Need some cheering up - First stay in a value

[BiffMan]

Let me preface this by saying that we usually stay at moderates except for the occasional time when we treat ourselves to a deluxe. We've never stayed at a value before, but owing to my inlaws wanting to get adjoining rooms and not being able to afford to do so at a moderate, we're going to be staying at a value to keep the group together. We went ahead and put ourselves down for adjoining rooms as well for the breathing space.

On top of that, once I was coming to terms with going to a value and at least figuring I'd enjoy the theming at POP or ASMo, we wind up at All-Star Sports due to no AP rates available for our dates at either of the other two. I like sports as much as the next guy, but that just doesn't sound all that exciting to walk to the bus past a 20 ft tall football helmet.

So, given that I kinda had my heart set on going back to POFQ (our current favorite) for this trip, can anyone chime in and help me rationalize how this is going to be just fine and I'm making a big deal of nothing and I'm at least going to Disney, etc?

So far, I've come up with:
1) We're going to Disney
2) We'll have adjoining rooms
3) We'll be going with friends/family (usually are by ourselves)
4) We're going to Disney
5) We'll treat ourselves to a "proper" resort stay in April and go to BC/YC/BWI
6) We're going to Disney

But I'm concerned about:
1) Theming not being to my taste
2) Crowded/delayed buses
3) Packed food court
4) Not a relaxing resort

So from those who have stayed at Sports and also at moderates or deluxes, any comforting words about how I shouldn't be down or not looking forward to this trip as much as others? Really want to get a little of the magic back in since the anticipation of an upcoming trip has always been one of my favorite parts in the past.

 

[Priorityonecb]

A. You are going to Disney!!

B. Even if the resort isn't the resort of your dreams...it'll make you appreciate your trip in April all the more!

C. Go with the thought of "Oh, I am just seeing how the other half lives!"

D. Even though you may be a little dissapointed, truth is...you are going to Disney 13 months before I get there...that should make you feel a little better...although you don't know me at all so why would it?

 

[jjarman]

I can’t really address a stay at Sports but we stayed 3 years ago at POFQ and absolutely loved it and swore we would never stay anywhere else. This past March, DS14 and I made a trip alone and as we were staying longer and money was tighter I decided Pop Century was in the cards for us. We absolutely loved it and now I may never stay anywhere else. We are the type that don’t spend a lot of time in the room or at the resorts but even the time we did stay at the resort was lots of fun. We were in 50s building facing the lake and had a view of Epcot which was fun. The room was nice. Maybe slightly smaller than a moderate but I really did not notice it. The food court was a little more crowded since Pop is a bigger resort than POFQ. I would think, though, that the Pop food court crowd would compare to any other large moderate. As for buses, that was the best part of Pop. The Pop buses are only for Pop guests. No resort sharing. You knew when you got on a bus the next stop was your park or resort. The only negative thing I have heard about Sports is the large groups that stay there from time to time. I have heard and it was our experience that Pop does not have the large groups staying there. When we were there in March there was a cheerleader competition and I believe they all stayed at Sports.

 

[Bugsmom73]

You are going far earlier than we are.

You get to go the the 50th Ann. Celebration.

You can keep trying for a different value!!

 

[BiffMan]

Thanks everyone for the replies, I really appreciate it! Particurally good to hear thoughts on POFQ vs POP. One of my plans was to eventually stay at every one of the resorts, so guess I have to hit the moderates at some point, right?

I'm just hoping that it goes well since we've finally managed to convince my wife's parents to come along and I don't want them to have a bad experience since we really want to get them back again.

We picked up annual passes again for this year, so we'll of course have to get in at least 3 trips over the next 12 months... I should at least be able to use this stay at a value as good ammunition to "get my way" and stay at BC/YC/BWI for one of the other trips...

 

[4evryoung]

A couple of years back, also traveling with extended family, we took adjacent rooms at All Star Movies. The pools were fun and the layout of adjoining resorts meant we could switch pools if it got a little noisy at one. Other positives were that we saw more wild life around the perimeter of the hotel than at other properties (possibly because we were jet-lagged and awake at strange hours of the morning for the first few days!), but we enjoyed the armadillo's, what looked like an otter in a nearby over-grown stream and lots of birds. People were also very chatty around the pools and the pool bar and it seemed to me that their stay at the hotel seemed to be a bit longer in duration than at some moderate disney properties we have visited. It meant that faces became familiar rather than changing every couple of days.

The down-side for us was that the food court always seemed busy, particularly at breakfast and in the end we skipped breakfast at the resort and brunched in the parks.

If you can live with slightly smaller rooms and are planning to eat out in the parks or DTD, you should have a good time. we did!

