Resort Thread Disney's ALL-STAR MOVIES Resort

[CityGranola]

Wow, I made it thru all 40 pages!!

I have a few questions about the medical aspect of the fridges.

1. If you have a medical reason for the fridge, are they in communal areas, or in your room? (I would think in your room, but I read somewhere on here that says any food in them has to be factory sealed?? That led me to think maybe they're shared...)

2. What kind of documentation would I need for a medically needed fridge? DS has severe food allergies and also has a restricted diet due to some other issues - would this qualify? (This is probably not that common, maybe I should just call)

We're going next August and I am LOVING the ASMo! DS will be so excited...

 

[jrandtysmom]

Wow, I made it thru all 40 pages!!

I have a few questions about the medical aspect of the fridges.

1. If you have a medical reason for the fridge, are they in communal areas, or in your room? (I would think in your room, but I read somewhere on here that says any food in them has to be factory sealed?? That led me to think maybe they're shared...)

2. What kind of documentation would I need for a medically needed fridge? DS has severe food allergies and also has a restricted diet due to some other issues - would this qualify? (This is probably not that common, maybe I should just call)

We're going next August and I am LOVING the ASMo! DS will be so excited...

I asked my TA and she called Disney who said I'd need a note from my doctor for a medical fridge (free fridge).

 

[Goofy22]

Wow, I made it thru all 40 pages!!

I have a few questions about the medical aspect of the fridges.

1. If you have a medical reason for the fridge, are they in communal areas, or in your room? (I would think in your room, but I read somewhere on here that says any food in them has to be factory sealed?? That led me to think maybe they're shared...)

2. What kind of documentation would I need for a medically needed fridge? DS has severe food allergies and also has a restricted diet due to some other issues - would this qualify? (This is probably not that common, maybe I should just call)

We're going next August and I am LOVING the ASMo! DS will be so excited...

I would assume you would just need a note from your childs doctor. The frig is yours it's not shared it goes in your room. You would definitely qualify make sure you call youre resort now and add that you will need a free frig for medical issues your child has and make them note it on your ressie and ask them what proof if any you need.

 

[Bondfan531]

We went in June 2007 and when I made the reservations, I told the girl I needed a fridge in our room for our daughter's medications. She has chronic asthma and her meds and steroids have to be kept in the fridge. She said then the fridge would be free since it was for medical reasons and I specifically asked would I need a letter from my daughter's pediatrician and she said no Of course, that has now been a year and the rules have probably changed. As long as you have a letter of medical necessity from your child's or your doctor as to why you need that fridge for other than food, then I don't see an issue getting it free of charge.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Hi,
I am traveling in August to Movies and was also told by Disney that I did not need to bring any kind of proof to get the fridge for medical purposes. We are traveling with my mother who is diabetic so I put in the request. Of course, this is very easy to prove as she will be traveling with her insulin and all her other supplies. It certainly couldn't hurt to have a note since unlike medication, you can't just "show" an allergy. Either way, if it is for medical reasons, check your receipt carefully as you should not be charged and mistakes can be made.

 

[momofdbsdc]

My daughter has type 1 diabetes. We requested a fridge for her insulin. (I called right after her diagnosis to request it.) I brought a note, but they never asked for it. (When we were settled in our room, we just had to call front desk to have it sent up.)

It was a small, really beat up fridge, but it kept her insulin cold.

 

[skyytekk]

Have a question for all of you (and I hope it makes sense).

Our original itinerary was to stay at ASMo 6/14 to 6/21 then tranfer to POR for a business conference until 6/27. Just found out that my trip to the conference has been cancelled (company cutbacks). We have 10 day park hopper tickets and would like to stay at least until 6/25 as we have friends we're meeting.

I just called Disney and they are telling me that they can only get me into ASMo until 6/23. No available rooms in any value or moderate resort for the last 2 days. And I sure cannot afford a deluxe. I booked until 6/23 anyway just to get the available room.

Do you think I have a chance to get a room for the last two days of our trip? The agent said to keep calling so that's what I have to do but I need to get this finalized by tomorrow as I will need to re-book our flights. After tomorrow I get hit with $150 in fees from United. It's also an option to leave on 6/23 but we won't get to meet our friends and we'd really like to maximize the stay.

I'm hoping for some magic....

 

[momto2inKC]

If anyone is looking to join a fridge swap we're looking to fill some dates at the All Star resorts. It's over on the budget board!!

 

[Goofy's Sis]

Hi all, I'm just back yesterday from my short stay to watch my son's band march in teh MK parade! [OK, it's actually called the pre-parde, but hey, stepping out on Main Street with Spectromagic on your heels, it was pure magic! We watched from the train station platform, and then ran [and I do mean ran!] through adventureland to ctch them again on the last leg of the route in Frontierland! So I got that awesome view up main street witht he castle, and then saw my son close-up from the curb too! Great fun.

