I am planning a trip next fall with my sister, her husband, and her three children. They want to stay at ASMu to save $$$. I want to stay at POFQ or CR! I know I am being a big baby, and I will have fun no matter where I stay, but I can't help it! We were at CR last fall and loved it! Walking to the Magic Kingdon, hopping on the monorail, watching the electrical pagent float by. It was great! And I love the small size of POFQ. And it has the neat dragon slide Please please point out some positives of staying at ASMu, before I am tempted to upgrade us and pay for it myself!
Some of our best trips with extended family have been when we stay at different resorts, have you considered this.
Maybe renting points for a 2BR DVC resort would work for you. You and your family can use the master BR and living room, and they can use the second bedroom, and pay 1/3 the cost. Might save both of you money, and make everyone's vacation wonderful! Anne
If you find you can't do either of the above options suggested, just try to get your head in the right place. Contemporary is great. But this isn't the first or last trip you'll ever make to Disney, but it is the first trip you'll be making with your sister and her family. Try to focus on how much you'll enjoy vacationing with them and think of your vacation in a way that the resort is not as important (focus on the parks, dining, etc.) I'm not saying this because I'm so wise but because I know how you feel! I'm staying offsite (vacation house) for the first time to go along with the wishes of extended family who find onsite options to expensive or cramped or whatever. After making my case for onsite and finding deaf ears, I just relaxed and went with the group... next time my family vacations at Disney on its own we'll go to whatever resort we want and make our decision, and for this trip we'll focus on enjoying the way this trip will be different (separate bedrooms, spending less money on accomodations, using a rental car, etc.) and enjoying the group trip. Good luck!
Wish I could help you. I've changed my resort four times because I felt the same way as you! (POR, AKL, BC, Poly) I know how you feel. The only way I can think of to make you feel better is that while you may enjoy your stay a little more at a moderate, you're paying for that extra enjoyment. If you don't upgrade, try to think of the extra money that you have in your pocket that you wouldn't if you had upgraded.
Just think of the faces of your nieces/nephews when their little faces light up upon seeing all the huge musical stuff at ASMu (although I would recommend ASMo instead - Toy Story, Dalmatians). I've been toying with the idea of upgrading to POFQ, but I've decided that we're going to ASMo because my BF will love it, we won't be there all that much, and my CP stuff will be waiting there for me You probably won't really notice where you are anyway. And you can still go see the EWP!
I think the best recommendation was the one to stay at separate resorts. Not only do you get to stay at the resort you want to be at, but sis and her family can save their money. In addition, I don't know how it is in your family, but if I did an extended family trip like that to WDW, I would definitely appreciate being able to go back to my resort from the parks and know that I'll have at least some time to be alone or with my immediate family. Going to parks and dining with your extended family seems like it would be plenty of time spent with them, without having to coordinate your entire days to be with them. I wouldn't pay for the upgrade myself. I think that could possibly lead to some resentful feelings down the road, either for sis, who might feel you're being snooty about resort choices (I know, you're not, but just pointing out possible misperceptions in the future), or you might feel bad if she wasn't appropriately grateful for the difference in accommodations that you paid for. I just wouldn't do it.
I would vote for 2 different resorts. That way everyone could have what they want, and you will spend most of your time together, but it is always nice to have a little quiet time to just relax alone. We are going with parents and they will be at POLY and we will be at POR. I know this has worked very nice in the past for us. If any of us get a little cranky it is nice to split up for a little while. We went on a cruise with close family members and they are wonderful and we get along great, but their lifestyle is different than ours. He is bald and she has short, no style hair. They need a combined total of 20 minutes and they can both be showered and ready to go. I have longer hair that takes more time to wash, dry, and style, and so does my husband. We would be barely out of the shower and they would be knocking on the door ready to go. I always felt rushed because they were right there waiting for me. And like I said they are wonderful and we get along great, but it would have been better if we werent located sooo close together. Even the best family and friends can use a little breathing room. Since it sounds like you each prefer a different resort, I think that is exactly what you should do.
