Which package deal would you do?

[kenzieq]

This is our first disney trip ever. I have two children a dd 7 and ds6. We are staying for 8 nights. I have two package options I am looking at. could you advise me on which one you would pick. First my two resort choices are All star movies and Pop. Pop is not offering the gift card deal, but I can get the hotel discount with 6 or 7 days of base tickets for around $1600. The other deal we are looking at is all star movies with the same package for about 1800 but I get the $ 300 gift card. So which package would you choose?

Would you choose pop over AS movies? Or vice versa. I know my children will love either because it's all new. I like the idea of a mini fridge at pop, but can bring a cooler for ASM. I know ASM is more, but the gift card could come in handy during the week. Since I've never been, what would your preference be as far as location of the hotels and getting around WDW? We are coming the last week of April. We aren't doing a ddp, as we will pack our lunches into the park and eat as much in the room as possible. But we are doing a character dinner and possibly going to the fort to eat smores one night and watch a movie. I think a 6 day ticket would be better than 7, I don't want to go home exhausted, I want to rest a few days before we leave, lol!

Thanks for any advise!
McKinsey

 

[auralia]

i would pick pop because it's laid out better ( suggest paying for a prefered room it is worth it)... all stars resorts share busses the bus has to stop at 3 hotels total so 2 and the one you are staying at pop has dedicated busses i have stayed at both and pop was world better, but i wouldn't ever stay without paying for the prefered room (i just hate being too far from the food court and conveniences).

 

[jagafen]

FWIW, if you're not doing the DDP, I'd stay with POP just for the convienence of the fridge. A cooler is going to be a pain to keep everything from spoiling for that long....you could renta fridge for about $10/day at ASMo, but that would just about eat up your $100 savings.

I've never stayed at POP, but I did do a mommy/son trip with DS a few years ago, and he LOVED Movies...we stayed right behind Woody, on the back side of that building.

 

[candielips]

You still need to rent the fridge at POP too. None of the values include a fridge so I would not let that affect your decision.
It sounds like the ASMo pkg saves you $100 when you factor in the cost of the card, so I might be inclined to stay at ASMo, plus w/ the Toy Story craze going on right now, I'm sure your kids would love it.
All the rooms at POP & ASMo are the same size so there is no difference in the rooms really.
We have never stayed at ASMo but love POP! We are returning there this fall and when our DS is a little older, only 3months right now, we plan on visiting ASMo as he already loves Buzz Lightyear.

 

[woodkins]

This is our first disney trip ever. I have two children a dd 7 and ds6. We are staying for 8 nights. I have two package options I am looking at. could you advise me on which one you would pick. First my two resort choices are All star movies and Pop. Pop is not offering the gift card deal, but I can get the hotel discount with 6 or 7 days of base tickets for around $1600. The other deal we are looking at is all star movies with the same package for about 1800 but I get the $ 300 gift card. So which package would you choose?

Would you choose pop over AS movies? Or vice versa. I know my children will love either because it's all new. I like the idea of a mini fridge at pop, but can bring a cooler for ASM. I know ASM is more, but the gift card could come in handy during the week. Since I've never been, what would your preference be as far as location of the hotels and getting around WDW? We are coming the last week of April. We aren't doing a ddp, as we will pack our lunches into the park and eat as much in the room as possible. But we are doing a character dinner and possibly going to the fort to eat smores one night and watch a movie. I think a 6 day ticket would be better than 7, I don't want to go home exhausted, I want to rest a few days before we leave, lol!

Thanks for any advise!
McKinsey

The amenities at Pop's rooms are the same as ASM, NEITHER room provides a mini fridge. Pop is a value resort so if there is a gift card offer for the values it includes POP, there may not be any rooms left for the promotion but you would have to call to find out.

The cost differential between a 6 and 7 day tix is literally about $3 a person, so you may want to get the extra day and spend a few hours in your favorite park, my dd will go to HS just to play on the Honey I shrunk the kids playground!

 

[buzznina]

The fridge is not included at any value resorts, but you can rent them at $10+tax per night.

 

[PrincessNoelle'sMom]

With the two current public offers, the GC is a better deal when staying at the value resorts. Go with ASMo and use the GC (Disney's money) especially if you are not getting the dining plan - you'll need to eat and the extra $ will come in very handy

 

[bamor]

AS Movies is in dire need of a refurb
Some of the rooms at POP have just been done...request a room in the 70's section

 

[tlh0726]

Whichever resort you choose, get yourself signed up for one of the fridge swaps

Sorry, but I would save the money and not do a preferred room. In reality you could end up with a room directly across the hall from a "preferred" Walking a few extra steps is not worth spending the extra money to us. (this alone could save you the $100 difference between the two packages that you are looking at ASM 1800-300 gc=1500, POP 1600)

We are also ones to have tickets for everyday that we are there including arrival and departure days. Once you purchase something like 4 days the additional cost for other days are minimal. To have the freedom to go into a park just do even one thing, grab one meal, or to see the shows or fireworks is well worth the cost. Instead of taking a complete day off it also gives you the opportunity to do some shorter days.

I also think (correct me if I am wrong) POP has it's own bus where ASM shares.

 

[dmoore718]

Why can't you get into POP with the GC deal? Are they all sold out for your dates? When I priced it with POP as the hotel, I could get the GC deal.

 

[MandM-Mom]

I like pop a bit more than ASMo because of the bus, seems to run a bit more at pop, last time I stayed at Movies was 2008 and we did a lot of shared buses with other allstars and I did not care for that but that might have changed by now, our last trip was in oct and we did pop so no rescent trip to ASMo for reviews from me. Although my kids would pick movies because they love the scenery

 

[kenzieq]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I didn't realize that pop didn't have a fridge. I could have sworn I saw a fridge the other day when I was looking at pics on the disney site, maybe it was the refurbed parts? Since this is a surprise for my children, I know that ASM will be the right choice for us. My son is a toy story fanatic and anything disney, and my daughter is all about the princesses! So I know that this will be a trip to remember! I am going to book online today! Thanks everyone!

 

[crysplefty]

Unless it has changed, Pop has its own buses and the three All Star Resorts share buses. So the buses pass more frequently at Pop.