I usually dont post on any of these sights, but I could not let this one go. The thought of someone actually recommended ANY of the Allstar resorts to another just upsets my stomach. OK here goes....
Being a Florida resident who has two young children, I visit Disney World at least 3 times annually. That being said trust me when I say DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT stay at ANY of the "Value" resorts (a.k.a. the All-Stars: Music, Movies, Sports, & Pop Century) They are the worst & I cannot believe Disney actually claims them as theri own. The rooms are small & have no ameneties ( no fridge, hairdryer, or even coffeemaker) The staff is the rudest in all of Disney, especially in the food court. The food court... don't even get me started, just avoid it at all costs. Also, being the cheapest of all Disney hotels, they are ALWAYS the most crowded. If you would like to stay at a Disney World resort, here are my suggestions. (Keep in mind I have stayed at almost ALL of them; we stay at different places to see which we like) The following are our favorites & we have returned to them many times. If you are on a budget, but want a decent hotel (not the All star) splurge the extra $20 (the difference between value & moderate in Disney World) and go to Port Orleans. Our favorite side is the French Quarter. The kids love the dragon pool complete with water slide & my hubby & I LOVE the bigneiets(not sure of spelling)for breakfast or dessert! The staff is amazingly accomodating & super friendly. The rooms are spotless & adorably "french quarter". And the buses are not usually crowded because there are many of them. (oh yeah, another con about the All Stars...only ONE bus stop!) We have also stayed at Riverside- the other side of the resort. Again, excellent staff & spotless, adorable rooms. They have the boathouse restaurant which has fantastic jumbalaya, and the food court, like at French Quarter is great as well. Reasonably priced, good portion sizes, & great taste. The resort offers boat rentals, bike rentals, (our family loves the four person bike which we rent & ride around the beautifully landscaped resort), and horse & carriage rides offered in the evening. There is a ferry that connects both resorts so you can go back & forth & enjoy ammenities at both. The rooms have all the perks, spacious, fridge, hairdryer, coffee maker, and the maids make cute animals out of washcloths that they leave for the kids. OK now for the reason my kids love this hotel most...BOB. There is a family piano bar in the Riverside (French Quarter guests simply jump on the ferry to go) It is free, but the request that you order a drink(even a soda is fine)and the piano man is BOB. He is awesome & the kids have a blast there. He sings songs for adults, like American Pie, and songs for kids like Spongebob, & the Theres a tree in a hole...The kids are invited in stage to join in & also do a dance line to New York, New York. The kids are guaranteed to laugh till they pee, literally. We invited my sister & another family that were traveling with us ( we got split up in hotels because we, like all Miamians were escaping the powerless, canot work, no school,post hurricane destruction & Disney was packed with us evacuees) so they came for dinner, loved the Boathouse & all three families stayed listening, singing along, & dancing with Bob until 10:30p.m. They kids even got autographed pics of him. Infact they both returned the next night to see the show all over again. Its great fun & free. They both said they will definately stay there next time & the kids wont stop asking when we can go back to see Bob!
O.K. favorite number two... If you are willing to splurge, then the Polynesian is the place to be. It is absolutely gorgeous & makes you feel as though you were magically transported to Hawaii. You are greeted with a flower lei (fake, but the perfect touch), and the Ohana breakfasts & dinner are excellent. The pool is a cool volcano with a waterslide, and has a beach slope entry. There is also a beach, which is great for watching the evening fireworks while sitting in a cabana or swinging on the hammock. AGain, there are boat/bike rentals & the staff is ever so courteous. We love them both, but because of budgeting have only stayed in the Polynesian on a couple occasions...when we can splurge. But the Port Orleans we've been to at least 7 or 8 times so far. On another note...The Animal Kingdom Lodge is really nice as well, except for the food court. In the biggest Disney Resort, they have the smallest food court and a staff that resemble that of the Allstars. Even the manager int he food court was useless & rude. Every morning we went, they were out of all muffins, crossaints, and cinnamon rolls,& said they only bake once. (Mind you we were there early at 8:00am) And the manager saw no reason for making extras of these the following day even though demand was high. By the time you paid for your food, it was cold...only 2 registers with SLOW cashiers. The alternative was a sit down reservation required pricey but good buffet. Just not optimal for days you are in a hurry to get to the parks. (The dinner buffet was horrible, by the way-) As for the animals....they are cool...when you see them. We had a savannah room to see them & only did so at the time of our arrival. The rest of the time they were not around, so not worth the pricey upgrade. The rooms were clean, but not impeccable like port orleans, & again, the biggest resort has only ONE bus stop! I will sat, though, that we did not find a long wait for the buses, but again, when we went in Feb. the parks were empty. I imagine the bus issue would be a problem in the summer months when its really crowded. Hope this was helpful & provided some insight, just hated to see the recommendation to the Allstars on here. I knwo if I'd never been to Disney & followed that recommendation & went to the Allstar I would have been greatly disappointed. I just couldn't let anyone ruin their Disney trip that way!
