Please please please, tell me not to switch my reservation!

[wiseguyslovethemouse]

What the heck is wrong with me?? Okay, here's the deal. We're booked at the BC Oct 17-24, which is just awesome. So excited, can't wait, blah, blah, blah....BUT, now I've been looking just for fun, and realize that I can stay for TEN days at the ASMU for less money, in one of those family suites. I've never stayed at a value, don't know why, it's not because we're snobby....we're just used to the mods and now deluxe!

Okay, okay, okay. So, do I just keep my ressie. Or, can someone who's done deluxe before, tell me that the family suites are great too! To be honest, I don't know a thing about the values other than they seem so far from everything. Is that true? Could I switch? Everybody knows that ten days is always better than just a week, right? OR, how about this? What about in maybe six months? Then could we do the value?

What is WRONG with me???!!!???

 

[rcraw45425]

Personally, as a family of four, we prefer the amenities of a deluxe resort, ie. inner corridors, table service restaurant, easy access to two parks in the case of BC, queen beds, balcony. Can't say about a family suite, it's not our cup of tea. How long since your last trip and will you be going back again, in other words do you NEED 10 days there? We live close enough taht we have the luxury of two shorter trips per year, ie. 4 nights. We stayed 6 nights at YC spring break of '06 and I thought DH would go nuts! Too long away from home for him.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

You get to stay at the Beach Club and you're having second thoughts? We visited the BC and had breakfast there and I would love to stay there sometime. We stayed at Pop because of the cost but I am hoping we can try a deluxe in the future.

If you already have BC booked, budgeted for, etc, banish the thought of changing!!!!! Stay at the BC and feel fortunate!!!

 

[lilyv]

I'd keep the BC. It's hard to know what they'll charge in a year or two for a deluxe, but I'm betting the prices aren't going to go down.

The values will always be there if you want to stay there down the road.

 

[wiseguyslovethemouse]

Well there you have it. Thanks for setting me straight. You guys are right; maybe I'm just being too selfish about wanting to stay longer....I'm really pretty nice.... I'll just enjoy (thoroughly) my week at the BC. Thanks all. That's what I was looking for.

 

[rcraw45425]

I see by your ticker that you will be there during Food & Wine. By all means KEEP YOUR RESERVATION! The convenience of being able to walk back to your hotel after snacking your way around the world at night cannot be beaten. For our January trip we originally booked WL then DH started having second thoughts about how we spend most of our evenings in the MGM/EPCOT area and had me switch over to YC. I don't think you'll find yourself disappointed.

 

[LadyTrampScamp&Angel]

OMG yes, keep the BC during the Food & Wine festival! It's a very popular event and so convenient from the BC. I think the quality of a vacation is even more important than quantity and you'll still be there a week. I know it's hard not to second guess but you should enjoy the BC.

 

[minnie61650]

I have stayed at all levels of resorts and I still love All Star Music.

I like the food courts at the values for a quick grab and go breakfast on the way to the parks.

I like the fact I can pay for a preferred location and know I will be close to the main pool. food court, and bus stop.

I enjoy the theming at the values. I love seeing the children having fun getting squirted by Three Caballeros (Donald and friends) at the All Star Music pool.

Music has added games and contests by the pool in the afternoon and has movies by the pool at 9 PM.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
From this website:

http://www.mouseplanet.com/articles.php?art=wd070618mg

As we noted on last week's MousePlanetWatch news podcast, We've gotten a couple of reports about the "something special" that we were told to keep our eyes out for at All-Star Music and Yacht & Beach Club. At All-Star Music, we've heard that folks have found karaoke sessions for dance parties near the pools, a nightly movie by the Calypso pool and in increase of staff to make it easier for guests to find assistance. ......

Music has added games and contests by the pool in the afternoon and has movies by the pool at 9 PM.

We were there July 10-19th in Calypso.
I thought the new rooms were great! Loved the peg board to hang hats etc... My parents had the handicap/king room and they loved it. Housekeeping was good.......

Besides the evening fun, in the afternoon they played games with the kids. Hula-hoop contests, musical chair type game, hit a target with a beanie and someone gets wet with a water balloon and a "Guess the song" game. The kids could win prizes like Twister or a Super Soaker etc....Adults could play too, but it was mostly kids playing.

