Pop Century

[disneymom727]

Ok I need you to sell me on the POP! We are planning a week long trip in Oct. It will be DH, me, DS(8) and DD(3). We have never stayed here before but have stayed at ASMO and ASMU. My fav resort is POFQ which is where I would love to be staying but are trying to make this trip a bit cheaper and may possibly have another family traveling with us (kids about same age). As of now we've booked a preferred room. SO help me feel better about this decision please! It's Disney so I know it won't be all bad but a week long trip in such a small room already has me Thanks in advance for your tips and suggestions!

 

[3mickeys&me]

Pop is a great resort, I have alot of friends that stay there all the time. The Pop Rooms are the same size as the other Values you've stayed in.
Enjoy your trip

 

[PanFan01]

We stayed at Pop for the first time in late September 2009 and my kids (DS 11 and DS 9) loved it. We had stayed at the Contemporary resort for our two previous visits to the World and we were worried about the room being too small. After being there for a week we realized that the rooms had plenty of space for us. The food court had tons of options and our boys liked the different pools. The bus service was really good too. We have reservations to stay there for our next trip per our kids request. I wouldn't be worried about staying there - I think you'll like it.

 

[Nadjalu]

I love POP it is my favorite resort. There is plenty to do and see, yes it can be crowded....more crowded than other resorts....NO I don't think so.
Loud, no louder than any other resort.
The bus service is great, staying preferred is awesome. They have a nice Pool Bar (Petals), that having a drink by the pool is very cool.

I could go on and on....but I won't.

See key words in your post....."convince me" sends signals to me that no matter what you have your mind set against this resort.
That said, no one should have to convince you, if you really don't think you will like it you shouldn't stay there.

You should be happy staying where you are and not have to reach out to be "convinced" it is ok.

Now if you want to know what fun and excitement are there that is a totally different approach.

I hope you have fun!

 

[marciemouse]

I think POP is great. Here's a selling point or two to help get you excited:

You can watch the higher Illuminations fireworks from there, and if you go up to a higher floor, you can even see the Wishes fireworks!

I loved looking out of my room window and seeing Spaceship Earth every morning. (note: this view is NOT available in a preferred room) I could also see the Tower of Terror and The Dolphin.

The walk around the lake is very peaceful and fun to read the different signs along the path.

If you want to go even cheaper, skip the preferred room. There are many great rooms not in the preferred section!

The rooms are being refurbished, so you may get a "brand new" room! (You said your trip is in October, and I think all the refurb should be complete by then.)

The bus service has always worked great for us there, too.

There's the Goofy pop-jet fountains to play in. Plus fun dancing and games in the food court and by the pool. Ducks to feed on the lake. This place is GREAT for kids!

Don't stress, enjoy the nostalgia, and have a great trip!

 

[disneymom727]

Thanks everyone! I guess instead of "convince" I should have said help me get excited about. It's where we are staying and I'm fine with it, I just don't want to go back & forth with worrying about it. We had a wonderful stay at the ASMO but the ASMU was horrible so it's hard to know what you're going to get. I am a BIG planner! But thanks, I like what I'm hearing so far and really do appreciate everyones input.

 

[marciemouse]

Be sure you read the Groovier Pop thread, too. At least the first couple posts. They'll help get you excited!

 

[drewbie'smom]

I grew up going to Disney. We only stayed at the Contemporary between 1975 and 1989. I honeymooned at the Grand Floridian in a concierge bridal suite.

I first stayed at Pop in January 2004, just after it opened.

I LOVE Pop. I'm not sure I can put it into words but no other resort feels like this one to me (I have stayed at ASMu in the family suites a couple of times, too).

I love the food court, Everything Pop, the pools, the buses...all of it.

Give it a chance...I was once a deluxe snob but never again!


Actually, deluxe snob doesn't cover it...I was once a monorail snob.

 

[Nadjalu]

Thanks everyone! I guess instead of "convince" I should have said help me get excited about. It's where we are staying and I'm fine with it, I just don't want to go back & forth with worrying about it. We had a wonderful stay at the ASMO but the ASMU was horrible so it's hard to know what you're going to get. I am a BIG planner! But thanks, I like what I'm hearing so far and really do appreciate everyones input.

Great to hear you use a different word.

It always saddens me to hear people need convincing to "stay" somewhere.

Now that said........

Hear are some more of my fav things at POP.

I think it is important to stay in the decade that was "important" to you growing up. Like for me was the 70's and 80's but we stayed preferred so always choose the 70's (80's are to far away for my taste).
Anyway, there is nothing like listening to the music of "your" decade when at the room. We always prop the door open and let the music come inside.
To this day when I hear jackson 5 and Dancing Machine I am swept away to WDW and walking up to the room for my 7 day vacation and honeymoon!!!

