All Star Music or Art of Animation? About This Page:

[Ktwirls]

I am torn as to which to choose. Any advice? We stayed in All Star Music in 2008 and loved it but seeing the pictures of the new Art of Animation has made me think about that. I love the thememing of the room, seems a lot more than All Star Music (we stayed in family suite there) Art costs a little more than Music. So is it worth it? Is the bus situation/travel times better than Music? I can't remember but does Music Family Suite have 1 or 2 toilets? And what about Art 1 or 2 toilets in Family suite? Also, what buildings to stay in for being closest to bus stop? Thanks for any input on deciding!

[JoanneS]

If you're going to be in a suite, I'd definitely go with Art of Animation. It doesn't share a bus with other resorts and it has a great food court. Both suites have two bathrooms, one with a shower and one with a tub I believe. The AoA suites have inner hallways as opposed to the motel style of ASMusic. The Nemo pool is fantastic, and if you have small children, the large icons and play areas can't be beat.

[Pax]

Originally Posted by JoanneS

If you're going to be in a suite, I'd definitely go with Art of Animation.

Definitely this.

AoA is done SO well ... they've learned a lot about theme-ing for Values since the All-Stars were built, and it shows.

Over the past fourteen years I've stayed in All-Star Movies, in POP Century, and in Art of Animation. The only reason AoA isn't my favorite, is that we don't do suites ... and the Little Mermaid section, while gorgeously-well-done, is just a bit further from the food court and busses than I care for. (Should we ever do suits, though? OH YEAH, definitely going there again!)

[yalibrarian]

I am torn as to which to choose. Any advice? We stayed in All Star Music in 2008 and loved it but seeing the pictures of the new Art of Animation has made me think about that. I love the thememing of the room, seems a lot more than All Star Music (we stayed in family suite there) Art costs a little more than Music. So is it worth it? Is the bus situation/travel times better than Music? I can't remember but does Music Family Suite have 1 or 2 toilets? And what about Art 1 or 2 toilets in Family suite? Also, what buildings to stay in for being closest to bus stop? Thanks for any input on deciding!

We love Music but I admit that there is much more theming at Art of Animation, and they have larger, more themed pools, although one benefit of the All Stars is being able to use all six pools and three food courts. In both cases the suites sleep six, have a kitchenette and two bathrooms. The food court has been redone at Music and the menu updated. We have eaten twice at Landscape of Flavors at AofA and had one good experience and one not so good. It can get quite crowded at meal time, and if you have picky kid eaters, you will need to look carefully at the food stations to find less interesting options than tandoori meats and so forth. I did love the make your own pasta, however.

I can't speak to the buses except to say I think concerns about buses at the All Stars are overblown. The All Stars are effectively one big resort with three bus stops, similar to some of the moderate resorts. However, at rush times, dedicated buses are sent to each resort stop. Art of Animation has one big bus stop for the whole resort. AofA has roughly 2,800 suites and rooms while Music has under 1,900. If you have a Passporter, you can view the resort maps and see which section looks most appealing, although Disney does not guarantee where you may end up.

[joelsmom]

Originally Posted by yalibrarian

I can't speak to the buses except to say I think concerns about buses at the All Stars are overblown. The All Stars are effectively one big resort with three bus stops, similar to some of the moderate resorts. However, at rush times, dedicated buses are sent to each resort stop. Art of Animation has one big bus stop for the whole resort. AofA has roughly 2,800 suites and rooms while Music has under 1,900. If you have a Passporter, you can view the resort maps and see which section looks most appealing, although Disney does not guarantee where you may end up.

I completely agree about the bus issue being overblown. In all my trips to the All Stars, I have shared buses with the other two resorts exactly once. Music's food court is the most recently renovated on property, I believe. We love the grounds there and the quietness of that resort.

We've also had one good and one so-so experience at Landscape of Flavors food court at AoA. My food was cold and tasteless. My son also had trouble finding the pizza line. He stood in the regular line at that general station, only to be told when he got to the front of the line that he needed to switch to the pizza line, which was separate. That didn't make me all that happy.

Now, having said all that, AoA is cute as a button. I'll admit that I would like those interior hallways that they have for the suites. Cars building 1 or either of the Nemo buildings would probably be closest to the hub of the resort. If I were staying in a suite and the money wasn't significantly different, I'd go for AoA at least once, I think, but I think the buses are really a non-issue.

[Pax]

Originally Posted by yalibrarian

AofA has roughly 2,800 suites and rooms while Music has under 1,900. If you have a Passporter, you can view the resort maps and see which section looks most appealing, although Disney does not guarantee where you may end up.

Also consider: AoA's suits hold about one and a half times as many people as a single room in any of the Values (I believe the max in a Family Suite is 7 or 8; the max in a single room is 5; comfortably, you can put 6-7 in a Suite, but only 3-4 in a Single). So the actual number of people looking to use those busses is going to be higher at AoA, than at any of the All-Stars or at POP.

