All Star Music: Changing my tune a bit.

I have accepted a job in central Florida and our family will be moving there soon. Earlier this week we flew down so I could do the HR paperwork and fingerprints and whatnot. We didn't do any parks, which was a bummer, but it just didn't fit into our schedules. We did visit Disney Springs and had lunch at Pizza Ponte and HOLY CRAP we cannot stop thinking about that meal. So so good and will become a regular stop for us when we're locals. But I digress…

We decided to stay at All Star Music because it was actually cheaper to do that than to stay at a different hotel in the area. I had stayed at ASM a long time ago and was very unimpressed so this was a chance to see the place since its 2018-19 refurbishment.

On my first visit to ASM, I remember thinking that it was acceptable for families looking for a hotel on property to lock in the on-property perks but without the frills or nicer amenities of the moderate or deluxe resorts. I still feel that now but appreciate what WDW has done to make it a better experience for the guests. Great pools with activities going on with Cast Members. The food court is bigger and offers a pretty great selection of food (including Mickey waffles). All of the Cast Members were phenomenal. We have stayed at every level of hotel on Disney property and the service they provided was just as good here as it was at the Polynesian club level on our last vacation.

The room was decent, too. The Murphy/table bed is actually pretty brilliant and was perfect for our 11 year old to have a bed to themselves but could be folded up when we needed the table and space. Technology was updated and we loved having the ability to log into our Disney+ account on the TV. All of that said, the room is still pretty small. There were three of us and we were kind of on top of each other for the stay. Tiny bathroom and a loud AF toilet when flushed which you could hear through the walls of your neighbors' room as well.

Outside of a dedicated WDW trip, this was a good hotel. It was clean, friendly, affordable, and perfectly located for our needs in the greater Orlando area. Had we been doing days at the parks, I feel like my opinion would be slightly different. It's still pretty sprawling. We were in the Jazz buildings and walking to and from the main building was okay. But if you're farther away in Broadway or Rock, it's a hike, especially after a day in the parks.

Overall, I feel like this stay was very positive. ASM is a good place for families to get the Disney touch at a decent price. I can see us booking it as locals for a staycation or a long weekend trip.