POP's other highlights for me is the food court....one of the best on property. Yes it gets crazy at on times but still cool. During off times it is great. Tie Dye cheesecake is a must!!

As I said earlier Petals Pool bar is fantastic, love sipping a Pina Colava poolside. And a late night pizza poolside isn't bad either.

Over all go with the intent that it doesn't compare to other resorts and you WILL be happy. Those who go in and try to compare it to others will always find something they are not happy about.

Stay cool.......lol had to say that!!!

 

[NMAmy]

We stayed at Pop for one night on March 19 before switching over to BWV's. I was very pleasantly surprised! We've stayed at the All Stars before and I just hated them.

We got a refurbished room which was just so spanking clean and fresh. And, to me, it seemed as though the room was just a tiny bit bigger than All Stars. I didn't have to move all the way around the toilet in the bathroom to close the door nor was the second bed as close to the wall.

I came to the conclusion that this is one value resort where I wouldn't feel so cramped if we stayed more than one night.

 

[ollyg]

Thanks to the OP for posting this thread. I am in the same boat. We stayed last year at the WL and for our stay this fall we will be at the POP. I am very excited.

For budget reasons, to be able to go again this year, some fat had to be trimmed. Although, I loved the WL during the holidays, when I thought about it, we really did not spend any time there. We left early in the a.m. and got back early evening (parks closed early) we all were exhausted.

I researched the boards and the POP seems to fit the bill perfectly--clean and kid friendly and lets face it, my daughter would sleep in the car or under a tree if it meant going to Disney.

 

[JerseyJanice]

We love Pop! You just can't beat how nice and fun it is for the money. I don't even want a Preferred room since I prefer looking over the lake.

My favorite AB (adult beverage) in WDW is served at Petals. It's a mango mint mojito.

If you're on the dining plan, you can choose any ice cream treat for dessert. They'll stamp your receipt so you can come back within 90 minutes to get your ice cream fresh. They have milkshakes, sundaes, cones--lots of flavors and toppings.

 

[WAHMto5]

We stayed at POP last year for the first time (in any value) and now it is the ONLY resort all the kids want to go!! We are not in the room all that much since we enjoy being outdoors most of the time, so the room size is not a big deal for us. We have stayed in all catagories and if it were me, I would go with either POP or a Deluxe as we didn't care for the Mods.

 

[shalecesjourney]

This will be our third year in a row staying at the POP. We LOVE it!!

The resort is so much fun for all ages. The pools are great, I love the atmosphere, and the food court is awesome. We'll be there for 8 nights in June, have 16 people in our party, and we are all super excited!

 

[Baltazar]

Ok I need you to sell me on the POP!

no

It's too much fun

The rooms will all be freshly refurbished by the time you go and the food court/gift shop is out of this world.

All those giant icons, bright colors and cheerful cast members ... it's just awful.

All those happy guests enjoying themselves is nauseating.



Personally I think it's hard to find a reason not to stay there ...

 

[mickeysgirl17]

I prefer pop over the all stars. When we went in 2006, room was clean, it was quiet, very nice outside. Walking on the grounds was fun. We saw rabbits running around, and DD got a kick out of the ducks. They would follow us around and she thought that was hysterical.

We enjoyed the food court. The chicken penne alfredo was great. Checkout was easy and quick and the CM's knew what was included on the DP without any problems.

Mousekeeping was very good too. Never had any problems. Only disappointment was we didn't get a towel animal. (But no big deal).
There were days we would sleep in and we just put the "do not disturb" on the door, and the cleaning people would just come back later when we were gone to do a great job.

We didn't go into the pools as we wanted to go to the parks more, but there were many people (even in December) and they were heated.

The large icons are cute. We stayed in the 60's section and it was a very short and pretty walk to the main lobby.

The only problem we had was that if you walked around to just get a good look at things we'd get lost. I get lost easily though so maybe its just me.

Try it. You will probly love it.

 

[jeanylaser]

me too! I love POP than All-star Resorts!

 

[saving4nexttrip]

We'll arrive at POP a week from tomorrow and can't wait. We've stayed at AKL, YC, POFQ, Saratoga, and I let my kids choose for this trip-POP it is! It's like a continual party there, no matter the time, and you can't help but smile and feel happy. The others had their pros but they all felt a little stuffier, and much more formal than POP. You'll enjoy it...

 

[trekker93]

For those of us who are active people, Pop is so nice - from the rooms to the food court to the theming. This will be our 4th straight year there and intend to be there every year from now on, God willing. You will love it! Enjoy!

 

[TheDisneyingNewfie]

Our DS love Pop. He was so disappointed that we're staying at POR to try something different this year.

We like Pop too, but wanted to try something different.