Category — d. Where to Stay at Walt Disney World

For the first page of this review of Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort, click here.

THE POOLS AT DISNEY’S ALL-STAR MOVIES RESORT

Each of Disney’s All-Star Resorts has two pools.

There’s a larger one between two accommodations buildings just outside of the central lobby/dining/shops area, and a smaller one back in a different area.

At All-Star Movies, the larger main pool is between the Fantasia buildings and is themed as the area into which Sorcerer Mickey empties water.

Here you’ll also find pool games played with Disney cast members, and evening movies.

The smaller one off to the side in the Mighty Ducks area, is themed as a hockey rink (but warmer!) is accompanied by Goofy.

The larger Sorcerer Mickey pool:

From another angle:

Sorcerer Mickey:

The pool at night:

Movies show here at night.

Each of the All-Stars has a different movie schedule, so also checkout what is playing at All-Star Music–an short walk away.

Nearby is an icy-looking kid’s play pool, the best at the All-Stars because it has both a pool area (as the others do)  and, uniquely, a water jet area. Note Disney’s restraint in not converting this to a Frozen theme.

There’s also pool-side ping pong tables.

A little away from the pool, between Toy Story and Fantasia areas, is a playground.

Between the pool area and the food court (and serving both) you’ll find this bar.

Deeper in the resort in the Mighty Duck area is the Duck Pond pool, themed as a hockey rink with Goofy in as goalie.

Another view of the Duck Pond pool…

…and the pool at night.

None of the pools at Disney’s value resorts have slides.

TOPICS IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S ALL-STAR MOVIES RESORT

• Overview of All-Star Movies
• Photo Tour of a Refurbed Room at All-Star Movies
• The Themed Areas at All-Star Movies
• Amenities at All-Star Movies
• The Pools at All-Star Movies

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For the first page of this review of Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort, click here.

THE THEMED AREAS AT ON DISNEY’S ALL-STAR MOVIES RESORT

Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort is one of 5 value resorts at Walt Disney World:

• Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort, opened in April 1994
• Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, opened in November 1994
• Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort, opened in January 1999
• Disney’s Pop Century Resort, opened in December 2003
• Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, opened in May 2012

Music, Movies, and Pop Century have queen beds in their standard four person rooms. Art of Animation standard four person rooms have full beds.  At Sports, a refurb with queen beds has begun, so queen beds will become increasingly common.

For standard rooms, for most families Art of Animation is the best choice despite the full beds, followed by Pop Century. All-Star Movies is the third-best choice.

Two value resorts also have six-person family suites–

• The Family Suites at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
• The Family Suites at All-Star Music

–and for family suites, too, for most families, Art of Animation is the best choice, although in some circumstances those at Music are the better choice.

Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort officially salutes

“…classic Disney films—including Disney·Pixar’s Toy Story, Fantasia, The Love Bug, The Mighty Ducks and One Hundred and One Dalmatians…the Toy Story section features a 27-foot-tall bucket of Green Army Men, a 30-foot-tall Woody icon and a 47-foot-tall Buzz Lightyear icon. The buildings are painted in bright colors and covered with playful details and hidden surprises.”

All-Star Movies has 1920 rooms in ten three-story buildings, all with elevators.

These buildings are in five areas, with each area themed around a different movie–Fantasia, The Love Bug, Toy Story, 101 Dalmatians, and The Mighty Ducks.

Of these, the Love Bug and Mighty Ducks area are most distant from the central services in Cinema Hall, and the other three areas are close.

See the map–but also see below on a way to increase Mighty Ducks convenience. Parts of the Mighty Ducks and Fantasia areas surround pools–making them noisier.

Each area has distinctive multi-story statues and building decorations tied to its theme.

Buildings 5 and 8, Fantasia, are grouped around the main Fantasia Pool, and very close to Cinema Hall. The pool makes them noisy, and honestly I’m a little weirded out by the Fantasia decorations and characters:

…especially at night.

Buildings 1 and 4, 101 Dalmatians, are close to the central services, and a good choice for balancing location and lack of noise.

You’ll find here Pongo…

Perdita…

…and a lot of puppies.

Once the kids get the fire hydrant joke, they’ll giggle for hours.

There’s not much going on in the courtyard between the two Dalmatians buildings, which–at least for me–makes for a bit of a welcome respite.

Buildings 2 and 3, Mighty Ducks, are grouped around a second pool, the Duck Pond, and far from Cinema Hall–but very close to the food court and bus stops at the next-door All-Star Music Resort.

