First (and last) Pop Century Visit - Review/Thoughts

[Maleficent Dragon]

We returned from Disney earlier this week; we stayed at Pop Century (our first ever value resort visit) and we were very underwhelmed. I wanted so badly to like this resort. We are DVC owners and usually stay at Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani. Prior to becoming an owner, we have also stayed at Wilderness Lodge, Beach Club, Port Orleans Riverside, French Quarter and Coronado. For the most part, we liked all of them except Coronado. My in-laws paid for this trip, so of course we didn't have any input about where we stayed. There was a total of 9 people in 3 rooms.

There is no good, bad and ugly.... just our experience.


Bus Service
The bus service was good, despite the fact that it was summer and a bit crowded. I really like that they have queues for the buses so that those who are walking up later cannot push their way onto the bus first. I wish all resorts had this. The only bus issue we had was a particular guest who each time he got on the same bus we did, he would take the first seat up front and block almost the entire aisle with his double-wide stroller causing an issue with other guests getting on the bus. I was really surprised the drivers didn't say anything?


Pop Everything Food Court
We found this to be disappointing. We tried several things from here. Breakfast platter, waffles, french toast, french bread pizza, create-your-own salad, chicken nuggets, tie-dye cheesecake, Cesar salad, cappuccino and a few other items. The create-your-own salad wasn't bad and my husband liked the french bread pizza, but we didn't care for the other items. The breakfast items were cold and had a texture like they sat for a long time. I couldn't figure out what all of the excitement on the message boards about the cheesecake is all about; I have had better cheesecake from the Wal-Mart freezer.


Cast Members
They were all wonderful (with the exception of 2 in the gift shop)! We had to reach out to a manager and she was beyond awesome! Anytime we had to go to the front desk, the gift shop, food court, etc - we were greeted with smiles and thanked warmly for our purchase. Very friendly, too. There were a lot of CMs 'earning their ears' on this trip and they were all as organized, efficient and professional as a CM who had been there for years. For the two in the gift shop that were not wonderful, one was ugly to my niece when she asked to look at the pins the CM was trading. (she seemed really put out) - My niece wanted to trade with a CM with a green lanyard and because she is only 6, I approached the CM with her. The CM didn't even ask me if it was for me or the little girl with me; she just chastised me for asking her because her lanyard was green. I was surprised at how ugly she was about it. I pointed to my niece and said "she wants to trade" and then she said "well, she needs to be the one who asks, not you". Really? Please tell me that my niece is not the only shy child to ever visit Disney World.


Housekeeping
I have nothing but negative comments here. When we checked in, our room was DIRTY! We were given our keys when we arrived around 11 AM and we went to our room to drop our carry-ons. We noticed a smell in the room and though it was familiar to me, I couldnt quite place it until we got back that evening. It smelled like somebody had been sick (like sinuses). If you have kids, you know what I am talking about. We went straight to Disney Studios and didn't really look around. We got back late and were very tired since we had woken this morning at 4 AM. When we began to unpack, we found that there was popcorn, candy, empty boxes and other food in the drawers. Because it was late and we were tired, we got Clorox wipes and cleaned out the drawers. We also noticed the next day that under one of the beds there were juice boxes, small toys and food from previous guests. We called the Housekeeping line, told them and requested that somebody come remove the stuff under the bed and thoroughly clean the room. The next day all of the junk was still there. We called again twice during our visit and the same thing.....it was never removed. About 4 days into the trip my daughter started getting sick. The 5th day in I began getting sick and my husband on the 6th. We do not have any actual proof that we caught it from the room, but given my medical experience, I feel strongly that we caught it in the room because it was not thoroughly cleaned after the previous guests left and the smell. We spent the last half of our vacation in the hotel room. The day before we left, I went down to talk to a manager to request that they thoroughly clean the room before anybody else stays in it and their vacation was spent ill. She was awesome and handled it very professionally. We got home Tuesday.... my husband has an ear and throat infection, my daughter has an upper respiratory infection and I have walking pneumonia and a sinus infection. The families in the other two rooms are generally the ones who are always sick and they are still healthy. That is another reason I think we caught it in the room. I chatted with both the manager at Pop and my doctor and both agreed that we most likely caught it in the room.


Room Location
We were in a Preferred room. We didn't quite face the pool, but we were very very close. We could hear everything and every noise. We were on the 4th floor. It was a very close walk to the food court/lobby. The location was great, despite the noise. That is why I bring ear plugs.


Rooms
The rooms and bathrooms are very very small. We were technically 3 adults in 1 room with 2 full-sized beds. The beds are so uncomfortable. I wish all resorts had the same beds as Coronado. The bathroom was very smelly, too. I don't know if that was because it needed to be bleached and cleaned with vinegar or because the people who were there before us were sick.


