Tell me all about Allstar Sports

[M2DD's]

Just wondering what the good,bad,and ugly of the all star sports.It doesn't seem to be a very popular choice.We stayed at pop during free dinning the last week in september and hated it.(mainly due to crowds and having to wait for buses)Any thoughts about AS sports would be helpful.
laura

 

[lustergirl]

Just wondering what the good,bad,and ugly of the all star sports.It doesn't seem to be a very popular choice.We stayed at pop during free dinning the last week in september and hated it.(mainly due to crowds and having to wait for buses)Any thoughts about AS sports would be helpful.
laura

We always stay at AS Sports so I guess my answer is biased, lol. We enjoy staying at this resort but remember- it is value so there aren't many thrills to be had. Do you have younger children who are into sports? If the answer is yes then they will enjoy it immensely. There are 2 preferred locations- surf's up #1 and #2 which are very close to everything- the bus stop, stadium hall, and reception. We have always found our room to be very clean and the staff at this resort is very helpful. One thing good about AS Sports is that this resort is the first to be picked up and the first to be dropped off in line of the AS Resorts bus stops. The rooms are the same size as Pop Century- no surprises there. If you are looking for comfort and the minimal price then stay at this resort. If you can afford more than stay at a moderate or even a deluxe. I personally like staying at AS Sports because we are not in our room much anyways and for somewhere to lay your head at night it can't be beat.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I really enjoyed our stay All Star Sports. It is the first to be dropped off and picked up when they share buses with the other All Stars. We enjoyed the food court and our room was nice and clean. To me the values are all about theming. So if the sports thing doesn't thrill you ASSP probably won't either. The rooms at ASSP are the same size as Pop's. However there is a bit less dresser space and the tv is smaller making Pop's rooms a tiny bit more desireable to some people.

Probably the most quiet, less crazy value is All Star Music. And all of its rooms will have been rehabbed by this June I think. You can check out the All Star Music FAQ thread to check on when the rehab will be totally finished. With the new rooms, they have the larger tvs Pop does as well as new, nicer dressers. Music also has the prettiest landscaping of the values. But again, it is a value so its a no frills kind of place as well.

I also think that if Pop bothered you maybe values just aren't your thing? While I do find the food court at Pop to be generally more mobbed than the All Star food courts due to iPop's larger size, any food court can draw a crowd. And the All Stars do share buses. Which to me makes the bus experience even with Pop (which may not share but is such a huge resort how could it).

Have you maybe thought of a moderate resort? I especially love the three "spread out" mods which are Caribbean Beach, Port Orleans Riverside and Coronado Springs. They are large and very spread out but the result is that they never feel crowded. They have nicer pools with slides and hottubs as well as numerous quiet pools. And I have yet to see a moderate food court that packs them in the way the values do. I also love POFQ but its smaller and I missed having the quiet pools (FQ has only one main pool since its much smaller than the other mods). Any of these four mods will have a different, more relaxed feel with lots of lovely landscaping. I love the values but they aren't for everyone and some of your concerns regarding crowds might fare better at a moderate level resort. Buses can be hit or miss at all the resorts of all levels. For example our first stay at Pop the bus service was pretty bad. A year later we went back and had wonderful buses. You just never know!

Good luck with your decision!

 

[DanenRox]

Lustergirl is right on the mark..not much I can add, but wanted you to hear another voice in agreement. Sports is a basic resort with big pools, big theming and a big food court. You can also find a small outside bar for some adult refreshments. Again, as stated above, Sports bus stops are picked up before the other values...and dropped off before the other values. A great choice for a value!

 

[txbradybunch]

I have stayed at Old Key West Resort, All Star Sports, Disney's Vero Beach resort (Not at WDW), and Saratoga Springs Resort...... in that order. My ex husband used to call me uppity - and maybe I really am, but All Star Sports to me was "the Motel 6 of disney". And I consder that to be a put-down for Motel 6!

I was completely and totally disappointed. I felt that the price was an excessive amount of money for what was provided. I have literally stayed at nicer Motel 6's!!! There was no coffee maker in the room - which seems like a minor thing... but it isn't if you like your caffeine right when you wake up without having to hike the mile to the main building. The people staying there seemed to have no regard for things like cleaning up after themselves and common courtesy for other guests. Standing in line waiting for the buses sweating our booty's off ,and then having a full bus pull up and leave without having room for us to get on was infuriating! We waited what seemed like forever for each and every bus, both at the resort, and at the parks to go back to the resort.

