Trying to choose a Value--

[toledo13]

DH and I are trying to choose a value for our Sept 09 trip. We're thinking POP, but really have no idea. We've only stayed offsite or at the Swan... so we're not quite sure which value is better than the other. It'll just be us two, and was told to avoid Sports....? Should we stick with POP? We're both music people (I'm a music teacher, and he's a performer), so he was thinking about ASMu..... ? I guess we can't really go wrong, can we??? The whole bus system thing makes me lean towards POP- any opinions?

 

[Sandi]

Of the Values, we've only stayed at Pop. It is one of our favorite WDW resorts. The theming is fun and the bus service is first rate. We found the CMs at Pop to be very friendly, efficient, and helpful. We have stayed at Moderates and Deluxes, but when we go back in August, we are staying at Pop. One big selling factor for DD13 is the coke slushies at the beverage island. I can't compare Pop to the other Values, but this will be our 4th stay at Pop, so you can see that we like it.

 

[NewCrew42]

We have only stayed at a deluxe or Pop as well. My family loves Pop! Dh and I were born in the 60s and we love the whole pop culture sort of thing. Since you guys are music people, I think you might enjoy ASmu. I think it has recently been refurbished as well.

 

[helenk]

I've stayed at the Allstar Music a few times and I really like the resort. Its pretty compact and it was refurbished within the last year or so.
I think that the Allstar Sports would be a good choice, the resort was just refurbished this past year. While the Allstar resorts share a bus, the Sports is usually the first picked up and dropped off.
I would stay away from the Allstar Sports during the football and cheering events like the POP Warner group, they go in December. I am not sure if there are any events like that in September.

 

[minnie61650]

I have stayed at all levels of Disney Resorts. My favorite Disney owned resort is All Star Music.

Here are a few reasons :



1. I can book a preferred room location..( The Calypso buildings are preferred and they are the closest to the main pool ,food court and bus stop. They cost an $10 extra a night and in my opinion they are well worth it.)
The way All Star Music is laid out it "seems" smaller than most of the other Disney resorts. If I stay in a preferred building I only see the Calypso and Jazz builings on the way to and from the main pool and the bus stop and food court. Since I stay in preferred room I know I am going to be close to the food court, bus stop, & main pool.

2. I enjoy the theming at the All Stars. All Star Music is also is the quietest of the values. Generally less people stay there and there are more seniors and couples and less young children because children enjoy the themes of the other values more.

3. The bus service at the All Star Music is very good. Since I use an EVC good bus transportation is essential.

4. The entry at the values and Mods are much more Handicap friendly.
I am able to get in and out of my All Star room unassisted. This way my husband can go and play a round of golf and know I can leave my room to relax by the pool if I choose.
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All Star Music is my favorite resort. It tends to be the quietest of all the values.


All Star Music just underwent a refurbishment of all of the rooms and was completed in June 2007.


Here is a website with photos of the newly refurbished rooms at All Star Music.

Look at the Jazz Inn section with new posted:

http://allearsnet.com/acc/g_asmu.htm




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DH and I enjoy the landscaping and peacefulness of All Star Music.
We enjoy relaxing by the pool (there are plenty of chairs and lounges), and the beautiful lighting at the resort by night.

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I love The All Star Resorts.

I am 56 years old and travel several times a yearfor pleasure. I often stay at 3and 4 star and sometimes a 5 star hotels and motels.
So the deluxe and mod resorts are just another hotel/motel to me.
Staying at an 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 Calypso 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.

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 listed as 20 min away. That's the same amount of time it takes on the monorail from the Contemporary.


*Please Note:
In my experience the bus rides are usually 3-6 minutes shorter than the listed times. Perhaps the authors posted the ride times during heavy traffic so the actual times would be less in most cases.


A WORD ABOUT BUS SHARING

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

In the mornings during Park opening hours each All Star usually has a dedicated bus.
During mid day 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 Movies share and Music has it's own bus back. Each of the All Stars usually has it's own dedicated bus back from the MK.
That is a big plus. It seems like the Music bus stop usually has the shortest of the three All Star bus lines.

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!)

The pools at The All Stars are very kid friendly.

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.

The All Star Movie Fantasia pool has Mickey.

The Calypso pool at ASMU has Donald Duck.

And the Surfs up pool at All Star Sports has giant surf boards.

Here are a few pool photos.

All Star Sports pool.

All Star Music Donald pool.

All Star Movies Mickey Pool.

