Just wanted to add my 2 cents to this thread!
My husband and I stayed at Pop Century (uh---but we like calling it 'Pop Land'----inside joke, I guess) March 7-14. It was our first on-property stay. We absolutely loved it!
It was nice for once NOT to have to rent a car and commute all around. . .
From Orlando Airport to Pop Century was just shy of an hour on the M.E. (stopped off at Carribean Beach Resort, first)
Pop was wonderful!!
Our room request was simply, 'a quieter room' and 'preferably on the top floor'. (did this at time of booking and didn't bother to mention it again----figured we'd just get what we get) We were given a room in building 09, on the top floor and it was quite perfect for us. We could see the pool, but it was distant enough not to be a distraction. (noise-wise)
We laughed at our 'musical toilet' the whole trip---even had to take a picture of it so we could laugh later. . . It made the expected, overly dramatic flush. . .but then made a high pitched whistle afterwards. . . .o.k., probably not funny to anyone but us. . .Ha! Did have some drainage issues in the sink the first night and had to call for some assistance. Water would not drain and was leaking under the sink a bit. Someone from maintenance came with a little plunger and it helped a bit. Later in the week we had a slow draining tub, but overnight it drained and it never again was an issue. . .not really complaining. . .certainly didn't cloud our experience! Afterall, stuff like this happens at home, too!
The room was in decent shape and stayed about the same throughout. When we were just checking in, a friendly mousekeeper popped in (the door was open as we just had Garden Grocer deliver some stuff to our room) and delivered a 'welcome' towel monkey for our window ledge. Now, I knew about these well in advance from the DisBoards. . .but it was a new novelty for my husband. He wasn't so sure what to think about it----but got hooked on them as the week progressed!!!!----as we received a few more----great fun!)
Thought the mattresses and pillows were wonderful (I know everyone has their own opinion, here). The firmness was great. Uh. . .we came home and ordered a new mattress. . .having realized how sad ours had become!
We enjoyed walking around the resort in the wee hours of the morning. . . usually an hour before the buses began running. Enjoyed the great photo opportunities, etc. For it being a 'value' resort, I was pleased to see the usual Disney attention to detail when it came to the landscaping, etc. It was very pleasant!
Made use of the food court on a few occasions. Mid afternoon decision for a burger on arrival day was a poor choice (too dried out)-----but we soon discovered the chicken alfredo!!! It was quite delicious! The chicken was a good 6oz. breast and juicy! Filling and satisfying! We often found coming back from the parks at night, if we were a little hungry. . .we'd order up the chicken alfredo----sometimes to share. . .and sometimes NOT. I wish I had tried a few other options (like the veggie lasagna or the flatbreads), but hey. . .always next year. . .
Was concerned about the buses after reading various threads. . . NEVER a problem. I don't think we ever waited more than 10 minutes at most----and generally, it was less. The buses made our trip much less stressful (not having to drive)-----but there were a few times late at night where it would have been nice to be in a quiet car vs. the full, noisy bus. . . I asked my husband if next time he'd rather return to having a car. . .he said, 'no'----so it couldn't have been all that bad, right?
We don't have the luxury of knowing when we'll be able to take our vacation time next year----so we couldn't take advantage of the 20% book-now discount posted in our room just before our departure (30% for moderates). . . but we wouldn't hesitate to return to Pop Century next year! We've fallen in "love" with Pop Century and will certainly keep it near the top of the list when planning our next trip to The World!!!!
