Pop Century Expectations?

[AMusicLifeForMe]

I will be staying at Disney's Pop Century in a couple weeks. This will be the first time that I will be staying at a Disney "Value" Resort. I'm just wondering what some of you think of the value resorts? What should my expectations be since I have only stayed at Disney "Moderate" Resorts in the past? I know I am paying for what I am going to get. This decision was made, because my friend and I are not going to have any resort time. We are going to be in the parks from rope drop to probably closing every night. We just wanted to be able to take advantage of Disney transportation and the Extra Magic Hours. Any info would be great!

 

[cajunbaby1]

I liked it. smaller rms, only 1 sink. For 2 people plenty of room, full size bed. Don't have to share bus with anyone else. Pool bar, no table service...who cares. Usual food court fare. My room was super clean, no problems. I think youll like it

 

[Babsy]

It is fine. Less theming, more like a basic motel, smaller rooms, no coffee perk - that sort of thing. We have stayed value often and it is great for the situation that you describe - only two people in the room and planning to spend a lot of time in the theme parks.

Excellent decision!

 

[missnic]

Honestly, I didn't notice a lot of difference in Value vs. Mod compared to the price. DH and I usually stay at Pop, and love it. We don't spend a lot of time in the room, rarely eat there, and don't usually use the pools/etc. Value is perfect for us. If we're going to do 'resort time', we'll go Deluxe.

 

[loves to dive]

As another poster has mentioned, there will be no coffee pot in the room. The linens are a little less better quality than in the Moderates. No towels at the pool so make sure you take your own if you go. No quiet pools, although I think there might be more than one pool there. No shaded bus stop but do have actual line ques. The food court seemed a little busier to me and all the common areas seemed a little more crowded. The Dreams show just did a show on the value resorts, you might want to watch that.

 

[owynn]

I tend to be a Moderate/Deluxe resort guy, but I liked my last stay at the Pop Century. The biggest difference to me was the sounds and theming. The POP Century and other value resorts have what I would describe as over the top theming throughout the resort, the oversized items, etc. The moderates and deluxe resorts are less garish in their decor. The other thing with the POP Century that threw me a bit was the music playing. At the resort it was stuff I hear on the radio and grew up with, kind of cool and fit the theme, but it was not relaxing to me. When visiting the moderate and deluxe resorts, there is background music playing that fits with the resort theme and takes me away and relaxes me. My wife pointed that out to me as we heard the island beats at the Polynesian while visiting there. Subtle but huge difference for us. With our son about to turn two, we do spend a lot more time in the resorts than we used to.

 

[verleniahall]

We love POP - there is a thread all about it in the resorts section with tons of info and an unofficial fb page

 

[JimmyBean42]

We loved staying at Pop. As everyone noted, yeah the lines aren't the same thread count number as moderates, you have to bring your own towel to the pool, and only one sink but if you are going from rope drop until kiss goodnight you wouldn't need most of the amenities of a moderate anyway. Might as well save the money you'd spend on a moderate and use it for other stuff on your trip.

 

[WEDWDW]

The Values are getting better and better with a huge addition being the fridges several years ago.

Well before that was the removal of the horrid "Shower wall soap/shampoo dispensers".

POP has recently replaced the "wall-mount hair dryers" with the "Hair Dryer in a bag" and All-Star Sports now has Pool Towels at Surfboard Bay and Grand Slam as well as 24/7 access to the Beverage Islands.

The All-Star Resort arcades are now open 24/7 also.

I'm thinking coffee-makers for the Values "could" be coming somewhere down the road.

 

[ols386]

Stayed at Pop twice. Loved it. Large resort but very compact. Clean, nice rooms, good food court, bus service efficient. No complaints.

 

[Minnesota!]

Love Pop! I would choose it over most anywhere else on property

 

[disnut8]

I will be staying at Disney's Pop Century in a couple weeks. This will be the first time that I will be staying at a Disney "Value" Resort. I'm just wondering what some of you think of the value resorts? What should my expectations be since I have only stayed at Disney "Moderate" Resorts in the past? I know I am paying for what I am going to get. This decision was made, because my friend and I are not going to have any resort time. We are going to be in the parks from rope drop to probably closing every night. We just wanted to be able to take advantage of Disney transportation and the Extra Magic Hours. Any info would be great!

