Help me be okay with my resort

[apress]

I don't know why this is bothering me so much, so I thought I would come here and maybe someone could help. We originally booked POR for a September trip with free dining(bounce back offer). We really enjoyed the resort and this was our second time staying there. Fast forward and now my mom has decided to go. She was willing to go in September but has stated she would prefer November. I told her if free dining came out, we would try to get rooms for November(also we would celebrate her birthday, while there). The only thing I was able to book was 2 rooms at POP. We have also stayed here before and liked it before we stayed at POR. I don't know why I am not excited about going to back to POP, or why I feel like we are downgrading this trip. Hope this makes sense and I am really grateful that we are going, just thought someone may be able to point out some advantages of POP over POR. Thanks

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

I totally know what you mean. It's always hard to downgrade resorts. I've taken trips and stayed in a top notch club level room, then return for a stay at Pop the next time and it always feels like a bit of a downer. I love Pop, but of course I always want to stay in the best resort. One thing I try to do when staying in a value resort is add some other special events to our trip to make up for it. Since you're going in November you could splurge for things like MVMCP, or a dinner show, maybe a fireworks cruise, stuff like that. That way you can get excited for those things and not think as much about the room.

 

[Networth]

I can understand your feelings about downgrading and do agree going from a Mod to a Value is crummy (If I am honest I have never stayed at a Value but we have toured some of them and only stayed at Mod twice). I would say try to look at the positive. The fact your mom is now coming is a huge plus(assuming you like your mom). At the end of the day the people your with will be the ones that makes the memories on a vacation more so than your accommodations.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Forgot to mention... the best thing about Pop that totally beats POR is the bus transportation!

 

[Jewel3k]

I have stayed at both Pop and POR. We enjoyed our stays at both. That being said if If our family of 5 could fit at Pop we'd be staying there next trip.

Pop has the best bus service! I really enjoyed lining up and waiting. I never had to stand long and I didn't get any of the who gets to line up first anxiety. There was shade and benches to wait on if one really needed it.

I loved the in your face over the top details. The bowling pin staircases were so cool. There were lots of interesting facts to read.

You can walk over to Art of Animation and check it out. One afternoon we did this and then took their buses. We also hopped one of their buses one afternoon when it showed up first.

Pop felt more compact and the walk back to the room from the main hall and pool felt faster to us and we paid for a preferred room at POR. I like the more compact feeling.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

Forgot to mention... the best thing about Pop that totally beats POR is the bus transportation!

I've never had bus issues at POR. The monitors are usually spot on.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

I've never had bus issues at POR. The monitors are usually spot on.

I prefer the bus transportation at Pop because it's one stop and doesn't share. Two things that won me over!

 

[Jadyreen1282]

I prefer the bus transportation at Pop because it's one stop and doesn't share. Two things that won me over!

POFQ is the same. I don't use the satellite stops at POR just the main stop.

 

[pixarmom]

We've stayed at both Pop and POR and honestly, the difference between mod and value isn't that significant to us. Like Erika, we stay CL at deluxe resorts for some stays and mods or value for others, depending on the circumstances. We just adjust our plans and expectations accordingly. When staying GF RPC, we plan on lots of resort and pool time. When staying at the All Stars, we plan our relaxation time in the parks and tend not to take afternoon breaks. So for our value resort stays, we tend to do more signature or character meals. We stay for Wishes or Fantasmic instead of heading back to the resort. We use World Showcase for an afternoon break. Or my new favorite - down time in the MK hub's new and wonderful green space!

In our experience with transportation at POR, POFQ and Pop, Pop was the clear winner - particularly when going to Epcot. Bus to/fro MK at POFQ was always direct, but on the way to Epcot we always hit every POR bus stop. That was Easter Week a couple years ago, so it may have changed since then.

 

[IndyRnRfan]

Hopefully you get a room that doesn't require you to switch to another. Pop was our least favorite because the rooms were so bad and needed renovating. We thought is was us but our friends just went over the summer and they had the same issue. Hopefully, they will be renovating Pop soon.

I wouldn't have an issue going from a mod to a value if it was saving us money. We have switched before, but I would prefer to stay at a mod since it is quieter and attention to detail is more noticeable.

 

[Babsy]

Pop is such a fun resort! It is wonderful to see all the nostalgic icons everywhere. We love the view across hourglass lake from the standard rooms looking toward AoA. It is so nice to be able to walk across the bridge to AoA and sample their food court as well as take some awesome pictures!!! Love the photo ops everywhere. You get the advantage of AoA's over the top theming without paying the over the top prices! How awesome is that?

Having your Mom along will be such a nice treat! You will be able to enjoy the very best that WDW offers - time with loved ones in a happy place. Memories like that are irreplaceable! Staying on Disney property at such a great value resort saves tons of $$$ for extras. You can do a special activity such as the MVMCP, or a behind the scenes type of tour. Some of these are fantastic! Celebrating your Mom's birthday will be so special..

