When my family began taking our first Walt Disney World vacations, we always stayed off-site. At the time (early 80s), there wasn’t but a few Disney resorts and it seemed cheaper to stay at a nearby Maingate Quality Inn (our standard at the time).
Even today, there are many families that continue to believe the same thing; that staying at a Disney Resort is too expensive and completely out of the question for anyone traveling on a budget. One of our resident bloggers, Lisa Pietsch, has already covered how to save by staying at the various Value Resorts that Disney has to offer. However, in this article, I’m going to focus on explaining the difference between the resorts and help you choose which resort is best for your family’s Walt Disney World Vacation.
The All Star Resorts lie nestled next to each other on the edge of WDW’s property close to Animal Kingdom. Each of the three resorts is themed for its namesake featuring rooms, pools, and grounds that embody the resort’s theme.
All Star Sports is, obviously, sports themed and is a favorite of traveling sports teams and high school bands. Each section of the resort is themed after various aspects of the sports world from Football to Soccer to Swimming. Of all of the value resorts, however, I have to say that this is my least favorite. Why? Unfortunately, when I stayed at All Star Sports, my room was situated above the football courtyard. Imagine having guests outside your rooms until the wee hours of the morning throwing footballs and screaming at the top of their lungs. This is, of course, also the same if your room happens to be located near any of the pool areas at the value resorts. However, I find that the odd location of the football courtyard and the ability to throw a football in whatever attire you happen to currently be wearing makes for an even worse room location.
All Star Music happens to be located between the Sports and Movie resorts. Themed after various musical genres, you could find yourself staying in a 1950s rock and roll area of the resort or a classic music alcove.
All Star Movies features such kitschy decor as a Fantasia themed pool, a 101 Dalmatians themed courtyard, and star shaped lights in each of the rooms. Each section is themed after a different Disney film including The Love Bug and Toy Story.
Disney’s Pop Century Resort is Disney’s newest value resort. Taking its cue from a century’s worth of pop culture history, Disney’s Pop Century features such kitschy decor as an oversized Rubik’s Cube and a psychedelic 1970s resort area. A favorite of Disney value connoisseurs, this value resort remains a favorite because of its closer proximity to the other resort areas and its unique theming.
As with all Disney Resorts, each value resort features a food court, refillable drink cup for $11.99, and free transportation to other resort areas. Be warned, however, that when attempting to make reservations for high to moderate attendance times, these resorts fill up quickly. Movies and Pop Century tend to fill up first with Music and Sports following closely behind. Make sure to make reservations well in advance if you plan to stay at one of these resorts.
Overall, the value resorts are an excellent way to enjoy the full Disney experience while saving a bit of cash. There’s nothing that can beat the experience of staying on property and having the Disney resort at your fingertips 24/7.