Help! Pop or CBR?

[catho72]

Hi!

Is it worth spending an extra $80 (total) to spend four nights at CBR instead of saving $80 and spend 4 nights at Pop? We are spending four nights at BC, but in order to help control costs, I'm looking at doing a split stay. It will be me and my three kids on this trip.

Do I spend the $80 and stay at a mod or save the $80 and stay at Pop? Help! I need your expert opinions!

 

[lthiesfeld07]

Hi fellow "outside of Chicago" DISer!

I've only stayed at CBR, and I can tell you that I did enjoy it. However, CBR is really spread out. I was in the Martinique section and it was about a 5-7 minute walk to Old Port Royale (Food court and pool). There is an internal shuttle here as well to take you to the different areas. The bus service at this resort is really good too.
Is this portion of your trip going to be rope drop to park closing? If so, I would recommend saving the $80 to stay at Pop.

I will be staying at Pop in September and I will be in the parks all day. I've heard great things about the food court, the theme and the pool area.

 

[catho72]

Hello! "outside Chicago" people rock!

We are no longer rope drop people. We have morphed into a go to the parks around 4-5pm and stay until they close at 2am kind of family. We then sleep in and have a lazy day at the pool. At this stage of our life, we do use the amenities of the resorts. Two years ago, this was not the case! Rope drop to closing...all the way!

Thanks for your thoughts. Either resort will be great, I hope!

 

[MMS1125]

I personally would just stay at POP. The only thing you are gaining really is a pool slide and slightly better pool but you aren't really moving to better amenities (queen beds, better food court, etc)

 

[digiMom]

For $80, I wouldn't let the money decide. Pick the one that you want to go to.

For us, POP has been fine. We like the refill mugs (morning coffee), one bus stop and we hit the parks pretty much all day. Your situation may be different. The grounds at CBR look beautiful and the pool area cool. The quiet pools sound convenient and relaxing.

Have fun!

(BTW, I sort of count as outside Chicago... )

 

[tennessee]

I would go for pop. I love the value resorts at disney. Dont get me wrong I like deluxe, and thats how we usually stay, but at disney I like the value resorts, they make it feel more disney, and thats what disney is about for us. I just love the over the tops icons there.

 

[*Fantasia*]

Save the $80 and spend it on a nice lunch or dinner.. Or perhaps use it for souvenir! CBR has the same size bed as POP. What you gain at CBR is the beautiful lush ground with a big lake and the beach sand. CBR has 6 bus stops and it has it's own internal bus. It is a huge resort.

POP also has a lake and you can stroll along the lake or perhaps go across the bridge and visit the AoA and maybe have lunch there. They are not sister resorts, so they do not share ammenities. AoA is an attraction by itself, in my opinion. POP only has one section or area for bus pick up.

I would opt for POP! It's groovin'!!

 

[catho72]

I personally would just stay at POP. The only thing you are gaining really is a pool slide and slightly better pool but you aren't really moving to better amenities (queen beds, better food court, etc)

You bring up good points. Thanks!

For $80, I wouldn't let the money decide. Pick the one that you want to go to.

For us, POP has been fine. We like the refill mugs (morning coffee), one bus stop and we hit the parks pretty much all day. Your situation may be different. The grounds at CBR look beautiful and the pool area cool. The quiet pools sound convenient and relaxing.

Have fun!

(BTW, I sort of count as outside Chicago... )

Thanks! I agree....$80 isn't that much in the grand scheme of things.

Milwaukee sort of counts as outside Chicago....kinda sorta!

I would go for pop. I love the value resorts at disney. Dont get me wrong I like deluxe, and thats how we usually stay, but at disney I like the value resorts, they make it feel more disney, and thats what disney is about for us. I just love the over the tops icons there.

I want to stay at POP....the first time I went to WDW as an adult was when they were building POP. It looked fun then and still does! Thanks!

Save the $80 and spend it on a nice lunch or dinner.. Or perhaps use it for souvenir! CBR has the same size bed as POP. What you gain at CBR is the beautiful lush ground with a big lake and the beach sand. CBR has 6 bus stops and it has it's own internal bus. It is a huge resort.

POP also has a lake and you can stroll along the lake or perhaps go across the bridge and visit the AoA and maybe have lunch there. They are not sister resorts, so they do not share ammenities. AoA is an attraction by itself, in my opinion. POP only has one section or area for bus pick up.

