Review of Disney’s All-Star Music Resort: Pros, Cons, and Insider Tips Revealed

Does one of Disney World’s Value resort hotels hold up when you go there immediately after a great stay at one of their Deluxe resorts? I recently found out.

I visited Disney’s All-Star Music Resort with my husband in June 2025 as the second part of a split-stay (multiresort) trip to Walt Disney World. After 2 nights at a Deluxe Disney resort, we stayed at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort for a budget-friendly way to finish our trip.

The resort was delightful and comfortable, with ultralow rates and fun theming. Though it’s dialed back compared to Disney’s Deluxe resorts, it was clean, comfortable, and packed with fun and functional amenities that were well worth the price.

Booking Disney’s All-Star Music Resort

I booked Disney’s All-Star Music Resort to save money on a split-stay visit to Walt Disney World. We splurged on a Deluxe resort, Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, for the first part of our trip, and the extremely low rate at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort helped bring down the overall cost.

I paid $126 per night, which came out to $282.02 for 2 nights, tax inclusive — an extremely low rate anywhere, but especially for a Disney World resort.

I used my new Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, which earns 2x miles on eligible non-bonus purchases. This purchase earned me 564 miles and helped me meet the minimum spending requirement to earn the welcome bonus offer.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for an all-in-one premium credit card.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for an all-in-one premium credit card.

Welcome Offer

Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

75,000 miles

UP's Offer Valuation*:

$1,350

Annual Fee

$395

APR

Purchases: 19.99% - 29.24% (Variable)

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Excellent (740-840)

Why We Like This Card

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is the premium Capital One travel rewards card on the block.

Points and miles fans will be surprised to see that the Capital One Venture X card packs quite the punch when it comes to bookings made through Capital One, all while offering the lowest annual fee among premium credit cards.

Depending on your travel goals and preferences, the Capital One Venture X card could very well end up being your go-to card in your wallet.

 

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 10x miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars purchased through Capital One Travel
• 5x miles per $1 on flights and vacation rentals purchased through Capital One Travel
• 2x miles per $1 on all other purchases

Cons

• $395 annual fee
• Does not offer bonus categories for flights or hotel purchases made directly with the airline or hotel group, the preferred booking method for those looking to earn elite status

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Card Highlights

• Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
• Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
• Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
• Enjoy access to 1,300+ lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
• Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
• Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
• Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck^®

Financial Snapshot

• APR: Purchases: 19.99% - 29.24% (Variable)
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Capital One Miles

 

Hot Tip:

Disney World resorts sometimes offer discounts to cardholders of the Disney^® Premier Visa^® card and Disney^® Visa^® Card, such as 30% off for a 5-night stay. Learn more about the benefits for Disney cardholders in the parks!

Location of Disney’s All-Star Music Resort

Disney’s All-Star Music Resort is in the Animal Kingdom area, part of the All-Star resort complex that includes Disney’s All-Star Movie Resort and Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort.

The resort is 21 miles from Orlando International Airport (MCO), typically a 30- to 35-minute drive.

We stayed at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa the night before we arrived, so we were already in the area visiting Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park. We packed a day bag and took a free Disney transportation bus from the water park to the resort.

When we left the resort, we took a Mears Connect shuttle bus to MCO ($17.60 one-way or $33.60 round-trip for adults). It picked us up in the same area as the Disney resort transportation buses.

Checking In

Knowing we’d come straight from the water park with damp swimsuits, I preferred to skip the check-in desk and instead used the direct-to-room service on the My Disney Experience app.

With the app, you can check in at any time, even before you’re at the property. You’ll receive notifications via app and email when your room is ready.

As we left our first resort, I checked in and got a notification that our room was ready at 11:30 a.m. Early room access was perfect timing for getting settled in and cleaned up after the water park and before moving on to the Magic Kingdom.

I unlocked the door with my MagicBand+, but you could also unlock resort rooms with the My Disney Experience app.

Lobby

Although we didn’t visit the lobby at Melody Hall to check in, we passed through it as we used Disney bus transportation.

There were 6 check-in desks, and all of them were staffed during the day. Abundant casual seating was available.

Around the corner, there was a small kids area, great for keeping children occupied with games and TV at check-in time.