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 theming is pure Disney.

My last 6 visits have been at The All Stars and during the fall of 2005 when we took dd,dsil, and our grandson age 3(at the time) 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 fun at Disney wherever you choose to stay!

 

[HopperFan]

..........and while the others are just fine..........we LOVE POP ! Can't wait to return this fall. Better transportation, small footprint so walk not bad anywhere, better food court (more options and they are fast), nice gift shop, beautiful grounds with lots of landscaping - lake - bridge with benches - walking path along lake, lots of ducks and bunnies, very nice pools with two being very quiet, view of Illuminations (and from our room we watched Wishes and fireworks at a private party in DHS), and if you have a car just a hop to anywhere !

 

[LuvTigger]

I've stayed at all but Movies, and I agree with what HopperFan said. In terms of the rooms, each one of the resorts will be comparable except for some slight theming differences. I liked Sports and Music just fine, but for some reason I liked POP just a little bit better. I definitely liked the POP food court better, I felt like it was never a problem finding a seat. The theming of the buildings and the grounds seemed a level above the other values too. We really enjoyed just walking around looking at the different buildings, the lake, etc.

With regard to the bus system, we never had any problems with buses at any of the resorts, but when we stayed at Sports and Music, I did notice that the routes would change in terms of what buses stopped where. I don't think it ever drastically affected the time it took to get anywhere.

While I am partial to POP after staying at Sports and Music, I wouldn't hesitate to stay at any of the values, and I think the differences are fairly negligible. I find that when I'm in doubt of where to stay, I just go with the resort whose theme appeals to me (or a resort I've never tried before). After all, they're all Disney resorts, so you can't really go wrong!

 

[weluvariel]

My parents took myself and DD8 to WDW last fall. We stayed at POP and they loved it! They are looking to go back by themselves and said, without a doubt, they will stay at POP again. My dad really enjoyed his early morning walks around the lake. My parents both enjoyed meeting another couple they met every morning for breakfast by the pool. Since they are not night owls any longer, they also liked seeing the fireworks from the resort, instead of having to stay late in the parks. DD and I are going back this fall and have choosen to try ASMo, just for variety.

 

[minnie61650]

..... DD and I are going back this fall and have choosen to try ASMo, just for variety.

I noticed your screen name says you luv Ariel.
I just wanted to let you know if you have a few extra minutes at ASMo you want to walk over to visit and /or swim at the Piano (quiet) pool at All Star Music.
They have an Ariel Statue that would make a great photo op.

Here is a photo from Allearsnet:

Have fun at WDW!

 

[WillCAD]

I've stayed at all 4 of the Values, and my favorite is still Music.

I like all of them, but Music is the most peaceful. It's peaceful because, I have to admit, the theming is not as impressive or as loud and bright as the other Values; the rooms and buildings are more subdued. This makes fewer people with small children want to stay there, making it quieter and less crowded.

I haven't stayed at Music since the rooms were rehabed, but even before the rehab I never had a complaint.

I prefer the Broadway section. It's very quiet, because it's not next to the pool or Melody Hall. The drawback is that it's not next to the pool or Melody Hall! Which means a longer walk to get on a bus or have breakfast in the food court.

 

[Grace and Mickey]

thanks everyone for the great info.I too am looking for a resort must likely one of the values. We are a family of seven, me , hubby, our two married daughters, son in laws, and grandson. We have stayed at Asmovies, looking for a chance. Wish we could afford one the deluxe.

 

[weluvariel]

I noticed your screen name says you luv Ariel.
I just wanted to let you know if you have a few extra minutes at ASMo you want to walk over to visit and /or swim at the Piano (quiet) pool at All Star Music.
They have an Ariel Statue that would make a great photo op.


THANKS A TON!!!!!!! We are still exploring the "World" and DD will love seeing that. I did not know it existed. Thanks again.

 

[MisunderstoodLilo]

Since Sports was recently redone, I think you'd be fine there or at Music.

Pop Century is fine, but it's shown some wear & tear over the (less than) five years it's been open.

 

[Racemom17]

We have stayed at Movies and Sports, both in preferred sections. Our first trip to Movies was in Dec 06 and we really liked it. There were some buses that were standing room only. We stayed at Sports in Sept 07 for free dining...and the same situation...leaving Sports was ok, because Sports is the first stop of the 3...so we were the first on...and there were some mornings they didn't hit the other stops...but leaving the parks at night was busy...and there was one night we left DTD that was crazy. Due to that we are trying Pop this year, since it has its own bus service. It is still a value resort so I expect the buses will still be packed, but at least it is only one stop...

