How is the Pop?

[zoo2tycoon]

My son and I are doing a long weekend 9/11-9/14. Hoping for lighter (whatever that means anymore at Disney)! Know the weather will be hot and humid!!
We have always stayed deluxe but got travel agency exclusive at Pop. What are good and bad?

 

[SaintsManiac]

This thread might be helpful to you:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/disneys-pop-century-resort-information-questions.3338191/

 

[gatorlisa]

My perspective comes from someone who has never stayed deluxe (and likely never will), only moderate and value. I like Pop. The recent refurb is great in that the rooms now have queen size beds. However, the room does feel more crowded with the bigger beds. I also love that it's on the Skyliner route. Having two parks where I don't have to stand on a bus at the end of the night is great! For a shorter stay like yours I think Pop is a great option (we are staying there for 4 nights in a couple of months). For a long trip (6+ nights), I would prefer to stay at a moderate for a bit more space.

 

[Remy is Up]

It is a value resort and in our opinion none of the values are that much better than another. If anything we believe AoA is the most undervalued of those line of resorts and the best option. We have stayed across the gamut on property from Value to Deluxe to DVC and actually for the $ we believe Coronado and Port Orleans Riverside provide the best bang for the buck on the property, followed by AoA. It is nice that youll have access to the gondolas, but I dont rate it any higher than the other value resorts and certainly below AoA.

 

[Elsaalltheway]

Before I joined DVC I absolutely loved PoP. I still go back and visit via the skyliner. I even would prefer it over some of the other resorts. They have rooms that are comparable to the refurbed moderates. They only have one bus stop so no waiting for multiple stops to see a bus pass by because it's already full. You now have the skyliner. The food court can get busy at times, but you also have AoA just across the walk way with different options. Everything is within a five minute walk. Truly one of the best resorts out of the moderates and values. The room can be tight but mostly you will only be in there for sleeping and with the second bed up. It really opens it up.

 

[The Deluge]

The major difference between a value resort like Pop Century and any of the deluxe or higher tiered resorts are the amenities (or lack thereof). When you stay at a resort like Pop Century you won't be able to rent paddle boats or go fishing. You won't find live performances at Pop Century like Yehaa Bob Jackson at Port Orleans Riverside.

That's not necessarily a bad thing though if you plan to spend your time at the parks during the majority of your stay.

Pop Century is clean, well maintained and actually has a great food court IMO. The major downside I've noticed to Pop Century and other value resorts is that if there's a large group like a sports team or school trip, they will also stay at value resorts and you may be at the mercy of their larger numbers when it comes to waiting in line for things (transportation, food, etc). But when considering Pop Century as an accommodation while you enjoy the rest of what WDW has to offer, it's a great choice for me and my family when we're looking to save a few bucks or use the money we save on resort fees on park hopper option or an upgraded dining plan.

You'll have a great time, I have no doubt!

 

[loves to dive]

Deluxe resorts have inside hallways, Pop does not think motel. Deluxe (and moderate for that matter) resorts have hot tubs, Pop does not. The Deluxe resorts have hot tubs at the quiet pools, the moderates do not only at the main pool. The deluxe resorts have covered bus stops but no actual lines. Pop does not have covered bus stop but does have actual lines. The public areas of Pop seem more busy than at the deluxe resorts. The rooms are smaller at Pop then at deluxe resorts.

 

[Disneypro1]

POP is a great resort and a great way to save $. We love Music and Pop and probably stay at one of those 90% of the time we go. Nothing at all wrong with the values. There are excellent.

 

[fla4fun]

I like Pop a lot. I have stayed at all levels of Disney resort. I used to stay deluxe more, but with the price increases I don’t feel the “value” of the deluxe resorts is there unless I spend a ton of time in the resort and little time in the parks. At Pop, I can enjoy a resort day, but don’t feel I need to spend several days at the hotel to get my money’s worth.

The main thing I miss at a value is having a private balcony. I do enjoy relaxing on a balcony. But Pop has a good food court (LOVE their pot roast for dinner), multiple pools, the Skyliner (which I also love), and the new rooms. Having the queen beds, with under bed storage for luggage, and the way it’s laid out to maximize organization is great. I really like the rooms with a walk in shower instead of a tub/shower combo.

The important thing is to keep your expectations realistic. Don’t spend your time thinking about what the resort doesn’t have or compare it to other Disney resorts. Enjoy the great amenities it does have. It’s a different experience than staying deluxe, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad one.

 

[PollyannaMom]

We've stayed at all levels, and I enjoyed POP a lot. The big icons and retro stuff were really fun - great photo ops! We liked the food court, and could actually see a little bit of the fireworks (from Epcot or DHS??) from the walkway to our room.

