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

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.  This makes it much harder to have any flexibility on your trip which can be hard if you have small children.  Not to mention how hard it can be if you have kids who need a nap.

Now, you could always drive yourself to the park.  But then you have to pay for parking.  Using a taxi or Uber also costs money.  So 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.  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.

Layout

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.  Yet I still 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.  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.  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.

Food Court

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.  It’s more affordable since it is quick service.  That means you don’t have to bother with a tip.

It also means you could have your meal quickly and then get to the parks.  And there will probably be at least one person in your party who is dying to get to the parks!  So it works well for breakfast.

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.  Your pice upfront for the mug isn’t cheap, 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.  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).

Arcade

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 it’s a good place for families to go while other party members (younger kids, adults) take naps.

There are also great activities 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 brushing their teeth at the vanity.

And here’s another great feature.  There is a sliding door you can pull to separate the vanity from the rest of the room.  This gives you even a bigger, private space to get ready in the morning.  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.

Decorate Your Room’s Windows

One fun thing you can do at the All Star Music Resort rooms is that you can decorate your windows.  You can decorate it to your favorite Disney characters, Star Wars, the season, etc.  Or you could decorate it with a happy birthday wish to your child or a happy graduation message.  This can be a fun addition to your trip.  It also serves the added bonus of helping you find your room at night.  And since the doors open up to the outside at All Star Music, you’ll be able to do this.

You can find Disney window clings here.

One thing that separates this hotel from a more generic chain hotel in Orlando is the theming.  The resort fits the music feel – but with Disney characters (but not to the point of excess).  Outside the room on the fence are musical instruments along with Mickey Mouse ears on the railing of the balcony railing.  There are Disney characters like the Three Caballeros at the pool.  Characters like Goofy and Mickey Mouse in marching band uniforms are part of pictures at the food court.

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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