Pop vs. POR?

[ChicagoMom]

We're a family of 3 and DD will be almost 5 when we travel (October 2014).

2 years ago we stayed at AKL which was amazing. I'd originally booked POFQ but was able to upgrade to AKL for the same price.

We're staying longer so I'd prefer to spend less per night for this trip.

POR is about $300 more than Pop.

Is the transportation better at POR than Pop? Which resort would require less walking, e.g. from our rooms to the restaurants and pool? What about the CS? It looks like the CS at Pop offers a little bit of everything. How does that compare to POR? We were a little disappointed by the CS at AKL.

Is there another moderate we should consider? When I booked our 2012 trip, I came close to booking CBR but it seemed very big and I thought we might have to do a lot of walking.

TIA!

 

[chairbear]

I have only stayed at POR, it's such a beautiful resort. Even though we are switching it up to WL this year i have had nothing but great experiences at POR. We usual stay in the magnolia bend the rooms are nicely themed even though it's not the royal guest rooms. We are always a quick walk to the bus stop and have never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus to arrive. The food court is okay we usually head over to PORFQ for quick bite they have a better variety. But over all great resort

 

[mkarizona]

Transportation will definitely be better at Pop because there is only one bus stop. Walking distance should be less also since the building are not spread out and none of the buildings are far from the main building.

 

[yankee3366]

I've stayed at both and feel it's worth paying a little extra to stay at POR. We love POR, it's much quieter and a peaceful break from the parks, unlike POP which is noisy and active.
POR has several bus stops, but we never really waited too long for the buses. Plus POR has the boat to DTD which is a nice change. The resort is a little larger so there may be a little more walking but we never really noticed because it's such a pretty, peaceful walk to the restaurant and food court. I think the selection in the food court is a little less than POP but you can also walk over to POFQ for more options.

 

[Sue M]

Pop & POR are very different. For a longer trip I'd want more ammenities, and a larger room.

IMO POR is quieter, more tranquil resort. The landscaping is beautiful. We prefer the mansion section too, I feel it's close to everything.

Boat to DTD, & fun evening entertainment at both POR & Pofq. Easy stroll between the two.
Love the POR food court. Esp the make your own pasta bar. Even when we aren't staying at POR, we sometimes go there for the pasta.
Everyone has different likes, and for us, the POR has better selections then POFQ, but really, 90% of our meals are at the parks or TS.

For $300 more, IMO it's worth it. But if money is tight, and it would negatively impact your trip, POP is totally fine.

 

[disneymomtotwins]

We have stayed three times now onsite, once at POR and twice at POP. We did enjoy the quiet of POR but too spread out and long waits for the buses. My kids enjoy the colors and vibe better at POP. If we had to choose, it would be POP again. Yes the rooms are small but how much time do you spend in your room? We enjoy the parks, the food courts and the pool. Plus you can walk over the bridge and check out AOA and their foodcourt! With a young child, they are going to love the large icons at POP and AOA not so much the lush green landscape of POR. But we always enjoy our visits no matter where we stay, go and enjoy whichever resort you choose!

 

[masylimed]

We've stayed at both with our 3 children over the years. We really like both resorts but POR is our hands down favorite. However, if it were me, I'd save the money and stay at POP with a 5 year old. POR offers a lot of perks and amenities for the money, but I don't think it would really get noticed by a 5 year old. My kids loved the colors and cartoon-y feel of POP when they were younger. Now that they are older - 12, 15, 18 - they enjoy POR amenities more.

IMHO you can't make a bad decision as both resorts are great. But I would save the money and have a great time in POP.

 

[Disneylover99]

Transportation will definitely be better at Pop because there is only one bus stop. Walking distance should be less also since the building are not spread out and none of the buildings are far from the main building.

I love the transportation so much more at Pop in comparison to POR.

 

[McKelly]

I think YOU would enjoy POR more, but I think your 5 year old would enjoy POP more. I like them both for different reasons. The one thing that really stood out for me at POP was the bus lines. They have corrals for people to line up in. First to get to the bus stop gets on the bus first. At POR, people will just walk up, some run, and cut right in front of you and get on the bus - DROVE ME CRAZY!

 

[mco65]

I have stayed at both on multiple occasions and have a high opinion of both.. if we were not 5 now, we would probably stay at POP more and save the $$$$.

POP is typically a BUSY place akin to a madhouse at times... but that can be fun too! POR is a little less active.. more relaxed and easier to find a lounge chair at the pool..

If your looking to relax a little at the resort and pool then you should choose POR. If your just needing a room and plan on spending most of the day at the park then POP is the way to go...

 

[ontheuptick]

Why Pop and not AoA? If you have a 5 year old, I can't imagine they wouldn't prefer AoA over Pop.

That said, POR is what I would choose. Easily over Pop, and probably over AoA as well (since AoA isn't as cheap as pop).

 

[ChicagoMom]

Thanks for the responses everyone.

Right I posted, I thought about AoA too. I'm not sure why I wasn't considering it other than reading it's not usually part of the room discounts. We're going in late October and I'm hoping for FD.

I think DD would LOVE AoA.

I think I'll switch over the reservations to AoA and if FD is offered then I'll have to decide whether we should upgrade to the DDP or move to POR or POFQ to get DDP instead of QSP.