Pop Century mini review

[stemikger]

Here is a quick review of my recent stay at Pop Century.

I arrived around 12:30 p.m. and check in looked crowded, however the wait was only 15 minutes. I was very surprised. The girl who checked me in was earning her ears and she was very nervous, but the women who was training her was kind of nasty, definitely did not have the Disney Magic. (Having said that, that was my only unpleasant encounter with a CM). I felt bad for the trainee and was very patient with her. My room wasn't ready so I walked around to check out the place.

Walking in this place is a real treat for the eyes. There is always something to look at. Classic Hall is really big and Everything Pop is great. The food at the food court was nothing spectacular, but was decent enough. However stay away from the shrimp lo mein (that was bad). The shrimp was good, but the lo mein was awful. That was my only bad food experience.

The pools are great, but if you like slides you will not find them here. I personally didn't miss them. Petals pool bar is on the expensive side, but hey your on vacation. I really liked the gift shop and found that the selection was good. The frozen cokes at the food court were great and the refillable mugs are a must for stays longer than 2 days.

I stayed in the 60s section pool view (there was a lot of activity going on). I liked that about this section, however, if you do not want too much outdoor noise stay away from this section.

This resort puts you in a good mood, the music they play is great and the atmosphere is real fun. I highly reccoment this resort to anyone watching their dollars but does not want to sacrafice having fun. The rooms were small, but adequate. In fact, I thought they would be smaller. Go to Pop Century and relive some memories of your youth.

 

[Dim]

Thanks for the review. We will be staying at POP for our first time early next week (IVAN willing) and I can't wait!

 

[ladydancer]

Just curious, what day of the week did you check in? We will be arriving on a Wed. about the same time you checked in. Also did you pay extra for a "view room"?

Thanks

 

[stemikger]

I checked in on Monday. My room wasn't ready, but they can hold your luggage and you can call from any of the resort phones and they can tell you if it is ready. My room was ready before the 3:00 check in time. When you do register at the front desk they give you the keys and your package so you don't have to go back.

Question No. 2. I did pay $10 extra for the preferred room. In my opinion it was worth it. Not so much because it was that much closer, but because I liked the view of the pool and being in the middle of the main hub of the resort. I don't think I would have liked looking at a court yard or a parking lot. But if you go with a preferred room make sure you request pool view if that is what you want. There are preferred rooms (60s buildings) that overlook the courtyard.

Have a great time.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Originally posted by stemikger
Question No. 2. I did pay $10 extra for the preferred room. In my opinion it was worth it. Not so much because it was that much closer, but because I liked the view of the pool and being in the middle of the main hub of the resort. I don't think I would have liked looking at a court yard or a parking lot. But if you go with a preferred room make sure you request pool view if that is what you want. There are preferred rooms (60s buildings) that overlook the courtyard.

Have a great time.

Just FYI, the $10 per night is for a Preferred Building... not a preferred view. it does not guarantee a pool view, and in fact, sometimes pool views are hard to come by.

 

[ladydancer]

Originally posted by Chip 'n Dale Express
Just FYI, the $10 per night is for a Preferred Building... not a preferred view. it does not guarantee a pool view, and in fact, sometimes pool views are hard to come by.

Should I ask for an upgrade to a pool view when I am checking in or call now and change my reservation? I really only want to pay extra if I can get a pool view. Also I had requested a ground floor when I made my ressie because of a bad knee.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[scrump]

Thanks for the review!!!!! We will be staying there next year (tooooo toooooo far away) and CAN'T WAIT!!!!! Sounds like it will be fabulous!

 

[gigi1313]

i concur completely (w/one small exception) with your assessment of pop century! overall great resort! we all loved it and when i suggested the possibility of staying somewhere else next visit both dh and kids boo'd me! LOL! (we'll see!)

the one exception that i disagree with is the lo mein... it was excellent!! hot off the wok! delicious! just needed a sprinkle of soy sauce and it was good to go! even the kids liked it! (although i had veggie not shrimp)

 

[PieInYourEye]

I stayed there the weekend before Frances. I arrived on Saturday and checked out on Monday.

