Never Stayed @ Value. Nervous About All Star Movies

[My2QTs]

Have done WL, CBR, CS, POR, POFQ but never any values. Not trying to be a resort snob, but I just wanna make sure I will enjoy the resort like we do the other ones.

 

[Radiorox]

I have stayed in all that you have except POFQ.... All Stars are very cute and whimsy. Although I prefer POP due to its proximity to the parks.

Biggest differences:
-Full size beds (Most Mods have queen)
-No slides at pools.
-No coffee machine in room
-Matresses at Mods are better.
-They are farther away from the parks but, near to AK and BB.
-Disney transportation to the parks and DTD is easier, there is one stop unlike the 3-5 in the Mods.
-Values are a little smaller than Mods and less of a walk to food courts. (The walk from Trinidad South to Port Royale in CBR yikes!!)
-Values do not have a Table Service restaurant (all QS)

I do Mods on solo and most Adult trips and Value when we go with kids. If price were always on my side, I would stay at the Mods but, I really enjoy the Values as well. From all of the resorts, they feel more Disney/cartoony with oversized decor. Enjoy!

 

[POOHsie]

I had never stayed at Value resorts before, but we were doing a budget trip last November. We did a split stay with Pop Century and All Star Movies. I'm glad I did two Value resorts because I had the chance to compare.

Pop Century was big and it was on a nice lake. Food Court was large and had lots of nice food choices, including a wood fire oven, and an espresso bar. Gift shop was large with lots of selection. Matter of fact, they had one thing there that I couldn't find anywhere else on Disney property (when I decided later that I had to have it). I had to return there after check-out to buy it. The lake had a path and benches, plus a bridge over to AoA. It was pretty to sit there, or stroll along at night, with resort lights decorating the lake area. The bridge was nice because you could go to AoA for some of your Food Court meals, and their choices were completely different. Overall, Pop Century was great.

All Star Music was nice. Rooms were comparable to Pop Century. There was no feature lake. The Food Court was smaller, because the resort was smaller. No espresso. The gift shop was small and lacked a lot of selections I had seen elsewhere. We stayed in Mighty Ducks, which was non-preferred. We were so close to All Star Music resort that we went to their food court and took their buses to the parks on some days. That was a plus.

Overall, if given the choice of Value resorts, Pop Century beats All Stars in many ways. If some of the things I mentioned don't matter, then All Stars is perfectly fine, clean, rooms recently re-done, bus service good, etc.

 

[disnut8]

Have done WL, CBR, CS, POR, POFQ but never any values. Not trying to be a resort snob, but I just wanna make sure I will enjoy the resort like we do the other ones.

What makes you enjoy the other resorts that you don't think you will get at Music? That's really a personal choice led by my mother-in-law's biggest hotel room comparison. If the hotel room (Disney included) does not provide a coffee maker, that room gets a bad rap with her. The funny thing is she takes her own coffee pot so it really doesn't matter but she doesn't see it that way. She doesn't care about getting a hair dryer, though while some people would have a horrible vacation without having one of those.

 

[BlueGiraffe]

Our first experience of a Disney resort (me and DH) was at Movies. We loved it. I really liked the Andy's Toy Room area, and the huge Buzz and Woody. We took DD back there for a visit when we went to WDW in 2011 as she's Toy Story mad!

We never used the pool when we stayed there as we were only there for a week and were busy with the parks, but we ate in the food court, got great service from the concierge and CMs. Buses were regular (though sometimes very busy coming back from parks).

We have since stayed at AKL (our honeymoon) and have reservations for CSR next year as we wanted to try somewhere different. But I'd certainly have no qualms about staying at ASMovies again.

 

[shyjade]

We had only stayed at AKL & Poly before our first Value trip last year (Movies). I have to say, for the most part, I was pleasantly surprised (although there really is no comparison IMO between deluxe and value). It definitely has more of a motel that resort feel, but the grounds were much nicer than expected.

The biggest issue I had was the size & comfort of the rooms. The beds were rock hard so I did not sleep well, and the room is nothing more than a small motel room. It fit our needs fine since we spent most of our time in the parks, but it was not a room I wanted to just hang out and relax in. We are trying Pop next month for the first time and I'm a little worried since it will be a longer trip, but it fits my budget so that's where we are staying.

Just remember you're not comparing apples to apples, and you will still have a great trip!

 

[pigletto]

We typically do one night on the beginning or end (or both!) of our package at a value. If we are getting in late, or leaving really early in the morning, I don't like to pay for deluxe or even mod prices just to sleep.
So that being said we've stayed at all of them except for AoA but only one night each.
Sports and Music were our quietest stays. We requested to be at the back near a parking lot for both (quick easy access to the car) and found it peaceful back there. Movies is my favourite theme overall. The giant Toy Story characters were a big hit with my son and we loved wandering around taking pictures. The food court was mobbed the day we were at Movies for breakfast and overall it was really unpleasant. But again, we were only there one day for one meal so I don't think it's really good example.
Pop was really unpleasant. We were right by the pool, which was loud way in to the wee hours of the morning and we didn't get a very good sleep at all.

This next trip we're trying Movies again, and will request a room on the outskirts for some quiet.
I think they are all cute ..I just think if you want a good nights sleep it's probably best not to be facing the pool in my experience.

 

[shyjade]

This next trip we're trying Movies again, and will request a room on the outskirts for some quiet.
I think they are all cute ..I just think if you want a good nights sleep it's probably best not to be facing the pool in my experience.

We were in the Love Bug section last May and honestly never saw or heard a single guest anywhere near our room the entire 5 days! Yes, we sometimes saw people around the building, but never on our floor or our "wing". I know we just lucked out, but it was super nice and quiet (without asking for it...we had requested to be near transportation).

 

[nalajms]

Have done WL, CBR, CS, POR, POFQ but never any values. Not trying to be a resort snob, but I just wanna make sure I will enjoy the resort like we do the other ones.

We are in a similar situation. I'd like to add a short weekend trip in and currently considering ASMovies...but we've only stayed in deluxe. And DH is a total resort snob, but I need to stay on budget or we don't go.

Our first experience of a Disney resort (me and DH) was at Movies. We loved it. I really liked the Andy's Toy Room area, and the huge Buzz and Woody.

Is there a way to get the Toy Story Rooms or is it luck at check-in? If so, I think DH would be ok staying at a value. DS is Toy Story mad right now!

 

[TommyD57]

The value resorts are very flexible to what people are looking for. If your clan wants a restful and quiet getaway, each resort has locations where that can happen. Stay in upper floors facing away from the pools and main walkways.

If you are "a big kid" like me, and want in-your-face Disney 24/7, the values make that happen for you too. Get a room right in the middle of it all and have a blast. We are pretty wore out at the end of each day, so getting to sleep has never been an issue for us.

No matter which value you choose, the food courts are most likely to be crowded and noisy during the "standard" eating times. The rooms are "value" accomodations, so expect firm, small double beds, and bring your own coffee machine if needed. We have experienced Music, Movies and Pop, with our favorite being Pop, I mean Music, er,, Movies. No clear "favorite" in this family. Pop gets the advantage because of dedicated buses and the bridge to Animation.

Peace and quiet? OR Go,go,go. Get a location that will help you get what you need from your vacation, and have a blast!