With 6 people in our party (4 of them at least 6 feet tall), we need two rooms or some combo of 4 beds this vacation (could make a sofa bed and pull down or chair bed work with 2 additional beds). With this and 4-5 of us being Disney adults depending on our check-in day next spring, budget is an issue. 8 nights x 2 rooms=$$$$.
We’ve always chosen to stay for a longer period of time in a less expensive resort than a shorter stay in a deluxe. We’ve stayed at POR, CBR, AKL, and FW cabins but never stayed at a value resort. I’m all about the parks and not so much about relaxation (which is a good thing as I have 4 kids). We will eat probably 2-3 times in the food court at the resort (including breakfast on departure day) and will hopefully swim a couple of times if the scheduled times and weather align. I realize that the value resorts have less perks as far as themed pools and no TS restaurant but are there other glaring differences?? Buses? Distance from park? Too crowded? I’m happy enough to stay at a Hampton Inn when traveling although with a family of 6, we frequent Embassy Suites most often, so I definitely do not need high-end accommodations. Give me some love for the value resorts (or another possibility for more budget-friendly accommodations on property for our family).
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I really like Pop. It’s a bit spread out to some of the farther rooms from the main building but it’s also quiet out that way. Easy to hop over to AoA for their food court which some feel is the best on property food court. Can take bus back toAOA and walk across bridge if that bus comes before Pop bus. Buses don’t share and service is good. Great feature pool and quiet pools. I think you can’t go wrong there.
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I have not stayed on property in 30+ years but we are going in 19 days to All Star Sports but I found this for All Star Music it might help.
In the Jazz and Calypso Buildings, the 192 suites measure roughly 520 square feet, slightly larger than the cabins at Fort Wilderness but slightly smaller than Art of Animation’s Family Suites. Each suite, formed from the combination of two formerly separate rooms, includes a kitchenette with mini-refrigerator, microwave, and coffeemaker. Sleeping accommodations include a queen bed in the bedroom, plus a pullout sleeper sofa, a chair bed, and an ottoman bed. We’re not sure we’d let adult friends (ones we want to keep, anyway) on the sofa bed or the chair or ottoman beds, but they’re fine for children. A hefty door separates the two rooms.
The All-Star Music Family Suites also feature flat-panel TVs plus two bathrooms—one more than the Fort Wilderness cabins. The suites cost about 25% less than the cabins and about 20% less than the Art of Animation Family Suites, but they don’t have the kitchen space or appliances to prepare anything more than rudimentary meals. If you’re trying to save money by eating in your room, the cabins are your best bet. If you just want a little extra space and somewhere to nuke your Pop-Tarts in the morning, the All-Star suites are just fine.
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My hotel of choice is the All Stars Music, but it is just 2 adults in the room. I tend to think it will be more crowded if you fit in more adults to be honest. The beds are doubles. There is one sink and one bathroom.
It is a good resort, nothing fancy, but adequate for crashing and rising to start all over again.
I believe Movies have been doing renovations similar to Pop. I get the need to save money.
Have you looked into renting DVC points? Anyone on here have thought to help.
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I would definitely consider Pop. Queen size beds and nice refurb then all the transportation reasons @OBNurseNH listed. It is what I decided to do for our Dec trip. Only thing that would give me pause is if you are really into feature pools with slides. But you could then just add in some water time. I say go for it!
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ASMovies gets my vote becuse I love the huge movie icons, they makke me grin everytime I get back to my room. Cheaper than the rest, wonderful food court and quiet rooms. It has individual buses that are frequently arriving. And a great fantasia pool where getting a chair and a towel is always possible. Two quichathumbs up! Way up!
Our first stay we were at AOA cars family suite… we loved it! If we could stay here again we would. The only issue I see is the fold out couch. Fine for kids but I would not want to sleep on it for a week.
We stayed at POP this year in the new refurbished rooms…again, we loved it!! It could get a little tight depending in the size of people but with what you save by staying here… it’s a no-brainer. The beds were comfortable, there was plenty of space for your things and able to put luggage out of the way. Since it only has one bathroom you will need to schedule shower time in morning or night. For a value…POP gets my vote!!
We had no issues with the buses, it was excellent. Food court good but got tiring towards the end of the week but like that you can walk to AOA food court for a change.
I will revisit DVC points, but I feel like it’s more expensive than 2 moderate rooms (which is top of our budget for this trip) just maybe cheaper than 2 deluxe rooms from previous browsing. Maybe someone else knows something.
WE always go to WDW with 4 adults. We get two connecting rooms at POP. We have 4 beds, 2 baths and two “coolers”. this is much less expensive than a suite at AOA. The bus service is very good, (some say the best at WDW). The food court is fine, and we eat at other WDW restaurants as often as we wish. I think you would be happy with 2 rooms at POP
If we ever go withought my husband I would totally stay at Pop or AoA. He’s much more particular about getting space from our kids, lol, but I don’t might us fitting together! That said we always rent DVC so we can have the kitchen.
If I’m not renting DVC points, POP is my first choice. I spend very little time in my room; it’s basically somewhere to sleep and shower. Caveat - I’m under 6’ and am typically alone when I stay there.
My last stay, I did 4 nights at POP followed by 3 nights at WL. While the convenience of the boat to/from MK was fantastic, the view of Cinderella Castle/Contemporary, Space Mt., and the pool awesome at WL, I prefer the actual ROOMS at POP. With two queen beds in the refurb rooms and the storage available, the bigger TV,more than one trash can in the room, and having a coffee maker at POP the actual room to me is more appealing.
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The price between a cheaper DVC rental and Value is not too significant. With the small kitchenette you can save some of the difference in price on food. If you want to save money an off site location that has a full kitchen would make a greater difference.
Love POP - I am also all about the parks - if I wanted a ‘relaxing’ trip I would go somewhere else LOL - but dedicated bus, and one bus stop at the resort are huge perks for me. I don’t do the pools - but if you don’t care about the theming than they are fine - food court is about typical I would say - although I have heard AoA is better and you can walk over to it.
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Do you have DVC site or resort to recommend? i’d love to find a good deal for the price of 2 moderate rooms even. It would be so much cheaper offsite, but we love staying on site–just hoping to minimize accommodation costs to maximize dining, parks, and extras like dessert party this time.
Thanks! I started watching youtube vids of Pop today. We will only eat a couple times in the food court so basic nuggets, pizza, and salad even will work for those 1-2 meals.
AKL standard is a good one price wise. We’ve booked it twice and are doing a third. OKW and Saratoga standard are also in the same range. Those 3 seem to be the ones you can rent easier. AKL value and BW standard are also less $ but sell out too fast to rent normally. Prices include tax when you look it up. $200-$225 a night is about the range. Depends on the season.
We have rented from David’s dvc. There are others. There are drawbacks to renting. Namely you have to book around 8-11 months out for most places. Sometimes less. Saratoga is less in demand. It is Non-refundable. You also won’t get a Disney deal that require a room rental like free dining. Not that it happens in the spring.
I will investigate. Thanks for the tips! We are ready to book for next March so I guess timing wise, I should look now.
AKL is certainly one of the most reasonable - which is nice as it my favorite. Be sure to check the point charts; the number of points per night change by season.
March is more and is getting close to moderate prices