 

[fey_spirit]

I am planning no meals in the food court and we will have our own car so we could only reap the benefits from these two factors. My question is is there a place to park relatively close?

I've stayed at all 4 of the Values, and my favorite is still Music.

I like all of them, but Music is the most peaceful. It's peaceful because, I have to admit, the theming is not as impressive or as loud and bright as the other Values; the rooms and buildings are more subdued. This makes fewer people with small children want to stay there, making it quieter and less crowded.

I haven't stayed at Music since the rooms were rehabed, but even before the rehab I never had a complaint.

I prefer the Broadway section. It's very quiet, because it's not next to the pool or Melody Hall. The drawback is that it's not next to the pool or Melody Hall! Which means a longer walk to get on a bus or have breakfast in the food court.

 

[WillCAD]

As a matter of fact, one of the reasons I like the Broadway section of Music is that it has lots of parking close to the buildings. I always rent a car when at WDW, so parking is an important factor to me, and Music has the most abundant and convenient parking of all 4 Value resorts.

You can see Broadway in this Bird's Eye on Live.com:
http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v...&scene=29353453&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1

Broadway is the two buildings with the "road" between them. Pan right to see Jazz Inn and Melody Hall.

One other recommendation I will give you - plan on a meal or two (perhaps a breakfast and a lunch or dinner) in the Music food court. The All-Star food courts are great counter-service options, some of my favorites at WDW, and they are reasonably priced by WDW standards.

 

[travelin' tigger]

I've stayed at all 4 of the Values, and my favorite is still Music.

I like all of them, but Music is the most peaceful. It's peaceful because, I have to admit, the theming is not as impressive or as loud and bright as the other Values; the rooms and buildings are more subdued. This makes fewer people with small children want to stay there, making it quieter and less crowded.

I haven't stayed at Music since the rooms were rehabed, but even before the rehab I never had a complaint.

I prefer the Broadway section. It's very quiet, because it's not next to the pool or Melody Hall. The drawback is that it's not next to the pool or Melody Hall! Which means a longer walk to get on a bus or have breakfast in the food court.

I just got back from a 1-night stay at Pop - was even upgraded to a preferred (Bldg. 4), but I still like ASMu the best. Pop was too big and loud for my taste...

On Monday I was at MK and headed out to the bus stop around 4:30pm. Waited over 1/2 hour for a bus which filled up before the rest of the people waiting could get on. Saw a few AS busses while waiting and if I had been staying at ASMu, I could have caught any of the those busses, then walked to my resort from wherever I was dropped.

 

[fey_spirit]

Thank you for the information I was leaning towards Broadway anyway seeing as how my wife is a HUGE fan of Broadway (the real one), and I loved what I saw of the theming. With my mobility issues, I don't own a chair, but I can't walk for long periods at a time, the parking is vital.

Thanks for the food recommendations and I'll store them away for later we'll be on the free/upgraded to deluxe plan on this upcoming trip in September and are only planning CS at Columbia Harbor House in MK. And that only because it will work out best for us for Arrival day - I hate making TS meals for too close to arrival time, puts too much pressure on the driver.

On the other hand if I get sick again it's nice to know that the food court here can more then provide =)

As a matter of fact, one of the reasons I like the Broadway section of Music is that it has lots of parking close to the buildings. I always rent a car when at WDW, so parking is an important factor to me, and Music has the most abundant and convenient parking of all 4 Value resorts.

You can see Broadway in this Bird's Eye on Live.com:
http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v...&scene=29353453&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1

Broadway is the two buildings with the "road" between them. Pan right to see Jazz Inn and Melody Hall.

One other recommendation I will give you - plan on a meal or two (perhaps a breakfast and a lunch or dinner) in the Music food court. The All-Star food courts are great counter-service options, some of my favorites at WDW, and they are reasonably priced by WDW standards.

 

[redsox721]

Stay at the POP. We stayed there last year. The place is amazing. We have stayed at the Poly numerous times but my kids (young adults) claim to like the POP better. The rooms were large enough for the 4 of us. We stayed in building 4 poolside, preferred room. It was in a great location. Near the pool, near the food court and lobby and near the walkway to the lake. I was also told when I made the reservations that the POP's bus service is better than at the 3 All Star resorts.