Pop Century questions for First Timer

[alexander09]

Our family will be visiting Disney for the first time in February and are staying at Pop. I've been reading up on what to expect and have a couple of questions.

Do the bathrooms still have the retractable clothes lines?
Is there room to store a small pop up hamper to help with dirty clothes?
Since Pop has direct bus transportation to the parks how long does it take to get to and from MK, AK, and Epcot?
Any must haves to make this stay the best it could be?
Anything we should ask for to help us?

It will be me, my spouse, and our 4 year old daughter.
Thanks in advance!

 

[christineann]

We stayed at Pop for the first time in early December and had a great time.

Yes, there are retractable clothes lines.
There is room for a hamper (or two).

The bus transportation to the parks and DTD was very good, but I can't remember how long it took. We went to the bus stop about 40 minutes before rope drop and made it every time.

There are new refrigerators and new bedding in the rooms. We didn't want to spend time in the food court before going to the parks (enjoying a few more minutes of sleep!), so we took juice, canned drinks, and breakfast bars to eat while we were getting ready in the mornings.

Be ready for any kind of weather. It was cool in the mornings and in the evenings, so we wore short sleeved shirts and carried windbreakers (which also kept us dry on Splash Mountain).

The look on your 4 year old's face the first time she sees the castle will be priceless - what a great age for WDW. Get FP for lunch at Be Our Guest - good food and a fun experience.

Have a fantastic time!

 

[alexander09]

thanks so much for the info! looking forward to getting the most out of this vacation!
we are looking forward to our trip (in countdown mode) - and we are surprising our daughter so she will not know until the day of that we are going!

 

[WEDWDW]

Since Pop has direct bus transportation to the parks how long does it take to get to and from MK, AK, and Epcot?

Wait time for bus----0-20 minutes.

Travel time after boarding bus(approximate):
Magic Kingdom----15 minutes
Epcot----10 minutes
Hollywood Studios----5 minutes
Animal Kingdom----10 minutes
Downtown Disney----10 minutes

POP is a great resort!

It is the only Value Resort with a lake and the "new" Art of Animation Resort is right across a bridge from POP.

Have a GREAT frist trip(most likely it won't be your last-WDW is AWESOME!).

 

[melissafox18]

Do the bathrooms still have the retractable clothes lines? Yes
Is there room to store a small pop up hamper to help with dirty clothes? Yes - in the sink area near the bathroom there's plenty of room to put a hamper (near the safe) It's where we toss our empty luggage, but there would still be space if memory serves me correctly!
Since Pop has direct bus transportation to the parks how long does it take to get to and from MK, AK, and Epcot? It often depends on the time of day and when the last bus departed. We stayed there in Apri 2012 and never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus at any time of day. The only painful bus ride was to and from DTD which is true for all resorts that have a bus to DTD. The rides to and from DHS and Epcot are very short - less than 10 minutes. AK is 10-15 minutes and MK is the longest just because of distance. The bus rides move fast though!
Any must haves to make this stay the best it could be? I overpack for everything. Anything you'll want to have for the pool if you are going, warm and cool clothes since the weather has been unseasonably warm!
Anything we should ask for to help us? I like online check in. I know others don't. For me, it gives me one last voice to make a few requests during our stay. It depends on what you want. If you want to be close to Classic Hall (which is food and buses), I would suggest building 8 or 3. If you want a quiet room, building 6 is nice. (this is also a quick walk over the bridge to AoA) For value resorts, I prefer a first floor room to save time waiting for the elevator or walking down the stairs. We were in a lake facing room in building 6 and didn't hear a peep on our last trip!

Enjoy your stay! We loved pop. It's one of my favorite resorts overall. The feel is fun, it's a good family atmoshere, and it's got some great perks!

 

[alexander09]

Thanks for the helpful replies. If you know of any other "tips" or "secrets" at Pop please let me know!

 

[DisMom1981]

Our family will be visiting Disney for the first time in February and are staying at Pop. I've been reading up on what to expect and have a couple of questions. Do the bathrooms still have the retractable clothes lines? Is there room to store a small pop up hamper to help with dirty clothes? Since Pop has direct bus transportation to the parks how long does it take to get to and from MK, AK, and Epcot? Any must haves to make this stay the best it could be? Anything we should ask for to help us? It will be me, my spouse, and our 4 year old daughter. Thanks in advance!

Depending on where your room is it can be a hike from the parking lot. Have them take your luggage to and from the room. We had our own car and didn't realize this and my husband nearly died in the August heat carrying all if luggage to the room haha. Other than that we loved the resort! The main pool is the best with little ones- they have complimentary life vests and a really shallow splash pool right behind it.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Sandi]

We've stayed at Pop many, many times and really like it. I like to request a first floor lakeview room. I think the lakeview rooms are a little quieter than the other rooms. Some people contend you are further away from the main building. That may be, but you're talking 2 minutes more.

There are usually some activities at the pool or in the lobby (learn the Hustle). Those can be fun for your whole family.

