Category — q. Reviews
Amenities at Disney’s Beach Club Resort
(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Beach Club Resort, click here.)
AMENITIES AT DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB RESORT
There are currently 8 official Disney owned and operated deluxe resorts at Walt Disney World.
In their recommended order for first time family visitors, they are
Many of these also offer Disney Vacation Club (“DVC”) studios and villas, all for rent to the general public–see this for more on the Disney Vacation Club resorts. At the Beach Club, the offering is the Beach Club Villas.
You enter the Beach Club into a two story lobby where you’ll find check-in and concierge services.
It has a small area where you can try to distract the kids from their small devices to a larger one.
While there is nothing special about this lobby, it does have some charming touches.
Further down by the elevators is the gift shop.
…with even nicer window displays.
In this gift shop is also what passes for the only counter-service at the Beach Club (although the pool bar has a more varied menu than most, including burgers)–too small, with too thin a menu.
At least the cold food section of the gift shop is better stocked than that of most other Disney World gift shops.
There’s more on dining at the Beach Club here.
Seating is outside the gift shop, between it and the Beach Club Villas…
…and also in an area right next to it known as the Solarium.
There’s some nice art along the hall to the Solarium.
The Solarium has a coffee shop that operates from quite early to 12.30p.
Next to the gift shop is a space with some kids activities.
Outside the lobby you’ll find a woody-style memento of olden day beach transport…
…and then further on the left you’ll find some of the actual transport, a bus stop with shared buses to the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom.
Boat service near the Yacht Club will take you to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Because of how far the dock is, most Beach Club guests walk to Epcot but take the boat to the Hollywood Studios.
The marina is also in this area…
…and lovely beaches front the lake these resorts circle, Crescent Lake.
The beach at night.
On the beach you’ll also find a firepit for early evening s’mores.
Several wings of the Epcot side of the Beach Club are set back from Crescent Lake, and have large areas in front of them where play is welcome–although you don’t see such play nearly as much as on the BoardWalk Inn’s green.
There’s also three quiet pools in the complex. One is a hike–at the far end of the Yacht Club–and not worth the walk. There’s a tennis court near it.
Another is on the Epcot end of the Beach Club…
…and the third–and best–is back by the Beach Club Villas.
But most people, when they think of pools at the Beach Club, think of Stormalong Bay.
STORMALONG BAY AT DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB RESORT
This review continues here!
PAGES IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB RESORT
- Overview and summary of Disney’s Beach Club Resort
- Theming and accommodations at the Beach Club
- A photo tour of a Beach Club room
- Dining at the Beach Club
- Amenities at the Beach Club
- Stormalong Bay, the Beach Club’s main pool
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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July 4, 2014 No Comments
Photo Tour of a Standard Room at Disney’s Beach Club Resort
(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Beach Club Resort, click here.)
PHOTO TOUR OF A BEACH CLUB ROOM
Standard rooms at Disney’s Beach Club Resort sleep either four on two queens or five on two queens and a sofa that converts to a bed.
The floor plan is for a four person room, and the photos from my January 2019 visit (my fifth stay in the Beach Club, with four more in the Beach Club Villas) are of a five person room.
As is typical among Disney’s Deluxe resorts, when you enter the room the bath is on one side and the closet on the other.
On the closet side you’ll find this coffee service.
It includes a small storage drawer…
…and below a mini-fridge.
Also on this side is the large closet. Here’s one side. Note the ironing board, etc.
The other side of the closet. Note the safe.
I did not measure the safe, but my book is 6 inches by 9 inches, so the safe is plenty big.
On the other side you’ll find the bath, starting with a pair of sinks.
Bath toiletries.
In a separate space you’ll find the toilet and tub.
The showerhead–and more toiletries.
Deeper in the room you’ll find two queens on one side, and in the rooms with the fifth sleeping spot, also the desk. Four person rooms put an easy chair where you see the desk.
Here’s the beds from the other side…
…and a close up of one of the beds.
Between the beds is a bedside table with a couple of storage drawers below and curiously designed shelves above.
The large bedside table drawers have plenty of room for your important books.
In five-person rooms the desk is also on this side of the room. As is common in the Disney deluxe resorts, it includes a small rolling table that plays multiple roles: perch the kids on the bed and roll it up to them for dining or games, or use it as a better-height laptop table.
The other side of five person rooms has a dresser with TV above and a couch (in four person rooms, the desk replaces the couch.)
The TV side from the back of the room.