They are hockey-themed, and as with the Fantasia section, a little frighteningly so.

See the map for how many rooms in the Mighty Ducks buildings are actually closer to the food court and bus stop at All-Star Music than the ones at All-Star Movies.

Buildings 9 and 10, Toy Story, are close to both Cinema Hall and the bus stops, with some hard to find but very close parking spots (between buildings 9 and 8).

They are probably the best overall place to stay at All-Star Movies, because of kid appeal, convenience, and relative quiet.

The courtyard between the two buildings, watched over by Buzz and Woody, is themed at its center as a multi-story version of Andy’s room.

This shot gives a better sense of the scale of this space.

Army men guard the ramparts.

The final themed area, Buildings 6 and 7, Love Bug, is as distant from Cinema Hall as the Mighty Ducks.

There’s not a lot to the theming here–the front half of the Love Bug comes out of one building…

…and the back half from another.  Note also the screwdriver and wrench theming along the walls–a visual that just screams “vacation.”  To someone.

The central area between the two buildings is set up for award presentations–a lot of youth sports teams competing in tournaments at ESPN stay at the All-Stars, and can congratulate themselves here.

AMENITIES AT DISNEY’S ALL-STAR MOVIES RESORT

This review continues here.

TOPICS IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S ALL-STAR MOVIES RESORT

• Overview of All-Star Movies
• Photo Tour of a Refurbed Room at All-Star Movies
• The Themed Areas at All-Star Movies
• Amenities at All-Star Movies
• The Pools at All-Star Movies

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For the first page of this review of Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort, see this.

THE POOLS AT PORT ORLEANS RIVERSIDE

Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort has 6 pools–a large themed main pool on “Ol’ Man Island,” and five smaller ones scattered around Magnolia Bend and Alligator Bayou.

THE MAIN POOL AT PORT ORLEANS RIVERSIDE

The main pool at Port Orleans Riverside (along with that at its sister resort Port Orleans French Quarter) is middle-of-the pack among the moderates, with the main pools at both Caribbean Beach and Coronado Springs much better, and that at Fort Wilderness much worse.

The main pool is themed to an old lumber mill, with the theme mostly presented through flumes dropping water (above) and a water slide themed as a flume (below).

Another view of the flume theming.

The main pool at night.

Like those at the other moderates, the pool is too small for the number of people who want to use it. (Hence the five other pools.) It also has more shade than is common–those seeking a main pool with more sun are welcome to use the one at Port Orleans French Quarter.

It has this kids pool, without the theming, sprays, or splash play you’ll find  at Port Orleans French Quarter, Caribbean Beach or Fort Wilderness…

There’s room here for a more sophisticated kids water play area–see the circled area in the image. Since sister resort Port Orleans French Quarter got a terrific version of such a play area in 2016, I keep hoping we’ll see a comparable play area one at Riverside…

Port Orleans Riverside also has a hot tub. Note the hammocks!

The pool bar is typical of the moderates, though the lumber mill theming eliminates its chance for grace. Like most– but not those at Coronado Springs or Fort Wilderness–there’s no real food here.

There are some interesting lighting effects at night here.

Some more shots of the main pool:

THE QUIET POOLS AT PORT ORLEANS RIVERSIDE

Like the other moderates except French Quarter, the sprawl of Riverside means many rooms are a hike from the main themed pool.

Five smaller pools are thus scattered around the resort to provide nearer access and, in general, more pool capacity. The traditional lingo for these has been “quiet pools.”

Two pools (near-identical so far as I can tell) serve the 1000+ rooms in Magnolia Bend, and three smaller pools (that are similar to each other but not quite identical) serve the 1000+ rooms in Alligator Bayou.

Towels are available at each, sometimes inside the laundry room.

One Magnolia Bend pool (photos above) is between the two Royal Room buildings, 90/Oak Manor and 95/Parterre Place.

Another very similar pool is between the two other Magnolia Bend accommodations buildings, 80/Acadian House and 85/Magnolia Terrace. (Photos below.)

There are three pools in the Alligator Bayou section–three because one of the least-known features of the overall theming of Port Orleans Riverside is that the accommodations buildings of Alligator Bayou are meant to be perceived as being in three groups.

(I learned this from portorleans.org, a great fan site covering both Riverside and French Quarter.)

See the map for the three different colors it shows for Alligator Bayou–grey, blue, and purple, going counterclockwise from Magnolia Bend.

