Pop Century Opinions?

[mermaidtheresa]

My family usually stays at the mod resorts, but we are on a tighter budget this year and are considering staying at the Pop Century in order to save some money. We have heard both good and bad.... any advice?
Thanks!!

 

[BuckNaked]

We've almost always stayed at mods before, and just returned from a week at POP. We (DS 9 and I) had a great time there. I still prefer the mods, but wouldn't hesitate to stay at POP again if I needed to for budget reasons. Very bright, lots of cool decorations and friendly CMs.

 

[lbgraves]

You may want to do a search for that topic. I doubt that many will post their negative experiences because they are tired of being flamed for their opinion.

 

[Ilovestitch]

For every WDW resort you will hear people say they love it and some say its awful.

I haven't stayed at Pop yet but I have walked around the resort and its very nice. I think it has the best foodcourt of any resort. Pop is still very new compared to the other resorts so thats a major plus. Another great thing is that Pop doesn't share busses w/any other resort and only has one bus stop.

 

[Poodlebud]

We stayed there last week. We probably wouldn't stay there again, especially without a car. The bus situation was awful. The lines for the buses were so long, the wait to get on the buses were at least 20 minutes each time. I was miserable, especially waiting in the heat when you're already so tired of walking all day.

Another disappointment we had with Pop was the room we were given. I requested a non-smoking room away from the elevators, neither request was met. We were put in the 90's building, which was about a 7 minute walk to the Classic Hall (if I walked fast). So just to get a cup of coffee at the food court in the mornings took me almost 20 mins.

One positive note about Pop was the food at the food court. We enjoyed everything we ate there. (But we were never able to get any ICEE there in the 7 days we were there.)

 

[BuckNaked]

Double post.

 

[BuckNaked]

We stayed there last week. We probably wouldn't stay there again, especially without a car. The bus situation was awful. The lines for the buses were so long, the wait to get on the buses were at least 20 minutes each time. I was miserable, especially waiting in the heat when you're already so tired of walking all day.

Another disappointment we had with Pop was the room we were given. I requested a non-smoking room away from the elevators, neither request was met. We were put in the 90's building, which was about a 7 minute walk to the Classic Hall (if I walked fast). So just to get a cup of coffee at the food court in the mornings took me almost 20 mins.

One positive note about Pop was the food at the food court. We enjoyed everything we ate there. (But we were never able to get any ICEE there in the 7 days we were there.)

We were there last week too! We should have traded rooms - I ended up in a non-smoking room at the very end of building 6 (70s) - as far from the elevator as you could get!

And the ICEEs didn't last long - DS was able to get a couple of them on Tuesday, but then they were gone again.

As for the buses, I probably wouldn't stay at POP again without a car.

 

[Disney_dude]

I was there last week as well. I was not surprised about how crowded the buses were. I kind of got used to the idea of standing. I would not want to stay in the 80's and 90's, pretty good walk. I'm glad we spent the extra money to stay in the 60's building. I would not have been happy in the 90's. I don't think you can beat the food court at POP. Love the Very Sloppy Joes, and Tie-dyed Cheesecake. The one thing that got on my nerves was the ducks quacking at 6:00am!

 

[cobbler]

We had always stayed at moderates before last year. Then with our 9 night trip we had to make it a little less expensive so we did a split stay at Pop and ASSports.

First off go into it being prepared that it isn't a moderate resort. It won't have the same feel as a moderate.

We were in the 50's section and when I got there my first reaction was OH MY GOSH, how super cheap and cheesy. I was determined NEVER to stay at a value again. But I reminded myself that it isn't a moderate and to try to have fun with it. By the end of my stay I was having a good time. The food court gift shop area was neat.

I am staying at a value again this year because I have to make that trip cheaper too with just returning 7 weeks prior to going on that trip. I definatly prefer moderates and would do anything I can to stay there over a value, but I will stay at a value if it means not going at all

Just go and enjoy it and make a decision for yourself!

