All Star Movies Resort vs. All Star Music Resort
Staying on Disney property is the best way to go if you want to get the most immersive and convenient experience at Disney World. But there are so many awesome resorts to pick from, so how do you choose?
Well, in this article, we’re going to directly compare Disney’s All Star Movies resort to Disney’s All Star Music resort, so you can find out which affordable Disney hotel you and your family should stay at on your next trip to Orlando.
What Are the All-Star-Resorts?
The first thing to realize when it comes to these two resorts is that they are in the same section, but they are two different resorts. That might seem a little confusing at first, but here’s what I mean:
The All-Star-Resorts include three different resorts that have the same type of layout. The All-Star Movies resort, All-Star-Music resort, and All-Star-Sports resort are all in the same area, known as the All-Star-Resorts, and they are each themed to represent Movies, Music, and Sports.
However, they are each their own separate resort. They are so close, in fact, that you can walk from one to the other very easily. I have actually gone for walks throughout all three of them, and it does not take long at all to walk through all of them.
That is what’s interesting about these resorts; you can easily go and explore the other All-Star-Resorts if you are staying at one of them. As someone who loves to resort hop, the All-Star’s are one of my favorite places to explore. The magic is truly brought back to the rooms whenever you stay in a Walt Disney World Resort. The theming is absolutely impeccable.
All-Star-Movies has everything to do with movies. Everything pays homage to all things in filmmaking. Disney takes some of its most popular and/or unique films that Disney has done. The entire lobby has filmmaking decorations throughout it, letting you know you are in the right place if you are supposed to be in All-Star-Movies. Lining the walls of the lobby are a bunch of photographs of different movies Disney has done throughout the years. The “World Premiere” Food Court is a fabulous place to get something to eat, and it is super fun, because it looks like the lobby of a movie theater. This is highly appropriate, if you ask me.
You have the option of getting things to go or eating your food in one of the many seating options they provide. The fun thing is that you can eat either inside or outside, whatever you want! They provide breakfast options from 7 to 11 AM. After you eat your meal, you can stop by Donald’s Double Feature, which is the wonderful gift shop at the resort.
There are so many souvenirs that you can buy here (very much like every other gift shop on Disney property, if I’m honest). It’s a wonderful resort that welcomes you to the world of the movies as soon as you step through the doors. And we haven’t even made it to the rest of the resort yet!
Right across from the food court is the “Reel Fun Arcade:, which provides old and new arcade games for everyone of all ages. Something to remember is that there is a portable charger station right outside the arcade, as well as an ATM for guests in case they are in need of either one of them. Most of the hotels provide these features just in case.
When you head outside to the rest of the resort, you see the main pool right in the middle of the Fantasia section of the resort. A giant Sorcerer Mickey is in the middle of the pool where water sprays from his fingers. Silver Screen Spirits is an outside, pool bar that is right outside of the main building of the resort. The bar is open from 12 AM to 12 PM, and you can enjoy drinks at the bar or at one of the many tables and chairs that surround the bar and the pool. Now, let’s explore the resort!
The rooms have recently undergone a renovation where there is way more room provided than what the rooms used to be. There is more storage for all of your belongings and much better lighting, which is something that really comes in handy when everyone is getting ready at the same time in the morning.
A door separates the bedroom from the entire bathroom area for privacy and in order not to bother people who might still be sleeping. A door separates the toilet and shower from the sink area so multiple people can be in the bathroom area at once. Last, but certainly not least, there is a coffee maker! There
I love movies, and I love Disney, so walking around the resort with these passions combined is fantastic. There are different sections of the hotel that are designated to different Disney movies, and these movies include:
- Fantasia and Fantasia 2000
- Toy Story
- 101 Dalmations
- The Love Bug
- The Mighty Ducks
What’s interesting is that they chose movies from over the years and all unique movies, not just movies that are super popular by the public. I would say that the most popular section would be the Toy Story section, which is the newest renovation to the All-Star-Movies Resort. This concept becomes even more amazing, because this All-Star resort is the newest out of all three All-Star resorts.
