10 Reasons to Stay at All Star Music Resort at Disney World

The main reason for me to stay at an All Star Resort versus other Disney World hotels is the price.Depending on the time of the year, you can get a room at the All Star Music Resort for less than $100 for a family of four.  Given how expensive Disney World tickets have gotten, it’s really nice to have the discounted price for the hotel room!

I’ve had good success getting good rates for Disney hotels on Hotels.com.  You can check here for current discount codes that can save you even more money on the hotel.  Last time I was able to use a promo code that saved me 10% off the Disney Resort in Hilton Head!

Also, one extra note: if you want to save money on Disney World tickets, then consider getting involved in Swagbucks – I’ve used this to pay for my annual pass, and it’s great!  Also, here’s a great breakdown of how to find the cheapest prices for Disney World tickets.

If you are deciding between the different All Star Resorts, one huge advantage All Star Music has is that it’s the only one of the three resorts that has suites. The suites are located in the Calypso & Jazz sections of the resort.  The suites have a living room area with a couch & chairs that pull out, plus the main bedroom which is separate.A great way for the adults to have a little privacy at night while the kids enjoy the living room area.  And the best thing about the suites to me has got to be that there are two bathrooms.  I cannot stress enough how great that is, and unless you travel by yourself I’m guessing you see the advantage here, too.  You get more privacy, you can get ready faster in the morning which gives you more time in the morning, etc.

If you are deciding between an All Star resort and a cheaper non-Disney hotel outside the resort, then the bus system is the main reason I feel like you might want to pay a little more for a Disney hotel.While other hotels may advertise that they offer a free shuttle to Disney World, it often will only have a few times a day it will leave the hotel and a few times a day it will take you back to your hotel, and if you are having to drive yourself and pay for parking or getting an Uber or taxi to get you to the park, then you might up spending more money than if you had just booked an All Star resort hotel.  And the busses at the All Star Music Resort come and go all day long.

I also feel that All Star Music wins in the bus department even when compared to other Disney hotels. I feel like the bus system at the All Star Resort is refreshingly simple, or I suppose simple in comparison to other Disney resorts.  There is only bus stop at the front of the resort.  The negative here is the bus is not close to your room if your room is far away from the main building, but thankfully the All Star Music Resort isn’t too large and it doesn’t take that long to get to your room.  And the positive there is that at the end of the day, you won’t have to wait through a bunch of bus stops waiting to get to your stop.  It is also right in front of the building with the food court, so I find it convenient to eat my breakfast and then quickly get to the busses so I can hit the parks early before the lines get really long (and in the summer, before it gets extremely hot).  Another positive about the bus system is that there are separate, clearly marked lines for each park (like a different bus stop for Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, etc.). This may sound like a small thing, but at other Disney resorts everyone gathers in one place and when the bus come for the park you want (like, say, Magic Kingdom) there is a huge dash to the bus and it can get kind of crazy.  I’ve also felt like the busses come quicker at the All Star Resort – that is certainly no guarantee as a bus can be unexpectantly late, but this has always been my experience.

By staying at a Disney World Resort hotel, you get access to the Magical Express and if you fly into Orlando, the Magical Express is…well…magical.If you are driving into Disney World, though, you might as well move on to the next point as this doesn’t affect you at all.

If you aren’t familiar with it, Magical Express is bus transportation that Disney World provides from the airports to the hotel.  It is a completely free service and if you are only going to visit Disney World during your Orlando trip, this eliminates the need for a rental car.  You can book Magical Express ahead of time and they will even transport your luggage to your room – no need to stick around at baggage claim!  Magical Express runs pretty consistently too and the seats are extremely comfortable – which I have enjoyed after a red-eye flight from the west coast so I can nod off.  But if you stay awake, they have Disney videos going on that get you excited for your trip – but be warned if you fly here a lot you will start to memorize the videos.  This is another reason why All Star Music Resort can actually be cheaper than booking a non-Disney resort in the Orlando area that might look less expensive.

