Need Help Choosing Between The ASMo and the BC

[Butchiem1]

Hi Guys/Gals,

Well its that time of year again for my annual trip with my 2 DSs (13 And 11) to The World

I have a question regarding where to stay, and Im hoping if you guys/gals can help me as you usually do.

We will be staying for 4 days and Im deciding between the All Star Movies ($300) or the Beach Club ($880)

My wife is telling me we need to save money (of course) and that I should stay at the All Star Movies. My brain is telling me that the ASMo is soooo far from everything and Im also worrying about the buses to/from the Parks and DTD, wont they be packed to capacity since the buses go to all THREE resorts instead of just one?

What Should I do, should I save money and go to ASMo or Splurge and go beach club.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Nathan

[ravsluvdisney]

Those are two pretty extreme options. What about a moderate or a more scaled down deluxe like the WL?

[Butchiem1]

Yes, I agree, BUT the reason Im choosing those is because We've stayed at many resorts and Im trying to stay at all the rersorts at least once, and the Villas I leave for the trip in January we take with our whole family (me, DW, 3 DSs and DD)

I also feel that I always decide not to do the All Star Movies because I always say "I dont want to stay at the ASMo" So Now I think it might just be time

[TammiMcMan]

I leave for the trip in January we take with our whole family (me, DW, 3 DSs and DD)

Is it 6 people then, what ages for your kids? Just wondering if they are older and would enjoy Stormalong Bay, although swimming in January is not always an option (unless you come from a colder climate). If they're younger, sharing the smaller beds at a value might not be an issue. With at least 5 of you though, you'd need to look at 2 rooms at the AllStars, which you could request that they connect or look at the family suite.

If you're only worried about transportation, I really haven't heard people complain about the buses being overly crowded. Hopefully you'll hear from some folks that have first hand experience.

[wdw_bound]

I took DS by myself in January. I had never stayed in a Value, because, honestly, some of the negative reviews (HS cheer teams, little league ballplayers running amok, etc.) had scared me away for our family trips. But, this last time, we had a Value rate too low to pass up, which was how I was able to swing a birthday suprise trip.

We stayed at ASMo, and I was very pleasantly suprised. We did get a preferred room (requested and got Toy Story), so the location was convenient. Transportation was only a problem one morning - there was a tour group from Brazil and they all got in the DHS bus line - it would have easily taken 2 buses just to accommodate this one group, so DS and I switched up plans and went to MK for the morning. Most of our buses did not stop at any of the other values in either direction. I think maybe the DTD bus did, but can't remember any of the others doing so. As for long waits, we never waited more than a few minutes for buses to or from the resort.

The theming at ASMo is well done. The pool is nice, and we enjoyed walking over to ASMu for lunch one day.

If you can spend the extra $ without feeling it, I wouldn't hesitate to stay at BC. But if you could use that money better elsewhere, I'd say ASMo is a very good choice for a quick getaway.

Have a great trip!

[mom2morgan]

Well, I guess it depends partly on your financial situation - if you really NEED to save money, or merely think you SHOULD save money. But, if you plan to stay at every resort at least once, you are going to have to stay at All Star eventually - so why not now? A 4 day trip is fairly short so it won't be unbearable even if you don't like it.

[Butchiem1]

Is it 6 people then, what ages for your kids? Just wondering if they are older and would enjoy Stormalong Bay, although swimming in January is not always an option (unless you come from a colder climate). If they're younger, sharing the smaller beds at a value might not be an issue. With at least 5 of you though, you'd need to look at 2 rooms at the AllStars, which you could request that they connect or look at the family suite.

If you're only worried about transportation, I really haven't heard people complain about the buses being overly crowded. Hopefully you'll hear from some folks that have first hand experience.

no, my point was that THIS TRIP is in June with just my 2 DSs (11 and 13), so we don't need alot of room, in January when I go with the WHOLE family (2 adults and 4 kids) we need more space so I save the villa accomidations for THAT TRIP.

[gerald72]

Stay at Beach Club (extra $500) but eliminate park hopping and water parks and more (save few 100) and break even.
Unless you weren't getting those to begin with.
Hmmm...listen to the wife and sleep in comfortable bed, or don't listen to wife and sleep on floor.

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

You could stay at ASMo and rent a car and it would still cost you less than BC. That way you wouldn't need to rely on the buses. That was the only thing I hated about the values; it took forever to get anywhere!

[crazygoalie39]

Ummmm....Beach Club? I don't really see a question here. If you can afford it, do it. But if you can't, Pop Century > ASMo.

[Butchiem1]

But if you can't, Pop Century > ASMo.

I've already stayed there, so that one is out of the question

[TammiMcMan]

no, my point was that THIS TRIP is in June with just my 2 DSs (11 and 13), so we don't need alot of room, in January when I go with the WHOLE family (2 adults and 4 kids) we need more space so I save the villa accomidations for THAT TRIP.

Okay, sorry, didn't quite understand that in your post. I'd say, if it's just the "guys", go ahead and try out the value. It's a short amount of time and you'll have the satisfaction of crossing it off your list .

[wmdaddy]

If money is a concern, stay at ASMovies. I've stayed there many many times, and always loved it. Truth be told, you'll get to both the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom faster by bus than you will by staying at BC. In fact, money being an issue or not, we plan on getting 2 rooms there for one of our next trips. We love it there.

[disneyers]

We stayed at an All Star in December 2008 (All Star Music) and were "sold" on the Values.

If a Value will make your trip more affordable (and if you're on an mission to stay at all the resorts), then you'll have no problem with the All Stars. We had zero bus wait time problems (same wait times as at Pop.) Zero problems with our room location, etc. Busses were never packed to the max.

Have a great trip!

[bruin1344]

BC is my favorite resort and its so much better than the value resorts. The short walks to Epcot and DHS are worth it over the buses. If its not a big setback, spend the extra $500.

[disneymom2000]

I would go with ASMo and save BC for a future vacation. At some point you may want to do a surprise vacation or wind up going for a more special treat which would definitely rate being at a more exclusive resort.

[megustamex]

As my kids get older we enjoy the values more and more. We're hardly ever in the room now, always in the parks, and we like the music and games at the pool at the All Star Music (which you can walk to if you want from the Movies). I just can't beat the deal - we've been staying for 2 weeks for less than the price of a week at the AKL where we used to always stay.

[Mickey'sGirl]

Some of our best stays have been Value stays (including All Star Movies). I wouldn't hesitate to stay there with your boys. They'll love the pool regardless!

[c&d]

I would save the money and go with ASMo. When we stayed there I was pleasantly surprised by the resort. I didn't think I would enjoy it and it turned out to be a really nice resort. We stayed in the Toy Story building and it was close to everything.

[Disney Doll]

We stayed at ASMo back when values were all we could afford and it was great. The buses weren't so bad except for the mass exodus at park closing. It does seem like the buses are more crowded at the values. Are there more rooms at the value resorts? My only other complaint was that the values always felt crowded with all the rooms in close proximity, but then again some people complain about other resorts being too spread out.

I like the idea of renting a car. You'd still save money over the Beach Club and you wouldn't have to worry about the buses. That said, we are planning our 1st Beach Club trip this year and I'm pretty pumped. It sure looks nice.