Category — q. Reviews

MVMCP: A REVIEW

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (“MVMCP”) is a special event that takes place during the Christmas season at Walt Disney World.

It requires its own ticket, which is entirely separate from regular Disney World tickets, and is only shown on certain nights from early November through mid-December.

(For more on MVMCP tickets and show nights, see this.)

Even though it is expensive (tickets for a family of four will cost over $200) it’s been part of this site’s Basic December Itinerary since the site opened, for a couple of reasons:

Going to it lets people sleep in an extra morning. 

Disney limits the amount of tickets it sells to each show of MVMCP.  As a result, waits for the rides are low.  Going to it and getting some popular rides in saves a morning in the Basic Itinerary for sleeping in that would otherwise have to be used getting up and going to the Magic Kingdom

Going to it guarantees seeing an evening parade and fireworks. 

At the time of year the Basic Itinerary covers, the evening parade and fireworks at the Magic Kingdom may happen just a couple of times a week on non-MVMCP nights.  Sending people to MVMCP guarantees your family will have the opportunity to see an evening parade and fireworks.

I recommend people go to Walt Disney World in the early part of the Christmas season…so how can I not send them to this show?

It’s silly and fun!

In November 2013 I had a chance to see it again, for the fifth time  The rest of this entry is the review of that visit. [Read more →]

WDW MAGAZINE ISSUE TWO IS OUT!

The second issue of WDW Magazine came out late last week.

(For more on this new magazine about Walt Disney World, see this; to subscribe, click here.)

The theme of the latest issue is Disney World dining.

Carl Trent, founder of Dad’s Guide to WDW and editor and publisher of WDW Magazine, likely against his better judgment, continues to assign me topics for first time visitors to Walt Disney World.

This month the topic is “Three Things First Time Visitors Need to Know About WDW Dining.” (Excerpt above; as always, click it to enlarge it.)

I also helped out with another article, with my bud Joe Black, on the prospects for free dining in 2014. (Click the excerpt above to enlarge it.)

Regular readers of this site will already know my thoughts on both these topics, but there’s tons of other good stuff in the latest WDW Magazine, so check it out!

As I noted last month, I have no financial interest in WDW Magazine, and thus have nothing to disclose–other than that I’m honored that from all the options out there, Carl’s chosen me to lead the magazine’s materials for first time visitors to Walt Disney World, and delighted to have been able to write a second article with Joe on free dining in 2014!

So with twice as many articles by me this month as last, you can see why this month’s issue is twice as “something” as last month–twice as good, or twice as bad–you make the call!

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Storybook Dining in Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, a table-service restaurant in Epcot’s Norway Pavilion, is one of Disney World’s three “Princess Meals”—and arguably the best of the three.

• Cinderella’s Royal Table, in the castle in Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom, is the most iconic, sought after, and—by far—expensive of the three.  Cinderella and other princesses visit at breakfast, lunch and dinner
• 1900 Park Fare, in the Grand Floridian, offers dinner attended by Cinderella, Prince Charming, and Cinderella’s family. The setting is undistinguished, the food great, and the price is about half that of the Royal Table—exactly half if you are using the dining plan—one credit, rather than two.
• Like Cinderella’s Royal Table, Akershus Royal Banquet Hall has a bucket of princesses and is set in a castle, but is priced comparably to 1900 Park Fare—more than 1900 if cash (but still not as much more as Cindy), the same as 1900 if dining plan.

STORYBOOK DINING AT AKERSHUS ROYAL BANQUET HALL

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall is in the Norway Pavilion of the Epcot’s World Showcase. (From Epcot’s Future World, the second country going clockwise, right after Mexico.)

The Banquet Hall is inside Akershus Castle.

The castle,  in the less interesting Romanesque style rather than the frothier Gothic style of Cinderella’s Castle in the Magic Kingdom, is not so immediately appealing, but the interior is lovely.

Breakfast is typical of what is served elsewhere but the lunch and dinner menus have many Scandinavia highlights, starting with a buffet with range of appetizers and cold dishes—fresh foods, cheeses and preserved meats and fish.  Besides the buffet, one also orders an entrée…

…possibly a silly drink for dad and mom…

…and a dessert sampler.

Unadventurous eaters will find something to enjoy, but the adventurous, and/or lovers of preserved fish, will most enjoy the Akershus lunch and dinner menus.

Meals there include visits from several Disney princesses—on our visit, we were formally greeted by Belle…

…and also met Ariel…

…Cinderella…

…Aurora…

…Snow White, and others.

The best features of Akershus are the princesses, the castle setting, and then the food.  The food comes higher on the list for those interested in Scandinavian cuisine.

Being in Epcot is a mixed blessing.  Epcot most rewards older kids willing to accept its invitation to think and to be creative.  There’s not as much there for kids young enough to most enjoy a princess meal—and such kids may also not be adventurous enough to enjoy the full range of food on offer.

(On the other hand, I was eating pickled herring and smoked salmon at age three, so I love this place…I was not sophisticated…but my dad ate them, so so did I. )

A great day for younger kids at Epcot would start before park open and include Soarin (if they are mature enough and at least 38 inches), The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Spaceship Earth, Turtle Talk with Crush, and a character meet ‘n greeting.

An early breakfast—early enough that you are done by park open, so you can take advantage of the lower crowds then–at Akershus fits this well.

Lunch also works just fine with this kind of morning.

For younger kids not afraid of fireworks, a visit—or return–in the evening for dinner at Akershus and the fireworks show Illuminations also works.

Kids just old enough to enjoy everything at Epcot—both the princess meals and the challenge to their intellect and imagination—will enjoy the park, including Akershus, the best!

