Live From POP

[Valentine]

Hi all... just thought I would pop in..(pun intended!) to give a quick first impression... I was pleasantly surprised with POP.... as i have always stayed Deluxe, with an occasional stay at Port Orleans... I never wanted to stay at a value resort... well.. lack of AP discounts at the deluxes... and lack of rooms elsewhere... I chose to try POP... well... it is everything and more that Tyler has tried to relay to us in his fabulous posts... Since I only had 3 hours sleep last night (if that!) and I have been up since 3 am... I will give a quick list of pros/cons/etc... I will post more when I get more sleep....

Pros:
Atmosphere... FUN!!! Not at all tacky.. makes you smile and want to dance!
CM's... All pleasant... the "old disney cm style" Good mornings and have a magical days all around!
Room .... Nice size.. I got a king room.. I am in the 70's facing a courtyard... My room was ready at 9 am.... (that has NEVER happened to me at the Deluxes!!!!) Mattress seems fine so far. Room is immaculate. Saw lots of fun window displays done by the cleaning people... Had requested refrigerator for room.. but forgot to mention it at checkin so I called when I got up to my room... It was at my door within 15 minutes or less.
Food Court... convenient... lots of choices... basic food court stuff.. with a little extra!
Pools... Lots of chairs... music playing at pools is not overwhelming... nice background.

Cons:
Bus Service: Not really a CON... I did utilize the busses once today... But when I pulled up to check in this morning I was VERY happy that I rented a car.... However, the crowds were handled Very well... I just dont' like to have to wait to get where I want to go... I jumped on a MGM bus cause there was no line and I needed to go and purchase my new AP... it was very quick and pleasant. But, like I said.. I like the option to drive... however.. I did notice that the POP busses ALWAys were standing room only..... Just something to take into consideration...

Pool lounges .... VERY hard!! LOL!! Not comfortable at all!! Although I did manage to nap on one today for a little bit!! LOL!!

Lack of Towels.... Small and minor complaint... no towels at the pool... Easy solutions.... bring your own beach towel.

So far.. that's all I have to share.. but as you can see.. my pros far outweight the cons...

I can't say how Disneyfied I feel staying at this resort! I highly recommend it... and will stay here again myself!!! When i am not using my newly purchased DVC!!!

Well.. goodnight... and fell free to ask away!

Kathy

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Lack of Towels.... Small and minor complaint... no towels at the pool... Easy solutions.... bring your own beach towel.

Just give housekeeping a call, and they'll bring you as many as you want!

 

[Tabetha]

We loved POP last year! We felt it was so perfectly "Disney". Glad you're enjoying yourself

 

[disneyfreakjackie]

Thank you for taking the time to post. We are going to POP in May/two rooms since there are six of us!! Can't WAIT!!! We requested the 70's section also!! Started making my PS yesterday. Got CRT first try today!!! The girls are VERY excited about POP!!! Thanks again!!

 

[stemikger]

I stayed there last year and fell in love with the place. I previously stayed at CBR and POFQ and although I loved my stays there also, I really liked Pop the best. Not bad considering it's a little cheaper then the other two.

I'm going back again this August and I can't wait to see the place again.

 

[left210]

I stayed there last year and fell in love with the place. I previously stayed at CBR and POFQ and although I loved my stays there also, I really liked Pop the best. Not bad considering it's a little cheaper then the other two.

I have res at CBR but am considering changing them to POP because it would be approx $600 less for us because we do not have codes or any discounts. I cannot seem to make a decision and need help in deciding. We are taking our 4 yr old for the 1st time and think he will love the brightness and large icons at POP but are worried about it being way too crowded and/or long lines at the buses. Although when I look at the pics of CBR I am not overly impressed and now not sure if it is worth it. The pool looks really cool for our son at CBR but not really sure how much we will be swimming anyway. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Actually, I think the transportation will be better for you at Pop Century. Why? Because it only has one bus stop, and the lines will have queues. At Caribbean, there are 7 stops, and there are no queues, so it's a free for all.

$600 is a chunk of change, and could provide a few nice meals, some souveniers, or other fun things that you might not be able to experience otherwise.

I think your son would like the pools at Pop Century. There is a zero depth entry kiddie pool, with fountains. There's also Goofy's Pop Jet area which kids LOVE. And then there's the Hippie Dippie main pool with squirting flowers, the bowling pin pool, and the computer pool.

 

[Kelly5538]

Did I just "luck out" last year with the bus service from POP??? Last year DD and I went the last week of January and other than the Magic Kingdom line, the rest were fine. We always managed to get a seat and normally there were seats left over. Now I'm worried, I keep hearing these bad things about crowded buses!!! We go again Mar 10 - 17..... should I expect longer bus lines and no seats????

