Disney’s All-Star Music Resort is part of a trio of Value Resorts on Walt Disney World property in the Animal Kingdom Resort area.
You can choose between Music, Movies, or Sports.
All of the resorts are set up pretty much the same and have similar amenities, but have different themes. That said, All-Star Music is the only All-Star resort that has family suites. You will not find them at Movies or Sports.
The All-Star resorts are some of the most popular Value Resorts, thanks to the affordable price. You typically see a lot of families and bigger groups (like schools and cheerleading organizations) reserve rooms here.
When it comes to All-Star Music, the resort is obviously all about music. You’ll find different buildings with varying music themes, including: Calypso, Jazz Inn, Rock Inn, Broadway Hotel, and Country Fair.
For a Value Resort, it’s a decent size and has different buildings with Family Suites, Standard Rooms, or Preferred Rooms. And while, like Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, All-Star Music is considered a value resort, the family suites are more expensive compared to the Standard and Preferred rooms. However – they are also cheaper than the Art of Animation suites.
We stayed in an All-Star Music family suite from August 10-16, 2023. Let’s take a look at what it was like staying here for 6 nights by checking out our All-Star Music family suite review.
Why did we choose to stay at All-Star Music?
On August 10, 2023, Felicia and I flew to Disney World for our first official work trip just the two of us! That’s right, Shannon and Heather stayed home after handing us the reins to cover many important items, specifically Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.
We had a lot of work to do during this particular trip, so we certainly didn’t want to be stuck in a small room breathing down each other’s necks — for 6 nights. It was a priority for us to make sure we had enough personal and work space.
And because we’ve already stayed at Art of Animation so many times, it made sense to book a family suite at All-Star Music.
The family suite at All-Star Music checked several boxes for us, including:
Arrival and checking in
I arrived in Orlando before Felicia. After landing at the Orlando International Airport (aka MCO), I took a Lyft to our hotel. But, of course, our room was not ready upon my arrival to the hotel.
I went to the front desk in the lobby (aka Melody Hall) just to double check and see if there happened to be another family suite available. There wasn’t, but the Cast Member working the front desk was very nice and switched us to a room that he could see housekeeping was already cleaning.
The original room we were assigned hadn’t been entered by housekeeping at this point, so the Cast Member hoped this meant I could get into our room in a timely manner. He also didn’t make any promises.
He told me I could drop off my luggage at Bell Services, which is located just outside the lobby. I decided to hang onto my suitcase, because I planned to chill at the hotel until plans later and Felicia arrived.
I then went to the Intermission Food Court to grab a bite to eat. I mobile ordered the Korean-style Impossible Burger, which comes with an Impossible Patty topped with a Korean-style Barbecue Sauce, and Pickled Vegetable Slaw. You can choose fries or apple slices as a side. I chose fries. This was very tasty!
Sorry, I forgot to take a photo because I was very hungry, but here’s what it looks like in the My Disney Experience app.
Can we also talk about all of the condiments available at this food court? They don’t just have ketchup, mustard, mayo, and barbecue sauce out in bins by the fountain sation. They even have ranch dressing sitting out for guests!
You usually have to ask at other hotels for ranch, but not at All-Star Music. Just take all the ranch you want! Don’t mind if I do.
Then, of course, it was time for a beverage. I had to kill time! Attached to the food court is the Singing Spirits bar, which is the only bar at the resort. This is the same bar those at the Calypso Pool can use.
I love that this bar is accessible both indoors and outdoors. If it’s raining or just too darn hot, you don’t have to go outside to order.
What did I get? A beer, Sam Adams Summer Ale. It was delicious!
As I sipped on my beer, I did a little work and then discovered that our grocery order got cancelled. The driver was on their way, but then didn’t come. We’re still not sure what happened. But, this also meant we had to reorder groceries. It was a bit frustrating, because every time I entered the hotel’s address, the grocery app (we used Instacart) said it didn’t exist.