The sports theme and outdoor theme decor (huge football, etc) were neat, the lobby, gift shop, and fast food eating area were nice - and "Disney quality".... but it ended there. The room seemed "grungy" and in need of repairs. Like I said earlier - I just felt that for the quality of accomodations we received we were highly overcharged!

I'll put it this way, my husband and I recognize that with oldest children aged 16 and youngest aged 4 we have a lot of Disney trips left in us... first with our children, and then immediately followed by our grandchildren. I vowed that I would never ever stay in a value resort again - so we invested in DVC on the same trip that we stayed at ASSP to assure that we would never have to stay there again. It says a lot about the quality that even Disney considers the Value Resorts to be when DVC won't allow DVC members to trade their points to stay at any of the All-Star Resorts... and only allows points to be used at the higher end lodging.

Mind you, this is all just my humble opinion - there are many out there that say they love the All Star Resorts. Best wishes with your decision making....

 

[quietgirll]

i must admit i am NOT a fan of as sports...we stayed there for one night @ the end of our stay last year and HATED it...the rooms were dirty, smelly, and the staff was not very helpful. The busses were crowded, and the beds were AWFUL!! after that, we decided maybe we just arent into the value resorts, and we wouldn't do that again...well, with free dining, i couldn't resist the notion of a longer stay if we booked a value, so we have decided to go with POP this trip. I hope it turns out that its not values that bother us, just the sports in general. it is the oldest of the values, and is supposedly due for a rehab. i for one, can attest that it needs it. i wouldnt stay there again, and i wouldnt recommend it....but as they say, different guests have different experiences, so you never know...

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

I agree with Lustergirl on most everything BUT I do not opt to pay for a preferred 'view' at any of the Values as there really is no view. I stay in Touchdown most of the time which is even closer to the bus stop etc. (if you are on the right side of the building) and I do not have to pay extra.

Granted the rooms are nothing to write home to Mom about and many common rooms nowadays do have coffee makers, microwaves and fridges included in the price. I feel that the Values should have those amenities as more families stay there and need them more than some of the other resorts. The food court could sell food items to fill up those appliances and more than recoup the costs of them not to mention the time and effort they take now hauling those poor banged up fridges back and forth.

The most common complaint that I have heard is the noise and the kids running around but I am deaf and cannot hear and I love seeing kids having a good time so that is not a problem for us.

It is all according to what your family wants and likes. There are resorts with better pools, I love PORFQ for ambience and moderate price if you want romance (pretty nice pool and not a big property too) BUT if you are wanting a relatively cheap place to stay, nicely located on property very near two parks, good bus service and are not planning on spending a lot of time in the room it is a good place.

As far as service, the only complaint I had last time was that they made us so many towel animals that we literally did not have much room to get in and out of the room. ALSO, many of the staff have been on my Christmas card list for years.

Hey, if you are at DW how bad can any place be??

Slightly Goofy

 

[luvgoing2disney]

I agree with most of the thoughts from other posters who have enjoyed staying at Sports. We stay there because of the fact that we are not in our room very much during out stay. When the parks are open, we are at the parks. We take advantage of EEH and do not return to the room for naps or a swim. Those we can do at home. All we want is a place to shower, change, and sleep for a few hours. There are only three in our family, so the size has never been a real problem. The food court will have something to eat if you are in a hurry. No Victoria and Alberts but you will not go hungry. The bus stop, as noted, stops at Sports first so that's a plus as well.

 

[smep013]

This was the first Disney resort we EVER stayed at - and since we are HUGE sports fans, we loved it.

I went around a took pictures of all the buildings because the themeing was right up our alley.

Then, for part of our Honeymoon in 2005, we stayed at Coronodo Springs and it was really tough after that to return to a value (Did All Star Sports again in 2006).

I think All Star Sports is fine. Nothing fancy, nothing relaxing about it. It is a Motel 6 with over the top Sports decorations.

Don't get me wrong - it is clean and you still feel like you are at Disney World. It just will not be our 1st choice again.

 

[M2DD's]

Thanks to all the advise.My DH and I picked this resort because the main pool and kiddie pool will be closed so we thought it will be less crowded.We have 2 Girls 3&6 and will love where ever we stay.They are just excited to be at disney.We only go once a year,so this is a big treat for them. We stay at the parks all day and just come back to shower and sleep.We can offered to stay at a moderate but thought we could save the money and buy the kids more stuff Hope were making a good choice.
laura

 

[smep013]

You are making the right choice!

 

[matt&jakesmom]

We have been to all the value resorts except ASSP. We are now going there end of August. My DS wants to know if there is place to play basketball? I don't remember seeing anything like that when we walked thru it years ago, but I thought I would ask.

