Everything You Need to Know About Disney’s Value Resorts

by The WDW Lists
Posted On June 30, 2021

If you’re on a budget while planning a trip to Disney World, you’ve most likely come across the category of Disney’s value resorts. While there’s enough information about resorts out there to make your head spin, here’s a breakdown of this popular, inexpensive way to stay onsite at Disney World!

First off, we all want to get the most magical vacation for our money, that much is clear. Because of that, we like to look at all options to save money, and lodging takes up a HUGE portion of our budget! Although it may sound counterintuitive, I would encourage you to look at the value resorts as opposed to staying at an offsite hotel or rental (with certain exceptions, of course!).

Before we begin, if any of this sounds overwhelming, you should know that as an authorized Disney Vacation Planner, I am happy to help you book your next trip! There’s never an added cost or hidden fee to book with me- just the right amount of hand-holding and pixie dust!

I can work with ALL budgets, including payment plans! You can connect with me here, and I’ll get back with you ASAP to plan the best trip ever! Now, BACK to value resorts!

The value category of resorts consists of:

Disney’s All Star Movies Resort

Disney’s All Star Sports Resort
Disney’s All Star Music Resort
Disney’s Pop Century Resort

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort

Let’s get one thing out of the way- none of Disney’s onsite properties are sketchy. The term value has a certain connotation that’s hard to shake in terms of the hotel/motel industry. Having stayed at multiple value locations, I felt completely safe not only in my room, but also taking a solo trek to do laundry or pick up a snack in the main building at night (while openly carrying my wallet). That’s something I can’t even say about my own neighborhood.

Entrances to the parking area managed by a staffed attendant booth at all times. You’re also likely to see security carts trawling the parking lots and cast members popping in and out of service areas frequently. Disney has gone to great lengths to minimize the risk of anyone creeping around that doesn’t belong.

Now that that’s out of the way! Some benefits that all value resorts have in common are things like access to Disney’s internal transportation and MagicBand capabilities. This may go without saying, but all resorts also have a dining location in the main building.

Internal transportation at Disney consists of the bus system (including Disney’s Magic Express through the end of 2021), the Skyliner gondolas, the Monorail, and ferries at select resorts. Value resorts will all have access to the bus system while only Pop Century and Art of Animation have access to both the buses and the Skyliner.

MagicBands are vinyl bracelets that have an embedded RFID puck, which can unlock your hotel room door, grant access to laundry facilities, charge purchases to your room (including dining!), and scan for access to rides in the park once the FastPass+ system returns. You can purchase a MagicBand prior to your trip for less than $10; however, all MagicBand functions can be replaced by a combination of providing a different, physical payment method, your ticket card, or by the My Disney Experience app on your cell phone.

Each resort has its own unique theming that Disney is known for. The value resorts in particular are known for their larger-than-life character statues that theme each building within the hotel. Talk about a memorable photo op! Without further ado, let’s talk about each resort and what makes it so special!

Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort

As part of Disney’s “All Star” series of hotels, All Star Movies is one of Disney World’s most affordable onsite options for families. Buildings sport characters from Disney blockbusters, like Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story. Theming carries over into the pool areas, with the main pool where Sorcerer Mickey sprays water into the Fantasia-themed pool below.

The World Premiere Food Court provides meals familiar to kids and their families. Think: pizza, burgers, Mickey Waffles, and other prepared foods. Don’t worry, Disney has also stepped up their game of offering more healthy options like salads, fresh fruit, and plant-based alternatives. Parents can also unwind with an adult beverage from the Silver Screen Spirits Pool Bar after a long day at the parks.

If the kids still have some energy and excitement to burn off at the end of the day, the Reel Fun Arcade may be the answer before heading back to the room. For a more peaceful end to the day, value resorts will sometimes offer outdoor movies near the main lobby, with blankets provided for lounging!

Newly refurbished rooms offer queen-size beds, including a pull-down murphy bed, as well as the option of a single king-size bed. Again, All Star Movies is one of least expensive hotel options, which makes staying onsite attainable for more families!

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Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort

Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort is a dream come true for little sports fans! The grounds of All-Star Sports are decorated with enormous renditions of sports equipment and characters joining in the fun. You’ll also find a faux football field (say that five times fast!) between buildings where you can often find little ones letting off some steam or a school group getting a little goof-off time on the turf.

All-Star Sports is often the destination for many groups that participate in youth athletic competitions throughout the year, especially during the Pop Warner National Championship Week, which has been hosted at Disney World historically, but is moving to Universal Studios starting in December 2021.

As another example of Disney’s most affordable onsite hotels, All-Star Sports has a similar, bare-bones approach to their dining experience in the End Zone Food Court. You will also find the rooms to be sparsely decorated and finished in materials that stand up to the high traffic it experiences throughout the year. Adults can belly-up to the Grandstand Spirits Pool Bar, nearby the Surfboard Bay Pool.

READ: Looking for a sneaky way to save on Disney? Find out my favorite money-saving apps!

