What's Your Favorite Value Resort?

[bower007]

We've stayed at All-Star Music twice, most recently as Nov 2018 (first time was 2011) and I don't have any complaints about either stay. I can't speak for the other value resorts. Good luck and have fun!

 

[Merida'sTwin]

Pop century is our favorite. We love the skyliner and newly renovated rooms (lots of space for two people with the new Murphy beds). We don't find busses that bad as we tend to take the early buses for rope drop. Taking the skyliner back in the afternoons from Epcot or HS is so much easier than waiting for a bus to arrive. Another advantage is you can take the AOA bus if it comes first and just walk across the bridge back to Pop. We like being able to visit AOA for their food court but don't care for the Little Mermaid room locations.

 

[SarahC97]

I personally think Art of Animation is the best -- it's a very Disney resort, if that's what you're looking for. The Big Blue Pool is awesome and they have started to refurbish the Little Mermaid rooms so that they're two queen size beds instead of full. That'd be my choice. My kids love that resort.

 

[pooki1]

Pop! I love all the storage and skyliner advantage

 

[I Love Pluto]

POP!
The whole atmosphere is absolutely positive!

 

[Babsy]

Leaning toward All-Star Sports or Music and Art of Animation. I've never stayed at a resort before - only off site, so I'm pretty excited. There's so much information to take in. The hope is to stay for a week and in the park for 4 days. I want to make the most of the time we are not in the parks and utilize the amenities offered. Also, are all of these outdoor entry? Anymore helpful info regarding resort stays for this first-timer would be greatly appreciated also!

It has been a while now since my last value resort stay, so I can't say anything from personal experience about the impact of the Skyliner. However, if I were choosing to stay at a value, I would almost certainly put a Skykliner resort at the top of my list. I don't mind Disney buses at all, but other forms of transportation seem more 'fun' to us. That would mean AoA or Pop Century.

AoA is the most costly, but has an awesome pool and the theming is great. If you are talking about staying in a room there (rather than a more expensive suite) then you will have a fairly lengthy walk to/from your room. It isn't really all that far but it can feel that way after walking all day in the parks or when you are in a hurry. The suites do have interior corridors at AoA, but the LM rooms are designed like those at all the other value resorts with exterior walkways and room entrances.

Personally, we like POP best for value. It has the Skyliner for transportation and is next door to AoA which provides another food court and nice theming just a short walk away. We also enjoy the atmosphere around Hourglass Lake.

The AS resorts rooms are the lowest price and a terrific choice if you want to save the maximum money but get all the advantages of staying on site. DO you have children in your party? If so, then I would choose between either Sports or Movies (unless you are planning on a suite). Both have a great layout if you plan to book a standard room. Choose the theme that suits your group the best and enjoy the savings! No need to consider the preferred rooms at either of these AS resorts, IMO.
ASMu is nice if you are a couple and want a slightly more adult, romantic atmosphere. At ASMu, I would consider a preferred room location as the layout puts some standard rooms at a longer walk away from buses, food court, etc. (ASMu also has suites that are less expensive than those at AoA, if you were looking for more space.)

value resorts are a lot of fun! enjoy your stay, whichever resort you choose!

 

[Moliphino]

Pop is my favorite and basically our home resort at this point. The reno is great, it's more centrally located than the All Stars, less expensive than AOA, and has the Skyliner. You can also take the AOA bus if it's more convenient and just walk over to Pop.

I would avoid the All Stars that haven't been renovated yet. Those rooms are in rough shape, in my experience.

 

[WEDWDW]

And I would add,to us,the most unique thing in ANY WDW Resort is found at POP-THE LOBBY SHADOW BOXES!

It is AMAZING the time that the Imagineers took to put that together!

We find something we haven't noticed in at least one of them every trip.

 

[keishashadow]

Music is my favorite of the three in that area. Best themed pool, although you can easily ‘hop’ between them. Not a fan of country section though...some rooms are so close to the woods/swamp, creepy at night. also like the Ducks location, close to Music’s bus stop.

We didn't care for our Pop stay. There were sport teams there and they were running wild all around the resort.

Can happen at any of the values. Several stays there, prefer the bowling pin pool building as to location as we typically have a rental car.

Once the Skyliner opened POP jumped ahead of ASMO. We really like AOA but not until their prices come in line with at least POP

Little Mermaid rooms are so well themed & relatively close to parking lot. Discovered that the walkway along the water is quicker to reach the Skyliner.

We were there starting midweek prior to Presidents Day weekend. Surprised that the line for the Skyliner was really long several days. Didn’t experience that with the Epcot one over two prior trips.