This is what I entered:
1801 West Buena Vista Drive
Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830-8436
This is what we ended up using and, thankfully, our groceries eventually arrived in a timely manner:
1801 West Buena Vista Drive
Kissimmee, Florida 34747
Keep this in mind when ordering groceries to be delivered to All-Star Music. And it never hurts to type in your hotel as the “Business name” to be safe.
After 2 hours hanging in the food court, I finally received a text and push notification that the room was ready.
Remember that lovely Cast Member at the front desk who helped me when I first arrived? He told me he switched us from Calypso Building 1 to Calypso Building 10. Well, as I started walking towards Building 1, I realized our room was still in Building 1. No problem! I just had to switch directions.
However, when I got to the room, none of my MagicBands would unlock the door. I also tried using the unlock feature in the app, but that didn’t work either. So, I had to walk all the way back to the front desk and explained the situation.
Whatever the case, I was finally able to get into the room and a Cast Member at the front desk was kind enough to help. They walked all the way back to the room with me and had another Cast Member come assist, as well. They even took a handful of my MagicBands to link personally and then brought them back to the room.
It felt great to be in the room (especially for the A/C – this particular trip was so hot makeup couldn’t be worn or it would immediately melt off), unpack, and quickly get settled before heading to Hollywood Studios for a little bit.
When Felicia arrived, she had to go to the front desk to link her MagicBands — otherwise she wouldn’t be able to get into the room. In the end, it all worked out.
Felicia and I finally reunited that evening, since she had a later flight. Thanks to the spacious room, we were able to stretch out, chat, and relax. It was a nice way to start what would be a busy trip.
How was our stay in an All-Star Music family suite?
The room
All-Star Music family suites are clean, nice, and spacious. And, thankfully, the rooms don’t have carpets.
There is plenty of storage. You’ll find dressers, a closet in both bathrooms (with hangers), and you can also place luggage underneath the bed in the separate bedroom.
The bathrooms have plenty of counterspace and storage for products.
Overall, both of these bathrooms were great. It’s important to note the bathrooms only have one sink in each, but the bathroom off the bedroom has tons of counter space allowing for two people to get ready at the same time.
And! Despite this bathroom only having a shower, there is a small ledge that you can use to place your foot when shaving. Hallelujah! I hate when there isn’t a shower/tub combo and then you have to balance while holding your leg to shave. I don’t want to have to do that much work.
As for the theme, it’s not going to hit you in the face when you first enter. There are small musical touches, like this lamp with a shade that looks like sheet music and a music note at the base:
The artwork is adorable:
The pull-down beds also have super cute musically-inspired art:
Overall, the theming is mediocre.
Moving onto the beds. They were all extremely comfy. I slept in the Queen bed in the separate bedroom, while Felicia slept in the pull-down bed over the sofa closest to the door. They were both comfortable.
The kitchen area was also super convenient. We basically had a full-size refrigerator and freezer, along with a sink area and microwave.
There was tons of storage for snacks, beverages, and more. Plus, disposable plates bowls, and utensils. Weirdly, the kitchen didn’t have dish soap.
If you’re wondering, we didn’t have any issues with the Wi-Fi. It never seemed to be slow and we always seemed to have decent service.
Location
Because we were in an All-Star Music family suite, we were in a Preferred building located closest to the buses, lobby, gift shop, food court, and Calypso Pool.
We stayed in Building 1 (Calypso) on the third floor. To walk to the buses and main building, it took about 2 minutes.
To access the pool, all we had to do was take the elevator or steps down to the ground level, walk out and — bam — there it was!
Pool
We took advantage of the Calypso Pool once during our trip. After eating a very filling breakfast at ‘Ohana, we chilled at the pool. It was relaxing and extremely quiet.
We went to the pool at the beginning of the day, so most of the guests were probably at the parks at this time.
We were able to easily find lounge chairs and it was a lovely way to spend part of our day.
The Calypso Pool is shaped like a guitar and is themed after the Three Caballeros. There is also a kiddie pool nearby that’s perfect for little ones.
There is one other pool at All-Star Music, the Piano Pool, which is a leisure pool. It sits in the center of Buildings 3 and 4 (Rock Inn), Buildings 5 and 6 (Country Fair), Buildings 2 and 9 (Jazz Inn), and Buildings 7 and 8 (Broadway Hotel).