I am 55 years old and travel several times a year. I often stay at 4 star hotels. So the deluxe resorts do not have anything special for me. All Star is like being in the heart of the Magic and that is where I want to be. All Star Music is my favorite.It is quieter because more couples stay there. I love staying at the Clypso building. It is closer to the pool,food court and bus stop. Here is a site with a map of All Star Sports and All Star Music. http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/allstarmap.htm Scroll down.All Star Music is at the bottom of the page. The Calypso buildings at All Star Music are #1 and #10 are nearest to the food court and bus stop. They are the preferred buildings and cost about $12 extra per night. The Calypso pool at ASMU has Donald Duck. Here is the map of All Movies. http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/allstarmovie.JPG The Fantasia Buildings are the preferred buildings. The All Star Movie Fantasia pool has Mickey. It is a great place to stay . Preschoolers love it. It is like being in the middle of a Disney Movie Fantasyland.. The All Star resorts are all within walking distance of each other and you are welcome to use any of the pools at any of the ALL Stars. The buses are wonderful. Bus rides are quite short from the ALL Stars according to PassPorter.com All Star Buses-CBR buses---CSR buses--PO buses--- Contemporary MK 20 min---- 20 min-----15 min------10 min---20 min(mono) Epcot 10 min-- 15 min-----15 min------10 min---15 min MGM 10 min----12 min-----15 min------15 min---20min AK 10 min------20min-------10 min----15 min---20 min DTD 15 min----20 min------35 min-----15 min---35 min It only takes 10 minutes to get to Epcot,MGM and AK from All Stars. MK is 20 min away. That's the same amount of time it takes on the monorail from the Contemporary. The All Star resorts have 1960 rooms each. Pop has 2,880rooms. That means more people in the pools,food court and in line waiting for the bus at POP. When phase 2 of POP is built it will be 2 bus stops at POP and the 2 POPs will have the same # of rooms as the 3 All Stars. Also All Star is closer to the main road to get to parks and thats why bus rides are shorter from there than from POP. A WORD ABOUT BUS SHARING: It is usually just our stop and maybe one more on the way to the parks. On the way back sometimes its all 3 but often Sports and Music share and Movies has it's own bus back. I guess some people who stay at POP see all 3 All Star names on the return sign of our bus stop when they head to the POP bus stop and think All Stars also has 3 stops on the way to the park. (Even when we stop at another AS resort to load up it has not taken more than 5 minutes and we are on our way!) I love the All Star Resorts --they can't be beat. I have visited WDW more than a dozen times with the 1st time in Oct. 1971. It was brand new. I've stayed at FW, Disney Inn, a few the of Hotels on hotel Blvd., CBR and the towers at the Contemporary. I got to see the MK from my balcony at the Contemporary and I'm happy I got to experience it once. I just prefer the All Star Resorts. The theaming is pure Disney. My last 4 visits have been at The All Stars and this fall when we take dd,dsil, and our grandson age 3 we are staying at the All Stars Music. I thought about AKL and even though we can well afford AKL I just wanted Alex to experience the Disney Magic at the All Stars on his first visit. Where else can one find Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse at the pool? Have a great time at Disney! Linda
I would let the kids stay at the ASM with their parents. And you should upgrade yourself to CR. I know what you are feeling. I would feel the same. You could spend all of your time with them in the parks, but have a little peace and quiet during the evenings. Is spending a little extra for the upgrade is not a problem, I would tell you to go ahead and splurge! The CR is great & everything is so close.
Upgrading to DVC would be a great idea- you'd have wonderful accommodations, and it would save money, if they agree to it. If that's too much togetherness for you, or if they still want to stay at ASMu, discuss the option of staying at different resorts and meeting up at each other's resorts or the parks for breakfast. You're both on vacation. Everyone should have a good time. I hate to say it, but sometimes a little less togetherness and a little more privacy can help keep everyone a little happier. Discuss your options with your sister.
If you've never stayed at the All-Stars before, I say go ahead and give it a try. I would agree though to staying in a different building then your sisters family. Like some of the other posters mentioned, you may want a little space to yourself after being in the parks with them all day. Look at it like this, you'll get to add the All star Music to your list of Disney resorts that you've stayed at. Even though it is not your first choice, it will still be a different experience for you. I would Not go together and rent a DVC. To me that would be just too much togetherness. However, if you want to upgrade yourself and them to POFQ, I would say that is okay, as long as your sister would agree to it. You would have to suggest it in a way that doesn't sound as if her hotel choice is not good enough. Maybe you could ask her why it is that she wants to stay at ASM, and maybe mention to her that the rooms at POFQ are larger and her family would have more room. If she does agree, don't be disapointed if she doesn't tell you how much she appreciates the upgrade. Okay, this is just my opinion, but I would Not put myself in a different resort as your sister. She is thinking that this is going to be a family vacation, and may feel hurt if you don't stay at the same resort and may feel that you don't want to be a part of their vacation. ( we all know that this isn't true and that you will be seeing them at the parks and such). But also, by you staying at the same resort as them, this gives you more freedom during the day, like if you want to go off on your own and do another part of the park or a different park altogether, it won't seem as if you are abandoning her because you will see her later at the hotel. Does that make sence? Ok, I hope I've helped in some tiny way! Good luck in your decission. let us know what you decide!
We have spent a week in a 2BR DVC unit twice with my sisters family and once with my brother's and we enjoyed both trips immensely. It wasn't too much togetherness by any means, and we'd do it again in a heartbeat! Anne
I understand you really enjoyed the CR. It is a fun hotel. When I am at the All Stars I really enjoy is watching the little ones having fun in the pools. The pools are centrally located so I pass by them on the way to and from the food count/bus stop area. Its so much fun watching them playing in the pools and getting squited by the water coming out of Mickey's hands. I am looking forward to watching my DGS(age 3) enjoy the pools and theming and I know you are going to have lots of fun with your sis and her family. The first time I went to All Stars was also with my sis in 2001. We had so much fun there. Now its my favorite resort. Have fun at the ALL Stars and have fun deciding which character meal you wish to choose with the money you save. Linda
Stay at the ASM first for half the trip and then transfer to POFG or CR for the remainder. (I wouldn't recommend doing it the other way around though). We did that with ASMO and CBR. It made it a little cheaper so that everyone could afford the trip and still allowed us to experience the Moderate as well as the Value resort. Mike
I would want to stay at the same place so we could swim together and because of transportation issues. Because (we hope!) no trip to Disney will be our last, we would be willing to plan around the family/friend with the smallest budget. Someday it might be us. When we went with a bunch of family, the most cost effective thing was an offsite 3 BR condo. It worked out great! you just never know until you try it.
It's interesting that there's another thread: Sister Switched Resorts on Me that is a VERY similar situation, but seen from the opposite perspective. I hope that if you decide to stay separately from your sister's family, you can be more tactful in your approach than that woman's sister was.