The third leg of this particular triad is: AoA, being almost exclusively Family suites, will probably have more strollers in use, than the other values, than a simple count of room-numbers might suggest.

(And, our experience with AoA's busses in January of 2014 seems to hold that up, though I've no truly recent experiences at other values to compare with ... POP in '09, ASMo in '01.)

So, yeah ... dash of salt withthinking AoA's busses are going to be appreciably different from those at the All-Stars, or at POP. I'm sure Disney calculates the expected demand for busses to a fare-thee-well for all their resorts, and doles them out accordingly.

[allgiggles]

I'd pick AoA in a heartbeat. They both have 2 full baths but at AoA, the master bathroom has a lovely walk-in shower (ASMu has the tub/shower combo in each bathroom). At AoA you have a nice table & chairs to sit at if you're going to be eating breakfast or other meals in the room. The theming of the entire resort is amazing -- especially the Cars area at night. We love the food court there because it has more unique offerings than most resort QS restaurants. But if you want the more standard QS offerings it's just a short and enjoyable walk over the bridge to Pop Century (no cutting through parking lots or crossing driveways). If you're using Disney Transportation to and from the parks, the bus stops for Pop & AoA at the parks are usually next to each other so you can get on whichever bus comes first. The walk from Pop to AoA at night is gorgeous -- and it's easy to grab a beverage at Petals Pool bar at Pop if you need some refreshment for the walk. And if you time it right, you can watch the fireworks at Epcot or DHS while you're walking -- or even better, just plan to sit on a bench on the bridge one night to watch them.

As far as which buildings are close to the main building and bus stops....none of the buildings with suites at AoA are a very long walk. We were in Lion King Bldg. 10 at the end closest to the Main Building which meant we literally had less than a 100 yard walk to the food court and bus stops. We could be at either one in less than 2 minutes since both of those things are located at the Lion King end of the main building. I would prefer not to be in Building 2 or 3 of the Cars section because -- to me -- those would feel like long walks since we were so spoiled by our awesome location in LK. But in reality, the longest walk from a suite is going to be under 5 minutes. And unlike other value resorts, the AoA suites buildings have indoor (read: air conditioned) hallways so if it's a really hot day or it's raining, it's much easier to stay inside for most of your walk by just walking through the buildings instead of around them.

[revral]

I'd go with All Star Music. Based on the pictures I've seen of Art of Animation & what my aunt has said about her stay there the themeing/decor is over the top even in the rooms. While I love the way Disney themes & stories everything from a ride or show to entire parks & resorts I like going back to a room that's not in my face & screaming at me with it's decor & based on the pictures I've seen & what my aunt has said in your face & screaming is exactly what you get at Art of Animation..

[allgiggles]

Originally Posted by revral

I'd go with All Star Music. Based on the pictures I've seen of Art of Animation & what my aunt has said about her stay there the themeing/decor is over the top even in the rooms. While I love the way Disney themes & stories everything from a ride or show to entire parks & resorts I like going back to a room that's not in my face & screaming at me with it's decor & based on the pictures I've seen & what my aunt has said in your face & screaming is exactly what you get at Art of Animation..

Interesting....this is the first time I've seen someone describe AoA as "in your face & screaming". People who have stayed at AoA typically describe the theming as "immersive"....the landscaping and icons make you feel like you're walking through the movie. And I'll admit that when I saw pictures of the rooms I thought they were a little over-themed and that the patterns on the carpeting alone would drive me crazy. But having actually stayed there for 7 nights, I found it to be much less "overstimulating" than I was expecting from the pictures. In fact, once we had our stuff in the room, I didn't even notice the decor anymore. And honestly, I found AoA to feel much more "sophisticated" (for lack of a better word) than the other Values we've stayed at.

I'm not sure why someone who doesn't want to have heavy Disney theming/decor in their rooms would even consider staying at any of the value resorts. That's their (the Value resorts) "thing". That's why there are so many different resorts at Disney....so that hopefully there is something there that appeals to everyone.

[revral]

Originally Posted by allgiggles

Interesting....this is the first time I've seen someone describe AoA as "in your face & screaming". People who have stayed at AoA typically describe the theming as "immersive"....the landscaping and icons make you feel like you're walking through the movie. And I'll admit that when I saw pictures of the rooms I thought they were a little over-themed and that the patterns on the carpeting alone would drive me crazy. But having actually stayed there for 7 nights, I found it to be much less "overstimulating" than I was expecting from the pictures. In fact, once we had our stuff in the room, I didn't even notice the decor anymore. And honestly, I found AoA to feel much more "sophisticated" (for lack of a better word) than the other Values we've stayed at.

I'm not sure why someone who doesn't want to have heavy Disney theming/decor in their rooms would even consider staying at any of the value resorts. That's their (the Value resorts) "thing". That's why there are so many different resorts at Disney....so that hopefully there is something there that appeals to everyone.

