Helen

Hi! Alright, here's my dilemna. I am trying to decide between staying at a Disney All Star Resort and the Radisson Parkway in Kissimee. I talked to the travel agent and he says that the All Stars just are not worth the price. The Radisson Parkway is supposedly much nicer and only a mile away from the Disney gates and there are shuttles to and from the parks. What do you think? Which one?

calli

This is a set up, right? Get a new travel agent...stay on site at the All Star Resort-free Disney transportation..the properties ARE nice--I've stayed there three times. You can't beat Disney service either. I've known people who stay off-site to save a few $$..WRONG. They have all complained about the service or lack of at these properties. I thought the All Star properties were like 89/night and aren't they having specials right now? STAY ON SITE PLEASE!!!!!!

ddd

You don't say when you're going to WDW but you'll have to struggle to pay more than $90 a night at the All Stars resorts. Assuming the rates at the Radisson are comparable, what other factors might influence your decision?

wdwig.com is really useful for planning a WDW trip. See wdwig.com/onoff.htm for a thoughtful list of advantages/disadvantages to staying on or off site.

We stayed at the All Stars Movie resort and thought it was great. I agree with the above poster's comments about service and transportation. Our visit was a Disney only, no car trip so the single downside to staying on site was the uniformly expensive and mediocre food. But we weren't there to eat!

Rich

I agree. I mean, maybe the Radisson does have some bells and whistles that the All-Stars don't, but you're probably going down there to go to the Disney parks, not to hang out in your hotel room. The All-Stars are SO much more convenient than staying in Kissimmee somewhere. They are perfectly fine -- the rooms are small but clean, well-kept, and well-appointed, and the Disney service is first-rate. They have great pools and a food court for quick meals.

The biggest advantage, though, is that you are right there on the Disney property, there is free Disney transportation that takes you to all the Disney parks, and you get perks for staying on-property that you don't get if you stay elsewhere. Also the Disney customer service can't be beat...if there is ANY problem they are falling all over themselves to fix it and make sure you're happy. Last time I went, one of the rides at MGM dripped a little spot of oil on my t-shirt. The people at the All-Star not only had my shirt cleaned but also took me to the gift shop and let me pick out any shirt I wanted for free as their way of saying sorry.

We made the mistake of staying in Kissimmee once when we went down there. "It's cheaper, and besides, it's just a hotel, right?" WRONG. It sucked. We spent all our time waiting for buses and sitting in traffic on the roads in and around Kissimmee. That area is a big commercial, congested nightmare full of "3 t-shirts for $10" junk shops. That's not to say that Disney isn't commercial, but when you're on the property it's really much nicer, and you feel like you're totally isolated from the real world of traffic jams and 7-11's. We will NEVER stay off-site again (and no, I don't work for Disney).

If you're staying on the property, you can zip back to the hotel for lunch, a nap and a swim during the hottest, most crowded part of the day and then zip back when the sun's setting and it's much cooler and less crowded. We couldn't do that when we stayed in Kissimmee because it was too much of a hassle getting to and from the park.

We've stayed at the All-Stars about 3 times and, while I'd stay someplace like the Caribbean Beach if all things were equal, you can't beat the price. They are the cheapest option on the Disney property and, like Calli said, it is the ONLY way to go.

Off

I have to admit that I like to stay on-site at Disney. It's definitely a way to keep the magic going 24 hours a day.

But . . . I had a wonderful trip to an "off-site" hotel last year. We stayed at the Sierra Suites which was very convenient. We paid some ridiculous price like $49 a night. The hotel was clean, included breakfast, the rooms had full-sized fridges, and was overall a good value. We had planned to rent a car anyway. I wouldn't waste time with shuttle busses anyway! Even waiting for Disney transportation is a huge waste of time in my book. If you get to the parks early (which I would recommend), you will have no problems with parking. We even parked our car at one of the Disney hotels and enjoyed using the monorail . . . with free parking!

Mouseketeer

I stayed at the Radisson for $69 a night. Mousesaver rate. I have also stayed at the All Star Movie. The All Star is noisy, woodwork beat up, door had scratches on it, walls are paper thin, you can hear the neighbors toilet flushing and conversation. They used to let you into the park one hour early when you stayed there but they disontinued that. The food court is high priced and mediocre. The only thing I can say about it is it was clean. The Radisson's rooms are larger, better value, free shuttle, kids eat free and the pool is terrific. Go to Mousesavers.com and click on non-Disney hotels for a review. As for that Disney Service, that's a crock. The Radisson's service is just as good...

Gail.

