually it was more like 5 minutes. We usually had seats, but about 20% of the time stood up. That was ok for us. We were especially glad that following the Hoop de Doo Revue on 2/16 there were buses to take us back to our resortwe were the only ones on our bus that night. We did a taxi twice (for 1900 Park) because we didnt want to spend the extra time transferring buses at a park to get to another resort.
CrowdsI was a little surprised by the crowds. This was our 1st trip and so I can only compare to DL (which I usually visit during spring break or in the summer). It felt like good-sized crowds to me most days--especially in walkways. The lines werent bad most of the time. We dont do thrill rides but other rides we didnt wait more than 20 minutes. I think we spent more time waiting on characters than on rides.
WeatherOn 2/12 it was pretty coldcoats and scarves for us. Then it started getting a little warmer and by 2/14 it was warm/hot the rest of the time. We had some light rain the last 2 days we were there. Overall good weather. I realize though that my family would not do well in summer timewhen it was 80 degrees on a couple of days we felt like we were melting. I dont think wed do well if it got much hotter!
Cast memberscant complain, no problems, some of the people in the countries at Epcott were really nice, when I needed to ask a question people were always nice even if they didnt know the answers, at the move it shake it parade one of the dancers danced most of the time with my daughter and was teaching her the movesthat was nice.
Dining PlanWe got the free dining and upgraded to the regular dining plan. I also paid out of pocket for Hoop De Doo. Overall it was a lot of food. We dont need desert with QS meals, but since it came with it we found ourselves eating a lot of junk. We shared a large breakfast platter between the 3 of us most mornings and often at lunch my DH and I shared. For TS meals we did 5 character buffets and 3 other TS meals. At the end I had 2 snack credits left unused (I meant to use them on snacks at the gift shop but accidentally paid for them instead of using my snack credits).
Restaurants
Crystal Palace (dinner)I liked the salmon a lot, otherwise it was ok, cute pooh characters
Tusker House (breakfast)we thought it was a lot of interesting and good foods, DD is picky and didnt eat much. She especially liked interactions with Daisy and Goofy.
1900 Park (breakfast)my husband really liked the food here. I liked the strawberry soup. Lots of good choices for the adults and DD. The Mad Hatter was funny and spent a lot of time talking with DD.
1900 Park (dinner)again DH really liked the food, DD also had good choices. I liked everything too. Great character interactions with Cinderellas step sisters especially. Really glad that they fit us in when we showed up 80 min early for our ADR.
Akershus (dinner)the appetizer buffet was good, the food was so-so, ambiance was nice for DD and she enjoyed the princess procession, all the princesses came around, not a lot of interaction but nice. It was nice that the picture package was included. Again got in a little early for ADR.
Le Cellier (lunch)I was most looking forward to this meal but got sick and left the table to return to the hotel after eating a piece of bread. My husband said he liked the food, waiter was nice. DH liked the smoothie (that he ordered as his drink). They were running late and after we checked in had to wait about 40 min before being seated.
Tonys Town Square (lunch)we liked this, DD had spaghetti and meatballs, DH and I shared a chicken Parm dish. DD got a special lady and the tramp straw.
50s prime time café (dinner)pretty good food, I liked the pot roast especially. DH and I shared a meal again. Cool theme, waiter was in character and kept telling me to keep my elbows off the table. DD thought it was very funny.
Hoop de Dooagain I was ill, so I didnt eat much but it looked good. DD got macaroni and cheese instead and also ate cornbread. Loved the showwe had a great time at this and my DD had a ball. We were seated in front right behind the piano so we had a good view.
Magic Kingdom
Likes---Peter Pan, Pirates, Dream Along with Mickey Show, LOVED the Move it shake it Parade (much better than the afternoon parade we thought), fireworks, Monsters Inc, Jasmine and Aladdin meet and greet, Winnie the pooh ride, Tiana and Naveen meet and greet, jungle cruise (DD got to drive the boat), Dole Whip floats!
Didnt likeI cant help comparing a little to Disneyland and the downside was that there were less attractions in a larger space which meant more walking to get here and there. Also I like crisscrossing for shows and things and that wasnt as doable with such a large area to walk. I also missed New Orleans Square for some reason.
Hollywood Studios
Likesarriving before opening, Jedi training, Disney junior dance party during magic hours, Fantasmic, American Idol Experience, TSM, Beauty and the Beast show, DD and DH liked the star tours ride
Didnt likeI liked this park but we did go on a crowded day (1st day Fantasmic was showing in a long time). My DD said it wasnt her favorite and we ended up skipping our planned 2nd day here and using that day instead for a 2nd day at Animal Kingdom.
Animal Kingdom
Likesthis might be our favorite parkits hard to choose! We liked the safari, Tusker House, Nemo show, Festival of the LK, Flights of Wonder, DINOSAUR, PW, Camp Mickey Minnie, DD loved the Kids Discovery Club and got all her stamps on her card, Its tough to be a bug show
Didnt likeSome of the kids discovery clubs were hard to find leading to a lot of unnecessary walking, it seemed more congested in the walkways than the other parks (we went on a recommended day too), DINOLAND needs some shade!
Epcott
Likedthe world showcase, Kidcot stations and passports (DD got all her stamps), innoventions, the seas with Nemo pavilion, really pretty, lots of picture spots, cool themes, DD loved Figment, chip and dale meet and greet (they went crazy because DD had a chip and dale t-shirt on)
Didnt likeI had to leave after only a few hours on our last day because I was ill so I missed most of this park, I think we needed more time here (we had 1 ½ days)even DD and DH (who didnt leave sick) missed a lot. A lot of walking! Especially crisscrossing countries to get to character meet and greets. Many of them come out once an hour and then cut the line off quickly which was frustrating for DD and DH when the line was cut off right in front of them 3 times in a row at the Beast and Belle meet and greet.
Overallwe had a great time and were really pleased with what we got to see and do. I had made fairly detailed touring plans. We followed some and changed some on the go. I should have scheduled in a little more down time at the resort. We had a lot of fairly late nights and early morning combos, which was tough. I was surprised at the end that my husband commented that we really could have stayed 2 weeks to be able to see more and be more relaxed. Before the trip he thought I was going overboard with 7 days.