My final advice is to make sure you take a rest in the afternoon with your daughter. We would all take a short nap in the afternoon and it allowed for a much more pleasant evening. Don't worry about trying to fit everything in to this vacation because you will be back.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

Thanks for the helpful replies. If you know of any other "tips" or "secrets" at Pop please let me know!

Check and see if they still do the Hustle at certain times in the lobby.

We happened to be there when they did it and the teens got a kick out of me doing the Hustle. It was pretty embarrassing.

 

[tina.tina]

We loved Pop!!!! As soon as we turned onto the driveway, I kept saying it looks just like it does in the pictures. DH & the kids laughed at me but I guess I meant that the colors were so vibrant. They were painting stuff each day we were there to keep it all looking fresh. We liked the food court better than I thought we would. The Mickey waffles were great for breakfast. Walking on the path by the lake at night was romantic.

Good luck getting your daughter down for a nap. DS was 5.5 when we went. He took a nap every day at preschool but we could not get him to at WDW. We all were lying down in the dark for over an hour and he suddenly said "Guys, can we get up now?" He had never been to sleep. Unfortunately, he had a little meltdown at Hollywood Studios. Sitting there, waiting for Fantasmic to start wasn't pleasant but I made a puppet with a washcloth and drawn on eyes and mouth. It got him settled down until DH & DD got back with some drinks.

We loved the buses. To us, it's a huge benefit to staying on site. Someone even vomited on the bus coming back from DTD and I still love them!

It seems to me that many people everywhere are so intent on getting somewhere that they will run over you with no hesitation. We just moved out of their way- especially by the end of the trip when we were too tired to rush. For example, when people were rushing to the bus, we just let them go because we knew another bus would be along soon. If you don't want to stand up on a bus or monorail, just wait for the next one. We did because my feet were so tired. I stood up on a bus once & thought it was awful. So we waited for the next bus if we had to stand. We let some people go in front of us who were willing to stand. They acted like we were crazy but it really enhanced my trip to be able to sit- it took us 20 minutes on the bus each time to get to Magic Kingdom from Pop. That's a long time to stand on a moving vehicle that suddenly accelerates, turns, stops, etc.

 

[shelby3hearts]

Stayed at pop twice and loves it both times

 

[GoOfyInDisNEy]

Looks like everyone has answered your questions, so I will just tell you a few of our fave things about Pop.

Try the tye dye cheesecake. It's yummy.
Walk over to AOA and check it out. It's a lot of fun.
A lake facing room in the 60s building is super quiet and very close to the main building and you don't have to pay a preferred price.


Have a great time!

 

[WEDWDW]

Check and see if they still do the Hustle at certain times in the lobby.

Yes,they still do both The Hustle and The Twist daily.

At 8:00 AM they do The Twist and at 6:00 PM they do The Hustle.If a Guest does The Twist or The Hustle,they get a cool button.

(I don't have a picture of The Hustle button.)

 

[alexander09]

Thanks for all the great info!

 

[dzndft]

It will be our visit stay in Pop too.

And a random question - for a non-soda drinker (no coffee either) - would you purchase a refillable mug? How many non-soda options are available?

Thanks!

 

[kim929]

The only drinks there free on our Nov trip was hot chocolate, tea and coffee. With the mug you can get soda and power aide, when we were there in Nov it was orange flavored.

 

[StacyMarie]

The only drinks there free on our Nov trip was hot chocolate, tea and coffee. With the mug you can get soda and power aide, when we were there in Nov it was orange flavored.

I don't think the hot chocolate, tea, and coffee are free!!!!

 

[SammiL]

The only drinks there free on our Nov trip was hot chocolate, tea and coffee. With the mug you can get soda and power aide, when we were there in Nov it was orange flavored.

This was the same for me in Oct (other than the powerade flavor which I can't recall). I refilled my mug with coffee or tea everyday. Not a big hot chocolate or soda drinker but they were also available for refills!

 

[katt789]

Our family will be visiting Disney for the first time in February and are staying at Pop. I've been reading up on what to expect and have a couple of questions.

Do the bathrooms still have the retractable clothes lines?
When we were there a few weeks ago our room did still have one!

Is there room to store a small pop up hamper to help with dirty clothes?
Yes, i'd say beside the table once you come in the door, or if it fits under the hanger area/sink area near the bathroom are a couple of places
Since Pop has direct bus transportation to the parks how long does it take to get to and from MK, AK, and Epcot?
Epcot and Hollywood are say, around 15 mins max, AK not much longer, and I always say 30mins to MK. However I always budget 30mins to get to a park
Any must haves to make this stay the best it could be?
Try the tye dye cheesecake!
Anything we should ask for to help us?

It will be me, my spouse, and our 4 year old daughter.
Thanks in advance!

I always request "close to transportation" or to be in the 50's building, it's super close to the parking lot/busses. If you do end up in the 90's or out there, cut through the parking lot, or take the sidewalk along it, shorter than going through the resort! Pop is one of my favorites, my "home resort" if you will! Have a great trip!!

 

[melifeld]

Also, walk across the bridge to AOA and try their food court. We like the POP food court, but my husband LOVED having lunch or dinner at AOA. They have some unique menu items.