On my most recent trip to Walt Disney World we stayed at the All Star Music resort, which is one of the five value resorts on property and one of the three 'All Star' resorts. We decided to stay here simply because it was the cheapest option available by a few hundred pounds at the time we booked and we knew we wouldn't be spending a huge amount of time there anyway. Having only stayed at a moderate (Riverside) and a deluxe (Wilderness Lodge) before, I wasn't too excited about staying here and was worried I would end up being a bit disappointed compared to what I had previously experienced, but I was pleasantly surprised and it was perfect for what we needed.
The Room
During our stay we were in the Broadway section (building number 7) which we loved because we are all big musical theatre fans. These are just standard rooms rather than preferred so we were at the back of the resort which meant we had a reasonable walk to get to our room but it also meant that it was super quiet as the only people walking past our room were those who were in rooms near us. We also didn't really hear any noises from the rooms around us which I know other people have complained about even in some of the most expensive resorts.
There wasn't a huge amount of theming in the room apart from a shower curtain with different musical instruments on it but it was really clean and had everything we needed. Even though it's a value resort, the room had a decent amount of space, especially considering we were mostly just there to sleep. There was plenty of floor space for suitcases whilst also having enough room to walk about, a small table with two chairs and a mirror, a TV, and a cabinet with drawers and a fridge. The beds weren't massive, and I think they were a bit smaller than the beds in the moderate I stayed at, but they were plenty big enough for me and my mum to share (although bare in mind we are both quite small). The beds were quite comfortable as well, especially after a long day in the parks.
There wasn't a huge amount of theming in the room apart from a shower curtain with different musical instruments on it but it was really clean and had everything we needed. Even though it's a value resort, the room had a decent amount of space, especially considering we were mostly just there to sleep. There was plenty of floor space for suitcases whilst also having enough room to walk about, a small table with two chairs and a mirror, a TV, and a cabinet with drawers and a fridge. The beds weren't massive, and I think they were a bit smaller than the beds in the moderate I stayed at, but they were plenty big enough for me and my mum to share (although bare in mind we are both quite small). The beds were quite comfortable as well, especially after a long day in the parks.
The bathroom was a really good size, with a bath/shower and toilet, and I actually think it may have been bigger than the one at Riverside. I thought the shower was really powerful and everything was really clean. There was then a separate sink and mirror outside of the bathroom, as well as an ironing board, safe, and clothes rail, separated from the room by a curtain which is standard in most Disney rooms. The main difference with this one compared to Riverside was that there was only one sink compared to two but this wasn't really a problem as we just made sure we were organised with who needed the sink when.
Unfortunately, I was so excited when we first got there that I completely forgot to take pictures of the room, but if you are considering staying here you should be able to find pictures of a standard room on the Walt Disney World website.
Hotel Overview
Like all of the value resorts in Disney World, All Star Music is designed in the motel style with the doors to the rooms on the outside of the building. There are ten buildings based on five different musical themes; Calypso, Jazz, Rock, Country and Broadway. All of the theming was really impressive, with giant musical instruments and motifs that I think kids would love, and that's definitely a big plus for the value resorts compared to the moderates and deluxes. As well as the great theming, there was also a lot of green space and shady areas with trees and benches perfect for relaxing and reading a book or taking everything in and doing a bit of people watching.
There are two pools in the resort, the Calypso Pool and the Piano Pool. The Calypso Pool is the larger of the two, and is towards the front of the resort near the preferred rooms. It's shaped like a guitar and is Three Caballero's themed with Donald Duck, Jose, and Panchito taking pride of place in the centre. We didn't actually use the pool as none of us are really into that but it seemed to have a great mix of quiet periods in the mornings, kids activities in the afternoons and film screenings in the evenings. The Piano Pool is a smaller, quieter pool near the back of the resort and it looked like the perfect place to have more of a relaxing swim.
The main building at All Star Music, known as Melody Hall, is where you will find guest services and check in/out, the food court and the gift shop. The theming of this area is definitely a lot more basic than others I've seen but it does its job and definitely wouldn't be a deal breaker in terms of staying here. The shop was quite small but offered a small amount of food items, All Star merchandise and halloween merchandise, as well as some other generic Disney World items.
I was actually really impressed with the food court; it was really big and offered a great selection of food at all times of the day. As we were on the dining plan we mostly ate out in the parks at table service restaurants but there were a couple of days when we had a quick snack before or after we went to the parks for the day. They had the usual chicken nuggets and burgers but they also offered grilled fish, pizzas and pasta dishes so there really was something for everyone. They also had a great range of sweet items, including a pumpkin cheesecake, a spiced Day of the Dead cupcake and a unicorn cupcake, all of which were delicious. Being on the dining plan we also utilised the drinks fountains as often as we could and whilst there wasn't as big a selection as some of the resorts that have the freestyle machines, there was still plenty to choose from, including both hot and cold drinks.
The Buses
The buses at the resort weren't great but they also weren't horrendous. Overall the buses got us where we needed to be at the right time as we factored in plenty of extra time and I completely understand that it must be an incredible operation to get everyone staying at the resorts where they need to be throughout the entirety of Disney property.
The biggest issue we found was that for some reason at the weekend there was only one bus to and from Disney Springs for all three of the All Star resorts, even though the weekend is arguably the busiest time in Springs. This meant that buses would often turn up completely full from All Star Sports and no one from our resort could get on it. There was also one morning where four buses headed to Animal Kingdom arrived before even one came for Magic Kingdom so there was clearly something going wrong there. There was also one day when there was no Epcot bus for over 30 minutes even though they are supposed to arrive every 20 minutes and the bus driver then got lost meaning we very nearly missed one of our fastpasses. Having said this, these are all small gripes about an otherwise incredible resort stay and are probably issues with the overall bus system rather than this specific resort.
Overall I was so pleasantly surprised with this resort and I would definitely stay there again. Whilst it wasn't quite as luxurious as the other resorts I've stayed at I loved the theming and more in your face Disney aspects of it and I think it's great to be able to stay on property whilst sticking to a tighter budget.
Have you ever stayed at any of the All Star resorts? I'd love to know your thoughts on them in the comments below!
Have you ever stayed at any of the All Star resorts? I'd love to know your thoughts on them in the comments below!
