Disney's All-Star Movies Resort in Orlando, Florida

Choosing a resort to stay at in the Walt Disney World Resort can be overwhelming- there are 19 in all to choose from, and each resort has its own distinct theming. Perhaps the easiest way to choose a resort is to decide based on your family's budget. There are three tiers of resorts on Disney property- value, moderate and deluxe. Prices can range from $82.00 a night to well upwards of $500.00 a night depending on the resort and time of year.

The last trip my family made to Disney World, we were on a rather strict budget, and so we made the decision to stay at a value resort. For the values, there are four to choose from- All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, All-Star Movies, and Pop Century. After seeing photos of each resort, we decided on the All-Star Movies, because we thought the theming was wonderfully kid-friendly, which was important to us since we were taking my 2 year old son on his first trip.

The All-Star Movies resort is definitely easy on the budget- it ranges from about $82.00 a night for a standard room during the value season, to about $129.00 a night during peak holiday season. These prices are based on double occupancy; there is no charge for children under 17, but a $10 fee is assessed per night for each additional adult. The rooms can accomodate 4 people; 5 if there is a child under 3 in a crib. The listed fees do not include taxes. Disney does offer occasional discounts, like AAA, or Florida resident discounts- make sure to ask when you are making your reservation. For a little extra money, you can request a preferred room, which generally means you will be closer to the main building and the food court. We were hoping for quiet solitude, so we decided to take a standard room.

The All-Star Movies is made up of 5 distinctly different themes, all based on famous Disney movies, including Toy Story, Fantasia, The Mighty Ducks, 101 Dalmations, and Herbie: the Lovebug. Each of the different movie areas have 2 "T" shaped buildings that face each other, and the theming for that area is evident both inside the rooms, and in the courtyards between the buildings. We requested the Toy Story buildings at my son's urging, and the look on his face was priceless when we pulled up to our section. There was a 35 foot tall statue of Buzz Lightyear and a 25 foot tall Woody sitting in front of the buildings. There were green army men perched on the rooftops, and the courtyard between the 2 buildings was designed to look like Andy's room, complete with more Toy Story characters, and larger than life toys that kids can play on.

The All-Stars Resorts are located beside each other, down a dead-end road. The All-Star Movies is the last resort on that road, and the Toy Story buildings are located at the far end of the resort. If you are looking for peace and quiet, this is a perfect choice! We had almost no traffic the entire week we were there since we were at the end of the road; it was nice and secluded.

The All-Star Movies features 1,920 rooms, located in 10 separate 3 story buildings. There are 96 handicapped accessible rooms, and every room on property is non-smoking. Each of the rooms measure 260 square feet inside, and every room on property opens to an outside corridor. There are stairways located at the end of each building, with 2 elevators centrally located in each building. Each room has a very small closet, a bathroom with toilet, and bathtub with a shower, a sink that is located outside of the bathroom, and a small wall safe. There is also a tv in the room, a small round table with 2 chairs, and a dresser with 3 drawers. You can request to rent a min-refrigerator for about $10.00 a day, but there is no guarantee that one will be available to you, as there are limited numbers. There are adjoining rooms available if you are traveling with a larger party, but again, it is not guaranteed.

The theming of the movies is carried into the rooms; in our room there were Toy Story posters and borders on the walls, a colorful star carpet and bedspread. Even the shower curtain was covered in stars, as was the bathroom wall, which to be honest was a little dizzying. Inside the shower, black and white tiles formed a film strip on the wall, which was a great touch. Our room was beautifully designed, and was spotless. "Mousekeeping" was wonderful- they came in each day to straighten up and replace towels- and they even left a few surprises for my son, and rearranged his toys on the bed so he would see them when we returned from the parks. There were no signs of wear anywhere in the room that we could see, which was important to us while staying with a curious toddler. One thing I should note however; the toilets made a very loud noise when flushed- my son was terrified of it! Otherwise, we found the rooms to be very quiet- we had people staying on either side of us all week, but never heard them at all.

Amenities that are included in each room are irons and ironing boards, hair dryers, hangers, daily "mousekeeping," laundry facilities, free parking, and limited room service. There are two laundry facilities located at this resort, which I used once on our trip. I was a little disappointed- out of 6 washers, three were out of service. The washers cost $1.50 a load, and detergent was sold for ridiculously high amounts; (luckily I packed my own detergent.) The dryers cost $2.00 for 30 minutes of drying, and it took at least 60 minutes to just get my clothes to feel damp! I will definitely think twice about doing laundry here again.

Since our trip was in December, we never took the time to swim in the two themed pools, but we did walk around and were not surprised to see the wonderful Disney details carry over to these areas too. The pools are heated all year, so there were still quite a few families swimming, even though it was in the 50's outside. We did get to play on the children's playground, which was a perfect spot to burn off some of my son's energy, and we felt very safe letting him play on it. There is also an arcade on property, which we did not visit.

The main building at the All-Star Movies is called Cinema Hall. Inside is the main lobby, with desks staffed with castmembers to help you at any time during your stay. Also located in Cinema Hall is a large gift shop, and the World Premiere Food Court. The food court here is spectacular! We purchased refillable mugs the first day of trip for about 12 dollars each, and we were allowed to refill our mugs from the fountain drinks at any time the remainder of our stay. The food court has a wonderful array of both a la carte items and made to order meals. We stopped here several times on our way back to our room, and picked up snacks. You can find something to please anyone here- from chicken bbq, sandwiches and pizza, to cheesesteaks, pasta, salads and ice cream sundaes, and just about anything in between! There are plenty of tables to sit at and eat both inside the food court, and outside on the patio. My best tip here for families is to send someone down to the food court in the morning and pick up breakfasts to bring back to the room. That way while everyone is getting ready for a day at a park, you can take turns eating to save time. I highly recommend the Mickey shaped waffles- they are delicious!

A nice perk that Disney offers all resort guests is free bus transportation to all of the resorts and parks on property. The bus stop is located adjacent to Cinema Hall. We did not use the transportation since we had a rental car, but it always looked like the buses were prompt on their schedule.

All in all, the All-Star Movies Resort is wonderfully themed resort, that is easy on your budget. This is a great resort if you are looking for that obvious "Disney-esque" look to it- it is bright and colorful, and you can't help but feel cheerful whie you are there. We would absolutely stay here again!