I would opt for POP! It's groovin'!!

Thanks! You bring up great points!

 

[mickeystoontown]

I guess I'm going against popular opinion here when I say that I would choose the CBR. Since you are the type who likes to spend some time at the resort before go to the parks, there are some amenities that CBR offers that you could take advantage of. The CBR marina has watercraft rentals as well as surrey bike and bicycle rentals. The main pool is zero entry and has two slides and there's a separate kids' play area as well. If you'd rather, you could swim in the quiet pools which you'll find in each of the villages.

Yes, the resort is large but it's not so large that you can't walk to and from Old Port Royale (food court, arcade, marina, etc.). We were there just two weeks ago and were placed in one of the furthest buildings, Barbados 11, from OPR. I timed our walk and it was just 7 1/2 minutes at a very leisurely pace and with me stopping to take pictures. This was our 7th and 8th stays at the CBR (stayed pre-cruise and then after the cruise) and our walks to OPR are usually about 5 minutes.

During this past trip, we watched the higher Epcot fireworks from OPR and took advantage of the evening movies held in the courtyard at OPR.

We've eaten at both POP and CBR and I think they are pretty comparable. We've had breakfast, lunch and dinner at the CBR and were pleased with the selections offered.

I've posted lots of pictures over on the CBR pic thread and will be posting more soon. I'll also be starting my newest trip report this afternoon and it will include pictures of the resort as well.

If you have any specific CBR questions, I'll try to answer them for you.

 

[DisneyLoverUSA]

I am also going to go against the grain and say I would pick CBR over Pop. A moderate is a moderate for a reason. If there were no difference in the values and the moderates they wouldn't charge more for them.

I have never stayed at CBR but I have stayed at a value and although the room was decent, I am quite sure the rooms are either nicer or bigger at CBR.

I would always pick a moderate over a value. The first time we stayed in a family suite at a value and paid $230 a night to stay there not knowing we could have stayed at a moderate for $60 a night less. POR $169 a night.

I definitely wouldn't want to be put at the back of that big resort if I didn't have my own car or a rental car there with me. It is a big spread out resort so I would pay a little more and reserve a preferred room so you will be close to the main lobby and food court and main pool.

I am all about convenience. Even if it costs me $25 more a night I want the preferred room. I don't wanna walk for 7 minutes each way to get back and forth from the food court.

In my case it wouldn't matter because we always have a car. So I would pick CBR.

 

[Karabee]

While I usually would take the Moderate over the Value, I would absolutely pick POP over CBR. My last stay at POP was only 2 nights but it was very entertaining since it was SO different from our first hotel - WL (we did a split stay). CBR is actually one of my least liked hotels and while I had reservations about POP, it was really great. $80 might not seem like alot for a difference in hotel, but POP is fun to walk around, buses were great, and that $80 can go to some food at the food court and drinks at Petals Pool Bar

 

[artemis908]

I guess it's not "going against the grain" anymore as 2 other commenters above me are saying the same thing, but I would recommend CBR! It's been a while since I've been to All Star, but I remember the rooms definitely being bigger at Caribbean Beach. I remember that we didn't have two sinks like we did at CBR either. I also love CBR because it's beautiful. You have the small lake in the middle, there is lots of green. All Star just always felt very concrete to me if that makes any sense, though nicely themed. Old Port Royale is great, one of my favorite parts about CBR.

Unless you're going during the very crowded times, you should be able to get a room at CBR that is close to Old Port Royale without even paying the preferred rate. Just ask for Aruba 51 or Jamaica 45 and you'll be a short walk over the bridge to OPR!

 

[trekker93]

Pop is our favorite resort due to its theming, food court, excellant bus service and people. We have alot of fun there and enjoy it. We will be there for 2 weeks in Sept and we will be at A.S.Music for 1 week in July.

 

[ajpa]

Does it have to be CBR or can it be any mod?
A the other mods you can get queen beds, which would definitely be worth $80 in my view.
Another thing that would decide me, personally, is novelty - I'd pick the one I have not stayed at yet.

 

[JennyDrake]

I don't think you can go wrong with either. You don't say how old your kids are or when you are going. IF you plan a lot of pool time, I would choose CBR as it has more pools. If you have little ones that will be wiped out at the end of the day, I would stay with Pop as it is smaller. Both are GREAT!

