Pop Century Room Renovations

[HopperFan]

That was how I was seeing it as well. It looks like there will be much less room to walk around the beds when both are down for sleeping. There was a little room between the full beds and the door wall as well, that may be utilized. We haven't seen photos from every angle yet. I would like to see one shot from the bathroom opening towards the front window wall so we could see how everything fits in the room.

I think one change that will impact some folks who use blow up mattresses is that I'm sure that the "beverage center" will not be able to be moved like the table/chair set was. With the new queen and the shifting of location of beds there will be much less floor space when murphy is down. And I know some folks said they would slide the existing beds over, I don't think that will be an option anymore. My guess is enough space between dresser and bathroom wall big enough for a pack & play.

But you are right we need all the angles so we are still sitting on the edge of our seats waiting for them to complete actual rooms and someone have access to them.

 

[prettypatchesmsu]

I'm right there with you both. While I love the look of hardwood and I'm sure it will be much easier to keep the hardwood/vinyl floors clean in the rooms, I think there are some negatives as well. I just think about my kids when they were younger -- we've always had the rule of "no socks on the hardwood/vinyl flooring" at home. It's just too slippery so we either wear shoes or walk around in bare feet to try and avoid slips and falls. But we also have the rule of "no walking around a hotel room in bare feet" so we spend a lot of time walking around in socks (especially in Disney where we all seem to kick off our shoes as soon as we get back to the room). So which "rule" do we follow in these rooms???? (First world problem, I know -- and it's really just a rhetorical question.) Fortunately, my kids are older now and *should* be old enough to safely walk on a hardwood/vinyl floor in socks without slipping and falling but if they were still little kids I would probably not stay in any of the resorts that have hardwood/vinyl floors. I can only imagine how many "lets see how far we can slide on the floor" contests there would be (followed by a parent yelling "knock it off!!!")...and no doubt several slips/falls resulting in head smacks and bruised tailbones. Not to mention the slips and falls when returning from the pool with dripping swim suits. I hope they leave a mop in each room.

And I also agree that this will increase the noise levels in each room. Not only will you most likely hear more "foot traffic" noise from the rooms above and beside you but noises within each room will be louder as the sound bounces off the floor, walls, & ceiling since there's no carpeting to absorb it.

That being said, I like some of the other changes that appear to be coming to the rooms and look forward to staying at the resort again some time in the future. But I do think the rooms look much more "adult" now...which is a contrast to the "fun" atmosphere of the resort which really appeals to kids (and kids at heart ). Not complaining, just observing.

We always take flip flops anyways (the idea of my bare feet on the hotel bathroom floor ) so the hardwood will not bother us much. I can see the problem with socks. But I'd suggest flip flops.

 

[bluezy]

We always take flip flops anyways (the idea of my bare feet on the hotel bathroom floor ) so the hardwood will not bother us much. I can see the problem with socks. But I'd suggest flip flops.

Yeah, we always only step on the bathmats in the bathroom and I take a suction cup mat for the shower/bathtub as well. My husband, son, and I hate flip flops for several reasons (mostly the "can't stand something between our toes" issue but for me it's also that I'm flat footed and it's very difficult to keep any type of "slip on/no back" shoe on my feet.) so we'll deal with the socks (we're all adults). My bigger concern is the water dripping when we come back from the pool. We don't even notice it on the carpeting but I have no doubt it will cause a mess on a hard surface and I'll have to mop it up with towels all the time. The good thing is, we've stayed at Pop Century 3 times already and a suite at AoA is perfect for us right now. Once we can downsize to a regular room again there are several other resorts we want to try so we probably won't be back to Pop Century for many years. By then they will probably have refurbished the rooms and put in carpeting again.

 

[bluezy]

I think one change that will impact some folks who use blow up mattresses is that I'm sure that the "beverage center" will not be able to be moved like the table/chair set was. With the new queen and the shifting of location of beds there will be much less floor space when murphy is down. And I know some folks said they would slide the existing beds over, I don't think that will be an option anymore. My guess is enough space between dresser and bathroom wall big enough for a pack & play.

But you are right we need all the angles so we are still sitting on the edge of our seats waiting for them to complete actual rooms and someone have access to them.

Yeah, I know I suggested an air mattress to a PP but the more I think about it, the less I think that's going to be an option after the refurb. I'm still holding out hope (for those who need to use an air mattress) that there will be enough space at the bottom of the murphy bed -- or possibly put one at a diagonal between the corner of the bed and the beverage station with the head or foot of the air mattress being against the wall/dresser and the other end pointed at the window/door. Hard to explain....

And I agree that I don't think the queen bed is going to be movable -- it looks like the end tables are attached to the wall so the bed will probably be attached as well. In our 3 stays at Pop, we *never* had movable beds and we had 2 rooms for each of those stays. I always wanted to move a bed against the wall for our youngest daughter and we were never able to (fortunately their bed rails are very sturdy). I'm not sure why some rooms had beds that moved and others had beds that were on platforms.

