Resort Thread Disney's ALL-STAR MOVIES Resort

[PelletierBears]

Hi all!

I just added 2 nights at ASMovies onto our December trip. It'll be our first time there. In fact it's a first time value stay for us (need the queen size bed and bunk bed option!)

So...how are the rooms at Movies? Are they older and in need of a reno?
We're looking forward to the new experience but hope we're not disappointed.

Thanks!
Lisa

 

[trac96]

Yes, the rooms are in need of a renovation but they are still nice. they are small but clean. the mousekeeping was great while we were there a few weeks ago. we didn't get any animals but i am thinking she knew we had a 17 year old with us who really didn't care. the dining area was busy in the mornings mostly and then didn't seem to bad at other times. there was always a cleaning lady going around cleaning off tables when people got up. we didn't use the pool so can't coment on that. the front desk cast was great, very friendly and always more than ready to help. the buses were good while we were there. we only waited a few times and it wasn't more than 15 minutes. they do share with other all stars but if you go into it knowing that then you'll be ok. we have never stayed at a value before this time either, we were always deluxe snobs and even my husband said that the values aren't that bad for a quick/cheap trip. however if you have to have bells and whistles don't go value.

 

[DisneyFamily123]

Arriving AS Movies 12/3. A lot of our time will be out at the parks but have some time set aside for rest at the resort. Any last minute tips?

Breakfast? We will eat at AS Movies only for early breakfasts....hoping for the same chocolate chip pancakes we had at AS Sports n 2008.

How do you relax at the resort? I know there's lots of fun movie icons to look at and get some good photos... do you walk around the other All Star Resorts?

Mini-Golf by Blizzard Beach? Is it easy to get a bus to go to the Santa Mini-Golf place by Blizzard Beach? This looks close to the All Star Resorts.

Any Transporation Tips? We will rely on Disney's bus transportation but sometimes might want to take a taxi (travel from resort to resort). Are there taxis standing by or best to let the front desk know in advance?

Magical Express? I know Southwest Airlines now participates in the thing where we can check in our luggage for our departure at the AS Movies lobby, wasn't possible in 2008. Did this work well? We are hoping to pack most things the night before to make sure none of our luggage is over the SWest 50 pound limit. Can you access the scale late at night?

 

[almburr]

20 more days til our trip! DS5 is so excited! SO AM I!! This will be our 3rd trip DS first trip, requested prefered room. Other trips we stayed at WL,PORS.

 

[ForTheLoveOfDCL]

DisneyFamily---we are checking in the 3rd too! Just a quick weekend trip for us...just there till the 7th. Can't wait, I miss Disney...haven't been since last oct and that's tooo long!

 

[DisneyFamily123]

DisneyFamily---we are checking in the 3rd too! Just a quick weekend trip for us...just there till the 7th. Can't wait, I miss Disney...haven't been since last oct and that's tooo long!

Ditto... we were there last Oct. Started planning this trip in Nov. 2009 right after we got back! Obviously I've become obsessed with Disney with 1000 posts.... We really liked AS Sports in 2008, perfect for the price... and I know DS5 will absolutely love the Toy Story and Dalmations icons at AS Movies. We arrive 12/3 to AS Movies by 11:30 then off to Crystal Palace for lunch and MK!

I saw your link... I think a Disney Cruise is in order for our next trip..... I better start saving!!!

 

[trac96]

the baggage check in for when you depart is wonderful. we also packed the night before and was ready to leave our stuff for the airport and head to the park. this was an easy process. we had an ipad with us and they put it in security instead of just leaving it sit outside with the rest of our luggage. yes it was an extra step for us but of course well worth it. i don't believe that you can weigh your bags the night before. i don't recall seeing anything to do so. they do however weigh them when you take them down. as a matter of fact the day we went home we caught the magical express at 4:15pm and the luggage people were gone and there was no scales then. not sure why as i'm sure there were probablly people leaving later than us but my husband made a comment about them not being there. if you need a cart to get your luggage down to the area yourself you can go get a cart and take it to your room but you do need to leave your driver's liscene with them till you return the cart so head's up on that.

 

[VeganCupcake]

:oops!::

 

[KATIESMOMMY]

we booked our first Christmas vacation here! We have been previously, but only to Pop Century and only the first week of Dec. This should be an interesting change for us!

 

[PharmerJan]

We have a trip here in March- first timer at a value!

Question:

Is there flavored coffee creamer at the drink station at the food court? (Ie- coffee mate, etc).

Im totally hooked on creamer and will need to plan in advance if this is not available. Really, its that important.