Near the door to the bus transportation, there was a restroom, a mailbox, and a portable charger station.

There was also a sign highlighting Disney’s airport luggage transfer service, available to guests of Value resort hotels flying Southwest Airlines. Qualifying guests drop off bags at the resort, and the service sends bags ahead to Southwest Airlines — no running back to the resort to grab bags before your flight!

Beyond the check-in desks, Melody Hall stretched into a sunny hallway that led to the rest of the resort, including the arcade and food court within the building and the guitar-shaped Calypso pool just beyond the back doors.

Collectible pennies, medallions, and dog tags were available near the arcade.

Resort Benefits

There’s no resort fee at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, but there are several resort benefits. These include:

• Early theme park entry
• Complimentary water park admission on your check-in day
• Lightning Lane access up to 7 days in advance
• Access to dining plans
• Bus, boat, Skyliner, and monorail park transportation
• Hey Disney! voice assistant that offers wake-up calls, Disney trivia, and interactive experiences
• Complimentary Wi-Fi
• Complimentary standard self-parking at the resort and theme parks

We took advantage of the check-in day water park admission, visiting Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park as we transferred between Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa and Disney’s All-Star Music Resort. This is one of my favorite benefits of staying at Disney resorts, especially in the summer, when it’s great to refresh in the water.

Free check-in day water park admission was one of the reasons we decided to do a split stay during this visit. You get water park admission on your check-in day at each resort, even if you have already stayed at another Disney resort during your trip.

Another benefit we appreciated was early theme park entry, which we used to get in early at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Though we typically don’t rope drop and instead visit later in the day, we wanted to make the most of our last day at the parks, and this resort benefit was a big time saver.

This was our first time using early theme park entry, so I wasn’t sure what time to get on the bus to make the most of our entry time. The online consensus recommended getting on the bus between 7:30 and 8 a.m., ideally on the earlier side.

We were on the resort bus to Hollywood Studios by 7:55 a.m., walked into the park at 8:15 a.m., and were in the theater for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway at 8:36 a.m., just 6 minutes after the official start to early entry hours. If we’d gotten on the bus a bit earlier, we might have had more early entry time, but I was happy with where we landed.

We got into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at 8:55 a.m., 5 minutes before regular entry, where Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance was a walk-on ride. Overall, early entry gave us a nice start to the day and an easy way to enjoy some of our favorite headliner rides before the heat and larger crowds later in the day.

Standard Room

We were in the Rock Inn building, all the way in the back of the resort (indicated by the number 3 at the top of the map below).

It was about a 5- to 10-minute walk. We walked past the Calypso and Jazz Inn buildings to get there, and I liked the theming. The Calypso buildings had gigantic maracas, marimbas, and drums, while the Jazz Inn buildings had silhouetted jazz musicians — lots of fun photo op spots.

Hot Tip:

If you want to avoid staying at the back of the property, choose a Preferred room for a spot closer to Melody Hall, dining, and transportation.

The Rock Inn area was ’50s-themed, with lots of bright pink, records, and music notes. A grassy courtyard was between the buildings.

A jukebox was at the center entrance of both buildings, and gigantic guitars lined the central walkways. A classic car was parked out front.

These buildings were large, and getting to our room was a bit of a trek. We were in one of the farthest rooms from the entrance, and it was somewhat of a maze from the elevators.

But it was a pleasant walk. What’s a few more steps when we were already walking thousands of steps daily in the parks? Some guests added pixie dust treats to their doors for other guests to take.

We stayed in a standard room, the lowest-priced option. It had a regular queen bed and a queen Murphy bed. Coming from a Deluxe resort that morning, this room felt a bit cramped and was clearly less well-appointed. Still, it proved to be comfortable and spacious enough for just 2 people.

If we visit again as a family with our 3 kids, we’ll get a larger family suite, which has a separate bedroom, 2 bathrooms, and a kitchenette. It can accommodate up to 6 guests and has 3 queen beds (including 2 Murphy beds).

The queen bed had all-white bedding and a headboard with integrated small nightstands on either side.

The art above it was vibrant and featured Mickey and friends with overhead lighting.

