Depending on your point of view, at the Value resorts, Disney treats you either like a second-class guest or like an average American family on vacation. The fun is in the outdoor areas, not in the rooms, which are only faintly themed. The setup of all three is identical—an expanse of concrete-block buildings at the edge of the property studded with enormous emblems, as if a giant had spilled the Legos in his toy box. But because they’re older (they opened in the late 1990s) and there’s no enlivening central pond, they are the last-choice Values. The T-shaped building blocks with outdoor corridors can feel at times like thin-walled battery-hen hutches, gurgling with noisy plumbing and seething with kids who don’t realize how sound carries (especially when school groups and cheerleader meets are in town). The walk to each hotel’s lobby/food building can be a marathon. There are elevators. 

You get (noisy) laminate flooring, a mini cooler, and a table that doubles as a drop-down Murphy bed holding your second queen mattress, so families must choose whether to sleep or use the table. At the very least, sinks are outside of the toilet-and-shower room, which eases life for multitasking families. Of the three, I prefer Movies, not just because it’s the youngest (opened in 1999) and was the first to complete its renovation, but also because its exterior is laden with Disney-specific iconography while its sisters stick to dull musical and sports-equipment icons. Disney shuttle buses also tend to stop there last on their circuit of the three, which cuts transportation time (more expensive “Preferred” rooms are closer to the bus stop). Then again, some choose Sports because it’s the first stop and so it’s easier to get a seat there. The Music is the only one with suites fitting six people.

I’d choose Pop Century over this, because rooms are basically the same there for essentially the same price, but there you get a Skyliner station. There are no ferries or monorails at the All-Stars; roads are your only option to the theme parks, be it by bus or your car.