 

[Valentine]

Okay... still here pop'in Okay.. to answer some questions... Staying at Disney with a 4 year old.. DEFINITELY POP!!!! No question... Lots of fun stuff here for them to do at the hotel.... Bus fears... No fears to be had... yes.. my first impression of long lines at the bus stop were unfounded... as even this morning.. EMH at Magic Kingdom.. they were loading 2 busses at tthe same time... amazing... eliminated the line completely!! Cooollll.. I hopped right on... got to the magic kingdom...and then coming back.. only waited about 5 min. Great service!! Have no fears!! Tyler is ALWAYS right!!! I keep looking for you btw Tyler.. but I haven't seen you yet!! Any clues as to where I may find you??? Food court has been great.. I have gone there in the mornings and late evenings to pick up stuff ranging from breakfast/full meals/snacks... all very good! And I have to say again... the CM's here are the most pleasant I have encountered this entire trip! It's like they took all the happy CM's and put them in one place!! LOL!! Oh... and ... every day so far... You heard it here.. towel animals!! Yipppppeee!!! Finally.. my first ever in all my stays at disney!!! I will definitely stay here again... when I am not DVC'ing (as I just bought in!)

Going to rest my feet now! LOL!!


Kathy

 

[stemikger]

I have res at CBR but am considering changing them to POP because it would be approx $600 less for us because we do not have codes or any discounts. I cannot seem to make a decision and need help in deciding. We are taking our 4 yr old for the 1st time and think he will love the brightness and large icons at POP but are worried about it being way too crowded and/or long lines at the buses. Although when I look at the pics of CBR I am not overly impressed and now not sure if it is worth it. The pool looks really cool for our son at CBR but not really sure how much we will be swimming anyway. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Left 210,

My 10 year old has been to CBR and Pop. She didn't care for CBR. Also the pool at CBR looks a lot better in the pictures. However, she loved Pop. She is constantly asking when we are going back.

Tyler was 100% correct about the bus service. The buses were much better at Pop - then at CBR. I never rent a car - so bus service is very important to me. My experience last August was very positive. I never waited more then 15 minutes for a bus and sometimes there was one waiting. Sometimes they were crowded, but most of the time we got seats. Pop Century in my opinion is the best resort for kids because of all the colorful icons and a fantastic game room, gift shop and food court.

Also, Tyler had a very good point. The money you will save - is quite substantial and you can pamper yourself in other areas of the world (i.e. restaurants and goodies). Because I went in August I would go back to the hotel midday because of the heat and I really enjoyed the hippie dippie pool. I had some late night swims and they have a great outdoor pool lounge. Quite honestly I can't see myself going to any other resort for several years. I have been to CBR and POFQ and liked Pop Century better. In fact, even if Pop was more money I would still prefer it over the otehrs. I am going back again this year because of my very positive exerience last August.

I have read some very negative things about this resort before I went and for the life of my I can't understand why. This resort is absolutely Fantastic. There is so much to see and the atmosphere is pure Disney. Having said that, I guess everybody is different. A co-worker of mine went a few months before me and hated everything about it. I think she is the type of person who prefers a very fancy resort. If you are looking for something fancy and stuffy - then this is not the place for you. If you are looking for a fun atomsphere and a great extension of the parks then this is your place. Pure Disney.

However, imho whatever resort you pick in Disney - you will have fun. After all your at Disney World. Good Luck

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

We go again Mar 10 - 17..... should I expect longer bus lines and no seats????

Never fear... there's still 35-41 seats on every bus!

 

[the kabuki]

I'm so jealous right now!!!!!!, we were there in Jan.

 

[luvtinkerbell]

Hi all... just thought I would pop in..(pun intended!) to give a quick first impression... I was pleasantly surprised with POP.... as i have always stayed Deluxe, with an occasional stay at Port Orleans... I never wanted to stay at a value resort... well.. lack of AP discounts at the deluxes... and lack of rooms elsewhere... I chose to try POP... well... it is everything and more that Tyler has tried to relay to us in his fabulous posts... Since I only had 3 hours sleep last night (if that!) and I have been up since 3 am... I will give a quick list of pros/cons/etc... I will post more when I get more sleep....

