Has any one stayed Pop Century ?

[jmartinez1895]

We are trying to plan a last minute trip in April. We would like to take advantage of the buy 4 get 3, but for the dates we can travel only the pop century or the super priced resorts have rooms. I was told buy somene in the past that at the value resorts, the magical express drops you off very far from check in and that all the rooms are blocks away from busses. Our son can not walk for long periods and we would like to rent a stroller inside the park. We looked into renting from one of the Orlando compaines, but we can not afford it this trip. If any one has stayed at this location and can tell me more about the drop offs ( especially magical express) I would be very thankful. We normaly stay at Port Orlans if any one can relate the two for me. THanks.

 

[silvergoldberry]

We are trying to plan a last minute trip in April. We would like to take advantage of the buy 4 get 3, but for the dates we can travel only the pop century or the super priced resorts have rooms. I was told buy somene in the past that at the value resorts, the magical express drops you off very far from check in and that all the rooms are blocks away from busses. Our son can not walk for long periods and we would like to rent a stroller inside the park. We looked into renting from one of the Orlando compaines, but we can not afford it this trip. If any one has stayed at this location and can tell me more about the drop offs ( especially magical express) I would be very thankful. We normaly stay at Port Orlans if any one can relate the two for me. THanks.

Magical Express will drop you off in front of the lobby where you check in. Some of the rooms are very far from the bus stops, though. Why don't you bring his stroller from home so you don't have to rent one? You can gate check it if you are flying and this way you don't have to rent one.

 

[Tissa]

The ME bus drops you off in front of the Checkin/Food court building. My ds can also not walk long distances and he never has an issue getting from check in to the room. We normally stay in the 50's. You might want to book preferred just to be sure you get a closer room. Also the resort has free adult sized wheelchairs you can borrow on a first come first serve basis. Before my ds got his travel wheelchair I borrowed the resort wheelchair to get him around the resort when he was tired then rented the stroller at the parks.

 

[mechurchlady]

All Star drop you off at the lobby area as does Pop. I would go with the cheaper resort and use the money for food, souvenirs and fun. You can buy a cheap stroller at home and take it for free on the airplane. Overall the cost of a pushchair or stroller offsite is less overall than parks.

Also you pay once for the off site stroller, wheelchair, and ECV with no lines to wait in and the money comes out of your bank or credit card at the beginning of the trip. At the parks you have to get in line and rent a stroller then pay for the stroller then return the stroller and wait in line to get your refund if any a I am not up on stroller rental. If you park hop you take the receipt with you and get in line and get the stroller again. Thus you save a lot of time in lines, do not have 4 to 7 receipts and charges on your account, and can use the stroller to save your kid energy in getting to the bus then to get inside the gate which can be a long walk for a kid that does not walk well.

There is a myth that the resorts give out free wheelchairs to anyone. The free wheelchairs at resorts are for resort guests who have gotten hurt, gotten sick, or over did the parks. The resorts and WDW adamantly hold to their belief that guests must come prepared for the park rigors. If a person knows they cannot wait in line for an hour then they need to get an ECV, powerchair, stroller, walker, wheelchair, or a rollator. If they know they know they need meds or something like a nebulizer then they are supposed to bring those items. The guest is supposed to plan their trip with their limitations in mind.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/
That is the resort maps.

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/plain-text/hotels/
You can call them and ask for a room near the busses as well as any other special needs you may have like shower chair, bed rails, and hand held showers.

 

[mrsg7176]

My family stayed at Pop in May 2008. We had a wonderful time at this resort. The rooms are a little smaller than POR and you do not have the curtain divider for the bathroom. However, the room was just as clean and just as easy to get to the main pool or bus stops. My children really enjoyed the decorations at Pop. We stayed in the 50's building, which was not a far walk and quiet. I was accompanied by my parents (both in their 70's and with medical/mobility issues) and they loved the resort too. No one felt it was too spread out.

 

[jmercer25]

I liked the Pop Century. The rooms weren't great but the property was decent. It was nice to have stuff to do at a hotel.

 

[Chuck S]

We often stay at POP to extend our DVC stays by a day or two. I would choose POP over All Stars for a value resort. The food court area is much nicer. It can be a hike from the room to the buses. You might try getting a "Preferred" room, it costs a little more, but it is closer to the buses. Or, as others have suggested, bring your stroller from home.

 

[dawnball]

We are trying to plan a last minute trip in April. We would like to take advantage of the buy 4 get 3, but for the dates we can travel only the pop century or the super priced resorts have rooms. I was told buy somene in the past that at the value resorts, the magical express drops you off very far from check in and that all the rooms are blocks away from busses. Our son can not walk for long periods and we would like to rent a stroller inside the park. We looked into renting from one of the Orlando compaines, but we can not afford it this trip. If any one has stayed at this location and can tell me more about the drop offs ( especially magical express) I would be very thankful. We normaly stay at Port Orlans if any one can relate the two for me. THanks.

I think that renting a stroller from Orlando companies is cheaper than renting one in the parks, actually. Park strollers are very, very expensive.

However, to answer your questions - Take a look at http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1991543 The magical express stop and registration are both marked there.

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=28076922&postcount=3567 has the distances from each building to the transpotation buses.

The walk from the bus depots into the parks (and back out) is probably your longest walk segment, and it's not significantly further for Pop Century than for other resorts (Although it is longer)