I ended up at All Star Sports. Got a preferred room (Surf’s Up first floor #6132) and check in was a breeze despite a long line and some serious-sounding issues ahead of me: “Yeah, that park hopper upgrade you had us do? We lost all our reservations and now the parks are full.”
Front desk staff was terrific, and felt very much like classic Disney front desk service is returning. Helpful and friendly and able to carry on a conversation while handling business.
The common areas are, as mentioned above, fresh and totally fine. Heavily themed, but well maintained, brightly lit and reasonably laid out. Poolside bartender was super cool - sent me to the gift shop to buy a bottle of whiskey when I tried to order one on the rocks. Unlike, say, Beach Club, I did always feel “in the way.” I can lump all over that resort and people watch, and even when the lobby is nuts, I feel like I’m somehow removed from the hustle. Not so at Sports. Short walks all around - parking to room, room to food court/pools/transportation. Gotta give the buses credit - they seemed to be waiting for me every time I strolled up. Pools looked good for kiddos.
The rooms…. need a renovation. Like, with dynamite, perhaps. Size was fine, and they were CLEAN, but just SO DATED. Two worn out outlets, impossibly small bathroom with external vanity, but not the nice kind. Days Inn 1988. Any Hampton Inn I’ve stayed at in the last ten years has felt more modern.
I wasn’t in the room much. But if I can get Swan/Dolphin within $100 of a value, I wouldn’t hesitate to upgrade next time.