POP vs ASMU?

[katieandemismom]

We've stayed at AKL and WL so far in our Disney experience. Last trip, we resort hopped over to POP and thought it was pretty cool. Our dds (5&4) really liked it, too. Dh thought the food court was fantastic. So....we've decided to try either POP or AS Music for our next trip. I've read both the fact threads on the two and would love to hear from folks who are familiar with both.

Which one has the nicer rooms? I know Music was refurb'ed last year. Is it cleaner/nicer still?

Which one has the better food court?

Which one has more activities for the kiddos later in the day? We go in January, and as the parks close early most days, it would be nice to have some play room around the resort for the girls.

I realize this is highly subjective and each resort has it's fans, but I'd love to hear from anyone who has stayed at either (or both - even better).

 

[Mrs. Chilly Twist]

I like Pop better...the funky icons are fun to take pics with, you don't have to share buses and go to other resorts before you get on your way, the splashground and pools are a lot of fun (ASMU doesn't have a splashground), there are games of twister outside and I think the food court is very creative at Pop.

 

[sharonmickey]

I've stayed at both resorts. POP was nice, I liked the decor and the way the resort was laid out. It did not seem to have the buildings as close together as the All Stars. It seems like the bus stop and food court was at a more central location than the All Stars.
That said, I do like ASMu better. Perhaps because the trip to POP had more "issues" than any of my other trips. I found the bus service at the All Stars to be better. I have not been there since it was refurbished - but I will be there this week!!! I've stayed in both the Calyppso and Jazz buildings at ASMu; I liked both locations. The gift shop at ASMu was fabulous. I've never had problems with the bus when staying at any of the All Stars like I had a few times at POP. The All Stars are all close together so it easy to walk to a different resort.

 

[Eeyore's My Favorite]

DH & I were just at ASMu in January & it was absolutely fantastic. We had a standard room in Jazz and it was so nice, clean, refurbished. Had the curtain in the sink area which was great. A much nicer and quieter resort than POP. There were daily activities for the kids in the pool area. They were playing BINGO one day, and dance contests, movies by the pool and tons of other activities going on. They gave us a list when we checked in. There always seemed to be a good turn out for the events too. We had absolutely no issues with the busses. We only shared with another resort 1 time. The food court was great. Enough of a selection for both of us. The only thing we didn't get which we understand is fantastic was the pizza. Lots of families were picking them up one night & going to the far end of the food court to eat and watch TV. Our last trip to POP was so unmagical we won't go back there again. I wrote to Disney and actually got a phone call back from a WDW rep with reparations after that vacation, so POP is permanently crossed off our list of resorts to stay at. JMHO............

 

[maciemouse]

I've stayed at both resorts. It's funny because when you read the thread boards people either love Pop or they love Allstars. Reguardless, Disney does a great job with the theming of the value hotels. We usually stay at Poly for long stays, but for a weekend stay we do not hestitate to stay at one of the value resorts. They really have a "disney" feel to them. And they are fun. With that being said, I really like POP the best. There is nothing wrong with the Allstar resorts, I just like the decor better at POP. I also feel that POP holds a better crowd. The food court there is easier to get around and the lobby is big. (I know POP has more rooms) The last time we stayed at Allstars they shared buses and POP does not. We never had to wait a long time to get on a bus at Allstars but it was time consuming going to the other allstar resorts picking up and dropping off. I do not think you will be disappointed either way. Everytime we have stayed at either resort they have been clean. I think all the values have activities for the kids.

 

[typhoonlagooner]

We stayed at both last year, Pop in January and ASmu in September. We normally stay at the moderates or deluxes, but wanted to give the value resorts a try.

We stayed at Pop first based on the rave reviews I read on these boards. After a lackluster and disapointing stay we tried ASmu. After our experience and service we recieved there, we're having a hard time considering/justifying the price of a moderate.

If your used to the rooms at AKL and WL, Pop's room's are going to be a huge downgrade for you. In our opinion, they're stale and very ill themed. When we walked into our ASmu room, we actually felt like we were actually at a resort. The two toned walls, furtinures, linens, carpet, and decor was so refreshing and well done. I would say both were cleaned to the same standards and both are identical in layout and size. With just the room alone, we felt we were already getting twice as much for our money than at Pop.

I prefer the layout and design of the Pop food court, but we did prefer the offerings at ASmu better. Our only gripe with Pop's food court was how it was connected to the gift shop (extra noise and traffic at times) and the offerings (both menus can be viewed online.) We were always able to find a seat at either resort and our meals were always hot and good. The food court did "appear" to be more busy at Pop to us, but I'm not sure whether that had to do with a larger resort or not. Either way, we never had an issue with waiting for food or congestion.

Neither resort has a "play room" but both do have arcades. ASmu had pool games at the main pool during the day, Wii games on an inflatable pool side screen in the early evening, and a Disney movie on that same screen each night. Everything depended on the weather of course, but what a nice treat at the end of the day! We watched National Treasure and PotC lounging in the pool! I know you mentioned you were going in January, so not sure how much swimming you'll be doing to begin with! Pop has a nicer kiddie pool and pop just play area; and don't forget the twister game!

Alot of folks like Pop around here, but it just wasn't for us! Too big, too neon, too "in your face"; to us, it's the "nick hotel" of the Disney resorts. You have a slight advantage than we did though, you've actually "toured" the resort! If your kids and DH enjoyed it, I say give it a chance!

For us, ASmu was more of a "resort" experience that we had been used to with past stays. Either way, we're so thankful we tried the value resorts...

 

[Samsma]

I liked Pop better, although granted we only stayed at ASMu for one night. I just like the theming better and we had a closer room in the 50's (we stayed at Country Fair at ASMu quite a walk!). Anyway the food court and gift shop at Pop are really nice. I didn't think the room at AsMu was any better than Pop even though it was recently refurbished. Plus there is the lake and view of the fireworks.

 

[PrincessFan0809]

We have never stayed at Pop, but we stayed at ASMu and loved it. I thought we were going to hate it...but we were very pleasantly surprised. It was very clean. The food court had many options and the food was not bad. We loved the activities offered at the pool each night. We'll be back in August for 2 weeks!

 

[karmalicousss]

We are going to POP in August and it looks really cool.