 

[mickeymom22]

Better to make a proactive request - like pick a section and request that. It's far too easy for them to miss "No" or "Not" and assume that is what you want.

Good point!

 

[WEDWDW]

Not a fan of country section though...some rooms are so close to the woods/swamp, creepy at night.

Rock Inn can be "interesting" as well.

 

[Dani314]

It has been a while now since my last value resort stay, so I can't say anything from personal experience about the impact of the Skyliner. However, if I were choosing to stay at a value, I would almost certainly put a Skykliner resort at the top of my list. I don't mind Disney buses at all, but other forms of transportation seem more 'fun' to us. That would mean AoA or Pop Century.

AoA is the most costly, but has an awesome pool and the theming is great. If you are talking about staying in a room there (rather than a more expensive suite) then you will have a fairly lengthy walk to/from your room. It isn't really all that far but it can feel that way after walking all day in the parks or when you are in a hurry. The suites do have interior corridors at AoA, but the LM rooms are designed like those at all the other value resorts with exterior walkways and room entrances.

Personally, we like POP best for value. It has the Skyliner for transportation and is next door to AoA which provides another food court and nice theming just a short walk away. We also enjoy the atmosphere around Hourglass Lake.

The AS resorts rooms are the lowest price and a terrific choice if you want to save the maximum money but get all the advantages of staying on site. DO you have children in your party? If so, then I would choose between either Sports or Movies (unless you are planning on a suite). Both have a great layout if you plan to book a standard room. Choose the theme that suits your group the best and enjoy the savings! No need to consider the preferred rooms at either of these AS resorts, IMO.
ASMu is nice if you are a couple and want a slightly more adult, romantic atmosphere. At ASMu, I would consider a preferred room location as the layout puts some standard rooms at a longer walk away from buses, food court, etc. (ASMu also has suites that are less expensive than those at AoA, if you were looking for more space.)

value resorts are a lot of fun! enjoy your stay, whichever resort you choose!

No children in the party. Just my best friend and I. My birthday is Nov 2 and hers Nov 5, so we've gone every other year in the month of November. Having never stayed on site before, we're looking for something that allows us to enjoy the amenities that the resort offers on those off days away from the park. We've traveled together before and if the standard rooms are like regular hotels with 2 queens, we should be good, as a lot of space isn't necessarily needed.

 

[Dani314]

Rock Inn can be "interesting" as well.

View attachment 495854

it's MEEKO!! LOL

 

[WDWTRAVELLER]

POP is a very good resort. has been refurbished and the rooms are good. Food not so good there. But you have the new skyliner there to use. a whole lot better then riding the bus.
you can go over to AoA to eat to change it up or take the skyliner over to Epcot for unlimited food choices.

 

[WEDWDW]

you can go over to AoA to eat to change it up or take the skyliner over to Epcot for unlimited food choices.

And also the restaurants/Food Court at CBR and DRR are just a short flight away.

 

[Dug720]

Good point!

I've seen too many people report back about requests who had said things like "Not a connecting room. Not in this section. Not on this floor." who ended up with exactly what they had stated they did NOT want for it to be a coincidence. Even with requests being only requests.

 

[DisLiss]

For us right now, POP. Once the upgrade to the Little Mermaid rooms is complete and they all have queen beds, then I will like POP & Art of Animation fairly evenly.

I love that they share the path around the lake and the bridge between them makes it easy to check out the other, and of course now the Skyliner. I like the lobby themes for both of them as well, although I'll give POP a higher mark there due to nostalgia factor for me. I love walking through the Cars area at AoA, so that's an extra point for them.

 

[buzznina]

Little Mermaid rooms are so well themed & relatively close to parking lot. Discovered that the walkway along the water is quicker to reach the Skyliner.

We were there starting midweek prior to Presidents Day weekend. Surprised that the line for the Skyliner was really long several days. Didn’t experience that with the Epcot one over two prior trips.

I have no issue with any walking distance at either POP or AOA, but like I said I will not pay $50 more per night for AOA over POP.
Line at skyliner is surprising, we were there last Thanksgiving and there never was a line at the resort area.

 

[keishashadow]

I have no issue with any walking distance at either POP or AOA, but like I said I will not pay $50 more per night for AOA over POP.
Line at skyliner is surprising, we were there last Thanksgiving and there never was a line at the resort area.

Can’t use it to get to
Star Wars for rope drop It seemed busiest after 4 pm

 

[82Bruhaha]

Our last 3 trips were at Pop Century. We really like the hotel. I usually request a preferred building (non-pool) to be close to the main building, food, and transport. We like the 1970's building 10. On the last trip, we had 2 rooms in the 1980's section it felt so much further especially on long park days.