I have been going on Disney vacations my whole life, starting when I was only six weeks old! I have been lucky enough to have family members who are DVC, and because of this, we mostly stay in deluxe Disney hotels. On my recent trip in February, I stayed at an All-Star Resort for the first time. To be honest, I was a little nervous about staying at one of these hotels, because they often get a bad rap and are known for being a bit more rambunctious. I documented my experience, and in this post, I will compare the Disney All-Star Resorts to the deluxe Disney hotels!
Check-In
My first experience at the All-Star Music Resort was the check in desk. Unlike my experience at the deluxe Disney hotels, check-in seemed disorganized. We were cut in front of twice, once by a cast member who brought someone from the pool area to speak to the front desk to make a reservation, it seemed, and another time by someone who wanted to ask a quick question, which turned into a minutes-long conversation. While this was ongoing, the lobby was loud, with kids running around. This was in no way any of the cast members’ faults, however, it did feel different from checking in at Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Once we did get to a cast member, they were SO nice and really helped make our stay magical by letting us stay in the same room even though we had added on an extra night a few weeks before our trip.
Buses
I was torn over the bus situation. Something I really liked was the chains that kept the line in order. Some mornings, there is a crowd crush almost to get onto a bus, and although you may have been waiting 15 minutes for the bus, someone jockeys their way in front of you. This problem was solved at the All-Star resorts. A downside, though, was that the lines were out in the sun.
In addition, we had one morning where a bus closed the doors and pulled away with only five people standing inside. I couldn’t believe it. Then, the next book took 25 minutes to arrive.
Rooms
The room was nice, but smaller than a suite at a deluxe hotel. Everything felt very clean, but the common space was a bit cramped, and our murphy beds were right on top of each other.
The Pool
The biggest difference I found with the deluxe resort was that our hotel had no hot tub! For some reason, I assumed that all of the Disney resorts had a hot tub, but I was sadly mistaken. There were no special slides in our pool, but it was clean and spacious.
Restaurants
The All-Star Resorts each had their own food courts with a lot of options. I really enjoyed how close this quick service opportunity was, so we had an option back at the resort when our legs got too tired at the park, or when it was raining so hard we didn’t want to venture far. In some of the deluxe resorts, there are restaurants, but there isn’t a lot of variety for affordable meal options.
Location
The All-Star Music was not connected to a park or Disney Springs. It was, however, connected to the other All-Star resorts. This came in handy when we went to All-Star Movies to grab some Dole Whip!
I often appreciate the opportunity to take alternative transportation like the boat from Old Key West, the monorail from the Polynesian, or walking over to Epcot from the Boardwalk or the Beach Club. Although the All-Star Resorts don’t have these options, it didn’t have a big negative impact.
Vibes
As I mentioned before, the All-Star resorts get a bad rap from some people for being a bit rowdier than the deluxe hotels. Is this accurate? I’d say it depends on the week! We went during a Run Disney event, and although there were a lot more kids compared to, say, Old Key West, I wouldn’t say it was chaos. I think it makes sense that there are more kids; the All-Star resorts feel very kid-friendly and are much more affordable for families who need more than one room.
My Final Take
Are the All-Star Resorts equal to the deluxe Disney Resorts? No. But there are pros and cons to both! Although I think I prefer the rooms in the deluxe resorts, I prefer the quick service at All-Star! I prefer the pools at the deluxe resorts, but I like the queue system for buses at the All-Star!
With the money saved on hotels, we were able to spend a bit more inside the park on food and souvenirs without watching our wallets as closely. In my book, that is a win that will keep the All-Star Resorts on my list!