Opinions, etc for Pop Century

[BuckNaked]

I've read through the FAQ here, but I would love to hear what people who have stayed at POP have to say about it - the good, the bad and the ugly!!

We've only stayed at mods and the Swan before, but DS has his heart set on POP for our mommy & son trip in June, so POP it is.

TIA!!

 

[chobie]

Your son will love it. It's my kids' favorite. If he likes arcades, they have the best one, it even has tickets and prizes. The rooms are small but because of the newness of POP it has a clean, neat feeling to it. I have done all levels or resorts and I don't feel cheated when going back to POP.

 

[Ursula]

We loved POP! I had previously stayed at the Beach Club & AKL as well as other value resorts & was not disappointed by POP at all. I would stay there again in a heartbeat. We stayed in the 60's section which is the perferred area near the Hippy Dippy pool. It was a great location close to the pool, food court & buses. I would definately pay the extra $10 a night to stay in this area again. We did take a walk around the whole resort & some areas are quite a walk to the food court, etc.

I found the food at the food court to be better than at the other value resorts I have stayed at. The selection was very good & everything we tried was very tasty. In fact, we just came back from the Boardwalk Villas & kind of missed having a food court to grab a quick bite.

The rooms were very nice, clean & new. We had no issues with noise & found the beds to be very comfortable. We were on the top floor & I would suggest requesting an upper floor if you are concerned about dealing with noise. My sister was on the 1st floor & it was extremely noisly with people coming & going and pool noise.

The bus service was great & it's so nice not having to share with other resorts.

I think this resort is perfect for a mommy & son trip! You will love it!

 

[wfloyd]

We enjoyed staying at POP. We were in the 50's and 70's, I think. The one thing we didn't like in the 70's is the rooms are so far away from the parking lot. I think the 60's are the same way. The rooms were nice and it was usually quiet when we were in our room. One trip had us next to a pool and we didn't notice any extra noise because of it.

 

[Magic2000]

We stayed at Pop Century last July and LOVED it!!!! We were also in the 60s Bldg (Mowgli & Baloo); our room overlooked the kiddy pool. It was very quiet - and the room was quite nice. We thought the beds were very comfortable!!!

In December, we went back for a quick trip to see the decorations - and stayed at Pop Century again! It was a great trip - we were in the bldg with Lady & the Tramp! Great location; and from our room, we could see a fantastic fireworks show!!!

We found the bus service to be excellent - and it is nice not having to share with the other resorts!

My DD and I are hoping to go back in June for a "Mom & Me" trip - and we'll be back at Pop Century!!!

 

[cajunfan]

We stayed in POP in January for the mararthon this year. We loved POP!

We were in the 60's building, 3rd floor, corner room near the elevators by the Play-doh (although the boys LOVED going up/down the Yo-yo stairs!), facing the hippy-dippy pool. I could hear pool noise a little (but I am VERY particular about that sort of thing), but not enough to really bother me. We had four people in our room, which I think would get very crowded for a long trip. The rooms were surprisingly spacious and well laid out. The only thing I thought was a problem, was the bathroom counter space was a little small for us, but then again, we were four people with one person that has a different soap/lotion for every body part.

We loved the food court (especially the frozen coke machines). It had a good variety...even my very picky eater son found things that he liked.

My son liked the pool (no one else tried it...short trip), although he did miss not having a slide.

We would happily stay there again for a short trip, or for a long trip if it was just two people.

We have stayed at POFQ and POLY in the past. I have yet to be in a Disney hotel that I did not like.


ENJOY!
Lynn

 

[BuckNaked]

Thanks so much for the input folks! DS is really excited about staying there, and I figured it would be fine, but I wanted to get an adult perspective on it.

3 months from today we'll be on the plane and on our way!

 

[teachingmykids]

One more vote for POP! DD and I just got back. Last year the family stayed at WL, we loved it, but POP was just perfect for the 2 of us. Yes, small rooms, we did hear all the conversations from the family next door
But, the food was good and kid friendly AND the fact that so many kids were there, my social butterfly of a daughter made friends.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

I stayed there in Dec. and really liked it. I had no problems with busses or noise. The 60's pool is neat and the food court had a nice selection. Also, the gift shop had a nice selection of merchandise. I wish it had been a little bigger though.

We were in the 50's section facing the lake. Here are some pictures we took if you'd like to see them :

http://www.homestead.com/esmespage/PopCentury.html

The rooms were big enough for us. I like having a sink seperate from the rest of the bathroom because IMO, it makes it faster for two people to get ready in the AM.