The food court is great at both POP and AoA. POR does have a TS restaurant, but it isn't one that we care to frequent. We usually eat our 'nice' meals in the theme parks or at the luxury resorts, anyway. Staying at POP will free up enough money to take taxis to resorts for dining without any guilt! Score!

Love the great bus service at POP. It is so convenient and nice that you get to the theme parks so efficiently and quickly. We have stayed at luxury resorts where the bus service was much worse than what we experienced at POP. POR is nice, too, but it's bus service is not as good as that at POP, IMO. Try to focus on the positives staying at POP and forget about POR. You pay a lot more at POR for what is essentially the same product - a comfortable hotel room in beautiful surroundings.

With the savings of staying at a value this trip, perhaps you can squeeze in another trip later or stay extra days.

You can still try for an opening at a moderate and change if it comes available. But I'm not sure if I would bother. POP is fantastic! You will really have a great stay here!

Enjoy! Yay! You're going to WDW and your MOM is coming too!!

 

[TandLMommy28]

The best thing about Pop and AoA is if one bus line is really long, you can jump on the other bus and still get back to your resort because the walk is so short. We loved being able to do that!

AoA is the only value we have stayed at and I hate calling it a value since it cost so much more than a mod... but anyway, we spent quite a bit of time at Pop for the food court and honestly I thought it was so adorable. I had always thought I wouldn't want to stay there but after seeing it in person, I know I could. Not sure we ever WILL now that we are a family of five, but I totally would!

 

[disnut8]

I don't know why this is bothering me so much, so I thought I would come here and maybe someone could help. We originally booked POR for a September trip with free dining(bounce back offer). We really enjoyed the resort and this was our second time staying there. Fast forward and now my mom has decided to go. She was willing to go in September but has stated she would prefer November. I told her if free dining came out, we would try to get rooms for November(also we would celebrate her birthday, while there). The only thing I was able to book was 2 rooms at POP. We have also stayed here before and liked it before we stayed at POR. I don't know why I am not excited about going to back to POP, or why I feel like we are downgrading this trip. Hope this makes sense and I am really grateful that we are going, just thought someone may be able to point out some advantages of POP over POR. Thanks

This is so easy for me because I've enjoyed Pop Century with my son and my grandkids. Just take a walk along the lake and read all the signs for something that happened from every year between 1950 and 1999. Talk among yourselves about where you were, what you were doing, who you were with. Walk around the buildings and see the icons and remember, again, if you ever had those things and what you did with them. Go into the lobby area and look at the shadowboxes and see what's in those and remember, again, where you were, what you were doing and if you had those things. One of my most favorite memories is me seeing a Barry Manilow album and screaming, "I had that!" and my husband and son grimacing but smiling at the same time. Or when I saw an old fashioned potato peeler and reminding my husband that we "inherited" that from his grandparents. And when my son saw a metal lunchbox and remarked that his kids would be thrown out of school these days for having a hazardous material.

Sometimes it's not the buildings or the grounds but the atmosphere.

 

[wdw4rfam]

Forgot to mention... the best thing about Pop that totally beats POR is the bus transportation!

Yes, I love values for the single bus stops, with orderly lines. Plus, if you want to refill mugs, it's not a mile hike to the food court. September is horrible weather and November is probably the best weather all year, and the Christmas decorations are up. I'd stay at POP in November any day over POR in September. POP was our back up if CSR wasn't available for FD.

 

[Disneylover99]

We prefer Pop over POR for many of the reasons already listed. Enjoy your trip!

 

[Hi Pluto]

Pops does seem like it would appeal to the kids way more, so that's a plus. I love the pp's idea for booking a few extra special activities.

Plus, you should be excited because now you can book your next trip however you want.

~Cari~

 

[oddball1214]

I'm really glad I came across this thread. We had to switch from POR to POP today in order to get FD. We've only stayed at POR and couldn't imagine staying anywhere else, but we needed the FD. This thread makes me feel a lot better about our decision!

 

[Jack23]

POR is my first choice. Never been to POP but I like the comments here.

 

[goofyintoronto]

Hopefully you get a room that doesn't require you to switch to another. Pop was our least favorite because the rooms were so bad and needed renovating. We thought is was us but our friends just went over the summer and they had the same issue. Hopefully, they will be renovating Pop soon.

I wouldn't have an issue going from a mod to a value if it was saving us money. We have switched before, but I would prefer to stay at a mod since it is quieter and attention to detail is more noticeable.

I have been to pop many times, most recently a few months ago, and not once have I had a room that i felt needed renovating. All rooms were always very clean and nothing was torn or worn out. Are you sure we're talking about the same resort here??

We love pop. It's a lot of fun. 60s Lakeview is the best section....stunning view. Plus if you drop crackers or bits of bread in the water (by the bridge connecting to AoA) a ton of massive turtles will come up to the surface. Really neat to see. We love the pool side entertainment staff. Theyre actually one of the best I've seen compared to the other values and mods we've stayed in.

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

We've stayed in a lot of different resorts. Pop has its own "energy" that's really fun. We've enjoyed both our stays there.