Questions about All Stars or Pop Century with a wheelchair?

[BillSears]

I'm seriously considering booking a vacation at either All Star Music or Pop Century. It'll be in mid September and I'll be traveling alone. I'm a very mobile paraplegic, I can do some great transfers and can push all day in any park without worries but I can't stand at all.

So with the above in mind.

Which resort would have better bus service?

Do you have a preference between the two resorts and why?

Do you think Magical Express would work out well for me? I usually rent a car but am willing to give Disney transportation a try since I don't plan on going anywhere off site.

Is there anything you can think of that I should consider about this trip? This will be my first solo WDW trip.

Thanks.

 

[Biscuitsmom31]

I don't know which value is best but we are going to try POP in August (unless we need to change resorts for the new package deal). We did Magical Express last August. The only problem we had was that the lift broke down. Thankfully DH had already exited the lift and they were trying to close it when it got stuck in mid-air. Several of the regular buses also had problems operating the lifts. BUT they always managed to get us on and 90% of the drivers were friendly and helpful.

 

[faeflora]

I can speak to the accessibility of POP. I also use a wheelchair and have found the layout of this resort to be very wheelchair friendly. The only navigational issue is the line for food at the food court but normally a CM will come out take my order and then bring the food to me on a tray so I do not have to do the zig zag rope line dance. Very helpful.
POP has great roll in showers and nice transfer room in the bathroom.
The bus situation has always been very good. Since all bus stops are at the front of the resort there is only one place to push to and the accessible line is clearly marked.
Also, we stay in the 60's building since it is close to the main building where checkin is. As for luggage help, POP will bring your luggage to your room for you. We found this out on the last trip in March.
Overall I vote for POP, but then again I love POP.
Hope this helps.

 

[minnie61650]

I use an EVC and stay at the All Stars.

I always use Disney transportation.
When you go to the bus stop the WC/EVC line is to the left of the regular line since the WC/EVC lift is located at the back door of the bus. Be sure to wait there with your family.The WC/EVC's are loaded first for safety reasons.
The rest of your family will enter through the rear door Then the bus driver will close that door and open the front door so the rest of the guests can board.

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.

All Star Music is my favorite.It is quieter because more couples stay there. I love staying at the Clypso building. It is closer to the pool,food court and bus stop.

Here is a site with a map of All Star Sports and All Star Music.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/allstarmap.htm
Scroll down.All Star Music is at the bottom of the page.
The Calypso buildings at All Star Music are #1 and #10 are nearest to the food court and bus stop.

The Calypso pool at ASMU has Donald Duck.

Here is the map of All Movies.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/allstarmovie.JPG
The Fantasia Buildings are the preferred buildings.
The All Star Movie Fantasia pool has Mickey.
It is a great place to stay .
Preschoolers love it.
It is like being in the middle of a Disney Movie Fantasyland.
All Star Movies has pop up fountains now also.
The buses are wonderful.

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

All Star Buses-CBR buses---POPbuses--PO buses--- Contemporary
MK 20 min---- 20 min-----25 min------10 min---20 min(mono)
Epcot 10 min-- 15 min-----20 min------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.

The gift shops are seperate from the food court at the All Stars.
When staying at the All Stars you can use any of the All Star pools. that means 3 main pools ,3 quiet pools and 3 kiddie pools to chose from.

Pop has 2,880 guest rooms. 4 floors in each building.
All Stars has 1,960 rooms. 3 floors in each building. That means more people in the food courts,in the pools and waiting at the bus stop at POP than at the All Stars.
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 5 visits have been at The All Stars and this fall when we took dd,dsil, and our grandson age 3 for 8 nights we stayed 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 Mickey Mouse at the pool?
Have a great time at Disney!
I

The Busses are wonderful.

 

[pugdog]

We have stayed at both and roomwise they are about the same. Buswise POP is better just because you don't share buses like the All Stars do.
DME was great and looking forward to using it again this December.

