Has anyone ever stayed at the Disney All Star Movie Resort?

Is it clean? How is it getting around on the bus system there?

Re: Has anyone ever stayed at the Disney All Star Movie Resort?

yes..stayed in the toy story buildings..my DD and DS who were obsessed with Toy story...were in love...they thought they were at the parks just walking the grounds...yes - it is like a glorified motel....but we were ok with that - the look on their faces made it worth it!!

I thought it was very clean...no issues at all!!!

The buses were Real easy to get to from our room to the waiting area..and we never waited more than 5 min for a bus to any of the parks...

would do it again - but nw with 3 kids we would prob need a bigger room!

Re: Has anyone ever stayed at the Disney All Star Movie Resort?

I haven't stayed at movies, but I stayed at Music 3x which is exactly the same set up and Pop 2x which is also a value resort. All of the Disney hotels are VERY clean, well appointed and well-kept. The bus service is decent. You will usually share buses with the other 2 all stars, which can be annoying, but the buses do come frequently.

There are a few ways you know you're in a value resort. One is that there's no fridge or coffee maker in the room. The overall size of the room is smaller but adequate with small children and the bathroom (sink outside) is very small. You have to do what I call the "value resort bathroom shuffle" to use the bathroom. That is you actually have to step around the toilet to get the door to close.

The food court is good but large and noisy. The theming is oversized and fun especially in the toy story area.

Let me know if you have any other questions. As you can see I'm pretty well versed in the pros and cons of value resorts.

Re: Has anyone ever stayed at the Disney All Star Movie Resort?

I haven't stayed at the values - but this is my take from friends who have stayed there it is a love or hate type of thing. It really depends on what you want to get out of it and what you are used to. The people I know who just want a clean bed and shower who spend all their times (open to close at the parks) love it and have been very happy. For those who want to spend time at the resort or like a little more comfort it is a mixed to negative review.

The pros - inexpensive, disney theming - huge larger than life disney characters or whatever the theme of the resort you pick, huge food court with lots of choices. Fun theming for little kids.

The cons - loud rooms (reports of hearing toilets flushing from neighboring rooms) AAA gives them 2 stars, smallest rooms on property, buses don't have any screening so if it rains you are standing out in the rain getting wet or baking in the hot sun - mods and deluxes have covering over their bus stops. Some people think the rooms are more like dorms rooms than hotels - I have seen people compare it to a motel 6.

One caveat - lots of groups stay there (cheerleaders etc) and they can be very loud and running around late at night with little supervision - so you might want to make sure if you stay at an All Star that you try to avoid the times that they are down there.

As with the buses at any of the resorts it really depends on who you ask. Some people think it is spread out and crowded buses - but I have a friend who stays there and thinks the buses are great and has never had an issue - but does go at a slower time of the year right around labor day.

I think you should go and read some reviews over on disboards, and look at photos - and if you think you would like it then I would say go for it. But I think it is one of those places that you either love or hate.

Re: Has anyone ever stayed at the Disney All Star Movie Resort?

It's true the walls are thin and I felt like I heard it when anyone in the building flushed a toilet. Also true about non-sheltered bus stations, but there is a covered area w/ benches nearby. I did like the bus service and stations better at the moderates, but it's no necessarily worth the money just for that. You do get more space, a fridge, nicer pools (though the value pools are great), restaurant (not just food court) at your hotel and fewer groups.

I don't think it's necessarily a love/hate thing. It depends on what you're looking for, and as PP stated, how much time you plan to spend in the room. It also depends on what you're comparing it to. If its a value hotel vs an offsite, I will choose the value hotel. If its value hotel vs moderate, then it's really about your budget and travel
Style. I've done a lot of value stays. I've also done moderate stays and I'll be doing a deluxe monorail stay in October. All amazing vacations. It just depends On what you expect from your hotel and what you might be giving up, bUdget wise to stay at a more expensive hotel.

Re: Has anyone ever stayed at the Disney All Star Movie Resort?

Also, at the All Stars I personally prefer to get a preferred room. The resort, if you lOok at a map, is really long. If you stay preferred you're right by the main pool and right next to the lobby and buses. If not, you can be anywhere. I think the one time we didn't stay preferred we were about 1/2 mi from the buses. It made using the refillable mugs a pain whereas in referred DH could just run down for drinks and snack I wasn't going tO have him walk a mile for my coffee. It's also torturous after a long day getting off the bus and you just want tO be "home" and off your feet.