 

[lustergirl]

We have been to all the value resorts except ASSP. We are now going there end of August. My DS wants to know if there is place to play basketball? I don't remember seeing anything like that when we walked thru it years ago, but I thought I would ask.

I hoped there was as well but to my dismay there isn't any place to play basketball. I found out the hard way by my older son taking his basketball along for the trip, lol.

 

[GIGI&MIMI]

We too were at POP last year during free dining and this bus situation was crazy. So this year we've opted for ASMusic (Jazz) as the rooms are newly renovated as are the pool areas. I'm hoping the buses are okay since it's the middle resort. The lines didn't look nearly as long as the POP lines returning from the parks. We figured we could walk to the other AS's if there's a pool area we like better.

 

[disneyfreak74]

I agree with Lustergirl on most everything BUT I do not opt to pay for a preferred 'view' at any of the Values as there really is no view. I stay in Touchdown most of the time which is even closer to the bus stop etc. (if you are on the right side of the building) and I do not have to pay extra.

The most common complaint that I have heard is the noise and the kids running around but I am deaf and cannot hear and I love seeing kids having a good time so that is not a problem for us.

As far as service, the only complaint I had last time was that they made us so many towel animals that we literally did not have much room to get in and out of the room. ALSO, many of the staff have been on my Christmas card list for years.

Hey, if you are at DW how bad can any place be??

Slightly Goofy

You can look at my signature and see that I may be a little biased on my opinion as well. . .but we always have a great time!! Now we also are the family that makes Early park opening annd Late night our ENTIRE trip. . .so we are not at the room THAT much!!!

We get lots of towel animals!!!

Football courtyarrd is NOT preferred. . .but it is OUR preference!!!! It is sooooo close to EVERYTHING!!!!

 

[TYTY]

If your child is into sports as much as mine then you have to stay there. It's an awesome place to stay while not too expensive.

 

[clkelley]

We stay at the Values because of the price, the good transportation, and the food court. The beds are fine, the showers work great, that's all we need.

Now let me qualify that. We don't spend much time at the resort. We are out early and back late. Any time I've been at a Value resort in the middle of the day I'm overwhelmed by the crowds of people there.

Anytime before 7am, the Food Court is great!!! Anytime before 7am, the bus service is walk on. Late in the evening sitting in chairs near the pool bar is great!! Lunchtime break, forgetaboutit!! We take our lunchtime break at the moderates and Deluxe resorts. They are filled with great little pathways for strolling outside, they are filled with great little seating areas in out of the way places to sit and relax.

So that's why we stay at Values. We may someday stay at moderates or deluxes (when the kids are all gone and the PLUS college loans are paid for). However, it will probably only be at POFQ, Wilderness Lodge, or Animal Kingdom Lodge. Sharing transportation and multiple stops is my biggest pet peeve.

 

[EvilQ]

All Star Sports would definitly be my choice. I have stayed at all the all stars. The first on and off the bus thing is the plus at sports. You can't compare the all star resorts to Old Key west, Saratoga Springs and Vero Beach. They are all Disney Vacation Club resorts and are definitly in a different price range. I am a vacation club member so I usually stay at a DVC resort but if I am out of points I stay at the all stars, simply because they are cost effective!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

CAN afford and WANT to afford are two very different options and not a darned thing wrong with either choice IMO. I opt to stay for longer and more often. That is why there are so many different options at DW.

I love the POP Century Food Court but just looking at the huge layout of rooms gives me a headache. The LAST thing I want to see when I get back to the resort is a mile long walk to my room.

It also gives a small amount of satisfaction in NOT being the very last bus stop leaving the parks. Being a decent person I feel sorry for all the POP people standing in those lines though. I remember back when all the cheaper resort buses were first or nearly so in line. I thought that was wrong but I did enjoy it.

The pool should be back in operation mid September or earlier from what I have read. Maybe enough people will be scared off and we can have a meet pool side??

Slightly Goofy

(who cannot hear so if you bang on my door or holler at me and I do not respond feel free to throw cash until I notice)

 

[mnasmom3]

SlightlyGoofy.....not sure when you'll be there, but I'll meet you by the pool! We'll be at ASSports Sept 22-29. One of the biggest factors for me when deciding on which of the values to stay at was the crowd factor. POP seems too POPular and more overPOPulated. Even though it was tops on the list for the others in my group, I was secretly happy when they told me it was booked for my days. That left the other 3. No one had a big preferrance for any of them so we chose Sports because it seems like it's the least liked theme, so hopefully it will be less crowded. The bus situation is also a big plus for me.