Pop or AS Music Family Suite for family of 6?

[Janeen]

Hi.
Just got my reservation for May 13-19 yesterday. So excited! My family has 6 people. 2 adults and 4 kids (ages 5,6,7,9). The cheapest way to go was two rooms at a value. I chose Pop since the reviews seem to be so good. The food court has more kids options for the dining plan and they have designated buses for this resort only. However, not I am wondering if we should have made reservations for a family suite at the All Star Music. It's only $15 per night. Any opinions on this? Anyone had both of these experiences?

My other question is about non-smoking rooms. According to my TA, non-smoking rooms are not guaranteed. She told me though that it is VERY unlikely to get stuck with a smoking room if you request a non-smoking one. True? It would be very hard to stay in a smoking room. IMO they never can mask the smell.

Thanks for your help. It's amazing that there are such nice people to offer advice to us "clue-less" folks.

 

[drivencrazy]

Can't answer your question... but would also like to know about the non-smoking room... I will have to call our TA and ask her if we can get a non-smoking room and if she knows about that...

We are going to be there the same time as you, well May 14-19. We are also a family of 6 and will be staying at the All Star Music Resort. (what do you mean $15 a night?) So we'll have to compare how your rooms and ours are after the trip if you don't change to the Music Resort!

 

[jenseib]

I don't think ti will be a problem that time of year. I have gone at that time before and it tends to be slower, so I wouls assume more available rooms.
I have no clue what the suites are like, so can't help you there.

 

[rgribik]

First we have never been given a smoking room--always requested non. Don't know if we were just lucky, but we have been there at all times of the year, busy and not so busy. Don't think you need to worry about that.

We have stayed at POP and the new suites. We stayed at the family suites a few months after they opened. We usually get 2 connecting(never had a problem with this either, since we are outnumbered by the kids), at POP. The suite was nice and new, the little kitchen is cool. The layout of the room is--walk in the door,tv, couch pulls out and can sleep 2, chair opens and sleeps 1 and then the outoman opens to a sleeper cot(okay for a small kid). then there are sinks with a curtain to close them off, and a shower, comode with a door. then another bathroom area done the same way, the kitchen area, then a bedroom with a door and tv. We liked the suites, but we had 2 infants at the time, and now that they are 3 we don't fit anymore My older kids(14,12,9)didn't mind sleeping on the pullouts at all, and dh and I could shut the door to the big bedroom and watch tv. It was nice to take donuts and buy milk at the gift shop for breakfast(we aren't big breakfast people).

 

[Janeen]

Oops!
Sorry, drivencrazy. You caught my typo. I meant I believe the family suite is $15 more per night ($215) than two rooms at another value ($200 per night for both rooms). Are you guys getting the dining plan? We are so I really think we won't use the kitchenette, so it's not worth even the extra money for our stay. We are driving to Orlando and I found out from the budget board that a cooler will work just as well as a fridge for milk and coldcuts if you change the ice every day.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

From looking at the room layouts, I would choose the suite with that many kids. We just did 10 nights at Pop with 2 kids and it worked out fine. It looks like the suites would get you the kitchen area and you wouldn't get that at Pop. Also, the smaller kids would probably do fine on the pull-out beds and you would get the little living room area for lounging and watching TV. Pop does have a good food court and good bus service, but I think I would choose the Music suite if I had 4 kids.

 

[drivencrazy]

Oops!
Sorry, drivencrazy. You caught my typo. I meant I believe the family suite is $15 more per night ($215) than two rooms at another value ($200 per night for both rooms). Are you guys getting the dining plan? We are so I really think we won't use the kitchenette, so it's not worth even the extra money for our stay. We are driving to Orlando and I found out from the budget board that a cooler will work just as well as a fridge for milk and coldcuts if you change the ice every day.

I didn't realize that the Pop was cheaper than the All Star Music... and the frig is the only real difference?!?!? Looks like the room sizes are the same and if you have two rooms, you would have 2 bathrooms...... Now you have got me thinking. Even if you wanted a frig, they are $10 per night so that would be $5 per night cheaper... we will be flying so won't have a cooler.

Yes we have the dining plan and figure that we would only have left overs in the frig, if that! Maybe milk for the mornings. We have the trip plans made and paid for... The All Star Music Resort, the dinning plan and park hoppers... all we have to do is get our airfair.......... because I don't think we want to or have the time to drive 1861 miles!!! At best that would be 28 hours! But now I am wondering if we would be better off at the Pop and if we would have to pay to change it, if we decided to......... I don't know, guess I will sleep on it and worry about it tomorrow! Any thoughts or suggestions on this would be great! Thanks!

 

[Janeen]

Hi,
A few comments for you, drivencrazy. Do you have a family suite booked at the All Star Music? As I reread your original post I see that you don't specify. I assumed that with a family of 6 at the Music you meant you have the family suite booked, but now I am wondering if you meant you have 2 rooms at the Music booked.

