Disney's POP CENTURY RESORT Information & Questions

[Nikki1013]

I'll be arriving at POP on February 20 and running in the Princess Half Marathon 5K on the 21st - my first Disney race. Will there be dedicated transportation to EPCOT on the morning of the race, and if so, will pickup be at the same location as the regular park buses? What time will the buses start running for it?

 

[bryana]

I'll be arriving at POP on February 20 and running in the Princess Half Marathon 5K on the 21st - my first Disney race. Will there be dedicated transportation to EPCOT on the morning of the race, and if so, will pickup be at the same location as the regular park buses? What time will the buses start running for it?

Yes there will be dedicated transportation. There will be signage. Sometimes pick up is in the same location; sometimes it is not. It depends on the resort. I’ve never stayed at POP during a race weekend so I can’t speak to that resort.

When the event guide is released prior to the race, you will get all of the detailed information there about what time buses will start running.

 

[Nikki1013]

Thanks. Now that the holidays are over I'm starting to focus on the trip/race. Looking forward to it!

 

[pluto377]

I'll be arriving at POP on February 20 and running in the Princess Half Marathon 5K on the 21st - my first Disney race. Will there be dedicated transportation to EPCOT on the morning of the race, and if so, will pickup be at the same location as the regular park buses? What time will the buses start running for it?

I just stayed there for marathon weekend. The buses for the expo and races picked up at the last stop that says "ESPN/Special Events". There were plenty of buses on race mornings. They started at 3:30am. You can also check the runDisney board on here for more information on race weekends.

 

[LSUmiss]

People don't understand that means check in starts at 3; if it were at 3, every person checking in would need to be in the lobby at that time.

Ok so when does check-in end if it “starts” at 3. Where do you draw the line? I’m one that does expect the room be ready by 3 (but not earlier).

 

[LSUmiss]

Has anyone put an actual full size crib in the rooms with both beds down? Is it possible? Also, how are Skyliner lines in the morning?

eta: do the rooms still have tubs?

 

[kaytieeldr]

Ok so when does check-in end if it “starts” at 3. Where do you draw the line? I’m one that does expect the room be ready by 3 (but not earlier).

5:59 AM the next day, based on being able to check in (but not expecting the room to be ready) at 6 AM for the new day.

Expecting every room to be ready for every arriving guest by 3 PM is unrealistic.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Has anyone put an actual full size crib in the rooms with both beds down? Is it possible? Also, how are Skyliner lines in the morning?

eta: do the rooms still have tubs?

Most rooms have tubs. Use the search feature to find thread titles with the word rennovation (spelled that way). It's a list of DISser-reported rooms with the number of beds and the tub/shower configuration. So, not all rooms.

 

[kelpricer]

Maybe someone can help me. I’m trying to book a room for 1 night to add to a package I have. (The package rate isn’t available) I want to try to stay at POP since that’s where I’m staying. If I put in March 12-15 it’s showing available. If I only put in March 15 it’s showing not available. I only need March 15. I remember this being talked about awhile ago somewhere. Can someone tell me if there is a trick?

 

[LSUmiss]

5:59 AM the next day, based on being able to check in (but not expecting the room to be ready) at 6 AM for the new day.

Expecting every room to be ready for every arriving guest by 3 PM is unrealistic.

Disagree. I have never read “starts at 3 either”. I’ve read check in is at 3. Guests have to check out by 11 & a lot do earlier. If they can’t turn the rooms around in time, then they’re under staffed.

 

[mdsouth]

Yeah, saw the suggestion on a blog this weekend and thought it could be useful.
I stoped researching it because it was also starting to get me nervous about our morning and our trip isn’t until July. Also realized that there’s a good chance the process will be different then, so I was just wasting my time.

This is me! I was reading through all the threads about the virtual line process for HS and just stopped too since I was getting stressed like you. I arrive on June 28th! Things definitely might be totally different then.

 

[Beamerball]

Has anyone put an actual full size crib in the rooms with both beds down? Is it possible? Also, how are Skyliner lines in the morning?

eta: do the rooms still have tubs?

We had a room in the 50’s section and it did have a tub. We used the pack n play that they provided (looked regular size) with both beds down. We put it between the dresser and bathroom, it blocked the adjoining door so if your using that then it could be a problem since it probably won’t fit anywhere else.

 

[Bruggok]

Disagree. I have never read “starts at 3 either”. I’ve read check in is at 3. Guests have to check out by 11 & a lot do earlier. If they can’t turn the rooms around in time, then they’re under staffed.

I agree with you. Just as the hotel expect me to be gone by check out time, the guests expect the room to be clean and ready by check in time.

For my last stay Dec 21-28, I checked in at noon. By 3:15pm I received no email or text, so I called. They apologized and said they are very busy but will get one to be asap. 5 or 10 minutes later I received the "room is ready" email and a room assignment on MDE.