 

[alaskanabbott]

We have a trip here in March- first timer at a value!

Question:

Is there flavored coffee creamer at the drink station at the food court? (Ie- coffee mate, etc).

Im totally hooked on creamer and will need to plan in advance if this is not available. Really, its that important.

I'm a fellow addict! I found powdered coffee mate in single serving tubes at the store, I think there are 8 or 10 in a box. I bring it in my purse everywhere. Works great on the plane, since you can't bring liquid. You may have to pack some for your trip! I'm following this response b/c I'm curious too

 

[dreams4disney]

Going to be there in about a month with my sister for a get away to spend some time together. I have not been to All Star Movies since 2004. We stayed there on our first trip. The only option we had was a preferred room with the discount we had. I was wondering if all rooms in the 101 Dalmatians, Toy Story and Fantasia Buildings were preferred or just sections of them. When we stayed at Pop the preferred rooms only in certain sections of the preferred buildings and not the whole building.

Excited to be going.

 

[DisneyFamily123]

Going to be there in about a month with my sister for a get away to spend some time together. I have not been to All Star Movies since 2004. We stayed there on our first trip. The only option we had was a preferred room with the discount we had. I was wondering if all rooms in the 101 Dalmatians, Toy Story and Fantasia Buildings were preferred or just sections of them. When we stayed at Pop the preferred rooms only in certain sections of the preferred buildings and not the whole building.

Excited to be going.

I understand it's the whole building that is preferred. Someone posted once that it used to be just the closest sections. But our preferred room was 2nd or 3rd from the end of the building closest to the resort entrance. A balcony room with a view of the giant Dalmations figures would have been nice... but I absolutely loved being close, carrying a sleepy DS5 from the bus!

 

[dreams4disney]

I understand it's the whole building that is preferred. Someone posted once that it used to be just the closest sections. But our preferred room was 2nd or 3rd from the end of the building closest to the resort entrance. A balcony room with a view of the giant Dalmations figures would have been nice... but I absolutely loved being close, carrying a sleepy DS5 from the bus!

Thank you so much for your reply. I know what it is like getting off the bus with sleepy kids and tired feet.

 

[honeybunches]

Booked a completely unexpected trip for March and staying at ASM this time. I've only been once before (that was a Wilderness Lodge) so I'm not very familiar with Disney in general and especially the AS resorts.
I'll rely only on bus transportation. Is it hard to get around? My main concern is for early breakfast reservations before the parks open. Is there anything I need to know ahead of time?

Thanks for any help you can give me!

 

[schoolinmy3]

My friend and I are taking our daughters (age 11) for a mom/daughter vacation in about 2 weeks. The girls are leaving their siblings and we are leaving our husbands for some quality girlie girl bonding time.We are excited!
I have stayed on site several times - most recently at the Contemporary in the fall where we were unexpectedly upgraded to Concierge level so that was the deluxe of deluxe vacations right there! It was special because my husband and I were vacationing without our kids and it was his dream to stay in the Contemporary one day. We couldn't afford it with the kids so went without them! Then to get upgraded - wow!
Anyway, this is our first value resort. We have the QS dining plan and are bringing snacks for breakfast as I am reading here that it is crowded at the food court for breakfast. A couple questions:
If we wanted to grab drinks and breakfast items from the food court is it better to be there bright and early? How early?
How early should we start lining up for buses to the parks? And how long does it typically take to be at the entrance gates? Are there long lines to return to ASMo in the evenings and typically which parks have the longest lines?
Would there be room to have an ice chest in the room or is it not worth bothering with? I was thinking for drinks and soy milk.
Does ASMo have a Disney shop with pins for pin trading? Does anyone here look for Hidden Mickeys and are there any at the resort that would be fun to look for?
Thanks!
Diane

 

[lovesdumbo]

My friend and I are taking our daughters (age 11) for a mom/daughter vacation in about 2 weeks. The girls are leaving their siblings and we are leaving our husbands for some quality girlie girl bonding time.We are excited!
I have stayed on site several times - most recently at the Contemporary in the fall where we were unexpectedly upgraded to Concierge level so that was the deluxe of deluxe vacations right there! It was special because my husband and I were vacationing without our kids and it was his dream to stay in the Contemporary one day. We couldn't afford it with the kids so went without them! Then to get upgraded - wow!
Anyway, this is our first value resort. We have the QS dining plan and are bringing snacks for breakfast as I am reading here that it is crowded at the food court for breakfast. A couple questions:
If we wanted to grab drinks and breakfast items from the food court is it better to be there bright and early? How early?
How early should we start lining up for buses to the parks? And how long does it typically take to be at the entrance gates? Are there long lines to return to ASMo in the evenings and typically which parks have the longest lines?
Would there be room to have an ice chest in the room or is it not worth bothering with? I was thinking for drinks and soy milk.
Does ASMo have a Disney shop with pins for pin trading? Does anyone here look for Hidden Mickeys and are there any at the resort that would be fun to look for?
Thanks!
Diane

