We stayed the first 4 nights at ASMo. The good points were that the CM,s were friendly, the rooms were spotless, housekeeping was great, and the food court was just fine. The not so good points was that the motel just looked cheap. My sister and I got to laughing thinking on just how much it reminded us of the motels our family stayed in when were were children traveling out west to NM. They were 2 story blue cinderblock with the heavy metal doors. If you took away the third story and all the ICONS you wouldn't have been able to tell them apart.
We stayed in the Buzz light year section in building # 10. This building was very conveinent to the food court but unfortunately the rooms we stayed in #950 and 951 were facing the parking lot that the trucks for the food court used. Every morning around 5:30 AM I was awakened by a beep, beep, beep form the trucks backing up. The first time I heard it I thought it was the alarm clock. I was even wearing ear plugs! I could also hear people walking by and talking in the mornings. This was not too much of a problem since we are early risers but could be annoying for those who are not.
Overall I think that if you get a discount like we did and are expecting to spend most of your time in the parks then the Allstars are just fine for your needs. If you want to spend alot of time in the resort then I would choose something a little more interesting. There is just too much asphalt and not enough greenery for my taste. The kids gave it a thumbs up though but they like just about any motel with a pool.
The AKL was great! I fell in love with it from the moment I walked through the doors. But remember I was leaving the ASMo which could have greatly influenced my judgement. I mean it wouldn't have taken much to have gotten me excited by that point. LOL But all joking aside it is a very nice hotel. Yes it was dark but that was all part of the theming and added to the ambiance. When I wanted more light in my room I just opened the curtains. I had a standard room which overlooked the parking lot. I cannot say that I liked this because I felt the whole time like we were missing something. It was very quiet though and we viewed the animals at the places that were available throughout the hotel. The rooms were very new looking and right down spaceous when compared to the Allstars. My only complaint was that when you stepped into the bathroom you had to step into the corner to close the door. It was a little tight in there.
The bus system was adequate but we had to wait 20 minutes at times. The ASMo had them beat with their greater bus availability. A CM told me that the ASMo had 14 buses to each park and the AKL only had 3. It wasn't too bad though and certainly didn't discourage us.
I loved talking to the CM's about the animals. They had people stationed at some the veiwing areas that gave you all kinds of information. At one point we got so close to a Giraffe that we could have touched it. Another thing I loved to do was sit out on one of the public balconies in a rocking chair looking out over the savannah with the drums beating in the background. I really felt like I was in Africa. It was just so peaceful and an experiance that you just don't have every day. I would definitely stay there again and even in a standard room if that was all I could afford but I would much rather have a savannah room.
We stayed in the Buzz light year section in building # 10. This building was very conveinent to the food court but unfortunately the rooms we stayed in #950 and 951 were facing the parking lot that the trucks for the food court used. Every morning around 5:30 AM I was awakened by a beep, beep, beep form the trucks backing up. The first time I heard it I thought it was the alarm clock. I was even wearing ear plugs! I could also hear people walking by and talking in the mornings. This was not too much of a problem since we are early risers but could be annoying for those who are not.
Overall I think that if you get a discount like we did and are expecting to spend most of your time in the parks then the Allstars are just fine for your needs. If you want to spend alot of time in the resort then I would choose something a little more interesting. There is just too much asphalt and not enough greenery for my taste. The kids gave it a thumbs up though but they like just about any motel with a pool.
The AKL was great! I fell in love with it from the moment I walked through the doors. But remember I was leaving the ASMo which could have greatly influenced my judgement. I mean it wouldn't have taken much to have gotten me excited by that point. LOL But all joking aside it is a very nice hotel. Yes it was dark but that was all part of the theming and added to the ambiance. When I wanted more light in my room I just opened the curtains. I had a standard room which overlooked the parking lot. I cannot say that I liked this because I felt the whole time like we were missing something. It was very quiet though and we viewed the animals at the places that were available throughout the hotel. The rooms were very new looking and right down spaceous when compared to the Allstars. My only complaint was that when you stepped into the bathroom you had to step into the corner to close the door. It was a little tight in there.
The bus system was adequate but we had to wait 20 minutes at times. The ASMo had them beat with their greater bus availability. A CM told me that the ASMo had 14 buses to each park and the AKL only had 3. It wasn't too bad though and certainly didn't discourage us.
I loved talking to the CM's about the animals. They had people stationed at some the veiwing areas that gave you all kinds of information. At one point we got so close to a Giraffe that we could have touched it. Another thing I loved to do was sit out on one of the public balconies in a rocking chair looking out over the savannah with the drums beating in the background. I really felt like I was in Africa. It was just so peaceful and an experiance that you just don't have every day. I would definitely stay there again and even in a standard room if that was all I could afford but I would much rather have a savannah room.
