First time at an All Star

[rosegoldmonorail]

so i'm currently booked at all star music for three nights. i've heard mixed things about it, and i've stayed at pop century before and really really liked it, but there's no rooms available at Pop with the AP discount, so it'd be almost $200 extra to stay at pop, and i don't think it's worth it.

anyway, can you guys tell me if you liked staying at All Star Music, or any of the All Stars in general? do they share buses? i'll be going the second week of may. is it better than pop century? should i splurge for a preferred room or is not worth it? thanks guys!

 

[siren0119]

The All Star hotels only share a bus during the slow points of the day (midday between the resorts and the parks). At the busier times (morning and evenings) each All Star Resort gets its own bus.

 

[annadreamsofdisneyworld]

We stayed at all star music and liked it. We didn't use the buses. If you can afford it I'd splurge for preferred. It was a long walk from where we were in the back. I often drove from our room to the food court.

 

[dansdad]

We have stayed at all 3 All Stars and thoroughly enjoyed each stay. We prefer them over Pop. One of the reasons is because each one has around 33% of the amount of guests as Pop. As another poster mentioned, bus sharing is only during the slow parts of the day. We have over 45 nights across all 3 All Stars and have been on a shared bus a grand total of 4 times.

 

[Pmlocke]

I'm a Music guy. My wife and I stay at AS Music every year in February. Stayed at Pop once (2010). Didn't like it. You don't share buses except for the middle of the day when there are usually only 3 people on the bus anyway. If youare worried about crowded buses, crowded pools, crowded dining at the resort-here are some facvts. Put two guests in a romm and multiply by the 2880 rooms at POP as opposed to the 1604 rooms at Music or the 1920 rooms at Sports or Movies. That is 2568 more people at POP trying to get on the bus, into the pool or eating breakfast. That's at only 2 guests per room. Besides, we love the staff at Music. Extremely friendly and helpful.

 

[Disneylvr1971]

Very much enjoyed our stay there in Dec. Was a very relaxed, quiet resort. Also you have the ability to walk over to the other 2 sister resorts. They are very close to each other.

 

[cmorris303]

We've stayed at Sports twice. Both time were after previously staying at a Deluxe we still enjoyed both stays. The rooms were clean, the staff was friendly, and the bus service was smooth. My kids love the food court. We've stayed at the Pop also and like both about the same. When choosing between an ALL Star and Pop, we go where the discount is.

 

[mom to minnie&mickey]

DD and I stayed at Music last June. Pop was quite a bit more money and, like you, felt it was not worth it. I had no problem with our stay but I did find the rooms worn out. Our walls had scratches and the border paper was peeling. The carpet had also seen a better day. Music and Sports are due for a refurbishment as soon as they finish with Movies and so I doubt they are doing anything to the rooms other than urgent repairs. Still, we paid just $100/night through Undercover Tourist and we were onsite with all that entails. Also, you might want to consider a preferred room if you do not like a long walk. The way Music is set up (think a long rectangle rather than oval shaped) the regular rooms are way in the back. Avoid the "country" section as it is the furthest.

 

[BrianL]

It's very similar to POP in most regards. The bus rides are a tad longer, but they don't share except when it's very slow. Try not to worry too much about it. It's a fun property to stay at!

 

[Moliphino]

DD and I stayed at Music last June. Pop was quite a bit more money and, like you, felt it was not worth it. I had no problem with our stay but I did find the rooms worn out. Our walls had scratches and the border paper was peeling. The carpet had also seen a better day. Music and Sports are due for a refurbishment as soon as they finish with Movies and so I doubt they are doing anything to the rooms other than urgent repairs. Still, we paid just $100/night through Undercover Tourist and we were onsite with all that entails. Also, you might want to consider a preferred room if you do not like a long walk. The way Music is set up (think a long rectangle rather than oval shaped) the regular rooms are way in the back. Avoid the "country" section as it is the furthest.

We stayed in the Country section in August way back in 2001 (I think). That walk was brutal in the middle of the day. I'll second the worn out comments, as well. We were at Movies a little over a year ago and noticed the same things. Also our plugs were falling out of the wall sockets because they were so old and worn out. I wouldn't be in a hurry to stay at any of the All Stars until after the refurbs are complete.