We're just two adults, so I can't give you a kids perspective (But I saw a lot of kids having a very good time so I think kids like it there). We didn't feel like it was too kid-like for us. I've read reviews of the value resorts where people say there were screaming kids every which way but we never noticed this at all. Whoever our neighbors were, they were quiet.

 

[D&R love Disney]

We just got back from Pop on Monday. It was nice, we were in the 60's and it was right over the pool and a very short walk to the food court and bus stop. The food court gets real crowded, not enough seating when it's busy.

Now I do find the rooms to small, especially the bathroom but then unless I'm getting together with friends I don't stay at the value's.

 

[cricket429]

For those of you who have stayed at POP, which do you prefer, the 50s or the 70s and why? Leaving in six days so any responses appreciated

 

[the kabuki]

Good:
Good price
cool themes
has own buses
food court/gift shop
newer than AS's

The Bad & the Ugly:
Walls are thin, can hear everything through them
Beds are real hard
toilets are LOUD

Hint: Unless you don't mind lots of yelling and screaming till midnight, request a room not facing the pool.

 

[nowellsl]

We've stayed in the 50's several times. Parts of the 50's are closer to the food court than the preferred buildings. We've also stayed in the 90's but it was farther away. None of the buildings are more than a 5 minute walk.

 

[funnybunny921]

For those of you who have stayed at POP, which do you prefer, the 50s or the 70s and why? Leaving in six days so any responses appreciated

i was in the 60's (ithink) it was the one with the playdoh. I loved how close we were to the main building. but we did get a room facing the lake, so it was super peaceful to wake up in the morning and just look out on the smooth lake. the 60/70 pool was the noisest and the most crowded. I went over to the bowling pin pool to sun bathe and avoid the noise, that pool was not as "fun"

 

[mama4321]

Hi. We stayed in the 70's near the lake in January. We loved it because it was quiet and the children enjoyed the twister game and the little water play area on the way to the foodcourt. But..... The 70's doesn't have a pool, and while it's not all that far to walk to any of the other areas that have them - 50's 60' 80's, we do like to swim and another time would probably try for the 50's area near the pool. I would think the distance to the foodcourt and buses would be about the same for both areas.

 

[teachingmykids]

Oh Kabuki, I forgot about the toilets. They flush with such force you could lose a small child in them. Just kidding, but they were..... uh....forceful!

 

[the kabuki]

Oh Kabuki, I forgot about the toilets. They flush with such force you could lose a small child in them. Just kidding, but they were..... uh....forceful!

Miss Manners says and I quote: It would be a matter of common courtesy to those whose rooms are adjancent to yours to refrain from flushing the commode in the late evening hours.

 

[kcork1026]

We are staying at the POP in 3 months also....maybe our trips will overlap. We are there 6/14-6/20!

 

[MinnieM3]

College DD and friend will be on their way to POP Monday! I'm so nervous....mostly about the drive down. I know she'll be fine once she gets there! She was raised on WDW!

I requested, in order or priority, top floor, 70's building, near food court, and non smoking. I really hope they get top floor. I just think it'd be safer for them. I hope they can 70's or 50's. Near food court I don't care.....they can walk a bit. Non smoking they will need.

The last non-deluxe we stayed at was Caribbean Beach and it was a HIKE to the food court. WE did not like it at all. Anyone who stayed at both here to verify that the walk to the POP food court is not that far?

Also, I had no clue POP had an arcade, much less a nice one! Is it about like the one at Contemporary or is it tiny? We'll be going in June to POP, too, and both DS's love arcades. Just curious!
Thanks so much!

 

[CindyZMomof3]

I took a "Mom and Son" trip last October. We stayed at POP Century and had a wonderful time!!!

The rooms are a bit small....but we didn't mind because it was only the two of us. I remember opening up the door and BAM....there's a Bed right there!

We stayed in the 50's building which was fine. On our floor you could see Epcot and the fireworks. However, the view right outside our window was of a very tall bush/tree....and maybe some birds.

The first morning we arrived...we spent time just walking around the grounds waiting for our room to be ready...that was one of the best times of our whole trip! At some point we also Pool hopped and tried each and every pool. While I liked the 50's building.....my son (age 9) would like to stay in the 80's building next time...which would be fine with me...it will just be a bit farther to walk to Classic Hall and the busses....fine in the morning....but oh so murderous on our feet after a day at the parks!

The food court was great. Lot's of selection for my son and for me. Even the tie-dye cheescake! Refillable mugs are a must.

We could see the halted construction of the other half of Pop Century and I hope that they will complete the project someday in the not to distant future.

There's an arcade, and a decent gift shop too. You will LOVE this hotel, especially on the Mom and Son trip!

~Cindy Z in CT