Noise level
We didn’t have any issues with noise. We couldn’t hear the pool, but we were also on the opposite of the building away from that area. We also never really heard anyone next to us.
Food
All-Star Music has one main dining Quick Service location: the Intermission Food Court.
There is also a bar attached to the Intermission Food Court, Singing Spirits, which also serves as the Calypso pool bar.
Both are decent locations that serve standard food (burgers, pizzas, salads, waffles, breakfast sandwiches, eggs, beer, cocktails).
I had a plant-based burger at the food court on arrival day and it was very good. I also grabbed a beer at the bar, a Sam Adams Summer Ale, which you can order most anywhere outside of Disney World. But, the beer tasted amazing (probably because I was so thirsty).
We also ordered a pizza to share one night and it was the same food court pizza you get at most other resorts on property. It’s solid pizza.
It’s also important to once again recognize the condiments available for guests. There are so many more options compared to other hotels. I appreciated being able to grab ranch dressing at all times and not having to ask at the counter.
That said, we certainly couldn’t eat here every day for lunch and dinner. Thankfully, we ate inside the parks and at other hotels.
Transportation
There’s no denying we are big fans of the Disney Skyliner. As much as we prefer hopping on a gondola versus a bus, we were pleasantly surprised by how easy the buses were during our stay at All-Star Music.
Remember, buses are the only form of Disney transportation here.
During our stay, the buses were always timely and we never once shared a bus with All-Star Movies or Sports.
As we’ve experienced in the past, buses are normally shared at these particular resorts during non-busy times of the day (not first thing in the morning or late at night when parks close).
I asked at the front desk about whether or not buses are still shared between the resorts and was told, “They do still share depending on how full they are.”
We never once shared a bus with another resort — not in the morning, not in the middle of the day, and not in the evening. This also included when a bus wasn’t even full.
Yes, waiting for a bus (for any resort) can be a pain and even more so after a long day at the park when everyone else is in line. But, we must’ve had really good luck or something, because the buses were perfectly wonderful this trip (which, of course, isn’t always the case).
All-Star Music family suite breakdown
Before diving into our thoughts about the suite (and the resort, itself), we think it’s important to go over what makes up an All-Star Music family suite.
When booking an All-Star Music family suite, you’ll either get a view of the pool, courtyard, or parking lot area.
We had a view of the parking lot, which you couldn’t see unless you physically stepped outside your room. In our opinion, the views don’t really matter at the All-Star resorts.
Unlike a hotel-style building (like at Art of Animation), All-Star resorts are motel-style with the hallways and walkways to rooms all outdoors. There aren’t interior hallways. The elevators are also outside.
These suites can sleep up to 6 adults. The sleeping arrangements include:
Here’s what each one looks like:
1 Queen Bed
All of the family suites have one bedroom attached to the main living area. As you can see here, the bedroom contains a queen bed that sleeps 2 adults.
2 Queen-Size Pull-Down Beds
In the main living area, you’ll find 2 queen-size pull-down beds that can sleep 2 adults each. Both the couch and table pull down into beds.
Unlike Art of Animation’s family suites, you don’t have to remove the couch cushions before pulling down the sofa bed. This so much easier and less hassle!
For those traveling with little ones, you can easily fit a crib or a pack ‘n play next to the queen bed.
Even when both beds are pulled down, there is space elsewhere for a crib or pack ‘n play.
The table with 4 chairs is great to eat meals, work, play games, etc. When pulling down the bed, make sure you move the chairs beforehand.
You can easily fold both beds back up to allow for more space in the main living area and so you can use the table and sit on the couch.
Bathrooms
The suites also have two bathrooms.
This one is attached to the main living area, with the vanity area separate from the toilet and tub/shower.
The second bathroom is in the bedroom with the queen bed. This one has a walk-in shower (no tub). But, there is a ledge for shaving (huge perk)!
This vanity area has one sink and is separate from the toilet and shower. While there is no tub in this bathroom, there is more counter space.
