Review: Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
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OVERVIEW: DISNEY’S ALL-STAR MOVIES RESORT
I’ve recently stayed at all four of Disney’s Value Resorts. These visits confirm the order in which the value resorts are recommended.
- Disney’s Pop Century Resort is still number one among the values.
- After Pop Century, the rank is, in order, All-Star Movies, All-Star Sports, and All-Star Music.
These last three All-Star Resorts are very close. Of these three,
- All-Star Sports is the most convenient, but kid appealing only if your kids are into baseball, football, basketball, surfing, or tennis
- All-Star Movies is the most broadly kid-appealing, and the most comfortable of the three
- All-Star Music is the most compact, most lovely, and the only one with family suites
You can have a wonderful visit at any Walt Disney World resort hotel.
However, this site recommends that first time visitors to Walt Disney World who can afford it should stay at Disney’s Polynesian Resort, a deluxe resort, and that those who can’t should stay at Disney’s Pop Century Resort, a value resort.
(It also suggests that first time visitors should avoid the moderate resorts, while noting that these resorts are wonderful for visits after the first. See this for why.)
Compared to other Walt Disney World owned and operated resorts, the value resorts are distinguished by having the lowest prices and smallest rooms.
You likely will never stay in a hotel with smaller 2-bed rooms.
I could not imagine staying in one of these rooms if I had to add a crib as well (the room sleeps four in two full-size beds, plus one more, younger than three, in a crib; a crib fits best between the credenza and closet area.)
However, if your family will fit, the values have much more kid appeal than the moderate resorts, the next higher price class (about twice as expensive, but with much bigger rooms and nicer landscaping.)
(See this for much more on resort distinctions by price class–value, moderate, deluxe, etc.)
Compared to staying off-site, the value resorts are distinguished by their higher kid appeal, convenience, and access to certain key perks that off-site hotels can’t provide.
DISNEY’S ALL-STAR MOVIES RESORT
Resorts are ranked on this site for first time visitors based first on their kid appeal, and then on their convenience.
On this basis, Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort is the second best value resort for first time family visitors, after Pop Century.
Kid Appeal. Several of the deluxe resorts–notably, the Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Polynesian Resort–have spectacular kid appeal. None of the moderates do.
All of the value resorts–Disney’s All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, and All-Star Movies, and its Pop Century Resort–have terrific kid appeal.
This appeal comes from the approach to theming they all share: bright and vibrant exteriors, framing much larger than life objects of interest to kids.
These objects reinforce that these resorts were designed for the sake of kids…and not necessarily for adults!
Of these, Disney’s All-Star Movies is the second-most kid-appealing. Pop Century has the most kid appeal.
All-Star Movie’s theme is…movies.
Its ten three-story buildings (all with elevators) are grouped into five areas, each area themed after a movie (two buildings each): Fantasia, the Mighty Ducks, the Love Bug, Toy Story, and 101 Dalmatians.
You’ll find scattered around the resort three story high statues of Pongo and Perdita, Buzz Lightyear and Woody, a pool shaped like a hockey rink, and more!
The kid appeal of All-Star Movies is based on its theme: because it is about movies, it presents more richly Disney’s visual world.
That said, of all the movies ever released by Disney at the time it was built, the resort taps into only a few with widespread, multi-generational kid appeal.
In a bit of bad synergy, the movies showcased were released, or had theatrical or made-for-television sequels released, between 1996 and 1999–when All-Star Movies opened. As a result, the only reliably kid-pleasing themed areas are the Toy Story (buildings 9 and 10) and 101 Dalmatians (buildings 1 and 4) areas.
Your kid may differ–and be particularly charmed by Fantasia, the Mighty Ducks, or The Love Bug. But most aren’t. Hopefully, Disney will do better than this when it opens Disney’s Art of Animation Resort.
Convenience. Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort is the third most convenient of the Value resorts.
During all but the busiest seasons of the year, the three All-Star Resorts share buses, except for the Magic Kingdom, to which each has its own bus.
Shared buses stop first at Sports, second at Music, and last at Movies.
What this means for Movies is that you have a shorter trip to the parks, but a longer trip back, than Sports.
