Which All-Star is the best?

[kaseyleibas]

Hi! My friends and I are going to WDW for our senior trip, and I wanted to know which All-Star resort is the best. Since we are on a budget, we want to stay in one of the All Star resorts. I know that All-Star sports is closest to everything, but All-Star movies seems to have a better theme/pool. I was also wondering if the resorts share buses during the end of June-beginning of July. Thanks!

 

[loves to dive]

I've only stayed at sports but they were all within spitting distance of each other. I know if they share buses (didn't the whole time I was there but I was only there one night) sports is the first stop. None of them are very big and you can share the pool at all of them

 

[SmallWorld71]

I've stayed at each one 2x and I honestly would just pick whichever one you like the theming of the best. Otherwise, they are really pretty much the same.
My personal favorite themes in each of the All-Stars are:
Sports: Home run hotel (baseball) - standard room
Music: Jazz - preferred room
Movies: Fantasia - preferred room

IME, they don't share buses very often during busy seasons, but even when they do it doesn't take any longer than it take to get around the moderates that have multiple stops or to go from one deluxe to the next. As PP mentioned, they are so close to each other that you can actually walk across the parking lots from one to the next.

 

[Kirkules]

You may want to consider Pop Century. It is also a Value resort and I'm pretty sure it has its own bus year round. Have fun!

 

[dansdad]

I've stayed at each one 2x and I honestly would just pick whichever one you like the theming of the best. Otherwise, they are really pretty much the same.
My personal favorite themes in each of the All-Stars are:
Sports: Home run hotel (baseball) - standard room
Music: Jazz - preferred room
Movies: Fantasia - preferred room

IME, they don't share buses very often during busy seasons, but even when they do it doesn't take any longer than it take to get around the moderates that have multiple stops or to go from one deluxe to the next. As PP mentioned, they are so close to each other that you can actually walk across the parking lots from one to the next.

This.

 

[WEDWDW]

I kept a "log" during one of my trips to All-Star Sports.

You may find this info helpful as to how often the All-Stars "share" buses.
It takes the Buses about 2 minutes to travel from Sports to Music and about 2 minutes from Music to Movies

I also did some Park Hopping:
Monorail from TTC to Epcot----9 minutes.
Monorail from Epcot to TTC----7 minutes.
Express Monorail----4 minutes
Friendship between Epcot and DHD----20-30 minutes(We actually did make it in 20 minutes one day!)

Saturday April 18-
Sports to Epcot----8:23AM to 8:33AM----10 minutes----Direct
Epcot to Sports----4:46PM to 4:58PM----12 minutes----Share

Sunday April 19----Sports to DAK(EMH)----7:44AM to 7:52AM----8 minutes----Direct
DAK to Sports----12:51PM to 12:57PM----6 minutes----Share
Sports to DHS----5:37PM to 5:57PM----20 minutes----Share
MK to Music----10:31PM to 10:52PM----21 minutes----Direct
(Hopped on a waiting Music Bus and then walked back to Sports.)

Monday April 20----Sports to MK----6:49AM to 7:04AM----15 minutes----Direct
(BOG Breakfast!)
Epcot to Sports----12:31PM to 12:42PM----11 minutes----Share
Sports to Epcot----2:44PM to 3:04PM----20 minutes----Share
Epcot to Sports----7:00PM to 7:12PM----12 minutes----Share

Tuesday April 21----Sports to DHS----7:58AM to 8:10AM----12 minutes----Direct
DHS to Sports----11:01AM to 11:15AM----14 minutes----Direct
Sports to DTD----2:23PM to 2:50PM----27 minutes----Share
DHS to Sports----9:57PM to 10:09PM----12 minutes----Share

Wednesday April 22----Sports to DAK----7:33AM to 7:44AM(EMH)----11 minutes----Direct
DAK to Sports----12:29PM to 12:37PM----8 minutes----Share
Sports to DHS----1:30PM to 1:49PM----19 minutes----Share
MK to Music----9:25PM to 9:40PM----15 minutes----Direct

Thursday April 23----Sports to Epcot----11:10AM to 11:19AM----9 minutes----Share
DTD to Sports----5:18PM to 5:37PM-----19 minutes----Share

Friday April 24----Sports to Epcot----8:06AM to 8:17AM-----11 minutes----Direct
Epcot to Sports----10:27AM to 10:43AM----16 minutes----Share
Sports to Epcot----12:23PM to 12:43PM----20 minutes----Share
Epcot to Sports----9:14PM to 9:30PM----16 minutes----Direct

Saturday April 25----Sports to DHS(EMH)----7:20AM to 7:30AM-----10 minutes----Direct
Epcot to Sports-----4:16PM to 4:30PM----14 minutes----Share

Sunday April 26----Sports to MK----9:15AM to 9:30AM----15 minutes----Direct
Epcot to Sports----12:20PM to 12:32PM-----12 minutes-----Share

Time to board THE SAD BUS!!!!BOOOOOOOO!!!!

 

[wellesleyprincess]

t All-Star movies seems to have a better theme/pool.

Just know that several of the more preferable movie themes Toy Story, 101 Dalmatians, and Fantasia are preferred rooms so you'd pay more to stay in one of those themes. If you just prefer the theme more generally that's fine, but it seems to have more buildings "zoned" as preferred than others.

I'd say sports for transportation. Or go with Sports or Music based on which was a few dollars cheaper unless you want to splurge on preferred at Movies (in which case I'd consider Pop or the LM rooms at AOA). (Because Disney seems to yield there rates there can be a few dollars per night difference in each of the three)

 

[robinb]

I like (in order)

(1) All Star Sports -- I'm a big sports fan, so I enjoy the theme the best.
(2) All Star Movies -- I like the themes here too.
(3) All Star Music -- Hate it. I don't like the theme and parts of it are really far away from the food court/bus stop.

If you're willing to look at Pop Century, it's my favorite of the values. Art of Animation looks very nice and a lot of people love it but it is more expensive than the other values and there are never any discounts on the single Little Mermaid rooms so I never consider it.

 

[SmallWorld71]

One other thing: sometimes when Disney releases discounts, Movies has been excluded from those discounts or a lesser discount is offered. Whenever we are planning a trip, we always pick our first choice resort and then have a back-up as we like to take advantage of discounts and our first choice resort may not be included in the discount or it just may be that it is sold out for that discount. To me, there is not enough of a difference from one value resort to another that I would give up a discount to stay at a particular one. If the budget is tight enough that we are staying value (and we often do) then every penny counts.

And, I agree with PP to consider Pop Century as well. I love the theming there.