We were in 60s, which I would recommend. The area around the 50s wing seemed a little dark to me, and I've heard the 80s and 90s are popular with the big school groups.

We were there pre-Skyliner, but I actually liked that the bus stop had a directed line instead of an open waiting area.

 

[Disneylover99]

Pop is my favourite value resort. It’s right up there with POFQ and The Poly as my favourite resort. The only thing I miss is the hot tub.

 

[zoo2tycoon]

Thanks for all the information! I’m actually excited to try a new resort and level. Just doing Disney transportation so being on Skyliner will be nice! Thanks to everyone for insights

 

[skuttle]

We just returned from our first stay at pop and our first value in over ten years. We normally stay deluxe, sometimes moderate if we won’t be spending much time at the resort. We are a family of five so limited in where we can stay.

we decided to try pop for a few reasons.This was an “extra” longer weekend trip this year so we wanted to do it cheaper. My mom came with us, making us a party of 6 so we needed two rooms. We stayed at all stars many years ago and didn’t care for it.

we loved the room itself. Yes much smaller, but it was clean, lots of storage space, and having two rooms for a change was really nice (two bathrooms!). Loved the Murphy bed. We booke preferred so we wouldn’t be too far from things. Skyliner is amazing! So much better than the bus and even monorail. Food court had nice variety.

we did not care for the theming out side of the rooms. The lack of indoor hallways didn’t bother me as much as I thought, but i just didn’t like the theming. The giant icons weren’t too bad, but the dancers and other random stuff attached to the buildingsI could do without. just a personal preference, and I knew about all of that going into it. Bus lines were super long in mornings, and dropped off/picked up the furthest stop away at AK, MK, DHS, and Springs. It was far, especially when you’re tired after a long day at the park! Food court can get quite chaotic. Didn’t use it, but didn’t care for the pool area and my kids would have missed slides.

overall I’d stay there again to save money on a shorter trip like this one where we didn’t have much down time at the resort. I really was impressed with the room itself, and being able to have two was a huge plus. However, we had lunch at the poly and breakfast at beach club and realized we did really miss the deluxe feel.I don’t think I’d do pop for a longer trip.

 

[fabfemmeboy]

They were our go-to resort until the Skyliner opened. Now, thanks to my partner being terrified of any kind of hanging gondola ride, we can't stay there anymore, which is a real shame. We always had great experiences there, quieter crowd than the All-Stars with no bus sharing, plus the tie-dyed cheesecake and overall decent foodcourt.

 

[WEDWDW]

Now, thanks to my partner being terrified of any kind of hanging gondola ride, we can't stay there anymore, which is a real shame.

They still have buses to DHS and Epcot.

 

[loves to dive]

They still have buses to DHS and Epcot.

Be careful, they do still have the buses but they only fun one a hour.

 

[magicalcouple]

Pop is my favourite value resort. It’s right up there with POFQ and The Poly as my favourite resort. The only thing I miss is the hot tub.

This! I love Pop's one bus stop, one queue that everyone has to follow! Plus the skyliner! The only thing I miss is the hot tub for my aching bones after a magical day at the parks.

 

[Elsaalltheway]

also remember if your bus line is HUGE pop on over to AoA since its right next to it and just ride that bridge.

 

[leahpl]

I also had only ever stayed at deluxe resorts, but stayed at Pop earlier this month after getting a last minute deal. I loved it!!

Staying at Pop made me a huge fan of the skyliner as a form of transportation. A game changer! The bartender and patrons at Petals, the pool bar, were a fun time. Cafeteria food was hit or miss (good sandwiches), but still had something for everyone. And you can always just take a quick trip on the skyliner to Caribbean Beach or Riviera for better food. I had been warned about the roaming packs of 15s (large groups of South American teenagers) at Pop. We definitely saw a ton of 15s but they didn’t really affect us at all. Design of resort was fun. We were in 50s section. Rooms were nice and updated but on the smaller side, which didn’t matter much to us since there were only two of us. Plenty of space for smaller parties. Multiple drawers, some closet space, and raised beds with space underneath for storage/suitcases. I also liked that we were able to walk over to AoA to take pictures in the Radiator Springs section. Felt very convenient and connected to everything. We spent most of the time at the parks, but I would definitely stay at Pop again, especially if I don’t plan on taking a full resort day like I usually do at the deluxe resorts.

 

[JerryWS98]

The Pop at Disney is good, but you need to know that they don't have Dr. Pepper as an option. ;-)