Since becoming a DVC Member in 2019, I have rarely booked cash stays. However, when planning for the 2024 Wine & Dine 10k, I found myself out of points and booking a stay somewhere I haven’t been in nearly two decades: the All-Star Resorts. Since I was just looking for a place to stay on Disney World property to get bus transportation to and from the expo and 10k, Disney’s All-Star Movies Resorts was just what I needed. Although I love staying at the DVC resorts, I found that there are a few things that All-Star Movies actually does better than the DVC resorts.
Over-the-Top Disney Theming
From the moment I started walking among the various buildings, there was no mistaking that I was at a Disney resort. There were Buzz, Woody, and Rex in the Toy Story section. The Sorcerer Mickey fountain was the main feature of the Fantasia Pool. My perspective is a bit skewed here as the mom of a toddler, but the oversized characters were a welcome touch of Disney, and my son was fascinated by them. It was hard to walk by the 101 Dalmatians section without my son wanting to pause and see Lucky.
I’m all for the more subtle, elegant Disney references like those you’ll find at Riviera, the Polynesian Island Tower, and the Villas at Disneyland Hotel, but for a family with a young child, the more overt Disney theming was kind of magical.
A Food Court to Suit Just About Anyone
As Value resorts, the All-Star Resorts only have a quick service location and do not have any table service options. Nevertheless, their quick service restaurants do offer a lot of variety. At the World Premiere Food Court at All-Star Movies, you could find standard breakfast platters with Mickey waffles or pancakes as well as omelets, breakfast bowls, and bagel sandwiches.
During lunch and dinner, there is a pretty wide selection of menu items. Sure, you can get burgers, pizza, hot dogs, and chicken strips, but you could also find some more interesting options like citrus-basil salmon, sesame chicken, mojo-roasted chicken, and beef and vegetable stir-fry. While these aren’t go-out-your-way-amazing entrees, they’re perfectly decent, and there’s really something for everyone. Plus, the World Premiere Food Court is open from 6:30am to 11:00pm–great for those late-night bites after you return from the park.
More Frequent Housekeeping
At All-Star Movies, full housekeeping service was every other day of the stay. This also included fresh towels and trash pickup. Even during my short 4-day stay, we got full housekeeping service. Had it been a DVC stay, we would have only had trash and towel service for that length of stay.
I understand that more frequent housekeeping for DVC would mean higher dues, but I have to admit it was nice to have our room freshened up during our brief stay.
Real Table and Chairs
This is more specifically in comparison to the Studios rather than the One Bedroom Villas and larger units. The more recently built or refurbished studios, such as Riviera, Saratoga Springs, Boulder Ridge, and BoardWalk, tend to have a coffee table that can be extended upwards to act as a table, but this means you essentially need to sit on the couch since there is no real chair available. I frequently work while on vacation, so it was refreshing to have a full table and regular chairs to sit down on.
While I’m certainly not about to give up my DVC stays for the All-Stars on a regular basis, it was a fun change of pace to stay at All-Star Movies. If you’ve stayed at the All-Stars or maybe one of the other Value resorts, is there an aspect of the resort that you wish were included in the DVC resorts?
