If you are looking for the least expensive accommodations at Walt Disney World, Disney World’s Value Resorts will help you stick to your budget. But how do you choose between two popular resorts? Today, we’ll take a look at Disney’s All-Star Music and Disney’s All-Star Sports hotels.
Giant maracas at All-Star Music
Both resorts offer unique themes and while they have many of the same amenities, there are also some differences that you should know about.
We want to help stretch your vacation dollars because trips to Disney World can be costly. Not surprisingly, hotel expenses can take up a big portion of your travel budget. How do you make the right decision for your family? We give you all the details, so you can choose wisely between All-Star Music and All-Star Sports!
Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
The best way to tackle such a massive decision like this is with as much logic as possible, so we broke down this comparison into five categories: Common Ground, Theme/Rooms, Pools, Food, and Transportation. Let’s see how these two resorts match up!
Common Ground
Both of these hotels fall under the category of Value Resorts at Disney World. That means they will both be at a comparable price point, with similar room sizes and amenities. Disney’s All-Star Music and Disney’s All-Star Sports have strong theming found outside, in the rooms, and throughout the gift shop, food court, and lobby.
Broadway Street at Disney’s All-Star Music
Each resort is divided into different areas with the names matching their themes. This can help guests navigate when wandering around these often-large resorts! Because of their kid-friendly decorations and amenities, you are more likely to see families with children at these resorts, as well as traveling groups from schools. With so many young people around it can get hectic, so don’t be surprised if it’s a little noisier here than at other resorts!
All-Star Sports Resort
At All-Star Music, room rates start at $128 per night excluding tax for their Standard Rooms at the cheapest times of year when the parks are least busy. The most expensive room rates here will run you about $658 per night — that’s for a Family Suite around Christmas, one of the more popular times of year.
All-Star Sports has similar rates. Standard Rooms start at $128 per night in value season, and a Preferred Room will cost about $321 per night during the December holiday season.
Extra Theme Park Hours Benefits for Disney World Resort Hotel Guests
Theme/Rooms
Refurbishments at All-Star Sports are ongoing. At both resorts standard rooms, while smaller than those at Moderate or Deluxe Resorts, still have plenty of space for your belongings. They are functional and include large TV’s, multiple storage options, and generously sized showers.
All-Star Music
The All-Star Music’s standard rooms offer a queen bed and queen-size table bed, sleeping up to four people. These rooms were recently renovated.
Murphy Beds in Family Suite
There’s also the option for Family Suites at the All-Star Music, which feature 1 queen bed and 2 queen-size pull-down beds. These sleep up to six adults. The Family Suites are surprisingly large!
Click HERE for a Photo Tour of a Family Suite!
As you stroll through the resort, you’ll find the following themed areas: Country, Broadway, Jazz, Rock, and Calypso.
All Star Music
It’s well worth exploring the entire Resort to see everything!
All-Star Sports
The rooms at All-Star Sports are actually pretty, well, roomy! You won’t feel cramped, and there are plenty of places to arrange your belongings both in the main sleeping area as well as in the bathroom.
All-Star Sports room prior to renovation
Currently, the rooms in the football and baseball sections have been completely updated. Stay tuned to our site for more updates on the All-Star Resort construction projects.
Outside of your room, you can explore the resort to discover larger-than-life versions of icons from football, tennis, baseball, basketball, surfing, and more.
PHOTOS: Tour a Standard Room at the All-Star Sports Resort in Disney World
Results
Accommodations at All-Star Music have been renovated and offer the option of Family Suites!
The PROS And CONS Of Staying At Disney World’s Value Resorts
Pools
If you thought the giant outdoor icons were the full extent of these resorts’ strong theming, just wait until you see their pools!
All-Star Music
Enjoy the tunes at All-Star Music’s Calypso Pool. Shaped like a guitar, this pool’s main feature is a fountain with the Three Caballeros.
The Calypso Pool at All-Star Music
The other pool is shaped like a grand piano!
All-Star Sports
Goofy makes an appearance at the Grand Slam Pool! At the Grand Slam Pool, he’s taking the pitcher’s mound except this time he has a cannon full of water and it’s aimed right at the swimmers! One of the unique aspects of this pool is the sundeck, which is designed to look like an outfield. There are even giant baseball bats lining the pool area!
Grand Slam Pool
The signature pool at All-Star Sports is Surfboard Bay, a 242,471-gallon swimmer’s paradise that was designed to make you feel as though you’re spending a day on the beach. The surrounding buildings are topped with waves with giant surfboards along the balcony. The pool has a more organic shape to mimic the seaside, and there are plenty of chairs for catching a few rays while you relax!
