Phyllisi, many of your complaints are valid, but I think that some of them are an example of over-expectations.
Phyllisi said:
There was mildew in the shower, something that can be removed by washing.
Mildew in the shower should not exist. The Mousekeepers should be scrubbing down the showers between Guests.
Phyllisi said:
Shame on Disney for going cheap on sound proofing.
Soundproofing on any hotel below $200 a night seems inadequate. The only hotel I've ever stayed in where I didn't hear things going on outside my room was the Swan. I don't think Disney went cheap on the construction of the Values, but they did go 'off the rack', meaning that they used prefab industry-standard materials and techniques that are used in hotel construction all over the US. Going industry-standard is not the same as going cheap, though admittedly it is cheapER than the mondo-expensive custom jobs done on the Deluxe resorts.
Phyllisi said:
Disney really messed up on designing the pop by going cheap on material and expensive of decor.
Whimsical themes are what most people are paying for at a Disney resort. Look at the hundreds of threads that run on boards like this which ask, "On site or off site?" and the primary reason that most people list for paying the exhorbitant cost of a Disney resort is ATMOSPHERE. Some call it Magic, some call it Being In Disney, some call it the Disney Feel, but atmosphere is established by the whimsical theme of the resort, so it behooves Disney to spend more money on constructing themed resorts which will motivate people to spend that extra money to stay in a Disney resort instead of the Days Inn LBV or HIFS.
Phyllisi said:
Some of the front desk were rude, some were great.
There is no excuse for a rude CM. I've worked in plenty of public service jobs, so I know the rigors of dealing with the public, but there is never any excuse for being rude to your Guests, particularly at Disney. When I stayed at Pop in Dec 2003, I did not ancounter any rude CMs, but I have encountered them once in a while in various places at WDW, and I have never come away feeling the Magic.
Phyllisi said:
The Pop is like staying at a Motel 6 type motel with a Disney price.
I understand your position, but I don't agree with it entirely. Certainly, the Disney Values have a far lower level of service and less amenities than the Deluxes, but I still rate them much higher than a Motel 6 or Econo Lodge. And as to a Disney price, that's not a hotel issue but a Disney issue; everything you buy at Disney parks and resorts, from your room rate to the candy bars in the gift shops, is extrememely overpriced. But with a little planing and forethought you can find ways to shave some of the expense off.
Phyllisi said:
The glasses, er I mean cups were plastic, how tacky for a Disney resort.
Plastic cups are not tacky at all for under $100 a night. This is a common cost-saving measure at hotels that has hidden bennefits to you, the Guest; glasses must be washed, and there is always a chance that they will come back less than pristine. But individually wrapped plastic cups come directly from the factory and are always clean and sanitary. They are also safer for those with small children who might break the glass, causing a hazard.
I don't care for Pop, either, so don't think I'm jumping to Pop's defense. My biggest complaints with Pop are that the beds are bricks and every single bus I rode to or from Pop in December was packed like a sardine can. But I do enjoy the Value resorts, having stayed at ASMU and ASSP several times each, and I think that holding a Value resort to the same standards a a resort costing 3-4 times as much is a little unfair.
