Pop century folks... reasons you like it or reasons you don't.... trying to decide

[Christinecinti]

Hey! We have always stayed at the All Star's... but thinking of switching it up and trying something new either in the Fall or on an impromptu shorter summer trip. Those of you who have stayed at Pop- can you tell me some of the pros/cons about the place? Thank you so much in advance!!

 

[SarahC97]

We stayed at Pop once and I know people love it, but it just wasn't for us. It's a much larger resort than any of the All-Stars, which means if you're in a back section that the walk to the front of the resort can take a while. I also didn't like the bus service -- the buses at the All-Stars seemed to come more frequently than buses at Pop or Art of Animation. Of course, that's just my experience.

I did like the pools and the food court better at Pop than All-Stars. And of course, now they have the refurbished rooms with queen beds which look very nice. I honestly think you should give it a shot once and see what you think.

 

[Shellyb84]

We love Pop! We like the pools, the CMs are always friendly, the new rooms are so cute! The pools never seem very crowded. The size of the resort is great, you never feel far from anything. The landscaping is beautiful and the giant icons are fun. The food is decent and I love the smell of the lobby! The main negative for me is the uncovered bus stops, but we drive a good bit of the time so it's not a deal breaker.

 

[Christinecinti]

We love Pop! We like the pools, the CMs are always friendly, the new rooms are so cute! The pools never seem very crowded. The size of the resort is great, you never feel far from anything. The landscaping is beautiful and the giant icons are fun. The food is decent and I love the smell of the lobby! The main negative for me is the uncovered bus stops, but we drive a good bit of the time so it's not a deal breaker.

.... thanks !! Do you know what rooms/section would be the best for being close to the dining hall (without being preferred)... We've become so used to Music, that it's hard to change LOL.. but it's kinda exciting to try somewhere new too!

 

[Christinecinti]

We stayed at Pop once and I know people love it, but it just wasn't for us. It's a much larger resort than any of the All-Stars, which means if you're in a back section that the walk to the front of the resort can take a while. I also didn't like the bus service -- the buses at the All-Stars seemed to come more frequently than buses at Pop or Art of Animation. Of course, that's just my experience.

I did like the pools and the food court better at Pop than All-Stars. And of course, now they have the refurbished rooms with queen beds which look very nice. I honestly think you should give it a shot once and see what you think.

That was one of my worries- that it was so much bigger it may be a far hike to food area, and also may be a lot noisier... but the newer rooms and a different food area would be nice. (We thought the food offerings at All Star was downhill last year- not as many choices, and 1 whole section "closed off" so you could still order but had to order thru the register, so couldn't tell the person any special wishes (like swap a side for a different one etc). I'm leaning toward like you said- give it a try once and see what we think....

 

[Shellyb84]

.... thanks !! Do you know what rooms/section would be the best for being close to the dining hall (without being preferred)... We've become so used to Music, that it's hard to change LOL.. but it's kinda exciting to try somewhere new too!

You'll love it I'm sure! We really like the 60's, it's close to the food court and I like that theme the best, and the Hippy Dippy Pool is our favorite pool. But honestly anywhere isn't that much of a walk.

 

[gillep]

As far as value resorts I have only stayed at Movies and POP and much preferred Movies. The thing I disliked the most about POP is how the gift shop and CS restaurant/seating area are all contiguous, and that many people who get dropped off at the bus stop go through the gift shop to get back to their rooms, so that whole area to me felt very chaotic and extremely loud. The setup at movies was much better for us as the food court/ seating area was separate from the gift shop and was not in a main thoroughfare.

That said, I also love trying new resorts so if POP appeals to you, and the new rooms do look very nice, then maybe it will be a good fit.

 

[Christinecinti]

Anyone happen to know if dining place at Pop lets you trade your drink for a side/dessert item (since you already have the refillable mug) on the quick service dining plan? I know in the past some have said they could, and many have said they couldn't. Just curious- it won't make or break the decision, but it was always nice to get fruit or a side instead of having a duplicate drink- (especially since we always have a bunch of bottled water in the room anyway!)

 

[Shellyb84]

I've never had the dining plan when we've stayed at Pop but I've never had an issue making that swap anywhere else.

 

[HelloTheDrakes]

We stayed at POP last year, after staying at All-Star Sports 18 mos. before. We liked it very much. It felt like a small upgrade, since it is a bit newer. We selected to stay closer to the busses when we made our reservation/check-in selections, so I didn't think we were too far away. Also, we never had issues with sound. We were there in the first week of May and it was a pretty busy time. We did not play in the pool (too busy at parks), but I did think they looked fun when we walked by. Also, I appreciated that they had a dedicated bus and the option was there to hop on a AoA bus. We hopped on AoA one night when we looked over and saw their line was much smaller than POP's. Granted, we had to walk back over the bridge to get 'home,' but we made it worth it by getting a late night snack for the walk.

