We visitedASM for the first time in Apr 2007 and had the best family vacation ever!! It was not only our first time at ASM it was also our first time at Disney ever!! I give the place an over rating of 9. The theming was outstanding and we especially loved wizard Mickey at the poolwhich was great. The room was excellent and I gave the amenities an 8 rating only because we had to rent a fridge. The mousekeeping was tremendous, with several towel animals made for us daily including making scenes with them and my kids stuffed animals. It was truly magical. My kids and the mousekeeping staff also wrote letters back and forth to each other daily which made it like my kids had special penpals. They looked forward to returning to the room almost asmuch as going to the parks. The grounds were excellent and everyone on staff no matter where made us feel special. The bus service was great never more than a half hour wait for any bus. The artist who did the characatures (sp?) named Jeff was fabulous, my kids had them done and they came out so nice we framed them once we got home. The foodcourt had a great variety of decentt food. Only once did we run into an overpacked foodcourt and that was at like 11pm at night lol. For first timers we could not have asked for more! We recently joined DVC and my kids were disapointed that we could not go back to the ASM as a part of it lol. In fact we are thinking of doing a 3 or 4 day cruise perhaps next year and will include a stay at ASM as a part of that trip regardless of being in the DVC now, that is how much we enjoyed ourselves there. The best part was the place was pretty cheap to stay at. A great choice for first timers or folks looking to be at the parks day and night and just lay your head down at night. The arcade was also very good according to my children. I really don't have a bad thing to say about the place, the food,or the staff there, it was so magical. Overall it gets a 9 from us for a rating and we highly recommend it. I have seen pictures of the other value resorts and this one looks the best to me if you want a Disney look and feel. We stayed in the Herbie buildings on the top floor and it was nice and quiet at night and only a short walk from the foodcourt area. Also the pool bar was great to get an adult cocktail while the kids played in the pool, and the store also sold beer by the six pack to bring back to the room for the adults. A nice way to relax and unwind after a long day at the parks. For the money and experience this place cannot be beat by any of the other values to me.
