Theme park vacations are expensive, full stop. But the hotel portion of the trip doesn’t have to be expensive.
There are accommodations for every budget in the Orlando area, including Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort.
I recently stayed at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, one of the cheapest hotels at Disney World. It cost less than my local Hampton Inn in the Atlanta area, but had a lot more amenities.
Here’s what it was like and what potential guests should know about the value resort.
What are the all-star hotels at Disney?
Disney’s Animal Kingdom area has three neighboring All-Star properties: All-Star Sports, Music and Movies.
They are the least-expensive value hotels at Disney World, though not the cheapest places to stay on property. That will be the campsite at Disney’s Fort Wilderness.
Of the three all-star properties, the Sports is the least expensive, but it was fully booked when I planned my visit. The price of All-Star Music falls in between, with All-Star Movies often priced slightly higher because its Disney and Pixar animation-inspired themes make it especially popular.
All three resort properties feature colorful, oversized decor tied to their respective themes. However, their rooms are mostly the same. An exception is All-Star Music’s Family Suites, which have two rooms, sleep six people and include a kitchenette.
Are Disney All-Star Resorts any good?
Yes. Of course, good is relative. I would call any Disney World resort hotel good. However, just as there is a difference between a Four Points by Sheraton and a Ritz-Carlton, even though they are part of the same Marriott Bonvoy hotel family, there is a significant difference between an All-Star and, say, Disney’s Polynesian Villas and Bungalows at the Island Tower, where the rates are much higher.
I’ve been in all three All-Stars and the music has been my favorite. The theme is fun, the grounds are well laid out, and the cast I encountered were great.
I enjoyed the country-themed section with its own building three stories tall with cowboy boots, banjos and fiddles, as well as the giant juke boxes and guitars in the rock section. Broadway buildings are decorated with Times Square-style marquees, giant drum kits anchor the jazz section, and giant xylophones and maracas add color to the calypso buildings. The pools are also themed. The main pool is shaped like a guitar with the Three Caballeros fountain, and the secondary pool is shaped like a piano.
The standard rooms are comfortable and have everything I need. There’s a traditional queen bed and a Murphy-style queen bed that converts into a table. There’s plenty of storage, too, including a dresser with a hidden safe, a doorless closet, plenty of bathroom shelves, coat hooks, and towel hooks. The bathrooms have bathtubs, which are great for small children. Rooms also include the Disney Assistant like Alexa, a flat-screen TV, a coffee maker, a beverage cooler, and other basics.
What are the benefits of staying at a Disney hotel?
For me, the greatest professionals are the cast members who create magic at each Disney Resort hotel. From the front desk to the food court, I encountered so many kind-hearted artists. During my two-night stay I submitted several compliments through Disney World’s mobile app.
More measurable perks include:
- Additional Park Hours: Disney Resort Hotel guests receive 30-minute early theme park admission to all four theme parks. Additionally, guests staying at Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts, and certain others, receive extended evening hours at select parks, on select dates.
- Free admission to the summer water park: Through September 8, all guests staying at Disney Resorts Collection hotels receive free admission to a Disney water park on their check-in date as part of Cool Kids Summer. One-day tickets to Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach during the summer typically cost $74 for adults and $68 for children.
- free parking: Disney World Resort Hotel guests get free standard self-parking at their hotels and theme parks. Standard theme park parking for cars or motorcycles usually costs $35 per day.
- Free Disney Transportation: Depending on the hotel, guests have a variety of complimentary transportation options to the parks and Disney Springs shopping, dining and entertainment complex. Buses are the only option for all-star resorts, but they tend to drop guests off closer to the park entrances than parking their cars, especially at the Magic Kingdom.
- Resort Entertainment: All resorts have free activities like themed pools and movies under the stars. Through September 8, Disney’s Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach, Pop Century, or Port Orleans-Riverside are offering additional activities as part of Cool Kids Summer.
- Disney Dining Deals: This year, children ages 3 to 9 can get a free Disney Dining Plan when the adults in their party purchase plans for themselves. Disney Dining Plans are only available to Disney Resort hotel guests, including Disney Vacation Club members.
- Early Booking Window: Resort hotel guests can begin booking the Lightning Lane attraction seven days in advance of their first park date, while the general public must wait three days. They can also book dining reservations for the duration of their stay up to 60 days prior to check-in.
Disadvantages of being in All-Star Music
One disadvantage of staying at the All-Star is that all the guest rooms face outdoors, and the buildings are not connected to each other, so if it rains and you forget a poncho or umbrella, you’ll be drenched on the property. Depending on where your room is, you may also sweat a lot walking around during the warmer months.
Another con for some guests is that the only free transportation available is the bus service. I never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus to arrive, but if you want to walk to a park or take the skyliner, monorail or watercraft to your hotel, this is not the resort for you. Guests should note that the buses are wheelchair and scooter-accessible.
There is a little less entertainment available at the All-Stars than some other properties, but there are free movies under the stars and two pools with poolside activities, though no waterslides. There is no gym here, although there is a track. There is also a free campfire with s’mores kits available for purchase, paid craft activities, and a pay-to-play arcade.
Finally, there’s no table-service dining if you want that. However, the food at the intermission food court is very good, generously portioned, reasonably priced, and has a wide variety. Picky eaters will find classic dishes like chicken tenders and pizza, but there are also more adventurous options like mojo chicken and tuna poke bowls. There’s also an outdoor bar, Singalong Spirits, at All-Star Music, and there are plenty of table-service restaurants in the parks and Disney Springs.
How much does it cost to stay at All-Star Resort?
Prices vary by date, room type and resort.
I paid $135 per night before taxes for a standard All-Star Music Room with the summer promo offering up to 30% off. The non-discounted rate during my special dates would have been $164.
For perspective, a room at the hotel closest to my Atlanta-area home, the Hampton Inn, costs $152 per night, though it includes free breakfast.
From June 21 to August 15, Disney+ subscribers can get rates starting at $99 per night with a two-night minimum stay at All-Star Sports. Several other Disney World hotels are also offering deals as part of that promo.
In addition to promotions, travelers looking to save on accommodations may want to consider Hotels.com’s recently released 2026 Hotel Price Index, which found that stays starting on Sunday cost 15% less than stays starting on Friday.
The report also said that travelers who book hotels 8 to 14 days before their trip get the best deals, with last-minute bookings saving an average of 23% compared to bookings made four months in advance. The findings, based on internal booking data and a survey of 11,000 global travelers, are industry-wide.
Between the pricing and features, staying at the All-Star can definitely be worth it, but whether it’s right for you is subjective. For example, I personally wouldn’t pick All-Star Sports because I don’t usually care about athletics, but I would definitely be at All-Star Music or Movies again.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY.