It's a shame you won't have resort time to enjoy at Pop Century because of the things I love about the place is being able to walk around and look at the icons and talk about what was going on in this country and the world during those centuries. Also very nicely done is the walk along the river with signs along the way noting something "significant" for each year from 1950 to 1999. We loved looking for our birth years and our kid's year and seeing what was considered "significant". And then reading all about what happened during that time. Truly a nice way to relax and enjoy a vacation.

 

[Mousemommy1]

Smaller room. More flashy, fun theming. Perfectly suitable place to sleep and shower.

 

[Madhat1985]

I'm f you are only going to be sleeping in the room POP is a great choice. There were be a lot more kids and families around and not as nice bath supplies but you really aren't missing out on too much. Use the extra money and do sig restaurants or some cool tours.

 

[WEDWDW]

It's a shame you won't have resort time to enjoy at Pop Century because of the things I love about the place is being able to walk around and look at the icons and talk about what was going on in this country and the world during those centuries. Also very nicely done is the walk along the river with signs along the way noting something "significant" for each year from 1950 to 1999. We loved looking for our birth years and our kid's year and seeing what was considered "significant". And then reading all about what happened during that time. Truly a nice way to relax and enjoy a vacation.

And don't forget the Shadow Boxes in the Lobby!

 

[Shanti]

I will be staying at Disney's Pop Century in a couple weeks. This will be the first time that I will be staying at a Disney "Value" Resort. I'm just wondering what some of you think of the value resorts? What should my expectations be since I have only stayed at Disney "Moderate" Resorts in the past? I know I am paying for what I am going to get. This decision was made, because my friend and I are not going to have any resort time. We are going to be in the parks from rope drop to probably closing every night. We just wanted to be able to take advantage of Disney transportation and the Extra Magic Hours. Any info would be great!

We stayed there two years ago and weren't crazy about it, but it was minimally acceptable. The exterior grounds are adorable with the huge Disney sculptures. The resort rooms are basically motel rooms. But you are on property, and get all of the advantages associated with that. Transportation is reliable, even though the buses are crowded.

 

[RedOne3781]

I've stayed at all resort levels, and have stayed at Pop many times. There are some differences, as others have mentioned, between value and mod. But I enjoy Pop. Yes, it is a little louder and flashier as far as theming is concerned. And the rooms are tiny with minimal amenities. But there is something about it that screams DISNEY to me.
If you are basically using the resort as a place to sleep, then I think you should be more than happy there.

 

[Madhat1985]

We stayed there two years ago and weren't crazy about it, but it was minimally acceptable. The exterior grounds are adorable with the huge Disney sculptures. The resort rooms are basically motel rooms. But you are on property, and get all of the advantages associated with that. Transportation is reliable, even though the buses are crowded.

Are u staying for the Podcast 10th anniversary?

 

[disnut8]

And don't forget the Shadow Boxes in the Lobby!

Oh yes, when we stayed there with my father-in-law, my mother-in-law was "in charge" with his time which is how their relationship worked and both loved it. But, on the day we checked out, I went with my father-in-law to the front desk to check out (the in-laws paid for the entire trip) and he was the type to have to check out in person. After we did that and were going to meet the rest of the crew at the car, I showed him the shadow boxes. We didn't leave the lobby for another half hour. I enjoyed that time with my father-in-law as he told me story after story about what he was seeing. Yes, that is Pop Century for me - enjoying the past decades with people who have seen it, experienced it, or, if never seen it or experienced it, are amazed at what was happening during those times. I have taken my two grandkids there and had to explain what a rotary dial phone was.

 

[Huff]

Slightly smaller rooms, only 1 sink, no coffee maker and no table service restaurant. Otherwise the theming, decor, grounds are top rate. Some people who have never been to a value think its on par with a Motel 6. It's NOT!! The Values are very nice hotels easily on par or surpassing many 3* offsite hotels. POP's food court has a good selection of food and the gift shop is a bit larger than most other resort stores.