 

[littlebigdog]

Just returned from POP on Sunday. This was our second stay at POP and we love it! It is NOT "cheesy" at all! We had a non smoking room in the 50s section. Our room was VERY clean! It is a great place to stay especially if you have children. I would not hesitate to stay there. We have stayed at moderates and deluxes and actually prefer POP over the moderates. I really can't think of anything negative about our stays at POP except they are never long enough!!

 

[mermaidtheresa]

Ahh, thanks....good to know.

 

[PatsGirl]

HI. We're in the opposite boat. Have only stayed at POP and this year find that we can afford a split, CSR and then POP. We're looking forward to trying a mod for a change of pace.

We really liked POP and I think I'm somewhat picky about hotels. The lobby was nice, we had a great caricature done there of my daughter, the gift shop was nice, the pools and jet pops were very nice as well. The pool bar was small, maybe 6-8 stools but cute nonetheless. We didn't eat there other than granola bars, coffee, that sort of thing.

The rooms were very small, smaller than anything I've every stayed in before. That is not a complaint, just an observation. We didn't need anything bigger, it was myself and my 7 year old DD. This year I will be staying there with 2 adults and 2 children and think it will be fine. I would not want to stay at POP if we were not doing the parks almost every day. We may arrive back after dinner, for a swim and a drink, then bed.

The rooms (size being the exception) and amenities were nicer than most of the HI's I've stayed in, similar to maybe Sheraton level? There is the great Disney theming and that in itself puts the resort way ahead of most others like Sheraton, Hilton, Holiday Inn. Of course, put it all in perspective, with kids and for the $$ you can't beat the value IMHO.

I hope I find that the mods are as nice for the $$. We're spending Thanksgiving weekend at CSR and then moving to POP to do the parks. Hoping to hang at CSR and enjoy the resort, thus our thinking in spending the extra moolah, lol.

Hope this helps.

Brenda

 

[cavepig]

POSITIVES - bus line, only one bus stop, distance to MGM, not too far of a walk from either rooms we've had, POP waffles, chocolate chip cookies, lake, firework viewing, the music, icons are fun to look at, price.

NEGATIVES - noisy, door too close to bed, not too many vegetarian selections that appeal to me, lack of trees, distance to MK, sometimes bus line long (but All-Stars always seemed longer), only one sink.

MORE DETAIL:

We just returned from a 2 week stay at Pop in the 80's section facing Roger Rabbit and the computer pool. We also stayed there June 2004 for 2 weeks and were in the 50's facing the lake. Our rooms were not far, the 50's was a bit closer, but our 80's rooms were close to. Really I don't think any room at POP would be bad if you don't mind a little walk. Sometimes are walk at Riverside took longer since that is a large resort. Pop really isn't all that big.

We love Pop. It is a bit noisy, the foodcourt is loud and so are the pools, but it varies on the times of day. We had noisy neighbors this time, but we were so tired it didn't matter. We could also hear the kids screaming in the pool at 10:00 pm, but again we were so tired it didn't matter too much (I am a light sleeper and the first few nights of the trip it takes forever for me to fall asleep and I think I only get a few hours anyway, but by about day 4 I can sleep through anything).

The buses aren't bad. Yes 20 minutes waits might happen and are normal, but that can happen at the moderates too (We've stayed at Riverside (Dixie Landings) many times and had long waits as well. Pop does only have one stop which is a benefit over other resorts that have multiple stops. It seems to take forever to get to MK but getting to MGM is a breeze. After park closing you might have to wait for several buses, and in the AM the bus lines were packed by 7:30 am. The good thing are the bus lines, which the moderates lack and when we stayed at Riverside sometimes people got crazy getting on buses. We opted many times to wait for a but instead of staning since we had 2 small kids who could lose it at anytime and a double stroller and it was never that bad of wait for another bus - at least we had seats.

The foodcourt is okay. I love the waffles. It does get crowded and we usually had to wait a bit to pay for a food and we were in the foodcourt by 7:30 am everyday. Dinner choices are good with some different things like stir fry noodles and flatbread sandwiches. They have a great grab and go section if you eat meat (I'm a vegetarian and found it lacking vegie salads and sandwhiches). Their chocolate cookies are also great.