Overall - I was not a fan of this resort because of the food court, room size and housekeeping, but if the family wants to go again and stay here, we will of course go if they are paying.... if we are paying we will go stay at the sister resort (Art of Animation) and get a family suite so that we can have a little more space. Outside of that, I will continue to go to my home DVC resort. I will also be taking a small can of Lysol on every future trip regardless of where I stay and I will spray everything down upon initially entering the room.

 

[Haley/Hayden Mom]

We stayed at POP the end of May and I noticed trash under one of our beds too, along with nail clippings. (Ewww!) housekeeping did pick it up finally. I came home sick also. About half way through the trip I started having constant nausea every time we were in the room for long periods. I ended up having bronchitis and a sinus infection and 3 shots later and lots of cough syrup and antibiotics I am much better. That is so weird that others have gotten sick there recently too.

 

[wiigirl]

Thanks for the review.

 

[AuroraRora]

That's so disappointing to hear housekeeping was so unresponsive! I was there in May and housekeeping was so great, they were almost TOO great! I got back one afternoon to find my mousekeeper had been in to open the curtains but not serviced the room, and so I called Mousekeeping just to ask if someone could come by and finish up when they had a chance. Well, the Mousekeeping manager returned my call, then came back to look at the room, then sent a mousekeeper over while I was at the pool. I swear she got that room so clean it was gleaming! (And I got two huge towel swans ) Then the manager came by again to look at the room and make sure everything was good, and he wouldn't stop apologising and telling me they'd "taken care of the mousekeeper at fault". I hope she didn't get in trouble... I just wanted my trash taken out!

 

[disnut8]

Housekeeping
I have nothing but negative comments here. When we checked in, our room was DIRTY! We were given our keys when we arrived around 11 AM and we went to our room to drop our carry-ons. We noticed a smell in the room and though it was familiar to me, I couldnt quite place it until we got back that evening. It smelled like somebody had been sick (like sinuses). If you have kids, you know what I am talking about. We went straight to Disney Studios and didn't really look around. We got back late and were very tired since we had woken this morning at 4 AM. When we began to unpack, we found that there was popcorn, candy, empty boxes and other food in the drawers. Because it was late and we were tired, we got Clorox wipes and cleaned out the drawers. We also noticed the next day that under one of the beds there were juice boxes, small toys and food from previous guests. We called the Housekeeping line, told them and requested that somebody come remove the stuff under the bed and thoroughly clean the room. The next day all of the junk was still there. We called again twice during our visit and the same thing.....it was never removed. About 4 days into the trip my daughter started getting sick. The 5th day in I began getting sick and my husband on the 6th. We do not have any actual proof that we caught it from the room, but given my medical experience, I feel strongly that we caught it in the room because it was not thoroughly cleaned after the previous guests left and the smell. We spent the last half of our vacation in the hotel room. The day before we left, I went down to talk to a manager to request that they thoroughly clean the room before anybody else stays in it and their vacation was spent ill. She was awesome and handled it very professionally. We got home Tuesday.... my husband has an ear and throat infection, my daughter has an upper respiratory infection and I have walking pneumonia and a sinus infection. The families in the other two rooms are generally the ones who are always sick and they are still healthy. That is another reason I think we caught it in the room. I chatted with both the manager at Pop and my doctor and both agreed that we most likely caught it in the room.

If I felt the need to call a second time, it wouldn't have been a call. It would have been a visit to the front desk. I go by the front desk to catch a bus to the parks so I would have diverted over there and made my complaint in person. A nice complaint but one with a face and not just a voice.

Agree with you on the food court. Not a fan of it myself.

And pin trading is a delicate art - way too many "rules".

 

[buzznina]

Future tip: When we stayed at POLY we had an issue with mousekeeping and we ended up talking to the manager, he of course apologized and then told us that whenever we stay at a disney resort and if we have an issue with the room to always go right to a manager. He said that is the best way to get something taken care of.

I caught the last part of a show that followed a family on vacation, they went to Sea World. They tested almost everything they touched in their hotel room and at the park. The highest amount of bacteria was found on a serving tray at a Sea World restuarant and the rides safety bars or lap bars

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

I caught the last part of a show that followed a family on vacation, they went to Sea World. They tested almost everything they touched in their hotel room and at the park. The highest amount of bacteria was found on a serving tray at a Sea World restuarant and the rides safety bars or lap bars

And this is why we carry & use wipes and liquid sanitizer OFTEN!