Disney’s All-Star Music Resort

If you are a music lover and a fan of musical theatre, you’ll love Disney’s All Star Music Resort. Buildings are themed to different genres of music, as well as famous musical moments in Disney history. For example, the Three Caballeros serve as a water feature in the center of Calypso Pool, and you can walk to your room under the glow of an enormous Rock n’ Roll jukebox.

One thing that is unique about All-Star Music is their family suites. A queen-size bed is in one room while sleeper sofas and ottomans are spaced throughout the living area. The suites also feature an L-shaped kitchenette with a cooler and microwave.

Again, you’ll find more limited selections at their Intermission Food Court that are popular with a younger crowd looking for options like pizza and nachos. Those looking for harder libations will find a standard repertoire of cocktails at the Singing Spirits Pool Bar.

Something that stood out to us is simply how large this campus is. Maybe it seemed like a longer trek after a long park day, but if you find yourself assigned to one of the far buildings, you’ll pass by not only the enormous pool, but you’ll also pass through several courtyards and down a “sidestreet” to get home for the evening. If you anticipate popping into the food court or grabbing a quick drink in the evenings, you may consider booking a preferred room, which is closer to dining and transportation.

In terms of visiting school groups, I remember staying at All-Star Music Resort as part of my school’s marching band (Can you feel the coolness?). Schools apply for invitations to march in parades down Main Street at the Magic Kingdom. It would be my educated guess that these schools are offered discounted room blocks at All-Star Music.

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Disney’s Pop Century Resort

Pop Century is slightly more expensive than the “All Star” series of resorts. There’s a ton to love about Pop Century, but we’ll start with one of its biggest draws: the Skyliner gondolas. The Skyliner station is a short walk from the main building on a man made island in the middle of Hourglass Lake. The station is accessible by bridge from both the Pop Century and Art of Animation resorts.

The Skyliner carries you to Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, after a quick change to one of two different Skyliner routes, you continue on to Disney’s Riviera Resort, Epcot, or Hollywood Studios. If that sounds confusing, you’ll be pleased to find abundant signage and cast members directing you to the correct location. We love the Skyliner, and it turned out to be one of our favorite “rides!”

Another benefit that the Skyliner brings is the ease of resort hopping. In other words, you can either cross the Skyliner station bridge to see everything that Art of Animation can offer, or you can hop on the Skyliner to dine at the Riviera Resort and see their beautiful mosaics! If you’re up for a bit more adventure, you can ride the Skyliner all the way to Epcot and walk to nearby resorts like Disney’s BoardWalk Inn for even more dining, shopping, and entertainment options!

Back on the ground at Pop Century, you’ll find Everything POP!, which is both a quick service dining option and gift shop area inside the main building. Inside the main building, you’ll also find an arcade with video games, claw machines, ski ball, and air hockey. On the back side of the main building, you’ll find Petals Pool Bar. It’s themed to the adjacent, Hippy Dippy Pool. On the back side of Petals Pool Bar, you’ll see the centrally located guest laundry center, although you’ll find a couple more sprinkled throughout the location.

Speaking of pools, Pop Century has a total of four swimming pools, including a shallow Kiddie Pool near the centrally located Hippy Dippy Pool. When researching your dates, watch for notifications of maintenance during offseasons on the pool areas. Luckily, if one pool is under maintenance, you’ll likely find another pool within walking distance!

The rooms are sleek with a mid-century modern feel. You’ll find pops of color and characters on the decor. We love that there is a dining table with chairs, although the table folds down when you pull down a queen-size murphy bed from the wall. Pop Century is one of the only value resorts with a queen size mattress, as most have a full size bed. There’s lots of storage to be found, including an in-room safe. We also make full use of the in-room cooler when we have groceries delivered. We have a lot to say about Pop Century- it’s easy to see why it’s one of our favorites!

READ: Everything You Need To Know About Disney’s Pop Century Resort

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort

We love the theming of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort! Enormous statues of characters like Cruz Ramirez from Cars 3 and King Triton from The Little Mermaid are sprinkled throughout the resort, which coincides with the themed rooms. The theming of the rooms is over the top! You and your princess can sleep under a purple seashell in a Little Mermaid room. Larger groups of up to six adults can sleep in family suites that feature a kitchenette with a microwave. The family suites are heavily themed as the Cars franchise, Finding Nemo, and The Lion King. They also have a separate living area and bedroom, as well as two bathrooms- a luxury when travelling with a larger family!

Guests can find Art of Animation’s Landscape of Flavors, its quick service location in the main building. Parents may also cozy up to The Drop Off Pool Bar, adjacent to The Big Blue Pool and a quick walk to a shallow, kids’ splash pool. This is one of Disney World’s most favorite pools due to its heavy theming and music being streamed for swimmers to hear underwater! Other areas of the hotel have their own pools themed to the area. As a quick reminder, be sure to check for scheduled maintenance on the pools before booking!

As you can see, each resort has something super unique about it that sets it apart from just about any other resort in the world! Of course the resorts are just the beginning of what makes Disney such a special destination! Have you stayed at one of Disney’s Value Resorts? Which one is your favorite? Let us know below in the comments!