 

[dclfun]

I prefer All Stars to Pop but then I am usually driving and would prefer to be nearer to the building in which I am staying ( which is usually the non preferred area). One suggestion would be to pay the little bit extra for a preferred location at either resort. Coming back from a long day in the parks you'd then be closer to your resort room, food court, etc. vs. all the way in the back. They have accessible rooms in both preferred and nonpreferred locations. ---Kathy

 

[minnie61650]

We have stayed at both and roomwise they are about the same. Buswise POP is better just because you don't share buses like the All Stars do.
DME was great and looking forward to using it again this December.

A WORD ABOUT BUS SHARING

To me Bus Sharing at the All Stars is really a non issue.

It is usually just our stop and maybe one more on the way to the parks. On the way back sometimes it is all 3 but often Sports and Music share and Movies has it's own bus back.

I guess some people who stay at POP see all 3 All Star names on the return sign of our bus stop when they head to the POP bus stop and think All Stars also has 3 stops on the way to the park.
(Even when we stop at another AS resort to load up it has not taken more than 5 minutes and we are on our way!)

Have fun wherever you choose to stay.

 

[spiceycat]

Linda - I have stayed in Pop, All Star Music ( a couple of times) and on my last trip All Star movie...

mother is in a wheelchair so I get to push her...

there are far less inclined at Pop than any of the other WDW resorts.... so no trying to push a dead weight up a hill - LOVE IT....

plus I just love all the memories that Pop has - it is full of stuff that you will remember!!!!

besides my first Disney movie that I remember was Lady and the Tramp.....

loved that Tramp - every trip so far has been in his building..... Love it!!!

believe me you won't be the only one in a wheelchair at Pop. It is very, very popular with the wheelchair & scooter group....

 

[BillSears]

Thanks for the information!

With the dining deal added and since I'll be taking my Mother and Aunt along I've decided to splurge and stay at a hotel I've always dreamed of staying at. The Wilderness Lodge.

But this thread sure has given me abit to think about for my next trip. I still can't decide which one I think I would like better. You all have good points. I'm not terribly thrilled by the decour at either one. They are both nice but I prefer darker colors. So really the only thing that makes me lean towards one or the other is the transportation situation.

It looks to me like it's close to a toss up with the transportation. At Pop Century you don't have to worry abou tthe bus pulling up and already having people sitting in the seats where a wheelchair would go or worse having both wheelchair spots already filled. But if Spiceycat is right that Pop is popular with the "wheelchair & scooter group" then I might still have to wait for a bus because others are waiting before me.

 

[spiceycat]

Bill - we were lucky - only once did we not get on because of another wheelchair... (that was already on). I think the bus driver must have called because their was another bus before he really left.

the buses can only take two wheelchairs...

but as I say we have been lucky.... I have seem 3 wheelchairs waiting for the Epcot bus....

you learn patience with a wheelchair....

but the bus service at POP, for as many people as there are, seems really excellent.... we have never waited for more than 10 minutes. (most of time it is less than 5 minutes).

this is one place that I don't drive anywhere - okay I still drive to other resorts.....

 

[dyna]

Something I noticed if you are not using a handicapped room is at Pop the 2nd bed is out away from the wall allowing for easy access to the bed along the wall. This moves the bed over further into the room, that in turns moves the 1st bed closer to the bed and it's harder to get a wheel chair in the room than over at All Stars.

 

[minnie61650]

Something I noticed if you are not using a handicapped room is at Pop the 2nd bed is out away from the wall allowing for easy access to the bed along the wall. This moves the bed over further into the room, that in turns moves the 1st bed closer to the bed and it's harder to get a wheel chair in the room than over at All Stars.

If you are considering a value resort All Stars will give you MORE floor space than Pop. Although both resorts are 260 square feet

The Pop rooms seem smaller because the bed is closer to the door with a bigger gap being between the bathroom wall and the far bed. At the All Stars this gap is about one foot wide. Giving you more floor space.

http://allearsnet.com/acc/asmv59.jpg
http://allearsnet.com/acc/popcent56.jpg

Also you cannot move the beds at Pop because they are bolted to the floor.
You can move the beds at the All Stars giving you even more usable floor space.

have fun where you choose to stay