ASMu vs. POP..what do i do??

[septbaby]

Cool thread, thanks! I had originally tried to book a Free Dining stay at POP, but only ASMu was available for our dates. The more I read the more comfortable I'm getting with our "luck".

Is there Country music in the "atmosphere" in that section? That would so not be a vacation to me. If its just the look of the place then fine, but "Achy Breaky" would not be the way to wakey, wakey or say nighty, nighty daily. I don't intend to make any room requests, but if I have to put up with a daily dose of Country Music a please NOT might be in order.

 

[DISNEYNY]

Cool thread, thanks! I had originally tried to book a Free Dining stay at POP, but only ASMu was available for our dates. The more I read the more comfortable I'm getting with our "luck".

Is there Country music in the "atmosphere" in that section? That would so not be a vacation to me. If its just the look of the place then fine, but "Achy Breaky" would not be the way to wakey, wakey or say nighty, nighty daily. I don't intend to make any room requests, but if I have to put up with a daily dose of Country Music a please NOT might be in order.

Country is just the theme. I don't recall hearing any country music, but we just walked through to take some pictures.

 

[maxiesmom]

I would keep trying for POP - it only has the one bus stop which makes all the difference at the end of a days at the parks and everyone is tired . The last thing you want is stopping at the other AS resort which just adds time to your journey .
Yes the food court is busy especially at breakfast - but so are all the resorts at this time - but the queues go down quick and you can always take it back to your room to eat...or eat it on the go .
Hope you get lucky .

I just came back from ASMu last night, and I can tell you that each All Star resort has its own bus coming back from the parks. They don't share! So if that is a concern, you have nothing to worry about!

Yes, they are still doing the extra things by the pool, and they were neat! They have dance parties, pool basketball, bingo, and other activities. Plus they were showing movies by the pool each night. I saw parts of Nemo and The Little Mermaid. The activities do add to the charm of this resort.

They don't play music themed to each section of the resort. I can see how that would be annoying, but it is not a problem.

There have been many posts about the smoke problems at POP. How a huge number of rooms are connected to the same vent system, and smoke travels thru it into your room, from people smoking in their room. I wouldn't like that at all! For me, that would be a huge problem, and reason enough to avoid the POP. If all the CMs there do is shove towels in your vents and tell you to close your bathroom door to avoid the smell, that is pathetic. Not a solution in my book.

ASMu is a great resort. Keep you reservation and don't give it another thought!

 

[DISNEYNY]

I stayed at ASMU last year and loved it. I stayed at Pop in 2004 and thought it was ok. My family wanted to be different this year and go back to Pop. Now I am having second thoughts about my decision. I'm sure everyting will be ok at Pop, but I can't help second guessing myself.

 

[christophfam]

So glad to read all of this. I decided to go with ASMu this September after our POP experience last year. It was just SO overwhelming. I am looking for something a bit quieter and more relaxing. Looks like I made a good choice.

 

[inkedupmomma]

thanks everyone. after readig all this, i'm more confident then ever about asmu!! although we have been wondering if its worth the extra money to upgrade to a moderate resort lol.. they seem so much nicer... any truth to what i'm assuming?

 

[christophfam]

I usually do value or deluxe so the only mod I've stayed at is csr. I liked it very much. Not in my budget this go around. I think the big difference between Pop and CSR for us was the relaxation factor. It is much more relaxing at CSR. Quieter, more serene, just a more laid back vibe. Now if you asked the kids, they would prefer the values. Just a lot more "fun" and Disney feeling. How long is your trip and what are you looking for? How much time will you really spend at the resort. Those are the questions to ask and then figure out which one fits the bill.

 

[maxiesmom]

thanks everyone. after readig all this, i'm more confident then ever about asmu!! although we have been wondering if its worth the extra money to upgrade to a moderate resort lol.. they seem so much nicer... any truth to what i'm assuming?

Here is what the moderates have that the values do not:

Bigger, more themed pools with slides.

Table service restaurants (POFQ does not, however POR is a 7 minute walk away and POR does have one).

Shade and benches at the bus stops. The benches can be a negative if you are not quick on your feet. Be prepared that if you are on a bench you are not considered in line for the busses. Be ready to hop up and get in line if the bus you are waiting for approaches.

A lounge area. Someplace fun to have an adult beverage and listen to live music.

Rooms that are a bit larger. With a fridge at no extra charge.

Proximity to the parks. The value resorts are the farthest from all of the parks, except for AK. The moderates are a bit closer to the majority of the parks.

Hot tubs!

That is all I can think of for now, but I'm probably missing something. As a family we do prefer the moderates over the values, but we have no problem staying at the values if that is what the budget calls for. I'm just happy to be on Disney property!

 

[inkedupmomma]

Here is what the moderates have that the values do not:

Bigger, more themed pools with slides.

Table service restaurants (POFQ does not, however POR is a 7 minute walk away and POR does have one).

Shade and benches at the bus stops. The benches can be a negative if you are not quick on your feet. Be prepared that if you are on a bench you are not considered in line for the busses. Be ready to hop up and get in line if the bus you are waiting for approaches.

A lounge area. Someplace fun to have an adult beverage and listen to live music.

Rooms that are a bit larger. With a fridge at no extra charge.

Proximity to the parks. The value resorts are the farthest from all of the parks, except for AK. The moderates are a bit closer to the majority of the parks.

Hot tubs!