The icons are cheesy if you want to think that, but honestly I love them. We have stayed at ASMovies and it's them as there. We loved seeing Roger everyday on our way out and back to our room. It does lack trees like Riverside has. The lake view is a plus that some resorts like All stars and AKL don't have, and you can see the fireworks from POP.

We've used all three pools and they are nice, they were most crowded in the afterrnoon around 3:00 and when we came back at 9:00 or later.

The rooms are smaller than a moderate, but we didn't mind. 5 adults and 2 small children didn't make it cramped but we didn't care since we were at Disney. The bed by the door is a bit close and makes pushing a stroller in and out kind of hard.

We got a few towle decorations. We requested early maid service and they did a good job. They don't have pool towls, but we just asked a maid for them or grabbed them from a maid cart if we saw one before swimming.

We, love POP and would stay again, but miss the trees and more laid back fill of Riverside. But when it comes to price POP is better so we'll go there if we have to to save money.

Hope this helps!

 

[lajones81]

Considering there was no "room in the inn" for my friend and I at the All Stars (even though we made our reservation there!) I was happy to have a room at POP Century. It turned out to be a wonderful vacation!

 

[mermaidtheresa]

Thanks!!

 

[mermaidtheresa]

Thank you to everyone who replied so far.... I especially love the long detailed reports that gave me a ton of info!!! Super helpful! I'm so glad I'm on the boards now, I can't believe I was missing out this whole time!

Thanks Everyone!!! : )

 

[coachman]

Hi, the Pop Century is just fine. I, too, prefer the moderates but wouldn't hesitate to stay here again.

 

[Mady/Sophiemom]

We had always stayed at the Moderates, or CR, until our April trip. I was very hesitant to go to Pop, but wanted to purchase the meal plan, and the values was all I was willing to pay rack rate for.

We were pleasantly suprised. It was the fastest and nicest check in I've ever had. Took about 10 minutes, including standing in line. This was on a Friday eve, and I was expecting longer lines.

The food court can get crowded, and crazy, but even at those times, the food lines, and checkout moved very fast. We rarely have eaten at the food courts at other hotels, because of the distance from our rooms (CSR, CBR). At Pop we were very close so the refillable mugs, and quick meals was a hit. Very easy for my daughter, and DH to go get breakfast and bring it back to the room while we were getting ready. The breakfasts are big, and could easily be shared.

Our room was a great location. 50's bldg #3, corner room, 2nd floor. We overlooked the bowling pin pool, and could see the main pool, and food court. Maybe a 1 1/2 minute walk to anything.

We did have a car- another 1st for us- we have always went w/ Disney transportation. We only rode the bus to MK, a couple of times, and back from Epcot one night. We had no problems w/ the busses. They were standing room only, but no different from our CBR stay. I will say that we enjoyed having a car, much more than we anticipated. We couldn't always find a great parking spot, but even in the back lot, it wasn't a horrible walk to our room.

We had no noise problems. A few mornings we heard toilets, or showers, but not enough to wake anyone up. We were next to the stairs, and never heard anybody on them. A few times heard voices, but never very loud, and never at night. I was worried about this. I work nights, so just by nature, I don't sleep well at night, and can wake easily, so if their had been noise, I would have heard it.

We are staying there again in December, so that should tell you something. Even taking my mom, and she is major picky!! The entire trip, DH, and I kept commenting that we did not see enough differences between the mods, and values, to warrant the extra $$. We will prob stay at Pop, or deluxe from now on.

Hope this helps. It looks like you are getting responses from people who have actually stayed at Pop Century. So many times people give thier opinion, based on assumptions, rather than experiences.

Have a great trip.

 

[PrincessCandaceMarie]

POP is fun and also has their own transports, they don't share with the All Stars, so that might help you out....and the pools are great especially the Hippy Dippy Pool....!