For me, a shorter trip out is more valuable than a shorter trip back. On the other hand, at busy times of the year, buses may fill up before they even get to Movies, or, more likely, have standing room only.
This is why I rank Movies after Sports in convenience.
Best places to stay at All Star Movies. This site suggests that first time visitors stay in standard rooms, not preferred rooms (because they won’t be spending much time in their rooms, or going to the main resort food area often.)
The single exception is visitors to the Animal Kingdom Lodge, who should always pay for savannah views.
Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort is divided into five areas.
Click the map to see the general layout.
Of these, a third floor room in buildings 1 or 4, in the 101 Dalmatians area, or 9 or 10 in the Toy Story area, is the best place to stay.
Movies has the same problem the other values do: it can be packed with teenagers who are at Walt Disney World as part of a tournament or other sports event.
As a result, the resort can be very loud and boisterous. Buildings around the pools are particularly so.
At All-Star Movies, buildings 2 and 3 (Mighty Ducks) and 5 and 8, (Fantasia) frame pools, and should be avoided
This leaves buildings 1 and 4 in the 101 Dalmatians area, 9 and 10 in the Toy Story Area, and 6 and 7 in the Love Bug area. Of these, buildings 1, 4, 9 and 10 are closer to the dining area, bus stops, and main pool, and have themes more broadly appealing, and are hence recommended.
Ask for the third floor because it is also the top floor, which makes it quieter.
BEST FOR:
Families than cannot afford a deluxe resort, or who are otherwise on a tight budget, who can fit into its small rooms, and find the movies noted an attractive theme.
WORST FOR:
Families who are tall or otherwise won’t fit into full-size beds, or who have more than two adult-sized people, or who will be using a crib.
This review continues here.
LINKS FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD
- For where to stay, see this
- For your next best choices, in order, see this
- For picking your resort based on appeal to kids, see this
- For picking your resort based on convenience, see this
- For where not to stay, see this
- For what you get in each resort price category, see this
- For Walt Disney World resort price seasons, see this
- For the value resorts, see this
- For differences among value resorts, see this
- For the moderate resorts, see this
- For differences among moderate resorts, see this
- For differences among deluxe resorts, see this
- For the Disney Vacation Club (“DVC”) Resorts, see this
- For suites at the deluxe resorts, see this
- For a (geeky) overview of comparative room size, see this
- Large families should look at this, and also at
- Military/DOD families should look at this
- Tightwads should look at this
- Families seeking the most comfortable place to stay should see this
7 comments
Review: Disney's All-Star Movies Resort ? The Walt Disney World ……
I found your entry interesting do I’ve added a Trackback to it on my weblog
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hi we are coming with a 22 mth old baby boy.witch room is the best for us?all star music or all str movie??
Patrick–if that’s your only kid, I’d pick Music. Music is less kid pleasing, but more adult pleasing…and a 22 mo won’t note the difference!
Dave…Your website is awesome….what a lucky find did I come across with this!!!! I am planning a trip with my 6 year old in April 2013. My scenerio is I will be including my mother and my boyfriend as well. I am looking at options so that everyone can have a good visit and we are not underfoot of each other, knowing full well we will not be in our rooms a lot but would like to have our space too (this may also be a honeymoon trip). At this point finacially would you recomend a “family suite” or go with a value base room and get 2 rooms.
Hi Amber, and thanks!
Two rooms may give you too much privacy…as Disney won’t guarantee they’ll be near each other, much less connecting.
Check out the Art of Animation resort floor plan. http://yourfirstvisit.net/2011/08/21/family-suite-floor-plans-for-disneys-art-of-animation-resort/ Compared to All-Star Music Family suites, you get a queen and two fulls, instead of a queen, a full, and two twins. There’s also a tad more privacy between the beds in the common area…
The suites are a great option! One bedroom with a door, lol. Two bathrooms, small kitchenette area with microwave and a large living area with a pull out sleeper sofa & sleeper chair. I have pics of All Star Music on my FB page and Disney’s pictures are wonderful on their website.
If you book two separate rooms you can request to have them near each other. They’ve also started to “attached” reservations of people who are traveling together and want rooms near each other. They do a great job trying to keep everyone happy!
kim.traveldreams@yahoo.com http://www.facebook.com/travel4u
Thanks, Kim
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