I agree with going to mousesavers.com
They just listed new discount codes for the Disney Hotels. Also visit www.disboards.com for LOADS of info. You can book with Dreamsunlimited.com
They specialize is WDW and check for the new discount codes all the time. We got a MUCH better rate with them than a regular travel agent.

STJ

I would definately stay onsite at Disney. There are lots of perks including early admission to the parks, free travel between parks (which is necessary because Disneyworld is so BIG), and package delivery to your room. If your purchase something in any of the parks they will have it sent to your room for you!

x

STJ-There is NO early admission anymore to the park if you stay in Disney properties. They did away with that.

Helen-Check out the rants and raves section of travel talk home for more info.

Eric

The Radisson is much nicer. Get a discounted rate. Forget the All Star Resorts.

Duane

I would stay at the All-Stars if you plan on visiting the Disney parks. Staying off site is such a pain if you are going in and out. But, if you are only going to the parks for a day or 2, it is not so bad.

I like staying on proprty because you are always surrounded by Disney. Some people don't like that. If you have kids, it a no brainer.

We have stayed on property about 20 times and off about 3. No comparison. But, we do not spend all day at the park. We get up late and park hop until close.
Duane

Dawn

We are traveling with 2 small children (4 and 1) to Disney & we used one of the codes from mousesavers.com and booked our room at the All Stars for $59/night - dirt cheap! While I do not know what the Radisson has to offer, I do know that many of my friends have HIGHLY recommended the All-Stars. They, too, have children - let's face it, Disney is a kidfest anyway! Our family can't wait to go!! We decided to book a more "posh" room in Sanibel Island for the remainder of our trip!!

Pam

The Radisson is a nicer hotel than the All Stars hands down. The All Stars IMO need to be completely refurbished as they are showing their age and excessive wear and tear. Kids eat free at the Radisson while the All Stars have a mediocore, expensive food court. If you want to stay on Disney property spend the bucks and stay at the next level of hotel, Carribean Beach etc. NOT the All Stars. The All Stars is a Motel 6 with mouse decor.

Lisa

Okay, having travelled to Disney appx 19 times in 20 some odd years, and getting married there 1 yr ago, I can and will say I'm somewhat of a Disney expert. Agreed, you will get a lot more for your $$$ at the Radisson, if all you are comparing is the hotel. However staying on property is a completely different experience. You are literally surrounded by the "Disney Magic" 24 - 7. I have never found a Disney employee that will do anything other than go above and beyond to make sure you a have a wonderful vaca. (The key here is to actually let someone know if you have a gripe about somethig.) I will say that Pam hit the nail on the head, the All Star is Disney's version of a Motel Six, for me, I would stay at least at the Carib Resort, Dixie Landings, Port Orleans etc... (Your talking $120 - $140 per night vs $90 - $110) If you choose to stay off property I would certainly recommend a rental car. You will endup waiting about 30 - 40 mins for your hotel shuttle (on either end). Any travel agent who tells you that a rental is not necessary off property has either never been to Disney or does not care about your travel experience, (maybe just looking for the comission, by telling you whatever he / she thinks you want to hear) Bottom line, if this is your first time to Disney, don;t even think about staying anywhere except for on Disney Propoerty ( the premium is certainly worth it for the experience.) FYI, some of the best restaurants on Disney property can be found at the many diff hotels there. Everything from (budget - to very expensive.) The Birnbaum Guide is probably the best resource I have ever found on everything Disney.

Karen

Hi Helen:

I think the above posters all have good points. I stayed at the Radisson this past May. I would have stayed at a Disney property (probably the Polynesian) but after I was informed that Disney Resort guests aren't allowed early entry and the e-nights got cancelled, I said hey I'll spend the xtra hotel money on a rental.

It worked out well, I had a great time with my son and if you're doing more than just the Disney parks (which I did, Old Town, Universal, Sea World) then it was an ideal location.

The grounds were nice and the room service was excellent. My son's Autistic so to minimize lines and waiting I just rented a car and we had a good time. If you're not doing any other parks then, stay at a Disney Resort but if you are you may want to think twice.

Have fun.

Grumpy

This Disney magic is overrated. Talk to any employee that works there and they will tell you they work long hours, the pay sucks as does the benefits. That so called magic is a myth invented by those who can't see without their rose colored glasses. The food in the parks suck, is overpriced. Lines are too damn long, people pushing and shoving and running over you to get to Small World. Some magic. The place is overrated as is their hotels. The only decent one is the Dolphin and Swan and that isn't even owned by Disney.

Happy

The key to the "MAGIC" is going off-season. September - Mid December and January. No Lines, restaurants slower so service and food better, less stressed employees. I would never go there during peak times. But off peak is wonderful and the "MAGIC" is definately there.