#value resort

Universal Orlando’s Surfside Inn and Suites Now Accepting Reservations

The most affordable hotel option at Universal Orlando Resort is now accepting reservations. Opening in August 2019, Universal’s Endless Summer Resort – Surfside Inn and Suites will be the first hotel in the destination’s new Value hotel category, with rates starting at less than $100 per night. It will offer a hotel option for families looking for theme park thrills, exclusive benefits and a…

Themed sections

If you’ve ever stayed at one of Disney’s Value or Moderate resorts you know how large they are. All-Star Sports is no different. Some of the buildings are quite a distance from Stadium Hall, which means a longer walk to bus transportation and dining options. On our most recent trip, we stayed in Building 3 of the Hoops Hotel section.  The room was a manageable distance from amenities, but, at the same time, far enough away from the activity and noise of the main pool.

Sections with Best Theme

If you’re traveling with a sports fan, by all means, stay in the section that appeals to them; however, if your travel party is open to any theme, I’d suggest requesting a room in either the Touchdown! or Homerun Hotel sections.

Football fanatics will find it hard to resist running or throwing a pass on the football field located between the Touchdown! buildings. We had a difficult time prying my son away from this area when we toured the grounds–he just loved running the routes with Dad! In addition to the great theming, the Touchdown! buildings are located just south of Stadium Hall, hence they offer a modicum of convenience when compared to Homerun Hotel.

Just past the Touchdown! section, the Homerun Hotel will have baseball fans hankering for a hot dog and a beer. Bleachers and chain link fence surround the Grand Slam Pool while pennants and oversized baseball bats adorn the buildings. 

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Most Convenient Section

Disney’s All Star-Resort Guests who prefer to be in the middle of it all should request a room in the Surf’s Up section. These rooms offer the ultimate in convenience, and, as a result, the Surf’s Up buildings are considered preferred rooms. They cost approximately $20.00 more per night.

Quietest Section

Guests looking for a little more peace and quiet should request a room in the Center Court section.

DIStracted Tip: Of course all of this advice is turned on its head if there’s a sports team staying at the resort. The All-Star Resorts are notorious for hosting teams participating in events at the  ESPN Wide World of Sports. What does this mean for resort Guests? More noise and activity throughout the resort as well as a crowded food court. There was a International Youth Netball Tournament during our most recent visit, however, it didn’t impact my family much as we spent little time at the resort. If you know your travel dates, check them against the upcoming events at ESPN Wide World of Sports.

Pools

Not only do Guests have access to the two pools at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort, they are welcome to use the pools at the neighboring All-Star Music and All-Star Movie Resorts. Guests can hop between the following pools:

Disney’s All-Star Sports: Grand Slam and Surfboard Bay Disney’s All-Star Music: Calypso and Piano Pools Disney’s All-Star Movies: Duck Pond and Fantasia Pools

The All-Star pools are simple, bare bones pools, consequently, Guests looking for slides or hot tubs will be disappointed. Nonetheless, what the pools lack in bells and whistles, they make up for in whimsy and theme.

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  Dining

Guests returning to Disney’s All-Star Sports after a long day in the parks can opt to eat at End Zone Food Court. I didn’t find the lunch or dinner menus appealing and ended up eating only breakfasts here. (I would recommend the egg white omelette). If your plans don’t allow for lunch or dinner elsewhere, walk over to Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort and eat at the World Premiere Food Court; while not nearly as convenient, the general consensus among regulars is that the World Premiere Food Court is the best of all All-Star food courts.

A fair warning to pizza lovers: the pizza is akin to a frozen pizza and way overpriced. A monster slice and side salad will set you back $9.99. Guests can purchase an entire cheese pizza and Caesar salad for $16.99 plus tax.  The pizza will be delivered directly to Guest rooms from 6pm-1am. A $3.00 delivery fee and 18% gratuity applies.

Transportation

Heading to a them park during the late afternoon? You may end up sharing bus transportation with Guests from the other All-Star Resorts. While this translates to longer travel times, Disney’s All-Star Sports’ Guests need not fret: All-Star Sports is typically the first stop! Over the course of my visit, I only encountered  a shared bus once–when I headed to Epcot around dinner time. During peak travel times, before park opening for example, there should be separate buses for each of the All-Star Resorts.

DIStracted Tip: If you’d prefer to stay at a budget-friendly resort with dedicated bus service, check out Pop Century or Art of Animation Resorts. These value level accommodations are a bit more expensive than All-Star Sports Resort, however, they still offer a good bang for the buck for budget conscious Guests.

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Animation Hall

We arrived at Art of Animation and checked in at Animation Hall at the front of the resort.  The colors of the front desk blew me away, and my daughters were in awe of the different sketches adorning the walls.  The whole area is very sleek and modern.  After checking in, we wandered around Animation Hall, and found the Ink and Paint souvenir shop along with the Landscape of Flavors counter service dining area.  We grabbed a yummy slice of pizza from Landscape of Flavors for dinner one night.  The wall of baked goods held so many delectable treats, it was hard to choose just one.  My daughter opted for the Finding Nemo cupcake.  Lucky for me, she decided to share a couple of delicious bites!

Animation Hall

Little Mermaid Room

We made our way to our room in the Little Mermaid section of the resort.  My daughters loved the bright, colorful decor in the room.  The details took you “under the sea,” and made you want to cha-cha with Sebastian!  We even caught a glimpse of Ariel’s trove of treasures in the shower!  The furnishings in the room match with the other value resorts–2 double beds, a small table, one bathroom with outside vanity area, and a entertainment center/dresser combo.  The Little Mermaid rooms are the only rooms with this set up.  All of the other buildings onsite are Family Suites which contain a bedroom with Queen size bed, a pull out sofa, a bed that converts from the table, kitchenette, and 2 bathrooms.  The Family Suites can sleep up to 6, while the Little Mermaid Standard Rooms sleep 4.

