Be ready to fall in love!Congrats on getting your ressie! Happy that there were still some Free dining rooms left!
We booked our free dining yesterday morning! November 18th-25th for us! WOO HOO!!
This will be our 9th stay at POP. Once they opened, we have never stayed anywhere else!
We check in to POP tomorrow! I've never stayed on site, so I'm very excited!
I did do a room request through touring plans, we'll see how it works.
Yes, you can request bed rails. I used them several times for our kids when we stayed at Pop. If your DD is the only one sleeping in the bed, definitely request two rails so you can have them on both sides of the bed. I usually just asked for them when we checked in at the front desk or called Mousekeeping when we got to our room. They always delivered them quickly.
You'll have a great time. My first Dis resort was POR & and I loved it but over the past few years, I have stayed at POP many times and found it to be great for my needs. Since I am at the parks (and Food & Wine!) every day, I just want a clean, safe place to sleep & get cleaned up in the morning. POP works well for me and I no longer see the need to pay a higher premium for a moderate resort when I never really take advantage of the amenities onsite. Don't forget to try the King Cupcake (named after Elvis, with candied bacon, banana & peanut butter) and the POP signature tie-died cheesecake. You can find both in the cafeteria in the bakery section near the ice cream. Also check out the time capsule dioramas on the wall opposite check-in. I particularly enjoy the 80s one with snapshots of the tv shows & toys that I loved at the time. Enjoy!
I'm sure you'll enjoy POP! The rooms are significantly smaller than Deluxe so that will be something to be prepared for. Perhaps you could google POP room images online so that you have a better idea. The portable coffee maker idea is a good one. The closet area is small so yes extra inexpensive clothes hangers would be a good idea if you wish to hang up your clothes. I usually just leave mine in the suitcase. I'm not sure how tall the space above the clothes rod is re storing your suitcase up there. Again, you may wish to google pics of POP standard room. Re the refill mugs, I know that all dining credits are pooled in one party so one magic band can access them all. I'm not sure about the mugs so this would be a good thing to ask about at check-in. Possibly you can both go right to the cafeteria after check-in and get your mugs then? I have never had any sausage gravy food at the POP caf but maybe others have & can give feedback. Re the food court trays, I have definitely seen people take food out of the cafeteria in the morning on trays (whether they should or not) so I know it does happen regularly. Generally speaking, the cafeteria at Art of Animation over the bridge is considered better quality but it all depends on your family's tastes. You may also not wish to have the extra hike in the mornings to get food. I would recommend that you either go very early in the morning or late in the morning to get breakfast at the POP cafeteria as morning rush (eg 7:15 am through 8:30 am) can be crazy busy. Best wishes!
Yes, you get your refillable mugs at the food court. You can use them for coffee too. And yes you can get your daughter's mug too. She doesn't have to be there. No problem bringing trays to your room. WE do that all the time. We stack our suitcases in the closet area, not sure if a large suitcase will have enough room on top of hanging clothes. But for two people, you should have plenty of room.
It's even better then 2009 because now you have the option of eating at AofA and taking their buses if you wish. Enjoy!
My first stay at POP was 2012 so a few years after your last stay. I really like it for what it is. No doubt it will be a very hard transition after the Poly. The rooms are much smaller. No coffee maker. There is no sit down restaurant on property. The menu has also changed dramatically in the POP cafeteria since you were there. No more Mom's Night Out entrees. And that's a shame. Recent emphasis has been on healthier entrees but many lack flavour. There has been a great deal of food change up at the POP & I don't believe they have found their groove. No yet. I suspect many POP guests walk over the bridge to Art of Animation for quick service meals. I have sworn off POP breakfasts as my last experience found me waiting in line for over 45 minutes for mediocre food. I now pack cereal for breakfast & buy milk and orange juice in the caf so I can enjoy a more peaceful, reasonable breakfast in my room. I find I spent most of my time in the parks & actually in the deluxe resort restaurants (or on their transportation systems) so I really view POP as a safe, clean place to sleep. I don't eat my meals at the POP cafeteria. I do enjoy a few of their desserts & will pick these up later in the evening when I return from the parks. I suppose your expectations will be based mostly upon how you spend your time at WDW. If you are early risers and rope drop people, and have other interests & events to go to, you will be fine. However, if you intend to spend a number of days at your home resort lounging by the pool, and you don't have young children who will take advantage of the great pool programs and activities, you may well have a difficult time after years at Poly. If it was me, I would choose to spend my days off at the Poly enjoying Trader Sams, walking on the beach and also do a tour of the moderate resorts to get a sense of which I enjoyed to check out for a following year. Last Fall, I spent an afternoon walking around CBR and CSR and really enjoyed seeing what they had to offer. I also bused to POR and POFQ and enjoyed the boat to Downtown Disney. But in the end, I just don't see the economy in spending more for a moderate when my touring style means that I'm never at the resort to enjoy the amenities. Wishing you the best.
This I knew and we are OK with that
That is one of the things we enjoyed at POP was their food court, so this is a little disappointing
This is what we did as well when we stayed at POP - we may have had a quick lunch or dinner in the food court during the day but didn't attempt breakfast
Truthfully when we stayed at POP previously, we were rarely in the room, except to shower and sleep, so I think it will be fine for our trip - I'm just probably over thinking things
... and yes we thoroughly enjoyed visiting other resorts
Lakeview, 50's section. That is what we got. Building 2 in the 50's and lakeview. We got first floor instead of top floor. This was our first room ever on the ground floor but we LOVED it! Building 2 (jukebox) is a pretty long treck after a long day at the parks but we love the 50's section.
We check in to POP tomorrow! I've never stayed on site, so I'm very excited!
I did do a room request through touring plans, we'll see how it works.
