Value

Wondering how the All Star Music Resort stacks up against the other Disney World Value Resorts? Check out The Best Disney World Value Resorts for a comparison of the four Values in a variety of categories including Best Layout, Best Dining, Best Transportation, Best Location, Best Rooms, Best Pool, and Best Overall Moderate Resort.

Address:

1801 W. Buena Vista Drive
Lake Buena Vista, FL

Direct Phone:  407-939-6000, Fax: 407-939-7222, General Reservations: 1-407-WDISNEY (1-407-934-7639)

Resort Class: All-Star Music is a Value, the least expensive Disney resort type.  There are three room categories here – Standard, Preferred, and Family Suite.  Preferred rooms are closer to the main building and pool and cost an additional $15 per night.  All-Star Music is the only Value resort that offers suites.  Family Suites cost a little more than twice as much as a Standard room, per night.  For example, during Value Season, Suites cost $190 and Standard rooms cost $82 each per night.  That would make the Family Suite $26 more expensive than booking two Standard rooms.  A room in a Moderate resort during the same period would cost $149 per night.

Location: All-Star Music is officially an Animal Kingdom area resort and is closest to the Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex, but relatively far from the Magic Kingdom.  There is a McDonald’s restaurant on Disney property that’s about a half mile away.  The All-Stars are also about 5 minutes away from a number of off-Disney areas with cheaper dining and shopping, which you should keep in mind if you decide to rent a car.

Size:  All-Star Music has 1,604 rooms of which 215 are suites.  The basic layout of the buildings is the same as the other All-Star resorts.  There are five themes with two buildings per theme.  The themes are Broadway, Calypso, Country, Jazz, and Rock.  Preferred rooms are found in the Calypso buildings and cost an additional $15 per night.  Family Suites are found in both Calypso and Jazz Inn.  There are two elevators in each building.  The buildings furthest from the bus stop are located in Country Fair and it takes about 10 minutes to walk from a Country Fair room to the main building.

Room Amenities and Quality: Standard and Preferred rooms are 260 square feet, the same standard size as the other Value resorts.  The rooms in All Star Music are recently refurbished, meaning they have new carpet, wallpaper, furniture, and 25” televisions.  There are either two double beds or one king size bed in each room, depending on reservation.  King bed rooms can be requested, but they generally go to guests with disabilities first because they have bathrooms that can accommodate wheelchairs as well.  Each room has a nightstand, two chairs, armoire, 25” television, wall mirror, clock radio, small safe, one sink, one mirror, and bathroom area with toilet and combined bathtub and shower.  Shampoo, conditioner, and bar soap are also provided.  Value resorts do not have a refrigerator, but one can be rented for about $10 per day, unless a medical necessity in which case the fee is waived.  Items that may not be included, but can be requested for free, include iron, ironing board, extra pillows, towels, and blankets.  Each room can sleep up to four people, but cots are only available in King Bed rooms due to the fire code.  Claims of unclean rooms are rare, although service requests may not be immediately remedied.

The All-Star Music is the only Value with Family Suites that can sleep up to six people.  These suites are actually two connecting rooms that have been refurbished into one suite with a square footage of 520 feet.  Each suite has two bathrooms, one bedroom, one living room with furniture that converts to beds, two 27” flat-screen televisions, and a small kitchenette with 4.3 cubic foot refrigerator, microwave, coffee machine, sink, and storage area.  In the living area, the couch turns into a double bed, the ottoman turns into a short twin bed, and the chair turns into a twin bed.  The bedroom has a queen bed.

At a little more than twice the cost of two rooms, it is difficult to say whether or not a Suite is a better value than two connecting rooms.  With Disney, you are not guaranteed connecting rooms, meaning that it is possible that rooms will not be next to each other with an interior door connecting the two rooms.  A suite would guarantee that your family would be connected.  Suites also offer a kitchenette area with a microwave, which none of the Values or Moderates have, as well as a coffeemaker which no other Value room offers and a refrigerator which would cost extra in a Standard or Preferred room.  If your family of five or six requires a refrigerator, coffee maker, microwave and needs connecting rooms then a Family Suite may be a better option than two connecting rooms.  The downside is that the convertible beds may not be comfortable and the cost is high considering the resort’s lack of amenities and dining options.

Theme and Layout: Music is similar to both Movies and Sports in that it features gigantic figurines, bright colors, and the same basic ten building layout.  The theme is perfect for children (or adults) who love music and will appreciate the 40 foot tall saxophone, size 270 cowboy boots, and sky high guitars and banjos.

Pool: All Star Music’s main pool is 251,000+ gallons and has a kiddie pool attached.  There is also a smaller 106,000 gallon pool situated in the middle of the resort.  No Value resorts have water slides or hot tubs and this is no exception.  Towels are also not available at the pool so guests must bring them from their room and request more from housekeeping.  All-Star Music also has organized pool games throughout the day that are popular with children as well as a Disney movie in the evening.  Guests from any All-Star resort can use the pool facilities of any other All-Star resort as well.

Transportation: Often, especially during off-peak times, the three All-Star resorts will share buses.  During peak times, All-Star Music may have dedicated bus service.  All-Star Music is in the middle of the All-Star complex and is picked up and dropped off second.  Transportation times are relatively short to the Parks, with Magic Kingdom being the longest ride.

The times below are calculated after the bus leaves the resort.

Hollywood Studios: about 10 minutes
Epcot: about 15 minutes
Animal Kingdom: less than 10 minutes
Magic Kingdom: about 20 minutes

Best Rooms: Only rooms in the Calypso building are designated “Preferred.”  The problem is that these rooms may be louder due to the proximity to the 500+ person dining area and swimming pool that may be open 24 hours a day even if the posted hours show that it closes at midnight.  The best rooms may be in the Jazz Inn because they are close to the main pool, main building, quiet pool, and do not cost an additional $15 per night.  Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to guarantee a room in this section and your reservation request may go unfulfilled.

On-Site Dining Options: Value resorts have a food court and no table service option.  All Star Music’s counter service facilities are adequate, but may get crowded at meal times, especially if there are any large organized groups staying at the resort.  Full review on its way.

Best For: Those who do not plan to spend much time at the resort and are aware of the limited amenities offered.  Guests traveling with children who would enjoy the theme.  Those on a budget who want to take advantage of Magical Express, Disney Transportation, and Extra Magic Hours.

Worst For: Those used to staying at the Ritz Carlton or are otherwise expecting more than they receive.  People who plan to spend a lot of time relaxing at the resort.

Summary of Key Points: Music, like Sports, has been recently renovated and the rooms are generally better furnished than Movies.  Although the theme is not as overtly “Disney” as Movies, many guests may still favor it.  Unique to Music is the Family Suites which may be the ideal room type in certain situations.  Although Suites are more expensive than two Value rooms, they are guaranteed to keep families next to each other and offer several amenities that would either cost extra or are unavailable in Standard rooms, such as a refrigerator, coffeepot, and microwave.

The rooms in the All-Stars are small and best for those who don’t plan to do much at the resort other than bathe, sleep, and swim.  The resort may be noisy depending on your neighbors and whether or not there are any large organized groups staying at the resort during your stay.  If you are considering a Value it may be in your best interest to call the resort and ask if they are expecting any large groups during the time you plan your vacation.  Also, request to be in a building further away from the pool areas and noise should be less of a factor as it is less likely screaming children will be constantly running past your door.  Overall, the Value resorts are perfect for guests who want to take advantage of Disney transportation and Extra Magic Hours and plan to spend most of their time at the Parks.

Overall Rank on The Best Disney World Value Resorts: 2nd out of 4

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