ASM or POP? Need experienced advice

[Ready to go in Ok]

I finally got my DH to give me an exact date for out trip! He likes the idea of two rooms at a value resort rather than one room at a moderate because of the extra bathroom. (We will be traveling with 3 DD, ages 16, 13, and 11) I am new to onsight accomodations, so I need advice on whether to stay at ASmovies, or Pop Century. Any advice would be great!

1981 offsite
1984 offsite
1988 offsite
2002 Grosvernor

 

[crzy4mickey]

We stayed at movies in 2002 and pop in 2004. We liked movies better. I liked the movie icons more than the ones at pop. The food court wasn't that great at Pop, i think the one at movies was better. When we checked in at Pop we requested a bed rail and extra pillows, never got them. When we got home from the park at 10pm we had to call for both and only received (45min later) the bed rail so back down for pillows and still the only brought one when we asked for 4. It took housekeeping 3 days to clean the sticky crud and used tissues in the bottom of the night stand drawer. The bathroom wasn't clean either, thankfully I brought some lysol wipes to clean up a little. Oh and there were crumbs all over the bed spread when we got there. We never had any problems with requests or housekeeping at Movies. We thought since Pop was a newer resort it would be cleaner but no! Oh and we had 2 rooms also and the other room had the tiny ants but only had to make one call for that and they were right there and took care of that problem but all resorts have ant problems now and then, hey it's Florida! Still had a great time.

 

[mamapajama]

This is a toss up for us. I liked both resorts but the bus situation at Pop is much better. All-Stars can share busses and that gets nuts. The food court was much better at ASMo. They had nice daily dinner choices like flank steak. salmon & roasted pork loin (which was delicious). FYI< stay away from the Pop meat loaf- yuck!!

We choose Pop because we don't eat all that much in the food court & think a not-as-crowded bus out ranks the food court dinner selections.

Elise

 

[n2mm]

It is a real toss up like my co-posters above. Both have pros and cons. I've stayed a Movies many (many) times and enjoy it, but also stayed at Pop twice last year and enjoyed it too. Movies does have a better food court, but you can't really go wrong with any of the value resort food courts. Pop is large, mostly because they have 4 floors instead of 3 like the all stars. The bus service is better at Pop because it doesn't share like the all stars do. We like the inside bar/lounge at Pop, they don't have at all Stars, and like the lake setting at Pop, which makes for a relaxing stroll. I would try for Pop first and use Movies as you back up. Not sure of your dates or if you hoping for a code discount. This could affect your decision. Since Pop is more popular because it is new, availability would be lower there, then the Movies. But you can't go wrong with either. I also love the location of Pop with it right in middle of all attractions, where the All Stars are at the end of the attractions nearest AK.

 

[TnKrBeLlA012]

I had a really bad experience at the pop, so I would pick the All Star Movies never have had a problem there.

 

[Terk-1]

My vote is for the Movies. We stayed here in 2001 and loved it!!! We were in the Toy Story section and found it very close to everything. We found the staff to be very nice and rooms kept very clean. We dined at the foodcourt several times and were very happy with the quality of the food.

We tried Pop last November and were pretty disappointed. We just did not feel that Disney feeling staying there, as we did at the Movies. It's pretty spread out and we were just not thrilled with the service we got there. Slow cast members, especially in the morning opening the food court area. We found the service there the slowest. Also, we tried the pb & fluff sandwich twice and the bread was stale & very dry both times.

 

[MickiMouth]

This thread has come in very handy for me. We have never stayed at a value but may on our next trip. I have been debating between Movies and Pop and I was leaning towards Movies. We will have our own car and the theme at Movies appeals to me more then that of Pop.

 

[ptrbryant]

Have always stayed at WL, but if we keep making annual WDW trips, we've got to come up with a less expensive alternative. We're thinking of a split-stay between a Value and WL to test a Value out. I personally like POP better (mainly because of the more attractive guest rooms), but DS9 REALLY wants to stay at ASMo (he's a huge Fantasia and Toy Story fan--and our dog is [mainly] Dalmatian!). DH and I feel he's only a child once, so we're leaning towards ASMo--just wishing they had a different color scheme!

Karla B.

 

[Donalds#1Fan]

We stayed at ASmu...and absolutely loved it. Next trip is a toss up between ASsports and ASmo. I definitely prefer the theming to ASmo over Pop as pop seems to stray away from the Disney feel. I would definitely say movies, but it is an older resort. Both are definitely worth a try!

 

[eye R.N.]

The pro's for pop, you are never very far away from a pool. It is newer and deosn't share bus service (the biggest pro in my opinion) I really like the 50's section.

 

[ktink]

I would stay at POP hands down. We loved our stay there Sept 04 and had a wonderful stay. The CM's were all very helpful and Mousekeeping was excellent. The transportation was good as well. I actually thought the food court was pretty good. And we loved the feel that you got there. I would recommend the 50's or 60's buildings. There is a beautiful lake there with wonderful walking trails. Some even say you can see Illuminations from Epcot at night. Loved everything about Pop and we will stay there again I'm sure.

 

[bobcat]

We've stayed at all of the value resorts and Pop is our overwhelming favorite! We love the theming, the food court (kids love the slushies), the lake, the whole feeling of the resort. Movies is great as well but I feel that POP is a little step up for many of the reasons mentioned by other posters.

 

[drp4video]

I have stayed at POP twice and ASM five times. I would go with POP. It is newer, and I liked the food court better (more dessert choices )
It also has a counter over the sink for toiletries, and t.v. is bigger.

BUt, I always rent a car, and parking at ASM is better than POP, if you stay in the 60's bldg. When I stayed in the 70's it was not as bad.

I loved the nostalgic feel to Pop, and Pop is closer to most of the parks. I never use bus service so I can't comment on that.

I try to book Pop first, and if I can't get in, then I go with ASM. It is really not that big of a deal, as we don't spend that much time in the room.

 

[Ready to go in Ok]

Thanks so much for the info. I was really leaning toward ASMo, but now I think I will go with Pop. I am thinking that since my DDs are older, they will appreciate the theme more, and ASmo might be a little too juvenile. I love this board!! I have gotten more helpful info here than I could have imagined. Thanks for all the help.