Down graded our resort deluxe to moderate - ended up at Pop

[pooh2001]

Do you feel a let down when you always stayed Deluxe - then booked a moderate, POFQ, because of current prices and my lack of a corporate job
Now with the furlough - we have moved to POP next May 2021

Do you think we will still enjoy a week in WDW staying at Pop Century ?

 

[RamblingMad]

Are you driving or flying?

If I want to do a budget Disney trip, I go to Disneyland in CA. I can do both parks in 3-4 days and stay at an offsite hotel for less than $200 a night with a shuttle to the parks. I also don't have to worry about ADRs or Fastpasses. I can pay up for their app and be fine. Now, I have no idea what the parks are going to look like before a vaccine comes out, but that was my go to trip for a cheap Disney trip.

I find WDW to be considerably more expensive, but I did learn that you can stay at the Disney Spring hotels and still obtain the early fastpass window. That's what I might do in the future, and those hotels don't cost as much, so they're worth checking out.

If I want to do FL for cheap, I'll do an extended weekend and only go to Universal. I find the hotels are cheaper, and I can do Universal with far less planning. That would be my FL cheap trip. I can still book Disney dining. The last time I went to FL for a Universal trip only, I booked us a meal at the Poly, so that we could watch the fireworks. I couldn't get California Grill last minute. And I booked us at Hoop Dee Doo at Fort Wilderness for the meal and show. I had hoped to explore Ft. Wilderness during our last trip, but it rained.

That's my approach. I think, you might get more responses to this thread if it was moved to the Resorts sub-forum.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Do you feel a let down when you always stayed Deluxe - then booked a moderate, POFQ, because of current prices and my lack of a corporate job
Now with the furlough - we have moved to POP next May 2021

Do you think we will still enjoy a week in WDW staying at Pop Century ?

You’ll probably get the best answers in the Resorts forum
https://www.disboards.com/forums/disney-resorts.12/

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

I actually really like Pop now that the room renovations are complete. The interior space is great and well-finished, it feels similar to a moderate inside the room. That said, it isn't a deluxe or anything near it, but if you plan on spending a good amount of time in the parks anyway Pop will meet your needs. Plus, the skyliner access is great!

 

[Tiggr88]

Yes. I've stayed at all levels of Disney hotels and have had good trips at all of them. Enjoy your trip! Pop is a great resort and you can absolutely have a great trip there.

The best thing is to go with the attitude of being happy for a trip to DW and not disappointed that it is not at a deluxe. If you go with the expectation of being disappointed, you probably will be. If you go with the expectation of having a great trip regardless of resort, you probably will.

 

[DisLiss]

Do you feel a let down when you always stayed Deluxe - then booked a moderate, POFQ, because of current prices and my lack of a corporate job
Now with the furlough - we have moved to POP next May 2021

Do you think we will still enjoy a week in WDW staying at Pop Century ?

I'll work backwards.

I have no idea if you will enjoy a week at POP. I know I would enjoy a week at POP very much because I like POP. However, years ago---okay, fine, decades ago---we're getting old --- DH & I spent a "budget week" at All Star Music, and quite frankly, we didn't love the resort at that point. (That was when the All Stars shared buses ALL of the time, not like now when it's just during quiet times.) BUT, we still loved our week at Disney. So basically, it comes down to how much of your overall trip enjoyment you attribute to your resort and in relation, how much time you p;an to spend at the resort. We spent almost no time at All Star Music beyond sleeping and getting ready for our day. I think we had one or two meals over the entire week in the food court.

For the first part, do I feel a let down if I have to down grade? Again, no. We would rather a budget trip to WDW than no trip to WDW, and we'd rather save money on the resort than to give up other things, if possible. Every point in our lives is a different situation. A trip with just DH & I was and will be different than trips with the kids. 20 years ago DH & I enjoyed our trips with relaxing sit down meals and lounge visits, but with our kids right now, it's breakfast in our room, counter service meals and pool supervision instead. It's not a worse trip or trip not worth taking. It's just different. And a decade from now our trips will be very different again. There's no reason your 2021 trip can't be a great one. Pick a few new things to try or places to check out and be positive. I hope you have a great time!

 

[stephk1981]

Go and enjoy your trip!! You will be at Disney .... that's what counts. In all honesty, I think you will have a great time. Go into the trip being positive, but realistic. Pop is fun! But it's not a deluxe.....so don't go into the trip comparing it to the deluxes you have stayed at, or no, it may not measure up in your mind. Look at the positive things about Pop, I love the food court, plus I like that you can walk to AOA and enjoy their food court too. Also, don't rule out a possible discount that might be offered next May. With a discount you may be able to upgrade to a moderate still. Keep your options open and just look forward to the trip. Have a great time!

 

[DisLiss]

Look at the positive things about Pop, I love the food court, plus I like that you can walk to AOA and enjoy their food court too.

And the walk around the lake between AoA & POP is really lovely, too.

 

[Marionnette]

Do you feel a let down when you always stayed Deluxe - then booked a moderate, POFQ, because of current prices and my lack of a corporate job
Now with the furlough - we have moved to POP next May 2021

Do you think we will still enjoy a week in WDW staying at Pop Century ?