A closer shot of the dresser. I measured the TV at 54 inches.
The dresser includes five drawers and two shelves/cubbies. This, the other drawers in the room, and the closet means plenty of storage for the four or five people these rooms will hold. (Note that the dresser is not scuffed, that’s “design,” you philistine.)
Five person rooms include a couch that folds down into a bed.
After you find the black lever at the right corner of the cushion…
…the back flips down to this bed. I measured the cushion as 72 inches long, with two or three more inches of toe-wiggling room. Mattress width is 32 inches, and the cushion is 4 inches+ deep. I had no trouble sleeping on it except that it’s a little short for my height.
There’s four types of balconies at the Beach Club.
- First floor rooms commonly have good-sized patios.
- Top-floor rooms have balconies narrower than some, but just as wide, and quite livable
- Many “middle” floor rooms have teeny balconies that you can barely stand on–or stand. You may find these on the second floor of three story buildings, the third floor of four story buildings, and the third and fourth floors of buildings that have five stories
- The second floor of four or five story buildings tends to have full size balconies
(Not every room at every level will be as I describe…)
At one stay we had a narrow balcony that was just fine.
Here’s a smaller balcony from a different room from another trip. Note my Mickey Croc as an aid to scale. My croc is a foot long, so you can see how uselessly narrow these balconies are. You can stand on them, but that’s it.
On another stay we had a first-floor patio.
These rooms are otherwise nicely proportioned and have all the right furnishings.
In their 2015 refurb these rooms lost much of their former charm…although this print, new with that refurb, is very cute!!!
DINING AT DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB RESORT
This review continues here.
PAGES IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB RESORT
- Overview and summary of Disney’s Beach Club Resort
- Theming and accommodations at the Beach Club
- A photo tour of a Beach Club room
- Dining at the Beach Club
- Amenities at the Beach Club
- Stormalong Bay, the Beach Club’s main pool
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
Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!
July 3, 2014 No Comments
Review: Disney’s Beach Club Resort
OVERVIEW: DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB RESORT
Note: guests at Disney’s Beach Club 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 also eligible for its Extended Evening Hours.
Our most recent stay (our fifth, in January) confirms that Disney’s Beach Club Resort, one of the Epcot resorts, is the sixth best deluxe resort at Walt Disney World for first time family visitors.
For returning visitors, it would be ranked higher, especially for visits focused on Epcot and/or Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
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.
(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 deluxe resorts are distinguished by having (on average) the most amenities, nicest views, best dining options, best transport options, largest rooms, best service, and highest prices.
Among the deluxe resorts, Disney’s Beach Club Resort has a lot of positives.
It stands out for sharing with the Yacht Club Resort the best pool among the Disney-owned resorts, sharing with the Yacht Club and the BoardWalk Inn convenient access to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and also sharing with these resorts a short walk to dozens of table service dining options located in these resorts, at the Swan and Dolphin, on the BoardWalk, and in Epcot.
(For Disney’s Beach Club Villas, which share services and their location with the Beach Club, see this.)
The principal negatives of the Beach Club are inconvenience to the Magic Kingdom, weak counter-service dining, and a few too many so-small-as-to-be-useless balconies.
This review has 6 pages
- The Beach Club overview you are currently viewing
- Theming and Accommodations at the Beach Club
- A photo tour of a Beach Club room
- Dining at the Beach Club
- Amenities at the Beach Club
- Stormalong Bay, the Beach Club’s main pool
ACCOMMODATIONS AT DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB RESORT
Standard rooms at Disney’s Beach Club Resort, last refurbed in 2015, are sized in the middle of the deluxe resorts.
They are larger than those at the Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge, but smaller than those at Disney’s Polynesian Resort and the other monorail resorts.
Most of these rooms sleep five–two each in two queens, and another in convertible sofa. Some rooms have just the two queens, and rooms with one king bed are also available.
You can add to this capacity a child younger than three who sleeps in a crib.
For a photo tour of one of these Beach Club rooms, see this, and for more on accommodations at the Beach Club, see this.
DINING AT DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB RESORT
The Beach Club has two table service restaurants. Beaches and Cream is a popular burger and ice cream shop, but far too small for the demand for it. The Cape May Cafe has Minnie and other characters, but not Mickey, at breakfast, and an OK seafood buffet at dinner.
More dining is within walking distance at the Yacht Club and BoardWalk but none except breakfast at Trattoria al Forno has great kid or family appeal.
