Disney’s All-Star Music Resort: The Complete Guide



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If you want to stay in a Disney World resort yet save money, All-Star Music is an ideal choice. The three All-Star resort complexes – Sports, Music, and Movies – all have fun theming and a unique atmosphere perfect for families. The location is also ideal for those looking to head to the Animal Kingdom or Blizzard Beach, as well as other local Orlando attractions.

As the name suggests, the sections of Disney’s All-Star Music Resort represent a different music genre – rock, Broadway musicals, jazz, calypso, and country. From the class Disney characters rocking it out to the larger-than-life musical instruments, music lovers are going to love the total immersion of melody.

All-Star Music was also the first of the Disney resorts to introduce the family suites, a good alternative to more expensive multi-room villas.  

Table of Contents

Resort Snapshot: Disney’s All-Star Music Resort

Upon arriving at Disney’s All-Star Music, the bright colors draw you in, making you want to see the rest of the resort.

The giant letters will excite your kiddos – be ready to take lots of pictures!

The main building, Melody Hall, has a bold design of white stars on red, contrasting with the dark colors of the floor. As you move through Melody Hall, you’ll find Maestro Mickey’s gift shop as well as Intermission Food Court. Even if you don’t go to Melody Hall on your first day, make sure you check out both these locations during your stay!

Right out the back of Melody Hall is the main theme pool for the resort, located in the Calypso section. This huge pool area is in the shape of a guitar, featuring a fountain with the Three Caballeros at its center. All of the themed sections have two T-shaped buildings, facing each other with a courtyard section in the middle. These courtyards have the same musical theme as the space, getting you into the groove of your section from the moment you walk up to it.

History of Disney’s All-Star Music Resort

Built in 1994, Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort was the first value resort on Disney World property. This was part of a move in the 1990s to provide budget options with that Disney-level of quality, particularly for young families. Hugely successful, especially with the construction of Disney’s Animal Kingdom right down the road, All-Star Sports started a completely new category of resort – Value Resorts. All-Star Music followed shortly behind, also opened in November 1994.

By the end of 1999, the All-Star resort complex was complete, paving the way for Disney’s Pop Century Resort and Disney’s Art of Animation. While many people seem to pass over All-Star Sports, its significance remains in starting the value resort model.

Disney’s All-Star Music Resort Amenities

As a value resort, All-Star Music doesn’t have the same amenities as some of the higher tier Disney resorts. However, All-Star Music has plenty to keep your family comfortable and having fun, particularly with the addition of the family suites. The Disney quality remains at this resort, as do the benefits of staying on property. It’s the best way to get the wallet-friendly hotel and the Disney-level experience all in one vacation.

Rooms at All-Star Music

There are two types of rooms at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort – the standard hotel-style room and the family suites.

Standard Rooms

Standards rooms have one queen bed and a queen-sized Murphy bed (or “table bed”). These rooms also feature a split bathroom, with the sink outside the bathroom. Meanwhile, the toilet and shower-tub are in the bathroom. A wall-mounted TV is above a large dresser, which serves as the primary storage in the room. In addition to the drawers, a mini-fridge is on the left side of the dresser. This is perfect if you have any cold items you would like to store. A small, two-person table completes the room, when the bed is up, and there are a few places to hang items throughout the space.

Within the standard room style, there are two categories– standard and preferred. As we’ve seen before, the preferred rooms aren’t any different in terms of size or layout. What makes a room preferred is the location within the resort. Preferred rooms are typically in the Calypso section of All-Star Music, which is the closest to Melody Hall. Paying a little bit extra to get a preferred room puts you closer to the food and Disney bus transportation, as well as the main guitar pool.

The décor features classic Disney characters in the new cartoon style, playing a variety of music instruments and covering several genres. Again, you get what you pay for in this instance. The rooms are simple, but still comfortable. This makes them ideal for small families looking to spend a lot of time out of the room.

Family Suites

The newest addition to the value resort family is the family suite style of room. These rooms have two bathrooms, a separate bedroom, a kitchenette, and a living area. The best feature is the total of three queen-sized beds. Two of the beds which fold down in the living room in a Murphy-bed style. The down side is these suites are double the cost. However, with almost double the space and amenities, it is definitely worth considering!

Check out the newly remodeled family suites in this video:

Pools

There are two pools at Disney’s All-Star Music – the Calypso Pool and the Piano Pool

Calypso Pool

The Calypso Pool is the main themed pool of the resort, located in the Calypso section of the resort. The two buildings of the Calypso section face in towards the pool, giving guests of those buildings a great view of the pool area. Those guests also have immediate access to the pool, perfect if you have little swimmers in your group.

Calypso brings to life the tale of the Three Caballeros, with a fountain in their honor in the middle of the pool. The large circular base of the guitar shape provides plenty of space for swimming, so unless it’s really crowded you and your kiddos will have plenty of space to play. As you swim up the neck of the guitar, you can see the strings and the frets on the pool bottom, a whimsical touch to going with the theme.