Here is a review thread about the Family Suites and it also tells about the activities and buses at All Star Music:

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1545385

Here is a review of Music and CSR complete with photos that I read yesterday .

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1556800

And a review of All Star Music from this thread:
http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1551973&page=2

I've stayed at all of the All Stars as well as Pop Century, with my most recent stay being at All Stars Music. I just returned home 3 days ago. I had stayed there before for one night and didn't even look at the resort, I drove straight to my room and stayed there until it was time to leave the next day. So I decided to try it for a longer stay this time and I'm so glad I did! This is the sweetest little resort!

I liked all of them but I think this one is now my favorite and if I had kids, well, there is tons for them to do here! Every day is full of activities. When you check in they give you a sheet listing all of them for the week. It seemed that most took place at the Calypso pool. Some of them were a nightly movie, daily bingo games (cost 1.00 per card), one day I came back in the afternoon and they were line dancing at the pool, they also had nightly dance parties before the movie, one day they had karaoke, there was a jump rope contest and a treasure hunt just to name a few.

I also fell in love with the theming at this resort. Calypso definitely has a Caribbean flare to it, this section is kind of noisy because of the pool but it is closest to the main building. Jazz has a tranquil New Orleans Square feel with it's beautiful fountain and wrought iron. Broadway transports you to the streets of New York (literally, Wall Street & Broadway) and has a Central Park inspired area as well. Rock Inn is loud as far as decor goes but it's got the 50's vibe down pat. Country Fair seemed the quietest to me, it was all the way in the back of the resort and had a large, wooden fenced in area with picnic tables. Loved the giant cowgirl boots on the buildings here. Other than the Calypso area though the whole place was pretty tranquil.

For those who have kids that are easily distracted during meals, the food court here has a large tv set up in the very back of the seating area that shows cartoons that might help keep them focused while you are eating.

The newly remodeled rooms are great too! The decor is a lot less cartoony than it used to be. I love that they've added curved shower rods to the bathrooms and they also give you soap and shampoo/conditioner now, which the values never did before. That doesn't really matter to me but it does to some.

I was treated very well at this resort, I'm not going to say everyone will get this but when I got to my room there was a Mickey head towel "animal" on one of the beds for me. When I arrived back that night from the parks I had a call from the gentleman who checked me in saying that if there was anything he could do to make my stay more enjoyable to please let him know. When I came back to my room the next afternoon I had a call waiting from the manager of the resort telling me he hoped I enjoyed my stay and if I needed anything to let him know. There was also a little card on my pillow from the housekeeping staff that said a little birdie told them I was leaving and they hoped that all my dreams came true. All of that really made a good impression on me, never got anything close to that at any other resort I've stayed in, not even the deluxes. Like I said, that might not happen for everyone but it was really nice.

It seems to me that All Star Music is trying harder.



All Star Music is my favorite Disney resort. It tends to be the quietest of all the values. It has lot more greenery than the other values

Please see my info thread for more of the reasons why I enjoy All Star Music so much.

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18641909#post18641909


DH and I stayed in a Family Suite at All Star Music ( a value resort) last Sept. (2006)

We really enjoyed the Queen size bed, the kitchenette with the microwave, having a sofa and cushioned chair to sit on and relax after a day at the parks before retiring for the evening.

I thought the pullouts very comfortable.

They are designed so the back cushion and seat cushion of the pullout support the pullout. There is no metal bar to hurt the sleepers back.

Info thread--Pullouts in Family Suites at ASMU with photos of how the pullout is supported.

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18100990#post18100990

Here is the layout of the Family Suites:

Here is my review of the Suites:

www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=17640774&postcount=7

For more photos and info please see this info thread:

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1392879

Have fun at Disney wherever you choose to stay!

 

[AKLRULZ]

One word: LOCATION!

You'll love it - ENJOY!

 

[Hopefully]

I would stay with the BC. The Food & Wine fest is our favorite time to go and the BC is our favorite place to be. We will be there arriving on the 21st of October.
It is wonderfully convenient to the International Gateway in Epcot and a nice walk or a boat ride away from MGM. Buses to the MK and AK are good too.
Your children will have a blast at StormAlong Bay, the best pool on property.
You will not be sorry.
Have a great trip.