Quick service dining is quite limited, with just small venues at the back of the Beach Club gift shop, in the Yacht Club gift shop, and by the main pool.
For more on dining at the Beach Club, see this.
THE POOLS AT DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB RESORT
The Beach Club and Yacht Club share the best pool complex at any Disney-owned resort (the Four Seasons has the best overall pool complex on property).
Known as Stormalong Bay, there’s actually three pools in the complex, plus a stunning water slide. This pool complex vies with the Beach Club’s nearness to Epcot for being the reason so many families love this resort.
There’s also two smaller pools at the Beach Club, and a third small pool at the far end of the Yacht Club.
For more on Stormalong Bay, see this.
KID APPEAL AND CONVENIENCE AT DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB 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 Beach Club Resort is the sixth-best deluxe resort for first time family visitors to Walt Disney World.
Kid Appeal.
- Three of the deluxe resorts–the Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Polynesian Resort, in that order–have spectacular kid appeal. The Beach Club has comparatively little architectural kid appeal
- None of the moderates do.
- All of the value resorts–Disney’s All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, and All-Star Movies, its Pop Century Resort, and its Art of Animation Resort–have strong kid appeal.
The kid appeal of the Beach Club Resort, such as it is, comes from its pool, not its design, architecture, or theme.
Stormalong Bay, the pool that the Beach Club and Yacht Club share, is the most fun and kid-appealing pool at Walt Disney World.
Otherwise, nothing about the design or architecture of the Beach Club shouts out that it was built for kids.
Convenience. Disney’s Beach Club Resort is the sixth-most convenient of all the Walt Disney World resorts in carrying out the itineraries for first-time family visitors on this site.
All of the Epcot resorts are convenient to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Epcot is a short walk from the Beach Club, and the Studios are a longer walk or a boat ride away. (Epcot can also be accessed by boat, but the boat dock is almost as long a walk from the Beach Club as is Epcot itself.)
The other two parks are accessed by buses, which are shared with some of the other Epcot resorts.
BEST PLACES TO STAY AT DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB RESORT
This site suggests that first time visitors stay in standard rooms, not preferred rooms.
This is because they won’t be spending much time in their rooms.
The single exception is visitors to the Animal Kingdom Lodge, who should always pay for savanna views.
On the map (click it to enlarge it), the Yacht Club Resort is on the left, the Beach Club Resort is center-right, and the Beach Club Villas are at the top right. The walkway to Epcot is at the far right, and the boat dock shared by the Beach and Yacht Clubs is at the center in the lake.
The room areas of the Beach Club–at the right in the map–are in a long, narrow building with only two elevator banks, one central, and one on the (right) Epcot side.
As a result, rooms on the Yacht Club side of the Beach Club–center left on the map–can be a hike away from the elevators.
Epcot-side rooms are not only better served with elevators, but also have the shortest walk to Epcot.
The other issue with the Beach Club is that many of its rooms have tiny and largely useless balconies, with room only for a couple of people to stand, and no seating space.
See the image above, where the first and second floors have full width patios/decks, the third floor rooms show the tiny small balconies, and the fourth floor room have small balconies.
This results in a charming, nicely modulated facade, especially compared to that of sister resort the Yacht Club. (See the Yacht Club image below.)
That said, I’d take a full balcony over charming design any day of the week. In fact, diminishing livability to improve looks is almost the definition of bad architecture.
Full balconies give you another space–and hence a place to separate and retreat–which can be critical to keeping the peace in your family.
So you should ask for a room with a large balcony, as close to Epcot as possible.
BEST FOR:
Any first time family visitors who can afford it, but can’t get into or don’t want to stay at Disney’s Polynesian Resort.
WORST FOR:
Families seeking the highest degree of kid appeal. Families too large to fit its 5 person rooms. See this for more on large families at Walt Disney World.
The long-time travel agent partner of this site, Kelly, can book you into Disney’s Beach Club Resort–or any other Disney World hotel! Contact her using the form below.
THEMING AND ACCOMMODATIONS AT DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB RESORT
This review continues here.
PAGES IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB RESORT
- Overview and summary of Disney’s Beach Club Resort
- Theming and accommodations at the Beach Club
- A photo tour of a Beach Club room
- Dining at the Beach Club
- Amenities at the Beach Club
- Stormalong Bay, the Beach Club’s main pool
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
Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!
July 3, 2014 3 Comments
Review: The Family Suites at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, p3
For the first page of this review of the Family Suites at All-Star Music, click here.
