Hello Sean! Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel.
When planning a Walt Disney World Resort vacation, I find the
benefits to staying at a Value Resort like Disney's All-Star Resorts far outweigh the perceived "value" of staying off property. My favorite benefit to staying on property is the
complimentary Walt Disney World Resort Transportation.
During non-peak hours, Resort Transportation does indeed share buses between Disney's All-Star Resort Hotels. In my experience, the order for the buses starts at
Disney's All-Star Sports Resort, then to
Disney's All-Star Music Resort and finally, to
Disney's All-Star Movies Resort.
During Peak hours, such as at Theme Park openings and closings, Walt Disney World Resort will often use dedicated buses for Resort Transportation which obviously takes you directly from Theme Park to your individual Resort Hotel.
One of the main features of
Disney's Pop Century Resort and
Disney's Art of Animation Resort for my family is that while still considered Value Resorts, they have dedicated bus routes to Theme Parks, Disney Springs and Water Parks. In fact, Disney's Pop Century Resort is often comparable in nightly rate to Disney's All-Star Resorts and also has the delightful Everything Pop Shopping and Dining food court area.
Have a Magical Trip!
~Todd