 

[DisLiss]

Disagree. I have never read “starts at 3 either”. I’ve read check in is at 3. Guests have to check out by 11 & a lot do earlier. If they can’t turn the rooms around in time, then they’re under staffed.

I was just playing around with the online check-in for my next stay an hour or so ago, and it definitely said "STARTS at 3pm". It did allow you to enter an earlier time that you would be arriving (not checking in) and then where you make room requests it gave you the option of opting to put *possibly* getting an earlier check in above all other room requests.

 

[LSUmiss]

I was just playing around with the online check-in for my next stay an hour or so ago, and it definitely said "STARTS at 3pm". It did allow you to enter an earlier time that you would be arriving (not checking in) and then where you make room requests it gave you the option of opting to put *possibly* getting an earlier check in above all other room requests.

Interesting. I don’t do online check-in so never saw that. I just checked my email confirmation from when I booked & it says check-in is generally at 3 or 4. I assume the 4 applies to DVC rooms.

 

[mikegood2]

Disagree. I have never read “starts at 3 either”. I’ve read check in is at 3. Guests have to check out by 11 & a lot do earlier. If they can’t turn the rooms around in time, then they’re under staffed.

I agree with you. Just as the hotel expect me to be gone by check out time, the guests expect the room to be clean and ready by check in time.

For my last stay Dec 21-28, I checked in at noon. By 3:15pm I received no email or text, so I called. They apologized and said they are very busy but will get one to be asap. 5 or 10 minutes later I received the "room is ready" email and a room assignment on MDE.

In an ideal world that would be the case, but in reality it’s not. The POP has 2,880 rooms and regularly runs near max capacity. Now of course they never have to deal that amount of rooms, but still they are dealing with hundreds of rooms a day and some days more. It’s unrealistic to expect every room to be ready in that relatively short 4+ hour window. On our trip in we arrived around noon and our room wasn’t assigned yet, but we did get it a little after 1 pm. We shoulda gotten it earlier, but we never received our “room is ready” they said we were supposed to or we coulda been in our room a little earlier.

Now as far as understaffed goes, I think that’s a problem they’re constantly facing. They have trouble keeping enough mouse keepers and think that’s a big reasons why they offer $10 a day towards a gift card, if you opt out of mouse keeping. I’ve always wondered how many people take them off on that offer? i also wonder how much more cleaning is required in the rooms that opted out?

 

[scrappinginontario]

Ok so when does check-in end if it “starts” at 3. Where do you draw the line? I’m one that does expect the room be ready by 3 (but not earlier).

There is a possibility your room will not be ready by 3:00 for the reasons @mikegood2 shared above. Best go in with realistic expectations that this may or may not happen and save yourself undo stress.

Maybe someone can help me. I’m trying to book a room for 1 night to add to a package I have. (The package rate isn’t available) I want to try to stay at POP since that’s where I’m staying. If I put in March 12-15 it’s showing available. If I only put in March 15 it’s showing not available. I only need March 15. I remember this being talked about awhile ago somewhere. Can someone tell me if there is a trick?

If you can’t see it online, call. This is the best option to try and get something if it’s not available online.

 

[Saad]

We have an Instacart order going to pop in an hour. Where will they drip it off? I’m still at park

 

[DisLiss]

i also wonder how much more cleaning is required in the rooms that opted out?

I wonder that as well. I imagine the cleaning between guests takes longer now on the whole if opting out of Mousekeeping is even relatively popular.

 

[fla4fun]

There is a possibility your room will not be ready by 3:00 for the reasons @mikegood2 shared above. Best go in with realistic expectations that this may or may not happen and save yourself undo stress.

I agree. I have been going to WDW since it first opened and the earliest I received a room was 6:00am and the latest I have received a room is 8:00pm. The really late one was at CR, not a DVC, although I have received late room assignments at DVC resorts too. The really early one was at BWI. I typically arrive at the hotel around 4:30pm and most of the time I can get a room at that time, but sometimes it requires a trip to the front desk. One time I had a late assignment at POFQ because the room I was assigned had the carpet shampooed and they were waiting for it to dry. Since the room met my requests, I was willing to wait rather than ask to be assigned to another room.

One thing I have been doing when entering an arrival time during online check in is putting in an arrival time about three hours prior to when I will actually get there. When I put in the real time, I was getting the emails after I got to the resort and waited at the front desk to get a room assignment. Now I get the email about an hour before arrival in most cases.

it could be worse. I stayed at a Holiday Inn once that would not even talk to people checking in until after their posted check in time of 4:00pm. The woman stood behind the desk, and I stood a couple feet in front of it, and we just stood there looking at each other until 4:00. I arrived about ten minutes to four, and she told me to come back at four. So I waited. That was awkward.