All-Star lodging
What it's like staying at Walt Disney World's themed value resorts
The standard rooms across all three of Disney's all-Star resorts are the same.
The rock Inn (left) and Country (right) sections of Disney's all-Star Music resort
Below: Guests cool off in the resort's piano-shaped pool.
Above: The Calypso area is closest to the front of Disney's all-Star Music resort and points of interest like the hotel lobby, food court and bus stops.
TRAVEL
Theme park vacations are expensive, full stop. But the hotel portion of a trip doesn't have to be pricey.
There are accommodations for every budget in the Orlando, Florida, area, including at Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort.
I recently stayed at one of Disney World's cheapest hotels, Disney's AllStar Music Resort. Here's what it was like and what prospective guests should know about the value resort.
What are the All-Star hotels at Disney?
There are three neighboring All-Star properties in Disney's Animal Kingdom area: All-Star Sports, Music and Movies.
They're the least-expensive Value hotels at Disney World, though not the cheapest places to stay on property. That would be the campsites at Disney's Fort Wilderness.
Of the three All-Star properties, Sports tends to be the least expensive, but it was fully booked when I planned my trip. All-Star Music's pricing tends to fall in the middle, with All-Star Movies often costing a little more because its Disney and Pixar animation-inspired theming makes it particularly popular.
All three resort properties feature colorful, oversized decorations tied to their respective themes. However, their rooms are mostly the same. An exception is All-Star Music's Family Suites, which span two rooms, sleep up to six people and include a kitchenette.
Are they nice?
Yes. Of course, nice is relative. I would call any Disney World resort hotel nice. However, just like there's a difference between a Four Points by Sheraton and the Ritz-Carlton, even though they're part of the same Marriott Bonvoy hotel family, there is a significant difference between an All-Star and, say, the Island Tower at Disney's Polynesian Villas and Bungalows, where rates are much higher.
I've stayed at all three All-Stars, and Music has been my favorite. The theming is fun, the grounds are wellgroomed, and the cast members I encountered were terrific.
I got a kick out of the three-story-tall cowboy boots, banjos and fiddles along my building in the country-themed section, as well as the giant juke boxes and guitars in the rock section. Broadway buildings are adorned with Times Square-style marquees, massive drum kits anchor the jazz section, and huge xylophones and maracas add color to the calypso buildings. The pools also are themed. The main pool is shaped like a guitar with a Three Caballeros fountain, and the secondary pool is shaped like a piano.
Standard rooms are comfortable and have all the essentials I need. There's a conventional queen bed and a Murphy-style queen bed that converts into a table. There's also plenty of storage, including a dresser with a tucked-away safe, a doorless closet, lots of bathroom shelving, coat hooks and towel hooks. Bathrooms offer bathtubs, which are great for young children. Rooms also include an Alexa-like "Hey Disney" assistant, a flat-screen TV, a coffee maker, a beverage cooler and other basics.
Pros of a Disney hotel
To me, the biggest pros are the cast members, who make the magic across every Disney resort hotel. From the front desk to the food court, I encountered so many kind cast members. I submitted multiple compliments through Disney World's mobile app during my two-night stay.
More measurable perks include:
■„ Extra park time: Disney resort hotel guests get 30 minutes of early theme park entry at all four theme parks. On top of that, guests staying at Deluxe and Deluxe Villa resorts and a few others get extended evening hours on select dates, in select parks.
■„ Free summer water park entry: Through Sept. 8, all guests staying at Disney Resorts Collection hotels get free entry to a Disney water park on their check-in date as part of Cool Kids Summer. One-day tickets for Disney's Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach typically cost $74 for adults and $68 for kids during the summer. Guests can pay $10 less for visits between late September and late May. For pricing purposes, anyone age 10 and older is considered an adult. „
■Free parking: Disney World resort hotel guests get free standard self-parking at their hotel and the theme parks. Standard theme park parking typically costs $35 per day for cars or motorcycles. „
■Free Disney transportation: Depending on the hotel, guests have a variety of free transportation options to the parks and Disney Springs shopping, dining and entertainment complex. Buses are the only options to the All-Star resorts, but they drop guests off closer to park entrances than they could park their cars, particularly at Magic Kingdom. „
â– Resort recreation: All the resorts have themed pools and free activities like movies under the stars.
„■Disney dining deals: This year, kids ages 3 to 9 can get free Disney Dining Plans when adults in their party purchase plans for themselves. Disney Dining Plans are only available to Disney resort hotel guests, including Disney Vacation Club members. Otherwise, food is generally not included, though free snacks and drinks are available to concierge-level guests at some resorts.
■„ Early booking windows: Resort hotel guests can start booking Lightning Lane attractions seven days ahead of their first park date, while the general public has to wait until the three-day mark. They can also book dining reservations for the length of their stay, starting 60 days before check-in.
Cons of All-Star Music
One con of staying at an All-Star is that all the guest rooms are outdoor-facing, and the buildings aren't connected to each other, so if it rains and you forgot a poncho or umbrella, you'll get wet traversing the property. Depending on where your room is, you also can get pretty sweaty walking around during warmer months.
Another con for some guests is that the only free transportation available is bus service. I never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus to show up, but if you want to be able to walk to a park or ride a Skyliner, Monorail or watercraft to your hotel, this resort isn't for you. Guests should note the buses are wheelchair-and scooter-accessible.
There is slightly less recreation avail-able at the All-Stars than at some other properties, but there are free movies under the stars and two pools with poolside activities, though no waterslides. There's no gym, either, though there is a track. There's also a free campfire with s'mores kits available to purchase, paid craft activities and a pay-to-play arcade.
Lastly, there is no table-service dining. However, the food at the Intermission food court is pretty good, generously portioned and reasonably priced. All-Star Music also has an outdoor bar.
How much does it cost?
Pricing varies by date, room type and resort.
I paid $135 per night before tax for a standard All-Star Music room with a summer promo offering up to 30% off. The non-discounted rate would have been $164 during my particular dates.
From June 21 through Aug. 15, Disney+ subscribers can get rates starting at $99 a night with a minimum two-night stay at All-Star Sports. Several other Disney World hotels also are offering deals as part of that promo.
Guests looking for the best Disney World deals can find them on the resort's website or by calling the resort or a Disney travel agent.