A smaller splash pool serves as the head of the guitar, separate from the bigger pool. This serves as the kiddie pool, ideal for your littles not quite ready to be in with the big kids. You can also find lounge chairs near this space to make that your “home base.” There are some tables spread throughout the pool also, but there are definitely more lounge chairs than tables. If you want a table, I suggest going down to the pool earlier in the morning. You could also try to hit it later in the afternoon around 3:00 or 4:00, when people are starting to leave.

Piano Pool

Piano Pool is right in the middle of the rest of the resort buildings, literally surrounded by a circular path than connects them all. This pool takes on the shape of a grand piano, with a full set of keys on the pool deck and music notes spread around the seating area. At some other resorts, you might consider this to be an alternative pool, quieter than the main pool. However, given its location, you should expect Piano Pool to see a decent amount of traffic. If you’re staying in the Jazz Inn sections of the resort, you might want to take the short walk to the Guitar Pool rather than fight with the three other sections for the Piano Pool.

Scope out the Piano Pool in this video:

Parking

For those planning to have their own vehicle, there’s plenty of parking at All-Star Music. Each building has access to close parking, with the exception of buildings five and six, which are at the far end of the resort. If you’re looking for a building with parking on all sides, make a request for building one in the Calypso section or three and four in the Rock Inn.

As a value resort, the overnight parking fee is $15 per night. All-Star Music does not have a valet parking option. As always, you can come visit the resort for fun, provided the resort doesn’t have an event that would make it overly busy. With the incredible musical genre theme, you would get some awesome pictures during a day trip!

Sports and Recreation at Disney’s All-Star Music

As a value resort, All-Star Music doesn’t have all the same sports options as some of the higher tier stays. However, there is still plenty to do!

Jogging Trails

Those who love a good walk or run will enjoy this jogging trail through the entire All-Star resort areas.

The trail is approximately one and a half miles long, going from the end of All-Star Sports all the way to the end of All-Star Movies. While the trail isn’t a circuit, you have the benefit of being at the beginning end of the trail. This makes your total run or walk about three miles.

This is also a great activity in the evening, taking you around the entirety of the resort while giving you the chance to take some great pictures along the way.

Playground

Over in the Jazz Inn section, a playground complex is the perfect way for your younger kiddos to get out some energy. Especially if you’re taking a break from the parks, you don’t want to just sit in your room during the vacation. Let your little ones swing, slide, run around, and just be kids!

Note’able Games Arcade

While some of the deluxe resorts are getting rid of their arcades, this feature fits right in at All-Star Music!

Next to the food court in Melody Hall is Note’able Games Arcade, with all of your typical arcade entertainment. This is a great stop on a rainy day, as you can have fun playing the games together without being stuck in your room. For a Disney arcade, it’s also a decent size, so you might have less competition with other guests for the games.

Movie Under the Stars

Like many of the Disney resorts, All-Star Music offers an outdoor movie night on select evenings. This is a great way to wrap up your day, especially if you’re not in a park or don’t have to get up early the next morning. Bring your own snacks, a blanket or chairs, and of course your whole family!

You could also stop in the Intermission Food Court to get a portable dinner before the show, making it a fun dinner and movie night. The movies are always Disney favorites and kid-friendly, so you don’t need to worry about the content. One of the benefits of the family atmosphere!

Movies at All-Star Music outside Melody Hall, near Intermission Food Court, providing plenty of space for all who want to come and watch. This set of buildings is near the front of the resort, close to the Calypso section. 

Disney’s All-Star Music Transportation Options

As far as transportation goes, the options at All-Star Music are limited. However, that’s what makes All-Star Music a great place for drivers, as you have plenty of parking and quick access to the rest of Walt Disney World.

If you’re looking to take Disney transportation, you’re going to be using the Disney bus system. The bus stop is right out front of Melody Hall, and that’s the only place to catch a bus. If you’re on the other side of the resort, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to walk over to Melody Hall to get your bus. Once you’re on a Disney bus, you can get over to another resort or park to use another type of Disney transportation.

Disney’s All-Star Music Resort Location

Disney’s All-Star resorts, including All-Star Music, are right off Osceola Parkway at the lower end of the resort. While you can see the resorts from 192, you can’t actually get to the resorts from that road. You’ll need to go further into Disney World property to get there.

To get onto Osceola Parkway, get off Florida 400 (I-4) at the W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway (530) Disney World exit, and then turn right onto World Drive. At the next light, you’ll turn left onto Osceola Parkway, and almost immediately left again into the All-Star resort complex. All three All-Star resorts have the same main road connecting them, with their own small entrances for each individual resort.

Disney’s All-Star Music Resort Address

1801 West Buena Vista Drive
Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830-8436

Contact Information

If you need to contact the resort directly, call (407) 939-6000. However, if you have any questions about bookings, tickets, or packages, you should call (407) 939-5277 to speak with a Disney World representative. All dining reservations go through Disney’s online booking service.

Get ready to rock out your stay at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort!

Grace Hoyos, Staff Writer

Grace is a life-long lover of all things Disney, particularly the parks at Walt Disney World. She is also an avid Disney Cruise Line enthusiast who regularly dreams of the white sands of Castaway Cay. Grace loves the fact that her Disney trips give her time to spend with her family, enjoy incredible food, and try new experiences.



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