*   *   *

PICKING BETWEEN CINDERELLA’S ROYAL TABLE AND STORYBOOK DINING AT AKERSHUS

I’m often asked, since my itineraries include two princess meals, Cindy and Akershus, if a family can afford just one, which should they pick.

If the kids are old enough to enjoy Epcot fully, I’d go with Akershus hands down.  You get the same piles of princesses at a lower price, with a more interesting menu.

But there’s a lot to be said for the iconic appeal of dining in the castle at the Magic Kingdom, and the Magic Kingdom, of course, appeals to all ages.  So for younger kids, that’s the one I’d suggest.

My itineraries promise all the best of Walt Disney World—so in them you get both!

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

AMENITIES AT DISNEY’S ALL-STAR MOVIES RESORT

Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort includes an arrival building called Cinema Hall where you will find most of its services and amenities.

You are greeted at Cinema Hall by a red carpet!!

Cinema Hall has a lobby where you check in and can buy tickets and make reservations. Note the Hollywood Hills in the background.

As in all Disney World hotel lobbies, there’s also a spot where you can plop the kids in front of some Disney programs while you are waiting in line. Or vice-versa.

Each of the All-Stars has a hall of fame with images and mementos related ot its theme…

…and photographs of exceptional performers.

Also here, just outside, is the bus stop.

Back inside you’ll find the gift shop…

…and the food court–by far the best among the All-Stars.

In the back of the food court–you can see it to the far right in the photo above–is a bar that serves both the pool and the food court.

In this same area there’s a microwave and toasters for anyone to use.

Like the other values, All-Star Movies has no sit-down restaurant.

But it does have two pools…

THE POOLS 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 All-Star Movies Resort, click here.

PHOTO TOUR OF A STANDARD ROOM AT DISNEY’S ALL-STAR MOVIES RESORT

Note: Rooms at All-Star Movies are being refurbed.  What follows describes a not-yet-refurbed rooms.  For a photo tour of a refurbed room, see this.

Rooms at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort have the same basic floor plan as you’ll find in the other two All-Star resorts.

When you enter, you’ll find two full beds on one side.

The bed side from the back.

There’s a small table between the beds, with room enough only for the most essential of books.

Here’s a closer shot of one of the beds…

…and of the art on the wall between the beds and the bath. This is from a Toy Story room…

…and this from a Mighty Ducks room. This art is the only ways the standard rooms differ among the themed areas.

The other side of the room has a table and chairs, and a dresser/mini-fridge/TV combo.

The TV side from the back.

Some value resort rooms have square tables, some round.  I don’t know why…must be magic, I guess.

Here’s a close-up of the dresser…

…and one of its three large drawers.

Here’s the mini-fridge with a scaling object.

Except for Art of Animation, there’s not a lot of visual difference among the rooms in the value resorts.  At All-Star Movies, besides the wall art shown above, there’s also a wallpaper border re-capping the movies highlighted at the resort.  Note also the coat-rack below it.

There’s als0 some kinda-interesting movie-film themed decor in the tub…

…although the space is more fun with the shower curtain closed than open.

This tub is a separate space in the bath/clothes hanging area at the back of the room, which also includes a sink…

…and an open closet area.

The sink-closet area is separable from the rest of the room by a fabric curtain.

PHOTO TOUR OF A REFURBED ROOM 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 Standard Room at 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

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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The Basics: Where to Stay

The Value Resorts   Art of Animation   Pop Century    Movies    Sports   Music

OVERVIEW: DISNEY’S ALL-STAR MOVIES RESORT FOR FIRST-TIME VISITORS

Note: Guests at Disney’s All-Star Movies 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.

Among my 160+ stays (so far!) in Walt Disney World resort hotels, I’ve stayed at Disney’s All-Star Movies five times, most recently in September.

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

And All-Star Movies is the best choice for those on a budget, as on average it is $90/night less than Art of Animation, and $45/night less than Pop Century, the second-ranked value.

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.)

Compared to other Walt Disney World owned and operated resorts, the value resorts are distinguished by having the lowest prices and smallest rooms.

I’ve stayed at all five of Disney’s Value Resorts thirty times. These visits confirm the order in which the value resorts are recommended:

• Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is number one among the values.
• After  Art of Animation, the rank is, in order, Pop Century, 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, It still mostly has full beds, but queens will be increasingly common, and likely everywhere by mid 2023.
• All-Star Movies is the most broadly kid-appealing of the three, and has queen beds and coffeemakers in every room
• All-Star Music is the most compact, loveliest, and the only one of these three All-Star with family suites (Art of Animation also has family suites). All-Star Music has queen beds and coffeemakers in every room.

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 two-bed rooms.

Refurbed rooms sleep four plus one more child younger than three in a crib, in a fixed queen bed and a second queen bed that folds down from the wall, eliminating the table when it is down. A floor plan is above,  and an image of the room with the second queen folded up is below. A full photo tour is here.

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 third best value resort for first time family visitors, after Art of Animation  and 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 and Art of Animation Resorts–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 third-most kid-appealing. Art of Animation 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 kids may differ–and be particularly charmed by Fantasia, the Mighty Ducks, or The Love Bug.  But most aren’t. Disney does much better at Art of Animation, which showcases Cars, The Lion King, Finding Nemo, and the Little Mermaid.

Convenience. Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort is the fourth most convenient of the Value resorts.

During some less busy periods, 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, shared 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 savanna 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 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 Movies or anywhere else–contact them using the form below:

A PHOTO TOUR OF A REFURBED ROOM 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

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!!