ASMo was great, everything was clean and pretty. Our weather and crowds were beuatiful--this was my first time not in the peak late-July season. We were in Fantasia, at the far end near Love Bug, with a nice view of that Herbie courtyard as we stepped out of the room. Short walk through the main pool area to the food court. No large groups were there, it was all very quiet and peaceful.

After previous stays at POR and CBR, I was pleased by how compact everything is at the All Stars. Yes, the Mighty Ducks building is a little farther, but you can look through the Dalmations courtyard and see it--compared to the Moderates, this is all very, very compact. And it really does matter where you're placed in the building, if you want to minimize walking. The near center of Herbie is not really farther than the outer edges of Toy Story and Dalmations. I agree with whoever mentioned the "magic" of the Toy Story buildings--that courtyard, for kids, is by far the most impressive theme. The remote control car to sit in, and the doorway/window enclosing the area are very cool. The giant TV frame and one puppy in the Dalmations courtyard are cute, too.

The food court was impressive--the first day, I got a slamon salad, expecting a pre-packaged food-service type salad like you would get in the parks. But this was a "build your own" [they build it for you, not self serve], with lots of fresh options, the worker plops in all into a big stainless bowl as you choose, tosses it with your choice of dressing, and then puts it into the serving dish! It was awesome.

Breakfast omelette was good, and my friend and I split a kids' meal Mickey waffles, which came with grapes, bacon and juice--in retrospect, we would have shared that and one omelette. The kid's meal seems like a real deal at $4. My other favorite tip is to buy a bag of Mickey pretzels in the gift shop, we munched on those for days--don't foget to look a twhat they carry in there--some really inexpensive snack options.

There is a hair dryer installed in the rooms. Mousekeeping was good, we had towel art the first day, and we spoke to the maid a couple times, so she knew we were just adults. Left several extra shampoos as we requested. The beds and linens were fine, not plush, but certainly clean and comfortable. I loved the bathroom decor, that film-strip effect in the wall tiles is very whimsical, and the light fixture that looks like a popcorn box made me smile!

I took a hot-pot to boil water [major coffee addict here], and took Folgers singles. There are sugar and sweetner packets in the food court, and tea bags, but no packets of creamer--it's in a dispenser. I picked up a couple creamers in the parks, but it's the liquid kind, so that's a little chancey to carry--I put it in the zip-lock bag I carried for my camera! [Walgreens drugstore here in St. Louis carries a $9.99 hot pot--I didn't find one anywhere else.] With a family, that hot-pot for soups, oatmeal, etc. would be very efficient. I found the food court to be great, but it "eats" a lot of time I'd rather be in the parks. The food court was open til midnight. We never tired the pizza delivery, but it looked and smelled really good!

Check-in and baggage was smooth and quick. We flew Southwest, used the Magical Express service, and our luggage was in the room when we got back that first night. Be sure to pack your first-day clothes change and essentials in the carry-on. SW doesn't participate in the departure luggage service, so we had to carry our luggage and check-in a the airport, but that was no big deal. I recommend the Magical Express--free, efficient, and friendly. You start with the Disney mindset right away, there's a promo video on the bus to ge the kids pumped, and everyone was cheerful and helpful.

Let me know if I can answer any questions!

 

[jenseib]

Glad your trip was great!

 

[Magalex]

Very nice and positive review of ASMO! Did you request the Fantasia bldg as a preferred room or did you just receive that location by chance? How was the busses for ASMO? Did you share with the other All Stars or did ASMO have its own bus for the parks?

 

[vdarrell]

We are going in Dec. and need a fridge due to medical reasons .When we booked through AAA I let our agent know this she said we didn't need a doctors order and it is stated on our trip plan papers.

 

[Goofy's Sis]

We did book a preferred room, and I chose Fantasia for the "Mickey" theme. In the rooms, the theme is evident in one framed poster on the wall and the wallpaper border at the ceiling. Other than that, I think inside the rooms is about the same. The bedspread fabric pattern includes all the ASMo themes. The bathroom tile, shower curtain, light fixtures and window curtains are all generically "movie" and star themed.

We were in the "Fantasia 2000" building, with the jack-in-the-box and nutcracker icons, rather than the vintage Fantasia, with the sorcerer's hat and broomsticks & bucket icons. I haven't even seen this newer Fantasia movie, so I was a little surprised at the ballerina/doll and toy soldiers, and there are pink roses on the railings, toy blocks at the top, and the hallway walls were pink and purple--this was perfect fun for me and another mom, but I think my boys would've not been enthralled with this a few years ago! The other Fantasia building is mostly blue, with a water/wave motif outside.

I can see now that the Love Bug building would also be a perfect choice for a couple, with it's "love"-y theme. But the Dalmations are sweet for anybody with kids, and the Ducks are great for anybody who loves games, and Toy Story works for everybody at some level...this is a great magical resort! I would have been very happy anywhere.

And on this unusual [for me] girls getaway trip, we shopped a lot more than when I'm with my DH and kids. Everytime the cash register rang up another treasure I couldn't resist, I justified it by telling myself "I saved so much on the value resort room, I deserve this Mickey-shaped _______" [fill in the blank, I bought a lot of cool stuff!]

