When I made plans to spend a long weekend with my friend at Walt Disney World over the 4th of July weekend, we decided to just go with the best deal we could get for accommodations, which turned out to be at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort. My friend was flying in from out of town and arrived the night prior to me, and that evening I received a text from her: “We’re in a suite.” Obviously, we hadn’t booked one for just the two of us as the plan was to save money, but that is what we were given at check-in. My first thought at receiving an upgraded room at Disney is usually “Awesome!” In this case, however, I have to admit that my first thought was actually “oh no…not a sofa bed.” But more on that later.
All-Star Music is themed to different musical genres, and our 520 square foot suite was located in the “Jazz” section of the resort, which is fairly close to the main lobby.
The main room of the suite felt more open than a typical “value” hotel room, and contained a small dining table, a couch, a chair and ottoman, and a coffee table. The room was decorated in a mish-mash of colors, not really following a particular scheme other than trying to coordinate with the music-inspired border atop the walls.
The music theme was carried throughout the room from the art on the walls all the way down to the treble clef lamp.
Just off the main room was the main bathroom, appearing just as it would in a standard All-Star Music room. On the other side of the main room was the kitchenette. It contained a refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, and ample shelving and counter space to store food items and prepare them. While the area felt a little cramped with more than one person trying to utilize it at one time, it was more than adequate for our needs.
To the left of the kitchenette was the suite’s bedroom. The room was themed similar to the rest of the suite, and contained a queen bed, a chair, a second television, dresser, and desk. The availability of the desk is an especially nice addition for those wishing to utilize the resort’s free wifi via laptop.
To the right of the kitchenette was the second bathroom for the suite, again seemingly unchanged from the original layout of the hotel room it had been converted from. It was nice to have two bathrooms in the suite, which allowed us to both get ready for the day at the same time.
The suites at All Star Music feature the master bedroom with a queen-size bed and three convertible beds. The sofa converts into a double bed, and the chair and ottoman both convert into single bed beds. Here is a look at what the chair bed looks like when its been folded out.
Now, about that sofa bed. I’ve had some bad luck with Disney sofa beds before, but fortunately this one wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. The metal frame was somewhat noisy when getting on and off the bed, but the bed itself was comfortable. and I actually slept surprisingly well on it.
The All-Star Music suites definitely aren’t as well-themed as the ones at the new Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, but keep in mind that they are also less expensive – sometimes as much as $100.00+ a night less from what I’ve seen. If you’re just looking to have the extra room, that is a significant savings.
Another thing to consider when choosing between the two: because of the bed configuration, the All-Star Music suites feature a better bed set up for a larger group. Co-sleeping would be a necessity at Art of Animation for a group larger than three, whereas at All-Star Music you could have up to four guests without having to share a bed. While this may not be a big deal for those with small children, for a family with older children or a group of friends traveling together, the bedding arrangements would probably be preferable.
My stay in an All-Star Music family suite wasn’t planned, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I’d definitely stay there again, and I think it’s a great option for families who are on a budget and want/need the extra room.
Disney’s All-Star Music Resort – map & links
Click any marker to display the attraction or venue name. To scroll or zoom, use the controls on the top-left of the map. You may also switch to different map views by using the buttons on the top-right of the map.
Please note that as of the publishing date Google Maps has All-Star Music mistakenly labeled as All-Star Movies.
Official website: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/all-star-music-resort/
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