Pros:
Atmosphere... FUN!!! Not at all tacky.. makes you smile and want to dance!
CM's... All pleasant... the "old disney cm style" Good mornings and have a magical days all around!
Room .... Nice size.. I got a king room.. I am in the 70's facing a courtyard... My room was ready at 9 am.... (that has NEVER happened to me at the Deluxes!!!!) Mattress seems fine so far. Room is immaculate. Saw lots of fun window displays done by the cleaning people... Had requested refrigerator for room.. but forgot to mention it at checkin so I called when I got up to my room... It was at my door within 15 minutes or less.
Food Court... convenient... lots of choices... basic food court stuff.. with a little extra!
Pools... Lots of chairs... music playing at pools is not overwhelming... nice background.

Cons:
Bus Service: Not really a CON... I did utilize the busses once today... But when I pulled up to check in this morning I was VERY happy that I rented a car.... However, the crowds were handled Very well... I just dont' like to have to wait to get where I want to go... I jumped on a MGM bus cause there was no line and I needed to go and purchase my new AP... it was very quick and pleasant. But, like I said.. I like the option to drive... however.. I did notice that the POP busses ALWAys were standing room only..... Just something to take into consideration...

Pool lounges .... VERY hard!! LOL!! Not comfortable at all!! Although I did manage to nap on one today for a little bit!! LOL!!

Lack of Towels.... Small and minor complaint... no towels at the pool... Easy solutions.... bring your own beach towel.

So far.. that's all I have to share.. but as you can see.. my pros far outweight the cons...

I can't say how Disneyfied I feel staying at this resort! I highly recommend it... and will stay here again myself!!! When i am not using my newly purchased DVC!!!

Well.. goodnight... and fell free to ask away!

Kathy

thanks for that info we are going to pop in 27days and its nice to get a bit of info on the place last time we stayed at port orleans

 

[MickeyMonstersMom]

Thank you for your positive review - and Tyler's comments as well. I've stayed at (and enjoyed) POR and CSR, but really love ASMu. However, my favorite resort is unavailable for my next trip, so I'm booking POP and a little concerned that I enjoy it as much as ASMu. I'm feeling better now.

 

[packerfan]

Thank you so much for this thread. We're staying at POP late March. I've heard mixed reviews about the rooms, etc., I guess mostly from the folks who stay at deluxe resorts and are spoiled by the luxuries. Now we're really looking forward to our choice . . . I think DS(8) will love it. Any, and all, input, advice, suggestions, etc. are welcome by us!!!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

We really enjoyed our stay in January and we are going back in October!

We had a very clean, quiet room. We got nifty towel animals our first night. The food court was great - efficient and friendly. We were able to go straight to our room when we checked in at 11:30 AM. We never waited long for a bus (I think leaving Epcot was the longest wait, not to mention the long walk to get there!), we never stood on a bus, and our drivers were great. We didn't have a single negative thing during our stay.

We never called Mousekeeping for anything but our room was nice and clean and we had plenty of towels. We didn't go to the pools because we didn't have time and the last two days were cold and rainy. DS9 really wanted to try out the arcade, but again, not enough time. He loved the fun icons and the memorabilia displays in the main building.

There was a lovely CM in the gift shop who let DS exchange his mouse ears - he accidentally bought the infant size at MGM. We showed her the receipt and she was happy to let DS get the larger ears. ALL of the CMs were wonderful - front desk, food court, gift shop, everywhere!

We had never been to Disney before and we had read a few posts with some not-so-nice things to report, but our stay was fabulous!

 

[MickeyEars]

I'm glad you're enjoying your trip! Our upcoming trip in June will be our third stay at Pop Century and we could not be happier!!! On our previous two trips we had no problems whatsoever. We loved everything about Pop and can hardly wait to get back.

Carla

 

[Jungle Skipper]

glad to hear your having a great time...wish i were there!

Jungle Josh

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Thank you so much for this thread. We're staying at POP late March. I've heard mixed reviews about the rooms, etc., I guess mostly from the folks who stay at deluxe resorts and are spoiled by the luxuries. Now we're really looking forward to our choice . . . I think DS(8) will love it. Any, and all, input, advice, suggestions, etc. are welcome by us!!!

Indeed, it's hard to go from a deluxe to a value, but I've read a lot of posts from deluxe people who were pleasently surprised with Pop, and enjoyed thier stay (and thier savings!)

 

[Goofy41]

I have a few questions as well. We will be arriving at the end of June and this will be our 1st stay at a value resort. We usually stay at the CBR, but with our AAA rate we got the room for $84 a nite. My 1st questions is where do you recommend to stay. I know there are different themes but, I have a DS who is 9 and he loves the pool. 2nd he loves the fireworks and I know that at some of the resorts you can get a good/great view of them. 3rd. I will be driving and bringing a cooler ,but do the rooms come with a refrigerator or do you have to request one. Thanks in advance for your imput and help...