How good can it get?

[minnie61650]

When I think of a Disney Resort. I think of The All Stars.

I have been visiting since 1971 when it was brand new.
Most people would think I would equate the Poly or The Contemporary with Disney.
Not Me! The Poly and Contemporary may be nice resorts but they just do not seem Disneyto me.

I love the giant icons at the All Stars. The huge Coke cups with the straws in them at All Star Sports, the Giant Buzz and Woody and the Mickey pool at All Star Movies, and the pool with Donald at All Star Music. I feel like I stepped into a Disney Movie Fantasyland when I am at the All Stars.
Now that is Disney!
When we pull up to All Stars and I see those giant icons I get the biggest smile on my face. I know I am at Disney!

Now Disney is opening its new Family Suites at my favorite resort All Star Music. I can't wait to try them out.
Luxury at my favorite resort.
How good can it get?
Here is the layout:

Here are some photos of the New Family Suites from the DIS Resorts Website:

 

[IMGONNABE40!]

Thank you for the great photos! I'd love to get a picture of my DH with the giant coke--it is his favorite beverage!

 

[Kay7979]

The kitchen is the size of a small closet or hallway, and since the refrigerator is no bigger than they give you in a room at the moderates, and there is only a microwave, it's better than nothing, but not good for much. The table is also the same size as in a standard room, so it would be pretty tough to seat more than 2 or 3 to eat at once. It's a step in the right direction, but it's not a very sweet suite!

 

[DisneyArk]

Thanks for sharing the pictures! I had seen a few pictures, but had not seen the beds opened up or the floor plan.

I really think this looks GREAT!! We stayed in a DVC studio at VWL. This suite has much more room - plus 2 bathrooms. I think the little kitchenette is ok (same as villa studio kitchenette). You might not be able to cook a fancy meal, but you can fix quick, easy foods.

 

[lustergirl]

I would like to thank the original poster. Not many praise the Value Resorts and I loved reading this thread. We have always stayed at AS Sports and this feels like a second home to us. My 2 sons loves the huge sports icon. It seems as though some have nothing bad but to say about the values because the cheaper priced resorts are associated with being just that- cheap, dirty and rundown and only the poor folks can afford to stay there. I love the values and will always stay there. We can afford the more expensive resorts but we spend too much time in the parks to thoroughly enjoy the amenities that come with the mods or deluxes.

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

Thanks for the great photos. We are considering this for our next stay.

 

[ChairborneRangr]

When I think of a Disney Resort. I think of The All Stars.

I have been visiting since 1971 when it was brand new.
Most people would think I would equate the Poly or The Contemporary with Disney.
Not Me! The Poly and Contemporary may be nice resorts but they just do not seem Disneyto me.

I love the giant icons at the All Stars. The huge Coke cups with the straws in them at All Star Sports, the Giant Buzz and Woody and the Mickey pool at All Star Movies, and the pool with Donald at All Star Music. I feel like I stepped into a Disney Movie Fantasyland when I am at the All Stars.
Now that is Disney!
When we pull up to All Stars and I see those giant icons I get the biggest smile on my face. I know I am at Disney!

EXACTLY!

I'm glad I have found someone else as wierd as me! Although Didn't get to WDW till later in the 70's...

 

[Amy&Dan]

Those are great pictures! I can't wait to try one of these suites out. I love the All Stars too!

 

[kizmac]

Thanks for the great photos of the new suites! They look really nice. Can't wait to hear reviews on them and how comfy those fold out couches really are. I do wish they could of had bigger fridges in them. Other than that it looks great.

 

[clkelley]

While we love the values and stay at All-Stars most of the time, those suites just don't add up for us.

We have adult children, so even though they have enough beds for us, the fact that they cost more than two rooms, and the fact that they are limited, so probably no discounts, and the extra adult charge makes two rooms a lot better value.

Especially our upcoming trip, where we're also bringing our son's girlfriends. Girls in one room, guys in the other. Not possible with these suites.

They will probably work well for families with younger children. I wish they had left the outside door on the master bedroom. That way early or late parents could enter and leave without disturbing their children.

However, that being said, they are going in the right direction. It is a MUCH better value than the Ft. Wilderness cabins or any of the DVC properties.

If they would also add some connecting standard rooms dispersed between them, and allow folks to book that as a two bedroom with a lockout (similar to Old Key West), then that would also be a step in the right direction.

 

[DisFlan]

The kitchen is the size of a small closet or hallway, and since the refrigerator is no bigger than they give you in a room at the moderates, and there is only a microwave, it's better than nothing, but not good for much. The table is also the same size as in a standard room, so it would be pretty tough to seat more than 2 or 3 to eat at once. It's a step in the right direction, but it's not a very sweet suite!

I was honestly disappointed when I saw the pics. I'd REALLY wanted to like these suites. But I thought the same things you mentioned. What good is a table for 2 in a room for 6 with a kitchenette? And the decor puts me off - looks like hospital furniture. The ambience and comfort of where we stay is important to us at WDW. And this ain't it.

Maybe future suites will better. I hope.


DisFlan

 

[golden1]

I'm staying for a few nights this December and I'm looking forward to it. I'm glad to see a positive review of the All-Stars!