 

[ktmo]

I just switched from Pop to CBR for our 6 night trip. It was around $150 to do so. I have little kids and I thought the pool would be worth the extra money. I figure we will be spending a lot of time by the pool and CBR has a better pool for my 5 and 7 year old.

That may not be a factor for you, since you have older kids and will be going to BC later in the trip.

 

[clgmkm]

I would pick CBR. We just returned form staying at CBR for a week. We had stayed at Pop two previous times. We thought CBR was well worth the extra money. The rooms are larger, which was helpful for us now that are kids are older. The two sinks and the curtain that you can pull to close off the sink/bathroom area also were very helpful. We got a rollaway bed, which my son used, which helped with sleeping, since the room had two double beds. We asked for the rollaway at check in and they provided it without charge. CBR is much quieter than Pop and the grounds are beautiful! We requested a room in Jamaica 45 and got it and it was a great location. Very quick walk over the lake to Old Port Royale and very close to a bus stop. The extra bus stops did not bother us and in fact we had excellent bus service for the whole trip. Much shorter lines waiting for buses when leaving the parks and going back to CBR then we remember at Pop and we never once stood on the bus, though we had to stand many times when riding buses from Pop. We liked Pop and had great stays there but liked CBR better.

 

[maryj11]

Another vote for CBR ! We stayed at Pop before and was not that impressed with it . It may be because the buses and food court were always crowded. I just like the moderates more than the values. One main reason is because I love the hot tubs

 

[catho72]

I guess I'm going against popular opinion here when I say that I would choose the CBR. Since you are the type who likes to spend some time at the resort before go to the parks, there are some amenities that CBR offers that you could take advantage of. The CBR marina has watercraft rentals as well as surrey bike and bicycle rentals. The main pool is zero entry and has two slides and there's a separate kids' play area as well. If you'd rather, you could swim in the quiet pools which you'll find in each of the villages.

Yes, the resort is large but it's not so large that you can't walk to and from Old Port Royale (food court, arcade, marina, etc.). We were there just two weeks ago and were placed in one of the furthest buildings, Barbados 11, from OPR. I timed our walk and it was just 7 1/2 minutes at a very leisurely pace and with me stopping to take pictures. This was our 7th and 8th stays at the CBR (stayed pre-cruise and then after the cruise) and our walks to OPR are usually about 5 minutes.

During this past trip, we watched the higher Epcot fireworks from OPR and took advantage of the evening movies held in the courtyard at OPR.

We've eaten at both POP and CBR and I think they are pretty comparable. We've had breakfast, lunch and dinner at the CBR and were pleased with the selections offered.

I've posted lots of pictures over on the CBR pic thread and will be posting more soon. I'll also be starting my newest trip report this afternoon and it will include pictures of the resort as well.

If you have any specific CBR questions, I'll try to answer them for you.

Thanks for the offer! I may PM you with questions.

I am also going to go against the grain and say I would pick CBR over Pop. A moderate is a moderate for a reason. If there were no difference in the values and the moderates they wouldn't charge more for them.

I have never stayed at CBR but I have stayed at a value and although the room was decent, I am quite sure the rooms are either nicer or bigger at CBR.

I would always pick a moderate over a value. The first time we stayed in a family suite at a value and paid $230 a night to stay there not knowing we could have stayed at a moderate for $60 a night less. POR $169 a night.

I definitely wouldn't want to be put at the back of that big resort if I didn't have my own car or a rental car there with me. It is a big spread out resort so I would pay a little more and reserve a preferred room so you will be close to the main lobby and food court and main pool.

I am all about convenience. Even if it costs me $25 more a night I want the preferred room. I don't wanna walk for 7 minutes each way to get back and forth from the food court.

In my case it wouldn't matter because we always have a car. So I would pick CBR.

We won't have a car with us this trip. Normally we drive to FL or rent a car, but this trip we will be relying solely on WDW transportation. If we weren't spending 4 nights at BC, I would have no hesitation staying at CBR, but we are splurging by staying at BC and I'm trying to save some costs. But in reality, $80 isn't that much....

Thanks for the input!

While I usually would take the Moderate over the Value, I would absolutely pick POP over CBR. My last stay at POP was only 2 nights but it was very entertaining since it was SO different from our first hotel - WL (we did a split stay). CBR is actually one of my least liked hotels and while I had reservations about POP, it was really great. $80 might not seem like alot for a difference in hotel, but POP is fun to walk around, buses were great, and that $80 can go to some food at the food court and drinks at Petals Pool Bar

I'm glad you liked POP! You are not the first person I've heard who said CBR is their least favorite resorts. We stayed at POR twice and loved it, but I want to try somewhere new.
Thanks!