 

[jhryb]

Thanks for your review. I am sorry to hear that your trip was not entirely magical. It is nice to see that you recognized all of the positives. If I were you I would forward your comments to Disney.

 

[Missymouse18]

We were at Pop May26-June2 and we LOVED it. Our rooms were very clean, the cast members were all exceptionally kind and we actually thought the tie-dyed cheesecake was the bees knees. We were in the 60's section, ground level, on the corner with the pool to our right and the lake to our left. Maybe we were too tired from frolicking in the parks all day to notice, but we never heard any noise poolside. We will most likely stay there again next summer

 

[shburks]

We returned from Disney earlier this week; we stayed at Pop Century (our first ever value resort visit) and we were very underwhelmed. I wanted so badly to like this resort. We are DVC owners and usually stay at Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani. Prior to becoming an owner, we have also stayed at Wilderness Lodge, Beach Club, Port Orleans Riverside, French Quarter and Coronado. For the most part, we liked all of them except Coronado. My in-laws paid for this trip, so of course we didn't have any input about where we stayed. There was a total of 9 people in 3 rooms.

There is no good, bad and ugly.... just our experience.

Bus Service
The bus service was good, despite the fact that it was summer and a bit crowded. I really like that they have queues for the buses so that those who are walking up later cannot push their way onto the bus first. I wish all resorts had this. The only bus issue we had was a particular guest who each time he got on the same bus we did, he would take the first seat up front and block almost the entire aisle with his double-wide stroller causing an issue with other guests getting on the bus. I was really surprised the drivers didn't say anything?

Pop Everything Food Court
We found this to be disappointing. We tried several things from here. Breakfast platter, waffles, french toast, french bread pizza, create-your-own salad, chicken nuggets, tie-dye cheesecake, Cesar salad, cappuccino and a few other items. The create-your-own salad wasn't bad and my husband liked the french bread pizza, but we didn't care for the other items. The breakfast items were cold and had a texture like they sat for a long time. I couldn't figure out what all of the excitement on the message boards about the cheesecake is all about; I have had better cheesecake from the Wal-Mart freezer.

Cast Members
They were all wonderful (with the exception of 2 in the gift shop)! We had to reach out to a manager and she was beyond awesome! Anytime we had to go to the front desk, the gift shop, food court, etc - we were greeted with smiles and thanked warmly for our purchase. Very friendly, too. There were a lot of CMs 'earning their ears' on this trip and they were all as organized, efficient and professional as a CM who had been there for years. For the two in the gift shop that were not wonderful, one was ugly to my niece when she asked to look at the pins the CM was trading. (she seemed really put out) - My niece wanted to trade with a CM with a green lanyard and because she is only 6, I approached the CM with her. The CM didn't even ask me if it was for me or the little girl with me; she just chastised me for asking her because her lanyard was green. I was surprised at how ugly she was about it. I pointed to my niece and said "she wants to trade" and then she said "well, she needs to be the one who asks, not you". Really? Please tell me that my niece is not the only shy child to ever visit Disney World.

Housekeeping
I have nothing but negative comments here. When we checked in, our room was DIRTY! We were given our keys when we arrived around 11 AM and we went to our room to drop our carry-ons. We noticed a smell in the room and though it was familiar to me, I couldnt quite place it until we got back that evening. It smelled like somebody had been sick (like sinuses). If you have kids, you know what I am talking about. We went straight to Disney Studios and didn't really look around. We got back late and were very tired since we had woken this morning at 4 AM. When we began to unpack, we found that there was popcorn, candy, empty boxes and other food in the drawers. Because it was late and we were tired, we got Clorox wipes and cleaned out the drawers. We also noticed the next day that under one of the beds there were juice boxes, small toys and food from previous guests. We called the Housekeeping line, told them and requested that somebody come remove the stuff under the bed and thoroughly clean the room. The next day all of the junk was still there. We called again twice during our visit and the same thing.....it was never removed. About 4 days into the trip my daughter started getting sick. The 5th day in I began getting sick and my husband on the 6th. We do not have any actual proof that we caught it from the room, but given my medical experience, I feel strongly that we caught it in the room because it was not thoroughly cleaned after the previous guests left and the smell. We spent the last half of our vacation in the hotel room. The day before we left, I went down to talk to a manager to request that they thoroughly clean the room before anybody else stays in it and their vacation was spent ill. She was awesome and handled it very professionally. We got home Tuesday.... my husband has an ear and throat infection, my daughter has an upper respiratory infection and I have walking pneumonia and a sinus infection. The families in the other two rooms are generally the ones who are always sick and they are still healthy. That is another reason I think we caught it in the room. I chatted with both the manager at Pop and my doctor and both agreed that we most likely caught it in the room.