 

[bluefairy13]

I think you should stay where you are just because if I don't stick with my original plan I always end up kicking myself for changing, no matter what the change is!

Go and enjoy!

 

[cinmell]

I would definitely stay with BC!!!!

 

[rcraw45425]

Here's a picture to convince you that you made the right decision:

Granted its' the Yacht Club but you get the idea, right

 

[minnie61650]

I guess it comes down to what will make your vacation more enjoyable.
My children are grown now but when they were younger we always enjoyed staying in a Suite or 2 connecting rooms when we would vacation.
I liked the fact that DH and I had our own room. We could plan what activies we would do the day. We enjoyed the fact that the children could watch their programs on their TV and we could watch our progams on our TV. We could stay up later and not disturb the children.
Plus we had lots more storage area so we were not tripping over everything.
If there were 2 bathrooms then we felt we really lucked out.

Room size Comparison:

Pop Century/All Stars-260 Square Feet
CS, POR/POFQ-314 SF
Caribbean Beach-340 SF
Wilderness Lodge-344 SF
AKL-344 SF
Yacht/Beach-381 SF
Boardwalk-385 SF
Polynesian-409 SF
Contemporary-436 SF
Grand Floridian-about 400-440SF
Ft Wilderness Cabins-504 SF
Family suites at All Star Music -520 SF

Here is the layout of BC

Here is the layout of the Family Suite:

Have fun at Disney whereever you choose to stay!

 

[Lilolvr]

Keep the BC! Great location and pool looks awesome. I would love to stay there.

 

[wiseguyslovethemouse]

I would definitely stay with BC!!!!

Thank you!! (and anyone who's a Pat's fan AND a U2 fan is good enough for me!!!!)

 

[grimley1968]

What the heck is wrong with me?? Okay, here's the deal. We're booked at the BC Oct 17-24, which is just awesome. So excited, can't wait, blah, blah, blah....BUT, now I've been looking just for fun, and realize that I can stay for TEN days at the ASMU for less money, in one of those family suites. I've never stayed at a value, don't know why, it's not because we're snobby....we're just used to the mods and now deluxe!

Okay, okay, okay. So, do I just keep my ressie. Or, can someone who's done deluxe before, tell me that the family suites are great too! To be honest, I don't know a thing about the values other than they seem so far from everything. Is that true? Could I switch? Everybody knows that ten days is always better than just a week, right? OR, how about this? What about in maybe six months? Then could we do the value?

What is WRONG with me???!!!???

I'd stick with BC for 1 week. Yes, you'd save money at ASMU and be able to stay longer, but personally, one week at a time at WDW is more than enough to sate me for many moons. Any longer than a week and I really start to go a little stir crazy with the Mouse in my face all day, every day. This is nothing against family suites at the values, but more about the length of stay, and needing easy access to at least one park (in BC's case, 2 parks).

 

[minnie61650]

I'd stick with BC for 1 week. Yes, you'd save money at ASMU and be able to stay longer, but personally, one week at a time at WDW is more than enough to sate me for many moons. Any longer than a week and I really start to go a little stir crazy with the Mouse in my face all day, every day. This is nothing against family suites at the values, but more about the length of stay, and needing easy access to at least one park (in BC's case, 2 parks).

grimlley 1683 has made some very good points.
To the OP: I see from your siggy that you have 4 children.
This may be your last chance to stay at a Deluxe in a regular room because when your littlest one turns 3 you will need to find a resort room that sleeps 6.

When that time comes you may wish to concider the Family Suites.
They really are a nice option for families.

Have fun at Disney!

 

[going2disney]

Sounds like you're already convinced but I'd say keep the BC also! We stayed at POP two years ago after usually staying at the Boardwalk, while POP was nice we really kept wishing we were at the BW. I would stay at a value again if it meant getting to Disney but if I was able to I would definately stay elsewhere, JMO.

 

[wiseguyslovethemouse]

Sounds like you're already convinced but I'd say keep the BC also! We stayed at POP two years ago after usually staying at the Boardwalk, while POP was nice we really kept wishing we were at the BW. I would stay at a value again if it meant getting to Disney but if I was able to I would definately stay elsewhere, JMO.

I think that's exactly how I feel. I should just be very content and happy (which I am!) about staying at the BC! I would stay anywhere on property if it meant getting to Disney too!!

Thanks again!!