The idea is that as settlers penetrated the backwoods of the Sassagoula basin, it became harder and harder to ship or afford the comforts of civilization.

So the buildings of Alligator Bayou closest to Magnolia Bend (gray on the map) have fancy citified brick columns and tin roofs (not shown)…

…while those more distant from Magnolia Bend have more humble and simple construction.

This is all too subtle to have ever much worked, but the three slightly different themed areas is why there are three quiet pools back here–one for each area.

Each is similar to the rest, and each is both much more curvy than the Magnolia Bend pools and more verdant and shaded (like a forest pond, as opposed to a formal fountain).

Above is the Alligator Bayou pool closest to Magnolia Bend, serving the grey buildings.

Here’s the middle pool, serving the blue buildings

And here’s the far pool, serving the buildings purple on the map. Far from Magnolia end, that is: these purple buildings are very close to the resort’s central services area.

All of these pools are open to any Port Orleans guest–as is the main pool and great kids play area at Port Orleans French Quarter.

Aim for the main pool for the theming and the bar, or a nearby quiet pool if the main pool is too far or full.  The Alligator Bayous pools have more shade and a laid-back feel; the Magnolia Bend pools more sun, more grace, and more formality.

THE HISTORY OF DISNEY’S PORT ORLEANS RIVERSIDE

See Jim Korkis on the history of this resort here.

TOPICS IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S PORT ORLEANS RIVERSIDE RESORT

• Port Orleans Riverside: Overview and summary
• Theming and accommodations at Port Orleans Riverside
• A photo tour of a four person standard room in Port Orleans Riverside’s Magnolia Bend section
• A photo tour of a four person Royal Room in Port Orleans Riverside’s Magnolia Bend section
• A photo tour of a five person Murphy bed room Port Orleans Riverside’s Alligator Bayou section
• Amenities at Port Orleans Riverside
• Dining at Port Orleans Riverside
• The pools at Port Orleans Riverside
• The history of Port Orleans Riverside

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 160+ stays in them

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For the first page of this review of Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, click here.

THE POOLS AT DISNEY’S ALL-STAR MUSIC RESORT

Each of Disney’s All-Star Resorts has two pools.

There’s a larger one between two accommodations buildings just outside of the central lobby/dining/shops area, and a smaller one back in a different area.

At All-Star Music, the larger main pool is between the Calypso buildings, is themed as a guitar, and is accompanied by Donald Duck and the other two Caballeros.

Here you’ll also find pool games played with Disney cast members and evening movies.

The smaller one is in the center of the other four themed areas, is themed as a piano, and is accompanied by Ariel.

The larger Guitar pool.

Closer.

The Three Caballeros.

From another angle.

And another.

In the evening.

Movies are shown here some nights.

The head of the guitar serves as a kids pool.

You’ll also find at the main pool ping pong…

…and a cornhole set.

Between the pool area and the food court you’ll find this bar.

On cooler days it may have outdoor heaters.

Further back in the resort is the second pool, the Piano Pool, with Ariel.

The Piano Pool.

Another view of the Piano Pool.

The Piano Pool in the evening.

None of the pools at Disney’s value resorts have slides, and they also traditionally don’t provide towels–you are to bring your towels from your room. But if you look closely at my photos, you’ll see that towels were provided on my last visit.  The first time you go to the pool, bring towels, and change your future behavior if the pool provides them!  (Call housekeeping if you need more.)

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

• Overview of All-Star Music
• Accommodations and Theming at All-Star Music
• Photo Tour of a Standard Room at All-Star Music
• The Family Suites at All-Star Music
• Amenities at All-Star Music
• The Pools at All-Star Music

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 150+ stays in them

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(For the first page of this review of Shades of Green, see this.)

If you are military folk and don’t know Steve Bell, you should.

He writes Military Disney Tips and its blog, is the author of an ebook on Shades of Green, and is an expert on and advocate for military families making the best of their Disney and Orlando trips.

Steve is also the military moderator for this site.

For all these reasons, but especially his unmatched expertise on Shades of Green, I asked him to write about which Shades of Green amenities can be enjoyed by military families who aren’t even staying there.

Military folk aren’t staying at Shades for one of three reasons: they prefer an alternative; one of Disney’s deals is just too attractive; or they didn’t find out about Shades until it was too late.

But whatever the reason, there’s still much at Shades of Green open to them wherever they are staying!!

