1st time to WDW, booked the POP...did I miss a good reason to go MOD?

[Andrea73]

I admit, my head is spinning planning our 1st trip to WDW. We are going in mid, Nov right before T-Giving. We have two girls, ages 4 & 8 and booked the POP for 5 nights.

I was leaning toward booking a MOD, but really think that we will spend most of our waking hours at the parks. (we are doing 4 park days) and would not use the resort amenities.

I thought of booking the CSR for the bigger beds, but they are booked for a convention during my stay. No rooms in the inn for us.

Is there a good reason that I missed to go MOD instead? Do people really use the pools even in mid Nov. My family is in FL and I recall shivering in the Black Friday lines at T-Giving, it was really chilly.

Honestly this is our 1st real family vacation ever and I want it to be a fabulous experience for all. I am willing to pay a bit more for a MOD but if there is not a huge reason to upgrade, I could use the extra savings on souvenirs and stuff.

ANY advice for a 1st timer would be appreciates.

TIA!

 

[belle&sebastiansmom]

My family has stayed at all levels of Disney resorts (ASMovies, Yacht Club, Contemp, CBR, AKL) and one of our favorites is POP. The kids LOVE it! It definitely has a high energy atmosphere. The rooms are nice and clean. No where but the POP theme has made my daughter's face light up. At 5 years old all she kept saying was, "This is the best hotel ever!" Never got that reaction at one of the deluxes! With 4 of us in the room, including a pack and play and a double stroller, it was tight but it was not annoying. We were just happy to be at Disney! Have fun with whatever resort you choose!

 

[mickeystoontown]

In all honesty, for no more than 5 nights, I think I'd save my money and stay at Pop. If you were going to have any "down time" where you would be at the resort more, then I'd recommend the Caribbean Beach Resort. I like having a fridge in the room, covered bus stops and a big main pool for our longer stays.

 

[dalt01]

i know what you are going through..........we mentally change resorts 5 or 6 times each year before we settle.......however..........values are never part of that process.......its the old, been there, done that thing and we wont do that again....................

 

[chocovrdmicears]

Stay at POP.
We have stayed at all levels and have LOVED our stays at POP. The rooms are a bit small but plenty comfy for our family of 4. We use our rooms to sleep and shower. Both times our room was spotless and kept that way during our stay by Mousekeeping. The theming is fun and bright, the food court has tons of yummy choices, and the CM's are absolutely fabulous. If you are not planning on spending a lot of time at your resort than POP would be a great choice.

 

[TONNIE]

On our first trip we stayed at pop and loved it. You will have a great time.

 

[Bugsmom73]

Never stayed Pop but will be this summer. We have never tried values but have tried the Mods and Deluxes.

 

[Taja]

Your children will be just as happy at PC--perhaps more so--than any of the other WDW resorts! We took a 9.5-year-old young lady who routinely stays at five-star resorts with her parents to WDW in 2007 and we stayed at Pop Century. She is about to turn 12 and wants to return to Pop Century. Not necessarily to go to the parks, just to stay at PC! LOL

What makes mom and dad happy may be different.

 

[sharonmickey]

Our first trip we stayed at Dixie Landings, now POR. I did not want to stay at the value resorts. Once we were there I remember thinking, "I should have saved the money and stayed at the value resorts". For the time you are in the room it isn't worth the price to upgrade, at least to me.

I have stayed at POR and POFQ since then, but only because we've been lucky enough to go frequently. We can relax and not try to see everything during our trips.

The money I save by staying at a value resort pays for some of our meals. POP is great for children.

 

[sparty7798]

We stayed at the Pop with a three year old in March and loved it! The room was great and well worth the value. They have great pools, shop and food court which we really liked as well. The theming is bright and lively. The buses were good and we never waited very long for them.

I think you are going to like it! Good Luck!

 

[Amy&Dan]

For your first trip, with kids the age of yours, I think going value makes total sense. You'll have so much to see and do and the icons will be a big hit with your kids. Pop is clean, its fun, and it still has a lot to offer with a food court, arcade, three pools and all the perks any WDW resort guest gets (Magical Express, Disney transportation, free parking at the parks, package delivery, etc.).

I have stayed at all levels of WDW resorts and I can tell you that we enjoy the values! My kids have been going to WDW for about six years and they never tire of those icons. And we think Pop has the best food court on proerty.

It gets overwhelming with all the different resort choices, especially if you read disboards! But in the end, you made a great choice, I would stick with it and not worry one bit you are missing out on anything. But extra cost of course!

 

[Andrea73]

Thanks so much for the input! I am really excited. The kids have no clue we are going and have been asking to go for quite a while. These boards are the BEST!

 

[buzznina]

I have found that the 1st couple of trips is mainly about the parks and not the resorts. Your kids will love POP and in case you did not know it, Pop just finished renovating their rooms.

 

[NUguyinCrew]

DW and I stayed at POP first time we went as a couple since it was cheap but we did not take in the kids factor (my bad). We were miserable with the noise when trying to sleep, the crowded bus stops, crowded pools (and we went in Sept!), lines of scooters and spartanly furnished rooms. Albeit now that I have a child I would think about staying there again down the road but only if all the moderates were full. For my money I think I will always pay the extra $500 or whatever it is to get to POR or POFQ. I know there are scores of people that adore POP but its not for me...just my two cents. Flame away.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I have found that the 1st couple of trips is mainly about the parks and not the resorts. Your kids will love POP and in case you did not know it, Pop just finished renovating their rooms.

Actually they are still in the process of rennovating. Last I heard, only one building in the 70's section is completely done. But for the OP's November trip, they should be completely finished. The new rooms look very nice from the pictures I saw on allearsnet.com

 

[MinnieTink]

We also have stayed in quite a few different resorts and we LOVED POP!! It was very clean. The buses were tops. We did not have any issues with noise (no more than any other hotel). We went in November and I did take DDs to the pool one night. It was beautiful and warm IN the pool but that walk back to the room was cold!!! Also we had me DH 2DDs and my DS in a pack-n-play. It was a bit tight but not terrible. Like a previous poster mentioned I have gone to a MOD after POP and wished I had just saved my money and stayed at POP...the "extras" you get at the MODs are just not worth the difference in price IMO.

 

[DisneyTravelers2008]

For our first trip, we did not worry so much about the resort b/c I thought we'd be at the parks a lot. And, I was right...we were so into the parks that even if our hotel was awesome, we probably would not have noticed. The Pop should be fun!

 

[buzznina]

Actually they are still in the process of rennovating. Last I heard, only one building in the 70's section is completely done. But for the OP's November trip, they should be completely finished. The new rooms look very nice from the pictures I saw on allearsnet.com

They are scheduled to be completed sometime in June and yes they do look good, I am glad they decided to put up a curtain to seperate the sink area.

 

[scottmel]

Never stayed at a value resort but I read these boards A LOT and for every pop lover out there, there is someone who hated it. I read a thread not too long ago about being able to hear toilets flush thru the walls, and just plain NOISY and crowded food court.If you are going near Thanksgiving, it will be really hectic anywhere but with small kids, I wouldn't want to bank on quiet neighbors, crowded bus stops..I would do POR...

 

[KatMark]

Not a big fan of the values and will skip a trip all together before staying there (we just prefer a more spread out resort with hot tubs, queen beds, etc.). However, being your first trip and the ages of your kids, I think you will be more than happy at POP with the big icons, etc.

Have a great trip.