Featured Writer : Mouse Explorer : Walt Disney World

All-Star Resorts Review
by Randall Alberts

Are you a sports fan? Perhaps the music of Disney is more your style? Then again it may just be the Disney classics? If any of these describe you, then you may want to consider the All-Star resorts during your next trip to Walt Disney World.

The All-Star Resorts are a part of the Walt Disney World value resorts. Located on the way to Disney’s Animal Kingdom and close to the Happy Meal McDonalds, the All Star is actually three different hotels centered on three different themes. The All-Star Sports resort is focused around sports with three story footballs and megaphones. The All-Star Music resort is focused on different types of music from calypso, to jazz, to Broadway. The third resort is the A-Star Movies with green army men taking over one building (Toy Story) and puppies running amuck in another (101 Dalmatians).

Each of the three resorts is focused around a central hall that has registration, a Disney souvenir shop, a game room and a restaurant. The first time you step into Stadium Hall at the Sports resort, Melody Hall at the Music or Cinema at the Movies resort, you quickly know where you are. Each of the lobby areas are themed to the resorts and have a check in desk and a concierge to help with dinner reservations or to answer any of your questions about the park. As you stand in line to register, there is Disney trivia and fun all around (For instance: Do you know what the musical score is under the registration desk at the All-Star Music? – When you Wish Upon a Star).

The gift shops at the resorts are very much like any of the 100s of other shops located through out the Resort. The theme is consistent with the hotel. While there is a good selection, there is never enough room to have everything. The best advice of staying at any resort on the Disney property is “if you see something you want, purchase it then”. If you are staying on property, Disney will deliver any of your purchases to your room so that you don’t have to carry it around with you all day. Of course it may take one to two days for delivery. If you don’t have time to wait for the package, then Disney can deliver your package to the front gate so that you can pick it up on your way back to the resort.

Also at each of the All-Starts are food courts. It’s the End Zone at the Sports Resort, Intermission at the Music and World Premier at the Movies resort. Each of the food courts offers a variety of foods for Breakfast Lunch and Dinner. If you want a quick snack in the morning before hitting the parks, or a burger after spending time in the parks, they have it. For those people who have played all day and can’t make it to the café, then they do offer room pizza delivery so that you can eat while you soak the blisters on weary feet.

One of the nice items at the food court is the bottomless “Tangible Memories” (Souvenir) mug. Purchase a mug at the food court and you can refill it as much as you want during your stay at the resort. The only drawback, you have to hike back to the hall for the refill.

So you decide that instead of hitting the parks for the afternoon you want to hit the pools. Well each resort has two pools shaped to fit with the resorts. At the All-Star Music for instance, the pools are shaped like a guitar and a piano, with all 88 keys. And there is plenty of room for everyone. This includes the little ones that have their own pool to stay cool on the hot Florida Summer days.

The rooms at the resorts are nice simple rooms. While at Disney, most people spend so much time outside their rooms that the only item they are looking for is a clean comfortable place to lay their head until the parks open again. The rooms are like any standard hotel rooms. Most rooms come with either two full beds or a king. The sink is in the room with a separate bath room with a shower/tub and toilet. This is nice for those families that have one person who spends a lot of time in front of the mirror. Each room is also equipped with an in-room safe and ironing board and iron. One thing that many find missing is a hairdryer, unless you count a towel as a hairdryer, and then there are plenty. So if you have to have an electrical way to dry your hair, bring one with you.

The resorts are laid out in several buildings. Each building has a few hundred rooms. Each sets of buildings also have a special theme with each one. It may be the three story football at the All-Star Sports, the drum set built for a giant at the Music or a super-sized pail of green army men at the Movies resort. With building names like the Jazz Inn, Toy Story or Football, you are sure to be engrossed in the story.

After staying at the All-Star Resorts, there is only one issue, the walk. The buildings for the resorts are spread out and some can be quite a distance from the Hall and the shuttle service. If you want to walk back to hall to fill up your “Tangible Memory” mug, then you may just finish your drink before you make it back to your room. And after spending all day walking around a park, then that last walk to your room can be like walking across the state of Florida. Of course, you can always count it as exercise.

For those people looking for the least expensive way to visit Walt Disney World, you may consider the All-Star Resorts. The rooms are comfortable and each has a story of their own. With the perks of extra park hours and the ability to travel the world using Disney transportation, why would you stay anywhere else? Unless of course you were staying at another Disney resort.

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