The Fantasia section is the first section when you come out of the main building. There are not only the familiar aspects, such as the brooms that Sorcerer Mickey brings to life carrying buckets of water. Giant statues of them line the buildings of the rooms. The Fantasia section also has giant statues that pay homage to Fantasia 2000 as well, not just the 1940 version.
When you head to the left, you enter the Toy Story Section, which is my favorite section of the resort. Toy Story is one of my favorite Disney movies, so I am a little biased. There are huge statues of different characters from the movie: Woody, Buzz, RC, Rex, and Bo Peep. It’s super fun to take pictures with them because you have a moment where you truly feel like a toy.
A huge door is standing at the beginning of the Toy Story section that is partially opened with all the toys behind them, making you feel like you really are a toy in Andy’s room. It’s amazing. Every section in the hotel really feels like this, and it is so much fun to go around and see all the little details that Disney is so famous for.
There are so many photo-ops that are available throughout the entire resort, which is why I love these resorts so much. If you go to the right instead of the left when you come out of the main building, you are heading into the 101 Dalmatians section, where the sidewalk is lined with “Kanine Krunchies” from the movie. Pongo and Perdita are giant statues in the section, along with a vintage looking television that is an adorable photo-op. If you continue to walk to the back section of the resort, you enter The Mighty Ducks section, so everything is very hockey themed.
This is where the second pool in the resort is located. Giant hockey masks and hockey sticks line the railings of the buildings, and there are two goals at either end of the pool, making you feel like you are in a hockey arena. I do not know that much about The Mighty Ducks, but I still feel like I’m in the middle of the movie due to the excellent theming of the section.
The last section is themed to the movie The Love Bug. I love this section, because I loved this movie when I was younger. It is all about Herbie, the racing love bug that has a mind of its own. It is an older movie, and it is extremely unique and lovely that they chose to pay homage to this movie in this newer resort.
Now, let’s move on to All-Star-Music, which is just like All-Star-Movies, but is based on everything music! Whatever type of music you like, you are likely to find it here at this resort. From classic to rock n’ roll, it shows up at this resort. The thing you have to keep in mind is that both resorts are set up very similarly.
One is just based around movies, and the other is just based around music. There is a food court called Intermission Food Court, serving breakfast options and then lunch and dinner options. Next to the food court, there is a gift shop called Maestro Mickey’s that is very similar to Donald’s Double Feature when it comes to souvenirs; it is just based around the music theme rather than movies.
The Note’able Games Arcade is located across from the Intermissions Food Court, providing similar and/or the same games as the All-Star-Movies arcade. The arcades are always very fun in all the resorts, but in my opinion, I just want to spend as much time as I can at the parks and even just exploring the resort. However, it is super fun for families and friends to go in and spend time together playing nostalgic games and new games.
When you walk outside, you’re in the first section of the hotel. There are five sections that are themed around a different type of music:
- Calypso
- Country Music
- Rock n’ Roll
- Jazz
- Broadway Show Tunes
The themes are all centered around the genre of the sections. For instance, in the country music section, there are huge cowboy boots that create the perfect photo-op along with a huge guitar. The Broadway section is one of my favorites, because there are “ticket booths” outside of the rooms with billboards of different Disney broadway shows. It honestly looks like you are walking down Broadway Street in New York City will all the lights lit up and the music flowing in the background.
This is one of my favorite spots to take pictures, especially at night. When the lights are on at night, it’s so beautiful, and it really makes you feel like you are about to go see a Broadway musical. The theme at this resort is so universal because everyone can relate to it. Who doesn’t love music after all?! Both resorts are amazing, with them being very similar but also very different.
How Transportation Works at the All-Stars
Transportation can be slightly different at times than in other resorts. The bus transportation system is the only transportation out of the All-Stars. Because all the All-Star-Resorts are in the same section, the buses can sometimes travel to all three of the resorts in order to pick up passengers that might be waiting for a bus.