SHADES OF GREEN AMENITIES AVAILABLE TO ANY ELIGIBLE PERSON

By Steve Bell

Photo: Steve Bell

At Shades of Green you will find all of the amenities that you’d expect at the best Disney resorts such as a wide selection of restaurants, recreational options, valet parking, bellhop service, spa, fitness room, two pools, free Wi-Fi, and self-service laundry facilities, plus a military discounted ticket sales office and mini Exchange.

Did you know that you can use many of Shades of Green’s amenities even if you are not staying at Shades?

You may be a WDW day guest, staying at a Disney owned resort as yourfirstvisit.net recommends for first time Walt Disney World visitors who may never return, or you may be doing a “split stay” between Shades and a Disney resort. In all cases as a Military/DoD member you are always welcome to stop by Shades of Green. At least one member of the party must have a military ID, CAC or DoD CAC to use its amenities.

Exactly which amenities are non-Shades guests allowed to use?

• Shades of Green’s Ticket Sales Office
• The AAFES Store
• All of the restaurants at Shades
• The Magnolia Spa

All of these cost less than the comparable services at the Disney resorts and there is no sales tax added!

Other amenities such as pool and fitness center use are reserved only for those actually staying at Shades.

SHADES OF GREEN’S TICKET SALES OFFICE

With the introduction of WDW’s FastPass+ it has become best to purchase your Disney tickets well in advance. Those staying at Shades can do so ahead of time through its ticket office.

Those who do not care about FastPass+, and day guests, can stop by to buy their Disney World tickets here.

The ticket office doesn’t just offer Disney tickets–you can also find military discounted tickets for all of the major (and many minor) Central Florida attractions here. You’ll find tickets for:

• Universal Orlando
• SeaWorld Orlando
• Legoland Florida
• Busch Gardens
• Kennedy Space Center
• Wet n’ Wild
• Gatorland
• Many Orlando Dinner Shows
• And Disney World’s minor parks: Disney Quest, WDW’s Water Parks, and WDW’s Mini Golf Locations

The line for service can be long in the morning, so drop by in the afternoon for a shorter wait.

SHADES OF GREEN’S AAFES STORE

The Army Air Force Exchange Service operates what is essentially a shoppette at Shades of Green. Here you will find all of the sundries that you might need during your vacation. Some of the offerings are: all kinds of snacks and quick food options, a wide range of beverages (general consumption and adult -beer, wine/liquor), toiletries and medicines, Disney, Orlando and the various services souvenir items.

A military ID is required for the sale of liquor and tobacco products. [Note from Dave: Liquor is MUCH cheaper here than at the Disney resorts.]

Photo: Steve Bell

This is a great place to stock up on snacks and drinks for the room and theme parks at good prices.

SHADES OF GREEN DINING

You are always welcome at Shades of Green’s restaurants.

Photo: Steve Bell

Breakfast options are the Java Café and Express Café, both quick service (grab and go) locations, and the Garden Gallery buffet, which often has long lines for breakfast.

For lunch your options are the Java Café (Starbucks pastries), the Express Café which has great sandwiches, On the Greens Grill offering hot dogs and brats by the Magnolia Golf Course, Manginos Italian Restaurant (table service), and Evergreen Sports Bar on the weekend.

If you are around for dinner you can choose from the Garden Gallery which offers a regional/international buffet with daily rotating items, Manginos Italian Restaurant, the Java Café (Starbucks pastries), the Express Café, and Evergreen Sports Bar.

Shades of Green’s dining locations are cheaper to considerably cheaper that the corresponding Disney venues, so drop by here to get filled up.

Shades offers a handy chart indicating what is open when during your visit.

SHADES OF GREEN’S MAGNOLIA SPA

The Magnolia Spa is a full service spa operated by Niki Bryan Spa, which operates the WDW Spas.

They offer a full range of services at prices 15-25% lower than the Disney Spas:

• Massage
• Facials
• Manicures
• Pedicures
• Salon and Barber Services
• Packages, and
• Princess Makeovers

The full list of services and prices is here.

HOW TO GET TO SHADES OF GREEN

If you have your own car the easiest thing to do is drive yourself.

Follow the signs to the Magic Kingdom. When you arrive at the parking toll booth get in the furthest right lane that you can [Dave: where the camping trailer with its subtle Hidden Mickey is in the photo]–the very far right lane is reserved for Disney buses). Then tell the parking cast member that you are heading to Shades of Green. They’ll let you pass without paying for parking.