THE FAMILY SUITE BEDS AT ALL-STAR MUSIC
One key difference between the Family Suites at All-Star Music and those at Art of Animation is the number of beds.
Each has a queen in the master bedroom and a two-person fold-out sofa. After that come the differences:
- The final two spots at Art of Animation are together in a fold-down dining table sleeping two
- The final two spots in All-Star Music are in two separate beds, one folding out of an ottoman, the other folding out of a chair
These last two sleeping spots are much more comfortable at Art of Animation, but–so long as one of your kids is short and light, and also has not named you in his or her will–much more flexible at All-Star Music.
THE OTTOMAN BED AT ALL-STAR MUSIC
The most challenging bed in the Music family suites is the ottoman bed.
The top cushion and fabric sides of the ottoman lift right off, revealing that the rest of the ottoman structure is a cot-like folded bed.
I measured the bed that folds out of the ottoman as 3o inches wide by 72 inches long.
I slept on each of the beds at All-Star Music for at least half a night except this one, as it took only seconds to discover that it’s far too uncomfortable for adult-sized people, and likely for anyone over 60 pounds or so.
The issue is the thin cushion–which I measured as 3 inches deep–interacting with the metal frame and suspension.
The cushion is suspended near the head on woven fabric (see the image of the folded bed above), in the middle on two metal bars, and near the foot on metal wire.
You can see all three suspensions in the image above. The problem is with the two metal rails that hold up the middle part of the bed. The cushion is so thin that these press right into your body if you are tall, heavy, or both.
A really little kid won’t notice these rails, as the first rail is 31 inches from the head of the bed–and a lightweight but taller kid won’t notice them either. But I wouldn’t put a kid heavier than say 60 pounds on this bed, or there will be no end to the whining.
The bed that unfolds from the red chair has a similar suspension, but, with a four-inch deep cushion, is not nearly as uncomfortable. I slept fine on this bed.
This bed pulls out–and has two pillows tucked inside the foot of the chair.
I measured this bed as 28 inches wide by 74 inches long, with a four-inch cushion.
The last bed in the living room is the sofa bed.
I measured it as 55 inches wide by 77 inches long. Its cushion is also 4 inches thick, and comfort is fine.
Like the chair bed, this bed also has two pillows stored inside.
Figuring out where to put all three beds is tricky. The ottoman not only is easily movable, but also has to be moved, as both its bed and the chair bed can’t take up the same space.
See the floor plan for the issue–you can easily block the bathroom with the ottoman bed, or, at the other end of the living room, block the door. I found a way to tuck it in by the table. See the photo that begins this page for how it fits there.
A less awkward layout is possible if you move the side tables away from the couch, and move the couch as close to the wall by the entrance door as possible. This creates just enough room to put the head of the ottoman bed between the sofa bed and the chair bed. But that sofa is heavy!
For families with odd numbers of boy and girls, having three sleeping spots can be a real advantage for All-Star Music Family Suites compared to the two sleeping spots for the kids in the Family Suites at Art of Animation.
But pragmatically, this will only work if your littlest kid is short or light enough for the ottoman bed to not be uncomfortable…
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July 2, 2014 8 Comments
Photo Tour of the Family Suites at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
For the first page of this review of Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, click here.
PHOTO TOUR OF THE FAMILY SUITES AT ALL-STAR MUSIC
Note: these suites began a refurb in late 2019 expected to be complete in 2021. It looks like the three folding beds in the living area will be replaced by two drop-down queen beds, and the dining and bath area near the master bedroom are being re-arranged so that the bath becomes private to the master bedroom.
Resorts are ranked on this site for first time family visitors based first on their kid appeal, and then on their convenience.
On this basis, the Family Suites at All-Star Music are the second-best choice for larger families seeking value pricing, after the Family Suites at Art of Animation.
Art of Animation has much more kid-appeal than All-Star Music, and a bit more convenience. (For more on All-Star Music, the overall resort within which the Family Suites at All-Star Music are found, see this.)
However, the Family Suites at Art of Animation are not just a clone of those at All-Star Music. There are differences in floor plans and livability that may make a difference to some families, and Art of Animation is quite a bit more expensive.
So I’ll do a space by space comparison by means of a photo-tour of the All-Star Music Family Suites. To avoid confusion, all the images on this page will be of Music; you can find the equivalents from Art of Animation here.