The nightstand to the right of the bed had a phone. Behind that were light controls and outlets, including 2 USB-A outlets. Below was a small cubby shelf. The other side was nearly the same, but was slightly wider and without a phone.

Next to the bed was a small table and 2 chairs with a pull-down Murphy bed behind it. A small sign on the table reminded us to help housekeeping out by keeping the table clear so they could easily service the bed.

Folding out the Murphy bed revealed a comfortable queen bed that appeared nearly identical to the other bed — except it featured “Duck Tales” characters. While we didn’t need this bed during our visit, I appreciated the flexibility and space-saving functionality it brought to the room. It was much more comfortable than a sofa bed.

With both beds, this room could sleep up to 4 guests, but we recommend folding the bed up when not in use so you have more room to move around and use the table. Once the bed was down, there wasn’t a lot of floor space near the door.

Another nightstand between the Murphy bed and the room door had another cubby, outlets (including 2 USB-A outlets), and a Hey Disney! device. This is essentially a Disney Alexa that offers information and entertainment, such as Disney trivia, soundscapes, jokes, and books.

Near the window was a beverage station, featuring a small coffee maker and a small refrigerator. There were shelves and a drawer for food storage.

The coffee maker was a Cuisinart with dual-cup brewing capabilities.

The dresser and wall-mounted TV were at the foot of the queen bed.

There were outlets along the back of the dresser, offering a total of 4 regular outlets and 4 USB-A outlets. With only 3 drawers and 2 small shelves, this dresser didn’t offer extensive storage space, but it did the job for our short stay with just 2 people. There was a safe inside the dresser that fit my laptop fine.

Bathroom

There was more storage space in the bathroom, which had a small closet and shelves throughout. We had enough room to store luggage at the bottom of the closet and on the closet shelf, and we used the closet hangers and dresser drawers to store clothes. A few hooks were on the wall between the dresser and the bathroom, which were convenient for hanging up damp items. With lots of shelving in the room, we had enough space to store items without feeling cluttered.

There was a small sink and shallow counter space. The only amenity in this room was the Disney soap — no Disney-branded lotion like I’ve seen in Deluxe resorts.

The toilet and shower-tub combo were in a separate space divided by a pocket door for privacy.

The shower-tub combo had a sliding glass door and was somewhat small — about the size of a builder-standard residential shower tub. There was a clothesline for hanging wet clothes and wall-mounted H2O+ sea salt shampoo, marine conditioner, and sea salt body wash.

Amenities

This resort was a lot of fun and particularly well-suited for families, with amenities to match. There were 2 pools, activities on the pool decks, an arcade, and more. Functional amenities included bus transportation and laundry.

Pools

There were 2 pools at the resort. The Calypso pool was the larger pool between the Calypso buildings and close to Melody Hall and the food court. This was the busiest pool at the resort, but it was big enough that it didn’t seem too full to enjoy.

A small, shallow pool at the end was somewhat shaded and great for young swimmers. Life jackets were available.

The pool was shaped like a guitar, appropriate for a music resort. Loungers, including shaded loungers with umbrellas, were available all around the pool deck, and towels were available at the pool entrance.

At the middle of the pool, there was a statue featuring characters from “The Three Caballeros.”

There were some activities around the pool, including table tennis and billiards.

The other pool was the Piano pool, which was smaller but more conveniently located for guests staying in buildings at the back of the property. This was the closest pool to the Rock Inn building.

It had a statue featuring characters from “The Little Mermaid.”

This pool also had activity tables.

There were plenty of loungers, some in the shade with umbrellas.

Hot Tip:

This resort didn’t have a fitness center or sports courts, but there were plenty of walking and swimming opportunities. We didn’t see a formal jogging trail here, but we saw other guests running the walkways early in the morning.

Bus Transportation

Disney’s All-Star Music Resort offers bus transportation to all 4 Disney parks, the water parks, and Disney Springs. Unlike some other resorts, which may offer boat, Skyliner, or monorail transportation, buses are the only Disney Transportation option at this resort.

There was a covered walkway along the building with seating and displays with estimated bus arrival times. However, the bus queues were in the sun. Sometimes, guests would wait in the shade and then get in line when the bus pulled up, but other times, getting on the bus required a sunny wait.