Merge right then drive straight ahead following the single lane, rather than the multiple lanes curving to the left to parking. Get into the left lane and turn left at the first stop light. Follow this road past the Polynesian Village Resort on the right and then turn right at the “T.” Shades will be just ahead on your left.

At the guard shack just show your ID (military ID, CAC or DoD CAC) and tell the security host what you are there for i.e. “I’m going to the ticket office to buy tickets.” They’ll then direct you to parking.

If you are depending on Disney Transportation you have a couple of options.

You can take Disney transportation to the Polynesian Village Resort or Transportation and Ticket Center and walk to Shades. From the Poly, it takes about 10 to 15 minutes depending on your walking speed. Add another 5 to 10 minutes from the TTC.

Or, with a military/DoD ID for everyone in your party, you can use Shades of Green’s transportation.

You’ll first need to get to one of the Shades of Green drop off/pick up spots (at the TTC, Disney Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, both water parks, and Downtown Disney). The Shades bus will then take you right to the resort to run your errands. When finished just take the Shades bus to your desired destination, or walk to the Poly or TTC to use the transport options there.

EXTRA SAVINGS FOR YOUR DISNEY WORLD VACATION

Using these extra benefits available at Shades will help you save a little extra on your vacation.

You are eligible, so if you have the time to stop by, you should definitely use them. Drop by to pick up supplies, buy any tickets you still need, and grab lunch.

*  *  *  *  *

Thanks, Steve! This is great info for military folk not staying at Shades!

MORE RESOURCES FOR SHADES OF GREEN RESORT

• e-book on Shades of Green
• Military Disney Tips
• Shades of Green Website

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TOPICS IN THIS REVIEW OF SHADES OF GREEN

• Overview of Shades of Green
• Photo Tour of a Standard Shades of Green Room
• Amenities at Shade of Green
• The Pools at Shades of Green
• Using Shades of Green’s Amenities Even if You Aren’t Staying There

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(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, click here.)

REVIEW: THE POOLS AND BEACHES AT DISNEY’S POLYNESIAN VILLAGE RESORT

There are two pools and many beaches at the Polynesian.

• The larger Lava Pool, loaded with amenities
• The smaller Oasis pool with some nice amenities of its own, and
• Multiple beaches

I’ll cover each of these in this post.

 THE MAIN LAVA POOL AT THE POLYNESIAN

The main pool, known as the Lava Pool, is in the center of the resort, between Captain Cook’s and the beaches.  The Samoa longhouse is on one side, and the marina is on the other.

Some shots from around the Lava pool:

Under the waterfall is a slide.

The main slide.

The hot tub is on the Samoa side, and is elevated, a nice effect.

The zero entry area on the beach side.

The Lava pool at night.

Also here is a remarkable kids water play area.

It includes two slides, one on the left above…

…and another one on the right. As alert reader Josh notes, this is a tunnel slide, accessed from the top, so there is more to it than it seems.

In the back of the play area is this splash and play spot.

Also in the pool area you’ll find this bar. No real food, but the pool is right outside the Captain Cook’s quick service, so that doesn’t much matter.

THE OASIS POOL AT THE POLYNESIAN

The smaller Oasis Pool is nestled among Samoa, Hawaii, and Tokelau. Niue and Rarotonga are also close.

It has a zero-entry edge…

…a hot tub…

…a bar…

…and a grill with limited hours but an interesting menu.

A more up-to-date menu is on Disney’s website here.

Around the corner from the bar is a refillable mug station, also with limited hours. (Sorry about the humidity on my lens!)

THE BEACHES AT THE POLYNESIAN

Back in the day you could walk right from the pool deck to the beaches at the Polynesian.  Not anymore, as the pool is now fenced in behind the umbrellas on the left.

Another beach stretches along the DVC Bungalows.

The beach in front of the Hawaii longhouse has some play tools.

And there’s another stretch of beaches near Luau Cove, between most of the Poly and the Grand Floridian.

THE DISNEY VACATION CLUB AT DISNEY’S POLYNESIAN VILLAGE RESORT

This review continues here. 

TOPICS IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S POLYNESIAN VILLAGE RESORT

• Summary and overview of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
• Theming and Accommodations at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
• Photo Tour of a Standard Room at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
• Amenities at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
• Dining at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
• The Pools at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
• The Disney Vacation Club at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
• Photo Tour of a Studio at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
• Photo Tour of a Bungalow at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 150+ stays in them

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!