Nervous about Pop...

[maxiesmom]

I really enjoyed my stay the the Pop. I had a preferred room, and ended up with a great location in building #1. Third floor, facing all of the green space. It was very quiet, yet close to everything. My only negative is the location of the bus stops at the parks. It ended up being a joke that we didn't need to check the board for the bus stop location, we just had to hike to the one farthest out and it would be Pop.

I want to say though that if you are really over the values, I would save up a bit more and stay at a moderate. No use spending on something you know you will be unhappy with.

 

[a1tinkfans]

If ur looking for quiet, amenities, covered bus area, upscale of any type.. than no, Pop is not ur thing ( nor any value)
It’s a last resort ( no pun intended) .. if we can’t find any other resort for a quick last minute drop in for my park day “fix.”
Stayed twice, both preferred pool ( right out the back door from guest services overlooking that pool.. no idea of the name or building) great location, but that’s it.
It was the worst thin bed, literally heard conversations and toilet flushing thru the walls, mobbed with kiddos and large groups and families, longest lines at uncovered bus area and food court, and felt like a motel 6..don’t recommend or return unless “last resort”
BUT That being said...
It’s a value, and that’s why it’s there, among the myriad of resort levels and choices Disney offers. It still was Disney
and many do love it.. just not for me/us..

If ur going into ur vacation stay hesitant and concerned ..I’d suggest an upgrade
Enjoy, wherever u stay.

 

[maxiesmom]

I want to add that I have stayed at value resorts many times, and they always feel chaotic. That to me is part of the charm of them. But I know going in that is the type of vacation I will have. If you are looking for laid back and peaceful, the you definitely shouldn't book a value. You won't get that sort of vacation.

 

[Mome Rath]

I've stayed all levels, I love Pop. Pop is busy, but that's part of the ambience of the resort, honestly. The rooms are refurbed, the beds are so comfortable, love what they did to the bathrooms, and the TV is huge. The bus service, IMO, is the best of all hotels I've stayed at, esp. going to the parks. Good selection in food court. If you want a quieter area, I'd recommend top floor, lake view. If you want close to the buses or food court, then preferred. Don't get a pool view, it's the loudest because of the guests.

As others have said, if you are there with the 15's it can get crowded in the food court, or on the way back to the hotel from certain parks. But, the 15's are only there at certain times of the year.

 

[DisneyFive]

No flaming on other values, but POP is so much better than the All Stars IMO.

The All Stars look dated as soon as you pull up and the food courts are small.

POP has brand new renovated rooms, dedicated buses, fun theming and access to the AoA food court (one of the best) with a short walk over the bridge between resorts.

POP was the first place we stayed during our very first WDW and it holds a special place for us because of that, but we're going back this year and CAN'T WAIT!!!

Dan

 

[Cinderumbrella]

I’ll never understand why people think Pop is chaotic? Have you seen the GF at Christmastime? BC lobby during peak wait times for Cape May?

All food courts have their times of insanity, not just at the values.

Also, pay no attention to people complaining about the mattresses if they have yet to stay in a new refurbished room. The new ones are very nice (even on the Murphy bed).

As for OP personally, I have no idea what you will think of your stay. Try to go in with an open mind of at least you’re at Disney? If you go in “over the values” you are probably setting up a self fulfilling prophecy.

 

[pitpat]

I’ll never understand why people think Pop is chaotic? Have you seen the GF at Christmastime? BC lobby during peak wait times for Cape May?

Have you seen POP with hundreds of 15 year old South American girls?

OP, if you already have a negative opinion of values, I don't think you'll be too happy. We loved Art of Animation, but tried POP because it is cheaper and didn't like it nearly as much. It was fine because we are mostly in the parks, but chaos is a pretty good word for it. Besides or because of the massive tour groups, there were people everywhere. Pool absolutely filled and loud at 10:45 at night, 5-10 chairs grouped in walkways outside many rooms late at night (and these were adults), luggage racks with people's clothes drying outside rooms, security guards...

AoA might be like that if it was an entire resort of Little Mermaid rooms, but it has a completely different feel. POFQ was the polar opposite of our POP stay.

I'm not putting it or people who love it down, that was just our experience in early July.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

Have you seen POP with hundreds of 15 year old South American girls?

Yup! Last week. They were just fine.

My point is that “chaos” is not exclusive to the values.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I’ll never understand why people think Pop is chaotic? Have you seen the GF at Christmastime? BC lobby during peak wait times for Cape May?

All food courts have their times of insanity, not just at the values.

Also, pay no attention to people complaining about the mattresses if they have yet to stay in a new refurbished room. The new ones are very nice (even on the Murphy bed).

As for OP personally, I have no idea what you will think of your stay. Try to go in with an open mind of at least you’re at Disney? If you go in “over the values” you are probably setting up a self fulfilling prophecy.

I agree. I found Pop much less chaotic than Beach Club!

 

[Melanie230]

We always stay at the values. For our family we are NEVER in the room. The room is a place for us to shower and sleep. We are early risers and night owls. So to spend $500-$1000's more is a waste of money for us. I have never had any issues with noise, or chaos any time we stay there. Yes the bus is further away...but it is also the first to pull out, and I need all the walking I can get...that Disney food is yummy...lol!

