Back From Pop Century!

[Figaro]

Just got back today. Had a wonderful time at WDW and no real problems at Pop Century. Check-in was very quick and our room was ready. We had requested the 70's and if we had wanted to change rooms the next day, we could have had our accessible room there, but after seeing the room/location in the 50's section, we were very happy and didn't see any need to switch rooms.

We were on the second floor and faced the pool. At the beginning of the week, the songs from the speakers by the pool were so loud we could hear them with the door shut, but they must have lowered the volume after a few days.

It was VERY noisy in the room and we were very glad that we had brought along a white noise machine. Now, part of this was because my spouse and I are up late and sleep in late(smile), but the other part was just the pretty typical noise levels at a very full value resort. The white noise machine took care of it for us.

The parking situation was not great, with the closest lot for us being the 60's lot. At least 3-4 times we had to park our vehicle right along the sidewalk because there was NO parking when we came back from Downtown Disney. We would park, put up the handicap placard and then call the front desk to let them know that we had not been able to find a parking space and that (since we are lazy slugs)(smile) it wouldn't be moved until fairly late in the morning.

We had no problem with the thermostat being set at 68. It was plenty cool enough for us and since I am always up 5-6 times a night, the room never got too warm at night for us. The first time we ran into the motion sensors on the thermostats was at Port Orleans a few years ago and the ones at Pop Century worked exactly the same way(smile).

We did get to meet Tyler and he is as kind and helpful in person as he is here on the boards!

All in all, it was a fun stay and we enjoyed Pop Century!

 

[SRRN]

Figaro,

We just booked Pop Century for Christmas week.What areas are closest to the Food Court?Did you have a distance to walk to get to the bus stops? How are the pools?

 

[Figaro]

Hi, SSRN!

The 60's buildings are the closest to the food court and cost an extra 10 dollars a night. What area of the resort would be best probably depends on what is most important to you. If it is really important to be close to Classic Hall (where the food court is), then the front 60's buildings would be among the closest, with the first building in the 50's on the "Lady" icon side being close and whatever the closest 70's building on the other side also being close. The bus stops are right out in front of Classic Hall.

The way I think of it is that Classic Hall is right in the middle when you stand outside of the front of it. On the right are the first two 50's buildings (connected with an elevator in the center) and on the left are the first two 70's buildings (also connected with an elevator in the center of those buildings). The 60's buildings set directly "behind" Classic hall, with buildings on either side of the pool.

If you are someone who prefers to drive, I would pick the 90's building, which is further away from Classic Hall, but right next to a nice, big parking lot. If the buses are what matter the most, then the first 70's building and first 50's building are probably the closest to the buses.

Hope this makes sense! Of course, it is always possible to cut across the parking lots to shorten the walk to either Classic Hall and the bus stops. It is a well designed resort, and we didn't think that the 60's, 70's and 50's buildings were all that far from the front of the resort.

Hope this helps!

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Glad you had a wonderful time! It was a real pleasure to meet y'all!

 

[SRRN]

Figaro,

Thanks for the information.I may have more questions as our trip get closer but for now,did you happen to notice the price of the refillable mugs at the Food Court?

 

[Figaro]

It was great meeting you too, Tyler!

SSRN, we didn't buy the refillable mugs, but saw a lot of people using them. I think they were $11.99 each. We aren't big pop drinkers and don't mind the water at WDW since the area we live in also has a lot of limestone. The tap water there tastes pretty similar to what we always drink here.

Pop Century is a really decent value resort and better designed than the All Stars. Even though we take enough luggage to kill an ox(smile), the room was big enough to hold it all without it feeling in the least crowded. And for the very first time ever at any of the WDW resorts we've stayed at, the floor drain in the roll-in shower actually is slanted correctly so that the entire bathroom floor doesn't get soaked(smile).

 

[SRRN]

Figaro,

Having always stayed at the moderate resorts,I was hesitant to book the Pop Century,but we were able to get a great rate for the five nights we're going to be there over Christmas,that we couldn't pass it up.Reading your great review has put my mind at rest, a bit and I know we'll enjoy our stay. Are you able to refill the mugs with coffee and juice in the morning or is it strictly for soda?
Also,how was the pool area? Was it very crowded? Are there water slides or fountains?

 

[Figaro]

SSRN, if I remember correctly, the unlimited refills are for pop, coffee, tea, hot chocolate and the slurpy type coke. I don't think juice or milk are included.

The main pool has fountains, but no slides and there aren't any hot tubs. The other pools don't have fountains, but are fairly good sized and heated quite well. There is also a pop jet fountain in the 70's where we spent a bit of time watching little ones play in it. It has different water jets that errupt randomly and the kids just love it. It is like the one at Epcot and Downtown Disney.

I think a lot of how people enjoy a resort has to do with expectations. I expected Pop Century to be brightly lit, brightly colored and kind of loud and vibrant. Although I was pleasantly surprised at how nice and romantic it was walking along the path by the lake (well, me rolling and my spouse pushing that is)(smile).

The bus service was excellent when we used it, although I did hear a fair number of complaints about the buses to Downtown Disney in the evening. We always drive to Downtown Disney, so I don't have any personal experience with those problems. When we left the Magic Kingdom after Wishes, there was one bus there and as soon as they saw the wheelchair a CM called for another bus that pulled up right next to the one I was being loaded on, so no one waited very long for a bus.

And the bus service is something that I have learned about over the years(smile), as I have found that the resorts that share or have multiple internal stops before they head out to the parks don't work well for me because of the wheelchair. Pop Century has nice lines all set up so that there is no pushing and shoving to get on the bus.

I can't use a lot of the amenities at the deluxe resorts, so we don't bother to stay at them very often any more. I hope you have as much fun at Pop Century as we did!