Disney World Vacation Package

are the all star resorts of disney world really that big?

I've been checking out reviews for the value resorts at Disney World, (the three all stars and pop century) and one of the most common complaints is that the walk from some of the farther buildings is a hike. This is understandable but looking at the maps of the resorts they don't seem as huge as people make them out to be. It could be that I'm not one to complain about walking far distances, but are the resorts really that big?

Public Comments

1. The resorts aren't too huge. I've stayed at All Star Movies and had a great time. As far as getting to the parks and Downtown Disney, they're too far to walk, but Disney has a great bus system from the All-Star hotels, as well as the monorail and boats between some of the other resorts and the parks. I highly recommend it.
2. The value resorts are not huge, but they are large. Pop Century alone has almost 3,000 and the second phase of that is going to add almost another 3,000, so there is quite a bit of space to cover. (2,880 rooms in each of the phases) For most people the trek isn't too bad, even if you are at the very back. It is really easy to get around in the morning when you are awake, ready to start the day, etc. But, it is when you come back at night that the walk is really bad, your tired, feet hurt, etc. Then you don't want to make the long trek. For each person it is going to be different, I walk/run a lot, so nothing is really too bad for me. However, if you have any medical problems, or don't walk much, then it can be a little harder, especially after being at the parks all day. You can get a preferred room, which used to mean you would get one of the rooms closer to the main building. But, they recently changed it and it does not necessarily mean your room will be close to the lobby, it can mean fireworks view, a more popular building, etc. So, it isn't always a good way to spend your money, especially if you just want to be close to the front. The best thing to do is put a request to be close to the main building and keep your fingers crossed. When you book your room you have the option of preferred or standard view, as I mentioned before, preferred used to mean you were close to the transportation, but it doesn't mean that anymore. Really, any room you book can get you in one of the closest or one of the furthest rooms. If you have the request on, Disney will try to get it for you, but you don't always get lucky. If you check in early and they are able to accommodate you with that request, then they will, but if they are pretty full and everything is pretty far out, they will get you as close as they can. They work with medical requests first and then prefrences after all the medical requests are taken care of. Not all the rooms are too far away and even the furthest rooms are not terrible, but if you have any walking issues, you may consider staying at a moderate resort to try and get a room that won't be as far for you to walk. French Quarter and Riverside are smaller resorts, so they aren't too bad for walking. Caribbean Beach is very large and isn't the best when it comes to layout, but they still have the option for a preferred room, which does get you closer to the transportation. Deluxe resorts are a little easier to get around, but are much higher in cost per night, you are looking to spend well over $200 a night, so if you are looking at value resorts, this may be a little out of your budget. Moderate resorts will go from around $100 for a value, to around $130 to $160 for moderate. The maps can be a little deceiving. If you look at a map of one of the Disney parks, it looks pretty small as well, but once you are actually there or see how many miles of land it covers, it can be huge. I definitely don't think it would be something that would ruin your trip, but if you don't want to walk much, it can cause a bit of a problem. I think that the problem for most people is just having a long day in the parks and then having a slightly longer walk at night, but in my opinion it just isn't that bad, but each person feels different about things. Hope this helps!
3. They are huge, we are fortunate and have always scheduled well ahead of time as were close to the front near transportation area. But, some of the buildings are quite far away, a walk of about four or five city blocks, at least. When you think of how much you will be walking during the day it is not much in comparison. The walk is not so far that I would pay to upgrade. When we first went to Disney we stayed at more expensive hotels and it simple was not worth it for us. We spend very little time away from parks. We leave in the morning to arrive at opening, and do not leave till the last park closes.
4. Disney's All Star Resorts are seperated into three areas: Sports, Music, and Movies. Between all three resorts, they have over 5,440 rooms. Each section of the resort is not horribly spread out. Even from the furthest rooms, it should not take more than 10 minutes to walk to the main building. All Star resorts share a bus between three sections. If you want to be the first on and off the bus, you should stay at Sports. Pop Century is a different resort in a different area. There are currently 2,880 rooms at Pop Century's Classic Years area (the buildings are themed by decade: 1950's through 1990's). There is a second section of Pop Century called the Legendary Years that is still under construction. It was started soon after the Classic section was completed, but construction was completely halted after 9-11 due to drastic drops in the tourism industry. Construction has not yet restarted. Pop Century is also spread out, but not terribly; all buildings are within an 8-10 minute walk of the main building. The moderate resorts (more money, bigger rooms) are all spread out the same way the values are, but the deluxe resorts are set up differently. There are usually less buildings with more rooms, and the room entries are inside the building; you enter the main hotel building and your room is inside the building. At values and moderates, your room door is on the exterior of the building, more like a motel. Check out www.allearsnet.com for pics and reviews of all Disney's resorts, restaurants, and theme parks.
5. depends if you have Kids or not.. there are millions of kids there, as someone who does not have kids , i dont like it... but if you do, there is tons of stuff for them to do,,, i have heard from my friends who have been there that it can be noisy at night as the hotel walls are a bit thin, and you know what kids are like when they are over tired,, crying and whining,, probably why i stay and the Grand Floridian. The bus system is top rate, only minutes to allthe parks and attractons,, to and from you hotel...best way to go...and some of the hotel groounds are very large,, and the attraction sites like epcot take my husband and i 2 full days to see and do everything, and disney itself may no be as big buts a full 10 - 14 hour day to do everything,,
6. The buildings at the resorts are fairly spread out, but certainly manageable for the average person/family. We stay at All-Star Movies frequently, and we always ask to be in the "Mighty Ducks" which is the furthest away from the main building. It never takes us more than a few minutes to from place to place, but we like to be away from the hustle and bustle. The layout of the 3 All-Star resorts is similar, but I am not sure about Pop-Century. We love the All-Star resorts, and find they have everything we need to make our vacation very enjoyable. The food is good, the rooms are clean, and the pools are nice. Just one person's opinion :)
7. I've stayed at the All Star Movies resort and it was great. We are staying there again in Nov. Some of the buildings in the back are a little farther away from the bus stops but not that far. Maybe a 10 min walk if that. They are pretty big resorts. The 3 All Star Resorts are right next to each other. The rooms are small but nice. Plenty big for my husband and I. If you want Disney then definatly stay at one of the All Star Resorts. Why pay all that money for the higher priced resorts if your only sleeping in them? Some people like the higher priced resorts as for us the All Star Movies was a great choice for us.
8. they are gross. the walks are very bad, and the paths are dirty. the hotel is more like a motel too, because the door to your room is outside, just under a piece of metal. the food area is way crowded with all the guests, and reminds me of a mall food court, and definitly not a disney one. the sinks aren't even in the bathrooms in the rooms, and the rooms are sooo small. it is huge, i would never stay there even if someone paid me to. DON'T EVER STAY THERE, YOU ARE MAKING A BIG MISTAKE IF YOU DO!!! but have fun if you are!
9. They aren't that big, but I still recommend getting a preferred room. It puts you in a building near the main building, where the food court is, and near the main pool.