Pop Century Review.....my experience.

[AngieInOH]

This was our 2nd trip to the World. Two years ago we stayed at AKL this time we tried POP. Were were in building 3, 4th floor, lake view.....exactly what we requested. As far as I can tell everyone in Building 3 had little towl animals in their room window to greet them.

For a budget hotel and the price we paid this hotel was definetly adequate. No bells and whisles but it was clean and served the purpose. There was definetly enough room to hold all of our close for 7+ days (DH, DS7 & me). The TV stand held most of our clothing and what didn't fit went above the close rack next to the sink. Speaking of the sink.....there was plenty of counter space to hold all of our things. The mirror also has a shelf that holds plenty. I did not miss the double sinks at all. The single sink might pose a problem if 2 people are getting ready at the same time but I was always the first one to get up and get ready so I was out of the way by the time DH needed in. I was a bit worried about the water pressure as the sink didn't have much, but the shower was just fine.

I'd say the walls are thin as others have commented about but we had good neighbors that weren't loud and all was silent at night. One morning around 5am I woke to the famous toilet flush...... I thought those DISers are right, toilet flushes from someone else room are loud......... then I saw DH walk out of the bathroom

On to the beds, the one downfall of the room. I did not care for the double beds. We're used to a queen so it seemed a bit cramped. Ended up one of us slept with DS each night and although this gave DH and I extra room the one sleeping with my DS didn't get to reap the benefits of having the extra room as he was usually pressed right up against us sleeping leaving all kinds of extra space on the other side of him. Another thing about the beds..... they're hard. Now this was not a problem for me, I actually never once woke up in the morning with an aching back, unlike at home (maybe it's time for an extra, extra firm mattress). My DH is the one that complained about the mattress, said he didn't sleep well at all on them......he likes to complain.

My DH only other complaint about the room was there was no chair to set in (like the kind you sit in to watch a football game ) He stayed in one day to watch the playoff games while I got to go around and do whatever I wanted!

I was very impressed with how the grounds were maintained. They were constantly cleaning everything. We saw railings being washed down every morning. And the areas around the pool were being scrubbed.
Everything was very clean.

The buses were great! We had a rental but decided to take the buses on most days which was much more convenient.

Would I stay here again? Definelty although it may be hard to convince my DH (only because of the hard beds and no chair)

Comparison between POP and AKL:
Although AKL has more square footage than POP I honestly did not miss it. I think because the furniture at AKL is so much larger in scale it takes up a lot of the extra room you get. Didn't miss the double sinks either or the enclosed closet space. I think it would have cost us around $800 extra to stay at AKL and to me I just don't think it's worth it. We were never in our room. If you intended on spending time at the resort I might have a different opinion. For a first time visit I would definetly recommend a value.....your busy trying to see everything that you don't have time to enjoy the resort. I would stay at a nicer resort on your second or third trip since you might have some extra time to spend at the resort.

If anyone has any questions let me know!!

 

[Mrs Grumpy]

Thanks for the great review!! We love POP!

 

[Simbee3]

I totally agree with you 100%. My boys and I said that there was nothing wrong with the resort and actually enjoyed it very much. Now my husband did nothing but complain. The rooms are too small, the beds are to hard, the parking lot is too far and the list goes on.
We loved the food court, the boys especially enjoyed the frozen cokes, as well as the games that the CMs hosted during the day.
I think for the amount of money it was great. I have been trying to talk him into staying there again, and he continues to say no. Well here's to trying to talking the hubbys into Pop again. We want to add a couple more days to the beginning of our trip and I have been nudging him to no avail.

 

[typhoonlagooner]

Glad you enjoyed it!

After staying at a value, we can longer justify the cost of a moderate and some deluxes. It wasn't nearly as bad as we were expecting and we actually enjoyed it

We're really looking at trying the Family Suites at All Star Music now. It's slightly more than a moderate, but has a queen bed, seperate living area, and kitchenette area; plus two full bathrooms

We're staying at the Beach Club in September since we'll be spending more time relaxing at the resort and resort area... for this trip... it's worth the extra money on the location and resort amentities.

I think the values are an incredible deal... ya just can't beat it!

 

[skeleton_pirate]

I think this was spot-on... especially about the hard beds.

Pop definitely has its good points and bad points, but really isn't a bad option, especially considering how much money one can save by staying there.

 

[DizzDoll]

Good observations . I agree with everything you said about Pop. But personally, I like a firm bed. When we go, its me, DD - 16 and DS - 14. My son gets one bed and my daughter - alias The Octopus - gets the other. I know what you're saying about your DS and all the room on HIS side of the bed!!! When I "sleep" with my daughter, I get her arm across my nose and her knee up my back!!! Not fun. We didn't hear the turbo toilets, nor did we hear our neighbors, but we did have fellow guests who hung their towels over the railing to dry which might be bothersome so some guests but didn't bother us. The grounds are immaculate , the CMs wonderful , the foodcourt crowded and crazy but the lines move quickly. This year we're going back then doing the split at the ALK. This will more than likely be our last time going as my DD is off to college in a year and a half's time so we want to end our stay at a nice deluxe. Preferably with a giraffe looking in the window!!!

 

[enyaj40]

glad you had such a good time

i'm looking forward to trying this resort out

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I pretty much agree with your post. There IS something magical about the Deuxe resorts that you don't get at the values, and the mods. Plus the mods are a real trade off because you get the extra space in the room and many of the amenities, but there's somethign that tells you right away you aren't at a deluxe. Plus most of the mods are very spread out. I hate losing time while the bus goes around the whole resort - or having to lose so much time walking between the food court and the room or pool. I don't mind walking in general, but I kind of resent the way Disney makes you walk the long way between two points after a whole week.

BUT -

Is the trade off worth the premium price Disney charges? Not during peak season! $500 or $600 a night for a room is just crazy!