Getting anxious to see a completed room so we can get our answers!

 

[HopperFan]

Yeah, I know I suggested an air mattress to a PP but the more I think about it, the less I think that's going to be an option after the refurb. I'm still holding out hope (for those who need to use an air mattress) that there will be enough space at the bottom of the murphy bed -- or possibly put one at a diagonal between the corner of the bed and the beverage station with the head or foot of the air mattress being against the wall/dresser and the other end pointed at the window/door. Hard to explain....

And I agree that I don't think the queen bed is going to be movable -- it looks like the end tables are attached to the wall so the bed will probably be attached as well. In our 3 stays at Pop, we *never* had movable beds and we had 2 rooms for each of those stays. I always wanted to move a bed against the wall for our youngest daughter and we were never able to (fortunately their bed rails are very sturdy). I'm not sure why some rooms had beds that moved and others had beds that were on platforms.

Getting anxious to see a completed room so we can get our answers!

I understand what you are saying. You may get one by windows but furniture positioning will be everything if you want to use the murphy bed and a mattress. And I know that is weird about beds ... when folks used to say just move them I thought there is no way .... stayed there maybe 24 times ... and a couple times ago I decided to see if I could move the bed and I could move that one. BUT as you slid it also messed with carpet some so I only did an inch and pushed it back. It seems like most the furniture in the pictures will be attached and not movable. I'm very curious about the "dresser/tv" set up. I know when we stayed in smaller room/bigger furniture rooms in NYC ... a very narrow dresser type was wall mounted and the tv was wall mounted. (They are wall mounting the tvs in CSR.) It allowed for enough walk space which we are losing 6" for queen bed.

 

[happymommy]

I am super sad about the hardwood/vinyl. I may have to bring my own rug!! I hate putting my feet on a cold floor in the morning. I'm sure it will be much easier to clean. I think industrial carpet squares would have been a better choice. If one get dirty or stained, you just pull it up and replace it. I am looking forward to the murphy bed. When we stayed at Fort Wilderness a few years ago we all thought the murphy bed was very comfortable.

I always, always bring slippers to a hotel (unless they provide them, which value resorts don't).

 

[bluezy]

Barn doors are big solid doors that slide on a track or pole much like real barn doors. Usually one big or two doors. They are at CSR and CBR.

A telescoping door is when you push back the doors they stack next to each other. Many times it is more than two panels but it's more about how it moves.

So I took from what he said that are barn doors that will push back to one side in telescoping fashion because I don't think Values have enough wall space to handle pushing a door back on both sides.

I was just looking at the construction checklist again (which requires much concentration because it's slightly out of focus. lol.) and while not looking for information about the doors, I noticed several entries that referred to both types of doors in the same sentence. Like, "install trim around barn door and telescoping door" and "install barn door and telescoping door" so I'm thinking they're referring to 2 different doors. Looking at the picture of the room in progress, based on the size of the header panel compared to the size of the doorway, I think it will be one single door that slides to the side in a non-telescoping fashion. So now I'm thinking the door between the bathroom and the vanity area will be something like this. Of course, as we've said before, this is all just speculation and we won't know anything for sure until we see pictures of the refurbished rooms.

I should probably mention that I used to be part of an online forum that used to sleuth out all kinds of clues to figure out the final outcome of the Bachelor/Bachelorette shows before the end of the season back before Twitter/FB/Bloggers would post all of the information. So I've spent way too much time staring at screencaps and pictures looking for clues and now I sometimes (unnecessarily) go in to "Bachelor sleuthing mode".

 

[HopperFan]

I was just looking at the construction checklist again (which requires much concentration because it's slightly out of focus. lol.) and while not looking for information about the doors, I noticed several entries that referred to both types of doors in the same sentence. Like, "install trim around barn door and telescoping door" and "install barn door and telescoping door" so I'm thinking they're referring to 2 different doors. Looking at the picture of the room in progress, based on the size of the header panel compared to the size of the doorway, I think it will be one single door that slides to the side in a non-telescoping fashion. So now I'm thinking the door between the bathroom and the vanity area will be something like this. Of course, as we've said before, this is all just speculation and we won't know anything for sure until we see pictures of the refurbished rooms.

I should probably mention that I used to be part of an online forum that used to sleuth out all kinds of clues to figure out the final outcome of the Bachelor/Bachelorette shows before the end of the season back before Twitter/FB/Bloggers would post all of the information. So I've spent way too much time staring at screencaps and pictures looking for clues and now I sometimes (unnecessarily) go in to "Bachelor sleuthing mode".

Haha, and to me ..... I don't think a single door will fit the opening without sticking out over the opening. But I'm hoping you are right on the toilet/tub door, what a pain in the butt, sometimes literally, trying to move around in there .............. although some moderates are almost worse.

 

[10MoreMinutes]

Was the Queen bed comfy?

I don't know, I didn't sleep on it, my parents did. I don't remember them complaining, although to be fair, they both like their mattresses super firm and I find that really uncomfortable. The Murphy bed was comfortable though.