 

[elaine amj]

I have stayed at Pop, Sports and Music. I like Pop best because it is closer to Epcot but not enough to pay much more for it. So last couple of times I stayed at Music. I really liked the quieter vibe at Music. I am a country music fan so was happy to stay in the country section where I would smile as I walked past the giant cowboy boots each day. Yes, it's a bit of a walk....but now that my kids are older (i.e. no need to carry a sleeping child), I don't find it a big deal. Lose a few extra calories to work off that Dole Whip!

 

[Disneypro1]

MUSIC is the nicest all star resort. The grounds and all just. Imho are better. As for the bus system. It’s great. We have never had any issues with the busses. They are free and you can’t complain about free lol. Sure you may have to stand. But that’s a non issue.

 

[HeiHei2018]

We've stayed at Movies twice during the "slow" part of January and never shared a bus. We don't mind walking, so we did hop a Music bus and walked over to Movies to get back a bit faster. (Buses to DS to/from anywhere seem to be the slowest in all of WDW.) I am debating a switch to Pop or CBR for our next trip in order to have Skyliner access, but probably won't because DD absolutely loves the theming at Music and Movies.

 

[gypsy_at_heart]

I stayed at all star music a few years ago. The price was very right, sub $100, and I wanted to stay on property. I think whether it’s preferential is very subjective. I can’t say there was anything wrong with my stay. Yes, the room was a bit worn and the carpet had seen some better days, but I wouldn’t say it was dirty. In fact it seemed clean and comfortable. The staff was nice, I had no buss issues, and I didn’t really use the pool but it looked like a pretty standard pool. I didn’t eat there much, mostly because the food didn’t appeal to me, but everyone who did seemed pleased. The food court was always busy. The gift shop was nice. The walk from the room - non preferred- was really nothing. That said, I’m 34 and while not athletic, I am physically able and don’t find walking much of an issue anywhere.

Did I stay there again?

No. However, it wasn’t a bad stay. I just found the moderate resort food courts and amenities more to my liking and have been able to find some good deals on them.

I’ve never stayed at POP, however they do have the refurbished rooms, so if that matters to you, you might want to go with POP. I’d check out some room pictures and go from there

 

[rosegoldmonorail]

thanks for the replies everyone! i'm not too concerned about if the rooms are refurbed or not, as long as its clean that's all that matters! it's good to hear there's no issues with the bus. i think i'm gonna stay at ASMu. for the price it just makes sense

 

[bavarian princess]

Thanks rosegoldmonorail for asking the question as I am torn between All Stars Movies and Pop I have stayed at Pop twice and liked it, especially the renovated rooms. I am heading back to WDW at the beginning of September and already struggled to find 10 consecutive nights as Pop (hello Star Wars Land and F&W). That's why I started looking into staying at All Stars Movies. Now that I found a room at Pop I am worried that it might be super busy and am thinking of rather staying at ASMo Thanks to all of you who shared your insights on the All Stars family

 

[maccagerl]

I’ve stayed at Pop, most of the Mods, and a couple of Deluxes over the years.
During the past year or so I’ve stayed at all of the All Stars due to the price being around $90-$120/night.

I ‘d say Movies has the best food court.
If you have active kids Sports is fun- there is a big football field between 2 of the buildings and there are always a bunch of kids playing there.

The pools are all fine as well.

I’ve never had a problem with the busses either, usually each all-star has their own bus.

If you are at Music it’s a quick walk over to Movies.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Castlequeen5]

We've stayed in a family suite at Music last year and will stay there again this summer. Our stay was nice. We never had any trouble with the busses or felt like it was too rundown. However, an outlet at one of the bathroom sinks did not work. I reported it and it was replaced before we got back from the park that day. Plus they gave us fastpasses for the trouble. So I would definitely recommend Music!

We will stay at Pop for Halloween, but after reading this thread I'm concerned it might feel too crowded. I didn't realize it was that much bigger!