I've only been to ASmo one time but I think it would be like Pop where the food court is open at 6:30 for non cooked items and 7:00 for hot items. I think it started getting busy around 7:30 and crazier around 8am. I would try to get there right at 7 if I wanted hot food or before 7 if I was just getting "grab & go" stuff. I think you'll find with the CS meal plan you'll have extra snack credits that you can use for breakfast or even find yourselves sharing other meals and have extra CS credits that you can use for a hot meal.

I like being at the parks before they open. I would try to get to the bus stop about an hour before the park opened so around 8am for a regular 9am opening or 7am for an early 8am opening. MK would be the longest ride and is about 15-20 minutes.

I thought the bus service from ASMo (and I stayed at ASMu once too) was fine. I think you'll find ALL resorts have long lines at closing. I would either try to get right out of the park at closing OR relax at park closing and take your time walking out of the park and let some of the crowd die down. Don't freak out when you see the HUGE lines-they tend to move way faster than you think they will.

I think you could easily fit a cooler under the sink but not sure if you would find it worth the effort.

All resorts have gift shops and I'm sure all of them have pins-have not ever purchased any at the resort gift shops but my kids have traded with CM in the resort gift shops. You could also easily walk over to ASmu & ASSp to try out their gift shops and food courts.


I'm sure you will all have a great trip! I often take my kids one at a time and those trips are very special!

 

[fadingjamie]

Question: should we request a king bed? I know that they are all handicap-accessible and therefore would not get priority, but is it worth it? I noticed the bathrooms in these rooms too.. obviously there's no bath tub in order to accommodate. I'm sorry if I'm a bit naive but does everything in there get wet because it's all tile and there is no tub to keep the water from going everywhere?

Has anyone requested a king bed before? What are the chances of getting one?

 

[amberg@eastlink.ca]

Question: should we request a king bed? I know that they are all handicap-accessible and therefore would not get priority, but is it worth it? I noticed the bathrooms in these rooms too.. obviously there's no bath tub in order to accommodate. I'm sorry if I'm a bit naive but does everything in there get wet because it's all tile and there is no tub to keep the water from going everywhere?

Has anyone requested a king bed before? What are the chances of getting one?

while i can't say what the chances are in getting one i can attest to the bathroom issue. our first trip on disney property in 05 we paid for a preferred room. when we got there we were in the fantasia building with that scary looking jack in the box....eek! our room had a king, and the handcapped bathroom...and yes everything got soaked, even the tp. the shower curtain doesnt' go all the way to the floor for obvious reasons and the water just spread everywhere. i found it to be awful. the bathroom is made larger to accomidate and the toilet in the corner. but there was water everywhere, not my fave aspect. the good thing is with disney tho they have the heat timer thingys in the bathrooms and usually it would dry up pretty fast if i recall...but in the mean time it made for messy times in the bathroom and around the sink, cus you dragged the water out with you. we always came home to a dry bathroom, but that being said i'm not sure how much of it mousekeeping had to clean up.

 

[fadingjamie]

while i can't say what the chances are in getting one i can attest to the bathroom issue. our first trip on disney property in 05 we paid for a preferred room. when we got there we were in the fantasia building with that scary looking jack in the box....eek! our room had a king, and the handcapped bathroom...and yes everything got soaked, even the tp. the shower curtain doesnt' go all the way to the floor for obvious reasons and the water just spread everywhere. i found it to be awful. the bathroom is made larger to accomidate and the toilet in the corner. but there was water everywhere, not my fave aspect. the good thing is with disney tho they have the heat timer thingys in the bathrooms and usually it would dry up pretty fast if i recall...but in the mean time it made for messy times in the bathroom and around the sink, cus you dragged the water out with you. we always came home to a dry bathroom, but that being said i'm not sure how much of it mousekeeping had to clean up.

Thanks very much for the response! You've confirmed my fears I'm not sure it's a trade off in order to get a king bed. We'll see how it goes.. they probably won't even have a room available to us (and then I won't even have to deal with a soaked bathroom!)