 

[Amy&Dan]

Yeah, I know I suggested an air mattress to a PP but the more I think about it, the less I think that's going to be an option after the refurb. I'm still holding out hope (for those who need to use an air mattress) that there will be enough space at the bottom of the murphy bed -- or possibly put one at a diagonal between the corner of the bed and the beverage station with the head or foot of the air mattress being against the wall/dresser and the other end pointed at the window/door. Hard to explain....

And I agree that I don't think the queen bed is going to be movable -- it looks like the end tables are attached to the wall so the bed will probably be attached as well. In our 3 stays at Pop, we *never* had movable beds and we had 2 rooms for each of those stays. I always wanted to move a bed against the wall for our youngest daughter and we were never able to (fortunately their bed rails are very sturdy). I'm not sure why some rooms had beds that moved and others had beds that were on platforms.

Getting anxious to see a completed room so we can get our answers!

Just saw a post a few pages back that suggested that for those that need an air bed to bring two and not use the Murphy bed at all. Not a bad idea!

My kids are grown and only our dd travels with us now (occasionally at that). But in the old days we always used an airbed. This new set up at Pop is really going to stink for many families if they can't find a way to make the airbed thing work.

 

[bluezy]

Just saw a post a few pages back that suggested that for those that need an air bed to bring two and not use the Murphy bed at all. Not a bad idea!

My kids are grown and only our dd travels with us now (occasionally at that). But in the old days we always used an airbed. This new set up at Pop is really going to stink for many families if they can't find a way to make the airbed thing work.

Yes, I agree the possibility of not using an air mattress in the new rooms could be a deal breaker for many families. Even though we now stay in a suite at AoA, we still use an air mattress or two when we're there because none of the kids (teens/adults) does well when sharing a bed.

I'm not confident that there will be enough space for two twin mattresses. If there's not room for one mattress with the bed down, is there going to be room for two with the bed not down???? Remember, even with the bed folded up, there is still a table attached to it taking up floor space. Two twins = 1 king and that's a lot of floor space. The advantage is that the 2 mattresses don't have to be right next to each other so there may be a way to "puzzle piece" two of them in to the open space. My current thought is that no one should count on using an air mattress (or two) in a renovated Pop Century room until we have pictures and measurements from a completed room. I hope there is room but I'm not waging any bets at this point.

 

[FinnsMom7]

Given the expected (laugh if you will) finish for a room was approx 3 weeks, and it is now over a month and no finished rooms have been seen, it was smart they didnt put the renovated rooms into booking until June - I would just hope as they go thru the process the speed picks up a little - staying in December and would love a renovated room, wont care if I can't have one but given it is just me and the DH the layout is so much better - last year at ASMu we got a King room when we checked in which was great.

 

[scrapquitler]

I'm surprised that they're changing out one of the beds for a Queen size. Considering the sq ft of the Value resort rooms and that both beds are usually full sized, I wonder if there's even room to expand even one bed in there. I guess that's the murphy's bed purpose? To give more space so a queen bed can fit in there?

from the photos I saw, it looks to me like the nightstand is narrower. Putting a smaller nightstand can easily make up the six inches or so difference between a full size bed and a queen.

 

[sunshine girl]

Oh my gosh I am DYING to see more photos of these new rooms. I have two stays booked at Pop this fall/winter. I'm not a fan of the new layout ... but I reserve judgment until photos emerge of the finished product.

I know Disney has an alert on their website that this resort is under refurbishment, but I'd like more info so I can make informed decisions. These are pretty big changes to room style/layout vs. what is currently shown on their website!!

 

[FinnsMom7]

Hoping someone has a stay @ Pop coming up soon so we can get some more info - been over a month since the first set of rooms started construction but haven't been able to get any additional info aside from what HopperFan so kindly got us.

 

[kjpotter]

We have a May 21 check-in and I was holding out hope for a renovated room. Guess, I should make my room request. Darn

 

[pat fan]

Hoping someone has a stay @ Pop coming up soon so we can get some more info - been over a month since the first set of rooms started construction but haven't been able to get any additional info aside from what HopperFan so kindly got us.

Staying end of May. If no one else reports in, I'll drop a line!

 

[BridgetR3]

We are staying there in a couple of weeks but I'm not sure that I'm brave enough to go around construction perimeters to get a pic. However, if I see anything I can report back.

 

[PattnFmly]

We love POP and I am going to reserve judgment until I see a finished room. For us, my DS's are still willing to share a bed (even though they are teens) and DH and I regularly sleep in a full-size bed anyways (with the cat too) so the bed sizes will have no impact on us. It's just that we don't really need the table. We don't generally eat in our room and aside from writing post-cards and having a place to put our mugs when they are drying during the day, we don't even use the table that is there now. But we'll see! Pop is so much our favorite food court and our favorite home at WDW! So .. I will wait and see!

 

[Cyn]

I know I read it somewhere but can't find it now....anyone know which buildings are being currently worked on? Working on a room request and want to request a building away from construction.