The CMs come in twice a day and do the Hustle in the lobby. LOL The lobby area is a treasure of memorabilia and definately worth a look!

The CMs I dealt with were nice. I had to pick up a wheel chair. I first walked out the door to pick up the chair and there were about 8 CMs there and they all just looked at me. Nobody said anything to me... I had to say "Can someone here help me." They were busy entertaining themselves.

I ate breakfast there and it was quite good, and reasonably prices. The coffee was very good! Odd thing to me was that if you ordered a side, the grits were more expensive than the bacon or sausage.

The bathrooms by the pool are spectacular! Large and clean.

The room was cute with retro decor. I love being able to control the air conditioner!

The shower was ok, a nice bar to help keep you from slipping in or out. The shampoo was a little bottle rather than those other dispensers like they have (or had) at the All Stars.

There was an iron in the room. No blowdryer. Several Disney channels to choose from.

I saw pizza delivery at all times of the day.

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Originally posted by ladydancer
Should I ask for an upgrade to a pool view when I am checking in or call now and change my reservation? I really only want to pay extra if I can get a pool view. Also I had requested a ground floor when I made my ressie because of a bad knee.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Just so you know... there are only 12 non-smoking first floor pool view rooms in the Preferred section. The liklihood of getting one is very hard. Each building does also have two elevators.

"Pool View" is not an upgrade or a room classification. Value resorts only have two room levels -- Standard and Preferred. If you book Preferred, you are guaranteed a room in a Preferred Building, but you may get back side, facing the lake, trees, or whatnot.

 

[ladydancer]

Originally posted by PieInYourEye
I stayed there the weekend before Frances. I arrived on Saturday and checked out on Monday.

The CMs come in twice a day and do the Hustle in the lobby. LOL The lobby area is a treasure of memorabilia and definately worth a look!

The CMs I dealt with were nice. I had to pick up a wheel chair. I first walked out the door to pick up the chair and there were about 8 CMs there and they all just looked at me. Nobody said anything to me... I had to say "Can someone here help me." They were busy entertaining themselves.

I ate breakfast there and it was quite good, and reasonably prices. The coffee was very good! Odd thing to me was that if you ordered a side, the grits were more expensive than the bacon or sausage.

The bathrooms by the pool are spectacular! Large and clean.

The room was cute with retro decor. I love being able to control the air conditioner!

The shower was ok, a nice bar to help keep you from slipping in or out. The shampoo was a little bottle rather than those other dispensers like they have (or had) at the All Stars.

There was an iron in the room. No blowdryer. Several Disney channels to choose from.

I saw pizza delivery at all times of the day.

When they do the "Hustle in the Lobby" do any guest join in? My granddaughter and I do the "Hustle" (Electric Slide) all the time @ line dance class.

 

[#1hockeymom]

I'm convinced! I kept calling, calling, calling and just got lucky with the AP rate! I am going POP instead of CBR in less than a month! I think this lounge lizard will love Pop Century!

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Originally posted by ladydancer
When they do the "Hustle in the Lobby" do any guest join in? My granddaughter and I do the "Hustle" (Electric Slide) all the time @ line dance class.

Of course! Our version of the Hustle is a simple one, so all can join in.

Right foot, forward toe tap, twice
Right foot, backward toe tap, twice
Right foot, forward toe tap, once
Right foot, backward toe tap, once
Right foot, right side toe tap, once
Raise right knee, and pivot 90 degrees to the left.
Forward one two three, clap
Back one two three, clap
360 twirl to the right, clap
360 twirl to the left, clap
Start over.

 

[stemikger]

quote

Just FYI, the $10 per night is for a Preferred Building... not a preferred view. it does not guarantee a pool view, and in fact, sometimes pool views are hard to come by.

/quote

Tyler is right.

Originally I did request 1st floor pool view in the preferred building. I did get pool view, but it was on the third floor - which actually worked out nice. It was a great view. In my opinion, I would not pay the extrat $10 if it was not pool view, which unfortunately you can only request and it is not guaranteed.