PHOTO TOUR OF ALL-STAR MUSIC FAMILY SUITES
Starting outside the room itself, the corridors at Music are outside, and the corridors at Art of Animation are inside. This means heated and cooled, so in general that’s a plus for AofA.
However, the design also means that any corridor at Art of Animation has twice as much traffic as at Music (because there are half as many of them…), and there’s more reason for people to use them (since they are heated and cooled).
This results in much more corridor noise at Art of Animation in general, and particularly on the first floor corridors that lead from the elevator bank to the direction of the main building, main pool, and bus stops.
Inside the rooms, Music has a larger and more livable living space than Art of Animation.
The smaller chair (the red one) is much larger than the equivalent chair at AofA, and as a result the chair and sofa together can seat 5, compared to 4 at AofA.
The two large, cushioned ottomans have no real equivalent at AofA. Overall, the living room Music can comfortably seat a family of 6, while the living room at AofA can seat six, but not comfortably.
The other side of the Music living room has an area with drawers and a TV, and a small table and chairs.
The table is much smaller than the equivalent at Art of Animation, which has a real dining table, and Music has only chairs for three (the third chair coming from the desk in the master bedroom).
The Art of Animation dining table will almost fit six–though two will be uncomfortable, as only four of its seating spots have knee space.
Art of Animation has a little more drawer space than Music, but this is a little deceiving, as Music has more overall storage space, with much larger closets, and many more storage shelves and cabinets in its mini kitchen than that in AofA.
Here’s an example of one of the two identical closet areas in the Music bath spaces.
The baths at Art of Animation win over those at Music in every way but one. Their sink areas have actual doors for privacy and quiet, and decor that’s both lovelier and more kid-appealing.
The dimension where some families may find a difference is that one of the two baths at AofA is entered from the master bedroom, while both baths at Music can be accessed without entering the master bedroom.
Some parents will prefer the AofA private bath; others, on the theory that the kids will use both regardless of their wishes, will prefer that at Music, where the kids don’t have to come into their room to use either bath.
The mini-kitchen at Music is much better than that at AofA.
At Art of Animation, it’s a 4×2 foot space in the corner of the living room; Music has an alcove mini-kitchen with much more counter and storage space.
For first time family visitors–who won’t be using this space much–it hardly matters, and both spaces have the same equipment–coffee maker, mini-fridge, microwave. But for families intending to really work out their microwave and store a lot of food, All-Star Music prevails.
Here’s the mini-fridge…
…the microwave and coffeemaker…
…and some of the supplies the kitchen comes with.
Overall, the master bedroom at Music is better than at Art of Animation. The beds are equivalent…
…but Music has both an easy chair…
…and a desk, both of which the master at AofA lacks.
This lets the master bedroom serve better as a retreat from the kids than the equivalent space at AofA.
The master at Art of Animation has more in-room storage than Music, has closet rods in the room itself (at Music they are outside the room, in the bath area) and, as noted above, has “private” access to the second bath.
So here’s where we are so far: compared to those at All-Star Music, Art of Animation Family Suites have MUCH better kid appeal, and slightly better convenience; the dining space at Art of Animation is much better and the baths largely better. Music Family Suites have more livable living rooms and master bedrooms, and a more flexible mini-kitchen.
THE FAMILY SUITE BEDS AT ALL-STAR MUSIC
One key difference between the Family Suites at All-Star Music and those at Art of Animation is the number of beds.
Each has a queen in the master bedroom and a two-person fold-out sofa. After that come the differences:
- The final two spots at Art of Animation are together in a fold-down dining table sleeping two
- The final two spots in All-Star Music are in two separate beds, one folding out of an ottoman, the other folding out of a chair
These last two sleeping spots are much more comfortable at Art of Animation, but–so long as one of your kids is short and light, and also has not named you in his or her will–much more flexible at All-Star Music.
The most challenging bed in the Music family suites is the ottoman bed.
The top cushion and fabric sides of the ottoman lift right off, revealing that the rest of the ottoman structure is a cot-like folded bed.
I measured the bed that folds out of the ottoman as 3o inches wide by 72 inches long.
I slept on each of the beds at All-Star Music for at least half a night except this one, as it took only seconds to discover that it’s far too uncomfortable for adult-sized people, and likely for anyone over 60 pounds or so.
The issue is the thin cushion–which I measured as 3 inches deep–interacting with the metal frame and suspension.
The cushion is suspended near the head on woven fabric (see the image of the folded bed above), in the middle on two metal bars, and near the foot on metal wire.