I guess it's not "going against the grain" anymore as 2 other commenters above me are saying the same thing, but I would recommend CBR! It's been a while since I've been to All Star, but I remember the rooms definitely being bigger at Caribbean Beach. I remember that we didn't have two sinks like we did at CBR either. I also love CBR because it's beautiful. You have the small lake in the middle, there is lots of green. All Star just always felt very concrete to me if that makes any sense, though nicely themed. Old Port Royale is great, one of my favorite parts about CBR.

Unless you're going during the very crowded times, you should be able to get a room at CBR that is close to Old Port Royale without even paying the preferred rate. Just ask for Aruba 51 or Jamaica 45 and you'll be a short walk over the bridge to OPR!

Unfortunately, we are going in the middle of July....very crowded indeed!

I know what you mean, about the values feeling concrete....there's not the lush landscaping that the mod's have.

Thanks!

Pop is our favorite resort due to its theming, food court, excellant bus service and people. We have alot of fun there and enjoy it. We will be there for 2 weeks in Sept and we will be at A.S.Music for 1 week in July.

Thanks! It looks like a really fun resort!

Does it have to be CBR or can it be any mod?
A the other mods you can get queen beds, which would definitely be worth $80 in my view.
Another thing that would decide me, personally, is novelty - I'd pick the one I have not stayed at yet.

It doesn't have to be CBR, but we've already stayed at POR. The other mod I would consider staying at is CSR. We haven't stayed at either CBR or POP....

Thanks!

I don't think you can go wrong with either. You don't say how old your kids are or when you are going. IF you plan a lot of pool time, I would choose CBR as it has more pools. If you have little ones that will be wiped out at the end of the day, I would stay with Pop as it is smaller. Both are GREAT!

My kids are almost 13, 11 and 9 and we're going in July. We will spend our late morning/early afternoon at the pool and go to the parks in the evening. We can't wait to swim at the pool at BC!
Thanks!!!

I just switched from Pop to CBR for our 6 night trip. It was around $150 to do so. I have little kids and I thought the pool would be worth the extra money. I figure we will be spending a lot of time by the pool and CBR has a better pool for my 5 and 7 year old.

That may not be a factor for you, since you have older kids and will be going to BC later in the trip.

I agree....
I don't know why I'm worrying so much about this decision! It's the OCD planner in me, I guess!

I would pick CBR. We just returned form staying at CBR for a week. We had stayed at Pop two previous times. We thought CBR was well worth the extra money. The rooms are larger, which was helpful for us now that are kids are older. The two sinks and the curtain that you can pull to close off the sink/bathroom area also were very helpful. We got a rollaway bed, which my son used, which helped with sleeping, since the room had two double beds. We asked for the rollaway at check in and they provided it without charge. CBR is much quieter than Pop and the grounds are beautiful! We requested a room in Jamaica 45 and got it and it was a great location. Very quick walk over the lake to Old Port Royale and very close to a bus stop. The extra bus stops did not bother us and in fact we had excellent bus service for the whole trip. Much shorter lines waiting for buses when leaving the parks and going back to CBR then we remember at Pop and we never once stood on the bus, though we had to stand many times when riding buses from Pop. We liked Pop and had great stays there but liked CBR better.

Thanks for the input! That second sink would definitely come in handy! The rollaway bed is a good idea, too. My poor son will be the only boy. He may want to have his own bed.

Another vote for CBR ! We stayed at Pop before and was not that impressed with it . It may be because the buses and food court were always crowded. I just like the moderates more than the values. One main reason is because I love the hot tubs

Thanks! We've never stayed at a value, but I can imagine how crowded the food court gets!

 

[jimjenkids]

we've stayed at CBR, and this year we are going back to POP....kids like it better because CBR is so spread out(does have a very nice pool though).....if you are looking for a nice mod resort, I would go more to POFrench(smaller)....nice pools and food....we havent stayed at POR, mainly due to the larger size and we like a shorter walk. that being said, if we were to get free dining, we would have to upgrade to POF(my fav)....then again, ...... I want a happy husband and happy kids(even at their ages now) and tend to go with the majority......