Review: Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort

By Dave Shute

The Value Resorts Art of Animation Pop Century Movies Sports Music

Note: guests at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort are eligible for Disney World’s Early Entry program, and have the ability to pre-book as early as seven days before check-in Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass rides. They are NOT eligible for its Extended Evening Hours.

OVERVIEW: DISNEY’S ALL-STAR SPORTS RESORT

Note: a room refurb project has begun at All-Star Sports. This will yield queen bed rooms similar to those in All-Star Music and All-Star Movies. For a photo tour of one of these rooms, see this.

Building 10 (in the Touchdown area) is complete, and Buildings 7 (Touchdown) and 9 (Grand Slam) are being worked on.

Among my 160+ stays in Walt Disney World resort hotels, I’ve stayed at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort multiple times, most recently in May.

These stays confirms that for those who can’t afford a deluxe resort, Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort is the fourth best place to stay among the value resorts (the best value resort choice is Disney’s Art of Animation Resort).

This review has five pages:

The overview of All-Star Sports that continues below
Accommodations and theming at All-Star Sports
A photo tour of a standard room at All-Star Sports
Amenities at All-Star Sports
The pools at All-Star Sports

OVERVIEW OF DISNEY’S ALL-STAR SPORTS RESORT

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 Art of Animation Resort, a value resort. (See this for more on the value resorts at Walt Disney World.)

(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 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.

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 Sports Resort is the fourth-best value resort for first time family visitors.

ACCOMMODATIONS AT DISNEY’S ALL-STAR SPORTS RESORT

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 rooms.

Rooms at All-Star Sports sleep four, plus one more, younger than three, in a crib; the crib fits best between the dresser and closet wall. Most rooms have two full beds, but a refurb with queen beds has begun at All-Star Sports, and likely will be complete in mid-2023.

If your family will fit, Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort, like the other value resorts, has 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).

For more on accommodations at All-Star Sports, see this, and for a detailed photo tour of a full-bed room at All-Star Sports, see this.

AMENITIES AND DINING AT DISNEY’S ALL-STAR SPORTS RESORT

All of the value resorts are slim on amenities and limited in their dining offerings.

Other than the pools, you’ll find most of All-Star Sports’ amenities and all of its dining in the central Stadium Hall area. The food court here is average among the All-Stars and too small to deal with peak dining time crowds.

For more on amenities and dining at All-Star Sports, see this.

THE POOLS AT DISNEY’S ALL-STAR SPORTS RESORT

All-Star Sports has two pools.

The main Surfboard Bay pool (above) near Stadium Hall offers pool games, a kids pool, and, on many evenings, movies.

The second pool Grand Slam pool near Homerun Hotel is smaller and less fun, but is better themed than the secondary pools at many of the other value resorts.

For more on the pools at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort, see this.

KID APPEAL AND CONVENIENCE AT DISNEY’S ALL-STAR SPORTS RESORT

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 Art of Animation resort, Disney’s All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, and All-Star Movies, and its Pop Century–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!

All-Star Sport’s theme is…sports.

Its ten three-story buildings (all with elevators) are grouped into five sports themes (two buildings each): surfing, basketball, baseball, (American) football, and tennis.

You’ll find scattered around the resort a three story high football helmets, tennis rackets, and a baseball grandstand!

Elsewhere you’ll find 30-foot plus surfboards, and thingies that are meant to look like waves but remind me more of shark fins. These shark fins are very close to the main Surfboard Bay Pool…perhaps not well-placed.

Sports is tied with All-Star Music among the values as the least kid-appealing of the values. Each is thin on Disney-specific décor, and can be visually dull except to kids devoted to sports or music.

Of the All-Stars, All-Star Movies is more kid-appealing, living more richly in Disney’s visual world. Art of Animation is by far the most kid appealing of the values. For more on the theming at All-Star Sports, see this.

Convenience. Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort is slightly more convenient than the other All-Stars, but not as convenient as Pop and Art of Animation.

During some quieter periods, the three All-Star Resorts share some buses, except for the Magic Kingdom, to which each has its own bus.

Shared buses, if operating, stop first at Sports–meaning that when you head to the parks, you are more likely to find a seat, and that when you return, you will be the first stop. (Music is second, and Movies third.)

To me, this is a minor issue…and I could argue that Movies is just as convenient, if you prefer a shorter (but perhaps standing) trip to the parks to a longer trip with a seat. I am in a hurry to get to the parks; I am not on return.

Best places to stay. 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 savanna views.

Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort is divided into five areas. Click the map to see the general layout.

Of these, a third floor room in buildings 2 or 5 (best) or 3 or 4 (next best) is the best place to stay.

Sports has the same problem the other values do, but even more so: 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 Sports, buildings 1, 6, 8, and 9 frame pools. These are in the Surf’s Up (1, 6) and Homerun Hotel (8, 9) areas.

Moreover, the Touchdown Hotels (buildings 7 and 10) are framed around a small football field. Anyone who has met an American male between 6 and 60 will understand that at times…perhaps even at 2 a.m. …the game simply has to be played. As a result, all of these buildings are to be avoided.

This leaves buildings 2 and 3 in the Hoops Hotel area, and 4 and 5 in the Center Court area. Of these, buildings 2 and 5 are slightly closer to the dining area, bus stops, and main pool, 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 sports 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.

The long-time travel agent partner of this site, Destinations in Florida, can help you book your Disney World vacation at All-Star Sports or anywhere else–to contact them, use the form below:

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ACCOMMODATIONS AND THEMING AT DISNEY’S ALL-STAR SPORTS RESORT

This review continues here.

MATERIAL IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S ALL-STAR SPORTS RESORT

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

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2 comments

1 Keith { 05.09.19 at 8:02 pm }: In December we stayed in Center Court in building 4 facing the little “pond” and building 3. The little circle roadway that tucks into the corner is filled with golf cart style vehicles and vehicles all night long travel from Celebrity Hall up into the hotel complex. We were okay since we were on the 2nd floor, but the first floor could be a little noisy.
2 Dave { 05.10.19 at 11:51 am }: Hey Keith, each building at the values has one corner where luggage, pizza, housekeeping and other vehicles come to. I’ve stayed in the values more than 30 times, and never once been awakened by one of these vehicles. (I have been awakened by many other things, most commonly folks returning late from the parks talking too loudly on the walkway outside of my room.) But I completely agree that there’s no reason I can think of to not request the highest floor!

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