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PHOTOS: Renovated All-Star Music Family Suites Quick Photo Tour

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We stayed in a recently renovated Family Suite at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort this week. The updated suites cover the same footprint but are a “gut” renovation that embraces clever design hacks to increase functionality. They also feature the “generic modern hotel” style found in other recently renovated hotel rooms at Walt Disney World. A brief photo tour, along with some thoughts, are below.

I knew that Disney was in the process of renovating at the All-Star resorts, but I did not expect to be placed in a renovated Family Suite during this stay. Upon opening the door, my first thought was, “Wow, this is nice!” The room still had a bit of a “fresh paint” smell to it, and the bright lights, large TV, and non-hideously colored furniture immediately made a good impression.

The Family Room

All-Star Music Family Suites - Prior to 2019
Pre-2019 Family Suite
All-Star Music Family Suite - Couch and Table
New Family Suite
55-inch Flat Panel TV. Also note the treble clef lamp.

The previous iteration of the All-Star Music Family Suites had fold-out couch that converted to a 2-person bed and a chair and two ottomans that each folded out into single-person beds.

Although having an ottoman turn into a bed is novel, this new configuration is much better unless you really need three instead of two sleeping surfaces in the family room. The two queen-size beds that fold out from the wall are comfy, and there is adequate space to get around, even with them down. You do, of course, need to find a place to put the four chairs if you turn the table into a bed. Note that ottoman is empty and can be used for storage.

All-Star Music Family Suites - Beds
All-Star Music Family Suites – Family Room Beds
Appropriately-themed art at the head of the fold-down beds.

 

There is not much space between the beds, but there are power and USB outlets on either side of each bed. And use of a smaller phone works great in this small space.

The sink area is separated from the rest of the family room by a lockable pocket door.

Sink off the Family Room
Toilet and Tub/Shower off the Family Room. Note that a double-pocket door (which has a full-length mirror on it) closes this room. Before, you practically had to stand in the tub to be able to shut the door!

Kitchen

The kitchen has big counters and a huge refrigerator. This is a Value Resort, though, so no Keurig–just a single-cup Cuisinart. The kitchen is now located between the family room and the master suite.

Master Suite

What’s that? Yes, there is now a master suite (not just bedroom) at All-Star Music Family Suites. Before, the master bedroom had a door, but one had to exit the master bedroom and walk by the kitchen area in order to get to a bathroom.

Standard “new” All-Star Resort art above bed
Master Bathroom is long and skinny
Master Bathroom has snazzy fixtures and walk-in shower. A pocket door separates toilet/shower area from sink area. But there is no door between bed and sink area.

Art

There is some music-related art on the wall, but gone are the wallpaper trim and shower curtains that previously let you know this was a “music” room.

This chair seems like it would be better housed at All-Star Sports.

Other Observations

Although some walls were modified to create the suite from two existing “normal” rooms at All-Star Music, the old version of the Family Suites at All-Star Music were more of a merger of two rooms than a creation of a suite. You could still see lights above where the beds used to be in the family room, and the switches that controlled them were in the middle of the room at a “bed” height. In addition, the toilets and showers were in the exact same locations, which presumably limited the amount of plumbing changes that had to take place. The new renovations do not seem like as much of a hack. The master bedroom now has an attached bathroom, and that bathroom has a shower without a tub. The electrical outlets all look new. The kitchen is less of a closet. The bathrooms also feel bigger, in part due to use of pocket doors. These are solid, lockable pocket doors, and I think they provide plenty of privacy. And all the fixtures are nice-looking. Overally, I found this to be a great upgrade. These rooms are now more in-line with the well-thought-out Family Suites at Art of Animation, but they also have big TVs, wood-like floors, 18 USB outlets, and other such features that are common in newer hotel rooms. The decor may not be everyone’s cup of tea, and the modern design contrasts with the garish 3-story maracas on the building’s exterior, but I feel that the rooms work well. I’m curious whether Disney will try to charge even more of a premium for these rooms once the renovations are complete.

What do you think of the new design? Let us know in the comments.

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8 thoughts on “PHOTOS: Renovated All-Star Music Family Suites Quick Photo Tour

  • Anyone know if this hotel has been completed with the renos? Just curious. We are heading there in March 2022.

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    • I understand that all All-Star Music rooms were renovated to the “new style” prior to its re-opening in September 2021.

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  • Any idea when the renovations will be complete? We head there in six months.

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  • The photos in this post are from Building 10, Room 556.

    If you want to increase your chances of being in a renovated room, you can use our Room Finder (https://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/room-finder) and make a Room Request. In your request, you could mention that your top priority is to be in a renovated room. And if upon check-in you discover you are not in a renovated room, you could go to the front desk and ask to be moved to a renovated room. If Disney has one available, my guess is that you’ll be accommodated. However, as with any requests, there are no guarantees.

    Reply
  • Which building/area were you in? Any idea on how we can make sure we get into a renovated room instead of the old layout? Unless the full reno is complete across ALL of All Star Music? Thanks for info! (We are going mid-February)

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  • Having stayed at Art of Animation with my 3 kids, husband and mother in 2016, I was skeptical about booking All-Star Music for our upcoming visit in March as pictures made it look drab and dated. We really enjoyed AofA with the murphy bed in the common space and spacious ensuite master bath. I went ahead with booking All-Star Music though because, to be honest, I don’t really see the point of spending extra money on any Disney resort when we are barely at the hotel – it’s parks, parks, parks all day and into the late evening for my crew. While reading this article, I immediately thought that the upgrades sounded more like the AofA suites and that makes me very happy – hoping we get a renovated suite!

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  • In Family Suites (which only exist at All-Star Music and Art of Animation) you can have up to 6 adults plus one baby in a crib at no extra charge. However, note that two value rooms are almost always cheaper than a single family suite. Unless you really value a microwave and a freezer, it may be better to just get two rooms if you’re all adults.

    All rooms at Pop Century, All-Star Movies, and part of All-Star Music (I was in Building 10, and All-Star Music is the only renovated value resort with Family Suites rooms) are renovated to this new “standard” as of December 2019. For the standard rooms, there is a queen bed and a table that pulls down into a second queen. The standard rooms would have an upcharge if they house more than 2 adults.

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  • Love this update! We are a family of 5 with the 3 “kids” being in their 20s. I always considered trying a family suite but the pullout rather than pull down beds would have been a problem, especially the tiny ottoman bed for my 6’2″ son and two 5’10” girls in one sofa bed. Anyone know which All Star resorts have this update and/or which buildings? Do family suites have the upcharge for having more than 2 adults?

    Reply

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