Pop Century Question from someone who has only stayed in Deluxe

[scootch]

Thinking of adding 3 night(which translates to only two full park days) onto our 7 night Disney FAntasy cruise in Feb. The dates are early Feb, crowd level is low(3-4) on those days. 35% room only discount give me the Pop Century for $331.... or can go Wilderness Lodge for $863. I usually rent points but will have my sisterinlaw with me, so prefer two beds instead of the bed/pullout couch. I doubt we will swim.... so truly just somewhere to sleep(arrive Wed eve... rope drop park Thurs/Fri... leave for cruise Sat morning)..... so should I save the money and just try Pop Century or since we always go deluxe and I going to regret and wish I spent the extra $500. HOpe I am not coming across like a deluxe snob but hubby doesn't do disney with us(it is a girls bonus trip each year) so the deluxes have been easiest for me to get tired princesses back to the room each night since we typically end up at MK in the evenings. We will likely be going to MK one day and Epcot the second(may hop to DS as I have old nonexpiring tickets that I am using)..... but will start both days at ropedrop at those parks. Thanks.

 

[letsgoreds]

I'm curious about this one too...we have one night at POP (arrival night) before BC and BLT and Kidnai (don't ask)...I am a big fan of renting points, but my 3yo freaked out, in a great way, when I showed him pictures of POP. Decision made. I WILL say that I have slept comfortably on the foldouts at Kidani...I think the sleepers at Kidani and BLT are newer, and have heard favorable things.

For me, the resorts are a break from the hustle and bustle of the parks...but if you are all adults, most of the time spent back at your resort will be with your eyes closed, so I say save the $ on the room, and drink your way around the world ; )

 

[Cubicleprisoner]

You will like Pop Century. They have the best bus service on property. If you are a park warrior and just need a clean,comfortable place to sleep and shower, then you will be glad you saved yourself some money (for the next trip!)


1977 -off property, 1982 - Holiday Inn, 2004 - Pop Century, 2005 - Pop Century, 3/2006 - French Quarter, 7/2006 - Pop Century, 2007 - Pop Century, 4/2008 - Pop Century, 12/2008 - Pop Century, 6/2009 - Pop Century, 10/2009 - French Quarter, 1/2010 - Pop Century, 8/2010 - Pop Century, 12/2010 Pop Century and Saratoga Springs, 6/2011 - Pop Century, 12/2011 - Pop Century, 9/2012 - Paradise Pier, 12/2012 - Art of Animation, 7/2013 - Pop Century, 12/2013 - off property DL, 5/2014 - Pop Century

 

[Itinkso]

Last October, we stayed at Pop for three nights after our Fantasy cruise. We had previously stayed at BWI and a couple months after the cruise, we stayed at AKL.

Pop was as clean and well-kept as the Fantasy. We were in the 90's building and it was very quiet - we never saw our neighbors. The only differences I noted were the thickness of the towels and the comfort of the bed. Other than that, it was a great place to stay without overspending on a room.

 

[scootch]

Thanks... it will be myself and sisterinlaw with two girls age 11 and 14. It is normally just myself and the girls and the couch/bed is comfortable... but usually just one of us sleeps in it, not sure how comfortable it would be with two people(my 14 year old is 5'6). The bus service is what is making me think to just save the extra. We will likely not take an afternoon break since we only have two days in the parks... so likely just to sleep and we have saturday morning to sleep in a bit before the trip to port. You will love this one... last time I rented a limo(went in with another family) for our trip to port.... AND... we got a flat tire!! The anxiety of worrying about getting to the ship(although we still got there by 2pm) was just too much... so taking DCL transfers even if it costs more!! lol

 

[LIMOGE7]

If you are used to deluxe, skip the values.... Sorry but I have tried the all star music one time and the difference between that and poly, blt, wl, even akl is so much! The rooms are a motel style, I don't like the door being outside. The linens were tough and the beds not so great. For 500 extra find the cheapest deluxe and don't look back. Sorry but that is how I feel being honest. Especially with your two daughters and sister in law, blt and akv have the best pull outs in studios. Good luck and enjoy! Ever considered swan and dolphin resorts, we love them too and u can get aaa discounts and great rates, even adjoining rooms or alcove rooms with more space.

 

[sacandjac]

We've stayed moderate and deluxe except for a quick trip in September 2012 just me and my DD. This quick trip we tried POP-not a fan! Though the resort was clean, we found the rooms to be really small, the food court chaotic and the bus service okay! Have you thought about moderate?