 

[paradesintherain]

I agree. I found Pop much less chaotic than Beach Club!

Poly can get pretty chaotic too, now that I think about it!

 

[tannerandcatesmom]

Hubby and I stayed at Pop a couple years ago. Loved it! Buses were fine, we liked that they were dedicated to the resort and not shared. Wait times were standard. Only problem we had was the food court during the hurricane, but considering every guest in the resort was there I can’t complain They took excellent care of us during our lock down! We stayed in a standard room in the 80’s building. Shortcut through the parking lot had us at the bus stop in 2 minutes. Enjoy your trip!

 

[22Tink]

We’ve stayed at Pop twice, both times in the 70s section. I actually requested the 70s section for our second stay because we liked it so much the first time. The walk to the main building was very short and the room was nice and quiet. We had great luck with the buses both stays with the exception of Disney Springs buses. We chose to Uber to DS to speed things along. Our only small complaint is that the Pop bus stops are always the furthest away st the parks, which adds extra walking at the end of a long day. I’ll probably choose Pop again for our next trip!

 

[Cinderumbrella]

I agree. I found Pop much less chaotic than Beach Club!

Poly can get pretty chaotic too, now that I think about it!

That’s my point exactly. Every resort has times when it will be chaotic.

 

[Helene_C]

I was at Pop this April and it was perfect for what we needed - short trip focused on time in the parks. Our room was on the back side of the 90s and very quiet and we had great bus service. We actually never set foot inside the main building - online check in, room number was texted to me, brought breakfast foods to eat in the room, and all our other meals were at the parks or DS. Being able to keep the second bed folded away transforms the space. Tons of storage, excellent beds, and a nice bathroom. I don't go to WDW for the resort amenities, I go for the parks. Staying at Pop gives me everything I want at a price that lets me return more often.

 

[SarahC97]

I really enjoyed my stay the the Pop. I had a preferred room, and ended up with a great location in building #1. Third floor, facing all of the green space. It was very quiet, yet close to everything. My only negative is the location of the bus stops at the parks. It ended up being a joke that we didn't need to check the board for the bus stop location, we just had to hike to the one farthest out and it would be Pop.

I want to say though that if you are really over the values, I would save up a bit more and stay at a moderate. No use spending on something you know you will be unhappy with.

The problem is I feel over the values but my husband does not. It's a $600 difference for the week we're looking at going between Pop and a moderate - I feel like that's a big enough difference that I should at least try pop. But we just stayed at All Star Movies last week and had a terrible experience with tour groups. I don't want to go through that again, but we're also planning on a September trip, so maybe that won't be an issue?

 

[kaytieeldr]

Have you seen POP with hundreds of 15 year old South American girls?

No, but I've never been in January of July. It's all about the timing

 

[RetroCOTfan]

Agreed about the timing. We just spent a week at Pop and the groups made it miserable. It wasn't so bad at the food courts, but the constant running and yelling and banging on doors (until nearly 2 a.m. on multiple nights) left us exhausted and frazzled. We were surrounded by teenage boys on sports teams, but there were also groups of 9-10 yr-old boys running around unsupervised, too. I opened my door and told kids to be quiet more than I can count, and we called security multiple times (once it got past 11 p.m. or so). It was so bad in our section that multiple nights security was patrolling on foot and by bikes, and there was still little effect. We've stayed at Pop during different times of the year, and never had this problem - so just avoid the group season(s).

As for the refurbed rooms - they were great. Definite upgrade on mattresses, nice having queen beds, and storage was well designed. We had a minor problem with housekeeping not stocking things like cups, coffee, and washrags daily, but I think WDW is having that kind of issue at multiple resorts right now.

 

[maxiesmom]

The problem is I feel over the values but my husband does not. It's a $600 difference for the week we're looking at going between Pop and a moderate - I feel like that's a big enough difference that I should at least try pop. But we just stayed at All Star Movies last week and had a terrible experience with tour groups. I don't want to go through that again, but we're also planning on a September trip, so maybe that won't be an issue?

It all depends on the behavior of those with you at the resort. I've stayed at the Music during Pop Warner, and had no problem.

And honestly, I think the All Stars are quieter than the Pop. The Pop is much larger. So you have that many more opportunities for people to be loud and obnoxious. The food court is larger because the resort is larger. You have roughly 20% more people to deal with everywhere--by the pool, in the food court, waiting in line for the buses.

 

[sponica]

My pop experiences are dated. And it probably just holds that special place in my heart because it was where I first stayed on site.

Don't get me wrong, we've graduated to the moderates, but if we were planning on being there for a PARKS trip where we just needed beds and a shower, it would be the go to in the values.

My first stay was somewhere in the 50s. I think on the pool side.

My second stay was preferred in the 70s. I still have nightmares from the music in the courtyard. (I couldn't hear it in the room, no worries there)

I do remember the food court being bonkers. But all food courts are bonkers at certain times of day