Room Location
We were in a Preferred room. We didn't quite face the pool, but we were very very close. We could hear everything and every noise. We were on the 4th floor. It was a very close walk to the food court/lobby. The location was great, despite the noise. That is why I bring ear plugs.

Rooms
The rooms and bathrooms are very very small. We were technically 3 adults in 1 room with 2 full-sized beds. The beds are so uncomfortable. I wish all resorts had the same beds as Coronado. The bathroom was very smelly, too. I don't know if that was because it needed to be bleached and cleaned with vinegar or because the people who were there before us were sick.

Overall - I was not a fan of this resort because of the food court, room size and housekeeping, but if the family wants to go again and stay here, we will of course go if they are paying.... if we are paying we will go stay at the sister resort (Art of Animation) and get a family suite so that we can have a little more space. Outside of that, I will continue to go to my home DVC resort. I will also be taking a small can of Lysol on every future trip regardless of where I stay and I will spray everything down upon initially entering the room.

We had a very similar experience last year right down to the 4th floor almost facing the pool! We had stayed at Pop previously in 2009 and thought it was fine, but we had some of the same complaints you did. Our room was not nearly as dirty as yours but it just didn't feel clean. Towels felt worn out, beds were horribly uncomfortable, noise outside the room was loud until nearly midnight every night. We actually would walk over and use Art of Animation food court instead. We found most cast members to be very friendly but had CMs at Everything Pop tell us something wasn't available that we had seen somewhere else and ended buying at Boardwalk shops on the last day. It definitely turned me off from wanting to return to Pop

 

[EagleScout]

Sorry about the dirty room- as for getting sick from room, probably likely although not necessarily disney's fault, per se. We often get sick after disney- the perils of exposure to lots of new germs- and thousands of kids

 

[rustyanchor]

I hate to hear that... we are staying at Pop for the first time in September. It will be a big group of us, some of whom are Disney first-timers, and I am the one who convinced everyone to stay on-site with the compromise that we could stay at a value (most didn't want to pay deluxe/moderate prices). I read good reviews of Pop and that is why I chose it, but from your report it sounds like they have some issues at the moment. It is a shame that you didn't go to the manager right off the bat because it sounds like she handled your complaints well. If we have any problems with our rooms, now I will know to ask for the manager and not just rely on calling the desk. Thank you for your post!

With that said, I am still excited to try the tie-dyed cheesecake.

 

[Shaft41]

We returned Thursday from a 9 day trip with a split stay at Pop and Coronado. I was much more impressed with the cleanliness at Pop than I was at CSR. We had to switch rooms at Coronado because of a musty/moldy/damp smell in our first room. We had no issues with Pop. Our only issue was the Italian place at the food court. We have 7 in our family, so we were placing a rather large order, but we had to repeat what we wanted at least 6 times in the 15 minutes it took to get our food. The guys in front of waited almost as long for 2 orders. However, we are not at all picky about food, so I have no complaints on the quality. We would stay there again.

 

[mullysisters]

I have stayed at Pop four times. On my last trip, I booked Pop for the free dining. It was a short solo trip. I have stayed at the moderates three times.
I must admit I found Pop a little dated. My room was at the far end of the resort - 50s even though there were empty rooms all the way back to the main bldg. On two occasions, I returned to my room after 3pm to find it had still not been cleaned. I called the front desk and they told me the rooms are cleaned until 5pm?
I liked the food court, as always, but I certainly preferred the food at CSR and POR better. I went across to AoA many times for meals.
The resort just seemed old and tired. It was not noisy at my extreme end of the resort Last room of the resort 4th floor. Great view of hourglass lake.
I would pay to stay at a mod next time but, if you can't afford a mod, you will enjoy your stay at Pop.

 

[darnheather]

I'm sorry you had a less than ideal trip. Get well soon!

 

[kerri0616]

We got home from The World 6/15 and 2 days later I came down with a bad cold. The rest of my family escaped!

BTW: We stayed at BC and WLV.

Also BTW: POP is the only resort we'll never return to. Different strokes!

Hope you feel better.

 

[audrey2580]

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

Thanks for your review. I am sorry to hear that your trip was not entirely magical. It is nice to see that you recognized all of the positives. If I were you I would forward your comments to Disney.

I received a call from Guest Services at the request of the manager at Pop Century. She was very concerned about the situation. Disney was on it before I could even reach out out to them.

 

[goodferry]

Sorry you didn't enjoy your visit! We had a similar experience and will not return

 

[Boo Bear]

I received a call from Guest Services at the request of the manager at Pop Century. She was very concerned about the situation. Disney was on it before I could even reach out out to them.

Thats good to hear.