Our last family trip to Walt Disney World combined two vacations in one. For this trip we had DisneyDad & Mom, Amy & Tink and Ridge. (Amy’s husband had to work and missed this trip.) We had started to go on a trip to the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival and then decided to come back in 2 weeks to see one of the last Space Shuttle launches. Vacation dates were rescheduled to a 10 day 2 part trip. The first part of the trip we were at Disney’s Saratoga Springs in a 2 bedroom villa staying on Disney Vacation Club points. For the second part of the trip we moved to one of the Family Suites at Disney’s All Star Music Resort paying cash. There is a world of difference staying on Vacation Club property and one of the Value Resorts. With more people vacationing with either large families or multi-generation vacations the Family Suites are a good lower cost option.
Family Suites at the All Star Music Resort have taken 2 of the standard rooms and remodeled them into a living room, a separate p
rivate bedroom, a small kitchenette, and kept the 2 baths. The living room had a full size sleeper sofa, an oversized chair that made into a twin bed with an oversized ottoman that became a second twin bed. There was also a TV stand with drawers and storage space as well as a small round table with 2 chairs. The private bed room had a queen bed, a side chair, a desk & chair and a TV stand with drawers and storage. The sleeper sofa seemed to be adequate for Amy & Tink. Ridge said the twin beds were obviously for kids and not too comfortable for adults. The queen bed was comfortable after a long day in the parks and I had no problem falling asleep each night. On this trip we also had rented a scooter for Mom. It took up a lot of space in the living room each night as it had to be plugged in to recharge.
rivate bedroom, a small kitchenette, and kept the 2 baths. The living room had a full size sleeper sofa, an oversized chair that made into a twin bed with an oversized ottoman that became a second twin bed. There was also a TV stand with drawers and storage space as well as a small round table with 2 chairs. The private bed room had a queen bed, a side chair, a desk & chair and a TV stand with drawers and storage. The sleeper sofa seemed to be adequate for Amy & Tink. Ridge said the twin beds were obviously for kids and not too comfortable for adults. The queen bed was comfortable after a long day in the parks and I had no problem falling asleep each night. On this trip we also had rented a scooter for Mom. It took up a lot of space in the living room each night as it had to be plugged in to recharge. 
The kitchenette had an under counter refrigerator, a microwave, cabinets and a small sink. It was a nice place to store some snacks, and would have been OK for making breakfast in the room. Breakfast for us each morning was from the Intermission Food Court. They had some good breakfast selections and Tink loved the Mickey Waffles each morning.
One thing we really missed from the Vacation Club was having a washer and dryer in our room. We have gotten use to packing clean clothes for our return trip home and with a washer you don’t have to pack as many clothes. So on this trip Mom and I went to the coin-operated self-service laundry near the pool. It took a few dollars to wash and dry our clothes, but the most interesting part was the” people watching” in the laundry. We met some interesting people while we were waiting on our clothes to finish.
The resort has two pools. A smaller piano shaped pool and the larger guitar shaped pool that our room was near. Mom and I sat outside the laundry and watch people in and around the pool while waiting. Beside the pool the resort also played Disney movies on a large inflatable screen that always seemed to draw a large group.
All in all the All Star Music Resort provided a nice place to stay for our group of 4 adults and one toddler. Current pricing on http://www.disneyworld.com/ list standard rooms starting at $82 and Family Suites at $194. 
This is a wonderful review! Thanks for the great pics...I never saw the family suites before.
ReplyDeleteLike that you have stayed at both a DVC and Family Suite. Liked getting your comparison.
ReplyDelete