 

[Priorityonecb]

Biffman...have you considered the cost of just paying the difference and staying at POR or POFQ? If POR/POFQ is as wonderful as I am hearing...it may clinch the deal if you are looking for the parents to definately want to return again. Just a thought.

 

[minnie61650]

I have not stayed at sports but I love the All Stars.

All Stars is my favorite resort.

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.


Here is a site with a map of All Star Sports and All Star Music.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/allstarmap.htm
All Star sports is at tthe top.
There is statue of Mickey near the quiet pool.
The quiet pool has Goofy.

The All Stars are all in walking distance of each other. When you stay at the All Stars you can swim in any of the other All Star pools. That means 3 main pools,3 quiet pools and 3 wading pools!

The buses are wonderful.

Bus rides are quite short from the ALL Stars according to PassPorter.com

All Star Buses-CBR buses---POP buses--PO buses--- Contemporary
MK 20 min---- 20 min-----25 min------10 min---20 min(mono)
Epcot 10 min-- 15 min-----120min------10 min---15 min
MGM 10 min----12 min-----15 min------15 min---20min
AK 10 min------20min-------15 min----15 min---20 min
DTD 15 min----20 min------20 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.


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 Goofy at the pool?
Have a great time at Disney!
Linda
AKA All Star Goddess

 

[BiffMan]

Biffman...have you considered the cost of just paying the difference and staying at POR or POFQ? If POR/POFQ is as wonderful as I am hearing...it may clinch the deal if you are looking for the parents to definately want to return again. Just a thought.

Great idea and we'd offered just that, but they wouldn't hear of us covering any of the cost of the rooms, silly pride thing I guess. So instead we went the sneaky route of secretly upgrading their 3-day MYW passes to the 10-day park-hopping, no-expire ones... Didn't cost us that much extra and now we'll be able to leave them with 7 unused days as mild encouragement toward another trip...

Minnie61650 - Thanks a bunch for the extra info. Glad to hear that you enjoy the All Stars that much. I'm feeling better about going there and can hopefully get back to focusing on bringing DD for her first ever trip to Disneyworld!

 

[lovesdumbo]

I recently got back from ASMo and I survived. Look at my sig and you'll see I've been going lagoon view concierge for my past 3 trips. I was really worried that I would HATE the values but we had a GREAT trip and it was fun to experience a new hotel.

ASSp will be fine! You'll be the first bus when they are sharing busses and the resorts are so close that if you are leaving the parks and they aren't sharing busses you could easily take sports or music bus. And you'll be the first stop if you're using Magic Express.

I didn't venture over to sports but you could easily stroll over to any of the other all star resorts for a look around and from the bus those oversized Coke stairs looked really cool!

I realize I went at a relatively quiet time but I only found the food court REALLY busy at 10PM and the lines moved really quick. With the money you're saving you could eat in the parks more.

I am so excited to be going back to the Polynesian in October. I know I wouldn't feel the same way if I stayed there in August. You'll have a great trip and you'll have another great trip to look forward to. I would much rather do a value trip and deluxe trip than 2 moderate trips.

 

[dyna]

LOVE Sports stayed there many times over the years. POFQ on the other hand we did not care for at all. Bus waits was much much longer there.

I've been to Sports when they had the large groups staying there never was that a problem gettin on bus to or from parks as all the groups don't leave at the same time. and the resort only has so many rooms to fill so it really not anyworse than any busy time at the resort.

Buildings 7 & 10 are our favorites but not facing the Football court thingy lot of kids plays there and if there are cheerleaders there that is where they practice at. 7 & 10 just a short walk to the food court. One of them can't remember the number and don't got map handy is on the side the food court is on and there is a short cut from that building to the bus stop without goin thru the main hall and food court.

 

[kaytieeldr]

BiffMan - you say your inlaws want adjoining rooms. Do they realize what that means? Do you? Adjoining rooms are simply rooms that are next to or near each other. If you don't want your inlaws having unfettered access to your room, don't say a word!! Connecting rooms, which is probably what they actually want, are rooms that are next to each other with a set of doors on the wall between the rooms that can be opened by the occupants of both rooms, allowing all guests in both rooms full access to both rooms.

 

[blessedmama!!]

something that this newbie might actually have perspective on

We are leaving in 6 days and staying at POFQ for a Grand Gathering (Parents anniversary). We've only been to Disney once before in October 2003, and stayed at All Star Sports. We had a fantastic time and absolutely loved it! Now, this was my first experience - so I knew nothing else (although we ate at several deluxes, and while I appreciated their beauty, I was quite happy where we were!). But I did read the boards before then, and I was kind of nervous based on some of the comments.

BUT...

The theming was fun. In October, it was not too loud at all. My kids loved the pool. It was friendly and clean. Our beds were comfy. No transportation issues. The food court was as decent as a food court could be. We did stay in the Touchdown building, and families would often play touch football games outside on the giant field. Not to sound cliche, but it was just a HAPPY place.