Usually, this is not the case. Each resort usually has its own buses to take guests to the park they want to. However, there have been times when I get on a bus and they travel to each of the All-Star-Resorts to see if any other guests need transportation. This can sometimes happen during non-busy times of the day, which is not first thing in the morning or in the evening. More people are trying to get to the park as early as they possibly can, so buses are running like crazy throughout Walt Disney World. But, during the middle of the day, when people are not traveling as much, sometimes the buses will travel to all three resorts if there are not a lot of guests at their designated stop.
Another option that these resorts offer, as does any resort, is driving yourself. This, obviously, cannot happen unless you choose to drive to Walt Disney World. However, there are perks to doing this if you wish to take this up. Whenever you drive and park at a Walt Disney World resort, you do have to pay for parking there each night you stay. However, whenever you drive, you have the option of driving to the parks which takes less time than waiting for a bus.
You also get free parking at a park whenever you are staying on property. Parking at a resort overnight, does cost about thirteen dollars a night, but you have to think of all the perks you get by having your personal vehicle while you are there. It’s very easy to drive to the parks on your own time. Honestly, once you do that, it’s very hard to go back to other types of transportation if you don’t have to take them.
The only one that is difficult to drive to is the Magic Kingdom. Driving and parking there is not difficult, but you have to park at the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) because there is no parking lot right next to the entrance of the park. You then have to take either the monorail or ferry. With the other parks, you can simply walk to the entrance of the parks from the parking lot.
A Value Price
What is usually the first thing everyone looks at whenever they are booking a resort to stay at? The price. The price is usually the first thing that can determine whether people continue to look at a resort or not. The amazing thing about these resorts is that they are an amazing price, which is why they are labeled as value resorts.
The service and quality of everything at these resorts does not diminish just because the prices are lower. Because both All-Star-Music and All-Star-Movies are in the same section and are very similar, their pricing is very similar as well. Having stayed at both resorts multiple times, I usually find the pricing to be about $170-$180 per night on average at both of these resorts.
Now, something to keep in mind is that the prices of the hotels are not fixed all year long. They go up or down depending on the crowds at Walt Disney World. At the more crowded times of the year, the pricing will go up, especially at these resorts because they are some of the cheaper and more fun options.
One of the best things to do is to look at a crowd calendar online somewhere in order to estimate what the crowds will like at the time you and your party are considering going to Walt Disney World. Right now, they are focusing on the crowds in 2020. The time periods that the crowds usually go up is around the holidays due to all the special activities and events that are going on at that time period and also during the summer since school is out.
The cheapest time of year tends to be right around the beginning of the year: January through March because this can be the least crowded time of year. The prices usually go down at this time of the year because of this reason.
What Are the Resorts Closest to?
This doesn’t always matter to guests, but sometimes people think about what parks and destinations are closest to their chosen resort. What are the All-Star-Resorts closest to? They are considered to be Animal Kingdom resorts because they are closest to the Animal Kingdom.
The Animal Kingdom is about five minutes away, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. The distance from both the All-Star Music and All-Star-Movies to Hollywood Studios is about seven to ten minutes away. The distance from them to EPCOT is about twelve to fifteen minutes away.
The furthest park is the Magic Kingdom, but honestly, the Magic Kingdom is the furthest destination away from most of the resorts. Unless you are staying in the deluxe Disney World monorail resorts, most of the resorts are far away from the Magic Kingdom.
My Final Opinion
Obviously, everyone has to pick what is best for them and their party. These two resorts are absolutely wonderful, providing excellent service and being themed in a brilliant and magical way. If you love movies or music, these are the resorts to consider staying at.
They are so much fun, and everything is larger than life, providing wonderful photo-ops. So which one would I choose to stay at? Honestly, when it comes down to it, the theming is what would be why I choose one more than the other. Both resorts are so similar and in the same spot, so it is hard to choose.
The one that I would choose out of the two would be All-Star-Movies. I love the theming of the movies better, and the rooms in All-Star-Movies are just spectacular. It is an amazing resort at a quality price with quality service. How much more magical can you get?
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