That is all I can think of for now, but I'm probably missing something. As a family we do prefer the moderates over the values, but we have no problem staying at the values if that is what the budget calls for. I'm just happy to be on Disney property!

i agree lol.. either way im gonna be there. but i feel like i work so hard, why not work even harder to make some extra cash for the moderate resort.. it would be so nice to walk into a swanky hotel.. ok now i sound a little wt.. i'll stop lol

 

[adell557]

The intermission food court at ASMo leaves alot to be desired compared to the pop food court IMHO. We stayed at CBR last time and we were not impresssed. DH told me not to spend the extra cash this time on a moderate b/c he did not like it better, I didn't either. Going to the POP in august and can't wait.

 

[haleakala]

I have never stayed at ASMu but I have stayed at ASMo and POP. I just booked a room for POP again in July. To me, POP doesn't even compare to the All Star's. POP has 1 stop, thats it. The All Stars stop at each property. After a long day at the parks I don't want to stop at other resorts, just get me to mine!! To me that's a big plus. I love the theming at POP and just the whole feel there is better, in my opinion.

Just back from ASMu and I don't think our bus ever stopped at other resorts, morning, afternoon or evening; coming or going.

I did wonder if it was intentional that the Value Resort bus stops seemed the farthest walk at each park though.

We stayed in Jazz. Not far from the front (food court/bus stop/lobby), standard room was $10 less/night than preferred. Loved it. Third floor, rear was quiet morning and night.

May5-10 were our dates. I don't know what crowds are usually like, but they were no problem for us. Upon arrival we had to wait for maybe ten seconds for a cast member to be available. Our few trips to the food court after getting back to hotel at night weren't bad either.

Buses were not too crowded. I think we stood maybe one evening back to the hotel? Rarely was the wait at the hotel very long. At closing time we did wait some from the parks. I was okay wiht wiating for the next bus rather than standing though.

-LB

 

[Mr._The_King]

ok great to know! ok, so drive to all parks but mk... this should make things easier too since we have brrakfast ressies everyday.. so we kinda have to drive anyways.... i think...

NOTE* I started reading this thread and did not get all the way through before I decided to post so if anything here is redundant my apologies in advance.

Not to add confusion to your decisions but a few years ago when DD was 3 and DS was 6 we were leaving MK at closing and we had driven to the park from POP. The ferry line was long and crushing (as was the monorail to no one's surprise) so I told DW DMIL and DFIL, to take the two very tired and sleeping kids and go ahead and catch the buses and I would wait on line for the ferry and drive the car back to POP(trying to be a good guy and let them hurry back to the hotel). Needless to say I beat them there by at least 45 minutes. They ended up having to wait at least 7 bus rotations in a crowd as hot and stinky as the ferry line, only to have to then get on a crowded (stinky) bus with 2 small kids and a close to 15 minute ride. This is obviously a bigger factor in the middle of the summer and at big crowd times for the buses (closing, opening etc.) I'm not saying it was good planning on our part only that in the end if you can deal with the walk to the car and driving home we have always found driving our own vehicle to the parks to be quicker. Also I don't know if you will have strollers, lots of backpacks and gear, etc. but those things are also always quite a pain and make for a cramped squashed bus ride where as in your own car you can stow those things once you get there. All of this is just opinion but with the exception of a night where DW and I are going out alone (leaving kids with MIL and FIL) and might want to partake in an adult beverage or twelve I think driving is easier and faster than the buses

 

[Amy&Dan]

All Star Music is my favorite value. It has much prettier landscaping than the other values imho, is quieter and with the newly refurbbed rooms (which are wonderful) and acitivites at the pool, it has a lot to offer. I hope they continue those activities and also add them to the other values and mods. The movies at night were too fun, it reminded me of when we were on our Disney cruise.

The All Stars do not share busses at all times as others have mentioned. And even when they do, its not a biggie. Stay at Boardwalk sometime and you'll see what bus sharing is truly all about.

I love all the values, but have to say Music is my favorite. We stayed there last month for our second time and hope to return again one of these days. I do like to pay for preferred. At Pop, its a circular layout so it didn't feel like anything was that far from the main area. Music is laid out with one building right behind the other, if you are in that last area, it can feel like a long walk.

I love the icons of Pop and their food court but for me Music currently offers more.

 

[dis2cruise]

we've been at pop and it was nice no real complaints...this year we are trying out all star music and can't wait

 

[Mariposa]

I guess I'm in the minority- having done both, I think Pop is better. I love the refurbed rooms- and for a quiet, romantic trip I'd *definitely* pick ASMu.. but for a family trip? Pop, for sure.

Maybe we pick weird times to ride the bus, but at ASMu and ASMo we seemed to always share busses- and we stood a LOT- whereas we always seem to catch seats on the Pop busses. Dunno, just works out that way.

I also like that Pop is more centrally located. The bus rides to all parks but AK seemed to take fooooreeeeveeer from the All Stars.

Also, (yeah, I just keep going, but I keep thinking of more things I like better), I love the layout of the store and food court at Pop- much more open and airy (yet somehow more private? I think because of the dividers between the booths or something) than the All-Stars.

There's more, but I'll stop.

Just for the record, though, I'd have NO problem staying at ASMu again, but I'd probably try occassionally for Pop.

 

[maxiesmom]

The All Stars do not share busses at all times as others have mentioned. And even when they do, its not a biggie. Stay at Boardwalk sometime and you'll see what bus sharing is truly all about.

No kidding! I think the Boardwalk area resorts have the worst bus service! The rides from the Beach Club to MK and AK were so long, I honestly wondered if our drivers got lost.

I was just at the ASMu 10 days ago, and the busses only stopped at the other All-Star resorts on the way to the parks, and not all the time. We never shared coming back from the parks. The bus sharing was really not an issue at all.