Busses were good--we never waited long. Generally 5-10 minutes. Sometimes they covered all three All Stars, sometimes it was an ASMo dedicated bus. Going to the parks, I think they had already stopped at the other two first, but there was always room for us. Although I guess if they were full, they just wouldn't have come by--ASMo is the third stop on shared busses. Coming back at the end of the park day, we had our own ASMo bus from MK and Epcot. We stayed very late for the extra magic hours at Hollywood Studios--at 1:00 AM, it was a shared all-All Stars bus. But the three All Star resort stops are not really much different than the various island stops at CBR--it's just not far enough to be a big deal, in my opinion. Overall, bus service was great.

 

[danchibby3]

just wondering is the mugs are the same as last year. we were there in jan 07 and going back in aug 08. wondering if anyone knows if they are still the same.

 

[Goofy's Sis]

just wondering is the mugs are the same as last year. we were there in jan 07 and going back in aug 08. wondering if anyone knows if they are still the same.

My new mug from last week is almost the same as the ones we got in August of 2007, EXCEPT the year date is no longer on there! Look at your old mug--mine has "2007" under Micky & Minnie. On the new one, those numbers are missing--no date at all. Otherwise, it's identical: blue lid, white clouds/blue characters. There are still 3 choices of handle: blue, black, gray. You would have to be holding it in your hand to tell the difference.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Goofy's Sis - Thanks for the report! Sounds like you had a great time watching your son. They grow up so fast, don't they?

I, too, agree that the values are more compact than the mods (except POFQ). We stayed at POR last year and although we enjoyed the resort, I thought that they could have used the preferred room distinction. It was a bit crazy with everyone trying to get the same rooms.
Very excited about the fresh salads at the food court. Sometimes, that's all I can handle in the heat, so it is good to know it is an option.
Glad to hear the buses were efficient for you. I don't like to drive on vacation and with the cost of gas these days, free bus service is a great perk IMO.

 

[moljammom]

Good evening - thanks for the welcome memom.

We are staying in the preferred room. With the AAA discount the cost was the same as the regular price of the non-preferred room. With little ones we thought it was worth it.

Someone mentioned loving the mugs. With 2 little ones I am trying to decide if a mug would be worth the purchase. When I stayed at Sports over 6 years ago you could put milk in the mug. Is this still an option?

Thanks for the help!!

Just a bump on this question. Anyone know?

 

[Goofy's Sis]

Just a bump on this question. Anyone know?

Milk was not on the beverage bar, but late one night when the creamer dispenser was empty, the worker offered to get me milk instead. He would take it inside and fill it. I should've asked if that was a option for kids--sorry, I forgot! Then he decided to just refill the creamer dispenser, other people were also milling around looking for it, so we didn't finish this conversation.

The drink bar is circular, with work space in the middle for the food service people to replenish from. I would suggest just asking on your way in to the actual purchase area if they can supply milk on request. Watching the amount of waste with the soda and other basics, I can see that milk would not be economical in the self-serve mode. I think a bottled milk or juice was also included with the kid's meal--there's one cooler section specifically marked for kid meal options.

The mug station offered soda, coffee [reg & decaf], iced tea, hot chocolate. there were tea bags [reg & decaf], but I'm not sure I saw a hot water dispenser. There's also condiments, syrup, butter, etc.

We swam late one night, I was freezing, and a decaf coffee loaded with creamer and sweetener and a shot of chocolate seemed like a specialty coffeehouse treat! Warm, yummy and no charge...

 

[lovesdumbo]

Just a bump on this question. Anyone know?

Milk is not an option for the refillable mugs at any Disney resort.

 

[moljammom]

Milk was not on the beverage bar, but late one night when the creamer dispenser was empty, the worker offered to get me milk instead. He would take it inside and fill it. I should've asked if that was a option for kids--sorry, I forgot! Then he decided to just refill the creamer dispenser, other people were also milling around looking for it, so we didn't finish this conversation.

The drink bar is circular, with work space in the middle for the food service people to replenish from. I would suggest just asking on your way in to the actual purchase area if they can supply milk on request. Watching the amount of waste with the soda and other basics, I can see that milk would not be economical in the self-serve mode. I think a bottled milk or juice was also included with the kid's meal--there's one cooler section specifically marked for kid meal options.

The mug station offered soda, coffee [reg & decaf], iced tea, hot chocolate. there were tea bags [reg & decaf], but I'm not sure I saw a hot water dispenser. There's also condiments, syrup, butter, etc.

We swam late one night, I was freezing, and a decaf coffee loaded with creamer and sweetener and a shot of chocolate seemed like a specialty coffeehouse treat! Warm, yummy and no charge...

Thank you Goofy's Sis! We will do as you suggest. The coffee treat does sound yummy! Thanks to lovesdumbo also. December seems so far away but we are almost at the 180 day mark!