Kitchenette
The All-Star Music family suites also have a kitchenette that is between the main living area and bedroom.
There isn’t a toaster, but there is a refrigerator, a coffee maker (not a Keurig), a sink, and a microwave.
There are also disposable plates, cups, bowls, silverware, paper towels, and napkins provided.
Storage
There are several areas to store your belongings, including:
Amenities
The following amenities were available in our All-Star Music family suite:
What makes the All-Star Music family suites different?
All of the family suites at All-Star Music sleep the same number of guests, have two bathrooms, have a kitchenette, and have the same amenities. They also don’t vary in theme and price.
As for location, the family suites are all technically in the “Preferred” buildings — Calypso and Jazz Inn.
If you compare them to the suites at Art of Animation, there is a difference. Here’s a handy graphic to show you the how they vary.
While All-Star Music is technically a “value” resort, the suites are more expensive than the Standard and Preferred rooms also offered. The latter rooms are value price, but they can be much farther away from transportation and Melody Hall.
Let’s break down the pricing for the All-Star Music family suites…
During our stay from August 10, 2023 through August 16, 2023, an All-Star Music family suite came to $2,283.12 (without any discounts).
We applied a 20% Annual Passholder discount, which brought the total down to $1,902.60 (with tax). That’s about $317 per night. Without that discount, it would’ve been about $380 per night.
I forgot to take a screenshot of the exact room rates for August 2023, but here’s what rates look like for August 10-16 in 2024. They are pretty comparable.
That’s pretty decent for a suite — and for 6 nights. When we stayed at Art of Animation in a Finding Nemo suite (which is also the most expensive suite at this resort) for 6 nights in May 2023, we paid $576.67 per night, totaling $3,892.53 (without any discounts applied).
Let’s compare the same amount of nights over the same dates we had booked The Lion King or Cars family suite at this time (they cost the same and are cheaper than Finding Nemo):
- The Lion King and Cars family suites: $539.17 per night, $3639.38 total (with tax)
There’s a clear difference in pricing (over $1,000) for suites at All-Star Music versus Art of Animation. Regarding the latter, you’re also paying for 2 transportation option (buses and the Skyliner), close proximity to another resort (Pop Century), and access to more suites (with 3 different movie themes).
You should always double check to see if there are any Disney World discounts you can apply to your stay.
All-Star Music family suites pros and cons
Pros
Cons
All-Star Music pros and cons
We’d be remiss if also didn’t mention the pros and cons of the overall resort. Hopefully the following will give you a better idea of why you should or shouldn’t book a room at All-Star Music.
Pros
Cons
Be sure to check out our complete guide to Disney’s All-Star Music Resort.
Should you book an All-Star Music family suite?
Disney’s All-Star resorts don’t get enough love. They can be a really decent value for families and groups who don’t want to spend a ton of money on their hotel.
Traveling to Disney World isn’t cheap, so if you want to save some money, booking an All-Star resort is a good choice. And, if you need or want more space, the All-Star Music family suites are a great option. They are actually pretty darn affordable. We would definitely stay here again for the price and the space.
Is an All-Star Music family suite worth it? We think so and for the following reasons:
- If you have a bigger family or group
- If you want more space
- If you want access to some type of kitchen area
- If you need more than one bathroom
- If you want to pay less than Art of Animation’s family suites
- If you don’t want to book and pay for 2 rooms
If you want the following, do not book here:
- More dining options at your resort, including Table Service and lounges
- More transportation options other than buses
- A more exciting family-friendly theme
- Less of a family-friendly vibe and more of a deluxe/adult aesthetic
- To avoid lots of families, littles ones, and big travel groups
- Being able to walk to a park
- A resort located in a theme park area
Like with anything at Disney World, there’s a lot to think about when booking a hotel.
We encourage you to do your homework and figure out exactly what you want. Be sure to compare pricing and see what fits your budget or will be worth it in the long run.
It truly depends on your what you’re willing to spend and what you’re hoping to get out of not just your trip, but your resort.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or want help, try making reservations through a qualified Disney travel agent. We recommend Small World Vacations.