Would you rather wait longer, save more money up and have your deluxe resort stay? I would. I don’t like the Value Resorts and my preference would be to stay offsite if I have to spend more than a single night in one.

Think about the things that you enjoy about staying in a deluxe resort. How much will it affect your vacation if those things are missing? For someone who just uses the room to shower and sleep, it probably won’t make much of a difference. But if you enjoy sitting on your balcony in the morning with your coffee, or walking to one or more parks, or if you have kids that won’t enjoy a pool if there’s no water slide, then a Value Resort is not going to hit the mark for you.

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

You will enjoy your stay at Pop.
Bright colors and nice music being played at the resort and on the buses.
Refurbed rooms and the Skyliner will make it a memorable stay.
Take in the "different" atmosphere compared to a Deluxe.
You can always go back to deluxe next time.

 

[megsters]

we love to stay at POP and cruise over to AOA often. love both food courts. especially with the skyline in between.

 

[Heather07438]

Helps to look at it this way- If staying in the bubble is important to you, you're still inside. You have Skyliner access and can book ADRs at other resorts to enjoy them. I like the refurbs. Rooms look more airy and spacious. POP makes it possible to visit... it's a glorious resort! Most of the fun and excitement is outside the room anyway.

 

[mommajo143]

We have never stayed deluxe. We have stayed at every single moderate at least once some two or three times. We’ve stayed in standard rooms, Pirates, Royal, suite, adjoining....you name it I think we’ve tried it at the moderates. However this past July we decided to stay at the Pop Century in order to extend our trip a little bit ... we absolutely loved it and honestly didn’t notice that much difference between it and the moderate resorts we typically stay at. Our favorite resort is POFQ and those standard rooms are noticeably nicer plus the resort has added perks being as small as it is, but I’d be surprised if anyone can find significant differences when comparing the new rooms @ POP with just about every other standard room in a moderate. I say do it.

 

[mommajo143]

And the walk around the lake between AoA & POP is really lovely, too.

And go to AoA for the animation class!

 

[disneydreamer1980]

We have only ever stayed at deluxe DVC villas, so in 2017 when we split stayed at ASMu family suites and AoA (didn’t do DVC that trip for a few reasons, some are we got free dining and decided to stay cash and we were banking points for a stay in Poly bungalow the next trip) we were really worried we’d be miserable, “roughing it” in value resorts. Obviously we were wrong. ASMu was really nice and the kids LOVED AoA (so much so that they’re begging to stay there again). The theming at AoA (andPop) is so much fun and the food was great. We’re rope drop to fireworks people so we’re not in the resort much anyway. We were very pleasantly surprised with our stay. That being said, I’d take the Poly or BWV or any of the other DVCs over a value, but staying in a value still makes for a great trip.

 

[tobikaye]

I have had to change resorts due to budget. It can be disappointing at first, but I make sure to not dwell on it or compare, if possible. Then, I just plan and around the new resort.

I will say that if your trip is not until May 2021, you still have a chance for a discount to pop up that might make it to were you can upgrade. I have had that happen before.

 

[havaneselover]

Pre-divorce I had only stayed at deluxes. In 2016 my kids and I stayed at Pop (first non-deluxe stay) and we really liked it. Drawbacks for me were that it's like a motel (no interior corridors) and we were near a pool and kids were in the pool with no supervision until almost 11 PM screaming (it was late August). I do like the Values at UO much better but that's not really relevant

Theming is super cute, bus service was good. Overall I'd stay there again in a heartbeat. I'd love to try AoA some day as well.

 

[katherine52478]

For a budget trip, I stay offsite. You can get a hotel that has better amenities than a Disney value for the same price (sometimes better)! I’ve gotten the Courtyard Marriott Village for $65 a night multiple times! We tend to take a Lyft to and from the parks but they have a shuttle service too.

If you want the 60 day FP, the hotels at Disney Springs are nice! If you go on Mousesavers, they often discount codes that often bring the price down to value level!

I am in the Deluxe camp and have never stayed moderate or value but my family just went in February and stayed at Caribbean Beach and it was pretty nice when I visited them! So I think you could have a great time no matter where you stay!

 

[lluv3971]

Do you feel a let down when you always stayed Deluxe - then booked a moderate, POFQ, because of current prices and my lack of a corporate job
Now with the furlough - we have moved to POP next May 2021

Do you think we will still enjoy a week in WDW staying at Pop Century ?

We prefer to stay deluxe, but sometimes we do split stays or want something less expensive for a shorter trip. When that is the case, we typically book POP. It's a fantastic resort and we love walking to AOA at night. The gondolas are a big selling point for us, too. The rooms are remodeled and I absolutely love the modern, yet retro, feel. I would recommend POP to anyone!

 

[MrsPete]

I never splurge on hotels at Disney -- no desire to do so. We spend most of our time in the parks, so I don't see the point in splurging on a fancy /expensive room, given that we won't be in it except to sleep and shower!

I do like on-site because of the transportation (we love parking the car and leaving the keys in a drawer for the week), but I don't see that a deluxe offers enough "more" to justify the very high price.

On the other hand, if we're doing a beach /mountain vacation or if we're going on a cruise, I do want the best room! On those vacations we'll sleep in, spend family time in the room, etc.