 

[tinkerbeth]

We've stayed at Pop and Movies. The only thing about movies that I didn't like was that it was cold out and the pool was cold. I suppose that's not WDW's fault...

But I agree, the theming of the values can't be beat. Especially for a family with a budget. BUT, we also LOVE AKL. Looking forward to trying a mod this time for the first time, but we'll for sure be back to the values someday. I've promised to take my neices and nephews in 10 or 12 years...we'll need a seperate room for the kids so I can see us staying at Pop then. Especailly if kids are old enough to take transportation and amuse themselves in the parks.

Thanks for the pics!

Beth

 

[minnie61650]

............... It is a MUCH better value than the Ft. Wilderness cabins or any of the DVC properties.

If they would also add some connecting standard rooms dispersed between them, and allow folks to book that as a two bedroom with a lockout (similar to Old Key West), then that would also be a step in the right direction.

A two bedroom suite with a lockout would be really nice. The second bedroom could either have two doubles or a king in it.

We had two of our family homes custom built. I drew the floor plans for them and worked with our architect on the elevations. Our current lakefront home is 4400 square with five bedrooms and four baths so I have had a little experience with floor plans.

In order to put a connecting door into one of the standard rooms from the family room it would have to
go where the foldout chair and ottoman are currently. So in order to keep the
foldout chair and ottoman in the family room the bathroom in that room would have to be eliminated. That would still give you two bedrooms,two bathrooms , a kittchenette and a larger family room area.
Those rooms would have to be dedicated two bedroom suites and would sleep 8-10 people.(8 for those rooms with king beds or 10 for the rooms with two
doubles.)

Sounds cool. Works for me!

Some posters have remarked that the kitchenette is too small. I think it is fine for a quick snack such as freshly popped popcorn and a pot of coffee.
Part of the Disney experience for me is trying out the wonderful sitdown restaurants. I do not want to cook when I am on vacation.
Also I won't stay at DVC either because I love mousekeeping. Having fresh towels and my beds made when I return from a day in the park is a must for me.( I know I could pay an extra $25 a day at a DVC to get mousekeeping,
but it is included when I book through Disney.)

 

[hollyb]

Thanks for the pics!!! We are leaning towards staying at a value. Our kids will have a great time. I would rather stay here and the money we save we can use it in the parks.

Do you like the pool? Having a kid friendly pool is at the top of our list.

 

[minnie61650]

Thanks for the pics!!! We are leaning towards staying at a value. Our kids will have a great time. I would rather stay here and the money we save we can use it in the parks.

Do you like the pool? Having a kid friendly pool is at the top of our list.

The pools at The All Stars are very kid friendly.

When staying at the All Stars you can use any of the All Star pools.That means 3 main pools ,3 quiet pools and 3 kiddie pools to chose from.

The All Star Movie Fantasia pool has Mickey.

The Calypso pool at ASMU has Donald Duck.

And the Surfs up pool at All Star Sports has giant surf boards.

Here are a few pool photos.

All Star Sports pool

All Star Music pool

All Star Movies Pool

All Star Movies kiddie pool

Have fun at Disney!

 

[LorilieMarie]

At first I was bummed because we were trying to upgrade the resort, didn't think it was worth it money wise, so tried to get into All Star Movies, it was booked up, so ended up staying at All Star Sports AGAIN! Boy was I glad this time! We stayed on the second floor close to the buses (the first time we were at ground level by the pool - Too much Noise!) This location was very peaceful, our room was very clean, we could easily get to the pool, the food court, and the buses. You can't say that about CBR or any other huge resort. This time I booked All Star's on purpose, not because it's all we could afford.

 

[minnie61650]

At first I was bummed because we were trying to upgrade the resort, didn't think it was worth it money wise, so tried to get into All Star Movies, it was booked up, so ended up staying at All Star Sports AGAIN! Boy was I glad this time! We stayed on the second floor close to the buses (the first time we were at ground level by the pool - Too much Noise!) This location was very peaceful, our room was very clean, we could easily get to the pool, the food court, and the buses. You can't say that about CBR or any other huge resort. This time I booked All Star's on purpose, not because it's all we could afford.

I am glad you enjoyed your stay at All Sar Sports.

You have made some very good points why many like myself prefer the value resorts even when we can well afford to stay at other levels of Disney's resorts.

Just an FYI


I stay at the values quite often and have never had an issue with noise.

The noise issues come with :

1. The main pool is located very close to some of the value rooms.

The themed pools at the mods and deluxes are set away from the rooms.

Tip: Ask for a room facing away or located a ways from the main pool.

2. Turbo toilets

The Values are newer and have the turbo toilets.

Tip: Close your bathroom door at night because noise travels through the plumbing.

3. Connecting rooms

About 50% of the value rooms have connecting doors.

Noise will travel under the connecting doors in a room.

Tip: If you have noisy neighbors open your connecting door and place a rolled up bath towel on the floor between then close and lock your connecting door.

Other guests have found that using a fan or a white noise machine helps them sleep better.

These tips should help you get a restful sleep wherever you choose to stay.

Have fun at Disney!