Anyway, as far as I can tell the individual rooms at the value resorts are all the same size (Pop and Music). I didn't want to make you think that the Pop rooms were bigger. In my post I was trying to compare two individual connecting rooms (the only way to fit 6 people) at a value to the family suite at the Music. Between those two options the only real difference is
1. family suite has the kitchenette
2. $15 per nite (family suite is more expensive)
3. guarantee that your whole party is together. From what I've been reading on the boards even though they "guarantee" you connecting rooms if you have two rooms, you don't always get them. I've discussed this with my husband and if that happens to us he will loudly express his displeasure then we will end up sleeping with one parent and two children in each room. The kids are just too young to make them stay by themselves.

The family suite has two bathrooms as would the two connecting room option.

Now as far as Pop over Music (is you meant in your post that you have two connecting rooms at the Music over my two connecting rooms at the PoP). I believe the Pop has more advantages.
1. It's own bus vs the other values sharing busses. If that means less waiting in line, I'm all for it.
2. It's newer. I believe it was built in the last few years.
3. Less noise (potentially). I know this is a gamble, but I saw a post that made me think that big groups (baseball teams, cheerleading teams) are put in the other value resorts (Movies, Music, Sports) unless they actually request the Pop. I know there are going to be a lot of people at WDW and am concerned about not getting a good nights sleep due to the thinness of the walls and such (as I have read is a problem with the value resorts). They are just made cheaper. However, my husband doesn't want to spend several hundred $ more for a moderate resort.
4. Better kids counter service choices for the DDP. I've read a few discussions about the poor selection the kids will have, so I know this is an area I will want to have thoroughly researched. The other value resort food courts have selections of pasta marinara with meatballs, chicken nuggets, grilled cheese. The Pop food court has chicken nuggets, mac&cheese, penne pasta & meatballs, sloppy joes, and veg. lo mein. I think it might be convenient to eat at the food court so know the selection will be important for my picky kids.

I believe you can change your reservations in any way until 45 days before you leave with no problem. This means I need to have gotten everything nailed down by March 29 (for my May 13-19 trip).

Sorry if my posts confused you. I have been researching for about a week and a half only. There are so many details, and Disney lingo to get right. I don't consider myself an overly obsessive person. However, I find it hard to anticipate our needs on a trip we have no experience with. This will be our first out of state "family vacation" and if my planning can make it more fun and easier, I'd like to do what I can. However, at some point I'm just going to have to make a decision and quite obsessing about all the possibilities. I know we'll have fun, but want to avoid any " if I had only known that before I left" feelings.

I hope you were able to have a good night's sleep and that my information helps and not hinders.
Janeen

 

[dsnymomof4]

OK, we've never stayed in the AS family suite, however, we have stayed several times in 2 rooms at Pop and love it there! To be honest, we're never in the room that much - only to change and sleep. We probably wouldn't use the kitchen that much - I certainly don't want to cook on vacation! We did stay at ASSports for 2 nights last year and thought Pop was much nicer. The food court/Everything Pop is really great - the kids love it! We like having the add'l bathroom and real beds as opposed to pull-outs. And I was told that connecting rooms are guaranteed if you have children. Whichever you choose, I'm sure you'll have a great time!

 

[drivencrazy]

It was late when I was on lastnight... I did mean that we have a family suite at the Music Resort already. Now my thought turns to the pull out beds vs. the regular beds, my kids are 12, 9, 4 and 2. I am pretty sure that they will be happy to sleep just about anywhere as they will be worn out, but would it be better to have the beds ready... not having to pull them out and make them before hand. That is where I am as of now. I didn t realize that the 2 rooms at the POP would be in the same price range. My husband says not to worry about it that he would sleep on the floor if need be....... but I think about how everyone will be acting if they don't get the sleep that is needed!

So, I think I will call me TA and see if I can make changes w/out charges and see if we could get 2 rooms at POP....... if not, I will try and find out if there are KING or QUEEN size beds at the Music Resort, because reading lastnight one spot says a Queen bed and couch that is a double, a chair that is single and the outomen (sp) that is cot size..... I would rather have a KING and all the rest.

As for the kitchenet... all it has is a microwave and small frig, we probably won't be using it anyhow........

I think no matter where we end up staying, we will have a good time and will probably only be in the room to sleep so it probably doesn't matter to much. I do think that I will through in earplugs just in case there is extra noise.

 

[TheDizMom]

If it helps any we made some changes to our reservation for our trip beginning 3/29 and were not charged for those changes. However we were not using a TA but D. When we asked if it was possible to make those changes and if there was a fee I was told no, the only charge I would incur was if we were upgrading our resort or room type.

We stayed at Sports last time we were there and we didn't really have any problems . It had its own bus most of the time, although occasionally we did have to stop at the ASM (but never AS music too)to pick people up before heading off to where we were going. If I remember right it was for the water parks. I can't say we had any issues with noise being so bad we were unable to sleep, and our room was right above the main pool. My kids loved the food court there and I have no real complaints about it either, unless you count the time it took one server 30 min to make 4 waffle sundaes. That was of course that server not a problem with the court itself. We were there in the summer and I don't remember any large kid groups, it was mostly families.

I will say that we would have liked 2 bathrooms and we were only 4. If the suite has only one, I would go with 2 connectors so you can have the extra bathroom. The only thing about the value resorts is their bus stops are always at the end of the line and the Pop is the very last stop. At the end of a long day it is a pain to have to walk so far to get to your bus. This is the only bad thing or good thing I can say about the Pop since I have not personally stayed there.

Whatever you decide have a good trip!