CBR, Pop or ASMovies

[Dylan_&_Blake's_mom]

We only have 40 days to go til we leave for disney I have a VERY BIG DECISION to make and I need some help. I got to thinking about something and now might change our plans again. A friend of mine here on the dis told me about how they end their vacations. Instead of going to the beach once during their disney time they stop at the beach on the way home and spend 2 nights there unwinding before they head home. What a perfect way to end our vacation. We always feel like we need a vacation from our vacation when we get home from disney due to all the running. How perfect to have 2 whole days at the beach to relax afterwards. ANYWAY, we could easily pay for two nights at the beach and the stuff for those days as well as have at least $500 left to put towards our vacation if we switched from CBR to Pop or ASM. It is a $1000 difference. We just paid it off on Thursday so we would get that $1000 back. We wouldn't really have time to spend at the resort anyway so the only real difference is that we wouldn't have the pirate themed room. A bummer yes but worth the extra money????? Are the values just as nice for the most part as the moderates? I'm curious mainly about room size and how comfortable the beds are. I know there are lots of people who love Pop and I'm sure lots who love ASM (to me it looks like ASM has nicer rooms from the online pics) so I really need your opinions. PLEASE HELP

 

[NatnEmsMom]

We have never stayed at Pop Century, but have stayed at the Movies Resort twice. You're right, you're not in the room that much, so all you really need is a bed sleep on, and with kids, they don't even care what the room looks like! We had both the king size bed and the 2 double beds. Each room had plenty of room to move around, and we also had room enough for a pack-n-play with the 2 double beds. We're looking forward to staying at the Music Resort in the Family Suite this year, but I'll have to keep you posted on how that works out! But I would recommend any of the all-star resorts. Nice rooms, comfortable beds, and cheap place to stay to get all the benefits of staying on Disney property!
Have Fun!

 

[cndnchicky]

I know its tough to pick resorts-Disney has so many nice ones to choose from. I've stayed 2 times and about to make it 3 at POP. We absolutely love that resort!!!! We are also staying at CBR for part of the trip, just for a bit of a change. All 3 of the choices you've said all give you the choice of one king or 2 doubles. Square footage wise- POP-260 sq feet, i assume ASM is the same, and CBR is 340 sq feet. Pop is really nice with many pools and a little kiddie splash playground which your little ones will love. And CBR has a really nice water area with slides, and a pirate ship playground that dumps water on you. Like I said I dont know much about ASM so I cant really say much about it. Anyways, I hope that helped, and good luck!!! With Disney resorts you really cant lose!!!!

 

[MSSANDRA]

Between POP and ASM I would go for POP 100%. We have done both and like EVERYTHING about POP better. Bus service was much better. Rooms newer though about the same otherwise. Front desk people much nicer!! We got the exact room we asked for at check and then they helped us track down a last miniute ADR for dinner that night.

Now we did like ASM fine but Pop was better. We have stayed value to deluxe and for the money, pop can not be beat.

 

[lucigo]

I have stayed at all 3 and we just love Pop. Its cleaner, newer, and it has something for all of the kids. My DD20 loves the tie-dye cheesecake, DS18 is a rubik's cube fanatic (nuf said?), DD14 loves the Frozen Cokes, and DD6 would rather sit in the numbers out front than go to the parks LOL

 

[Shleedogg]

Well, let me start off by saying that I haven't stayed at any of the resorts you're considering, lol. But, you asked for it, so here are my thoughts.

We stayed at ASSP in Jan and then POR in July. After our trip in July, I told DH it's either values or deluxes from now on (we bought DVC on that trip, so not an issue anymore ). The reason I say that is because I honestly didn't see much of a difference between the rooms.

The mod grounds are much nicer, no doubt about that and the pools have a slide. I think kids are just happy to be in a pool when it's hot out. The themes are a little more subdued and relaxed at the mods, but overall, I feel the quality in the rooms is identical. The bedspreads are very thin and just feel icky to me (I feel this way at all hotels, not just Disney...unless there's a down comforter involved). The towels are small, thin and threadbare. The sheets aren't soft. The beds are fine, we both slept well.

So really, the only difference is the theme and the beautiful grounds. Personally I spend very little time hanging out around the resort to appreciate the scenery when it's so hot out, except actually being in the pool. That to me is not worth an extra $1000.

I say go to Pop or ASMO, whichever you can get at this date. From what I've read, Pop fills up quickly.

Another thought. Have you considered ASSP? I know the theme isn't for everyone. When we went in Jan we were originally booked at Pop but it wasn't available for the $200 gift card offer so we switched to ASSP. It was the only resort I didn't want to stay at. In the end we were pretty happy with it, even though I am not a sports person. We were in the Surf section and it was close to the pool and main building. It's also the first stop on and off the bus, which was a huge plus for us, especially in the morning. I've also noticed when pricing out vacations that it's usually cheaper than all the other values.

Good luck with your decision and have a great vacation!!

 

[star sweeper]

I haven's stayed at ASMovies, but did stay at Pop back in Feb. I loved being able to hop on a bus there and go directly to the park. It's my understanding that the other value resorts share buses and make more stops getting to and from the parks. Pop had a very nice food court, and the rooms were okay--nothing great, but it's a value resort.

I stayed at CBR back in Nov 2006 before the renovations, and was very disappointed. At that time, the rooms were on par or worse than the newer value resorts IMO. I can't compare what it would be like now, but I know I felt our Pop room was better than CBR in 2006.

 

[ireland_nicole]

I think you need to do what's right for your family, but there are some differences between them:

CBR:
has an amazing pool that was just rebuilt; it's incredibly themed, has a childrens splash area, and slide, etc.
has a marina with rentals for water sports
has bike rentals
has a sit down restaurant
has much larger rooms (the largest of the mods)
plus, it has a beach; with hammocks for lounging, and playscapes


That being said, if those things honestly don't matter to you, then by all means save the money. Your kids won't know the difference anyway, all the disney resorts are well themed and a lot of fun.