In addition to the price of the All Star Music Resort, I really like the layout of the hotel.The last time I stayed there I got a room in the country music section and it literally felt like the farthest room for the main building, but I found the walk to the main building to be pretty simple because of the way the resort is laid out.  For starters, there is no huge body of water in the middle of the resort like there is at the Coronado Springs or Old Key West Resorts at Disney World, so that makes it quicker to walk from one building to the other.  Secondly, each building is clearly themed to different music styles and the gigantic decorations help guide to your correct building.  Like, take my stay at the Country Fair area of the resort.  I knew that the elevator to get to my room was very close to the gigantic boots.  That made it a lot easier to find my room when I was walking back from the main building.  Plus, they stand out even in the dark, and that’s a huge plus when you’re walking back to your room at the end of the night after a day at the parks – conversely, I stayed at the Polynesian Resort recently and at night I found myself getting mixed up between the buildings.

One thing that the All Star Music Resort has over some deluxe Disney Resorts like Boardwalk and Old Key West is a food court.At Intermission Food Court you can get affordable (well, affordable for Disney) meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner and since it is quick service, you don’t have to bother with a tip and you could have your meal quickly and then get to the parks, because you are probably going to have at least one person in your party who is dying to get to the parks!  The food court is also conveniently located in the main hall, right near the busses to the park (making your morning even faster).  It keeps up with this its musical theme, right down to the drink machines.  And there’s even a TV playing Disney cartoons to keep your little ones entertained.

Quick tip: If you want to save money, I highly recommend the Rapid Refill System.  You pay $17.99 upfront for the mug, but then you can keep refilling it for free during your stay.  If you are only staying for a few days, then it’s not worth it but if you are staying here awhile the savings can really add up.  Another way to save a little money is one night consider getting a pizza here for dinner.  By buying just one pizza and sharing you can save a little money, and I find the pizza to be delicious (but of course, if you don’t like pizza, you probably won’t suddenly discover a love for pizza during the trip, so pass on this).

In case you find that four parks is not enough entertainment for you or your family, there is also a pretty popular arcade at the resort.This could be a good option for older kids if your younger kids (or you) need a nap during the day.  This could also be a good option for the first or last day of your trip if you want to limit how many days of park tickets you buy (since, for example, a 3-day park hopper ticket is cheaper than a 4-day park hopper ticket).

The pools here are really fun, and definitely kid accessible.When you first leave the main building, you see the Calypso pool, a guitar-shaped pool with the Three Amigos squirting water.  You can also take a swim at the piano shaped pool, complete with black & white keys.  A great option to cool down as the parks get hotter as the day goes on, and a good place for families to go while other party members (younger kids, adults) take naps.  There are also great options all day long at the pool, as there are often games there and poolside movies played at night.  Like the arcade, you could have fun at the pool one day in lieu of paying for an extra day at the parks.

This may seem like a small thing, but it’s quite important to me: there is a separate area for the vanity and the bathroom.This means that while someone is taking a shower, someone else could be getting ready at the vanity.  And here’s another great feature: there is a curtain you can pull to separate the vanity from the rest of the room, giving even more privacy from the rest of the room.  Since the rooms at the All Star Music Resort are smaller than rooms at Disney moderate & deluxe hotels, I appreciate the way the room maximizes the space.

One thing that separates this hotel from a more generic chain hotel in Orlando is the theming.The room fits the music feel – but with Disney characters (but not to the point of excess).  Take the artwork in the room, for example.  In my room, there was a picture of Mickey conducting the orchestra, so it gave it a Disney touch without dominating the room.  The bathroom has a shower curtain with musical instruments, which is also one of those clever, small touches.  Outside the room on the fence are musical instruments along with Mickey Mouse ears on the railing of the balcony railing.

And finally, if you really love music themed resort, check out the Music Road Resort in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, another great option for a fun family vacation!

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