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A short stroll from our room was the Flippin’ Fins Pool.  We cooled off in the pool while giant-sized statues of Ariel, King Triton, and Ursula looked down upon us!  The theming at the pool was amazing!  Huge versions of Ariel’s treasures could be found nearby, and the landscaping mimicked undersea plants.

Lion King, Finding Nemo, and Cars

The Little Mermaid rooms were located furthest from Animation Hall and Landscape of Flavors.  However, with the excellent theming of the Art of Animation Resort, we enjoyed our long walk that let us explore the other areas!

Located nearest to Animation Hall is the Finding Nemo building and The Big Blue Pool.  The zero entry area of the Big Blue Pool made it perfect for our girls to splash and play where they could touch the bottom, but not in the way of other guests on the steps.  Two giant jellyfish showered water down, and just across from the Big Blue Pool was a splash area for the little ones.

On the way back to our room, we strolled with Simba and friends through the jungle of the Lion King area.  As we journeyed further, we came across the hyenas at the elephant boneyard which was actually an area where the kids could play.

By far my favorite area of the whole resort–the Cars area!  I thought I actually drove right into Radiator Springs!  The details are exactly identical to the set of the movie; from Luigi’s tire shop, to the Wheel Well Motel, and especially the Cozy Cone Motel!  The Cozy Cone Pool was adorable!  To enter the pool area, you pass through the motel itself.  You could even lounge by the pool in a cabana shaped like a giant orange cone!  My words cannot do justice to this area of the resort!  Check out the pictures to see for yourself.

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I cannot wait to plan another trip to Disney’s Art of Animation Resort soon!  I would love to take one of the Cars Family Suites for a test drive!  Have you stayed in a Family Suite?  I’d love to hear about your experience!

New Post has been published on http://www.themainstreetmouse.com/2016/01/19/catch-this-tasty-offer-at-walt-disney-world-resort/

Catch This Tasty Offer At Walt Disney World Resort

You and your party can enjoy a FREE Meal per person, per night at quick-service locations when you buy a non-discounted 4-night/5-day room and ticket package at a Disney Value Resort hotel for arrivals most nights May 29-Jun. 30, 2016 and Jul. 5-Aug. 13, 2016 when they book Jan. 19-Feb. 29, 2016.

Booking Window: Jan. 19-Feb. 29, 2016

Travel Window: May 29-Jun. 30, 2016 and Jul. 5-Aug. 13, 2016 Minimum Length of Stay: 3 nights (and minimum 2-day Magic Your Way® Base Ticket)

As a child, I visited Walt Disney World several times and I always imagined staying at one of the “Monorail Resorts.” My family usually stayed at hotels in the Orlando area, but never at a Walt Disney World Resort. In fact, it wasn’t until I was an adult that I learned that Walt Disney World offered different categories of Resorts for Guests. Some friends and I decided we wanted to take a trip to Walt Disney World, so we booked a short trip to Disney’s Pop Century Resort in 2005 and had a great time!

Fast forward to 2010 for my family’s first trip. Through my research I found that Walt Disney World really packs a lot into the Value Resorts to make them a good value – but you already know how I feel about that (“Finding the Value in Disney Resorts“). So, looking over all my Value Resort options, Pop Century Resort came out on top!

Our first family stay at Disney’s Pop Century Resort!

One thing I LOVE about this resort is all the oversized toys and games that are EVERYWHERE. I just knew my 3 year old daughter would enjoy seeing some of her favorite characters and toys bigger than life! Pop Century Resort is a celebration of Pop Culture from the 50s to the 90s! It is like an oversized scrapbook of the best those decades have to offer! Each section of rooms is dedicated to a different decade.

1950s – Rock-and-roll was king and everyone loved a good tune from a jukebox! “Lady and the Tramp” is a Disney Classic from 1955 and the main characters overlook the courtyard.

1960s – Everything is GROOVY MAN, with tie-dye and psychedelic colors taking people back in time. The characters Mowgli and Baloo, from Disney’s “The Jungle Book,” appear to be dancing through the courtyard.

1970s – Mickey himself takes centerstage in this section while a larger-than-life Foosball game stands in the courtyard. The 8-track tapes are a gentle reminder of how far technology has come!

1980s – A towering Rubik’s Cube reminds us how we used to spend our downtime along with a replica of the Sony Walkman.

1990s – Technology boomed in the 90s and is celebrated with laptops and cell phones in this section celebrating the end of the century.

When it comes to picking a section to request – my family is a little different. We actually do not like being close to the pools when we are at a resort. Why? Because if my kids SEE a pool, they won’t want to do anything else but swim! There are 3 pools at Pop Century Resort and they are all great. But, whenever I book my room I always request the 70s section! I personally feel that the 70s section is much quieter (thanks to NO pool in the area), there are lots of trees close to the buildings and I like being close to the playground.

Playground

We also enjoy the Everything Pop food court area. We often split a breakfast platter from Everything Pop in the morning before we head to the parks. And in the afternoon or evening, you can’t skip the Tie-Dye Cheesecake. It’s delicious!

Tie-dyed cheesecake at Disney’s Pop Century Resort, Photo Courtesy of Disney

My girls LOVE staying at Pop Century Resort and I know we will return to this resort many times in the future. While I love the occasional stay at a Deluxe Resort, I think the Value Resorts still have so much to offer and are a great way for families to experience staying on property. Have you stayed at Disney’s Pop Century Resort? Share your experiences here and your pictures on our Facebook page!