Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida is a vast property full of amazing theme parks and resorts. How can you choose the right resort for your family? Find out what we thought about our recent stay at the value resort, All-Star Music!
Disney World All-Star Music Resort Review
Disney World offers three main categories of resorts, value, moderate, and deluxe. Each offer different advantages and disadvantages for families, but for the purposes of this article, I am focusing on a specific value resort, All-Star Music.
All-Star Music Rooms
First, let’s talk about the rooms. Many times I hear families say, “We only need a place to sleep.” As I “grow up,” I’ve realized that statement is a fallacy for our family. When we vacation, as much as we love each other, we definitely need our space. At All-Star Music, the beds in the standard rooms are doubles. Husband and I are used to the space of our king bed, and, at his height of 6’4″ and my 5’7″, squeezing us in a double is doable, but not fun for more than one or two nights.
Additionally, there is one bathroom, and it’s very basic. Unless you happen to get a handicap accessible room, which has a bigger bathroom for obvious reasons, only one person at a time can comfortably fit. That makes bathing small children somewhat precarious.
On the plus side, the rooms are all well themed and decorated in bright colors and motifs, so there’s that. Definitely take advantage of the oversized jukeboxes, guitars, and other fun decor for those Insta-worthy family photos!
All-Star Music Amenities
As previously stated, the theme of the value resorts is fun and bright. My kids love the oversized decor around the resort and pool areas. The giant statues and colorful buildings definitely make for great photo ops!
The pools are also fun. Yes, I did say pools, plural. The main pool is shaped like a guitar, and it is home to the Three Caballeros-Donald Duck, Jose Carioca, and Panchito. It’s quite a large pool, so it never feels overcrowded.
Further in the back of the resort, the Piano Pool, shaped like a grand piano, is somewhat smaller. However, it is more easily accessible for guests staying in the buildings near the back of the resort. We stayed in the “Broadway” building, so we probably would have gone to the Piano Pool if we had had more time.
Finally, we did spend some time in the arcade. It’s hard to pass up the fun and games when you’ve got young children with you! For what it’s worth, Neil and I got in on some of the fun (it’s hard for me to say no to a game of skee-ball), and we really enjoyed spending time together. Just make sure you put a limit on your arcade card and when it’s out, it’s out. That will help keep everyone’s expectations in check.
All-Star Music Food Court
One of my absolute favorite things about vacationing in Disney World is the food. However, most of the value resort food courts are nothing to write home about. They offer you standard fare (with occasional surprises), and they are often overcrowded and not nearly as “Disney clean” as other resorts. That’s not really the resort’s fault. There are just SO MANY people staying in value resorts these days, it’s hard for the Cast Members to keep up.
We enjoyed the desserts at the Intermission Food Court the most. If you’re on the Rose Gold or Millennial Pink cupcake tour, don’t forget to check for special cupcakes at the value resorts!
The best thing I ate a Intermissions was their fresh berry and walnut salad served with grilled chicken and a strawberry vinaigrette. I don’t try to purposefully eat healthy on a Disney vacation, but it’s nice to break from burgers and fries every once in a while.
All-Star Music Transportation
Finally, one of the biggest drawbacks to staying value (in my opinion) is the transportation. If you’ve driven your own car to the resort (ugh, now you have to pay a nightly parking fee), you can drive and park at the parks for free. Yes, free. That’s one perk of staying at a Disney resort.
Another option is the Disney busses. Their schedule is not as predictable as it is for moderate and deluxe resorts (which means that 20 minute bus ride might turn into 45 minutes before you know it), and they are often overcrowded. I’ll save my rant for another time, but just picture trying to hang on to your tired kid(s) while standing up in the middle aisle because there are no seats. Yeah, no thank you.
Lastly, you do now have the option of taking a Minnie Van to the parks from ANY resort on the Disney property. This is AWESOME! It is an extra cost, but, trust me, we’ve done it a few times on previous trips and it is well worth it. They provide car seats if you need it, and they play Disney Parks music throughout your ride. Everyone has their own seat, and they will adjust the in-vehicle temperature to your liking. That alone makes it worth the extra cost to me.
So what do you think? Will you be staying at a value resort next time you visit Disney World?
