Read on for my All-Star Movies review:
I have to say that All-Star Movies really grew on me the last time I stayed there! I do think Disney really does a fantastic job with their value resorts in creating a place to stay that is affordable and still fun, with all of the basics that you need. And the movie theme in particular is very appealing to me.
I can now say I’ve stayed at every Disney resort – and while I do very much enjoy the deluxes (and using my DVC points!), I still stay at a value once in awhile too! On a recent trip, I was at the All-Star Movies resort for 1 night before switching to Saratoga Springs.
Location & Transportation
The All-Stars are Disney’s most affordable resort options. Part of that is due to the simplicity of the resort and the rooms, but also factoring in here is the location. They are not particularly close to any of the theme parks. Animal Kingdom is the closest, followed by Hollywood Studios.
The value of Pop Century and Art of Animation (the other two Disney value resorts), went up quite a bit when the Skyliner was built. That makes getting to Epcot and Hollywood Studios much more convenient, but the All-Stars don’t have that option.
That means you’re using bus transportation to and from all four of the parks and Disney Springs. No monorails, skyliners, or boats from here! Sometimes the buses will share between all 3 All-Star resorts, meaning that they stop at Sports, Movies, and Music. I’ve found that at least during peak hours, they have their own dedicated buses though. I had no issues with transportation. Bus wait times were reasonable and the ride wasn’t terrible.
Size of All-Star Movies
While not super small and compact, All-Star Movies is still easy to get around and all the buildings are walking distance. I don’t think it would take you more than 5 minutes to walk even from the furthest building to the main one (for an able-bodied person – plenty of space for scooters on those paths, too!). It feels a bit larger than a place like the Riviera, but much smaller than most of the moderates and locations like Saratoga Springs.
Themeing
The three All-Star Resorts each have their own unique themes. All-Star Movies, of course, is all about films and Hollywood.
I really loved the themeing here! I thought there were a lot of fun details to be found. Even in the general areas, I enjoyed the film touches. The thought occurred to me that it would be a lot of fun to stay here during Jollywood Nights and get some photos while being all dressed up.
There are five different sections at All-Star Movies, and each of them is themed after a different film. The sections include 101 Dalmatians, The Mighty Ducks, Fantasia, Herbie the Love Bug, and Toy Story. It’s an interesting assortment of films represented.
And the themeing is definitely not subtle! There’s lots of colorful, large icons, decorations on the buildings, and some fun photo ops.
Food
As a value resort, All-Star Movies has one main dining location. It’s a quick service spot and it’s very large, with lots of sections and different options. The “World Premiere Food Court” has mostly classic American fare, especially when it comes to breakfast, but there are a few interesting things during the lunch and dinner hours too.
In addition to sandwiches, burgers, chicken, salad, pizza, and pasta, there’s a counter that does a variety of other entrees. They had things like a salmon dish, stir-fry, nachos, and sesame chicken with rice.
When I arrived in the evening I grabbed dinner at the food court.. I had the Chicken Adobo Nachos (Corn Tortilla Chips with Grilled Chicken Adobo, Avocado, Roasted Corn Pico, Zesty Cheese Sauce, and Cilantro-Lime Crema). I think this was a decent option, and it felt like a huge portion. Even though I was starving after just arriving from the airport, I still couldn’t eat all of it. The corn mixture was a great addition, with good flavor, and having fresh avocado was really nice. I do think there was a bit too much cheese sauce though (maybe you could ask for one scoop of sauce instead of two?). The chips got rather soggy towards the bottom.
If you’re looking for a drink, you can stop by the Silver Screen Spirits pool bar (there’s a window both inside the food court and outside by the pool, although the inside window wasn’t always open while I was there).
The rooms
While the values are smaller rooms, they still have all of your basics. I liked the room a lot, and ultimately only had one real complaint.
You have the main hotel room with a bed and a table area that pulls down into a second bed, as well as the dresser with a TV, a space for a mini-fridge and coffee maker, and then the sink/bathroom area. It also has all of the basic modern features you might need, like plenty of outlets.
From my experience, the walls were extremely thin here. I don’t think any of the Disney resorts have particularly great, super-soundproof walls, but this was noticeably bad. I would need some really good earplugs to be able to stay here again, because it was like I could hear everything. That was a shame, as I was very happy here otherwise.
The pools
There are two pools at All-Star Movies. The main one is the Fantasia pool, which has a fun Sorcerer Mickey statue shooting down streams of water.
There’s also a Fantasia-themed kiddie play area.
A second pool can be found in the Mighty Ducks area. This one is a little more “off the beaten path” unless you’re staying in the area, so it felt a lot less crowded.
The value resort pools do not have slides or hot tubs, which can be a bit of a downside.
Things to do at All-Star Movies
If you’re thinking about a rest day in between time at the theme parks, you’ll find a few things to do right at your hotel!
Like all of the Disney resorts, they have your typical events and activities happening. These include things like movie night by the pool, an arcade, playgrounds, and a nightly campfire. Most of the resorts have a few “passive activities” you can take part in at anytime, including a scavenger hunt.
In addition, All-Star Movies offers things like:
- Arts & Crafts
- Tie-dye
- Silent Disco
- Shine Like a Star Glow Party
Keep in mind that these are subject to change, and some of them might require an extra fee.
If you need to do a little shopping while you’re there, they have a gift shop connected to the food court called Double Feature. It has plenty of Disney merchandise as well as basic vacation essentials. They even have a small line of All-Star resort specific merch!
Would I stay again?
Yes, as long as I find some really reliable earplugs! I can be very sensitive to that, and these walls are not soundproof. I could even hear the person snoring in the room next to mine (and it wasn’t super loud snoring, either).
Honestly, other than that, I enjoyed my time here and would love to be back. You can’t beat the price for being on Disney property and getting the perks. It really exceeded my expectations! The rooms were nice and smartly laid out despite the small size. The themeing was fun. Your amenities and pools are somewhat basic, but there’s tons of food options in the food court.
Although it’s not as convenient as being on the skyliner like at Pop Century or Art of Animation, you can get some really great rates here and I would highly recommend it if you’re on a budget.
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What do you think of my All-Star Movies resort review? Have you stayed there?
I’ve actually quite enjoyed my brief race weekends at All-Star resorts! They’re a great value if you don’t have big plans – you get your race transpo, a cute Disneyfied resort to hang around in, and most resorts need a bus to Disney Springs regardless. Plus I believe one of them (and you can walk to all from any) has the only direct bus to Blizzard Beach, which was nice the one time I went there. I do think with a larger group splitting DVC gets you more bang for your buck, but for a solo or duo trip I’d consider an All-Star again for sure.
A direct bus to Blizzard Beach is a great option!