 

[DreamerWDW]

I have stayed at all levels of the resorts and I'd definitely stay at POP again! My family enjoyed our stay there and I think its a fun resort!

 

[kam1011]

I've been to all levels but we usually stay deluxe. It's a completely different experience, but I don't mind it. We usually get a two bedroom villa for the space and convenience (and the washer/dryer lol)...

I haven't been to Pop, but have stayed in the All-Star Music a few times. It's fun, lively, just totally different. Our last value trip was about three years ago when we went with extended family. We got a family suite at ASM to be close to everyone else and then we added on two extra nights at a Deluxe at the end. My DH actually spoke the words "ok NOW I'm in Disney" when we got there, but it's not like we didn't enjoy everything up until that point. I actually really enjoyed having a food court (since a lot of the deluxes don't have them) and I thought the food was pretty decent.

 

[NMAmy]

We've stayed at all levels, DVC, deluxe, mods, and values. We really enjoy Pop. It has a fun atmosphere and I always request a quiet room away from the pool and haven't had any kind of issues at all. We like it much better than the All Stars. I can't explain the difference between them and Pop but, for some reason, while I detest the All Stars, I quite enjoy Pop Century.

We were discussing our upcoming trip this morning and I suggested PO-FQ to my 23 yo dd and she told me she'd prefer Pop to FQ. Although she told me Boardwalk is her #1 choice.

 

[crystaltink]

Thinking of adding 3 night(which translates to only two full park days) onto our 7 night Disney FAntasy cruise in Feb. The dates are early Feb, crowd level is low(3-4) on those days. 35% room only discount give me the Pop Century for $331.... or can go Wilderness Lodge for $863. I usually rent points but will have my sisterinlaw with me, so prefer two beds instead of the bed/pullout couch. I doubt we will swim.... so truly just somewhere to sleep(arrive Wed eve... rope drop park Thurs/Fri... leave for cruise Sat morning)..... so should I save the money and just try Pop Century or since we always go deluxe and I going to regret and wish I spent the extra $500. HOpe I am not coming across like a deluxe snob but hubby doesn't do disney with us(it is a girls bonus trip each year) so the deluxes have been easiest for me to get tired princesses back to the room each night since we typically end up at MK in the evenings. We will likely be going to MK one day and Epcot the second(may hop to DS as I have old nonexpiring tickets that I am using)..... but will start both days at ropedrop at those parks. Thanks.

I've stayed at Pop numerous times, however, you need to know what you are walking into when you book Pop. If you are looking for a lively hotel that you will use to basically sleep and shower in, then Pop is your place.
However, if you want to relax and just chill a bit then I wouldn't book Pop. Pop is loud, and usually very busy. I read a post somewhere that stated that Pop is like a big dose of vitamin C, lol! The buses to Pop can be quite crowded with standing room only, just depends on the time of year that you are going.
I'm a light sleeper so when I book Pop I always ask for top floor 50's or 70's section. That way you may hear little feet running by your room, but not over your head as well.

If you are looking to save a little money and want a more tranquil resort then I would recommend POFQ or POR preferred buildings. POFQ is our favorite Disney resort. It's the best of both worlds!

 

[Magicalcarpetride]

so the deluxes have been easiest for me to get tired princesses back to the room each night since we typically end up at MK in the evenings. We will likely be going to MK one day and Epcot the second(may hop to DS as I have old nonexpiring tickets that I am using)..... but will start both days at ropedrop at those parks. Thanks.

We have tried all the values but no Moderates or Deluxes at WDW. We do, however, stay at Deluxe resorts when we travel else where. We love the value of Pop. Pop has it's own bus with only one bus stop, which makes it quicker to get to the parks and back. The layout of the resort is pretty compact and the walk from the bus/dining is no longer than 5 min from any of the buildings. The beds are only double size, however, and the room is small & I wouldn't want to spend more time sitting around in it than it takes for everyone to get showered and dressed. We are park warriors, so this doesn't bother us. We love the cheesy icons and Disney decor. That is also a big reason we don't have much interest upgrading at WDW.