We mostly visited the parks during off-peak hours, so we could wait under the cover for most of our rides until our bus pulled up. The only time we waited in the queue was early in the morning for early entry, and it wasn’t very hot yet.

Resort Activities

Activities were available each day from 12:30 to 8:30 p.m., including poolside arts and crafts (for a fee), arcade tournaments, and glow parties.

Most of the activities were at the pool deck, including making customized tumblers and tie-dye crafts. There was a campfire with complimentary marshmallows at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. On those same nights, the resort offered movies at the pool at 8:30 p.m., featuring “High School Musical 2,” “Lilo & Stitch,” “Zombies,” and “Moana 2.”

Additional play areas were throughout the resort, such as the giant chess set near the Calypso pool and a playground with swings and slides near the Jazz Inn section.

The resort brought some extra fun to the bus entrance with music and bubbles to walk into as we exited Melody Hall on our way to the parks.

Arcade

The arcade Note’able Games was near the food court and open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., though we stopped by a little after 11 p.m. one night and found it still open.

It featured a mix of racing games, claw machines, rhythm and sports games, and kid-friendly simulators. There were also massage chairs in the corner — perfect after a long day at the parks.

Gift Shop

The Maestro Mickey’s gift shop was near the check-in desks. It offered Disney souvenirs and necessities, including All-Star exclusive apparel and merchandise.

Laundry

There was a laundry room near the Piano pool featuring numerous washers and dryers, a long folding table, and a rolling basket.

The machines were cashless and accepted cards and mobile payments. A detergent vending machine was available.

Parking

Parking was free for resort guests, and resort guests received free parking at the parks.

Food and Beverages

Disney’s All-Star Music Resort had 1 dining option: the large Intermission Food Court, which offered breakfast, lunch, and dinner from 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Guests of Disney’s All-Star Music Resort can purchase a Disney Dining Plan, which allows them to prepay for their meals in advance. This plan can include quick-service meals like those at the resort food court.

Hot Tip:

Like the arcade, the food court may be available beyond the official hours, as the food court had numerous guests and was still serving food after 11 p.m. one night. On our departure day, around 5 a.m., we were able to go into the food court and refill our Disney resort refillable mug.

At the entrance was an abbreviated menu with some of the selections available and a QR code for placing a mobile order.

Selections included Mickey waffles, breakfast bowls, burgers, pizza, salads, and sandwiches, which were available to order at the windows or via the mobile app.

The market sold grab-and-go items, including drinks, snacks, salads, and desserts. Refillable Disney resort refillable mugs were also available for purchase, which we could use to get unlimited refills at the beverage station during our stay.

A few checkout stations were available.

A dual-sided beverage station was in between the main seating area and the food, featuring coffee and tea, hot chocolate, fountain drinks, and water. Mug wash stations for Disney resort refillable mugs were available on both sides.

Plenty of seating was inside, with a mix of small and large tables and some booth seating.

Some patio tables with umbrellas were outside with a view of the Calypso pool.

There was also a bar, Singing Spirits, facing the pool. It offered specialty cocktails, beers, and wines. The bar had service outside and an inside service window within the food court on the other side.

Service

Our staff interactions at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort were limited but positive. We checked in digitally, so we didn’t visit the front desk. Bell services delivered bags to our room, which was far from the main entrance, and the food court staff did a great job keeping the dining area clean and the beverage station well-stocked. Our room was clean and replenished by housekeeping.

Final Thoughts

Disney’s All-Star Music Resort is a great Value resort option for guests who want to stay at a Disney World resort without the expense of a Deluxe or Moderate resort. We paid a ridiculously low nightly rate for a standard room and Disney resort amenities.

Though our room was a trek from the entrance, compact, and less well-appointed than Deluxe resorts we’ve visited, it was a comfortable crash pad within the Disney bubble. We appreciated the resort’s fun musical theming, activities, and convenient access to the parks. It’s well-maintained and offers the key benefits of staying on property, including early entry, free parking, and Disney transportation.

This is a resort worth considering if you’re planning a Disney World trip with a tight budget.