Value Resorts

[Samrsp93]

So, I am planning our vacation family of 4 (me, DH, DS (will be 3) & DD (will be not quite 1) vacation for next winter. I was initially considering Pop, but have been looking at the All Stars as well. I like the food court at Pop, but I haven't been to Disney since 2013. What is your family's favorite Value resort, and why?

 

[Moliphino]

I like Pop because it's more centrally located and now it has the Skyliner, which is way more convenient and fun than a bus. Pop is also newly renovated. The All Stars haven't all completed renovations yet, though they could be all done by next winter. Right now only Movies is done.

At this point there is no re-opening date announced for any of the All Stars. If crowds stay low they may not be open for a while.

 

[Samrsp93]

I like Pop because it's more centrally located and now it has the Skyliner, which is way more convenient and fun than a bus. Pop is also newly renovated. The All Stars haven't all completed renovations yet, though they could be all done by next winter. Right now only Movies is done.

At this point there is no re-opening date announced for any of the All Stars. If crowds stay low they may not be open for a while.

I forgot all about the Skyliner... my toddler and DH would love that! I think I needed someone to convince me the dew extra bucks were worth it for Pop. Thank you

 

[iheartglaciers]

From Pop you can also walk over to Art of Animation, which gives you more quick service food options. If you're staying there awhile, it could be a nice perk!

 

[Pmlocke]

Movies and Music have been updated and personally my wife and I stay at Music every year since 2009. Stayed at Pop once and we prefer Music. Our personal opinion, which you asked for, but the resort is always clean, and meets all our needs.

 

[Boopuff]

My vote is POP. I liked the layout of the resort.

 

[WEDWDW]

Disney Skyliner had made the comparison between POP and the All-Stars a moot point (if taking price out of the equation) and I LOVE the All-Stars.

Skyliner is that transformational!

Skyliner and Rise of the Resistance are 2 of the biggest GEMS in WDW history!

 

[sethschroeder]

I forgot all about the Skyliner

If its not way more money its going to be 100% worth it.

Lots of the COVID prevention stuff is likely to still be in place and you might be looking at limited capacity busses which would be no fun at All Stars. The skyliner benefit is while it might be 1 carriage to a family it goes really fast.

To be honest for me it would be worth it to go from 7 nights down to 6 nights to move to AOA or POP for the skyliner.

I have personally not stayed in them though.

 

[scrappinginontario]

We love Pop! The refurbished rooms and Skyliner put it over the top! We also like the ease to go to other places for meals the Skyliner offers: Caribbean Beach, Riviera as well as those in the boardwalk area.

 

[bffer]

We love POP! The theming is cute and you must have the tie dye cheesecake in the food court. Oh, and it's a Skyliner resort!

 

[CheshKAT]

It's Pop Century for us too. We have stayed at Pop Century (3x) Music (2x) and Movies (1x) but we do prefer Pop Century the most. Hoping to get there next winter. Good luck with whatever you choose. *O*

 

[Disneyfan754321]

We really like ASM it was the same room we had at pop for less money... we stayed in the toy story section so it was right next to the main building. Yes the skyliner was nice but we only used it once for HS so for us to pay 200 more for the week to use it once was not worth it. If you want to see the rooms and the ground layouts youtube the hotel names and you will find great video reviews.

 

[buzznina]

Our family likes the theme a lot better at ASMO, BUT the skyliner is a game changer so we now like POP as our favorite Value.

 

[WEDWDW]

We really like ASM it was the same room we had at pop for less money... we stayed in the toy story section so it was right next to the main building. Yes the skyliner was nice but we only used it once for HS so for us to pay 200 more for the week to use it once was not worth it. If you want to see the rooms and the ground layouts youtube the hotel names and you will find great video reviews.

Just wanted to mention that when we stay at Pop Century we ride Skyliner sometimes just for FUN!

It is especially fun at Sunset and during fireworks!(fireworks WILL return one day!).

We LITERALLY consider Disney Skyliner to be an attraction.

 

[ClapYourHands]

If price were not a factor, I’d give the edge to Pop for completed renovations and skyliner.

That said, I found there was often a fairly significant price difference when I was booking my last few trips, so I chose the All-Stars. The theming is fun, you can pool hop to all three resorts’ pools, and you’d need to take a bus from Pop to AK and MK anyway. I figured the price difference was enough to allow some Uber rides, if I didn’t want to wait for a bus.

 

[Raimiette]

All-Stars for me, if only for the price increase to Pop. I honestly couldn't believe it when I checked the rates, almost $200/night? No thanks, not for a motel experience (for the same reasons I can't recommend AoA even though it looks quite nice). At that point I'd rather go moderate, at least I'd feel like I'm getting something more out of it. I also didn't like the layout of Pop, from the standard rooms you are quite far from the lobby/buses (cannot speak to the gondolas).

At All-Star Sports and Movies even the furthest away rooms aren't too much of a walk and you have the options of going to the other All-Star buses as well. That said, they aren't open and who knows when they're going to. I'm itching to book for September next year but if the All-Stars aren't available I'm not 100% sure what I'm going to do.

 

[ClapYourHands]

All-Stars for me, if only for the price increase to Pop. I honestly couldn't believe it when I checked the rates, almost $200/night? No thanks, not for a motel experience (for the same reasons I can't recommend AoA even though it looks quite nice). At that point I'd rather go moderate, at least I'd feel like I'm getting something more out of it. I also didn't like the layout of Pop, from the standard rooms you are quite far from the lobby/buses (cannot speak to the gondolas).

At All-Star Sports and Movies even the furthest away rooms aren't too much of a walk and you have the options of going to the other All-Star buses as well. That said, they aren't open and who knows when they're going to. I'm itching to book for September next year but if the All-Stars aren't available I'm not 100% sure what I'm going to do.

Totally agree that $200/night is too much for a Value resort.

The walk at Pop isn’t bad, though. We stayed in the 80s/90s section, which is the furthest out and seemed like quite a schlepp when we arrived, and walked there through the resort pathways. Then we got up the next morning, cut through the parking lot, and were at the bus stop faster than we could have walked from a preferred room.

Some of the lake-facing rooms that were standard because of the distance from Classic Hall are now quite well situated for gondola transportation. But at any rate, all of the 50s, 60s, and 70s are closer than the non-preferred rooms at the All Stars, especially Music.

 

[ChanaC]

I prefer Pop, but if you are looking for the cheapest option and don't plan to spend much time at the resorts, go with one of the All Stars. I personally think they are a little worn and out of date, but the toddler will love the themeing, and at the end of the day a bed is a bed, especially if some of All Star has been recently renovated. Also, the kids will probably be too young to really make memories (especially the baby), so go for the cheaper option now, save the money, and stay somewhere cooler when they are older and can appreciate it more.

 

[Wild4Walt]

We really like Pop for the location. Now with the Skyliner it would be my only choice for Value.