I say try it out! The price difference isn't so much that you'd regret it if it wasn't all that different from All-Star. Either way, you're still on property and gaining those perks.

 

[DLgal]

I have a love/hate relationship with Pop.

Love:
fun themeing (kids love it)
one bus stop
easy walk to AoA
Fun pools that are never too crowded
cheap

Hate:
SO LOUD (food court, gift shop, arcade, rooms, everything is loud)
hard, bouncy beds
scratchy sheets and towels
mediocre to bad food at the food court
crowded buses and faraway bus stops at parks

 

[SarahC97]

When we've stayed at the All-Stars, we haven't gotten preferred. I've never had more than a three to four-minute walk to the bus stop. At Pop, we stayed in the 80's section and it took about 8-10 minutes to walk to the bus. I know that's not a huge difference, but when you factor in the fact that Pop has about 1000 more rooms than All-Star Music and I just found it wasn't quite the respite I wanted away from the parks. But it's not like it was a bad experience. I simply prefer All-Stars if I'm going value.

 

[wisteria1019]

I have stayed at most of the resorts from Value to DVC. What I am most looking forward to on my next trip in October is the newly renovated rooms and the ease of access to Art of Animation to tour and take advantage of their Food Court (rumored to be the best onsite food court).

 

[shanew21]

Like:
Price
Renovated rooms nicer than All Stars
No bus sharing

Dislike:
MASSIVE resort, can be a 10 minute walk to the main lobby

Overall it's the best value resort since it's got the renovated rooms and is still close in pricing to the All Stars. I don't even count AoA as value anymore, the price is always so high compared to the rest.

 

[BalooFan]

I normally stay at deluxe resorts, but have stayed at Pop a couple of times. I liked that it is walking distance to AoA, which gives you more food options. There is a walking/running trail around the lake between Pop and AoA or you can move between resorts via the bridge over the lake. It’s fun to explore the grounds at both Pop and AoA. The buses seemed to come pretty frequently, but always seemed to be packed. The bus stops at the resort are not under cover. I found the food court to be chaotic and the food left a lot to be desired. My room was quiet both times I stayed there, but that is more dependent on who your neighbors are than the resort.

 

[Iya]

It's cheap(ish) and has its own buses. That's about the only postive thing I can say.

 

[strike4]

I stayed at Pop 3 yrs ago and next month will be back. I stayed in building 3 ofthe 50's and it was
extremely close to 2 pools, laundry, and the main building. Even if your in the 80's or 90's, if you
cut through the parking lot, it's pretty close to the busses.

I also like that you can go to AOA and use their food court. I hear that the selection is really
good there. Several times we caught an AOA bus from a park and walked to Pop if that bus
was there first. Oh, and if you love Dole Whips like I do, Pop is now serving them!

The only negative that I can think of is that Pop's bus stop is one of the longest walks from
the parks.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I like the layout of the resort. It never felt “massive” to me. The food court and bus stops are smack dab in the middle of the resort, and IMO, no room is a big hike to anywhere you might want to walk.

I found the housekeeping excellent. Our rooms were always immaculate, and the housekeeping staff was accommodating. The food court was very good, and we enjoyed the pools and walking near the lake. Bus service was decent most of the time.

My last stay there was in 2010, and I’m sad to hear that the pools are gated and locked at a certain hour. Hanging out late and swimming at the pool was lots of fun, and if you can’t do that anymore, it certainly is a bummer.

 

[My2Qtz0205]

I’ve stayed at POP twice: the first time in a 60’s pool view preferred room for 4 nights (2013), and the 2nd time in the 50’s standard view room for one night (2014).

LIKES: price, size and options in food court, decorations, easy walk to AoA, pools, ability to jump on an AoA bus and walk to POP if needed

DISLIKES: size of the rooms/beds (too small for two adults and two older kids), noise in the pool-view room

We are doing a quick trip in September, and hubby chose the more expensive resort instead of POP. He hated it there and said he would never go back. I didn’t mind it so much, just not for a family of 4.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Pros: price point

Cons: very loud, boisterous
Sooooo many families
Many more groups
Chaotic food court
Chaotic check in area but nice CM’s
Would only stay preferred otherwise some very long walks ( and that’s awful after Parks days)
Uncovered bus stop
Long lines
Far return park bus pick up points
Hard beds
Tiny rooms
Paper thin walls
Community/ymca type pool

For a value, it’s pretty much all expected so in that regard, I suppose it’s A good Value.
The only positive ... price matches what you should expect, value
... just our experience.. many like it
It’s Disney after all.
Enjoy wherever you choose.