Neither my aunt or I mind heavy theming/decor but usually no matter how heavily themed the public areas (grounds, food court etc.) are the rooms are less blatantly themed which offers an escape from the heavy theming of the public areas. I stay at value resorts because they fit my budget (I'd rather play longer than stay nicer), I prefer the one bus stop & ease of navigation the values offer, I have a hard time justifying the higher cost of a moderate or deluxe resort when I know I wont take advantage of the additional amenities they offer & wont spend much time in my room & I genuinely like the value resorts. I think the huge icons scattered around the grounds are fun & all the memorabilia on display in the lobby is fun, interesting & informative.

[Pax]

Originally Posted by revral

I'd go with All Star Music. Based on the pictures I've seen of Art of Animation & what my aunt has said about her stay there the themeing/decor is over the top even in the rooms.

She (and you) are wrong about that, IMO. The rooms are not at all "over the top"; it's definitely there, enough to thrill little kids ... but it's not the kind of thing that grabs you by the lapels and screams in your face day after day. After the first couple nights, I hardly noticed it at all ... and Little Mermaid is among my personal least-favorite Disney features. Certainly, the theme-ing of AoA's interiors isn't especially different from that found in rooms at any other Value. More specific to a particular Disney feature, really, is about as far as I think it goes.

Here's two pictures of my room at AoA, just as I walked in on the first day of our January of 2014 trip:





Note, we had that curtain opened 99% of our stay; we also dumped the comforters on the floor out of the way, the first night - and they stayed there the whole time. And other than Flounder and the picture on the wall, the theme was only "ocean", and as I say, I stopped noticing it after the first or second night.

And here's one picture outside, showing the exterior of our building (actually taken a few minutes prior to the two above):



As you can see, the exterior is where most of the Theme stuff is. (Fun fact: see the fish on the railings? Look at them on all three Little Mermaid buildings, if you go there. The ones on Triton's and Ariel's buildings are all happy ... the ones on Ursul's building, as you can see, are all worried ... hahaha!)

[Sue M.]

I haven't stayed at AoA, but out of curiosity we took the bus over from a park to have lunch. I thought the grounds were very cute, and so was the main pool.

[yalibrarian]

I'm not sure why someone who doesn't want to have heavy Disney theming/decor in their rooms would even consider staying at any of the value resorts. That's their (the Value resorts) "thing".

Actually, the theming in Music is pretty subtle in the rooms. There is a nice little peg rack that has silk-screened Mickeys, subtly patterned carpet, a themed wallpaper border, and a single framed piece of art on the wall (like Donald from Philharmagic). We find the rooms low-key and restful. My husband, like some others, felt that the theming in the Art of Animation suites and rooms was a bit garish for his taste. We started staying at a value because of cost, but even though we can now afford a moderate or even a deluxe, we like what we have at Music. The low price means annual visits without overspending. I do think the theming of the pools and public areas is quite fun at Animation, however.

[allgiggles]

Originally Posted by yalibrarian

Actually, the theming in Music is pretty subtle in the rooms. There is a nice little peg rack that has silk-screened Mickeys, subtly patterned carpet, a themed wallpaper border, and a single framed piece of art on the wall (like Donald from Philharmagic). We find the rooms low-key and restful. My husband, like some others, felt that the theming in the Art of Animation suites and rooms was a bit garish for his taste. We started staying at a value because of cost, but even though we can now afford a moderate or even a deluxe, we like what we have at Music. The low price means annual visits without overspending. I do think the theming of the pools and public areas is quite fun at Animation, however.

I didn't word that last paragraph of my previous post very well. I should have said that the AoA rooms have more "obvious" theming than the rooms at the All Star Resorts but that doesn't necessarily mean they are "screaming and in-your-face". I personally don't find the theming of the rooms at All Star Movies, Pop Century, or Art of Animation (the only values I've stayed at) to be overdone at all and I've spent many nights in them. I was referring to the previous poster who originally said that based on looking at pictures and his/her aunt's experience at AoA, the rooms are too "in your face and screaming" to be relaxing. I was also pointing out that even though the pictures can make the AoA rooms seem a little "busy", once I actually stayed in one, I didn't find it to be significantly different (as far as decor) than other Value rooms I've stayed in. It doesn't really matter -- I only wanted to provide additional information for the OP. We could stay at a deluxe resort for less than the cost of our suite at AoA but choose not to because we like the theming at AoA because it keeps us immersed in Disney 24/7.

[Eeyoresmom]

Although I have never stayed there, I have actually heard more good about the bus situation at the All Stars resorts than I have heard bad.

I have stayed in a Mermaid room at AoA, and thought the theming was a lot of fun. Plus, my young daughter was over the moon with it. The grounds and pool were quite fun as well.

It is all about personal preference - go with the atmosphere that suits your needs best. You're at Disney - you can't go wrong!