You can see two of these three suspensions in the image above. The problem is with the two metal rails that hold up the middle part of the bed. The cushion is so thin that these press right into your body if you are tall, heavy, or both.
A really little kid won’t notice these rails, as the first rail is 31 inches from the head of the bed–and a lightweight but taller kid won’t notice them either. But I wouldn’t put a kid heavier than say 60 pounds on this bed, or there will be no end to the whining.
The bed that unfolds from the red chair has a similar suspension, but, with a four-inch deep cushion, is not nearly as uncomfortable. I slept fine on this bed.
This bed pulls out–and has two pillows tucked inside the foot of the chair.
I measured this bed as 28 inches wide by 74 inches long, with a four-inch cushion.
The last bed in the living room is the sofa bed. It also has pillows tucked inside.
I measured it as 55 inches wide by 77 inches long. Its cushion is also 4 inches thick, and comfort is fine.
Figuring out where to put all three beds is tricky. The ottoman not only is easily movable, but also has to be moved, as both its bed and the chair bed can’t take up the same space.
You can easily block the bathroom with the ottoman bed, or, at the other end of the living room, block the door. I found a way to tuck it in by the table. See the photo that begins this section for how it fits there.
A less awkward layout is possible if you move the side tables away from the couch, and move the couch as close to the wall by the entrance door as possible. This creates just enough room to put the head of the ottoman bed between the sofa bed and the chair bed. But that sofa is heavy!
For families with odd numbers of boy and girls, having three sleeping spots can be a real advantage for All-Star Music Family Suites compared to the two sleeping spots for the kids in the Family Suites at Art of Animation.
But pragmatically, this will only work if your littlest kid is short or light enough for the ottoman bed to not be uncomfortable…
AMENITIES AT DISNEY’S ALL-STAR MUSIC RESORT
This review continues here.
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
- Photo Tour of a Family Suite 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
Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!
July 2, 2014 No Comments
Review: The Family Suites at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
For the first page of this review of Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, click here.
FAMILY SUITES AT DISNEY’S ALL-STAR MUSIC RESORT
Among the value resorts, six-person Family Suites are available at two hotels—Disney’s All-Star Music Resort and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort.
While in the past, the differences between these were quite stark, all to the disadvantage of Family Suites at All-Star Music, after the recent refurb at Music spaces at Music became much more comparable. Key changes at Music that make these items now comparable to Art of Animation include
- Much more comfortable queen beds
- A second bath that is now private to the master bedroom
- A dining table that has room and chairs for four
If money does not matter, Art of Animation is still the better choice, as it has insuperable advantages in
- Theming, both inside and outside the Family Suites
- Transportation, with Skyliner access to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and not-shared buses to the other parks (Music sometimes shares some buses with the other All-Stars at off-peak times)
- Food quality in its food court, with Pop Century’s almost equally good food court not far way
For this, you will pay for Family Suites at Music on average $185/per night less than you’ll pay at Art of Animation. Over my recommended eight-night stay, that’s almost $1,500 less…
PHOTO TOUR OF A FAMILY SUITE AT DISNEY’S ALL-START MUSIC RESORT
Note: the images of a Family Suite at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort that follow are screenshots from a Disney YouTube video.
I’ll add many more photos—and an updated floor plan—after my September visit.
Family Suites at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort sleep six in an area combined from two standard rooms. This means that they have more square feet per possible person and also more bath capacity per possible person than standard four-person value resort rooms. At a stroke, this solves the major problem of such rooms, their small size.
What used to be one entire standard room is the living dining area for all, with a common bath in the back.
You’ll note that neither the seating area nor the dining table will comfortably seat this six people this space can hold—the same is true at Art of Animation.
The prior Rube-Goldberg-esque set of sleeping arrangements has been replace by two queen beds that fold down from the walls, taking away as they do so the couch and dining table.
The beds folded down.
The other half of the space includes a kitchenette (with a fridge, microwave, and coffeemaker), the master bath, and the master bedroom.
Compared to the old floor plan at Music, the master bath and kitchenette have been flopped, making the master bath now accessible only from the master bedroom.
The master bedroom keeps its upholstered chair—although many families will carry it into the living room—and loses the old desk, as most Disney rooms have lost whatever desks they had over the most recent set of refurbs.
All in this set of changes is a great improvement, and Family Suites at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort are now a much mor livable and competitive option than they were before.
AMENITIES AT DISNEY’S ALL-STAR MUSIC
This review continues here.
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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July 2, 2014 7 Comments