 

[anniescupboards]

We have tried all the values but no Moderates or Deluxes at WDW. We do, however, stay at Deluxe resorts when we travel else where. We love the value of Pop. Pop has it's own bus with only one bus stop, which makes it quicker to get to the parks and back. The layout of the resort is pretty compact and the walk from the bus/dining is no longer than 5 min from any of the buildings. The beds are only double size, however, and the room is small & I wouldn't want to spend more time sitting around in it than it takes for everyone to get showered and dressed. We are park warriors, so this doesn't bother us. We love the cheesy icons and Disney decor. That is also a big reason we don't have much interest upgrading at WDW.

Nailed it.

I have stayed at all the resorts. Pop is the best one for value, fast buses, pools and atmosphere.

 

[opal]

Don't be afraid to try Pop!

We have gone to Disney almost every year since 1990 and have stayed all levels of Disney hotels and also Swan and Dolphin. Since swimming and hotel amenities are less of an issue for this trip, why pay for them? When our dd was younger, we traveled with my brother and his family trips ranging from 8-14 days and usually chose a mod for CBR for the pools, water activities etc. Because the kids were younger we would come back in the afternoon for a little down time and there was plenty for them to do. When they got a little older we stayed at resorts in the Boardwalk area - mainly because the trips were shorter and we liked being able to walk to two parks and they were less interested in swimming and boating. Now we are empty nesters living in Fl. Pop is our resort of choice because we usually just do 1-2 night trips and are spending most of our time at the parks, DTD etc. The rooms are clean and comfortable and we have never had an issue with noise. You can walk over the bridge to AoA. We actually prefer their food court for breakfast! Depending on which building you are in, it is about the same distance. We have also been to Pop with our now married dd and her hubbie and stayed at Pop and AoA and she wanted to know why we never stayed there when she was younger!!!

 

[fairestoneofall]

we've stayed at all levels of resorts. our last two stays at Pop were following deluxe stays. we love Pop. yes, the rooms and beds are smaller, but it's a great place to stay. we actually tend to "hang out" more at Pop than we do other resorts. the kids love it. and it's a great way to save money!

 

[katie111]

I would also vote for POP. We've stayed at deluxes, moderates, and values. Generally, if DH is coming, we stay somewhere nicer. If its just me & the kids, then we usually do a value. The kids & I are Disney nuts, and to us, the values just seem more Disney-ish. DH is more of a hotel snob and doesn't like to go commando like we do, so he likes to have nicer amenities at the resort. He also doesn't like the buses so he prefers somewhere we can walk to a couple of the parks. The kids and I like to feel fully immersed in Disney and somehow the Values just do that for us.

Ine other thing, is that the buses at the Values are no worse/better than the buses anywhere else. We had horrible bus service at WL (so many stops at other hotels) and fantastic service at values. We've also occasionally had extremely long lines at the values and great service at AKL. So its really a crapshoot. The worst check in service for us always seems to be at the moderates. The lines always seem to be so long & slow moving.

 

[Eastern]

We've stayed moderate and deluxe except for a quick trip in September 2012 just me and my DD. This quick trip we tried POP-not a fan! Though the resort was clean, we found the rooms to be really small, the food court chaotic and the bus service okay! Have you thought about moderate?

Same here. I think POP is an ok value for 2 people. The rooms are really small! When we opened the door, the bed was inches from us. I would price out POFQ before booking POP.

 

[scjo68]

We have stayed at every level of resort and liked POP fine. We found it as quiet as any other resort. We actually found the grounds outside more attractive than we expected. Room was clean. Busses were good.

The room was small and very simple in design. But it was functional. I did miss having a coffeemaker. I brought my Keurig (I need coffee first thing!) and that was a production, but worked fine. We did not have a working fridge, but that was not really a POP issue- more of a WDW issue, and I'm sure by Feb. POP will have fridges. So no worries about that.

If you are cool with trying POP, I would stay there. OTOH, if you think you may worry about whether you will like it, just stick with a Deluxe.

 

[nansmama]

Pop is great if you won't be using the room/resort amenities much. We really like it, have stayed there six or seven times. Only negative is the buses can get really crazy crowded sometimes, especially at the end of a park day. The atmosphere of the resort is awesome, though.

 

[pooh2001]

From another Deluxe snob - we were thinking of Pop sans kids in mid-October of next year. Less busy time of the year, plus decent weather.

I was thinking of the 1950's section, top floor, away from the pool.

Could we get a king size bed and a regular bathroom with a tub -
Or are the king size bed room's have handicapped bathrooms?

And do the POP rooms now have mini-refrigerators ?

Thanks!