We are looking forward to POFQ, but my sons are bemoaning the loss of Sports. We chose FQ because of my parents - the trip is for their anniversary, so we felt they deserved theming more to their taste than to our kids.

I think you'll have a great time, really!

 

[Kristi1357]

We have stayed in almost all the WDW resorts at this point. We are only missing the CR and YC at this point.

As I think back about our many trips, none stand out as being significantly better or worse depending on resort. They are better or worse depending on the company we are with! Of course a deluxe is nicer, but we don't spend alot of time in the room anyway. One thing that is nicer at the mods is the free fridge!

We are going in October and staying at ASMovies. Then back in Decmber and staying at BCV. Talk about a drastic change!

You'll be fine and the trip will be fabulous! Think of all the other ways you can spend the money you saved at WDW!

Kristi

 

[TwingleMum]

Biffman~ We resort hop every trip. We usually stay at deluxes concierge level but we recently stayed at ASMO and loved it. The room was adorable and the boys loved the Toy Story themeing. I wouldn't hestitate to stay there again. We look at each resort as its own unique world and enjoy it for itself. We love WDW and I'd rather be in any hotel room in Disney than home. Just a thought. Go enjoy and lets us know how you make out.

 

[*Fantasia*]

So far, I've come up with:
1) We're going to Disney
2) We'll have adjoining rooms
3) We'll be going with friends/family (usually are by ourselves)
4) We're going to Disney
5) We'll treat ourselves to a "proper" resort stay in April and go to BC/YC/BWI
6) We're going to Disney

Sounds good to me! Sounds like you don't need much cheering up. You will enjoy your trip with your friends/family regardless where you stay. You will have a magical time... it's what you make of you your trip.

 

[ezma]

Dear Biffman, We have been to Disney 15 times and still more to come! We have stayed at all the deluxes,except the GF.all the mods. , all the values except music and this Christmas will be the first time at POP! The sports is a nice place, its what you make of it , you know that already. When we stayed at the sports it was our first time down there at Christmas, so we have alot of wonderful memories. And YES you are going to DISNEY!!! Just think of all the people plus kids that would love to see Disney just once! Trying to make you fill bad, sorry. You can still go to the differnt resorts and eat at all the wonderful restaurants. I could talk all day about how wonderful Disney is. You WILL have a great time , remember , the glass is half full not half empty! Marla

 

[kmebee]

You know, I hate to say this, and I may get beat up on over it, but you sound like a BIG SNOB!!!!
Be happy that you can take your family on a Disney vacation - PERIOD! There are many out there who can't for whatever reason.
Then to basically say that you'll make yourself feel better by having a "proper" stay at another time? What is the difference where you lay your head to sleep?!?! All I'm ever in my room to do is sleep and shower. I'm there to see the parks and have a great vacation. Not sit in my Deluxe Concierge Level room.
You sound absolutely ridiculous in that post, I'm sorry. Please don't let those of us who enjoy our stay at a Value Resort get in your way.

 

[GEM]

All I'm ever in my room to do is sleep and shower. I'm there to see the parks and have a great vacation. Not sit in my Deluxe Concierge Level room.

I can understand what the OP is worried about. As you can see from my signature, we've stayed in many resorts - including the values. We are going again in December and staying at All Star Movies, and I admit I have been hesitant and concerned about it. We definately prefer the deluxe resorts and I'm not nearly as excited about staying at ASM as I would be the WL or BW.

You see, our vacation style sounds very different than yours. For us, the resort is as much a part of the vacation as the parks, maybe more. While you just need a place to shower and sleep, we like to spend lots of time hanging around our resort enjoying the theme, recreation options, restaurants, and just soaking up the atmosphere. For us, having a balcony is a big part of it. We tend to spend a lot of time in the mornings and evenings just sitting out there and soaking it all in. We really miss that balcony whene stay moderate or deluxe.

Having stayed at the All Stars before, I know that (although they are fun) they aren't they best for that sort of relaxing resort enjoyment. So, it's not always a matter of being a snob, it's just a mater of having different ways of vacationing. While you say you are there for the parks, that isn't the case for us.


Having said that, going with a value resort is always better than not going! And, that's why we're at All Star Movies in December. We just bought a new house and value is the way to go on this trip. I know we're lucky to be able to go at all, and I know we'll have a fabulous trip! And, I've scheduled some meals at our favorite resorts, so at least we have an excuse to visit and see the Christmas decorations.

 

[can'twait]

Think of all the money you will save on lodging and spend it at the restaurants.

Once you are asleep you won't know the difference.

You will be at the Happiest Place on Earth! Stop whining!