Results
This is a tough one — both resorts have such unique and fun pool areas! This time, we’re giving it to All-Star Sports. The baseball field pool area is a great spot for kids, especially with the Goofy water cannon in the middle!
10 Hidden Secrets About Disney World Pools
Food
With one food court option and a pool bar each, both of these resorts have similar dining options!
All-Star Music
Stop by Intermission Food Court at All-Star Music for a food break. This food court offers a variety of food options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which you’ll find at multiple counters around the restaurant as well as a “Grab & Go Market.” In this dining room, the theming is BIG and goes along with the music atmosphere around the whole resort. You will usually find some seasonal treats here as well!
Intermission Food Court
Singing Spirits is your drink destination at All-Star Music, and it’s located in the Calypso Pool area.
Singing Spirits
While you won’t find a super impressive atmosphere here, you will be able to grab a bite to eat and an icy beverage by the pool on a hot summer day.
Find our COMPLETE GUIDE TO EATING at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort HERE.
All-Star Sports
Score a great meal at End Zone Food Court at All-Star Sports. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner options are served at various pick-up counters throughout the day, and you can also find quite a few Grab & Go items here as well. Plus, the occasional sweet treat has been known to pop up from time to time!
End Zone Food Court
Cuisine here is all-American for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
At All-Star Sports, you can say “Cheers!” at Grandstand Spirits. And you’ll find it over by Surfboard Bay Pool.
Grandstand Spirits
While it may be lacking in the overall atmosphere department, it’s still a great place to grab a drink while you’re lounging by the pool or hanging at the resort!
Find our COMPLETE GUIDE TO EATING at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort HERE
Results
Both resorts offer a food court and pool bar. You won’t find table-service restaurants at the value resorts. Each resort has almost identical dining options apart from the theming, so it’s tough to decide which one is the winner here. Since both food courts have been renovated, we’re going to have to call this one a tie!
Transportation
Disney World has several transportation options, but not every type stops at every resort. Of course, both resorts offer Disney’s bus transportation.
All-Star Sports
Results
This is the only free Disney transportation that stops at these resorts. All three All-Stars are right next to each other, so there isn’t a massive difference even if you were trying to use a rideshare to get to or from the parks! This time, we’re just gonna have to call it a tie.
Your Guide to Walt Disney World Resort Transportation
The Winner
It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for! The winner of this showdown between All-Star Music and All-Star Sports is … a tie! It truly comes down to what you are looking for out of your Disney resort experience. Both resorts are extremely similar, so ultimately the choice really comes down to theming. Do you prefer celebrating music and instruments? Or maybe you can’t wait to try out the massive fields at All-Star Sports? The good news is, if you can’t find availability at one resort for your chosen dates (or can’t bear to pick between the two) you know you’ll be getting a similar experience.
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Do you have a favorite between these two resorts, or is there another one that stands out more? Comment below!
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Transportation gives me a slight preference for All-Star Sports.
There is usually one bus per park that goes to all three All-Star Resorts. Sports is the first one they stop at, so at busy times of the year, guests of Music and Movies can have longer waits as the buses aren’t empty when they arrive.
As things get even busier Disney does add more buses to the route and/or split the single All-Star route into ones for each resort.
If I recall correctly, the transport could be the deal -breaker between these two (and indeed the three All-Star Resorts). I think at peak times, they each have a bus that goes to each of the All-Star resorts exculsively, but at non-peak times, there is one bus that goes to all three of the All-Star resorts and it starts at All-Star Sports and then goes to Movies and Music (not sure in what order).
What I noticed when we stayed at All-Star Sports, was that it comes to Sports first and then to the other two (again, not sure which order, as I can’t recall) which meant if there happened to be a busy “non-peak” time then the bus could potentially be full once it had been to it’s first stop (All-Star Sports), so I was grateful we stayed in All-Star Sports as it meant we were on an empty bus first and sometimes the people at Movies and Music couldn’t get on as it had filled up at Sports and possibly the 2nd stop. So for me I’d always choose All-Star Sports for the bus calling there first, with there not being much else between them (as stated above). Hope that’s helpful if you’re trying to make a decision and travel at “non-peak” times like we do.
Not as relevant, but on the return, it does mean that you get dropped off last as it calls to Movies and Music first but that didn’t bother us as the queue at the park you were travelling FROM was all one queue when the buses were combined as described above.
We were there in September 2019 so it may have changed since then but just thought I’d mention in case it hasn’t.