First time popper (pop century)

[Luv2CtheMouse]

We are dvc owners and I have only stayed in a deluxe. My sister is planning a trip for 30-33 of us and since her husband is paying for the rooms, we are staying where they want to stay. They selected PC. Aside from reading the PC thread, what suggestions can you make for me? I am used to staying at BLT, AKV, BCV and SSR/THV.

Tips about the busses, food court, rooms, etc?

Thanks!!!

 

[WizardLarz]

The rooms are standard 2 beds (now Queens I believe?). There is now a mini frig in all the rooms, NO Freezer area.

IMHO, The walks aren't bad from any of the Years, but I think the 70's/Big Wheel & the 90's/Walkman offer the best access to the busses.

As for those Busses, be aware the Bus stop area is not covered so on sunny day have the sun screen on. Early in the morning, before Park openings the flow of busses is pretty steady and quite often the will be busses waiting. Later in the day I find that Disney is pretty good at routing the busses with a 10-20 minute wait standard. Coming Back from the Parks, Be aware that Pop Century is usually the Farthest que from the exit and as the Largest Roomed Resort also has the largest crowd returning after Fireworks and other such shows.

 

[pieface]

I stayed there some time ago. The rooms are smaller and not as plush as deluxe resorts. They are clean and functional but they have full size beds instead of queen beds which was my only draw back. The resort is a little noisier than the deluxe resorts but there are so many rooms. The food court is a standard counter service type food and it will get crowded during peak hours.
The food is basic food. The bus service is at the front of the hotel if your rooms are far away from the front you will have a walk. It's a nice resort but can't compare to a deluxe resort. Nice room for the price.

 

[smitch425]

Pop has double beds, not queens. We love Pop and stay there every year. The lobby is one of my favorite parts of the resort. They have shadow boxes full of old toys and memorabilia from the different decades. So fun to show the kids stuff we had when we were growing up. We have always had excellent bus service. And the ice creams sundaes are fantastic. Will you do a dining plan?

 

[spiceycat]

am a DVC owner too.

love Pop - the food court, the swimming pools, the arcade, gift store - plus it is so darn cute (my opinion). like the 50's area facing the lake - (not the pool) - despite it being a large resort - it can be peacefully.

It also has some of the best CMs on property. really enjoyed it.

love the buses = it has the best bus service. When one bus filled up - most of the time there is a second bus there. So no waiting for another bus. Also you have one bus stop at Pop - so it goes immediately to the parks - so no picking up at other stops or other resorts.

 

[marriedtodonald]

We've stayed at CBR & AKL and although both are beautiful and have their special qualities, we absolutely love PC. (CBR was for our honeymoon and AKL was for our 1 year anniversary....we've stayed at POP ever since!) There are 3 different pools to choose from, the food court is great IMO, and the bus system is one of the best out of all of the properties. PC does not share busses with any other resort, so there are generally no extra stops in transit and you have a much better chance of actually getting a seat!!!! I know people like to be close to the main hall/food court, so they like to book preferred rooms. However, we don't mind the extra few feet we have to walk if it means we have a quieter room. Of course, requests are not guaranteed, but it never hurts to ask to be placed in a room with a lake view. We did this last year and I wouldn't have traded that room for anything! You are away from the hustle and bustle of the pools and it is very peaceful! When you arrive, if you are looking for something to do around the resort, just take a nice stroll. There are lots of things to see and a few fun things to try. There are fun facts about pop culture for you to read along the path as you take your walk. Lots of fun photo opportunities with oversized characters. To me, this is one of the more colorful resorts on property. The rooms are a bit smaller than those at the moderate or deluxe resorts...but, hey...if you're like us, all you do is sleep in them. When you are in the parks all day, the size of the room doesn't really matter. If it is any indication, I have a friend who is an annual pass holder and has an income that would easily allow her and her family to stay in one of the Deluxe resorts each time they visit...they go 3-5 times a year. She wouldn't trade PC for any other resort. If you ask her why, she would tell you both the bus system and the food court here easily keeps her coming back. Hope that helps! Have a magical vacation!!!!

 

[Suelala]

I am a CB fan, but we stayed at PC in November and had a great time. The magic of Disney isn't dependent on where you sleep, in my opinion. It was clean, very walkable, quiet and had everything we needed. Plenty of pools, decent food court, great shopping, a caricature artist, conveniently located laundry facilities and the usual bunch of friendly and helpful CMs.
We sometimes had to wait in line for a bus, but it was never a long wait, maybe 20 minutes if we had to wait for a 2nd bus. Did not have to stand on the bus ever! (Often have had to at CB!)
Have a great time!

 

[JennyDrake]

Ask for top floor, looking at the lake. Beautiful view and more quiet. You do not want ground floor facing a pool. Trust me.

 

[Kristibo42]

You will have a blast. I think it is one of the best resorts!!!!

 

[Luv2CtheMouse]

Pop has double beds, not queens. We love Pop and stay there every year. The lobby is one of my favorite parts of the resort. They have shadow boxes full of old toys and memorabilia from the different decades. So fun to show the kids stuff we had when we were growing up. We have always had excellent bus service. And the ice creams sundaes are fantastic. Will you do a dining plan?

No dining plan. We do TIW.

 

[Luv2CtheMouse]

Thank you very much for all of the input. It really did help.

 

[kiwi2013]

I too will be staying at Pop for the first time...I requested a room as close to the Hippy Dippy Pool without it being a preferred room....should I change that request as I don't mind noise but I also don't want constant noise

 

[mom2rtk]

Ask for top floor, looking at the lake. Beautiful view and more quiet. You do not want ground floor facing a pool. Trust me.

LOL, no wonder I never have any trouble getting my ground floor, facing the pool request met. We never sleep in, and are really just looking for the most convenient spot. My favorite is the Baloo building, ground floor, overlooking the hippy dippy pool.

 

[mom of princessx2]

We are DVC owners too but my dds like Pop so much we try to stay a night or 2 before moving to our DVC location. Of course the rooms and beds are smaller and I miss the microwave but the resort itself is really nice. I think their food court has a great selection and we have never had an issue with buses except when we went during June. Sometimes we had to wait for a second bus to take us where we needed to go because they would be so full. I think the 50s section overlooking the water would be my choice. We are trying a LM room at AoA in Nov before moving. I hope my girls aren't disappointed that it isn't Pop!